A World Worth Protecting

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1

“It involves working in the military forever, not just distancing from the Dao College!” A fire was visible in General Zhou’s eyes. His voice was deep and naturally carried an intention to kill.

“This…” Listening to General Zhou’s words, Wang Baole was momentarily dumbfounded. What General Zhou said was extremely sudden to him. He had never thought that there were so many other issues underlying the battle.

From the viewpoint of the Federation, in the face of those unexpected changes, sacrifices must be made. That was something that Wang Baole could understand as someone who had read the high official autobiographies. However, as a small fry, and based on his relationship with the warriors who were equal to him, he minded those sacrifices.

<em>How would I choose if I were the President of the Federation… </em>Wang Baole stayed silent. He couldn’t predict the future, but he believed that if such a day came, his choice would definitely be something that he was satisfied with.

In addition, it seemed like General Zhou hadn’t expected Wang Baole to make a decision immediately. Therefore, after finishing his sentence, he looked at Wang Baole and spoke calmly, “I know that this is a serious matter that you need to carefully consider. Therefore, you don’t have to give me an answer immediately.”

With that, General Zhou felt that he had already clearly listed the pros and cons. The decisions that Wang Baole would make after that would be related to what he said. Therefore, he had wanted to add on more details when Wang Baole showed hesitation and asked him a question.

“General Zhou, erm… after joining the military, is it possible to become the President of the Federation in the future?”

“What?” General Zhou was taken aback and carried a bizarre expression on his face.

“The President of the Federation.” Wang Baole suppressed the thoughts that had surfaced due to the tone General Zhou used to reply to him. He repeated himself again and looked at General Zhou, filled with anticipation.

“… The military cannot be involved in politics. If you want to become the President of the Federation, you would have to revolt. Do you plan to revolt?” after a brief moment, General Zhou replied calmly.

When Wang Baole heard the reply, he trembled and laughed awkwardly.

“General Zhou, you have mentioned that the matter about joining the military isn’t urgent. So… I’ll think about it carefully.”

General Zhou remained silent and took several glances at Wang Baole before laughing.

“Wang Baole, the military isn’t as simple as you think. Do you know why I said just now that there would be chaos in the Federation, with peace only in the military?”

Wang Baole looked confused and shook his head. He was indeed ignorant about that matter. However, seeing how confident General Zhou was, he revealed a look of trust towards him after shaking his head.

Disregarding Wang Baole’s facial expression, General Zhou turned around to look at the map, his arms held to his back as he began to speak calmly.

“Even though the number of cultivators in the military is fewer than that in the other forces, and our heritage is not as rich, we have a secret weapon!” As General Zhou had finished his sentence, he looked towards Wang Baole, waiting for him to ask further questions.

In reality, he didn’t plan to give too much detail about the secret weapon. He only wanted Wang Baole to know that joining the military was the right choice. He thought that he would just pass matters by after Wang Baole questioned him, with the goal of piquing his curiosity. After all, he was once a youth with a strong sense of curiosity.

Wang Baole blinked his eyes and felt that General Zhou’s mention of the shocking secret weapon had changed the situation. The method of piquing one’s curiosity was a trick that Wang Baole knew since he was three years old. He expected that General Zhou would definitely try to make things even more mysterious after he asked further questions, with no guarantee that he would reveal the truth. If he really wanted to find out, he should act in the opposite way instead. Therefore, he didn’t ask.

Just like that, General Zhou waited and slowly felt that the situation was becoming unbearable, seeing how Wang Baole had not asked him about it as he had expected.

Seeing the changes in General Zhou’s facial expression, Wang Baole sighed. He felt that General Zhou was more capable than himself, and he wouldn’t lose face if he gave in. Therefore, he opened his mouth and asked, “What secret weapon is that?”

After hearing Wang Baole’s words, General Zhou inhaled deeply. He appeared to have seen through Wang Baole’s trick but still felt that it was necessary for him to educate Wang Baole on the mightiness of the military. As such, he raised his head to look at the walls of the tent. His gaze appeared as if they could transcend the tent to look at the skies, and he began to speak calmly.

“The appearance of the Spirit Qi disrupted nuclear fission and fusion, resulting in the failure of all nuclear bombs on earth, but throughout these years, the military has manufactured two inferior black hole bombs that are significantly more powerful than a nuclear bomb.”

“These two inferior black hole bombs are the secret weapons of the military!”

Hearing what General Zhou said, Wang Baole, who was initially distracted, suddenly grew alert. He opened his eyes wide and gasped in shock.

“What is that?”

Even though he was born in the Spirit Inception Era and had never experienced the technological revolution that happened before the arrival of the ancient greenish-bronze sword, he had managed to gain some understanding about the ferocity and power of the nuclear bomb from some history books that belonged to his parents.

He was used to the notion that the Spirit Qi had altered the structure of materials and transformed them into a new form of power. That power had eliminated much of the technological products from the Spirit Inception Era. Therefore, General Zhou’s words felt foreign to Wang Baole ears and made him feel incredulous.

“What I am referring to is a kind of bomb that can theoretically wipe out most living things and break the world into two if twenty of them were detonated at the same time… The inferior black hole bomb!” Noticing Wang Baole’s shock, General Zhou felt at peace and spoke calmly with his hands spread.

“It’s a pity that the process of manufacturing an inferior black hole bomb is a huge challenge. The materials needed to make it are rare, such that we’ve only managed to make two bombs successfully after all these years. Furthermore, it doesn’t have the power of a real black hole bomb and is not powerful enough to wipe out the beasts. There are some very ferocious beasts around, and there might be legendary beasts wandering as well…”

“Even so, these two inferior black hole bombs can still act as a form of deterrence. After all, sometimes, not using it is more powerful than using it!”

“I’ve mentioned to you previously that the border of the Federation remained safe for twenty years, and that was due to the deterrence effect played by the inferior black hole bombs!”

Wang Baole’s breathing was slightly unsteady. His mind was whirling, and his only thought was that the General Zhou in front of him seemed to have become more superior. He even felt that the military had instantly become more mysterious.

Satisfied with Wang Baole’s surprise upon hearing the matter, General Zhou spoke slowly once again.

“Do not belittle the technological prowess of the Federation. Even though the appearance of the Spirit Qi changed many things, currently, the Federation is researching on how to combine the Spirit Qi with the inferior black hole bomb theory, complement it with Dharmic Armament knowledge to create actual anti-matter bombs or in other words, black hole bombs. Of course, it might be more appropriate to call them Anti-Spirit bombs!”

“Once that is successful, it would be akin to the Federation wielding part of God’s power!” General Zhou’s tone was relaxed. After he had completed his sentence, he looked at Wang Baole, who was frozen in shock, and laughed, before handing him a jade medal.

“This medal represents the friendship of the military. With this military, you can make the seventh primary strongholds, including me, help you once, as long as no rules are being violated!”

Wang Baole’s breathing quickened as he accepted the medal while still in a daze. His mind was still in a state of shock processing what General Zhou said previously about the inferior black hole bomb. He inhaled deeply, and even though his mind was still a whirl, he had already managed to calm down a little. When he looked at the medal in his hands, he immediately realized how valuable it was.

<em>Have the seventh primary strongholds, even General Zhou, extend a helping hand to me once? </em>Wang Baole’s pupils constricted, realizing that he had received a big reward that time around. It was like a protective talisman. Even if he didn’t use it, he could use it to deter others. Therefore, he took a deep breath and greeted General Zhou with cupped fists.

“Thank you, General Zhou!”

Seeing that Wang Baole had realized the worth of the medal, General Zhou smiled slightly.

“Your efforts will be recorded, with one copy sent to the Federation and another to Ethereal Dao College. In time, you will be rewarded.” After completing his sentence, he seemed to have thought of something and directed a question towards Wang Baole.

“Wang Baole, how did you alter that Fire God Cannon?”

Without hesitation, Wang Baole immediately retrieved a jade slip from his storage bracelet and passed it to General Zhou. He had long prepared for that, knowing that the force of the Fire God Cannon would definitely attract people’s attention. Even though he wasn’t clear how to control the changes himself, he had recorded most of the inscriptions that were present on the Fire God Cannon after it had been altered.

Wang Baole wouldn’t withhold information on changes like those, which could significantly increase the power of the strongholds. He recorded all the changes to the inscriptions that he was aware of.

However, being part of the Dharmic Armament and being knowledgeable about the Fire God Cannon, Wang Baole knew that it was challenging to make the alterations in a short time. It would require more time for experimentation before it succeeded.

As for how he would go about explaining to others his method of making the alteration successful, he felt that there was no need to go into details. All that was needed was a combination of inspiration and luck. After all, he was a Dharmic Armament cultivator and was someone who was extremely learned in inscriptions in Ethereal Dao College.

When General Zhou looked at Wang Baole after receiving the jade slip, he smiled warmly. Wang Baole had done a great deed for the stronghold and was also a disciple of Ethereal Dao College. Therefore, even if Wang Baole did not hand over the jade slip, he would have nothing to say. After all, disgraceful matters like snatching other’s property were something that he, Zhou Dexi, wouldn’t want to do, and wouldn’t care to do.

He chatted for a while more with Wang Baole before ending the conversation. Before leaving, Wang Baole hesitated for a moment and turned to look at General Zhou. With a look of anticipation, he tried to address his queries.

“Erm… General Zhou, do you have any Foundation Establishment Beast Teeth? I need them for refining artifacts…”

General Zhou laughed upon hearing the question. He flailed his right hand, and three black Beast Teeth flew towards Wang Baole.

“Every part of the Beast King is a treasure. Since everything has to be recorded, I cannot give them to you immediately. Wait for a period of time, and I will gift you with the teeth of the Beast King. For now, I can give you these three Foundation Establishment Beast Teeth.”

Seeing the Beast Teeth, Wang Baole’s eyes instantly lit up. After receiving them, he bid farewell and left delightfully. After meeting up with Chen Yutong, he quickly returned with him, Zhou Penghai, and Sun Fang to Ethereal Dao College on the cruiser.

As the cruiser rose to the skies and charged into the distance, the four of them, including Wang Baole and Chen Yutong, stood on the cruiser, looking at the shrinking stronghold beneath their feet. They all were filled with different emotions, with some of them feeling sadness and unwillingness to part, while some felt other complex and bitter emotions. They each had their concerns, as even though it was not a complete change in the situation, it was similar to one.

At the same time, General Zhou also walked out of the military tent. He raised his head and looked at the cruiser which Wang Baole and company were on, staring at it for a long time as a look of appreciation gradually appeared in his eyes.

<em>He is thoughtful and sensitive to people’s emotions and the situation. He looks honest and reliable but is also decisive and ruthless. He seems to have quite a temper… Not bad, not bad indeed. This is a good seed.</em>

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