138: Chapter 138: Welcome to My Territory
Half an hour later.
One helicopter after another, representing different nations, landed cautiously on the massive white jade-paved helipad at the center of the "Peace No. 1" floating island, carrying with them a pilgrimage-like unease.
Stepping off the helicopters were some of the most powerful people in the world.
The US Secretary of State, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the Japanese Foreign Minister... along with senior officials and accompanying advisors from over a dozen countries.
When their feet touched the ground of this island, everyone experienced a common, uncontrollable physiological reaction—a deep breath.
It was too comfortable.
The air was filled with a refreshing fragrance, a blend of green grass, fresh flowers, and earth.
Every breath felt like a top-tier spa treatment for their lungs. The fatigue and hidden injuries accumulated from long nights and excessive stress seemed to be smoothed over and healed, bit by bit, by this air.
"My God..."
The US Secretary of State, over sixty and a notorious heavy smoker, felt his nicotine-ravaged lungs clearer than ever before. He even had the illusion that if he could live here for a year, he might live ten years longer.
"The... spiritual energy concentration here is at least fifty times higher than the outside world!" An accompanying Transcendent advisor from the EU checked a professional detection device, his voice trembling as he looked at the off-the-charts readings. "This... this isn't an island; it's a 'Blessed Land'! It's a place where immortals live in myths and legends!"
They looked out across the landscape.
Beneath their feet was a white ground as smooth as jade; stepping on it, they could even feel a warm current slowly rising from the soles of their feet.
In the distance were lush green plains dotted with colorful, nameless flowers. Clear streams meandered from unknown origins, shimmering under the sunlight. Several small birds with plumage too magnificent to be earthly creatures watched these "uninvited guests" curiously from nearby treetops.
Everything was as beautiful as an ethereal dream.
If not for the azure sea in the distance and their own carrier strike groups still clearly visible on the water, they might have thought they had died and gone to heaven.
"Everyone, please follow me."
A smiling young female receptionist in a Xia country uniform appeared before them.
Her smile was polite and appropriate, but in the eyes of these powerful figures who had seen many storms, they read something they had never seen on the faces of Xia diplomatic personnel before—absolute confidence.
It was the composure of a host entertaining guests in their own home.
With complex emotions, the crowd followed the receptionist toward the magnificent white building at the center of the island—the Peace Palace.
Along the way, they were like old peasants entering the city for the first time, finding everything novel and shocking.
They saw that the "streetlights" by the road weren't powered by electricity, but were a type of glowing plant.
They saw that the "sprinklers" irrigating the grass weren't mechanical either, but blue crystals floating in mid-air that could condense water vapor.
They even saw several young people in Kunlun Academy uniforms in a field, using a strange technique to accelerate the growth of fruits that emitted a rich aroma. Those fruits were ripening and growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Is... is all of this real?" a Japanese diplomat couldn't help but rub his eyes.
"Of course it's real, sir," the receptionist explained with a smile. "This is part of the 'Peace No. 1' ecological cycle system. All the plants are special varieties cultivated through genetic optimization and spiritual energy; they not only beautify the environment but also provide food, energy, and basic defensive functions for the island."
"Defensive functions?"
"Yes." The receptionist pointed to a nearby vine that looked quite beautiful with large red flowers. "For example, that 'Blaze Vine' is an ornamental plant under normal circumstances. But when it senses malicious energy fluctuations, its flowers can launch fireballs with temperatures exceeding three thousand degrees Celsius within 0.1 seconds. It has a range of two kilometers, fully automatic targeting, and requires no manual intervention."
Subconsciously, everyone took a step further away from that beautiful vine.
A military advisor silently calculated in his head.
Three-thousand-degree fireballs, two-kilometer range, fully automatic targeting... this is more effective than a damn Phalanx Close-In Weapon System!
And this thing, here, was just a... roadside flower?
As the crowd walked and observed, their hearts sank further and further.
They had originally come to demand accountability, to force a confrontation, and to divide the spoils of victory.
But now, they felt like a bunch of beggars who had barged into a golden palace clutching a few copper coins.
The "capital" they were so proud of—aircraft carriers, fleets, Transcendent squads—seemed so laughable and... primitive in the face of these true "immortal methods."
Finally, they entered the Peace Palace.
The interior decoration wasn't the expected golden opulence; instead, it was a style of minimalist perfection.
Floors as smooth as mirrors, walls emitting a soft glow, and a "canopy" on the ceiling simulating a real starry sky.
Everything was full of a sense of the future and technology, yet perfectly integrated with the natural environment outside.
The conference hall was a massive circular room.
In the center of the room was an equally circular conference table made of unknown white jade.
Several people were already seated around the table.
Director Zhao Lixin, Sun Siyuan, Lin Yuan... and several high-ranking Xia officials and technical experts.
And sitting in the main seat was Jiang Ning.
She had changed out of her white work clothes and into a simple, Xia-style black formal suit.
She wore no makeup, showing her natural face, but her skin was like the finest mutton-fat jade, emitting a faint luster.
Her eyes were calm and deep, like a starry sky that encompassed all things.
When the national delegations walked in, she just watched them quietly, neither rising nor speaking.
But everyone her gaze swept over felt their hearts skip a beat.
It was the feeling of being completely seen through by a higher lifeform.
All their thoughts, all their schemes, and all their trump cards seemed transparent before those eyes.
Secretary of State Gino forced his back straight; he was the leader of this joint operation, and he couldn't lose his momentum.
He walked to the conference table, trying to make his voice sound as powerful as it did in his office in Washington.
"Chief Engineer Jiang Ning, I have long heard of your reputation. I am the US Secretary of State, Henry Gino."
He extended his hand, wanting to shake Jiang Ning's.
This was both diplomatic etiquette and a test.
However, Jiang Ning did not reach out.
She just faintly lifted her eyelids and said a single word that caused the atmosphere in the room to drop to freezing point instantly.
"Sit."
Just one word.
It wasn't a discussion, nor a request, but... a command.
Gino's hand, extended in mid-air, froze.
His face instantly turned the color of pig liver.
As the top diplomat of the US, wherever he went, was he not surrounded by crowds and treated with great respect?
No one had ever dared to speak to him in such a tone!
But, just as he was about to lose his temper and use diplomatic rhetoric to defend his and his country's dignity—
He suddenly felt an invisible, mountain-like heavy pressure envelop him.
He felt as if he were about to lose his breath.
His legs began to go weak, as if out of his control.
With a "thud."
In front of the diplomatic representatives of dozens of countries, this arrogant US Secretary of State's knees buckled, and he actually... sat down.
Not in a chair, but... slumped onto the floor.
The entire hall fell into a dead silence.