Chapter 148: The Qingcheng River Valley Vanguard

The news brought by Fan Dayong came like a bolt from the blue.

Everyone present was stunned.

Even the researchers who developed the brain-computer beast sea stood up one after another, their complexions turning exceptionally grim.

The stellar beast horde of fifty years ago was played every single year as a cautionary film.

It remained vivid in everyone's memory to this day.

During that war between humans and monsters, nearly 500,000 residents across the 180 townships under Binzhou perished in the jaws of the demonic beasts.

Binzhou sacrificed the lives of 20,000 martial artists before finally mounting a counteroffensive at the Monster-Rejecting Gate in the northern part of the city.

Coupled with the timely deployment of six 9-star spiritual realm masters by the Martial Suppression Command, that catastrophic disaster was finally quelled.

Over the past fifty years.

Aside from establishing the Martial God Academy to cultivate spiritual realm masters, technology had also been vigorously developed.

The Armaments Department was founded in the aftermath of that human-monster war fifty years ago, primarily tasked with developing war machines and building the city defense forces.

"No wonder Zhang Daoyi didn't show up at the gaming center of the Martial Administration Bureau."

"The statement published by the Martial Administration Bureau on the forum was obviously false, intended purely to prevent internal chaos within Binzhou."

"The Armaments Department and the Inspection Corps secretly formed a joint team that entered Canglong Mountain two days ago."

Only now did Zhang Chu understand why Zhang Daoyi was absent.

As it turned out, something truly major had happened at Canglong Mountain.

"Immediately activate the wartime highest authority of the Binzhou Martial Administration Bureau, open the God of War satellite system, and initiate 24-hour monitoring."

"Tell Zhang Daoyi to immediately link up with the highest combat authority, launch the electromagnetic nuclear missile system, and prepare to blanket Canglong Mountain at a moment's notice!"

Chen Tianxiang issued his commands without a moment's hesitation.

Soon, the 500-square-meter electronic mega-screen displayed the login interface for the "God of War Satellite System."

Chen Tianxiang swiftly entered an 81-digit password, followed by an iris scan.

The next moment.

The God of War satellite system activated, and detailed, high-definition, unpixelated footage of Canglong Mountain—reaching at least 1080p resolution—began to appear on the electronic screen.

"It's Liu Tianhe!"

As the perspective shifted, Zhang Xueying cried out.

On the screen, Liu Tianhe was leading over twenty martial generals from the Armaments Department in a battle against hundreds of stellar beasts across a barren gobi desert.

The stellar beasts fought in coordinated packs, as if they had undergone rigorous training.

On the ground.

Corpses of both stellar beasts and martial artists were scattered everywhere, painting a terribly tragic scene.

The screen switched once more.

The figure of Zhang Daoyi appeared, with the background suggesting a temporary command post: "Old Chen, the situation at Canglong Mountain is looking grim. There are twelve vital routes leading to Qingcheng Mountain; we have managed to blockade eight of them, but four have already been breached. The most critical one is the route leading to the Qingcheng River Valley, where the joint team members have been completely wiped out."

"Dad, are you alright?"

Zhang Xueying watched the exhausted Zhang Daoyi on the screen, a look of deep concern crossing her face.

"Don't worry, your old man isn't going to die just yet."

"Old Chen, I've already authorized the electromagnetic nuclear missile system; I'm just waiting for your clearance."

"The Martial Suppression Command has researched for fifty years, and we have prepared for fifty years. We must absolutely not allow these beasts, under the command of the Divine Fall Alliance, to overrun human cities once again."

Zhang Daoyi said with resolute determination.

"Director Chen, an urgent decree from the Martial Suppression Command!"

At that very moment, Fan Tianlei received a phone call. "The Martial Suppression Command orders us to annihilate the stellar beast horde at all costs, and under no circumstances let them enter any human city. This is an order. Even if it means the complete annihilation of our Binzhou Martial Administration Bureau, we must accomplish it!"

"I am going to mobilize the academy's forces immediately."

Knowing the severity of the situation, Luo Zhidong turned and began to leave.

"Old Luo, the Martial Suppression Command made it explicitly clear that students of the Martial Arts Research Institute are the future hope of human martial artists; they must not be risked unless absolutely necessary."

"Moreover, there are traces of half-beasts within Binzhou City, against which we must remain on guard."

Just as Luo Zhidong was about to leave, Fan Tianlei stopped him.

"Dean Luo, our Martial Arts Research Institute needs to rapidly establish a temporary patrol team, spearheaded by the Dual-Power Society, to ensure the safety of Binzhou's four districts."

Zhang Xueying quickly made up her mind.

"Xueying, you and Zhang Chu have a different mission."

At that instant, Chen Tianxiang's gaze fell upon Zhang Chu. "Right now, the Armaments Department and the Martial Administration Bureau cannot dispatch large-scale troops to avoid panicking the city. However, the stellar beast horde has already moved out of Canglong Mountain. I need the two of you to form a vanguard team and deploy defenses in the Qingcheng River Valley to intercept the stellar beasts!"

"Understood!"

At this critical juncture, Zhang Chu knew the gravity of the situation.

With greater power came greater responsibility.

Besides, if the stellar beast horde breached Binzhou and the entire continent fell to them, he wouldn't fare any better.

Fifteen minutes later.

A Martial God fighter jet took off from the Martial Administration Bureau, instantly engaging supersonic speed and tearing through the sky above Binzhou City.

Inside the aircraft.

Zhang Chu saw many familiar faces.

Zhang Xueying, Chen Long, Fan Dayong, Huang Lili, and Wang Peng.

Beyond them, another Martial God fighter jet carried over fifty Dual-Power warriors, all elites carefully selected from the Martial Administration Bureau and the Martial Arts Research Institute.

"Director Chen just issued the highest-level command through internal channels; in four hours, the electromagnetic nuclear missile system will be fully activated."

Zhang Xueying said, looking at the messages on her phone.

The electromagnetic nuclear missile system was the most advanced long-range weapon currently mastered by human martial artists, spearheaded by the Martial Suppression Command and jointly developed by the Martial Administration Bureau and the Armaments Department.

To activate this system.

Aside from the Martial Suppression Command unlocking the continental master system, authorization was required from the directors of local Martial Administration Bureaus and the heads of the Armaments Departments.

However, this weapon possessed terrifying lethality and destructive power.

A single missile could leave a 500-kilometer radius around Canglong Mountain completely barren of life, while unleashing powerful electromagnetic radiation that would render the region lifeless for a century.

Therefore,

unless a truly desperate moment arrived, such a weapon of mass destruction was rarely deployed.

"Zhang Chu, as long as we can hold the Qingcheng River Valley, we can buy more time for the joint team to intercept the stellar beasts, and provide crucial time for the personnel setting up the temporary defensive array."

Zhang Chu fully understood what Fan Dayong meant.

The disappearance of the Vajra Demon-Suppressing Stone was no coincidence; it was undoubtedly linked to the Divine Fall Alliance.

Yet the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda remained undamaged.

As long as the defensive array was rebuilt, the stellar beast horde could be contained.

And the Qingcheng River Valley was the location closest to the human settlement of Qingcheng Town.

Once the defense was breached,

the stellar beasts would drive straight through, plunging the dozens of villages and towns near Qingcheng Mountain into irreversible doom.

This time,

Chen Tianxiang had personally designated Zhang Chu to lead the team.

Right now, Zhang Chu's heart was pounding wildly.

Previous outings had merely been training exercises, but today's mission was a genuine, life-or-death battle, one that concerned the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens. "Damn it, those bastards in the Divine Fall Alliance are absolute warmongers. Wouldn't it be nice to just live in peace?"

"Warning, designated airspace reached. Please prepare for rope descent."

"The Martial God fighter jet will enter aerial patrol mode, providing high-precision visual support within a 50-kilometer radius."

At that moment, the Martial God fighter jet arrived above the Qingcheng River Valley.

Glancing down through the window, the Qingcheng River Valley resembled a giant pouch.

Once the northern river valley was breached, the terrain ahead became wide and flat, leading directly to Qingcheng Town.

"Rope descent!"

At Zhang Chu's command, the group slid down the ropes in rapid succession.

"Warning! Warning! 1,980 stellar beasts detected heading toward the Qingcheng River Valley, estimated arrival in half an hour. Please prepare for combat!"

The moment Zhang Chu touched the ground, synchronized footage transmitted by the Martial God fighter jet popped up on his tactical visor.

Holy crap!

Seeing the scene of thousands of stellar beasts stampeding together in a pack, Zhang Chu felt like he was about to pee his pants. "Quick, deploy the defensive electric grid!"