113: family

Shen Xiaochuan stood at the edge of the high platform, the wind blowing against his clothes. The copper gear hanging from his cuff glinted yellow under the moonlight.

As soon as he joined the group, it exploded. Messages popped up one after another. Before he could finish reading them, his communicator rang again. It was a message from White Snow Princess.

The communicator was still in his hand; the screen had just gone dark, and his palm still held its warmth.

He didn't move. After waiting a few seconds, he pressed the power button again.

The screen lit up, and a message popped out: "Where are you? Are you safe?"

It was White Snow Princess.

Seeing the words, the corners of Shen Xiaochuan's mouth curled up slightly. Instead of typing, he directly tapped the voice call button.

"I'm in the Japanese Kings Domain," he said. "The city has changed masters. Tang Long is seriously injured, but he's still alive. You guys can rest easy."

There was a two-second pause on the other end.

"What did you say?" White Snow Princess's voice grew louder. "You took down a King's Domain by yourself? You're still alive?"

"I didn't take it down," Shen Xiaochuan said. "It just changed hands. I'm currently in their control center. I've already moved Dragon City; they have no idea where it is."

"...Holy crap." White Snow Princess took a breath. "Are you crazy? Going there alone?"

"Not only am I alive, but I also rescued the person." After Shen Xiaochuan finished speaking, he clipped a ten-second video and sent it over. In the footage, Tang Long lay on a bed, his breathing steady, while Anna was changing his bandages. As the camera panned over the head of the bed, a nameplate could be seen reading 'Tang Long · Huaxia General'.

There was a long silence on the other end.

"I need to report to General Yue immediately," White Snow Princess finally spoke. "This is too big. We're preparing to upgrade the group; we'll call it 'One Big Happy Family' and pull you, General Yue, and the high-level officials in. The situation is complicated now, and everyone needs to coordinate."

"Fine," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Be quick."

"The encryption process is already underway. I'll give you an answer within three minutes."

Shen Xiaochuan held the communicator while leaning one hand on the railing, looking out at the ruins. In the distance, there were broken walls, ruined towers, and a few wisps of smoke drifting. Those were the marks of the battle during the day. Now, there were no shouts or alarms, only the sound of the wind scraping against metal.

Three minutes later, the communicator vibrated.

"Approved," White Snow Princess said. "The new group has been created; I've sent you the invitation link."

Shen Xiaochuan clicked the link, and the interface jumped. The group name was "One Big Happy Family," and the background image was a map of Huaxia with a gear symbol printed on it. Below it was a line of small text: "Industry and Military Soul Forge the Divine Domain."

He clicked join.

The next second, over a dozen avatars lit up. Some were online, some had just logged on. A System notification popped up: "[Shen Xiaochuan] has joined the group chat."

The first message jumped out:

"God Shen? Did you really take down the Japanese Kings Domain?"

Sender: Zhou Yuanshan.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't reply. He opened the panoramic records and uploaded the operation in three segments. The first segment was the footage of Dragon City disappearing; the second was the process of him leading the team to storm the Main Hall; the third was the scene of him finding Tang Long in the secret room and confirming his safety.

Each segment wasn't long, the longest being forty seconds.

He added text: "They thought they won. In fact, I just changed locations. The counterattack has only just begun."

The group went quiet.

No one spoke for half a minute.

Then a voice message popped up.

"Good heavens..." It was Yue Zhengzhong's voice. "General Tang is still alive? Is this video real?"

"It's real," White Snow Princess replied. "I've verified it with the System; there's no fraud. Moreover, the nurse changing the bandages is Anna; I saw her in the Northlands last year."

Another message asked: "Where is General Tang now?"

"In a secret room at the new site of Dragon City," Shen Xiaochuan replied. "He's being cared for, his condition is stable, but he hasn't woken up yet."

The group fell silent again.

This time for even longer.

Suddenly, messages flooded the screen:

"It's great that General Tang is alive!!"

"God Shen is too fierce! Moving a city and saving a person in one smooth motion!"

"The Japanese have no idea where Dragon City is now; they're completely blind!"

"I suggest a commendation across the entire Alliance!"

Shen Xiaochuan watched these messages without speaking. He knew that before this, no one believed him. He wasn't famous to begin with; having suddenly done something so significant, anyone would doubt if he was bragging or had used improper means.

But now, the evidence was all there.

Tang Long was alive, the city was gone, the enemy's headquarters had been taken down, and he was still standing here calmly sending messages.

No one could disbelieve him anymore.

Yue Zhengzhong sent two words: "Well done."

Shen Xiaochuan replied with an "Mm."

He added another sentence: "I'll keep an eye on things here next. They'll realize what happened sooner or later. I hope that before then, we can straighten out the command structure."

"It's already being done," White Snow Princess said. "The new group's permissions are set to 'Core Combat Level'; everyone can share battle reports, resources, and enemy intelligence. Later, it will also be connected to the Grandmist Heavenly Eye System to achieve information synchronization."

"Good," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Also, I suggest listing the relocation of Dragon City as top secret. The more people who know, the more dangerous it is."

"Understood. Geographical data has been locked; only the few people in this group can see the full information."

Only then did Shen Xiaochuan breathe a sigh of relief.

He looked down at the small icon in the corner of the communicator—faith points were still rising, +1 +1 +1, ticking continuously.

The wind grew stronger, messing up his hair. He put his hand in his pocket and touched the copper gear on his cuff. It was a bit cold, but it warmed up after he held it for a while.

Just like when his father came home from work when he was a child and reached his hand into his collar.

He looked up at the sky.

There were many stars, not a single one missing.

The communicator vibrated again.

He took it out; it was a group message.

Yue Zhengzhong had sent a voice message.

Tapping to listen, the voice was very deep: "Shen Xiaochuan, you're right. Before, we were too scattered and were picked off one by one. Now that General Tang is back and you've made a name for yourself, from now on, we're going to fight like a family."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't reply immediately.

He stared at the screen for a long time.

Then he typed three words: "I agree."

Just then, Zhou Yuanshan messaged again: "God Shen? Did you really take down the Japanese Kings Domain?" Immediately after, Yue Zhengzhong's voice message also came out... the group quickly became lively:

"From now on, we're a family! No one can even think about tearing us apart!"

"If the Japanese dare to come, we'll all strike together!"

"If God Shen is short on hands, I'll bring three legions to support at any time!"

Shen Xiaochuan read through them one by one. There was no expression on his face, but his shoulders slowly relaxed.

He walked to the edge of the railing and pressed his hand on the metal handrail. A cold sensation came from his palm. This place originally belonged to the enemy, but now it was his. The ground beneath his feet and the sky above his head had all changed masters.

He took out his communicator and took one last look at the group chat.

Everyone was talking, their tone much warmer than before. There was no defensiveness, no suspicion; it was as if they really had become "one family."

He turned off the screen and looked into the distance.

At the end of the wasteland, the sky began to turn white.

He knew that this day would not be peaceful.

But now, he didn't have to shoulder it alone.

The communicator vibrated again.

He looked down and opened it.

It was a private message from White Snow Princess: "General Yue said that once General Tang wakes up, the first thing will be to call everyone for a meeting. The location is set at the Dragon City Training Ground."

After Shen Xiaochuan finished reading, he didn't reply.

He put the communicator in his pocket and turned to walk down from the high platform.