107: Hatred for one's country

The lights outside the city remained on, and the camp was very quiet.

Shen Xiaochuan walked into the control room, and the screen automatically turned on.

He swiped his hand across the map and found a red dot at coordinates X-31, Y-89.

That was originally General Tang Long's Divine Domain.

A line of text popped up on the screen: [Historical retrospective complete]

[Target Divine Domain was forcibly transferred 32 days ago]

[Spatial coordinates were altered; the original Huaxia mark is gone]

[Number of Believers dead: 29,743]

[Main Hall damage: 98%]

The footage began to replay.

A beam of golden light fell from the sky, striking the center of Tang Long's Divine Domain.

There was no battle, no warning; the entire place was directly pulled away and into Dongying territory.

Thirty thousand Believers vanished within ten seconds, not even leaving a sound behind.

Shen Xiaochuan watched that beam of golden light, his voice very low: "It wasn't conquered... it was stolen."

He slowed down the video, watching it frame by frame.

The golden light came from an encrypted channel—"Yamatano-orochi Council"—with very high clearance.

The operator's name could not be seen, but the execution time was 3:17 AM, exactly when the System was resting.

"Choosing a time when no one was paying attention to act." He sneered, "Afraid of being discovered?"

The System continued to load.

The next scene showed that after the transfer was complete, a black stone tablet stood in the middle of the ruins, with the words "New Land of Great Wa, Eternally Suppressing the East" written on it.

Shen Xiaochuan slammed his fist onto the table, and his pen rolled onto the floor.

"Eternally Suppressing?" He gritted his teeth, "Do you deserve it?"

He flipped through his communication logs and found a message sent by Yue Zhengzhong three days ago.

It said that Tang Long had lost contact, only stating he had "encountered an unknown attack."

No one knew the truth, and no one dared to investigate.

Now he knew what was going on.

This wasn't war; it was an assassination.

He walked to the strategy board on the wall, picked up a red pen, and drew a circle around the "rear of the Wa nation."

Inside the circle were three small Divine Domains, the nearest one labeled "Yamaguchi Ichiro."

"The defense here is weak, there are many resources, and the garrison is less than two thousand." He said in a low voice, "It's suitable for an attack."

The door opened.

Karl entered, holding a production report in his hand.

"Brother Shen, the first batch of sixty sets of power armor is 85% complete. Lolia said it can be delivered within two hours."

"Deliver it early," he said. "We need to form the unit tonight."

"So urgent?"

"They took something they shouldn't have." Shen Xiaochuan looked back at him, "Do you know Tang Long?"

"I know. He was in the top ten of the rankings a month ago, then suddenly dropped off and there was no more news."

"His land is right here." Shen Xiaochuan pointed to the red dot on the map, "Stolen in the middle of the night, thirty thousand people gone, and no one gave an explanation."

Karl was silent for a few seconds. "You mean... Dongying did it?"

"Not just them." Shen Xiaochuan's eyes turned cold, "The whole System is suppressing the matter. They quietly swallowed a King-level Divine Domain. They thought no one would remember, and no one would dare to interfere."

"But you just entered the battlefield, and everyone is watching you. Sticking your neck out now is too dangerous."

"Then let them see clearly," he said. "Whoever thinks we are easy to bully, I will let them see the consequences."

Karl didn't say anything else and bowed his head to note down the orders.

"Notify the three legion commanders; Level 1 combat readiness continues. All non-combat teleportation is shut down, and power is switched to backup lines."

"Understood."

"Also," Shen Xiaochuan paused, "Have the Industrial Zone simulate personnel movements in the northern mining area; play a recording, looping for six hours."

"Are you trying to trick them into moving troops north?"

"I want them to guess," he said. "Guess where I'm actually going."

Karl left, and the door closed.

Shen Xiaochuan returned to the sand table, his finger pressing on that red dot, so hard he almost punctured the map.

He unbuttoned his sleeve and took out a copper gear pendant, placing it on the table. The pendant had cracks, and the edges were a bit blackened.

He looked at it for a long time.

When he was a child, his parents worked at a steel mill and came home covered in dust every day. His mother often said that machines don't lie; if you treat them seriously, they will provide for you. His father had said something that he always remembered.

"We Chinese people don't take other people's things. But if someone takes ours, they shouldn't expect to keep it peacefully."

He carefully sewed the pendant back into his cuff, moving very slowly.

Then he stood up and walked to the main console.

"Turn on the city-wide broadcast."

The System responded quickly. Shen Xiaochuan took a deep breath, his voice steady and firm as it spread throughout the city: "Attention everyone, from now on, Skydome City enters the revenge phase. I will no longer just defend our home. Whoever touches our people or steals our land, I will personally make them pay the price!"

The workers in the factory stopped their work.

The patrolling soldiers looked up at the city walls.

He paused, his eyes full of determination: "I don't want to explain why I hid in the past. Now, I won't hide anymore."

The broadcast turned off.

He opened the Faith Mall, and the page refreshed.

[Heavy Armor-Piercing Missile, Range 500km] — 60,000 faith points/each

[EMP Bomb] — 40,000 faith points/each

[Railgun Calibration Module] — 80,000 faith points/set

He selected these three items, bought ten of each, and confirmed the payment. His account had 900,000 left.

"Not enough," he said. "Wait for the first batch of armor to come out, then add twenty more."

He walked to the window. The camp outside the city was brightly lit, and searchlights swept back and forth. Kyukokawa Eiyori's people were still watching and hadn't withdrawn.

He picked up the binoculars.

In the view, the opponent was setting up a reconnaissance barrier, with several metal rods stuck in the ground, connected to an instrument flashing red light.

"Want to test me?" He put down the binoculars, "Then go ahead and test."

He turned and walked to the strategy board, using a red pen to draw an attack route. The starting point was the West Gate of Skydome City, and the destination was the core warehouse of Yamaguchi Ichiro's Divine Domain.

"Phase One: Reclaim our lost land." He wrote these eight characters on the side.

Then he opened internal communications.

"Lolia."

"Here." She responded immediately.

"As soon as the armor is done, immediately start a second line. I want artillery tractors, transport platforms, and off-road engineering mechs."

"Are there enough Materials?"

"If not enough, dismantle old equipment," he said. "I'd rather cut my own power than let the front line lack equipment."

"Understood."

"Also," he paused, "Modify the waste heat recovery of the steam engine. Divert all excess energy to the weapon production line."

"Brother Shen, that will make your room and command center cold."

"I don't need warmth," he said. "I need firepower."

The communication ended.

He stood before the sand table, holding the tactical pen, his eyes locked onto the weakest point in the rear of the Dongying forces.

His finger moved slowly, and he slashed a heavy line across the four characters "Yamaguchi Ichiro."

The machines in the city were still roaring.

Sparks flew on the production line.

The lights in the distant camp were still flashing.

He stood motionless.

The tip of the pen pressed against the sand table, making a soft scratching sound.