69: Chapter 69 The Beast Tide Arrives

"Woooooo~!!"

The piercing shriek of the air raid alarm erupted without warning, instantly tearing through the tranquility of Jianghai City.

The sound was shrill, penetrating.

It wasn't the steady, rhythmic signal of a drill, but a pattern of three long blasts followed by two short ones, repeating continuously.

Level One Red Alert.

Lin Fan had just stuffed the parchment scroll named "Fragment of Ancient God Relic Map" into his system space, his hand hadn't even fully retracted, when his entire body froze in place.

That frequency...

It was only sounded when a spatial fissure went completely out of control, or when a base Jianghai faced an annihilating strike.

The last time this alarm had sounded... half the population of Jianghai City had died.

"Fuck!"

The smile on Thunder Tiger's face instantly solidified, the excitement from the just-concluded property confiscation vanishing without a trace. He jerked his head up to look north, every muscle in his body tensing like stone.

As a frontline officer, he was far too sensitive to this sound.

It was the grim reaper's calling card.

"Jianghai-wide broadcast! Jianghai-wide broadcast!"

Before anyone could react, the trembling voice of an announcer, mixed with the harsh crackle of static and the roar of explosions, blared from the street's loudspeakers.

"Emergency bulletin! Spatial Fissure Number One is registering Class A energy fluctuations! Repeat, Class A!"

"The spatial barrier is shattered! The beast tide... the beast tide has breached the containment line! Estimated arrival at the Northern Perimeter Defense Line in fifteen minutes!"

"All martial artists, report to the Jianghai walls immediately! This is not a drill! This is not a drill!"

"All civilians, proceed to underground shelters immediately! Repeat, this is not a drill!"

Class A.

That term hit everyone present like a sledgehammer to the chest.

Jianghai City was only a Tier-Three base Jianghai. The strongest resident was usually the Jianghai Lord, Li Zhen, a Peak Grandmaster. A Class A energy fluctuation meant the presence of at least a peak Lord-level entity.

This wasn't just a beast tide anymore. This was all-out war.

"Boom! Rumble!"

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble.

This was no illusion.

On the distant main road, countless dark green military trucks and heavy tanks were racing at top speed. Their treads crushed the pavement, emitting a tremendous grinding noise.

In the sky, dozens of fighter jets, trailing long plumes of fire, roared northward.

War had descended in an instant.

"Damn it, of all times!"

Thunder Tiger spat fiercely, tearing off his weighted gear, leaving only a combat blade.

He turned, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Lin Fan. "Brother Lin, we'll deal with the confiscation later. I have to get back to my unit. A Class A beast tide... the Special Operations Battalion has to hold the front line."

"You take the Myriad Treasures Pavilion people and get to the shelters. The Su Family and the Jianghai Lord's estate have reserved spots there. It's safe."

Without waiting for Lin Fan's reply, Thunder Tiger leaped onto a passing military vehicle, roaring at the driver to turn around.

Watching Thunder Tiger's retreating figure, Lin Fan narrowed his eyes.

Take shelter?

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

If the North Gate fell, hiding underground would only mean dying a few hours later. And a Class A beast tide...

In others' eyes, it was a disaster.

In his eyes, it was a sky-blotting mass of raw materials, walking blind boxes, a deluge of wealth.

The greater the storm, the bigger the fish.

Besides, the country needed him now. His personal combat strength might be lacking, but his system could provide massive logistical support.

"Buzz~"

The phone in his pocket vibrated frantically.

It was an encrypted number.

Lin Fan pressed answer. Jianghai Lord Li Zhen's voice came through.

Even through the static, the usual unflappable composure of this Peak Grandmaster was gone, replaced by palpable urgency and gravity.

"Brother Lin, where are you?"

"The Wang Family mansion," Lin Fan replied succinctly.

"Forget that junk!"

Li Zhen's voice was almost a shout. "Listen, the situation is out of control. What's pouring out of Fissure Number One isn't just mutated beasts, but massive amounts of abyssal demonic energy. Conventional thermal weapons are half as effective! Only martial artists' life force and spirit-energy weapons work!"

"The military reserves aren't enough. Especially recovery and burst-type potions. The shortfall is huge!"

"How much stock do you have? Whatever grade, if it's usable, haul it all to the North Gate!"

"Whether Jianghai City holds or falls now doesn't depend on how many soldiers I have, but on how much supplies you have."

Lin Fan's fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

He heard the subtext in Li Zhen's words.

This was both a plea for aid and a transaction.

If Lin Fan chose to take his supplies and hide in a shelter now, no one could blame him. He was a merchant, not a soldier.

But if he did, and Jianghai City fell, his foundation here would be destroyed.

Moreover, offering charcoal in snowy weather now... that would create a debt of favor of monumental proportions.

"Jianghai Lord, my goods have costs too,"

Lin Fan said into the receiver, his tone calm to the point of coldness. "Especially at a time like this. I'm very willing to help overcome the crisis, but I can't do it at a loss. That would make the help seem cheap."

There was a second of silence on the other end.

Then came Li Zhen's voice, gritted with effort. "If we hold the Jianghai, I'll allocate half of the Wang Family's territory to you after the war. Plus, I'll report your military merits to the Ministry. If you help Jianghai City survive this crisis, you can have whatever you want!"

"Deal."

Lin Fan hung up.

He turned to look at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion employees behind him, their faces pale from the alarm.

The fatty, Zhang Hao, was experiencing this for the first time. Clutching the golden toad statue, he stammered, "Brother Fan... should we retreat? The broadcast said... a Class A beast tide!"

"Retreat?"

Lin Fan sneered, kicking the fatty in the backside. "Retreat where? If the Jianghai falls, we all die."

"Everyone, listen up!"

Lin Fan jumped onto the roof of a cargo truck, looking down at everyone.

"Load everything we just confiscated from the Wang Family! Except for the unusable antiques and paintings. All medicinal herbs, ores, semi-finished weapons—onto the trucks!"

"Also, notify the people at the shop. Empty the warehouse! Even F-grade Hemostatic Powder, bring it all out!"

"Destination: The North Gate Defense Line!"

The fatty was stunned, looking at Lin Fan in disbelief. "Brother Fan, are you crazy? That's the frontline! We're still students! Are we going to die?"

"Students? Now you remember you're students? Weren't you the Deputy Pavilion Master of Myriad Treasures Pavilion?"

Lin Fan pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

The flame illuminated his slightly youthful but exceptionally resolute face.

"Fatty, remember this,"

"The biggest business in the world is war."

"We can't stay aloof. The Jianghai Lord's estate needs resources. We need to grow. Mutual benefit, a win-win. After this, Myriad Treasures Pavilion will call the shots in Jianghai City."

"Get to work!"

...

Ten minutes later.

A massive convoy of twenty heavy trucks roared north towards the North Gate, moving against the flow of fleeing civilians.

The Myriad Treasures Pavilion logo was emblazoned on the truck bodies.

The streets were in chaos.

Private cars were jammed like congee, horns blaring, cries and shouts merging. Some abandoned their vehicles and ran; others fought over the entrance to an underground shelter.

But upon seeing this convoy moving against the tide, everyone instinctively paused.

"Is that... Myriad Treasures Pavilion's vehicles?"

"Where are they going? That direction leads to the North Gate!"

"Are they insane? Not running away but charging towards it?"

Lin Fan sat in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, idly twirling the C-grade alloy dagger he'd pocketed from the Wang Family treasury.

Outside the window, the Jianghai's prosperity was crumbling.

This was the apocalypse.

In the face of a survival crisis, order was as fragile as paper.

"Brother Fan, the road ahead is blocked solid!"

The driver, a retired veteran, was sweating profusely.

Two buses had collided on the main road ahead, blocking it completely.

"Ram through them."

Lin Fan didn't even lift an eyelid. "The truck's front is reinforced with a ram. Clear a path."

"But..."

"No 'buts.' This is wartime. My orders are military orders. Charge!"

"Yes, sir!"

Gritting his teeth, the driver slammed the accelerator.

The heavy truck roared like a beast. The massive steel crash bar smashed into the side of the bus.

"BANG!!"

Amidst the screech of twisting metal, the obstructing bus was forcibly shoved aside, clearing a passage.

The convoy roared past.