Dawn of a New Era-Chapter 514 - 488: Warning

War is imminent.

The small village where the command post is located is tense and bustling.

Everywhere, officers are jogging around.

At first light, a few reconnaissance planes flew in from a distance, making a rumbling noise. By noon, several units had been urgently mobilized here. Chen Shouyi didn’t catch up on sleep; instead, he went to the front lines to take a look.

Everything was calm there.

The shadow creatures that were everywhere at dawn disappeared without a trace during the day.

Upon returning to the small village, Chen Shouyi stayed in his room. Although he hadn’t slept all night, he didn’t feel a bit sleepy and continued his boring training. Ever since he acquired the Book of Knowledge, he had become increasingly addicted to training over the past two years.

The feeling of constantly growing stronger was like an addiction to some drug, making it impossible for him to extricate himself.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

"Knock, knock, knock!" A knocking sound came from the door.

Chen Shouyi finished a set, went to open the door.

Standing at the door was Zhu Xueqing. Her eyes darted around as she looked at the bare-chested Chen Shouyi with intertwined, taut muscles. Her earlobes, neck, and face began visibly turning red, and her expression seemed somewhat flustered.

"What’s up?" Chen Shouyi also felt a bit embarrassed and thought to himself that he should have put on a shirt.

"I still don’t understand some of the training methods and wanted to ask for your guidance. May I come in?" Zhu Xueqing whispered softly.

Chen Shouyi was stunned for a moment, then stepped aside and said, "Of course, you can."

Zhu Xueqing walked in, curiously looking around. The room was quite tidy, and it was warm as spring inside, filled with a strong scent of sweat, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn to a large piece of meat.

The whole piece was estimated to be forty-five pounds, exuding a hazy, shimmering glow with golden red streaks of blood on it.

It was clearly Demigod Flesh!

So much of it, it seemed he ate it like a meal.

But thinking about how easily he killed demigods, it seemed only natural.

She forcefully retracted her gaze: "You’re training?"

Chen Shouyi found a shirt to put on and said:

"Yes. Would you like tea or plain water?"

Even on the battlefield, though conditions were simple, the room had all the necessary amenities.

"Tea, please!" Zhu Xueqing said, "I’m not used to drinking boiled tap water."

"Alright."

Chen Shouyi took out another teacup, added some tea leaves, poured water, and handed it over, then poured himself a cup.

Zhu Xueqing took it, sipped cautiously: "Why is it a bit salty?"

"I added some salt to the thermos." Chen Shouyi explained, "You know, losing salt from too much sweating can easily lead to dehydration.

Zhu Xueqing’s expression froze.

That made sense, she also often drank salted water to replenish salt, but why did he ask if she wanted tea?

Salted tea, how can you drink that?

It’s like putting soy sauce in soy milk, completely a dish of dark cuisine.

But she said: "It’s quite tasty."

The two chatted on and off for a while. Then, Zhu Xueqing took off her coat and earnestly asked about the techniques and tips for training. Chen Shouyi didn’t hold back and personally corrected a few minor issues in her movements.

"It should be like this here, with your hand a little further back, chest... muscles tighten until you feel a tingling sensation."

She was wearing a thin sweater, without anything confining her chest, which seemed to tremble slightly, sometimes revealing a white expanse through the neckline.

How are they so big!

To a woman, dragging around two heavy lumps of flesh must be a hassle!

"Could you... help me feel it?" Zhu Xueqing said, face flushed and glancing awkwardly to the side.

"... Alright then!" Chen Shouyi said hypocritically.

...

Chen Shouyi closed the door, draining the cold plain water in one go to suppress the fire within.

"Seems like my willpower isn’t enough!" Chen Shouyi thought to himself.

Once Zhu Xueqing left, the pitiful Shell Lady, who had been hiding under the quilt for ages, finally emerged slowly, casting a resentful glance at Chen Shouyi, pouting as she realized he hadn’t noticed her at all.

She picked up the Glass Bead, turned her back, and played on her own.

As she played, she came to a point of sorrow, and tears silently fell.

This was her and the Good Giant’s lair, only she and the Good Giant were supposed to enter!

But now, the Good Giant brought the Evil Giant in too, and they even talked for so long.

She felt that the Good Giant wasn’t the same Good Giant as before.

He had turned into an Evil Giant.

...

Tuoan City.

At noon, the whole city felt lifeless.

Zhou Shuhang, who had just come out from a cult meeting, looked around suspiciously, especially in the dark corners, fearing he might encounter the terrifying "Evil Messenger," which he had seen several times before.

Each time it nearly scared him to death.

However, thinking about the Protective Talisman tucked close to his chest, he felt a silent sense of relief.

They say it’s quite effective.

With this, he wouldn’t be targeted by the "Evil Messenger" again.

He glanced at the sky, which was overcast and seemed like it would snow again.

He pulled his tattered cotton jacket tighter, wondering if his remaining savings would get him through the winter. He had been unemployed for over two months, and since fear descended, the entire city was in a state of panic.

Massive plant closures had left everyone unwilling to work.

Even though things had somewhat recovered recently, and many shops and factories had reopened, things weren’t the same as before. Additionally, there were more people than jobs, making it difficult to find work to support oneself.

He regretted not training in martial arts seriously earlier on, as even becoming a Martial Artist Apprentice would have made his situation much better.

Many factories and shops preferred to hire physically strong employees.

He resolved that once he could solve his basic survival needs, he would definitely focus on martial arts training, no matter how hard or tiring. It was said that the new edition of the Thirty-Six Body Conditioning Techniques was very effective, and becoming a Martial Artist Apprentice wasn’t as difficult as it used to be.

He kept blaming himself internally.

A pedestrian ahead suddenly stopped.

He almost bumped into them headfirst.

Then, he noticed that all the pedestrians on the street had simultaneously stopped. Before he could figure out why, he heard a faint buzzing sound in his ears and quickly looked up.

He saw two silver-white dots break through the clouds, scattering countless bits of paper from the sky.

"Planes!" Zhou Shuhang’s heart surged with excitement.

Yet before he could revel in his excitement,

the very next moment,

a wave of intense fear swept over all of Tuoan City.

The two planes suddenly turned into two fireballs, exploding into countless fragments in mid-air.

Zhou Shuhang’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, body trembling, as a cold sweat enveloped him in an icy dread.

Half a minute later, a piece of paper drifted down beside him, already torn into pieces, leaving only a capitalized red title and a clover-shaped symbol next to it.

"Nuclear Warning Notice!"

ps: Very sick with a cold, can only do one Chapter today, if there aren’t two Chapters tomorrow, I’ll eat shit.