Chapter 367 309: Nuwa No. 17: Your Majesty, in the Current World, Your Authority Is Supreme

In the Ecological Garden, Chu Bamboo slowly opened his eyes, his expression blank.

'So, where did things go wrong?'

Thoughts surged in Chu Bamboo's mind. He wasn't surprised that Daqian had suddenly turned on him. Or rather, the moment he confirmed the Dream World was real, he had already prepared for the Daqian Dynasty to order his capture at any time.

It could have been his special relationship with Nuwa, or the union he established. Of course, most people currently saw the union as just another form of a criminal gang. Still, it was possible that someone intelligent had seen through the facade. And once any ruler understood what the union truly represented, their first reaction—as long as they weren't an idiot—would inevitably be to strike with an iron fist.

Chu Bamboo had never believed that the high-ranking officials of the Daqian Dynasty were fools. Compared to people from the Real World, they simply lacked experience in these matters and might be careless. But that was, in the end, only a possibility.

'But... why now?'

Chu Bamboo narrowed his eyes, then realization dawned, his expression becoming unreadable. 'Right... I've been a fool!'

Chu Bamboo finally understood the source of the unease he'd felt before falling asleep last night. Since the upper echelons of the Imperial Capital were the culprits behind the nuclear leak, they would definitely be paying close attention to Jinghai City. That being the case, the moment the incident in Jinghai City was safely resolved, they would have been the first to know!

'Though, I think I subconsciously realized this earlier... I just didn't think it was that serious.' Chu Bamboo gave a bitter laugh. The reason was simple: he hadn't subconsciously realized that the mastermind behind this incident was the Heavenly Monarch in the Imperial Capital.

If it had been just a few high-ranking officials, they would have instinctively tried to cover it up even if they knew. At worst, they would have made some trouble for him in various ways after the fact. After all, this was something that could never be brought out into the open.

But... if the mastermind was the Heavenly Monarch!

'I've been checkmated.' Chu Bamboo sighed softly. He looked up toward the top of the base. He had no doubt that an ambush from all sides was waiting for him outside. Whether he went out now... or in a little while, he would be captured on the spot.

As for why they didn't just enter the Ecological Garden to capture him...

'It seems the Heavenly Monarch also knows about my connection with Nuwa! Is he unsure, a little wary?' Chu Bamboo mused. The only thing he couldn't be certain of was when the Heavenly Monarch had found out.

Was it some time ago, or... did his brilliant performance yesterday during the nuclear leak incident draw the Heavenly Monarch's attention when the news reached him? Did the monarch then order a thorough investigation and uncover this information?

Chu Bamboo was self-aware enough to know that while he had tried to cover his tracks, hoping it would be enough to deceive the Heavenly Monarch was to sorely underestimate Daqian. The dynasty was not, after all, in its final years. It was one thing if they weren't paying attention, but once they focused on something, they could dig up almost anything.

'As for a way to break this stalemate...' After a moment of silence, Chu Bamboo looked at Little Mushroom Head. 'If I walk out with her, they probably wouldn't dare to just cut me down, right?'

'But... that would be pointless!'

"Hive!" Chu Bamboo said abruptly, pulling out his phone.

"Father!" Hive's voice was tinged with a cold, militaristic resolve.

Chu Bamboo paused, his expression turning odd. He felt that Hive's voice now sounded even more like Z's. 'No, wait.' Chu Bamboo suddenly realized something. In the Real World, he had integrated the Hive program into Z. This meant that if another Hive split off on this world's timeline, she would be even more similar to Z...

And because of that... she would also be more powerful.

"Scan the interior of the Hive Base!" Chu Bamboo took a deep breath. "Can you still access the combat drone I repaired?"

After a brief silence, Hive spoke slowly. "Father, the first level's main gate has been breached! They are now searching for the path to the second level..."

The next moment, an image of the first level appeared on Chu Bamboo's phone screen. The footage was even moving. If he wasn't mistaken, it was being filmed by the cylindrical maintenance bots.

"...The Moisture Teaching?" Chu Bamboo murmured, staring at the group of men in black on the first level.

After a moment of thought, understanding dawned in Chu Bamboo's eyes. It made sense. To put it bluntly, while Mo Wen had respected him, the fundamental reason for his obedience was Daqian. Since Daqian itself had entered the fray, it was only natural for them to switch sides.

However, Chu Bamboo wasn't too worried. It would be difficult enough for these Moisture Teaching disciples to even find their way to the second level... As for the Fifth Level? Don't make him laugh!

Just looking at the fact that all the various unmanned machines and armaments on the second, third, and fourth levels had been completely cleaned out, yet the combat drones on the Fifth Level remained untouched, was enough to understand the strength of its defenses.

Chu Bamboo highly suspected that the one who had cleaned out the second, third, and fourth levels was none other than that "God"...

'If even God couldn't do it, what makes you lot from the Moisture Teaching think you can?'

"Father, regarding the available combat drones! Besides the one you repaired... there is also an unmanned drone carrier. Its current damage is not severe! It is undergoing emergency repairs, which are estimated to be complete in three hours."

As Hive spoke, the video feed switched.

Astonishment filled Chu Bamboo's eyes. 'An unmanned drone carrier? What the hell... It wasn't there last time... Wait, is this a butterfly effect?'

Chu Bamboo forced himself to calm down and stared intently at his phone screen. In the image, at the very center of the Fifth Level, now sat an incredibly massive unmanned vehicle.

Its fuselage was massive and rounded, somewhat resembling a scaled-up transport plane.

This single vehicle occupied more than thirty percent of the entire fifth sublevel. It truly was so large that it took up more space than the twenty-odd Z-3s combined!

How terrifying was that?

It had to be said, just as its name suggested... it really was like a small aircraft carrier had been moved onto land.

"Wait... an unmanned drone carrier?" Chu Bamboo suddenly realized something and instinctively asked, "How many drones does it have inside?"

"It contains three hundred seventy-two medium-sized drones, one thousand two hundred fourteen small-sized drones, and four Z-3 combat drones. Among them, the three hundred-plus medium drones can be maintained and used with simple parts replacement. The small drones are too compact and have no spare parts, so they cannot be maintained for use. The Z-3 combat drones are severely damaged... and cannot be repaired."

"...Is that so!" Chu Bamboo murmured to himself, his heart surging. With this, the number of cards he had to play had just increased significantly.

"But..." Chu Bamboo's brow gradually furrowed. 'It's still pointless.' If his opponent was the Daqian Dynasty, one repaired Z-3 combined with the drone carrier... even if only those few hundred medium drones were currently operational, it would be enough to easily wipe out an army of several hundred thousand men!

In any ancient era without Extraordinary Power, this would be enough to flip the entire table. Even if he were up against Li Shimin at the height of his power, as long as a certain monkey and pig didn't suddenly show up, Chu Bamboo would dare to go head-to-head.

But...

'With top-tier Transcendent beings in the mix, I might not even make it out of Jiangnan!' A faint shadow clouded Chu Bamboo's eyes. He thought continuously, gradually sorting through his options, and let out a long breath. 'I have a plan... but before that, there's one more crucial element!'

Chu Bamboo said, enunciating each word, "Nuwa No. 17!"

"I am here." Little Mushroom Head tilted her head.

"If... my command conflicts with a command from the current Heavenly Monarch, whose side will you take?" Chu Bamboo asked with great deliberation.

"Initiating deep thought..." Little Mushroom Head fell silent for a moment before speaking, her voice now completely different from before. "You are the permanent second-highest authority holder! The highest current authority value for Daqian is... temporary Level 8!"

"Your authority level is higher!"

"As long as your command does not violate the principle of human continuity, then, according to the First Law of Centralization, I will unconditionally support all of your decisions!"