Chapter Thirty-Four: The Impending Awakening of the Enigma

On various internet platforms like Weibo, Douyin, and Toutiao, video after video was spreading at a frenzied pace, garnering countless likes.

In those images, a roaring procession of construction vehicles formed a steel dragon thundering down the highways, converging on Ludong from all corners of the nation. Trucks laden with supplies streamed toward Ludong as well.

Along Ludong’s coast, crimson flags fluttered and machines roared. At that moment, grassroots construction teams, who had come of their own accord, worked shoulder to shoulder with state-owned crews, united for a single purpose—building a steel Great Wall to protect Daxia.

At this very moment, the entire nation of Daxia was striving for this singular goal. Newly enlisted soldiers, having just completed their registration, wasted not a second; they arrived by the truckload from across the country to help build the steel wall. Of course, these recruits lacked the skills of seasoned workers, and there was no time for training. So, they threw themselves into the most menial, laborious tasks—hauling bricks, carrying cement.

Yet, their dust-streaked, youthful faces radiated a certain light.

This was the moment when all of Daxia stood united in heart and purpose!

With the majestic national anthem playing, these scenes stirred the soul.

Beneath these videos, the comments soared:

“This is so inspiring! I’m done talking, I’m signing up for the army too—I want to contribute to Daxia!”

“Typing from the highway, heading straight for Ludong. Our Chuanzhou may lack much, but we’re the land of fish and rice. Our village is sending twenty tons of rice over!”

“That’s my dad! That’s my dad right there!”

“Wait, why are new recruits at construction sites? Shouldn’t they be in military training?”

“Haha, let me tell you, a day at the construction site is way tougher than a twenty-kilometer run.”

“This is Daxia!”

“No regrets for being born in Daxia—may I be a Daxian again in the next life!”

At this moment, all of Daxia was stirred into action. No amount of defeatist talk from international networks could shake Daxia now.

Daxia had embarked on a war against the gods.

Meanwhile, at a temporary command center along the Ludong coast—

The chief coordinator, Chen Yan, was harried and overwhelmed, clutching the phone as call after call came in. He and his research team responded to each in turn.

Lin Fan sat nearby, eyes closed in quiet repose, while Elder Jin sipped tea, browsing the latest recruitment updates from across the country.

By all rights, the vision of the steel Great Wall was Lin Fan’s, and as chief commander, he should have been in full charge. But Lin Fan knew his limits. Though he had once been the Supreme Commander of the Asian Alliance in a past life, skilled in warfare and adept at handling mysterious incidents, his scientific knowledge was limited to offering suggestions and concepts from memory. True implementation depended on Chen Yan and his team of top minds from the National Academy of Sciences.

“Xiao Wang, head over to Sector 0657; the bedrock there is tough to break. Go lend a hand,” Chen Yan said, hanging up one call and turning to a young researcher. “And remember—don’t change the blueprints to avoid those bedrock layers. Even if they’re made of iron, break through them!”

“Consider it done!” the young scientist replied, pushing up his glasses. Despite his scholarly look, his face was alight with determination as he strode out.

“Commander Lin,” Elder Jin said with a smile, sipping his tea, “the recruitment drive is far surpassing expectations. Our Daxian belief that ‘there is no home without a country’ is truly etched into our bones.”

“In just one day, we’ve recruited eight million nationwide.”

“In Chuanzhou alone, Bai Zhan’s forces mustered eight hundred thousand—that’s a tenth of the total. Those young people live up to the name of Chuanzhou's sons.”

“Even Bai Zhan’s own child, Bai Yifei, has joined the army, starting from the bottom, hauling bricks with the others.”

“And since those videos hit the internet, the pace of recruitment hasn’t slowed at all—it’s actually accelerated. At this rate, in seven days, we could recruit sixty million!”

“Sixty million…” Elder Jin echoed the number softly. Even as a renowned general of the Luzhou Military District, he couldn’t help falling silent—the figure was staggering.

Sixty million recruits in a single week! Nowhere else in the world but Daxia could manage such a feat.

Elder Jin had often wondered just what power Daxia might unleash in a true crisis—but he had never imagined this.

At that moment, a strange thought crossed his mind: If only the forebears who once laid down their lives for Daxia could see the nation today. Once plagued by hunger, Daxia now towered with buildings, roads like webs, and endless traffic. Once bullied by tiny nations, Daxia could now mobilize sixty million troops in a week.

If only they could witness this, they would surely laugh with joy. Daxia had finally risen, proud and unbowed, just as they had wished.

Lin Fan simply nodded, calm as ever.

Elder Jin cleared his throat and returned to business. “Shouldn’t we set some limits? Sixty million… To be honest, that’s beyond what we planned.”

“No—don’t limit it,” Lin Fan said abruptly, opening his eyes.

“But…” Elder Jin hesitated, “I know a large army is good, but too many could disrupt daily life…”

Lin Fan looked at Elder Jin. “Sixty million… Elder Jin, do you know how many soldiers Daxia had in the year New Era 013?”

Elder Jin paused. “How many?”

“Three hundred and twenty million,” Lin Fan replied quietly.

Elder Jin drew a sharp breath. “Three hundred and twenty million… That Daxia…”

“That Daxia was nothing like today. The land was ravaged—only five hundred and ten million citizens remained. Three hundred and twenty million soldiers represented every able-bodied person left,” Lin Fan sighed. “In other words—”

“The entire nation was mobilized.”

Elder Jin’s eyes widened. The entire nation mobilized? How mad was that?

“It wasn’t madness,” Lin Fan said, a shadow crossing his face as he recalled bitter memories, “it was survival. Back then, Daxians didn’t even have normal lives—survival itself was a struggle.”

“The world was shocked by the potential Daxians unleashed.”

“But two years later, the death knell tolled again.”

He exhaled, looking at Elder Jin. “So, sixty million isn’t too many.”

“For us now, the more recruits, the better.”

“Right now, they’re helping with construction. But ahead of us lies battle against the gods and their followers.”

“Besides that, certain mysterious forces within Daxia’s borders will awaken.”

“Other countries’ mysterious entities will threaten Daxia as well. Every city, every town, will need specialized personnel for protection.”

“And grain will grow scarce—we’ll need many soldiers to farm and secure our food supply.”

Elder Jin nodded. “So the more, the better… Wait, you said mysterious forces? What do you mean?”

“The arrival of the gods will awaken things long dormant… You’ll find out soon enough,” Lin Fan said, not elaborating further, but his eyes grew grave.

If his memories were right, something was about to awaken—right along the Ludong coast.

The Corpse King, Jiang Chen.