Chapter 418 - Besieged City & The Bridge Has Been Burnt
Chapter 418 Besieged City & The Bridge Has Been Burnt
About ten o’clock in the morning.
All the TV stations, mobile-phone operators, and the Internet in Recchi City released the same news at the same time.
Wulan State had officially cut off diplomatic relations with Zhongzhou State, listed it as its hostile country, and declared war against Zhongzhou State.
All the people from Zhongzhou State staying on the territory of Wulan State were classified as the unwelcome and were ordered to leave Wulan State before a designated date.
In the name of the government, President and Prime Minister of Wulan State jointly issued an order requiring all citizens of Recchi City not to go out of the city.
The bleak post-war scenes of the square in Recchi City were repeatedly shown on TV.
The square that had been of extraordinary significance for the entire Wulan State was already a mess. The ice cubes that had been completely torn up by the sword intent were not fully thawed yet. Blood was everywhere. Innumerable corpses and wounded soldiers were still lying on the ground, waiting to be sorted out.
The view began to zoom out, and the outline of the entire city began to edge into the TV screen bit by bit.
The camera captured the skyscrapers, the streets, the vehicles…
And the endless turbulent crowds.
All the military and police forces that Wulan State could mobilize were beginning to spread towards every corner of the city.
The broadcaster in the news was speaking in a heavy tone about the losses the terrorists in Zhongzhou State brought to Recchi City. The series of figures he reported became even more appalling when converted into economic losses.
The whole world seemed to be reviling the heinous deeds of Zhongzhou State.
The high-level conference in Wulan State had not yet ended, but some orders had been directly issued by the conference to the entire Wulan State.
The siege plan was officially put in motion.
That was Wulan State’s highest military order, which applied to all the troops in about 16 cities around Recchi City. In the next 72 hours, Wulan State’s army of nearly 80,000 soldiers would set out from different cities and eventually besiege Recchi City.
The broadcaster made a solemn vow that they would make Zhongzhou State pay the price.
It was said that Wulan State had obtained reliable information that the culprit of the catastrophe had not yet left Recchi City. Once the personnel carrying out the siege plan were in place, the city would be surrounded by the army of nearly 100,000 soldiers. Then, the deemed terrorists from Zhongzhou State would find it absolutely difficult to escape.
Indeed, a few vicious terrorists were still lurking in Recchi City.
For that precise reason, the government of Wulan State employed half-order and half-solicited words to ask the people in Recchi City not to go out for the time being for the sake of their lives.
In a dilapidated apartment, the TV was on.
Li Tianlan quietly stared at the TV screen, while Gandalf skimmed through some unpleasant words at the fastest rate as he interpreted the content of the news sentence by sentence for him.
Fire Man was standing in the corner of the room, completely silent.
Cool Breeze and Drifting Cloud were also there.
Han Chongyang was sitting opposite Yun Qinxi.
All of them had returned to their peak and were waiting for the instruction on the next move.
“What do you say about that?”
Li Tianlan, whose eyes were fixed on the TV screen, suddenly posed the question.
“Rubbish!”
Han Chongyang, the Yin and Yang Sword Master of Mount Shu, laughed.
His hair was fully white, so were his eyebrows. He was surely a man who laughed often and liked to talk and exchange notes. “It’s just a way to create pressure. Breaking the relation might be true, but the declaration of war? If they truly intended to do that, how could they take that lofty tone? Wulan State is using this tough statement to impose even greater pressure on Zhongzhou State. Now that the declaration of war has come out, the next problem is the side-taking issue. At the UN conference, almost all the powerful nations have asked Zhongzhou State to give an explanation. But an explanation is just an explanation. If Zhongzhou State chooses to use its privilege of silence, will they dare to take further action?
“But the declaration of war is different. Wulan State waging a war against Zhongzhou State is tantamount to giving each powerful nation a justified reason to intervene in this matter. Before, the major powers merely requested an explanation. But now, they can basically condemn Zhongzhou State. Presumably, Zhongzhou State will be more stressed. The trick Wulan State pulled off is quite smart.”
No one else said anything afterward.
That meant they had acquiesced in Han Chongyang’s opinion.
Li Tianlan’s eyes seemed to be riveted to the surging troops on the TV, but they were thoroughly unfocused.
The Uselessness in Heaven and Earth of the air-splitting traction had caused unprecedented damage to the entire Recchi City.
A large number of troops, even a large number of experts, had all been reduced to ashes by that move.
Recchi City was suffering the direst deficiency of military forces at the time.
In other words, if they wanted to leave the city at the moment, it would not be difficult to force their way out.
But Li Tianlan had never considered that.
The siege plan appeared to have blocked their chance of survival.
But what actually blocked Li Tianlan and his men was the overwhelming pressure imposed by the public opinion around the globe.
In just a few hours, the matter had taken a striking turn. Li Tianlan’s success in killing Jiang Qiannian was an absolute victory, yet, in the current situation, that kind of victory was more illusory than his sword intent.
Li Tianlan had expected such a scene.
However, once the picture he had played in his mind many times became reality, the intense impact still made him a little ill at ease.
Li Tianlan then took a deep breath.
By that point, even though they were not up against the wall, the situation they were in was equally dangerous.
Under the motivation, or rather, the direct control of the Rekvia family, Wulan State had adopted an extremely tough attitude in defining Li Tianlan and his men as terrorists.
By then, in the eyes of the world’s major powers, Li Tianlan and the others were perhaps already radical terrorists.
To that point, they could either overturn and forcefully alter Wulan State’s existing outlook, or be helplessly given up by the Zhongzhou State that gradually crushed under the pressure.
To move forward a single step might bring them somewhere unrestrained and far-ranging.
By contrast, to take a step back would drag them to the bottomless abyss.
Back away?
There was no way left but the way forward.
Therefore, Li Tianlan paid no attention to the so-called siege plan. Even if they managed to escape the city, they could by no means prove their innocence. So, Zhongzhou State would not take them in, either.
From the beginning, they had a vast and rather risky plan. By then, the plan had just started.
Li Tianlan fished out his mobile phone and sent a text message.
After waiting silently for just a couple of minutes, a response came quickly from the other end of the line.
Li Tianlan raised his head and gazed at Gandalf.
Among the key targets in his whole plan, Jiang Qiannian had been killed. In light of that step, they were regarded as successful.
Next, to reverse the situation and ease the pressure on Zhongzhou State, and even to make Zhongzhou State benefit from the whole thing, the selection of the next key target seemed more and more critical.
Schenker Rekvia.
Gandalf was also looking at his mobile phone.
He looked a bit pale, and he didn’t even notice Li Tianlan’s cue for a while.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Tianlan cocked his eyebrows.
“Your Highness, I think… you ought to change your plan.”
A weird look flitted across Gandalf’s face. He subconsciously eyed Fire Man at the corner and continued, “I’ve got the definite message. Jiang Qiansong, Patriarch of the Jiang family of South America, has arrived in Recchi City. And the one accompanying him is the Black Ghost.”
Jiang Qiansong had arrived!
With the Black Ghost!
All of them were stunned for a moment.
Both of the two were in the Invincible Realm, and they pulled off excellent teamwork.
Even though Jiang Qiansong once drank Fire Man’s urine when he was young and said it was delicious…
The invincible on the Divine List was invincible after all.
If Fire Man had not been thrown into the Prison of the Nine Regions, he might still have the strength to crush the two brothers of the Jiang family by then.
But there was never such an “if” in the world.
Now that Jiang Qiansong had teamed up with the Black Ghost, they had no way to rival the two, at least for the time being.
For the first time, the plan had been put awry.
Li Tianlan knitted his brows and said softly, “Why is it so fast?
“Just a coincidence.”
Gandalf gave a wry smile and said, “We’ve got no high-ranking spy penetrating into the core of the Jiang family of South America and no way to know their plans. Jiang Qiansong did not know about Jiang Qiannian’s death when he set off. So, he certainly did not come down here to avenge Jiang Qiannian. But, of course… things might be different now. He should have learned the news so far.”
Li Tianlan narrowed his eyes and remained silent.
The turmoil in Recchi City became increasingly lively. The parties involved were now the Jiang family of South America, Wulan State, Zhongzhou State…
Although there were only three parties who got in the mess, it had been only a few hours since the series of events happened.
Well then, to what extent would the turbulence in the entire Recchi City develop?
Time ticked by.
Again, Li Tianlan grabbed his mobile phone. This time, instead of texting, he dialed that number directly.
The line got through in no time.
A warm and deep voice rang. “His Highness Li Tianlan?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Li Tianlan said calmly, “There must be an alteration about the plan. I want to meet you ahead of schedule.”
“Because of Jiang Qiansong?” asked the man on the phone.
…
“Yes,” Li Tianlan said tersely.
…
“He’s with the Black Ghost.”
The voice on the other end of the line replied, “I can’t hold them off.”
“My people and I will try our best to contain Jiang Qiansong. So, all you got to do is handle the Black Ghost,” Li Tianlan suggested.
…
The voice on the phone hesitated for a few moments.
“Perhaps…”
The voice said slowly, “We can contact Mr. Lin…”
Holding the phone, Li Tianlan put on a cold smile and did not speak.
The other end of the line fell silent as well.
“Well, I’ll set off as soon as possible.”
It took a long time before the voice on the other end of the line spoke hesitantly.
Li Tianlan grunted his agreement and added, “Don’t worry. Perhaps some other forces will figure out the whole thing and participate in the event in Recchi City before the evening falls. When interested parties increase, there will always be a chance.”
“I’m never the type of ‘the more, the merrier’.”
The man on the phone gave a bitter laugh.
“I’m the opposite of you.”
Li Tianlan gave a tiny chuckle and continued, “I have many warriors around me. Real ones. That’s why I’d like the room to be crowded.”
With that, he hung up, and then, checked for Li Zonghu’s number.
But the moment he finished dialing the number, he hung it up and chose to send a message instead.
The text message consisted of only four words. It was very straightforward and powerful.
“Move at full speed.”
Li Tianlan’s expression was as calm as always. Having done all that, he looked up and glanced at Gandalf who was still staring at his mobile. “I want the whereabouts of Schenker Rekvia. Within two hours.”
His tone was composed but tough.
Such an order could be said to be unreasonable. But it also conveyed the urgency of the matter.
Gandalf nodded solemnly. “I will do my best.”
Li Tianlan shot a look at Fire Man, obviously a little indecisive.
“Just speak your mind.”
Fire Man broke the silence in a cool voice.
“We should split up.”
Li Tianlan inhaled deeply and proposed, “Old man, you bring the two sword masters to stalk Jiang Qiansong and the Black Ghost. All the forces Gandalf can offer will go to any lengths to help you. When necessary, I hope you can hold them up for some time.”
Sending Fire Man plus two sword masters out?
To check two experts in the Invincible Realm?
That was indeed a rather challenging task.
Even with the keen cooperation of Gandalf and Samsara elites, that was not easy to achieve.
But Fire Man nodded without hesitation and said, “I got this.”
Li Tianlan had worked with him for a long time.
Every time Fire Man said “I got this”, Li Tianlan would rest assured.
He locked eyes with Fire Man earnestly. Then, solemnly, he said, “Don’t be too hard to yourself. And keep in touch.”
By the time, in Recchi City or even the entire Wulan State, the only pair who could impose lethal threats upon him were Jiang Qiansong and the Black Ghost.
He must go knock down Schenker Rekvia.
Yet, he also needed to be kept abreast of the moves of Jiang Qiansong and the Black Ghost. If he bumped into Jiang Qiansong during the hunting down of Schenker, the whole thing would become knottier.
At the critical moment, Li Tianlan needed someone to buy some time. Even an extra minute might change the game.
If he could know Jiang Qiansong’s whereabouts at any time, Li Tianlan would be able to pick a more suited route to track down his target. With Fire Man tailing Jiang Qiansong, if necessary, both of them could take the initiative and create many possibilities.
Initiative.
In such a situation, all Li Tianlan asked for was take the initiative.
He had accelerated the pace of the whole plan. Meanwhile, he was also making every effort to take the initiative.
He knew perfectly well that the task could only be placed on Fire Man.
Only he and the two sword masters from Mount Shu stood a chance of completing the task.
Li Tianlan turned to look at Cool Breeze and Drifting Cloud.
“You go to the headquarters of the Rekvia family, and I’ll let you know when it’s time to start.”
Li Tianlan informed them.
In the Dark World, Cool Breeze and Drifting Cloud were way more intimidating than ordinary Half-step Invincible Realm experts. Nonetheless, they were assassins, assassins merely at the peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm. Their strength was of little use in a battle against experts in the Invincible Realm. And it was too risky to send them to the frontline, especially for the reason that their power was not devised for face-to-face confrontations. Therefore, at the point, it was best to place them in the headquarters of the Rekvia family.
Cool Breeze and Drifting Cloud nodded.
Fire Man would go with Yun Qinxi and Han Chongyang.
Cool Breeze and Drifting Cloud would act together.
After being divided into two groups, the five of them took off in succession.
“Get me a car.”
Li Tianlan lit a cigarette and glanced at Gandalf.
“Your demand will definitely be satisfied.”
Gandalf smiled respectfully.
He even did not ask Li Tianlan what he desired in detail.
Suddenly, Gandalf’s cellphone vibrated.
In that instant, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Gandalf’s phone.
He glanced down at the screen.
Gandalf raised an eyebrow and remarked abruptly, “Schenker just entered Senator Joseph’s estate.”
…
“Let’s go.”
Li Tianlan wasted no time getting to his feet.
Gandalf put away his phone and took Li Tianlan downstairs.
The elevator went all the way down and eventually halted at a hidden underground garage.
The roller shutter door slowly curled up.
A logoless, silver-grey, off-road vehicle twice the size of its kind came into Li Tianlan’s view.
It was fierce, sturdy, cold, and wild.
That was the first time Li Tianlan came across an off-road vehicle thoroughly to his taste.
“Forged of Lerman alloy. Explosion-proof, bullet-proof, and with the highest level of collision capabilities. It has two engines, equipped with carbon monoxide acceleration. The maximum speed is 400 kilometers per hour. And it can launch four missiles carrying the hurricane virus. Its code name is Beast. Your Highness, this is the vehicle that will serve you best.”
Gandalf introduced with a smile as he handed the key to Li Tianlan.
“Very well.”
Li Tianlan nodded. He opened the door and got behind the wheel.
The vehicle started. The two engines suddenly roared.
“Keep an eye on Schenker and report his whereabouts at any time.”
With that, Li Tianlan stepped on the gas pedal.
The off-road vehicle, code-named Beast, roared in an instant. The shiny metal car sped out of the underground garage and rushed out of the residential apartments.
The sun over Recchi City gradually dimmed.
Dark clouds converged.
With the roars of the engines, it began to rain lightly in every corner of Recchi City.