22: War is imminent!

"So that's it! The speed at which I gain evolution points by eating mutated creatures hasn't diminished."

Su Chen instantly understood.

It seems that if I want to maintain rapid evolution,

I must increase the quality of my food.

Eating only ordinary pigs, cattle, and sheep can certainly still lead to evolution,

but,

the required quantity would be terrifying.

So terrifying that a massive country like Divine Summer would need a nationwide meat ban just to sustain me.

This is only my appetite at Tier 4.

What if I upgrade to Tier 5 or Tier 6?

Divine Summer probably wouldn't be able to supply me at all.

Thinking of this,

Su Chen's ten tentacles impatiently slapped the seabed.

Food!

I need higher quality food!!

"No! I must... improve the 'hunting' capabilities of the Divine Summer people!"

Su Chen narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.

"Give them the ability... to hunt higher-tier prey... to feed me!"

"Increase... combat power..."

Countless fragments of past life memories churned and collided within Su Chen's complex consciousness.

Suddenly, a coordinate, a specific term, and an image of ecstatic Japanese abruptly froze!

"star-patterned vibranium! Xuanming Island!"

Su Chen remembered that in his previous life,

after the alien invasion,

the Japanese discovered a vibranium ore vein near Xuanming Island.

This super metal, capable of changing the dynamics of war, directly allowed Fusang to achieve a technological breakthrough and create powerful killing machines like mechas.

Su Chen immediately decided

to relay this information to the Divine Summer high-level officials,

and forcefully seize this fortune that originally belonged to Fusang... After receiving Su Chen's "prophecy" once again,

Qin Zheng attached great importance to it.

He immediately applied to the council to dispatch the most elite deep-sea engineering unit and the "Jiaolong" Special Forces team,

aboard the latest deep-diving platform, the "Dinghai Shenzhen," to quickly reach the target sea area.

The exploration results sent back shook the entire Dragon Abyss Pavilion.

The Dragon Abyss Pavilion.

On the massive main screen, the shocking footage of the "Qianlong" cutting ore was clearly displayed.

When the close-up of the "star-patterned vibranium" raw ore, shimmering with starlight, appeared in the center of the screen,

the command room fell silent, save for the sound of heavy breathing.

Academician Ning Yuan, the doyen of materials science, reached his aged hand toward the screen, almost touching the ore.

His voice was hoarse with extreme excitement:

"War... God of War! This is it! This energy conduction property... this absolute strength... Unbelievable! Absolutely incredible! This is... this is the key to activating the 'menshen' mecha!"

He spun around abruptly, his bloodshot eyes sweeping across the room as he shouted fanatically:

"With this! Our aborted giant mecha project—the 'menshen' mecha!—can be reborn from the ashes! It will completely overturn the existing model of warfare! This is the key that could trigger the third technological revolution!"

On the screen, more exploration data flashed rapidly: estimated reserve volume, purity analysis, peak energy reaction... every figure made the generals present breathe faster.

Lei Zhen, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, slammed his fist onto the alloy table, producing a dull, heavy sound:

"Hahaha! Excellent! Heaven protects Divine Summer! With this stuff, once we build our Steel Titan, let's see how those American Guys' fleshy lumps dare to be arrogant!"

Qin Zheng's eyes flashed sharply, and he decisively ordered: "Order! The 'Xuanwu' Engineering Corps is to depart immediately! All transport ships are to be prioritized! Mine at full speed, regardless of cost! Seal off the sea area and implement the highest military alert!"

However,

such a massive operation naturally did not escape the notice of other nations.

Fusang.

Nakamura Kenta looked at the photos taken by the early warning aircraft,

and couldn't help but frown.

"Nani? Divine Summer suddenly started large-scale mining near Xuanming Island?"

"Isn't that a godforsaken place? What are they mining?"

Regarding Xuanming Island,

Nakamura Kenichi was quite clear about it.

It was a small island close to the Divine Summer side.

Fusang had explored the vicinity long ago and found no useful resources, so they had tacitly allowed the Divine Summer people to occupy it.

"Could they have discovered oil there?"

Just then,

an intelligence officer, holding a report, rushed toward Nakamura Kenichi.

"Prime Minister! This is terrible! Divine Summer has discovered a world-changing new material in the waters near Xuanming Island!!!"

After Nakamura Kenichi clearly saw the contents of the intelligence report,

an uncontrollable look of greed erupted in his eyes.

He rushed to the screen,

pointed at the location of Xuanming Island,

and roared at the intelligence officer and staff standing silently before him, spitting saliva everywhere:

"Listen! Immediately! Right now! Announce to the whole world! Xuanming Island and its surrounding waters have been the sacred and inviolable inherent territory of our Great Fusang Empire since ancient times!"

"Divine Summer is currently illegally invading! Illegally mining!"

"They must stop immediately! Get out immediately! And compensate us for all our losses!"

However,

facing Fusang's shameless statement that twisted the facts,

the Divine Summer Spokesperson responded with only one cold sentence:

"Xuanming Island belongs to Divine Summer, and always has. Divine Summer is mining in its own backyard; it's not up to clowns to tell us what to do."

"If you continue to make noise, you will bear the consequences!"

In the United States,

Blue Star Alliance Joint Command Headquarters.

"Baka—!"

Nakamura Kenichi, hearing Divine Summer's response during the video conference, was so angry he nearly fainted,

and shouted hysterically at US President Wilson on the other side of the screen:

"Mr. Wilson! You see! Just how arrogant the Divine Summer people are! They actually want to monopolize this world-changing metal! This is a declaration of war against the Blue Star Alliance! We must make them pay the price!!!"

Wilson narrowed his hawk-like eyes,

glanced at Liss, who was hidden in a black robe behind him,

and a cruel smile curled on his lips.

He nodded slowly, his voice like the grinding of cold metal:

"Divine Summer has threatened global security. Order: All Blue Star Alliance warships and air assets operating in the Pacific Ocean are to immediately gather in the Xuanming Island waters!"

"Issue an ultimatum to Divine Summer—unconditionally withdraw all personnel and equipment within 48 hours! Otherwise..."

He paused,

and uttered the suffocating words:

"...Total destruction!"

...Xuanming Island, outer sea.

The sunset was like blood, dyeing the churning waves a sheet of crimson gold.

To the east,

the iron Great Wall formed by the Divine Summer fleet stood majestic.

The newest "Zhenhai"-class ten-thousand-ton destroyer was like a silent behemoth.

Its bow sliced through the waves, and its sharp-edged hull reflected a cold, hard metallic sheen.

The naval guns were raised high, and the missile silo covers slowly opened with a hydraulic hiss, revealing the menacing warheads poised for launch.

The massive aircraft carrier battle group deployed its formation further away, carrier-based aircraft stood by on the deck, and the low roar of the engines merged into a suppressed thunder.

To the west,

the Blue Star Alliance Joint Fleet stirred up monstrous muddy waves.

The massive hull of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the "Nimitz," was like a moving steel mountain, its deck densely covered with fighter jets.

Fusang's "Aegis" destroyers and Goryeo's missile frigates followed closely, their gun barrels pointed menacingly at the Divine Summer fleet.

The sea wind wailed, carrying the scent of gunpowder smoke.

War, on the verge of breaking out!