274: Chapter 274 She is now the Lin family's mount

Shanghai port.

Three warships were pushed past the breakwater by the waves.

The main ship's hull was covered in claw marks, its left naval gun bent into the deck.

Two frigates followed behind, their cabins flooded, trailing black smoke from their sterns.

United States soldiers huddled near the cabin doors, clutching their guns.

No one dared to open fire.

The King of the Deep Sea crouched on the bow, its severed arm wrapped in grayish-white water currents, its trident pinning down the deck.

It looked up toward the port area.

"Tell my master."

"The captives have been brought."

Zhao Dingshan stood at the coastal defense position, raising his hand to stop the troops from boarding.

The heavy artillery finished rotating.

Dozens of guns locked onto the three warships, and soldiers waited for orders behind the bunkers.

A beam of platinum light fell from the clouds.

Anar crossed the sky above the port, her four wings parting the sea mist.

Lin Yuan stood on her back, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

The Shanghai soldiers cleared a path.

Anar stepped onto the bow, the metal deck buckling downward.

Lin Yuan stepped off her back, his gaze sweeping over the naval guns, missile bays, and the stern's power section.

The fleet commander was pinned to the ground by water locks, half his face pressed against the deck.

"Lin Yuan!"

"We represent the United States and the Holy Sanctuary!"

"Attacking the fleet is equivalent to a declaration of war!"

Lin Yuan walked past him.

The commander twisted his shoulders.

"I demand prisoner of war treatment!"

The King of the Deep Sea gripped its trident and pressed down another half-inch.

The water locks tightened.

The steel plates of the deck groaned with the sound of snapping metal.

The commander's face sank into the accumulated water, his subsequent words choked back.

Lin Yuan opened a missile bay.

Twelve anti-ship missiles were fixed in the launcher.

There were two close-in weapon systems at the stern; if dismantled and taken back, they could reinforce Shanghai's coastal defenses.

The United States was generous in its cross-sea delivery, with specifications even higher than the capital's.

Zhao Dingshan's voice came over the communicator.

"Mr. Lin, should we send troops to board and search?"

"Seal off the port."

"Everyone else stays on the shore."

Lin Yuan walked into the main ship with Anar.

The King of the Deep Sea dragged the fleet commander and a dozen high-level captives along, following them into the cabin.

The lower-level corridor was filled with seawater.

An old man wearing red-trimmed robes knelt in the water locks, a silver cross hanging from his chest.

He looked up and stared at Anar.

"Saintess."

"The Pope is still waiting for you to return home."

Anar stood behind Lin Yuan, her four wings neatly retracted.

She turned a deaf ear to the old man's words.

A vein throbbed on the old man's forehead.

"Lin Yuan, you are blaspheming against the messenger of God."

Lin Yuan took the cross from his chest.

"Negotiations require bargaining chips."

"What do you have?"

He tossed the cross to the King of the Deep Sea.

"Lead the way, let's see what's in the cargo hold."

The old man lunged forward.

The water locks pressed him back to the ground.

In the lower deck of the main ship.

Three alloy doors were burst open by seawater.

There was no food or weapons in the cargo containers.

Rows of sealed boxes were fixed onto steel racks.

The lids were lifted to reveal hundreds of crosses lying in shock-absorbing cotton, with crystal core powder leaking through the seams into the trays.

On the other side lay paper files.

Area numbers.

Deployment dates.

Contact personnel.

Recovery records.

Lin Yuan flipped through them.

Shanghai registration point.

Min City migration team.

Coastal relief station.

A photo of the missing Sanlintang registrar was tucked into the list, with five words written after the name.

"Eliminate after contact."

The ledger from before had reached its end.

Lin Yuan took out the registrar's photo and placed it in front of the Archbishop.

"You killed people over a photograph."

"And used the migration team to send the relay into Shanghai."

The Archbishop stared at the photo, his knees shifting forward.

"That is a Holy Court secret!"

"You have no right to touch it!"

Lin Yuan snatched away the last ledger.

"From today on, this is the Dragon Kingdom's liquidation list."

Several United States soldiers slammed into the bulkhead, trying to destroy the nearby data cabinets.

The King of the Deep Sea raised its trident.

The accumulated water in the cabin coiled around their waists, snapping their bodies directly.

The firearms fell into the water, and magazines scattered all over the floor.

Liu Qing accessed the main ship's lines.

"Master, the frequency bands on this ship match the frequency bands of the crosses discovered previously."

"This is the main station of the relay network within the Dragon Kingdom."

The main control screen lit up.

Dense red dots covered the Dragon Kingdom's coastline, extending all the way from Liaonan to Guangdong.

Some markers had already been cleared by the capital, but many more nodes remained active.

Zhao Dingshan stood at the Shanghai command post, his hand holding the communicator pressed against his chest.

On the map, there were eleven red dots remaining near Shanghai.

One of them was right at the port area's wounded placement site.

He immediately turned around.

"Seal off Placement Zone 3!"

"Everyone must strip for inspection!"

Liu Qing continued to compare the data.

"The main station can perform reverse positioning."

"Keep the equipment, and I can track the signal to dig out all the receiving ends."

The Archbishop looked up abruptly.

He slapped his chest with his right hand.

The silver cross had already been taken by Lin Yuan.

But there was one tattooed under his skin.

A cross that proved his devotion to God was ingrained in his heart.

Crack!

The cross split open.

The entire cargo hold lit up with white light.

Rows of crosses were activated one after another.

The light converged along the steel racks, cables, and bulkheads, all pouring into Anar.

Four feathered wings spread open.

Holy light crawled across the deck, slicing through the accumulated water.

The artillerymen outside the ship detected the energy surge and immediately adjusted their gun barrels.

Zhao Dingshan pressed the launcher.

"All lines, prepare!"

The captives in the cargo hold struggled to their feet.

"The Saintess returns to her position!"

The Archbishop spread his arms.

"Angels will not betray God!"

White light filled the cabin.

Anar raised her head, the black and red markings at the roots of her wings tearing against the holy light.

Steel racks toppled row by row, and box lids slammed against the walls.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and pressed it onto her shoulder.

"Stand still."

"What is with all this fidgeting?"

Anar glanced at him.

She retracted her four wings behind her.

She retreated to Lin Yuan's left side, her toes touching the spot where he stood.

The white light continued to flow.

The command "Saintess returns to her position" echoed throughout the cargo hold.

Anar did not move again.

She crouched low with her four wings, stopping at Lin Yuan's feet.

It was not the Saintess returning to her position.

It was a mount waiting for its master to mount.

The shouting of the captives ceased.

The Archbishop still had his arms raised, but no sound came from his mouth.

The King of the Deep Sea struck down with its trident.

The Archbishop sprawled into the water.

"This... this is impossible!"

Liu Qing took advantage of the main station operating at full power to complete the takeover of permissions.

[Main control equipment takeover complete.]

[Domestic nodes: 421.]

[Hidden nodes: 109.]

A communication from the European Continent Holy See cut in.

Gray Dove's voice came through.

"Mr. Lin, I heard that you captured a Holy Court warship."

"There is an Archbishop on board."

"Please hand him over to the Holy See for trial."

Lin Yuan rubbed his brow.

"What are you offering in exchange?"

The channel went quiet.

Gray Dove did not make an offer.

Lin Yuan cut the communication.

"Always trying to get something for nothing; they can't even be bothered to invent a new script."

Liu Qing pushed up her thick glasses.

"Master, I have contacted the capital."

Adam appeared on the screen.

Lin Yuan sent over the ledger, the captives, and the ship manifest.

"Hand the people over to you."

"Clear out all the nodes according to the list."

"Dismantle the warship; send the weapons to Shanghai and the hull materials to Tiangong No. 1."

Adam finished reviewing the data.

"Thank you for your contribution to the Dragon Kingdom."

Lin Yuan said, "Skip the pleasantries."

"Give me something concrete."

The communication went black.

Adam hung up very quickly.

He knew that Lin Yuan was just finding an excuse to make him do work he couldn't refuse.

But to make him work and then ask for things—there was no such way to play.

Before the main station was taken over, it had already sent a final message to the other side of the Atlantic.

[Saintess confirmed to have defected; summoning Archangel Michael.]

...

Tiangong No. 1 master bedroom.

Tang Qiqi lay across the center of the bed, her limbs occupying most of the space.

She opened her eyes and pulled the quilt up to cover her shoulders.

The discomfort in her waist made her brace against the edge of the bed and sit up twice before she could lean against the headboard.

The bedroom door was pushed open.

Qin Yumo walked in with hot porridge.

"Sleeping posture is still the same as always."

Tang Qiqi pulled the quilt up further.

"Where's the Great Demon King?"

"He went to Shanghai to collect the fleet."

"Will he dislike me?"

Qin Yumo placed the porridge on the bedside table.

"If he disliked you, he would have thrown you out before the apocalypse."

"Your birthday, snacks, laboratory, materials—which one has he ever skimped on for you?"

Tang Qiqi picked up the porridge bowl and took two sips.

Qin Yumo leaned against the bedpost.

"The Great Demon King you speak of might just like role-playing."

Tang Qiqi raised her face.

"Then next time I'll dress as Rem."

"Sister Yumo can dress as Ram."

Qin Yumo raised an eyebrow.

"Get your body in shape first."

"Don't be like yesterday, coming in with a bang and ending up leaving while holding onto the wall."

Tang Qiqi buried her face into the rim of the bowl.

Two hours later.

B2.

Tang Qiqi put on her work clothes and tied her hair back.

She dismantled the capital's mecha energy component and projected the interface diagram onto the main screen.

Su Xiaonuan walked in clutching a tablet.

"Can it be completed on schedule?"

Tang Qiqi put on her goggles and gripped the welding torch.

"All old interfaces are canceled."

"Powering the armor frame section by section."

"Power spine self-check complete."

Tang Qiqi walked to the center of the design desk and raised her hand to tap the confirm button.

"In three days, the Titan battle armor's first public test."

"All A-level Espers are welcome to come and challenge it."