108: attacking the Japanese kingdom

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the city wall, his finger pressing on the 'Yamaguchi Ichiro' position on the sand table, drawing a heavy line that nearly pierced the wooden board.

He turned and walked away. His overalls brushed against the corner of the table, and the copper gear in his sleeve chimed softly.

"Move out."

As soon as he finished speaking, the three legions had already assembled outside the west gate. The flags of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird fluttered in the wind. The soldiers were all wearing new power armor, the metal on their shoulders gleaming.

Lolia stood in front of the convoy, holding the final report with a serious expression. She looked up at Shen Xiaochuan: "Brother Shen, all sixty-two sets of armor are activated, fully charged, and ready for battle."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "Follow the plan. The convoy stays in the middle, the artillery group is at the back, and the engineering mechs are ready to breach the wall."

The team began to advance. No one spoke, and no slogans were shouted; there was only the sound of armored vehicle tracks crushing gravel.

They did not take the main road, instead passing through the forest to the north. The tree shadows were dense, so everyone turned off their searchlights and relied on infrared vision from their helmets to move forward.

After walking less than two kilometers, X-07's voice suddenly rang out in the communicator: "Warning, energy fluctuations detected at high altitude, 1,200 meters directly above. The target is setting up a detection barrier."

Shen Xiaochuan looked up.

The clouds split, and moonlight shone down. A woman floated in the air, her hands spread wide, with a red mirror in front of her, facing Skydome City.

"Kyukokawa Eiyori?" Shen Xiaochuan sneered, "Just in time."

He didn't notify the troops and jumped out directly. Stepping on the treetops, his body shot into the sky like an arrow.

By the time the woman reacted, it was too late. Shen Xiaochuan clasped his hands together, lightning erupted from his body, and he transformed into a streak of golden light, striking down.

"Thunderous Overlord Slash!"

The lightning blade struck the mirror. With a crack, the mirror shattered into powder. The woman didn't even have time to scream before she was pierced by the lightning and fell into the valley.

Over the communicator, X-07 said: "Target eliminated, detection signal interrupted, transmission incomplete."

Shen Xiaochuan landed and shook his hand: "Keep moving."

The team resumed their advance. No one spoke, but the atmosphere had changed. Everyone had seen that strike; the lightning had illuminated the night sky like divine punishment.

After walking for a while, roars came from ahead.

The ground shook. The grass swayed, and over a hundred Red-Eyed Demon Wolves rushed down from the slopes on both sides. The leader was three meters tall, its fangs exposed, and its eyes burning red.

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand and shouted: "Everyone stay put! No one is allowed to attack without orders!"

He walked to the front alone and slammed his palms onto the ground. Instantly, the Remnant Armor of the Thunder Emperor covered his entire body, and faint golden patterns flashed on his skin. He looked up at the sky, his eyes firm, and said loudly: "Come on!"

Dark clouds gathered, and a thick bolt of lightning struck down, landing in his hands. He compressed the lightning into a ball and pushed it out violently.

"Thunderous Overlord Slash—Upgraded Version!"

The lightning blade transformed into a massive scythe and swept out. The wolves in the front row vanished instantly. The remaining ones turned and fled, not daring to look back.

No one spoke.

A few seconds later, the White Tiger Legion commander whispered: "This... is simply not something a human can do."

Shen Xiaochuan walked back, the armor receding to reveal his clothes. He looked at everyone and said: "Let's go, don't waste time, we need to be quick."

At 3:00 AM, the troops arrived three kilometers outside the giant city. The entire city was dark, with only a few lights on the watchtowers.

Shen Xiaochuan crouched at the edge of the slope, using binoculars to scan the terrain. "The guards patrol every five minutes, and runes are drawn on the walls, likely for vigilance."

He turned back to the three legion commanders and said: "You take your people and set an ambush here, wait for my signal. Don't move until I act."

The Azure Dragon Legion commander frowned and asked worriedly: "Are you really going in alone?"

Shen Xiaochuan touched the copper gear on his cuff, his eyes firm: "There is a Soul Lamp System in the city; it will sound an alarm if anyone dies. But I am fast enough to avoid it."

The White Tiger Legion commander patted his shoulder: "Then be careful, we'll be waiting for your return."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded, stood up, and walked toward the city wall.

He ran low to the ground, using bushes and earthen mounds for cover. After approaching the outer wall, he rolled into a drainage ditch and climbed up to find a climbing point.

He grabbed the brick crevices, channeled Thunder Force into his fingertips, and slowly moved his body upward.

Just as he reached the top of the wall, two guards were standing with their backs to him, changing shifts.

Shen Xiaochuan held his breath and took two thin wires from his waist. These were conductive wires made by Lolia. He flicked them out, wrapping the wires around their necks, and sent in a surge of Thunder Force. With the current passing through their brains, the two collapsed.

He dragged the bodies into the shadows, put on one of their uniforms, and donned the helmet.

The watchtower was right in front of him.

The door was unlocked. He pushed it open and entered. Inside was a circular room with surveillance crystals hanging on the walls and a snake-shaped Formation Plate in the middle, glowing red.

Shen Xiaochuan pointed at the Formation Plate and sneered: "This is their surveillance System." He took an electromagnetic pulse bomb from his bosom, set it to low power, and placed it gently under the Formation Plate.

He stared at the Formation Plate and began to count down: "Three, two, one."

With a pop, all the surveillance crystals went dark simultaneously. No alarms, no sparks; the equipment simply stopped.

He climbed to the top of the tower and used binoculars to scan the entire city.

The main city gate was in the southeast corner, with a triple lock made of Spirit Steel, and further reinforced with runes on the outside. The hardest part was the mechanism inside, which required a key to be turned three times to open.

"I'll have to smash the lock." He took a vibranium hammer from his backpack. This was made by Lolia herself, and the hammerhead could conduct Thunder Force.

He jumped off the tower and walked along the inside of the city wall. Five minutes later, he arrived under the main city gate.

The lock was on the right side of the door frame, with three metal rings nested together, each the size of a washbasin. He raised the hammer, infused it with Thunder Force, and struck the outer ring with the first blow.

Clang!

Sparks flew. Cracks appeared on the metal.

With the second blow, the outer ring broke. He continued to smash the second layer.

The third layer was the hardest. He gritted his teeth and smashed it seven times in a row, finally hearing a click as the lock core broke.

"Done." He put away the hammer and looked up into the city. The street was quiet, with only a dog barking a few times. He knew he couldn't let his guard down.

That was the highest point in the city; it was empty now, perfect for sending a signal.

He returned to the top of the tower, took out the signal device, and set it to automatically launch a red signal flare five minutes before dawn.

Then he sat on the railing and took out the copper gear pendant.

His fingers traced the cracks, and he said softly: "Mom, Dad, I brought your words to the front line today."

He didn't say anything more and tucked the pendant back into his sleeve.

He opened his private channel and connected to the three legion commanders.

Shen Xiaochuan took a deep breath and said loudly: "We are not invaders; we are people returning home. We are going to take back what belongs to us."

There was silence on the other end of the channel for a few seconds, followed by the three men's firm voices: "Understood!"

Shen Xiaochuan turned off the communicator, stood up, and looked at the sleeping giant city.

General Tang Long's Divine Domain was right below. Thirty thousand people were gone, the Main Hall had been destroyed, and the monument read "Permanently Suppressing the East."

"I must go in. For those who died, for our dignity." He swore in his heart.

"I've come to take back your land," he thought.

He placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. He hadn't retrieved the blade yet, but he could already feel its weight.

The pre-dawn wind blew over the tower, fluttering his clothes. The signal device screen lit up, and the countdown displayed:

4 minutes 37 seconds

He looked toward the east. The horizon was brightening with a hint of gray-white.

"Time to wake up."