124: Countdown to the Fall of the Nation

Shen Xiaochuan's hand still rested on the blade of his halberd. Wind blew in through the gap in the wall, making the hem of his work uniform sway. Four corpses lay at his feet, their blood already dried into a dark brown. His left arm hung limp, and his right knee was split open, still bleeding. Every breath he took made his chest ache.

He did not fall.

A System prompt popped up before his eyes: [Congratulations to Deity [Shen Xiaochuan] for occupying four Kings Domains in a row, completing a devastating blow to the Transcendent forces of the Wa Kingdom!]

He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. A red light began to flash at the edges of his vision—his faith points were recovering, +1 per second, slowly increasing. There was still a burning sensation of pain in his head, but he could endure it.

"Five..." His voice was very soft and hoarse. "That's enough."

Just as he finished speaking, a server-wide announcement suddenly appeared:

[Detected that the number of King-level Divine Domains in the Wa Kingdom is below five. According to the Law of Divine Domain Survival, if it cannot be restored to five or more within thirty days, the civilization will be marked as an 'Extinct Civilization,' and the real-world nation will simultaneously disintegrate.]

The words were white against a black background, visible to everyone.

Shen Xiaochuan stood a bit straighter, using his halberd for support to take half a step forward. He knew this message wasn't just for him, but for all the Believers of the Wa Kingdom. They originally had nine Kings Domains, and now only four remained. The System had essentially handed them a one-month death sentence.

He looked up toward the doorway; dawn had broken, and light flooded over the ruins. The sounds of fighting could still be heard in the distance, but they weren't as frantic as before.

A message popped up on his communication device.

"Chief, the northern line has been taken," Yang Lie said. "The enemy tried to activate the Blood Cherry Array, missing it by three minutes. I led my men into the Main Hall and cut down the Primary Deity with one strike. [Snowfield City] belongs to us now."

Shen Xiaochuan replied: "Casualties?"

"Seventeen lightly injured, no deaths. The defenders knelt as soon as they saw us."

"Just handle the Core, leave no survivors."

"Understood."

The communication cut off.

Shen Xiaochuan looked down at his palm; sweat and blood were mixed together, dripping onto the ground and leaving red dots. His faith points had stopped at over eight thousand six hundred and were still rising. He leaned against his halberd for a while, feeling his left shoulder grow less numb.

Then, another prompt popped up:

[Huaxia Deity [Shen Yan] has broken through his shackles and promoted to a Transcendent!]

Followed by a regional announcement: [Shen Yan has successfully seized control of [Yan Island]. Wa Kingdom's current Kings Domains: 3/9]

Shen Xiaochuan looked up sharply.

Shen Yan broke through?

He immediately opened the battlefield map. In the nine-square grid, six squares had turned blue, labeled "Controlled." The remaining three squares were red, located in the southwest, southeast, and central regions. One of the blue squares was [Yan Island], which Shen Yan had just taken.

He opened Shen Yan's information. The originally gray "Potential Limit" had turned gold, and his combat power had jumped from 820 to 1050, still rising. This was the standard for a Transcendent. He was the third in Huaxia.

"This kid..." The corner of Shen Xiaochuan's mouth twitched; he didn't smile, but his gaze softened significantly.

He remembered the first time Shen Yan wore power armor; he couldn't even hold a gun steady. Now, he had taken a Kings Domain single-handedly and become a Transcendent. It hadn't been easy.

Just as he was thinking this, another communication came through.

This time it was Shen Yan.

"Chief." He was panting. "I've finished clearing my side. The Primary Deity self-destructed his Godhead before dying, blowing up half a mountain. But I managed to press down on the crystal before the Core extinguished."

Shen Xiaochuan asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." Shen Yan paused. "It's just... my body feels different. I have too much strength; I just missed a punch and completely obliterated the rocks by the shore."

"Can you control it?"

"I can," Shen Yan said. "I am a Transcendent, not someone who has lost control. Don't worry, this Divine Domain is secure."

"Good." Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Consolidate control and don't let them counterattack. Once Yang Lie finishes up, you all can rotate and rest."

"Understood." Shen Yan's voice lowered slightly. "But I just sensed that in the remaining three Divine Domains, the Believers are fleeing."

"Fleeing?"

"Yes. Many people have thrown away their Divine Tablets and are running toward the borders. Some small Divine Domains have already begun to disintegrate, their pillars of light extinguishing one after another."

Shen Xiaochuan was silent for a few seconds.

He knew what this meant. It wasn't that they were being defeated; they were collapsing from within. When Believers lose their faith, the Divine Domain cannot be sustained.

He pulled up his halberd and walked out of the ruins.

It was daytime outside. On the scorched earth, patrol teams were clearing things away. He walked step by step toward the temporary Command Temple, his right leg aching with every stride. But he did not stop.

The temple was cobbled together and drafty, with a nine-square grid map floating in the center. The door closed behind him once he entered, leaving him alone in the room.

The map hovered in the air; six blue regions were lit up, while three red regions flashed blindingly.

He stood before it, motionless and silent.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

An orderly had arrived with medicine.

"Sir, the Medical Team has requested that you treat your wounds."

"Leave it there." Shen Xiaochuan stared at the map. "I want to see the data."

The orderly set down the medical kit and walked out.

Shen Xiaochuan pulled up the global status of the Wa Kingdom. Among the three remaining Divine Domains, the one in the southwest had the most people fleeing—nearly twenty thousand in half an hour. The one in the southeast was starting to experience internal strife, with people smashing altars. The central one was still resisting, but its defenses were thinning.

He clicked on the central region.

There was a high tower there, the final hub. Now, the pillar of light at the top of the tower was flickering like a battery running out of power.

"Only three left," he said. "They won't last thirty days."

He glanced back at the medical kit but didn't open it. The copper gear pendant on his wrist was still warm.

The communication device lit up again.

"Chief!" Yang Lie's tone was urgent. "I've already withdrawn from the northern line and am currently deploying troops to support Shen Yan. There is some scattered resistance in the south, but they're all small fries who won't amount to anything."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Tell Shen Yan to rebuild the Faith Array first; we can't have energy leakage. Await my further orders for everything else."

"Understood!" Yang Lie paused for a moment. "But as I passed through a village, I saw Believers burning their Divine Tablets. An old man was kneeling and shouting, 'The gods have abandoned us.' This isn't an isolated case; the entire Wa Kingdom is in chaos."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak.

He knew what Yang Lie said was true. Once the System announcement went out, everyone knew it was over. No one would fight to the death for a nation on the brink of extinction.

He opened the global map again. The Wa Kingdom's territory had already shrunk, surrounded by the signals of hostile forces like beasts that had caught the scent of blood.

"They won't wait thirty days," he said.

"Who?"

"Everyone." Shen Xiaochuan looked at the map. "NATO, Europe, South America... as long as they see a weakness, they will come to snatch it. Right now, it's not just us watching; the whole world is waiting for the Wa Kingdom to die."

Yang Lie was silent for a few seconds. "Then should we speed up?"

"No rush." Shen Xiaochuan shook his head. "Let them fall into chaos first. Once they've completely collapsed internally, the last piece won't be able to hold either. What we need to do now is watch."

"Watch?"

"Yes." Shen Xiaochuan's voice turned cold. "Let them drag themselves to death. We are only responsible for the cleanup."

The communication cut off.

The room fell silent.

He walked to the table, opened the medical kit, and pulled out bandages to wrap his own wounds. His movements were slow, and his left hand wouldn't quite obey him, but he didn't call for anyone.

Halfway through bandaging, another System prompt popped up:

[Wa Kingdom's [Maple Forest City] Believers have rioted, the temple has collapsed, control has been lost, and the region is automatically disintegrating.]

On the map, a red square turned gray and then vanished.

Only two out of nine remained.

Shen Xiaochuan stopped what he was doing and stared at that spot for a long time.

The wind outside grew stronger, and the metal plates clattered incessantly. He walked to the map, resting his hand on the edge of the table, his fingers gripping so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Mom, Dad," he whispered. "You said that if a machine is broken and can't be fixed, it has to be dismantled and rebuilt. Now, this machine..."

He paused, his voice dropping even lower.

"...it's time to dismantle it."

He raised his hand and gently tapped the last red spot on the map.

As his finger fell, a loud boom echoed from outside, sounding as if some Divine Tower had fallen.