Cherry blossoms' victory declaration? Mount Fuji has been blown up!

Sakura, a military port.

Night had long fallen, but the area was as bright as day.

Countless high-powered searchlights illuminated the entire port, making every detail visible, and the cold sea reflected the menacing silhouettes of steel warships.

They lay silently at anchor, like steel beasts poised for battle, their ominous muzzles pointed eastward.

On the pier, people had already gathered in droves.

Media reporters from Sakura and even around the world set up their cameras, aiming their lenses squarely at the makeshift podium.

Everyone knew that the twenty-four-hour deadline had passed, and the Great Xia side remained eerily silent.

Now, the whole world was waiting for Sakura's next move.

Surrounded by a host of cabinet ministers, the Troublemaker finally arrived at the scene.

She was dressed in a sharp, dark suit, her hair meticulously combed, and her face bore an uncontrollable sense of triumph and excitement.

She did not immediately step onto the podium but turned her head, speaking in a voice barely above a whisper, to confirm one last time with the Minister of National Defense beside her.

"Until now, Great Xia, is there really still no reaction at all?"

The Minister of National Defense was a short, stout middle-aged man; he immediately bowed respectfully and answered with certainty, "Hai! Prime Minister, please rest assured."

"After twenty-four hours of uninterrupted monitoring by our intelligence department, there has been no unusual activity in Great Xia's military, economic, or diplomatic spheres."

"They have completely fallen silent."

"Yoshi!"

Upon receiving this definitive answer, the Troublemaker's last trace of apprehension vanished.

She straightened her back, the contempt and arrogance on her face no longer concealed.

She strode confidently, step by step, onto the elevated podium, standing at the center of countless flashing lights.

At this moment, she felt like she was the focus of the entire world!

Then, she cleared her throat and began to speak into the microphone,

starting her "victory declaration" in an incredibly high-pitched and sharp voice.

"Gentlemen! Warriors of our Great Sakura Empire!"

"Twenty-four hours have passed!"

"Facts prove that the so-called Eastern Dragon is nothing more than a blustering paper tiger!"

"They only issue some mystical, nonsensical, comical remarks!"

"They only use cowardly acts like evacuating citizens to cover up their incompetence and fear!"

Her words were highly inflammatory, spreading throughout the military port via loudspeakers and across the world via live broadcast signals.

Below the stage, the Sakura soldiers and officials, already brainwashed by fervent emotions, immediately erupted in thunderous cheers and shouts.

"Long live the Prime Minister!"

"Banzai to the Great Sakura Empire!"

Meanwhile, in Great Xia's online live broadcast rooms, countless netizens watching the screen saw this scene and instantly exploded with rage, their bullet comments flooding the screen like a torrential downpour.

But this time, besides anger, there was a deeper sense of disappointment and doubt.

"I'm done, did this old hag drink too much nuclear wastewater and ruin her brain? What kind of crazy fit is she throwing now?"

"It's giving me high blood pressure! Is there really no movement at all? Just letting her ride roughshod over us? I can't accept it!"

"Sigh, let's just give up. It seems like this time it's all bark and no bite again, got excited for nothing for a day."

"To be honest, I'm quite disappointed. They talked such a big game before, about Divine Dragons and divine punishment, but now people are shitting on our doorstep, and we don't even dare to fart?"

"Don't worry, upstairs! Trust our motherland, this is definitely the calm before the storm! The more this bitch laughs now, the worse she'll cry later!"

"Calm before the storm? Their military exercise is about to start! If we stay calm any longer, the yellow day lily will be cold! I think they've chickened out, is it that hard to admit inferiority?"

"As a casual observer, I have to say, while this Sakura Prime Minister's face is disgusting, she really has the capital to be arrogant. Our side... is indeed a bit weak."

The Troublemaker on the podium, of course, had no idea she was being verbally trashed.

She was completely immersed in her moment of glory, even opening her arms passionately as if to embrace the fervent atmosphere.

"They talk about the awakening of the Divine Dragon, the mandate of heaven! It's the biggest joke of this century!"

"Today, we will make the whole world see clearly! Who is the true master of this great ocean! Who is the true strong one!"

"Now, I declare, the Great Sakura Empire's maritime military exercise, officially begi—"

The Troublemaker paused, deliberately drawing out her tone, seemingly enjoying the feeling of controlling everything.

She slowly raised her hand, about to issue the final command she had fantasized about countless times,

to let this invincible fleet advance towards Great Xia's waters, and with the roar of live-fire exercises, play Sakura's triumphant song.

However, just as her last word was about to escape her lips.

Rumble.

A slight tremor, without any warning, came from beneath their feet.

The podium swayed slightly, and the microphone emitted a harsh static sound.

The Troublemaker froze, her arm poised to swing down also stiff in mid-air.

"Earthquake?"

This thought flashed through her mind, then was immediately cast aside.

After all, in the land of Sakura, earthquakes were already a common occurrence.

A small tremor every three days, a big one every five; if there wasn't one someday, that would be news.

Looking at the somewhat agitated crowd below, the Troublemaker not only showed no panic,

but instead felt it was a great opportunity to demonstrate her "unflustered composure even when Mount Tai collapses before her."

She adjusted the microphone, a calm smile on her face, even carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Everyone, remain calm."

"It seems even the earth is shaken by the military might of our Great Sakura Empire, unable to resist trembling."

"This is just a daily minor interlude, no need to panic, let us continue..."

The Troublemaker tried to use a jocular tone to reassure those present.

But before her words finished, before that confident smile on her face had fully bloomed.

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

As if to specifically slap her face, the earth suddenly let out an angry roar!

The previously slight tremor instantly turned into violent shaking!

The solid ground of the pier was like a carpet being vigorously shaken, rising and falling wildly.

"Nani?!"

The Troublemaker felt her feet lose ground, and her entire body instantly lost balance.

Her phrase "let us continue" directly turned into a terrified scream, her body uncontrollably falling forward.

A dull thud!

Her forehead hit the hard metal edge of the podium with a heavy impact.

Her thick skin provided no protection whatsoever.

Excruciating pain shot through her, and warm liquid instantly covered her eyes.

The Troublemaker, who had just fantasized about "unflustered composure even when Mount Tai collapses before her,"

was now directly sprawled on the ground, clutching her bleeding forehead, letting out a pig-like shriek.

"Ah ah ah ah!!!"

"Baka! What in the Hell is going on?!"

The Troublemaker scrambled up from the ground in a disheveled state, blood streaming between her fingers,

making her look like a female ghost who had just escaped from a horror movie set.

She shrieked hysterically, completely disregarding any prime ministerial dignity.

"Baka Yaro!!!"

"This is not a normal earthquake at all! Why was there no warning! What are those useless people in the meteorological department doing?!"

The thought of being bloodied and bruised in such an important setting, in front of the whole world.

The immense sense of humiliation completely broke the Troublemaker!

She immediately cursed like a madwoman, venting all her anger and terror.

However, this time, no one responded to her roar.

Because the surrounding officials and soldiers were even more disheveled than her,

stumbling and screaming, the entire scene was in chaos.

Everyone was too preoccupied with their own immense panic to care.

The next moment, in the distant sky, a terrifying, eerie red light suddenly lit up, chilling everyone to the bone.

A reporter standing on a high platform, as if seeing the most incredible sight,

dropped his camera, stretched out a trembling finger, and pointed in the direction of Mount Fuji.

"Look... quick, look there!!!"

Everyone, including the bloodied Troublemaker, instinctively looked in the direction he pointed.

Then, they saw a scene they would never forget.

They saw that mountain, revered as a sacred peak by Sakura, a volcano that had been dormant for hundreds of years,

at this moment, from its summit, a terrifying pillar of magma, hundreds of meters in diameter,

enveloped in endless black smoke, surged up to ten thousand meters in the sky with a sky-ripping momentum!

The fiery red magma was so dazzling against the pitch-black night sky.

Like a sword of judgment from Hell, it ignited the entire night sky of Sakura at this moment.