Chapter 320: Crisis in the East Sea

In midair, Sun Li Cheng stared in terror at Yenir’s intense gaze.

He had no idea what was happening; his mind was in total chaos.

Was this man really staring at me like that? He silently wondered if there was some twisted fetish at play…

“Committee Member Yenir, what is this?”

A Military member looked on in confusion as Yenir boldly brought in the man.

A plain First-Stage fighter—he looked extremely ordinary and wasn’t even equipped with a single piece of gear.

In their eyes, he was the very definition of a lowly Awakener.

Yet, for some unknown reason, they sensed that Yenir held him in unusually high regard.

“Ming Luo, protect him. Anyone can die—but he must live!”

Yenir’s deep voice instructed Ming Luo to keep a close watch as he silently initiated a mental link to communicate with Sun Li Cheng.

“How’s your research coming along?”

“Do you need me to pick anything up?”

…

Thirteen minutes later.

Overlooking the newly reopened air raid shelter below, a flicker of strange emotion passed through Yenir’s eyes.

Almost everyone the Military had hidden was now accounted for, and the evacuation was underway. Technically, he was no longer involved.

Now, it all boiled down to luck.

The longer the frontline held, the more people could be evacuated.

Once the fuel was in place, his plan was to set the East Sea ablaze!

That would barely end the disaster at the East Sea, after which they would return to the Capital—settle scores and recover what was owed.

He didn’t have time for meddlesome clowns, though Yenir never forgot a grudge!

The way this evacuation was unfolding made him sure that someone in the Military was up to no good!

And, as expected, he already had a suspect in mind.

Next came the activation of the Supernatural Plan, the deployment of the Air-Space Carrier, a boost in strength, gathering system upgrade materials, and preparations for the next battle scenario.

There was still so much to do.

Despite the setbacks, the operation was barely within acceptable limits. Now, Yenir only hoped the Military wouldn’t stir up any more trouble!

He wasn’t afraid of crises—but he dreaded incompetent teammates dragging him down!

To be honest, if he hadn’t already shown such potential, the higher-ups might have been ruthless; the consequences would have been unthinkable.

“Even though the losses are greater than originally planned, perhaps this isn’t entirely a bad thing…”

“After this Sea Beast outbreak, I’m sure the Military will start taking me more seriously… at least they won’t ignore my proposals anymore.”

“The only problem… is Fang Teng…”

Slightly easing his tense nerves, Yenir exhaled sharply, his eyes flickering with determination.

Fang Teng had been killed by him, a fact the Military still hadn’t uncovered.

Although the higher-ups were puzzled by Fang Teng’s sudden disappearance, they assumed he had detained someone. No one would ever imagine he’d go as far as murdering a committee member!

Thus, until everything settled, command of the East Sea would remain in his hands.

“Enough. It’s done—now we’ll let the Military decide how to handle it.”

“Every action comes at a price. At least I can sleep tonight knowing I did what was right…”

“Come to think of it, the Military might not even hold a grudge over Fang Teng. In a disaster like this at the East Sea, someone always becomes the scapegoat. A dead Fang Teng fits the role perfectly. Even if they resent me, I can cover it all up as long as I boost my strength quickly.”

Yenir slowly exhaled, his gaze drifting northward.

“The real problem is the man behind Fang Teng…”

“A deposed senior commander…”

“If he figures out why I killed Fang Teng, or if he already realizes he is the Mother…”

A cold glimmer flashed in Yenir’s eyes as he frantically pieced together memories from his past life, unable to determine what exactly was happening.

The best outcome would be that they never deduced his reason—for at least half a year.

If they nearly figured it out, they’d just pretend ignorance.

The worst-case scenario…

“Yenir!”

“There’s trouble near the Frontline! Our fuel might not be enough!”

Before Yenir could regain his composure, several Military representatives overseeing fuel transport rushed over with grave expressions.

“The reserves near the Safe Zone are insufficient!”

“They just reviewed the numbers and found that part of our stockpile…”

Anger and something unspeakable contorted the face of one of them,

as a Military officer brought in from the nearby Safe Zone, stammering and unable to face Yenir’s suddenly steely eyes.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak…

What was supposed to be ample fuel in our initial plan turned out to be far short.

In other words, someone had falsified the accounts…

But how could he dare utter that aloud?

………..

In the Capital Military District’s Emergency Command Room.

“What’s the news from the Frontline!?”

“Have they evacuated the troops!?”

Even though the overall picture was clear from the reports, a high-ranking Military officer newly assigned to coordinate with the East Sea couldn’t help but ask.

Yes, command of the evacuation had been handed over to local East Sea units, but the situation was too critical for the Capital to look away.

After all, this was the largest disaster in the Huaxia Battle Zone in over a decade!

The entire nation was watching!

If things went awry, countless lives would be held accountable!

“Representative Tang, the situation is under control!”

“The civilians are evacuating in an orderly fashion, and the Sea Beast at the Frontline has been lured away and is now scattered along the Coastline.”

“Evacuation should be complete within two hours!”

“But Committee Member Yenir insists on establishing a firewall within an hour to completely block the Sea Beast’s pursuit!”

“A firewall in an hour!?”

“He intends to burn the East Sea down!?”

The reaction was instantaneous.

General Tang, known as Representative Tang, suddenly turned ashen as his eyes darted to the map on the wall.

With his extensive command experience, he grasped the implications within seconds.

“In an hour? That means our troops will be trapped there as well!”

Glancing at the areas marked for the firewall blockade, even in his absence at the scene, he immediately understood Yenir’s intent.

“Wasn’t the Frontline reported to be doing well!?”

“Why not wait until our people have evacuated before setting the fire!?”

“The order came from Yenir! Didn’t he consider what the East Sea Army would face once their retreat was cut off!?”

He demanded sharply.

Tang Yi knew that the Military had already delegated command to Yenir and understood his reasoning.

He could appreciate that setting a fire to delay the Sea Beast’s pursuit was intended to maximize civilian safety.

But…

What was to become of the East Sea Army? They were the elite of the East Sea!

While some Third-Stage fighters might escape and a portion of the Second-Stage might survive, what about the remaining First-Stage and regular troops!?

Though they had made mistakes by not trusting Yenir immediately, deep down they still hoped the losses wouldn’t be catastrophic. After all, they had corrected their error in time, hadn’t they?

“Wasn’t the original plan for two hours?! Why launch now!?”

Faced with Representative Tang’s questioning, the information officer’s face went pale.

Indeed, Yenir’s change of plan sounded off, but he couldn’t reveal the truth…

The situation at the Frontline was far from good…

According to reports, the officer who replaced Yenir had disregarded his suggestions, leading to heavy losses in the first wave of the Sea Beast’s attack.

Now, they were forced to hold the Sea Beast at bay by sacrificing a significant number of Third-Stage fighters…

But even that wouldn’t last for long…

Strictly speaking, Yenir had proposed this plan to cover their tracks.

“Alright, Representative Tang.”

“Since the Capital has entrusted command to him, we’ll follow his orders. The situation on the Frontline is changing by the minute; he has a much clearer picture than we do.”

Inside the command room, a well-informed Military high-ranking officer awkwardly cut in, shooting furtive glances at Representative Tang.

“Stop asking questions.”

“If we press any further, the reports sent to the Prime Minister will look disastrous.”

“We’ve already suffered major setbacks; revealing the full truth will only further disgrace the Military.”

Before the embarrassed officer could say another word, rapid footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the command room.