141: The indelible mark of loyalty, the sea locked and the harbor burned.

Chapter 4: Brand of Loyal Souls, Locking the Seas and Burning the Ports

The energy halo at the core of the Fuxing Island base flowed incessantly. Pale blue mental detection waves blanketed the entire island, presenting the brainwaves, emotions, memories, and obsessions of every member of the Southern Song Dynasty remnants in the forest camp onto the 3D holographic screen in front of Lin Zhou.

Within Lu Xiufu's brainwaves surged the grief and indignation of the bloody battle at Yamen, the pain of a fallen nation and lost home, the resolve to protect the young lord, and a bone-deep sorrow for the severing of the Han cultural lineage. In the consciousness of the personal guards lay hidden the grief over fallen comrades, a deep-seated hatred for the Yuan Army, and a thirst for survival, alongside the fierce integrity of warriors. Within the thoughts of the ordinary remnant soldiers were yearnings for home, concerns for wives and children, and confusion about the future, yet they still held onto the backbone and principles of the Song people.

They were flesh and blood, with joys and sorrows, obsessions and tenderness; they were not emotionless walking corpses. Lin Zhou's previous global consciousness takeover command was intended to eradicate hidden dangers, but it wasn't his ideal state—he didn't need numb puppets. What he needed were die-hard subordinates who retained all their emotions, memories, personalities, and abilities, yet had loyalty to him etched into their souls, overriding all instincts.

Joys, angers, sorrows, and delights unchanged; character and integrity unchanged; talents and abilities unchanged. Only at the deepest level of their will was an eternal shackle branded: in this life and world, their mind, spirit, and soul belonged to Lin Zhou. All actions would take the Emperor's will as the highest criterion; loyalty was higher than life, higher than family and country, and higher than all personal demands.

This was a brand of loyalty at the soul level, rather than a crude erasure of consciousness.

[Ding—host has modified the command. Unlocking the red alert Soul Loyalty Brand AI Module to replace global mental control. Execute?]

[Module Effect: Retains all emotions, memories, personality, thinking capacity, and personal feelings of the target life forms. Only implants a permanent loyalty contract at the neural foundation. Loyalty priority is higher than survival, family, nation, and private desires. Zero possibility of rebellion, zero possibility of wavering, zero possibility of disobedience. Autonomous consciousness remains complete, emotions remain vivid, with absolute death-loyalty to the host alone.]

[Cost: Energy Core ×1, Mental Brand Medium ×600, no additional side effects.]

"Execute."

Lin Zhou lightly tapped the console. As the cold command fell, a gentle yet irresistible mental energy branched out from the base's central hub, turning into thousands of imperceptible threads of light that precisely pierced the neural centers of the one hundred and twenty-seven people in the camp. There was no intense pain, no paralysis, no hollowed-out consciousness—only an imperceptible warm current flowing into the depths of each person's soul, leaving behind an exclusive mark belonging to Lin Zhou.

In the next second, everyone in the camp regained their original expressions.

Lu Xiufu's eyes were still sorrowful, and the hand holding his brush trembled slightly, filled with the grief of a fallen nation. The commander of the personal guards still had a fierce glint in his eyes, wishing he could immediately charge back to the Central Plains to slaughter the Yuan Army. The soldiers still spoke in low voices, missing their families back home and weeping for the lost souls of Yamen. Not a single shred of their emotion was missing, their personalities hadn't changed in the slightest, and their memories were intact. They could cry, laugh, feel anger, and feel sadness, exactly as they were before.

The only difference was that the core principle at the bottom of their hearts had been completely rewritten.

Before, their loyalty was to the Great Song, to the world, and to their integrity.

Now, their loyalty was to Lin Zhou, and this loyalty was higher than the Great Song, higher than integrity, higher than life, and higher than everything in their hearts.

Lu Xiufu put down his brush and walked slowly to the energy barrier. He bowed to Lin Zhou inside the barrier, his eyes still reflecting the tragedy of the fallen dynasty, yet his tone carried a respect and sincerity that had merged into his very marrow: "Your Majesty, your servant cannot sleep at night, only regretting that I cannot sweep the four seas for Your Majesty and restore our mountains and rivers. Should Your Majesty give the command, your servant will not hesitate even if my body is smashed to pieces and I die ten thousand deaths."

He was still that Lu Xiufu who would rather die than surrender and who cared for the world. He had the integrity of a scholar, the responsibility of a minister, and a heart full of grief and passion. Yet all his talent, integrity, life, and will now belonged unreservedly to Lin Zhou alone.

Several soldiers sat by the tents, talking in low voices about the brothers who died at Yamen. With tears in their eyes and full of grief, they turned to look toward the base, their gazes instantly becoming incomparably fervent. It was the absolute sincerity of a believer facing a deity, or a death-sworn soldier facing his lord: "If we can protect Your Majesty's safety, we would be willing to die a hundred times over."

Emotions intact, memories intact, personalities intact, loyalty absolute.

This was the perfect form Lin Zhou wanted—without the stiffness of puppets, without the hidden danger of dissent. Flesh-and-blood subordinates, carrying all their emotions and abilities, would go through fire and water for him, faithful until death.

Lin Zhou nodded slightly without saying much. He then cut off all permissions for the old subordinates to access the red alert combat system, firmly grasping all authority for combat, shipbuilding, reconnaissance, and attack in the hands of the red alert AI combat units. Combat forces had to be system-native, absolutely controllable steel units. Logistics and civil administration were handed to these controlled subordinates with complete emotions and absolute loyalty. Civil and military were separated, authority was absolute, and the foundation of his rule was as solid as a fortress.

Having handled the core matters of the soul brand, Lin Zhou poured all the resources obtained from annihilating the Yuan Army patrol fleet into base upgrades and the construction of a deep-sea fleet, holding nothing back. The sea of light from the construction of the Heavy Deep-Sea Shipbuilding Base spread across the shallow waters. Mechanical arms operated autonomously, the shipboard AI scheduled the entire process, and unmanned engineering units worked day and night. The entire process relied on no human labor, reaching the pinnacle of efficiency.

[Ding—Consuming Steel 12,000, Ore 9,000, Fuel 6,000, Energy Core ×2. Medium Naval Workshop upgraded to Heavy Deep-Sea Shipbuilding Base.]

[Units Unlocked: Heavy Destroyer ×3, Light Frigates expanded to 6 ships, High-Speed Patrol Boat ×16, Deep-Sea Anti-Ship Missile Tower ×8, All-Sea Radar Hub.]

[Buildings Unlocked: Intercontinental Command Hub, Deep-Sea Resource Extraction Platform, Automatic Material Conversion Hub.]

[Global Combat Command Issued: 1. red alert Naval Formations are to set sail in full force to blockade the entire South Sea, the northern routes of the South Seas, and all shipping lanes along the Mongol Yuan's southeastern coast. All unauthorized vessels are to be sunk and resources fully converted; 2. The main sub-fleets are to raid the seven major military and commercial ports of the Mongol Yuan in the southeast, destroying shipyards, naval camps, armories, and granaries, completely severing the Yuan Army's maritime supply lines.]

The commands were synchronized to the AI hub of every red alert ship with zero delay, zero error, and zero slack.

Sixteen patrol boats, six frigates, and three destroyers instantly formed three combat sub-fleets. Without crews, without shouting orders, and without boarding, the silver-white hulls cut through the waves, engines roaring as they charged toward their designated sea areas. The deep-sea radar hub sent back real-time situational data on the sea areas. Every ship, reef, island, and port within a five-hundred-mile radius was marked on the holographic screen. Lin Zhou sat in the command hub like a player overlooking a chessboard, controlling the life and death of the entire sea.

The first to execute the mission was the South Sea Blockade Sub-fleet.

Passing Mongol Yuan grain ships, overseas foreign merchant ships, and coastal pirate fast-boats were immediately subjected to saturated strikes from rapid-fire cannons and light torpedoes once they entered the blockade zone. Wooden hulls were defenseless against firepower from another era. Explosions and flames rose one after another on the sea surface. There were no negotiations, no prisoners, and no mercy. The entire South Sea was forged into an absolute forbidden zone where no vessel except red alert ships dared to set foot.

Unmanned transport ships followed closely behind the combat formations, salvaging wreckage and leftover materials. Ironware, grain, timber, and silk were all sent into the resource conversion hub, turning into a steady stream of steel, ore, and fuel to support the base's continuous expansion, forming a perfect closed loop of sustaining war through war and ships through the sea.

The main assault sub-fleet headed straight for the Mongol Yuan's southeastern coast. The seven core ports of Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Mingzhou, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Fuzhou, and Xinghua became the targets of the first round of strikes.

The Yuan naval forces and port defenders were still on guard according to the defensive logic of the cold weapon era. Before they could even see a shadow of the red alert fleet, medium-range anti-ship missiles, trailing white exhaust flames, descended from the sky.

The giant shipyard in Quanzhou Port was blown straight through, and wooden warships broke and sank under the shockwaves. The granaries in Guangzhou Port erupted in towering flames, and the military rations were reduced to ashes. The armory in Mingzhou Port was detonated, and the explosion of sulfur and ironware overturned the entire pier. The jetties, defensive fortifications, and naval camps of all ports were leveled by missiles and naval guns.

Yuan soldiers drew bows to fire arrows and operated catapults, but they couldn't even reach the red alert ships dozens of miles away. They could only watch helplessly as the ports turned into a sea of fire, with casualties everywhere. The southeastern coastal defense system that the Mongol Yuan had spent over ten years building was completely reduced to ruins within a single hour. The maritime supply lines, trade lines, and troop deployment lines were severed across the board.

The coastal commoners looked at the silver ghost ships without sails or oars on the sea, and at the missiles flying across the sky and the exploding flames. Thinking it was the wrath of the gods, they knelt on the ground one after another, while the Mongol Yuan officers and soldiers were scared out of their wits, completely losing the courage to resist.

[Ding—South Sea global blockade complete. Intercepted 117 vessels. Resources obtained: Steel ×15,600, Ore ×11,200, Fuel ×7,100, Rare metal ×320.]

[Ding—Destruction of the seven major Mongol Yuan coastal ports complete. Mongol Yuan maritime forces have been totally annihilated. Obtained Tech Points ×420, Global Deterrence Value ×1,080.]

[Ding—Heavy Deep-Sea Shipbuilding Base has met ultimate upgrade conditions. Unlocking blueprints for Basic Aircraft Carrier, Amphibious armored personnel carrier, Carrier-Based Attack Aircraft, and Global Positioning System.]

[Ding—Fuxing Island base upgraded to Intercontinental Command Hub, covering global terrain scanning, transcontinental mental detection, and real-time deep-sea communication. host can now control the situational status of all regions globally.]

Having completed their mission, the red alert fleet automatically returned to the deep-sea shipbuilding base for ammunition refilling and energy replenishment. Mechanical arms automatically inspected and repaired hull wear and tear, requiring no intervention throughout. The flames on the sea surface gradually died out, leaving only floating wreckage and lingering smoke. The South Sea had completely become Lin Zhou's private sea, and the Mongol Yuan's coastal defense line had been reduced to scorched earth.

On the island, Lu Xiufu was leading the controlled subordinates to organize documents, plan the island's farmland, and set up orderly camp areas. He would still sigh for the lost souls of Yamen, worry for the people of the Central Plains, and feel grief alongside the soldiers, but all these emotions ultimately transformed into the drive to serve Lin Zhou. He took up his brush and wrote a coastal defense battle report, his handwriting vigorous and powerful, every line filled with absolute sincerity for His Majesty and expectations for the great cause of restoration.

The soldiers would still sit together, talking about home, mourning their comrades, and shedding tears of sorrow. But as long as Lin Zhou's edict was issued, they would pick up their weapons without hesitation and charge into any death trap without the slightest delay.

Vivid emotions, enduring integrity, and unparalleled loyalty.

Lin Zhou stood on the top-level platform of the Intercontinental Command Hub, overlooking the steel fleet ready to set sail beneath him. He looked at the completely blockaded South Sea, at the smoke-billowing Mongol Yuan coast in the distance, and then at the flesh-and-blood, absolutely loyal subordinates on the island. From his youthful body, an aura of a sovereign ruling the world emanated.

The soul brand locked in the loyalty at the bottom of everyone's hearts, the red alert fleet locked in the entire East Asian maritime border, and the intercontinental hub locked in the global vision. The Mongol Yuan's maritime lifeblood had been completely choked off.

He had not created numb puppets, but rather a group of die-hard loyalists who carried all their emotions and integrity, willing to die for him.

He had not relied on any external armed forces, but had used pure red alert steel power to build a maritime empire that no one could contend with.

The sea breeze whipped his robes. The global 3D map unfolded completely on the holographic screen; every inch of land and every stretch of sea across the five continents and four oceans were clearly visible. Lin Zhou's fingertip lightly tapped the location of the Mongol Yuan heartland, then swept across the vast waters of the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean, issuing the next command that would pierce through past and present.

"Initiate aircraft carrier construction sequence. Mass-produce carrier-based aircraft and amphibious armored clusters."

"Completely blockade all Mongol Yuan coastlines, trap their land forces to death, and sever all external aid."

"Build a transoceanic fleet, establish colonial points in the South Seas, and lay down the fulcrums for global conquest."

"I shall take this South Sea as the starting point, use steel as my blade and loyal souls as my shield, trample the nations, and unify the globe."

The lights of the Intercontinental Command Hub all lit up. The mechanical arms of the deep-sea shipbuilding base emitted a deafening roar. The giant hull modules of basic aircraft carriers began to be pieced together, and the production lines for carrier-based attack aircraft were fully activated.