“What happened?”

On the other end of the phone, a steady calm, born from years of battle, permeated the old voice.

The elder's name was Chen Huaishuo.

He was a four-star General of Great Xia Country.

And also Hou Changfeng's former teacher.

Noticing the unusual tone in Hou Changfeng's voice, Chen Huaishuo's voice also grew serious.

Hou Changfeng dared not hide anything, quickly reporting the terrifying crisis currently facing Dongning Province in the most concise language.

On the other end of the phone, a long silence fell.

Hou Changfeng could even hear his teacher's increasingly heavy breathing.

After a long while, Chen Huaishuo's voice finally sounded again.

“This matter concerns the safety of millions of people in Dongning Province.”

“My suggestion is, do not conceal it; report it immediately to the Central Military Commission now!”

“Have them immediately mobilize troops from neighboring military regions for urgent support!”

He paused, his voice becoming even sterner.

“Don't think about accountability now! Controlling the spread of the beast tide is the top priority!”

“Yes!” Hou Changfeng nodded emphatically, “Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. I'll go do it now!”

He hung up the phone.

In the Imperial Capital, within an ancient courtyard house.

Chen Huaishuo put down the red phone in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed.

He walked to the window, looking at the old locust tree swaying in the night breeze in the courtyard, pondering deeply, the ominous premonition in his heart refusing to dissipate.

A beast tide of over a million.

Such a terrifying scale, relying solely on ordinary military soldiers, would likely be far from enough.

The casualties would be an astronomical number.

There must be top-tier powerhouses to take charge to control the situation.

At the very least, several legendary Profession users above Level 70 would need to be dispatched.

If... if Marshal Zhao could personally take action, that would naturally be the best.

In Chen Huaishuo's mind, the horrific tragedy from many years ago couldn't help but surface.

Simon City.

That once prosperous city of millions ultimately turned into ruins, becoming an unhealed scar in the hearts of all people in Great Xia Country.

He absolutely did not wish for such a tragedy to repeat in Donghai City.

Thinking of this, Chen Huaishuo no longer hesitated for a moment.

He turned and returned to the house, quickly put on a crisp military uniform, picked up the military cap hanging on the wall, and rushed towards the Imperial Capital Military Department overnight.

When his special car arrived at the Imperial Capital Military Department building, the entire command center was brightly lit.

Countless staff members in military uniforms hurried about, their faces filled with anxiety and solemnity.

Piercing telephone rings # Nоvеlight # rose and fell, and the clatter of keyboards was as dense as rain.

In the air, a tense atmosphere, like a coming storm, permeated.

Clearly, the situation in Dongning Province had already been reported through emergency channels.

Chen Huaishuo walked directly into the highest combat command center located underground.

A huge holographic sand table floated in the center of the hall, on which the area representing Dongning Province was covered in a dazzling blood-red.

Countless light dots representing mutated beasts surged like a tide from the direction of Donghai City, spreading wildly in all directions.

“Order the Yunan Military Region, the Third, Fifth, and Seventh Group Armies, to immediately gather at the Dongning Province border!”

“Contact the Governor of Beijiang Province, requesting them to immediately dispatch all S-Class Profession users and above to form a 'dagger' squad for flanking harassment!”

“Logistics Department! Gather all strategic reserve materials for me! Spare no expense! Send them all to the front line!”

Orders were issued methodically from the command console, one after another.

But no one's face showed any sign of relief.

Just then, an old man with white hair, also in a general's uniform, noticed Chen Huaishuo walking in.

He quickly came forward, a hint of surprise on his face.

“Old Chen? Why are you here too?”

Chen Huaishuo nodded to him as a greeting, then his gaze turned to the blood-red sand table, letting out a bitter laugh.

“Little Hou also called me.”

“With Dongning Province facing a beast tide of this scale, I really couldn't rest assured, so I came to see.”

The white-haired old man sighed heavily upon hearing this, the wrinkles on his face seemingly deepening a bit more.

“The beast tide has already formed; it's too late to say anything now.”

“All we can do is try our best.”

He shook his head, his voice filled with helplessness and self-mockery.

“Who would have thought that an ancient ruin would be hidden beneath that small Donghai City?”

“This time, we were truly caught off guard.”

Chen Huaishuo's pupils contracted slightly, but he didn't show too much surprise.

He remained silent for a moment, then cautiously asked, “Does Marshal Zhao know about this?”

“Is he available now? I'd like to speak with him personally.”

Upon hearing the three words “Marshal Zhao,” an even deeper bitterness appeared on the white-haired old man's face.

He shook his head.

“I know you want to ask Marshal Zhao to take action.”

“But unfortunately.”

“Marshal Zhao is currently preoccupied with another thorny issue, unable to Clone himself.”

Chen Huaishuo's heart sank sharply.

“A thorny issue?”

His first thought was of those neighbors who endlessly coveted Great Xia Country.

“Did Sakura Country make another major move?”

The white-haired old man's brows were deeply furrowed, his voice extremely low.

“The situation might be more complex than that.”

He gestured for Chen Huaishuo to move to a secluded corner before slowly speaking.

“The team we sent to explore the Castlantis Archipelago ruins suddenly lost all contact with us this afternoon.”

“At that time, they had already successfully obtained the Divine Artifact 'pendulum of life' and were on an airship returning to Great Xia.”

Chen Huaishuo's breathing suddenly hitched.

He, of course, knew the importance of that team.

It was almost the gathering of the most top-tier power of the entire Great Xia Country's new generation.

“The most crucial thing is.” The white-haired old man's voice carried a deep worry.

“On our airship, there isn't just Principal Lin Zhu.”

“There's also Gandalf, that new generation SS-Class Profession user who made a name for himself in the National Examination and is hailed as the future hope of Great Xia.”

“Marshal Zhao was worried that something might have happened to them, so he personally led a team to rendezvous as soon as he received the news.”

“By now, he's probably already set out to sea.”

After hearing this, Chen Huaishuo's heart grew even heavier.

“There... there's even such a thing?”

It was impossible for an airship to lose contact without reason.

Especially with an veteran SS-Class powerhouse like Lin Zhu on board.

The only possibility was that they encountered an irresistible enemy.

If... if the people on the airship truly met with misfortune.

The simultaneous demise of two SS-Class powerhouses, one old and one new.

What a heavy blow that would be to the entire Great Xia Country!

No wonder Marshal Zhao was so anxious, even going to sea himself.

But... but who could resolve the crisis here in Dongning Province?

Without Marshal Zhao, the stabilizing force.

Could the military's strength alone truly resolve the beast tide of millions quickly?

Chen Huaishuo's heart sank little by little to the bottom.

A bone-chilling coldness rushed from his feet straight to the top of his head.

He recalled Simon City from back then.

The scene at that time, how similar it was to now.

It was also a sudden beast tide of unprecedented scale.

It was also two top-tier SS-Class Profession users, firmly held back by the schemes and tricks of those two from Sakura Country, unable to break free.

The military's reinforcement troops were also blocked halfway by endless mutated beasts, unable to move an inch.

They could only watch helplessly as that prosperous city was razed to the ground under the iron hooves of the mutated beasts.

Nearly a million compatriots died tragically under the sharp claws and fangs of the mutated beasts.

Corpses littered the fields, blood flowed like rivers.

That hellish scene became a nightmare that he could never shake off for the rest of his life.

And now.

Dongning Province, Donghai City.

It was almost the exact same situation.

History, was astonishingly similar.

The white-haired old man looked at Chen Huaishuo's face, which had instantly turned pale, and guessed what he was thinking.

He patted Chen Huaishuo's shoulder, his voice hoarse.

“Old Chen, don't think too much.”

“We have already done our best.”

Done our best?

A desolate arc appeared at the corner of Chen Huaishuo's mouth.

He slowly closed his eyes, as if he had already seen the future of Donghai City, where blood flowed like rivers.

When it rains, it pours.

Could it be that Heaven truly intends to destroy our Great Xia Country?