225: Chapter 225 The Birth of an SS-Rank Water-Based Calamity

In front of the console, the technical director's fingernails dug into the keyboard seams.

The scan on the screen flashed over and over again.

Empty.

The blast zone was as empty as if someone had wiped it clean with an eraser.

"The fuse has locked."

His voice was dry, as if his throat were stuffed with sand.

"Even if it were a dud, hundreds of tons of metal crashing down should have left an impact crater."

"Now there is no shrapnel, no shockwave, and no radiation echo."

"It... is gone."

At the head of the long conference table, several elders stared at the big screen.

No one spoke.

The cigarette between one man's fingers had burned to the end.

The scarlet spark burned into his flesh, emitting a faint scorched smell.

He didn't let go, only gripped the chair's armrest until it creaked.

After a long while, a hoarse voice finally sounded.

"What does Adam say?"

The technical director swallowed.

"The feedback result is..."

He paused for half a second.

"Dimensional Space folding."

The temperature in the conference room seemed to have been drained away.

Officer Wei Zheng stood by the table, the back of his military uniform soaked through, cold sweat clinging to his spine.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was strained when he spoke.

"Lin Yuan possesses A-rank Spatial Ability."

"He isn't intercepting the nuke."

"He shoved the entire tactical nuke into his own Dimensional Space."

The screen automatically displayed a simulation.

The red circle vanished from Shanghai and lit up in the Beijing Inner Ring for a second.

It only lit up for a second.

Everyone in the conference room fell silent.

If Lin Yuan threw that nuke at Beijing.

If he released the nuke directly in the Inner Ring administrative district.

No one dared to let their thoughts continue.

The cigarette butt was finally extinguished.

The elder at the head of the table raised his eyes and looked at Officer Wei Zheng.

The condescension in those eyes was gone, replaced only by the exhaustion of being backed into a corner.

"Officer Wei Zheng."

"At any cost, smooth this matter over."

"Don't let him bring the nuke to Beijing."

Officer Wei Zheng lowered his head.

"Understood."

... Zhongshan Park temporary position.

Lin Yuan stood beside an abandoned bus, watching the retreating Zombie Horde in the distance.

Yu Qingyi stood behind him, her complexion still not recovered.

Just now, forcing them into the air had nearly drained her Superpower dry.

Lin Yuan did not let her leave the team.

Wings that can carry people to a nuke aren't just called B-rank in the apocalypse.

They are called strategic resources.

By developing Yu Qingyi to 50%, Lin Yuan didn't just gain flight capability.

Aerial assault.

Battlefield evacuation.

High-altitude decapitation.

Even nuclear delivery.

Yu Qingyi's face flushed under his gaze.

Lin Yuan said lightly, "Follow me."

Yu Qingyi immediately lowered her head.

"I..."

The next second, the communication channel connected.

Officer Wei Zheng's voice came through.

No official tone.

No preamble.

The first sentence was:

"Mr. Lin, Beijing is willing to compensate."

Lin Yuan didn't speak.

The wind swept through the ruined streets, rolling up charred scraps of paper.

Officer Wei Zheng gritted his teeth and spoke word by word.

"Name your conditions."

Lin Yuan looked toward the Hongqiao Command Center in the distance.

"Zhao Dingshan's troops in Shanghai belong to me."

"Jiang-Zhe-Hu Region is my territory from now on."

"Don't let Beijing reach out again."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears.

"I'll take the nuke and bomb your Garden of Eden."

Everyone in the channel heard it.

The Hongqiao Command Center was dead silent.

Zhao Dingshan's face turned gray.

None of the staff dared to make a sound.

On Officer Wei Zheng's end, only the sound of gritted teeth remained.

"Agreed."

"Director Xu Changfeng and the others will return to Beijing to report for duty."

"The remaining military and political forces in Shanghai will all be under your command."

Director Xu Changfeng took off his headset and said nothing.

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng stared at the residual blast radius on the big screen.

Suddenly, he raised his hand.

He took off his rank insignia and threw it on the table.

Director Xu Changfeng looked at him.

"What kind of tantrum are you throwing?"

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng gritted his teeth.

"I don't want to be a pawn for a group of people hiding in clean rooms anymore."

He turned to the screen.

"Lin Yuan."

"I'm joining you."

"Not surrendering."

"It's defecting."

"If you don't accept me, I won't go back to Beijing either."

Lin Yuan looked at him for a few seconds.

"Start from the lowest-ranking officer."

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng stood at attention.

"Yes."

Zhao Dingshan was silent for a long time.

Finally, he spoke.

"Lin Yuan, you find someone to take over my work, and I will hand over all command rights."

Lin Yuan said, "No need."

Zhao Dingshan looked up.

Lin Yuan's voice came from the screen.

"You didn't run when you were in the nuclear blast radius."

"Blind loyalty is still loyalty."

"You will continue to command the Hongqiao defense line."

"But from now on, you listen to me."

Zhao Dingshan stood for a few seconds and slowly saluted.

"Yes."

Orders were issued quickly.

Captain Han Xue and Yu Qingyi were responsible for registering and reorganizing the Shanghai survivors.

Lu Yan, Tank, and Sister Long led the team to clean up the Japanese Side remnants.

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng was thrown into the grassroots team, starting from the lowest-ranking officer.

His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, but he didn't talk back.

Lu Yan walked by with a registration board and just glanced at him.

"In the Heavenly Palace system, rank insignia doesn't count."

"Contribution points count."

Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng's chest heaved.

Finally, he spat out a word stiffly.

"Understood."

Lin Motong sat on the roof of a scrapped car, holding a broken teddy bear.

"Only eat low-temperature life signals."

"And marked bad guys."

The Zombie Horde advanced by zones.

They didn't touch ordinary survivors.

They didn't attack the defense line.

They only dragged the Japanese Side remnants out of sewers, abandoned buildings, and wharf warehouses.

Survivors who crawled out of the subway watched this scene, a chill running down their spines.

The million-strong Zombie Horde wasn't besieging the city.

It was an army.

And the girl commanding them was sitting on a scrap car doing her winter homework.

Zhao Dingshan's troops pushed into the city from the Hongqiao direction, gradually opening up Pudong Airport.

Feng Sanhai also transferred nearly ten thousand troops from Zhe City to take over external resettlement and material storage.

Shanghai, changed hands.

Three days later.

The convoy returned.

The Zombie Horde cleared a passage on both sides.

Lin Motong had recruited two obedient A-rank City Patrol Envoy in Shanghai, so while she was away, the Zombie Horde only operated within the specified range.

Captain Han Xue drove.

Qin Yumo sat in the passenger seat.

Wang Ya hugged Lin Motong and sat in the back row with Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan took out the pseudo-god core and handed it to Wang Ya.

Inside the black-gold crystal, that broken sun was still rotating.

Wang Ya's gray-white pupil ring contracted, and she licked her lips subconsciously.

She didn't take it immediately.

"Mr. Lin, this is very precious."

Lin Yuan said, "That's why it suits you."

Wang Ya didn't ask again.

She took the pseudo-god core.

The next second.

The sound of water echoed in the carriage.

Not the snow water outside.

It was the power within her body.

S-rank [Sky Torrent].

Mutant instinct.

pseudo-god core residual divinity.

Three forces collided.

Wang Ya raised her head, her gray-white pupil ring shimmering with water.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and pressed it to her forehead.

The Blood Contract activated.

The system synchronized to suppress the pollution.

[Ding!]

[Target Wang Ya is evolving.]

[S-rank Superpower: Sky Torrent.]

[Transforming...]

On both sides of the convoy, the Zombie Horde crouched down simultaneously.

Even Lin Motong raised her head.

"Mom has become stronger."

[Transformation complete.]

[Target Wang Ya obtained SS-rank Superpower: Water Calamity.]

[Target Wang Ya, favorability exceeded 100%.]

[Target will never betray.]

Lin Yuan's interface popped up.

[Host is synchronizing with target Superpower...]

[SS-rank: Water Calamity.]

Wang Ya's aura hadn't stabilized yet.

The accumulated water outside the car window rose against the current, condensing into streams of water in mid-air.

Wang Ya approached Lin Yuan, her voice trembling.

"Mr. Lin, I can't hold it back..."

Lin Yuan said, "Drive steadily."

Captain Han Xue's ears turned red.

"Yes."

Qin Yumo immediately opened the door and got out of the car, switching to the escort vehicle.

She took Lin Motong with her.

Before getting off, Lin Motong looked at Wang Ya seriously.

"Mom, come on."

"If you give me a younger brother, I can change what I call you to Dad."

The carriage was silent for a second.

Wang Ya blushed until she couldn't speak.

Lin Yuan closed the car door.

Water splashed everywhere...