The team members who had come along with him were similarly wearing expressions of excitement.

There was completely no fear of this dangerous ruin.

As time ticked away, the people of the Evernight Guild finished teleporting over one after another.

There were a full two hundred plus people, basically all veterans of the Evernight Guild.

Now, their average Level was above Level 40.

A team with this kind of strength would definitely be the elite of the elite even if placed in the Military Department.

After everyone entered the ruin, without any superfluous nonsense, they lined up in two orderly rows.

Awaiting Zhou Huai's arrangement.

Zhou Huai looked at the crowd, nodded in satisfaction, and only then took out a Mortal Demon Source Stone and said,

"My time is very tight, to make a long story short."

"Everyone, search for resources in the ruin as much as possible, especially the Mortal Demon Source Stone in my hands."

"As long as you can find one piece, I will heavily reward you!"

"As for safety issues, you don't need to worry; I have already arranged bodyguards for you."

As his voice fell, streams of white light lit up on the teleportation array once more.

The dazzling light dispersed, and five figures with vastly different aura, yet equally suffocatingly powerful, appeared before the crowd.

A wanderer holding a long sword with an aloof and unbridled expression.

An overlord draped in heavy armor, holding a giant shield, unmoving like a mountain.

An archer carrying a long bow on his back with eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

A Fairy embracing an ancient zither, with an ethereal and holy temperament.

And that last one, with three pairs of pristine white wings unfurled behind him, a handsome face, and a compassionate expression—a six-winged angel.

Yasuo, Xiang Yu, Da Yi, Sona, and the newly born Gabriel were all present.

"Holy crap!"

"Are... are these all from our guild?!"

"Good grief! I feel like just standing here, the calves of my legs are trembling!"

"This aura is just too terrifying!"

The Evernight Guild members instantly became excited, their eyes looking at those five figures filled with fanatical worship.

With these five big shots acting as bodyguards, wouldn't this ruin be just like strolling casually through their own backyard?

Qin Ming was even more excited as he patted his chest and loudly guaranteed,

"Lord, rest assured, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Zhou Huai thought for a moment and added another sentence.

"Of course, adhering to the principle of since we're already here."

"If you see other rare materials, don't let them go either; bring them all back to the guild."

The team members shouted in unison, their voices shaking the cave.

"Understood!"

...

At the same time, Great Xia Nation, Imperial Capital.

Central Military Department.

In that Marshal's office which had been closed for a long time, the heavy doors slowly opened.

Zhao Qingcang's figure appeared at the doorway.

His expression was incomparably solemn, and deep within his eyes lay an irrepressible fatigue and a trace of resolve.

He looked at the guard standing watch at the door, his voice hoarse yet carrying an unquestionable majesty as he slowly spoke.

"Pass down the notification."

"In the name of the Great Xia Military Department's supreme commander."

"The Great Xia Five-Star General, and Great Xia Unified Front Marshal, issue an emergency mobilization order."

The guard's heart tightened, and he immediately straightened his back.

He knew that when the Old Marshal used this long string of titles, it meant that the following command would be the supreme directive of the entire Great Xia Nation.

"All military regions of Great Xia Nation, military Levels of Major General and above."

"No matter what you are busy with right now, put down everything at hand."

"Within a limit of twenty-four hours, all of you must rush to the Imperial Capital Military Department to attend the highest military conference!"

The guard was stunned for a moment, then his brain went 'boom', instantly turning completely blank.

The highest military conference!

Emergency mobilization order!

These two terms combined together only represented one thing.

War!

A major battle that would sweep across the country and even affect the world!

The guard's face instantly lost all color, but after all, he was the Marshal's personal guard, and his psychological resilience far exceeded ordinary people.

He quickly reacted that this matter was no trivial thing, abruptly stood at attention, and roared with all his strength,

"Yes! Marshal!"

Having finished speaking, he turned around and sprinted wildly toward the communications department at almost a 100-meter dash speed.

Watching the guard's receding figure, Zhao Qingcang slowly walked back into the office.

He did not sit down, but simply stood quietly in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling and massive city below.

In his mind, Gandalf's words before leaving echoed continuously.

"Rather than waiting until then, it's better to fight to the death right now!"

"This is our last chance!"

Indeed.

The last chance.

This entire morning, he had thought about a lot.

He thought of Lin Zhu's final resolute figure before boarding the airship.

He thought of the tens of thousands of young soldiers on the border line who sacrificed themselves to protect this piece of land.

He thought of the nearly hundred years of humiliation and heartache of Great Xia Nation.

Great Xia had nowhere left to retreat.

Continuing to wait would merely be boiling a frog in warm water, a slow death.

Rather than being like this, it's better to fight to our heart's content!

Encrypted radio waves shot out with the highest priority from the Imperial Capital Military Department's communications center to every corner of Great Xia Nation's vast territory.

...

Northwest border, yellow sand filling the sky.

Inside a huge fortress of war, a one-armed general was facing the sand table, deploying the upcoming clearing plan.

A communications soldier rushed in with a panicked expression.

"Reporting, General! Imperial Capital emergency mobilization order!"

"Orders you to immediately return to the Imperial Capital to attend the highest military conference!"

As his voice fell.

The Old General froze for a full dozen seconds.

The highest military conference?

How long had it been since he heard these words?

The last time, when was it?

That bloody battle forty years ago that swept across the East Sea flooded into his mind.

Along with his left arm that had been left on the battlefield.

"Ha..."

A dry laugh emitted from the Old General's throat.

Immediately after, the laughter grew louder and louder.

"Haha... Hahahaha!"

He abruptly smashed a fist onto the sand table, shaking the models on top until they jumped up.

"There's going to be a war!"

"This means a war is coming!"

"Damn it! This old man thought this old bag of bones wouldn't live to see this day!"

He pushed aside the sand table in front of him and strode outwards.

"Pass on my order!"

"Carry out that set of 'Zhenbei' battle armor of mine that has been sealed for forty years! Polish it clean for me!"

"Also my 'Zhan Ying' saber! Sharpen it!"

Chuan Capital Military Region, general headquarters.

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man wearing loose casual clothes was lying on a bamboo chair, holding a covered bowl of tea in his hand, squinting his eyes to watch the Sichuan opera playing on the holographic screen in front of him.

He watched with great relish, humming along with a couple of lines from time to time.

An adjutant walked in with hasty footsteps, his expression solemn.

"General."

The middle-aged man didn't even lift his eyelids, waving his hand impatiently.

"Can't you see I'm busy? No matter how huge the matter is, wait until I finish listening to this act of'Stopping the Horse' before talking."

Cold sweat seeped from the adjutant's forehead, his voice pressed extremely low.

"General, it is the Imperial Capital's... highest-level mobilization order."

The man on the lounge chair paused his movements.

He slowly put down the teacup, those originally lazy eyes slowly opening as a sharp flash of light passed through them.

Taking the encrypted document handed over by the adjutant, he glanced at it just once before casually tossing it aside.

Picking up the teacup once more, he blew on the tea leaves and took a leisurely sip.

The courtyard was very quiet, with only the opera singing from the screen remaining.

The adjutant stood to the side, not daring to draw a big breath.

After a long while.

"Clap."

A soft sound.

The middle-aged man placed the teacup on the stone table and slowly stood up.

At that instant, the lazy temperament on his body disappeared, replaced by a chilling and sharp aura.

"Notify the Iron-Eating Beast."

"Tell that group of brats that their vacation is over."

The adjutant's heart tightened.

Iron-Eating Beast!

Chuan Capital Military Region's most mysterious and terrifying ace special forces unit!

"Within one hour, I want to see a rapid-response mobilization plan covering the entire Western Front battle zone."

"The focus is on the troop projection capability towards the eastern coastline."

"Yes!" The adjutant abruptly stood at attention.

"Also..."

The middle-aged man paused and said, "Notify my wife, she doesn't need to save dinner for me tonight."