Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Great Xia Has Never Forgotten You!
Meanwhile.
“Sir!” A Free State officer gripped the walkie-talkie, his expression conflicted as he gazed at the fleet advancing majestically across the sea. He shouted, “We really can’t fight them!”
“What do you mean ‘can’t fight’?” The fury of a member from the Salvation Council erupted through the radio. “Coward! There are only six of them—do you think they can turn the world upside down?”
“Just shoot! Blast them with everything we’ve got!”
“No matter how powerful they are, as long as they’re human, they’ll die!” There was a seething hatred in the council member’s voice.
Those people from Grand Xia had slaughtered the Phoenix Society—a group of gifted individuals painstakingly created after countless experiments and losses. Moreover, among them was a member of the Salvation Council, the Phoenix herself, a councilor.
Across history, they had manipulated the world’s progress from the shadows, deciding humanity’s fate. Even those leaders in the Free State who tried to break free from their control would vanish without a trace, victims of mysterious assassinations.
Yet in a single night, a councilor was killed—by the hands of Grand Xia.
Grand Xia—the very nation once carved up and toyed with by the Salvation Council. That country, which they had deemed a helpless dragon in shallow waters, ripe for bullying.
But now, Grand Xia, instead of being crushed under oppression, had awakened in adversity, like a lion roused from slumber.
Breaking free from the Salvation Council’s designs, it had risen to compete with the great powers, and now—was even threatening the council itself? Had killed a councilor?
His anger stemmed less from the destruction of the Phoenix Society, and more from Grand Xia itself.
The Salvation Council could not tolerate provocation. If this continued, wouldn’t Grand Xia replace the council as the new master of the world? Perhaps, one day, Grand Xia might even wipe out the Salvation Council entirely.
“Kill them!” The councilor roared madly into the phone.
But the officer stammered, “We really can’t fight them—they brought warships…”
“What?” The councilor was stunned, blinking in confusion for five seconds before grabbing the phone. “Impossible! This is the Free State—how would Grand Xia dare…”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Before he could finish, the phone was drowned by the rumble of artillery.
“They’re actually firing?” The councilor was dumbfounded.
“No, it seems they’re firing blanks… In any case,” the officer’s voice trembled, “you’d better come quickly!”
At that moment, the entire beach echoed with thunderous artillery.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
The terrifying blasts shook heaven and earth.
It was the roar of Grand Xia.
After so many years, the cannons of Grand Xia thundered once more on foreign soil.
Once, while the lion slept, the other nations grinned like thieves, prying open Grand Xia’s gates with the sound of their own guns.
But now, the lion was awake.
Grand Xia’s cannons roared angrily in distant lands, shaking the earth like a furious lion.
As soon as the guns boomed—
“Omg!”
“Grand Xia has gone mad! They’re shelling us!”
“Get down, get down!”
The soldiers of the Free State, already uneasy, shuddered as if they saw God beckoning them.
Lin Fan, too, was bewildered. “Damn, are they really going that far?”
“Open fire, just like that?” Mo Bu Zhi from the School of Confucianism blinked his innocent eyes in confusion. “They just came to pick us up—why start a war… Is Grand Xia so hot-tempered now?”
Yet no shells fell, nor any bombing occurred.
“What’s going on?”
“No bombing? Then why are they firing?”
The prone soldiers lifted their heads in confusion.
Lin Fan was equally puzzled.
Suddenly, Mo Bu Zhi’s expression grew complicated. “Don’t you think this feels like a ceremonial salute…”
Before he finished speaking—
“Crash!”
From the approaching line of warships, banners unfurled instantly.
“Celebrating Grand Xia citizens’ return!”
“We’re here to pick you up!”
“Glory for the nation!”
“Welcome back victorious!”
“Congratulations on your return!”
Lin Fan: “…”
For a moment, the scene grew unexpectedly festive…
“Woo~”
The massive carrier at the front halted several hundred meters from the rocky beach.
“Senior Jin,” the officer spoke rapidly, “this is the closest we can get. Any farther and we’ll run aground.”
Jin laughed heartily. “It’s fine, let me off. Prepare a speedboat for me.”
“But…” The bodyguard hesitated, worried. “It’s too dangerous for you to go alone! I’ll organize a landing party and escort you.”
“No need,” Jin waved his hand. “If Lin Fan and his team dared to go in alone, why should I, an old man, be afraid?”
“Besides—”
“With all of you behind me, what do I have to fear?”
Jin’s eyes were fearless.
With Grand Xia’s warships behind him, what was there to fear?
Even in a foreign land, as long as Grand Xia’s warships were here, as long as the red flag flew behind him, what was there to fear?
“But if the Free State soldiers—” The bodyguard’s gaze was worried, but seeing Jin’s resolve, he gritted his teeth. “I’ll make arrangements, but at least let the security squad follow you.”
Jin, stubborn as ever, shook his head. “No—just me.”
“But…”
“If they dare to open fire, flatten them all!” Jin gritted his teeth, “I’ll go alone—let’s see if they have the courage to shoot!”
Jin was fearless, almost recklessly so.
But he was thinking further ahead.
Grand Xia’s rescue mission was already a risk—after all, this was foreign territory. The prior “salute,” though intimidating, hadn’t crossed the line—it was just a show of strength.
By stepping forward himself, Jin was giving the other side a certain respect.
If he led a full unit onto foreign soil, that would be another matter entirely.
It could easily spark a real conflict.
Grand Xia wasn’t afraid of war, but preferred peace.
“Vroom!”
A speedboat cut through the waves toward the rocky shore.
At the same time, a military jeep raced down the dark road toward the beach.
…
The speedboat docked at a rock, and Jin, upright and dignified, stepped ashore.
“Senior Jin!” Lin Fan called out, his eyes reddening, and ran forward.
Meeting in a foreign land, Jin’s slightly aged figure gave Lin Fan an immense sense of security.
“You brat…” Jin snorted coldly. “I told you to be careful, not to get surrounded, and yet here you are!”
Lin Fan scratched his head. “Well…”
“Senior Jin,” Zhao Guochen, holding his arm, hurriedly said, “Mr. Lin and his team could have all retreated safely. Even I could have gotten out safely, but I made a fatal mistake and delayed things… Mr. Lin and his team had already left, but returned to rescue me… Please don’t blame Mr. Lin; the responsibility is mine!”
Jin looked at Zhao Guochen, then at Lin Fan, and slapped Lin Fan’s shoulder hard, smiling. “That’s the spirit of Grand Xia! No disgrace!”
“What do you mean, spirit…” Lin Fan muttered softly.
“And you…” Jin turned to Zhao Guochen.
“Third infiltration group, Seagull 012! Reporting to Senior Jin!” Zhao Guochen strained his neck and shouted, saluting with his left arm in a less-than-perfect gesture.
“Seagull… Zhao Guochen, right? You’ve been here nearly ten years…” Jin patted his shoulder. “You’ve worked hard. Grand Xia thanks you.”
Zhao Guochen’s eyes widened. “You… you remember me?”
“Grand Xia has never forgotten you.”