144: Chapter 144 Shi Haidong Declares Himself Emperor

Being inside the Secret Realm, his perception of time was extremely slow.

In his subjective experience, it was merely seven fleeting days.

Yet, he never expected.

The discrepancy in time flow between this plane's Secret Realm and the real world was terrifyingly vast.

A mere seven days in the Secret Realm had seen seven full months pass in the Mortal world outside.

These few short months were enough to completely rewrite the landscape of this chaotic era and completely overturn the situation of the land.

Mo Yufei suppressed the surprise in his heart, his expression returning to calm as he quietly waited for Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng to continue.

Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng dared not pause for even a second, continuing to respectfully recount the earth-shattering changes that had occurred in the Mortal world over the past seven months.

"After the Immortal completely disappeared, the Japanese Invaders' morale surged instantly, believing that Heaven was assisting them in their invasion of China."

"The enemy army repeatedly mobilized heavy troops, launching several large-scale, full-front offensives."

"Defensive lines across the country collapsed one after another, and city after city fell."

"With more than half of the Central Plains on the verge of complete fall, all of China was on the brink of being subjugated."

"Just when the whole nation was in despair, the masses had nowhere to turn, and were on the edge of the abyss."

"A brand-new force rose out of nowhere—the now world-renowned and universally known Haidong Army."

When mentioning the Haidong Army and its leader, Commander Shi Haidong, there was deep awe and emotion in Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng's tone.

No one knew where this force came from; it seemed to have been born out of thin air.

"The leader of the Haidong Army is named Commander Shi Haidong."

"The armaments under his command are extremely refined, completely crushing the Japanese Army."

"Fighter jets, heavy artillery, and armored equipment are all fully stocked; their technological and firepower levels far exceed all armies of this era."

"Over these seven months, the Haidong Army has marched north, fighting bitter battles; they have won every engagement without a single defeat."

"They have forcefully beaten back the Japanese Invaders, who were once rampant and unstoppable, forcing them to retreat step by step and constantly shrink their strongholds."

"What makes the masses support him even more is that Commander Shi Haidong is extremely benevolent in his governance of the army."

"Every time the army recovers lost territory or captures a city."

"All captured grain, supplies, and money are distributed in full to the local suffering and impoverished people, keeping nothing for themselves."

"In these chaotic times, famine is everywhere, refugees are scattered across the plains, and the starving can be seen everywhere."

"Only in places where the Haidong Army passes do the people have food to eat and a way to survive."

"In just a few short months, the prestige of Commander Shi Haidong has skyrocketed to its peak."

"The people set up tables along the road to reward the army, welcomed them with open arms, and warlords, big and small, from all over the country took the initiative to defect."

After his power was fully established and the foreign enemy's offensive slowed down, Commander Shi Haidong turned his spearhead inward.

"Once the external threat subsided slightly, he began to purge all separatist armed forces within the country."

"He successively suppressed the original National Government forces and various local warlords."

"Now, with unstoppable momentum, he has completely driven the remnants of the National Government forces to the southern islands, where they no longer have the ability to vie for the Central Plains."

"The garrison of our Fanghui City is now also under the jurisdiction of the Haidong Army."

No one knew that this rise to prosperity in just seven months was a carefully laid-out scheme from beginning to end.

Commander Shi Haidong possessed a special Prestige System, and his path to power had been highly purposeful from the very beginning.

In times of peace and prosperity, the people live and work in contentment, and the nation is stable.

Even if one does good deeds and benefits the region, it is merely icing on the cake and cannot gain much popular support or prestige.

Only when the mountains and rivers are broken, the nation is on the verge of collapse, and the masses are trapped in a purgatory of despair.

When everyone sees no hope, he steps forward to turn the tide.

Offering help in times of need is far better than adding flowers to brocade; only by saving the world in a desperate situation can one harvest a massive, overwhelming amount of prestige from the world.

Because of this, he endured and bided his time, sitting idly by as the Japanese Invaders ravaged China, letting the flames of war burn the land.

He deliberately allowed chaos to fester to build momentum, waiting for the human world to hit rock bottom before calmly emerging to harvest the hearts of the people and pave the way for his imperial career.

But today, Mo Yufei appeared out of the blue, reappearing in the Mortal world with extraordinary power.

He completely shattered the unique myth of salvation of Commander Shi Haidong, becoming the only variable on his path to the top.

It was precisely this sudden accident that made the steady and calculating Commander Shi Haidong feel a sense of urgency.

He had no choice but to launch all his plans ahead of schedule, accelerating the consolidation of power and preparing for his ascension to the throne in advance.

Only in this way could his prestige reach a new height, binding his prestige to the nation's fate; as long as his prestige was high enough, the Empire he established would stand firm.

None of the Mortals in the game knew of all these calculations and conspiracies hidden behind the scenes.

Even Mo Yufei, who listened to the changes in the situation throughout, knew nothing of this at the moment.

He simply thought that Commander Shi Haidong was scum, relying on the System to put on a show in front of the Mortals.

In reality, Mo Yufei had actually guessed correctly.

After hearing the whole situation, Mo Yufei slightly raised his eyes and asked.

"Where is he preparing to ascend the throne?"

Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng immediately bowed and replied, not daring to hesitate.

"Replying to the Exalted One, it is set in Tianzhong City."

Mo Yufei continued to ask: "Where is the Japanese Army now? Have they surrendered completely?"

"They have not surrendered."

Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng honestly reported the latest war situation.

"The main force of the Japanese Invaders has been crushed by the Haidong Army all the way and completely beaten back."

"All remaining remnants of the Japanese Army have been compressed and blocked in the narrow coastal strip on the edge of the Three Northeast Provinces."

"They are tightly trapped, no longer capable of attacking southward, and can only gasp for breath while holding onto a corner."

Hearing this, a faint, cold smile curled at the corners of Mo Yufei's mouth.

His eyes held a hint of straightforward disdain and mockery.

The foreign enemy has not been cleared, and the national territory has not been purified.

The Japanese Invaders who invaded China are still entrenched on Chinese soil and have not been completely purged.

They haven't even managed to completely wipe out the few remaining remnants within the country, or even drive them into the sea.

Let alone launching an overseas expedition to flatten the enemy's lair.

Even the battered Chinese land beneath his feet hasn't been thoroughly cleaned up.

A normal hero with the world in his heart would surely first clear out the foreign invaders, stabilize the mountains and rivers, and appease the masses.

Only after the world is peaceful and the enemy is annihilated would they talk about founding a nation and ascending the throne.

Yet this Commander Shi Haidong, who is revered by the masses as the True Dragon Emperor.

The external threat has not been removed, and the national hatred has not been avenged.

Having only pushed back the Japanese Army a few miles, he is already impatient to ascend the throne and seize the power of the world.

This Heart-Nature, this vision, is too impatient, too utilitarian.

Mo Yufei said in a flat tone, slowly uttering a comment.

"You haven't even completely cleared out the devils remaining within the country."

"Not to mention hitting the enemy's hometown."

"At the very least, you should slaughter all the remaining enemies on Chinese soil before ascending the throne."

"Are you really that impatient?"

A casual remark directly exposed the utilitarian nature of Commander Shi Haidong.

Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng lowered his head and said nothing, not daring to reply, though he secretly agreed.

With the foreign enemy still present, rushing to ascend the throne was indeed too hasty.

Mo Yufei did not comment further, looked at Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng, and ordered calmly.

"Get me a complete map of the whole country."

Garrison Commander Wang Yufeng immediately waved his hand to signal his guards to fetch the map quickly.

In a moment, a soldier holding a brand-new, neat military printed map hurried up the city wall.

The map was flat and clean, a brand-new detailed map specially kept by the military department, without a single tear or stain.

The soldier carefully laid the map flat on the stone platform of the city tower.

Mo Yufei leaned over to take a look and instantly figured out the clues.

This was indeed a parallel plane of his original world.

The general landscape and terrain were exactly the same.

But a large number of county names had been changed, and many well-known key historical figures of modern times had completely disappeared.

The historical trajectory of this timeline had now completely gone down a completely different path.

He raised his wrist, and the smart bracelet on his wrist lit up with a pale blue glow.

A fine scanning beam quickly covered the entire map.

In just a few seconds, the national territory, cities, main roads, and terrain were all completely entered into the bracelet's database.

Putting away the bracelet, the flowing light wings behind Mo Yufei spread out again.

A strong wind swept across the city wall, causing everyone to squint and dodge.

He did not stay any longer and left a casual instruction.

"Go do whatever you were doing. I just came to ask for directions. Sorry for the disturbance, goodbye!"

As his voice fell, his wings fluttered slightly, and his white-clad figure soared into the sky.

He returned to the beast tide formation outside the city first and landed steadily on the back of Dabai.

Hundreds of millions of strange beasts raised their heads in unison, waiting for orders, and the winged beasts in the sky adjusted their formation.

Mo Yufei locked his gaze on the due south direction and said indifferently.

"The whole army's target: Tianzhong City."

At the order, the beast tide moved.

The giant beasts on the ground marched in unison, and the earth rumbled again.

The winged beasts in the sky moved south like a black cloud, blocking the sky and the sun.

The vast, endless beast tide turned its direction and marched majestically toward the place where Commander Shi Haidong would ascend the throne.