45: Enemy's whereabouts obtained

Shen Xiaochuan stared at the three red dots on the screen, his brows slightly furrowed. He tapped his fingertips on the table, seemingly lost in thought. A moment later, he sighed softly and turned toward the kitchen.

Lilith and Lilia were busy at the stove, where Black Rock Giant Bear meat was stewing in a pot, filling the air with a fragrant aroma. Shen Xiaochuan took out the Jade Bamboo Fish and the meat of the Two-Winged Wyvern from the cabinet and placed them on the cutting board.

"These three ingredients must be prepared before dawn," he said in a calm tone. "The upcoming battle depends entirely on them."

Lilia stopped what she was doing and looked up, asking, "My Lord, do these meats need to be sliced? Or should I put them directly into the pot?"

"Do it however is fastest," Shen Xiaochuan replied. "As long as it can rapidly increase combat power, that is all that matters."

Lilith glanced at her sister and said in a low voice, "Blanch them first to remove the gamey smell, then stir-fry them separately over high heat."

Lilia nodded. "Okay, Sister, you control the fire, and I'll handle the ingredients."

Shen Xiaochuan stood to the side, silently observing every step of the process to ensure everything was correct.

Afterward, he opened the communication channel and connected with Chen Yan and Ling Feng.

"Return to the city immediately. There is a mission."

Chen Yan panted heavily, his voice weary. "We just finished training… We're really too tired. Can we rest for a bit?"

"No."

Shen Xiaochuan's tone remained steady, yet carried an unquestionable firmness. "You don't need rest right now; what you need is to become stronger."

Ling Feng immediately responded, "Understood, we are returning to the team right away!"

In less than an hour, the two arrived at the Main Hall. They were still covered in dust from the training grounds, and their clothes were wrinkled. Shen Xiaochuan did not let them rest and led them straight to the dining hall.

Three steaming hot meals had already been laid out on the table. The Black Rock Giant Bear meat glistened with oil, the Jade Bamboo Fish was sliced into thin strips, and the Two-Winged Wyvern meat was golden and crispy.

"Eat," Shen Xiaochuan said with just one word.

Chen Yan picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of meat into his mouth. After chewing twice, his body jolted violently.

"This… it feels different! My Qi and blood feel like they are burning!"

"Keep eating."

Shen Xiaochuan said indifferently, "This is not ordinary food; it is Advanced combat rations infused with spiritual energy."

Ling Feng also quickly began to eat. The two finished the meal rapidly, sweat beading on their foreheads, their breathing becoming heavy.

The System prompt sounded immediately:

【Chen Yan's combat power increased to 159 points】

【Ling Feng's combat power increased to 151 points】

Shen Xiaochuan nodded slightly, took two long boxes from the warehouse, placed them on the table, and swept his gaze over the two. He opened the first box, drew out a long spear shimmering with silver light, and handed it to Chen Yan.

"This is the silver dragon spear, an excellent grade weapon. It belongs to you now."

Chen Yan received it with both hands, gripping the spear handle tightly until his knuckles turned white from the force.

"I will never let this spear be disgraced!"

"I believe in you," Shen Xiaochuan said. "But this spear can only truly undergo Awakening on the battlefield."

The second box was opened, revealing a pitch-black long blade. The blade was heavy, and its edge was chillingly sharp.

"Black Iron Long Blade, for you," Shen Xiaochuan said, looking at Ling Feng.

Ling Feng took it with one hand, swung it a few times, and nodded. "The weight is just right."

"As long as you like it," Shen Xiaochuan said. "The most formidable aspect of this blade is its ability to sever the enemy's will, causing them to lose their Battle Intent."

Ling Feng's eyes turned cold. "Tomorrow, I shall let it drink blood."

Shen Xiaochuan walked to the map and pointed to three locations.

"Depart at the hour of the dragon tomorrow. Launch the counterattack!"

"The first route, led by Chen Yan, will capture the resource field of the US and destroy their faith collection array."

Chen Yan frowned and asked in a low voice, "My Lord, how many guards are there? Are there any flying units?"

"About three hundred men, equipped with two mechanical sentry towers, with no stationed flying units," Shen Xiaochuan replied.

"Your speed is of the utmost importance. You must win quickly and decisively; do not linger," he said, patting the other's shoulder.

"Understood," Chen Yan nodded. "I guarantee I will complete the mission before sunrise."

"The second route, led by Ling Feng, will raid the Kimchi Country border stronghold and burn their granaries and teleportation array."

Ling Feng narrowed his eyes, looking slightly worried. "Their defenses are tight; I fear there may be an ambush during this operation."

Shen Xiaochuan's lips curled up slightly. "That is why we are not taking the front gate."

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Infiltrate from the northern cliff. There is no surveillance there, and no one will notice."

"I like this style of fighting," Ling Feng smiled. "Clean and decisive."

"The third route, I will personally go to Dongying to uproot Zhang Benyifeng's Blood-Colored Cherry Blossom Array."

Upon hearing this, the two men's expressions changed drastically. Chen Yan frowned, his tone grave. "Dongying… is not easy to deal with, My Lord."

"It is precisely because it is difficult that I must go personally," Shen Xiaochuan's gaze was like a blade. "I will not allow anyone to manipulate the will of others with evil arts."

Ling Feng asked in a low voice, "How many men will you take on this trip, My Lord?"

"None," Shen Xiaochuan turned to face them. "This is a duel between him and me, not a brawl."

The two straightened their bodies and replied in unison, "Understood."

"Today, we will no longer passively take a beating!" Shen Xiaochuan's voice suddenly rose, Battle Intent surging in his eyes.

"We will take the initiative to attack!" His gaze was like a torch, his voice like a booming bell.

"This battle is not for merely surviving!" He clenched his fists.

"It is to make the enemy pay the price—kill their people!" He said every word with resounding impact.

"This is not defense," he looked around at everyone. "This is a counterattack. Whoever dares to touch us, we will hit back; whoever wants to destroy Skydome City, we will tear down their temple first!"

Chen Yan gripped the silver dragon spear tightly, light flashing in his eyes. "I have waited for this day for a very long time!"

Ling Feng sneered. "Finally, we don't have to endure it anymore. We should have fought long ago!"

Shen Xiaochuan patted their shoulders. "Go and rest. The real battle begins at dawn."

After the two left, Shen Xiaochuan returned to the command room and did not sleep all night. Time passed slowly, and the sky outside the window began to brighten. At the fifth watch, the System prompt sounded.

【Encrypted message arrived: White Snow Princess】

He immediately connected. More than a dozen coordinates appeared on the screen, distributed across the US, Kimchi Country, and various locations in Dongying. Each marker noted the building type, the number of guards, and the Rank of defense.

He quickly browsed through them, confirming everything was correct. These were the enemy's vital points—resource fields, barracks, statue bases, and teleportation cores.

"Just in time," Shen Xiaochuan muttered to himself. "I was just missing this list."

Intelligence was ready; the counterattack was imminent. He walked out of the room and ascended to the city wall observation deck. The morning mist was thick, and the air was slightly cool. He took out a bone horn, placed it to his lips, took a deep breath, and blew it with force.

Woo—the low sound of the horn spread throughout the city.

In the eastern district barracks, the soldiers quickly rose and grabbed their weapons.

"The horn has sounded, do you even need to ask? It must be war!" an old soldier said while tying his bracers, his expression solemn.

In the western district training ground, the archers quickly lined up.

"I don't know if it's true, but looking at My Lord's eyes this morning, they were so sharp—it's definitely not for a patrol," someone scratched their head, looking slightly confused.

At the south gate workshop, the blacksmiths extinguished their furnace fires and left with their equipment on their backs.

The sound of footsteps approached from afar, and five thousand elite soldiers gathered at the parade ground. Their armor was neat, and their blades and spears were like a forest. Yang Lie stood at the city gate, watching the troops, silently gripping the long halberd in his hand.

Shen Xiaochuan slowly descended from the high platform, walked through the crowd, and stood on the central stone stage. He did not speak immediately, just silently watching everyone. Many people still had traces of fatigue on their faces, but their eyes were already clear. Some recognized him and passed the message in low voices. In an instant, the entire field fell silent.

"I know," he spoke slowly. "Last night, some of you thought about leaving."

"I will not stop you."

"But you must understand, if you leave, the enemy will not stop."

No one spoke.

"They will burn our city, kill our people, and destroy everything we have built with our own hands."

He raised the sky-rending blade and pointed to the east.

"They say I am a Puppet?" Shen Xiaochuan sneered. "Then I will use this blade to chop down all of their statues!"

His gaze was like a blade as he shouted, "They want to destroy my Skydome City?"

"Then we will strike first and completely trample their strongholds!" His lips curled up, his voice icy and bone-chilling.

"Today, I have decided to split our forces into three routes!" he announced loudly.

"One route to attack the US, one route to strike Kimchi Country, and one route to head straight for Dongying!"

"Destroy all enemy strongholds!" he shouted, clenching his fist.

"Topple all the enemy's statues!" His eyes were resolute.

"I do not need people who fear death to go on this expedition with me." Shen Xiaochuan scanned the entire field. "What I want are warriors who dare to fight and struggle!"

"I want those who do not fear death and dare to charge to stand forward and fight alongside me!" His voice grew increasingly high.

"Who is willing to go on this expedition with me, to face life and death together?" Shen Xiaochuan held the sky-rending blade high, a fierce fire of battle burning in his eyes.

The roar shook the heavens.

"Expedition!"

"Expedition!"

"Expedition!"

Five thousand soldiers shouted in unison, and the earth trembled. Chen Yan held the silver dragon spear high, Ling Feng leaped onto the steps and swung the Black Iron Long Blade. Everyone looked up at the high platform, waiting for orders.

Shen Xiaochuan stood at the edge of the platform, the wind blowing his robes. He looked toward the distant city wall, where flags were flapping in the wind, inscribed with eight large characters: Those who offend China, even if far away, must be punished.

He took a deep breath and raised his hand, preparing to give the order.

Before his fingertips could fall, a red light suddenly appeared in the sky, slicing through the air.

Immediately after, the System prompt popped up.

【Abnormal energy fluctuation detected, source: Dongying region】

His pupils constricted, and before he could speak, the sound of a bell came from the warning tower on the east side of the parade ground.

Dang—dang—dang—three urgent chimes, representing an enemy attack.

The noise below ceased abruptly. Everyone looked up toward the east. In the thick fog, a black shadow was rapidly approaching.

A soldier widened his eyes, his face full of horror. "That is… a flying ship?"

Yang Lie narrowed his eyes to look closely, shaking his head. "No, the speed is too fast; it's not an ordinary flying craft."

Chen Yan's expression changed drastically, gripping his long spear, his voice tight. "Could it be… Zhang Benyifeng has made a move ahead of time?"

Ling Feng sneered. "Just in time, it saves us the trouble of looking for him."

Shen Xiaochuan stared into the distance, his voice low yet firm.

"All troops, prepare for battle!"

"This time, we will no longer wait to be beaten!" He clenched his fists, his gaze like iron.

"We will take the initiative to attack, like hunters, hunting the enemies down one by one!" He grinned and roared loudly.