Chapter 696: Chapter 514: Press Conference
When the sound of artillery fire faded, it signaled that the demon beasts had been cleared.
Before nightfall, Zhouyun City quieted down.
As the alarm lifted, the survivors emerged from their shelters in fear, facing a city resembling a ruin and the scattered remains of bodies. Apart from sadness, their eyes held confusion.
It was as if they couldn’t believe what lay before them.
In just a few hours, their lives had undergone a complete upheaval.
"Dad, where’s Mom?"
On a pile of rubble, a boy in a kindergarten uniform looked around, terrified.
Tear streaks were evident on his face, and beside him was a man, visibly anxious.
"Mom is at home, let’s go home."
The man picked up his son, speaking loudly as if trying to muster some confidence.
"Then let’s hurry home to find Mom, Dad."
The boy tugged at his father’s hand, urging him anxiously.
"Alright, we’re going home!"
The man nodded, but as he walked briskly, tears began to flow.
The home was already a ruin, where is home now?
As for the child’s mother, he didn’t dare to think about it, the more he thought, the more scared he became, his body trembling more intensely.
It’s okay if the home is gone, it can be rebuilt, but if family is gone, then the home is truly lost.
"Honey, wake up, please wake up, I swear I’ll never make you angry again, please wake up, I’m begging you..."
A man held his wife, constantly making promises.
But his wife’s face was as pale as paper, and she could no longer hear him.
"From now on, we should cherish each other."
There was also a family of three embracing, appearing especially fortunate compared to those who lost their families.
The sounds of crying and shouting echoed throughout the city, and even the air felt oppressive and sorrowful.
"Everyone, follow us. If you need rescue, call out."
Military personnel in uniforms began to appear, starting rescue operations for the injured civilians.
Lin Feng and his team walked silently down the street, watching this scene.
"Lin Feng Squad!"
"Heroes."
"Well done!"
Passersby waved at them, expressing gratitude, but at this moment, Lin Feng and his team showed no expression; they were not in the mood to respond.
For over two hours, like machines, they tirelessly hunted down five to six hundred demon beasts, yet this number was not even one percent of the demon beast army.
They had only saved a few more people, unable to change anything.
Actually, from the moment the demon beast army breached Zhouyun City, everything was destined.
"Dream Celestial King deserves to die, that damned beast, damned bastard."
Yu Qiao cursed incessantly, venting his inner rage.
But this was just impotent fury.
The anger within had nowhere to go, driving one to madness.
In the past, they had revered the Pure Land and the Twelve Celestial Kings in their hearts, as they were the world’s most powerful organization, the strongest group of people.
Lin Feng was even one of the Apostle candidates.
But now, that admiration had vanished, replaced by disgust and hatred.
Now they could slay upper-ranked Spirit Kings, but they were still no match for the Celestial Kings of the Pure Land.
Dream Celestial King dared to do this, knowing there was no fear of reprisal.
"Grow stronger, we are still too weak."
Lin Feng said.
Compared to half a year ago, their power had increased dramatically, even to the point of being able to kill a Spirit King, yet they still couldn’t change anything.
But soon...
The King Becoming plan was the best opportunity.
Once they all became Kings, they’d have the power to change some things.
"Brother Feng!"
Yun Kai looked at Lin Feng.
At this moment, he felt very conflicted.
He didn’t really pursue power.
He just wanted to be someone that everyone liked, not necessarily a powerful person.
Whether it was participating in the National College Honor League, sealing the major Space Gates, or the current King Becoming plan, it was Lin Feng who pushed them forward.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come this far.
They were so young, some not even college graduates, yet they had already achieved remarkable feats, their strength reaching heights unimaginable to their peers.
Nineteenth grade at 21, who could imagine!
Who dared to imagine?
Before long, in less than ten years, they could become Kings.
Become the esteemed Guardians.
One could say, everyone was quite satisfied with their current power.
Because they had already advanced far beyond their peers.
This had already exceeded their expectations.
Sometimes they felt Lin Feng was too aggressive, too bold.
Given their talents, they could naturally develop over time, their strength would naturally increase, without risking their lives.
They never understood why Lin Feng craved power so deeply, always with a sense of urgency.
But at this moment, they understood.
Reality delivered a harsh lesson to everyone.
They had felt such powerlessness once before, during the massacre at Tianxing City.
But that was just a piece of news, far away, seen on videos, without the bloodshed felt so profoundly.
Outside Zhouyun City.
After two Emperor-level demon beasts, having enjoyed their "dinner", departed, Hong Tao and his companions gradually relaxed.
If not necessary, they wouldn’t want to battle Emperor-level demon beasts.
Injury was one thing; it might trigger a larger chain reaction.
And Emperor-level demon beasts wouldn’t care about the lives of advanced beasts, viewing them only as food.
"Half of Zhouyun City is gone; rebuilding won’t be easy."
Martial Emperor Zhao Xianyun floated in mid-air, gazing in the direction of Zhouyun City, speaking sadly.
Besides sadness, there was helplessness.
Despite reaching their level of power, they still couldn’t prevent such tragedies.
"Dream Celestial King truly behaves like a beast!"
"We must give Pure Land a stern warning, or they’ll act even more recklessly."
He looked at Hong Tao.
Even among Emperors, there were power differences; both his strength and authority were inferior to Hong Tao’s.
"Those lunatics aren’t afraid of warnings; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare to act."
In contrast to Zhao Xianyun’s anger, Hong Tao remained unusually calm.
He had witnessed such things far too often.
He had become numb.
He had seen scenes far more brutal than this.
"This is the signal for war to begin."
Hong Tao said.
More than the destruction of Zhouyun City, he was more concerned about the signal this event conveyed.
This was actually the second signal.
The first signal was from nearly half a year ago, starting on the day when the Space Gate in the Land of Chaos began to merge.
Today’s tragedy in Zhouyun City was only to hinder the King Becoming plan, to hunt down the participating students and their allies.
...
The rescue continued for two days, after which the casualty statistics were released.
A shocking figure.
The death toll of residents inside Zhouyun City reached 370,000.
Of those originally part of the King Becoming plan, 6 students died, 11 allies died, excluding minor injuries, 13 were severely injured or disabled, a total of 30 people.
Thirty Ninth Grade experts, either dead or wasted.
Undoubtedly, the alien race’s plan was very successful.
It wasn’t limited to Hua Country, this plan targeted the entire world, with Ninth Grade experts from various countries suffering casualties.
The more powerful the nation, the greater the losses.
Due to the heavy student casualties, the World Alliance postponed the start time and location of the King Becoming plan, specific details yet to be announced.
The entire country mourned for the deceased in Zhouyun City, but in this special era, people were accustomed to selectively forgetting pain.
Under the media’s guidance, public attention began to shift.
It shifted towards the Lin Feng Squad.
The news of the Lin Feng Squad encircling and killing an upper-ranked Spirit King had spread worldwide, causing a global sensation.
It drove fans wild.
The Lin Feng Squad dominated news headlines for the past few days.
Now no one questioned their eligibility to partake in the King Becoming plan, instead, they speculated about how strong they really were!
Speculation about He Jun’s abilities became a hot topic.
He Jun became a sought-after individual by various powers, and some had already begun to take action...
While the media hoped to interview the Lin Feng Squad but found no means, the Lin Feng Squad, missing for five days, finally reappeared.
They posted on the Martial Artist forum, the post was simple: On the evening of the 17th, at nine o’clock, the Lin Feng Squad would hold a press conference at Dingsheng Hotel.
At the press conference, the Lin Feng Squad would announce an important message.
