Chapter 638: Crisis at the Capital’s Perimeter

7th Perimeter Defense of the Capital, Tianjin Battle Zone.

The engines roared, and beneath the Air Force Base where masses of Awakened Troops had gathered with solemn resolve, the meeting room was oppressively tense.

Amid swirling smoke and under the cold white lights, thirteen elders stood like silent statues, their eyes fixed intently on a white-haired youth seated at the head of the table.

After a long moment, one elder, unable to hold back any longer, spoke in a hoarse, low tone:

“Lord Yuanlong, every unit we dispatched has gone dark!”

“It’s been four hours—four whole hours—and we haven’t heard a single word! Are you really… not going to say anything?”

As soon as his words fell silent, the elder coughed violently.

His clenched fists betrayed the deep unease gnawing at him.

“Yes, Lord Yuanlong!”

“Has something happened?! Not hearing from Lu Haishan is one thing, but even Huang Li and his men haven’t reported in! Moreover, our bribed Rongjing Unit sent a message two hours ago: the entire Capital has been sealed off!”

None could fathom what was going on. Everyone present had once held high positions like Huang Li before stepping down.

As an inland battle zone, the Tianjin Battle Zone had been designated as a temporary government when the Capital fell in the early days of the apocalypse, and years of development had made it one of the best-equipped zones.

Thus, nearly one-third of the Third-Stage veterans were enjoying their twilight years here.

Or rather, they had become an intertwined group of mutual interests.

This time, Huang Li had led a rebellion, taking numerous Peak Third-Stage practitioners—a move that essentially represented their shared interests!

According to the original plan, triumphant news should have come at least two hours ago, but now there was nothing but an eerie silence!

Especially…

The elder recalled the only message from their insider before the lockdown, and a chill ran down his spine.

(‘We’ve been attacked by monsters! Li Xuanguo! No! It’s not even humans under Yenir’s command!’)

He too couldn’t grasp the meaning behind that message.

After that single message was sent, the covert operatives embedded within the defense forces all suddenly severed communication.

For Awakeners equipped with a system, a communication cutoff meant one of two things.

First, a full-scale lockdown over the entire Capital—using high-level system tools to forcibly cut off communications!

Second…

Death!

Either scenario signified that the situation had spiraled completely out of control—everyone on their side was in jeopardy!

“Monsters… are not human…”

Unlike the apprehensive veteran Third-Stage fighters present, the white-haired youth at the head simply tapped the table pensively as he repeated the final message.

Suddenly, he looked up. Lord Yuanlong’s gaze turned deep as he stared at the map hanging in the meeting room, an unusual gleam flashing in his eyes.

“Lord Yuanlong!? Have you figured something out?!”

At last, as the youth reacted, all the Third-Stage veterans turned their eyes towards him, anxious yet filled with awe.

“I’ve got it.”

“But brace yourselves. Don’t get your hopes up; Huang Li and his men have likely met their end already.”

Speaking with calm assurance, the youth—though seemingly very young, not much older than Yenir—spoke.

Yet his very first words carried a maturity, hints of a gravitas far beyond his years.

“Something’s happened!? Lord Yuanlong!? With so many Peak Third-Stage fighters, how could this be possible…!”

“There’s no need for self-deception.”

Before an elderly commander could finish, Yuanlong’s cold gaze swept over him, silencing his babble.

“In the system rankings, all traces of Huang Li and his men have vanished. If they haven’t died, what else could it be?”

“You don’t think, in such a massive battle, they’d have the time to conceal their names, do you? Brilliant move… Nearly sixty Peak Third-Stage fighters and over five hundred Third-Stage operatives, all gone within ten minutes!”

“Boom!”

He abruptly stood up.

With his white hair and an overwhelming aura of power, Yuanlong’s presence suddenly left everyone breathless.

He strode quickly to a blurry satellite image, his finger tracing the atmospheric changes captured from space.

On the aerial cloud map, a vast black mass—resembling a gigantic sword—had briefly shrouded the battlefield where Huang Li and his men were located!

“It can trigger celestial changes, disrupting even the troposphere around near-Earth orbit…”

“This capability far exceeds that of most Peak Third-Stage fighters—almost on par with mine!”

“National War First… Yenir… Monsters…”

“Total annihilation, lockdown…”

With a flash in his eyes, Yuanlong seemed to grasp the key point instantly and issued orders in a firm tone.

“Immediately pull up the Third-Stage rankings from across Asian countries!”

“Now, get in touch with the top officials in allied countries—I need to know exactly how many have returned!”

At his command, everyone fell into stunned silence.

Although they didn’t fully understand, each one quickly relayed his orders, awed by the youth’s years of unparalleled reputation.

—-

Six minutes later.

As the first report arrived, a series of incredulous exclamations erupted.

“What!? How could this be!?”

“Every soldier in the Japanese Battle Zone’s national war has perished! Not a single one returned?! Not even one?!”

“The same goes for the Thailand Battle Zone! Although a group of Third-Stage Mid-level fighters returned, the losses were catastrophic!”

“Across four Southeast Asian countries, only nine people emerged? And two, grievously wounded and comatose, with reports hinting at internal strife?!”

…

Although everyone present had heard the system announcement confirming Yenir’s first return,

none instinctively considered tallying what exactly had transpired in other countries during this national war!

They assumed Yenir had simply taken a fortunate shortcut, or perhaps even powered through with sheer force to claim the first return!

“Interesting…”

“This national war… has nearly wiped out all of Asia. Being first in the national war, it seems what’s happening is far more terrifying than we imagined…”

Unlike the others, who were visibly at a loss, Yuanlong merely chuckled, shook his head, and set down the report.

As if his mind had already made up its mind, he slowly spoke a moment later:

“Prepare to alert our comrades in the other battle zones. Those who can escape should do so; those who can’t must immediately regroup here!”

“If all goes as expected, the Capital was sealed off on Li Xuanguo’s orders—it was a deliberate move to keep us in the dark!”

“Within at most three days, he will undoubtedly make his move against us!”

“Of course, there’s also the possibility of negotiations!”

His words landed with resounding finality.

“My Lord! What does this all mean!? Are you saying..!?”

Before anyone could ponder the implications, Yuanlong sat back down, closed his eyes, and spoke gravely:

“What do you mean you haven’t figured out what happened in the Capital?!”

“If I’m not mistaken, this national war is a trap! It seemed as though Lu Haishan’s group had cornered Yenir into battle, but in reality, it was Li Xuanguo and his cohorts stalling for time!”

“There must be a trap—right at the National War Entrance. The question is, what hidden card is Li Xuanguo keeping?”

“While Lu Haishan’s men boldly moved to encircle Li Xuanguo’s forces, Yenir’s side, armed with an unknown ace, clinched the first return and then bolstered their power with rewards to break out!”

“Taking advantage of the confusion among Lu Haishan’s men caused by the announcement, both sides launched a pincer attack and wiped out Huang Li and his group in one fell swoop!”

It was as if one were witnessing the battle firsthand.

As they listened to the youth’s account, the Third-Stage veterans’ eyes widened in unison, finally grasping Yuanlong’s message.

Huang Li and his men were truly finished! Li Xuanguo had won!

This national war appeared as a reluctant compromise, but in truth, it was Li Xuanguo’s lethal trap designed to ensnare them.

“My Lord, what about us?!”

The Third-Stage veterans, their faces etched with panic, clearly understood his implications.

Yuanlong waved them off calmly and said:

“There’s no need to panic.”

“We may have lost this battle, but knowing Li Xuanguo, his men would never dare engage us in an all-out war!”

“Even if we were to kill him, he’d only order his underlings to focus on the bigger picture! That hypocrite wouldn’t dare see it through to the end with us!”

“Just wait—they’ll eventually come to negotiate with us.”

“Compared to Li Xuanguo, I’m actually more curious about what benefits Yenir managed to secure from this national war—and what level of power he possesses!”

With a cold gaze, Yuanlong, the strongest among the old guard, regarded this news with complete nonchalance.

While he was indeed surprised that Huang Li’s side had lost, from the very onset of the apocalypse, he had weathered every storm imaginable!

“Yenir… Monsters…”

“That kid must be pretty strong; otherwise, Huang Li and his men would have surely managed to take him down amid the chaos.”

“Monsters… did he bring out a squad of Monster Third-Stage fighters?”

A silent murmur echoed in his mind, unnoticed by the others.

In Yuanlong’s eyes, a symbol all too familiar—Yenir’s mark—flashed suddenly.