Chapter 452 - 301: 12-Hour Countdown: Beach Landing at the Ancient Giant Ruins

The command tower was dead silent.

All eyes were fixed on the massive, falling fireball. Rage, humiliation, and indignation burned in every chest.

Liu Zhen’s hand gripped the hilt of his Tiger Soul battle saber, his knuckles white from the force.

The cold touch of the hilt could do nothing to quell the towering inferno of rage that erupted in his heart.

The soldier’s blood in him roared.

He was a veteran who had clawed his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Everything he had been taught, every belief etched into his very bones, was urging him to do one thing.

’Charge out there! Fight those bastards to the death!’

’Even if I die, I’ll take a few of their teeth with me on those steel warships of Jiangbei City!’

His Adam’s apple bobbed. A hoarse command was about to escape his lips.

But just as he was about to give the order, a young, calm voice suddenly echoed in the depths of his mind.

"Sacrifice men to keep the land, and you will lose both land and men.

Sacrifice land to save the men, and you will keep both men and land."

It was Han Feng.

The words that ridiculously young Special Envoy had spoken to him before leaving Dragon’s Fang Port.

"Your lives are worth more than this broken-down island."

Those words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, extinguishing the raging fire in Liu Zhen’s heart.

He shuddered. The crazed, bloodshot look in his one eye instantly faded, replaced by a measure of clarity.

He looked around and saw his young subordinates in the command room, their faces flushed red.

The same fire he’d felt just moments ago burned in their eyes. They were only waiting for his order to charge unhesitatingly to their deaths.

’Charge out?’

’And then what?’

’Hurl our flesh and blood against Jiangbei City’s Titan Battle Armor?’

’Use our pitiful firepower to what, tickle those three Deep Dive Cruisers?’

’That wouldn’t be a battle. It would be suicide.’

’A pointless, foolish sacrifice born of anger.’

’If Special Envoy Han were here, what would he do?’

The image of that dark figure unconsciously surfaced in Liu Zhen’s mind.

’Would he be angry?’

’Maybe.’

’But he would never let anger cloud his judgment.’

’He would only find a colder, more efficient way to make the enemy pay ten, a hundred times over.’

Liu Zhen’s hand on his saber slowly loosened.

He turned to Wang Qiang, who stood beside him. His voice was devoid of any emotion, leaving only a metallic rasp.

"Have you reached East Sea City?"

Wang Qiang slammed a fist on the console, his face a mask of frustration.

"No good, Sir!

Those bastards from Jiangbei City deployed high-power Spiritual Energy Interference Devices in the nearby waters. All communication channels are jammed!

We can’t get anything out, not by electromagnetic waves or Spiritual Power transmission!"

"We tried to have the Albatross airship ascend, to break the blockade from high altitude and get a message back."

Wang Qiang pointed to the black smoke still lingering outside the window and said through gritted teeth,

"You saw what happened. They won’t give us any chance to get airborne!"

"They’re terrified of us getting into the sky."

Liu Zhen’s one eye narrowed as he keenly grasped the crucial point.

Jamming communications could be understood as not wanting to escalate the conflict.

But to not even spare a supply airship, using highly aggressive Titan Battle Armor to lock down the low altitude—that wasn’t normal.

’Why?’

’What are they so afraid of?’

Liu Zhen’s gaze traveled over the turbulent sea, toward the distant reef area that had just been marked on the map.

Broken Star Reef.

A phrase flashed through his mind.

The higher you stand, the farther you see!

Liu Zhen slammed his hand down on the tactical map in front of him with a loud BANG, making Wang Qiang jump.

"I get it!"

His voice carried a hint of dawning realization and an even colder fury.

"That Broken Star Reef! The people from Jiangbei City must have found something incredible on those reefs!"

"They aren’t blockading us, they’re blinding us!

They don’t want us to see what’s really on those reefs!"

Wang Qiang was stunned for a moment, then he, too, understood. His expression turned extremely ugly.

"You mean... to monopolize whatever is there, they’re willing to risk all-out war with us from East Sea City?"

"It’s the only explanation!"

Liu Zhen’s tone was decisive.

"For a Space Secret Realm of Dragon Abyss’s caliber, even a single rock broken off from it could be a priceless treasure!

For the past two months, those guys from Jiangbei have been avoiding conflict with us because they were afraid of retaliation against their base in the Black Wind Mountain Range.

This time, they opened fire with unusual decisiveness. The prize there must be great enough to make them throw all caution to the wind!"

Once he figured this out, the last embers of impulsiveness in Liu Zhen’s heart were completely extinguished.

In its place came a deeper sense of powerlessness.

He knew what the enemy was doing—poaching East Sea City’s prize right under his nose—but he was powerless to do anything about it.

"Relay my orders!"

Liu Zhen’s voice echoed clearly throughout the Command Tower.

"All anti-air units, cease active engagement and switch to passive defense mode!"

"All ground troops, pull back to the port’s core defensive perimeter! Contract the lines, dig in, and wait for reinforcements!"

"Abandon all unnecessary counterattacks! Preserve our strength!"

Wang Qiang’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock.

"Sir, abandon counterattacks? Doesn’t that mean we just let them...?"

"Execute your orders!"

Liu Zhen cut him off with a low roar. "Charging out now is just sending our brothers to fill the mouths of their cannons!

The only thing we can do now is wait!

Wait for reinforcements from East Sea City!"

Wang Qiang opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed all his words.