Chapter 373 315: Nuwa Revives, Another Emperor Chosen

Outside Jinghai City.

Donglin Military District.

Inside the commander's office.

Zhang Kaige's brow was furrowed as he stared at the holographic sand table before him. The table was displaying a simulation of the current terrain and buildings of Jinghai City's shantytown renovation area.

"Commander, I never would have thought... that one day, we'd actually be attacking Jinghai City!" his deputy sighed, his expression complicated.

"Watch what you say! We just need to execute our orders," Zhang Kaige's voice was devoid of any emotion.

Then, he looked up toward the sky. "It's just... I don't know why, but I have a really bad feeling about this."

"?" The deputy was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "Aren't you overthinking it, sir? It's just suppressing an uprising... Our Daqian is at its glorious peak, blazing like a fire, far surpassing the previous dynasty... If we were in the final years of the last dynasty, perhaps we'd have cause for concern, but now..."

The deputy's tone was dismissive. It wasn't that he was careless, but he had read many history books and there was no precedent for a dynasty suddenly collapsing at the height of its power! Not to mention, as a high-ranking officer, he had a firm grasp of the military's current capabilities...

Every single soldier in the army under his command was equipped with a flintlock gun! Moreover, for every one hundred soldiers, there was one Divine Envoy of the Great Goddess Nuwa!

Three army corps, nearly ten thousand men! That meant there were almost a hundred Divine Envoys!

What did that even mean?

Even if the most brilliant armies in history were resurrected and stood before them... he was confident he could take them on!

"Perhaps," Zhang Kaige shook his head.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

Zhang Kaige's expression stiffened. He instantly pulled out his phone and saw it was an unknown number. After a slight hesitation, he answered. "You are..."

"Lao Zhang." A young man's gentle, clear voice came through the phone. "Your mistress hidden away in the Second District, and your illegitimate son, are doing just fine! No need to worry."

In that instant, Zhang Kaige's pupils trembled, but his expression remained unchanged. He even gave his deputy a slight nod before pushing open the door to the inner chamber. His tone turned icy. "Who are you?"

"? You don't think I'm threatening you, do you?" Chu Bamboo's voice held a hint of confusion.

"???"

"I'm just telling you that they're safe right now! Also, if you want to surrender... you can call me at this number." Chu Bamboo's voice was calm and composed, and he hung up just as directly.

"?!" Zhang Kaige's body trembled slightly, mainly from anger. He was just about to call back when he suddenly heard a piercing screech.

'...What is that? Wait, that sound is a bit familiar... Could it be? But that's impossible...'

The next moment, a terrifying explosion roared.

"!!!"

Zhang Kaige's expression changed dramatically. Realizing that the impossible thought that had flashed through his mind had come true, he rushed to the window and looked out. Then he saw it: a drone, unimaginably massive, like a Kunpeng, suspended high in the sky like an ancient god descending.

Small hatches opened up all over its body, and compared to it, insignificant little iron birds emerged, rolling freely as they dropped their bombs.

In the distant barracks, terrifying sparks erupted, and a raging fire burned in the distance... That was the direction of the supply depot.

At that moment, Zhang Kaige's mind went blank.

The phone rang again. Zhang Kaige instinctively looked at it and saw it was a familiar contact this time. "...Third Regiment Commander!"

He answered the call with a trembling hand.

"Commander! Something's happened, something big!" The Third Regiment Commander's voice was filled with panic and confusion. "What... what crime have we committed... Why, why have all our drones and mechanical dogs gone out of control? No... they've come alive! They've all come alive... They're attacking our soldiers on their own!"

"Th-th-this... It's the Great Goddess Nuwa! She's furious! Don't kill me... Don't kill me..."

A scream was followed by a dial tone from the other end of the line.

"???" Zhang Kaige was dumbfounded. His brain had completely short-circuited; he couldn't comprehend what was happening.

With a loud CRASH, Zhang Kaige looked over instinctively to see the door kicked open. His pale-faced deputy walked in, accompanied by a man in a blue eunuch's uniform.

"Military Supervisor, why are you...?" Zhang Kaige's eye twitched. This Eunuch Sun, Sun Jianjun, was the person he most hated to see. After all, he was a classic case of someone who knew nothing but loved to boss everyone around.

'Especially now... I have no idea what's happening, only that the situation is a complete mess... Normally, this eunuch makes my life hell. Aren't things even more hopeless now?'

"Commander, we must leave at once!" Eunuch Sun's voice was shrill, his expression ugly. "The enemy... has launched a preemptive strike!"

Zhang Kaige was startled. The eunuch wasn't trying to pin the blame on him. He instinctively asked, "Who is the enemy... And why are our..."

"Shut up!" With a SWISH, Eunuch Sun appeared in front of Zhang Kaige. He swiped a finger across Zhang Kaige's lips, and Zhang was shocked to find he couldn't speak a single word. He heard the eunuch sneer, "I gave you an inch and you took a mile! Did you really think We didn't know about you secretly contacting the enemy? Our ears! What heights do you think Our martial arts have reached... Hmph!"

Zhang Kaige: "???"

'I'd heard that this Sun Jianjun was a peerless Martial Arts Master, but I'd never seen it myself and had assumed it was just a rumor! But now...'

"Spectacular!" A voice tinged with admiration rang out. Glass shattered from a bullet impact. Eunuch Sun's expression shifted slightly. With a light step, he instantly appeared behind Zhang Kaige, watching the civilian drone that flew into the room through the window.

"Lao Sun! Su Po has lost the Way, and the Great Goddess Nuwa stands with me! Daqian is about to fall." Chu Bamboo's leisurely voice emanated from the drone. "If you surrender now, I'll make you the Factory Director of the Eastern Depot in the new dynasty! You've long been displeased with the current Supervisor, haven't you..."

"Insolent!" Eunuch Sun flicked his finger, and a silver needle instantly shredded the drone. His face was utterly grim. Then, as if remembering something, he shot a vicious glare at the two men beside him and cupped his hands in the direction of the north. "My loyalty to the great Supervisor is as clear as the sun and moon! You two must not be swayed by this traitor..."

Zhang Kaige: "..."

'If you hadn't said that, I might have believed you!' His thoughts were becoming more and more chaotic... He recognized the voice as the same person who had called him earlier...

'This... this person not only knows about my illegitimate son, but he also knows... that Eunuch Sun is dissatisfied with the Eastern Depot's Supervisor? What... what kind of intelligence network is this? Is it possible our side is riddled with enemy spies? And the situation outside...'

Wavering doubt also appeared on the deputy's face. He, too, had received reports that the drones and mechanical dogs had gone out of control. And so, watching the bombardment outside, seeing the varied expressions on Eunuch Sun and Zhang Kaige... he felt a subtle mix of emotions, tinged with a bit of terror.

As everyone knew, the drones and mechanical dogs were considered extensions of the Great Goddess Nuwa's will...

In a situation of mass rebellion like this... it was indeed easy for people's minds to jump to certain conclusions.

"It is merely a demon that has stolen the Great Goddess Nuwa's divine authority!" After forcibly calming himself, Eunuch Sun had a sharp realization. His words were cutting, his face slightly contorted. "A monster sowing chaos in the world! Fortunately, the Official Family is wise and has long been fully prepared..."

But the next moment, another civilian drone flew into the room, and Chu Bamboo's voice, tinged with amusement, spoke up. "Well said. But if the Great Goddess Nuwa's divine authority can be stolen so easily, then... is she still the Great Goddess Nuwa?"

This time, before Eunuch Sun could repeat his trick, overlapping voices could be heard faintly from outside—it was countless drones broadcasting a message.

"Daqian has lost the Way, the Celestial Mandate has shifted! The Wa God has reawakened to choose a new emperor!"

Eunuch Sun's face instantly turned pale. His body trembled slightly, a chilling light appearing in his eyes. His mind raced, already considering whether he should knock out the two men beside him and then unleash his full power...

Then he remembered: one must not display such power before mortals. It was a prohibition set down by the Great Goddess Nuwa... Even if he knocked them both out, if he went outside to fight now, he would inevitably be seen by ordinary soldiers... But then he realized, at this moment, the Great Goddess Nuwa really did seem to be on the other side...

'No, impossible! How could the Great Goddess Nuwa...'

'It's fake! All of it is fake.'

Eunuch Sun was drenched in a cold sweat. The Great Goddess Nuwa was currently in a state of...

'Yes, it must be fake! This treacherous villain took advantage of the Great Goddess Nuwa's slumber to usurp her authority...'

Eunuch Sun dared not imagine how terrible the situation would be if all of this were true.

His face grim, he smashed the drone once more, grabbed the mouth-sealed Zhang Kaige, and started walking out while pulling out his phone...

...

At this very moment.

Outside.

Even though they were already on high alert and had imposed martial law, the three army corps caught in this situation were completely bewildered.

First, the supposedly loyal Divine Envoys had turned on them, and the corps were severely battered by 'their own people' before they even saw the enemy... Then, the other side invoked the name of the Great Goddess Nuwa and ordered them to surrender.

What did Nuwa mean to Daqian?

She was the equivalent of Heaven in the feudal era!

In ancient mythology, She was the creator of the Human Race... one of the supreme gods in the Celestial Court's pantheon... the original embodiment of the Celestial Mandate!

Even though many of the more educated officers were doing their utmost to rally the common soldiers, insisting this was all fake, just enemy psychological warfare... it was still useless.

In fact, these officers who were desperately trying to organize their troops were targeted and precisely assassinated by drones descending from the sky.

Finally, someone couldn't take the pressure anymore and dropped their gun...

And just like that, the army's collapse was like a landslide!