Chapter 453 - 301: 12-Hour Countdown: Landing at the Ancient Giant Ruins (Part 2)

He gave a sharp military salute and turned to relay the deeply humiliating order.

Soon, the sound of cannon fire from the various positions around the port grew sparse.

Inside the Command Tower, an oppressive silence fell once more.

Outside the window, a few of Jiangbei City’s Titan Battle Armors patrolled the coastal waters with blatant arrogance.

Liu Zhen didn’t look any longer. He turned his back, slowly drew a soft flannel cloth from his coat, and began to wipe down his Tiger Soul Battle Saber, inch by inch.

The blade reflected his weathered face and his cold, white prosthetic eye.

He knew that with Dragon’s Fang Port out of contact for this long, General Li Tiecheng must be taking action.

Reinforcements would definitely come.

’The only problem... is Time.’

’And Time is what we lack most.’

Since Jiangbei City dared to make such a big move, they would surely act fast.

By the time East Sea City’s fleet arrived, it would be too late.

’A fleet... No, a fleet probably wouldn’t be any use either.’

The image of that young man surfaced in Liu Zhen’s mind once again, unbidden.

The monster who had single-handedly slain a Tier Four Void Sea Demon.

The man who piloted a black fighter jet that seemed to ignore the laws of physics.

The Special Envoy Han who had told him, "If your fist is hard enough, whatever you lose today, you can take back a hundred times over tomorrow."

’Perhaps... only he can change the current situation.’

Liu Zhen’s movements paused. He stared at the cold, gleaming edge of the blade and whispered in a voice only he could hear.

"Special Envoy Han..."

"General Li... you absolutely must send him..."

"Any later... and those bastards from Jiangbei won’t leave a single scrap behind for us."

This iron-willed soldier, who had never prayed to any Divine being on the battlefield, was now pinning all his hopes on a single person.

He slowly closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing the anxiety and anticipation in his heart.

He believed that as long as that streak of black light tore across the sky of Dragon’s Fang Port once more, all the humiliation suffered today would be repaid a thousandfold.

...

「Meanwhile, three hundred meters beneath the sea’s surface.」

Inside the command bridge of the Deep Dive Cruiser, the Titan·Jingluo, there was none of the oppressive gloom of a traditional submarine.

In its place was a science-fiction world bathed in a mysterious, blue light.

The bridge was not a physical room but was composed of 360-degree holographic projections.

Through these "phantom viewports," one could clearly see strange schools of fish swimming slowly through the deep sea, as well as the several sister ships in the distance—equally massive, suspended in silence like colossal deep-sea beasts.

The air was filled with the distinct metallic tang of the circulation system, along with a faint scent of ozone seeping from the ship’s core Power Furnace.

A brawny, one-eyed man sat on the commander’s throne. He was powerfully built, the collar of his combat uniform ripped open to reveal knotted muscles and a gruesome scar that ran from his collarbone to his jaw.

His remaining left eye was sharp, while his right socket held a Spiritual Energy Power Artificial Eye that flickered with a mysterious blue light.

This was the temporary commander of the fleet, a fierce general of Jiangbei City’s Black Armor Army, the Half-step Grandmaster Zhao Heihu.

"Boss, those pushovers from East Sea City have gone quiet. The port’s anti-air defenses have shut up too."

A young officer with a wiry build and a roguish look on his face sidled up. His name was Chen Meng, one of Zhao Heihu’s adjutants.

"They were probably stunned by that last hit we gave them.

Treating a beat-up old airship like it’s some kind of Treasure. It’s hilarious."

Chen Meng’s tone was filled with contempt.

Another officer, a refined-looking middle-aged man named Liu Dong with gold-rimmed glasses, pushed them up his nose, his expression worried.

"Boss, shooting down their supply airship... that’s already beyond the scope of a drill.

If East Sea City figures it out, I’m afraid they’ll report it directly to the Alliance, and then..."

"Report it?"

Zhao Heihu sneered, the scar on his face twisting with the expression.

"Let’s see them get a message out first.

Liu Dong, you’re still such a coward."

He swiped a finger across the holographic console in front of him, and a real-time map of the sea area appeared.

On the map, a massive red zone completely covered Dragon’s Fang Port and a newly-emerged reef cluster to the southeast.

"The high-power Spiritual Power jamming array is cranked to maximum. Forget sending messages, not even a fly can get out of Dragon’s Fang Port right now.

Until we’ve cleaned out whatever’s under Broken Star Reef, that place is an information black hole."

Chen Meng rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Now that’s our decisive Boss! Is that reef really a Treasure squeezed out of the Dragon Abyss?

Has our Advanced Team found anything new?"

Zhao Heihu’s Spiritual Energy Power Artificial Eye flickered as he connected to the internal communications channel.

"This is Zhao Heihu. Exploration Team One, report your position and findings."

A crackle of static came over the channel, followed by a slightly breathless voice:

"Reporting, Commander! We have entered the cave system three hundred meters below Broken Star Reef!

This place... this place is incredible!"

"We’ve discovered a massive cavern! The walls are covered in murals! They’re perfectly preserved!"

"Get to the point."

Zhao Heihu’s tone was flat, betraying no emotion.

"Yes, sir!"

The comms officer’s voice immediately grew tense. "The murals depict what looks like a civilization we’ve never seen before!

They aren’t human. They’re enormous, a bit like... like the Titan Giants of legend!

They’re building some kind of colossal war machine, right here in the deep sea!"

As the comms officer spoke, a live video feed shot by the exploration team was transmitted to the main screen of the command bridge.