Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

On the deck, the battle between Ah Xing, protected by the "National Advisor," and Funakoshi Kazuo finally came to an end.

In another fierce clash, a piercing clang, like metal breaking, was heard. Funakoshi Kazuo's burning arm could no longer withstand the violent force, and it began to crack inch by inch from the fist.

Broken flesh and bone fragments splattered everywhere! Next came his forearm, then his shoulder... Finally, his right side exploded in a series of explosions.

He was left with only half a body, yet he stubbornly stood on the deck.

But he wasn't dead yet. The extraordinary vitality of the aliens allowed him to maintain his last breath and prolong his life for a few more moments.

With his remaining half of his body, he looked at the demonic figure bathed in lightning opposite him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he couldn't utter a single word, his eyes filled with endless resentment.

"Hmph, at least you died a respectable death. But... do you even deserve to die standing up?"

The "Imperial Advisor" snorted coldly and casually flicked out a slender bolt of lightning.

The lightning struck Funakoshi Kazuo's mangled body with pinpoint accuracy, pulverizing his entire being, along with his resentment and horror, into dust and obliterating him completely.

On the deck, the surviving Japanese pirates and other foreigners were all dumbfounded and terrified!
Kazuo Funakoshi, a grandmaster of karate from Japan, has actually... died just like that? Without even leaving behind a complete corpse?!
Then they discovered that the terrifying enemy, who was like a demon god, had also vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, unseen by anyone, a blazing white figure intertwined with silver lightning ripped through the night sky of Shanghai and silently returned to the Tian Tong Cathedral.

There are quite a few Japanese pirates with supernatural abilities left in Shanghai. After the "National Preceptor" protected Ah Xing, several powerful Japanese pirates with supernatural abilities sensed it and were preparing to rush there.

However, they had barely set off when they were stopped one by one by another, even more terrifying lightning bolt that appeared out of nowhere. The two sides fought fiercely, leaving behind a pile of corpses.

Zhang Zhiwei's lightning avatar cannot leave the parish for too long, because the power it carries is limited. Without the replenishment of faith power, under high-intensity combat, it will run out of energy in just a few minutes, just like Ultraman.

Only within the Tiantong Church's diocese, where Zhang Zhiwei had set up the barrier of the Yanghao Well, was the power of the Lightning Incarnation truly inexhaustible. That area was essentially a safe zone that Zhang Zhiwei had designated for the supernatural forces in Shanghai.

As for the battles outside, the Lightning Incarnation has participated in them these past few days, but not many times. It mainly targets the Japanese pirates and their supernatural beings, and it hasn't done much killing of the large number of ordinary Japanese pirates.

It wasn't that Zhang Zhiwei disdained killing ordinary people; if he could kill them easily, he wouldn't mind. The main problem was that the Lightning Avatar was being targeted by a bunch of ghosts and gods. Every time the Lightning Avatar moved, a considerable number of Shinto ghosts and gods would appear to ambush it, and then Japanese pirate experts would come to its aid.

As for the demons that ambushed the lightning incarnation, they were very powerful. Although they were no match for the lightning incarnation individually, they had the advantage of numbers. Although they did not have a formal battle, Zhang Zhiwei felt from these few brief exchanges that they should be demons summoned by the high priest of Shintoism.

After several clashes, without prior consultation, both sides reached a tacit understanding not to attack ordinary people.

……

……

With the lightning incarnation deployed and the "National Advisor" providing cover, Ah Xing and his group successfully retreated back into the Tian Tong Cathedral.

The steel behemoth that they attacked slowly sank amidst its desperate cries, and was finally swallowed by the river.

The explosion caused by the surprise attack woke up countless sleeping residents, and the soldiers suffering under the gunfire also heard the roar from the river mouth.

However, those who were fighting bravely had no idea what this really meant.

Inside the Peace Hotel, Lu Yusheng put down the yin-yang paper in his hand, opened the window, and looked towards the eastern horizon. Seeing a flash of fire, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. His face showed no joy, only a chilling calm.

"Success!"

Huo Tianhong, sitting opposite Lu Yusheng, let out a long breath and sighed, "Going to bomb the Japanese warships was a really risky move, but thankfully, it succeeded."

“It was indeed a risky move, and this is just the beginning,” Lu Yusheng said.

“Yes, there are no outsiders in this war,” Huo Tianhong said. “So, what should we do next?”

Lu Yusheng paused for a moment and then said, "We can only take it one step at a time."

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

The woman who arrived was dressed in red and exuded charm; she was none other than Xiao Aqiao.

The temporary intelligence agency that Lu Yusheng built was largely due to Xiao Aqiao's help.

"Big sister, what brings you here?" Lu Yusheng asked.

"Where is that Fire Cloud Evil God?" Xiao Aqiao noticed that only Huo Tianhong and Lu Yusheng were in the room and asked.

"The situation isn't good. News of your covert operations against the Japanese pirates has leaked out, and the Japanese Special Higher Police are tracking you down. The Peace Hotel isn't peaceful anymore. You'd better make some plans," Xiao Aqiao said.

"Where did you get this information, eldest sister?" Lu Yusheng asked.

“One of my sisters told me from a director of the Municipal Council that this matter has escalated significantly. The Japanese are very adamant, and the Municipal Council members have all been met with resistance from them. I think this incident will not be as easy to resolve as last time,” Xiao Aqiao said.

"Is it only now that eldest sister has realized it?" Lu Yusheng said.

"Huh?" Little Aqiao asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"During the last crisis in Shanghai, did you see what Little Celestial Master did?" Lu Yusheng asked.

Xiao Aqiao thought about it. Last time, she had discussed it with the three tycoons. The three tycoons had also consulted Zhang Zhiwei. The answer was that the Little Celestial Master was in seclusion and had no intention of dealing with this matter. After the Little Celestial Master finished his seclusion, although he paid a huge price, at least the crisis had been resolved.

This time, before they even consulted the young master, he took immediate action. First, he completely moved all the factories under the Tiantong Chamber of Commerce. Those that couldn't be moved or that were not worth moving were all sold off at low prices. Next, he arranged a series of things.

"So, this battle has no... end?" Xiao Aqiao asked in a trembling voice.

“There is an end. We have won, and that is the end,” Lu Yusheng said.

"To see victory, you must first save your lives. The Japanese pirates are looking for you two. You'd better hide in a safe place quickly," Xiao Aqiao said. "This place is safe now."

Lu Yusheng looked at the Tiantong Cathedral not far away, which was less than a kilometer away from this place.

"I am under the afterglow of the leader's dazzling thunder. If anything happens, I will retreat to the church. The main reason is that it is well-equipped, with a large number of telegraph machines and telephones. If I stay here, it will be convenient to collect and summarize intelligence from all sides. Once I enter the church, although I will be safe, I will no longer be able to control the overall situation."

Hearing this, Xiao Aqiao nodded and didn't try to persuade her any further: "Then be careful."

“Eldest sister can go in,” Lu Yusheng said.

“I have no direct conflict with the Japanese pirates. At this critical juncture, they wouldn’t risk offending more people just to target a weak woman like me.” Xiao Aqiao was very clear about her own position.

“Eldest sister is a heroine, how could she be a weak woman? I thank you for your help.” Lu Yusheng said with his arms crossed.

"I will inform you as soon as I have any information." With that, Xiao Aqiao turned and left the room.

At the restaurant entrance, Tiancan and Dique were already waiting in the shadows, carrying their long zithers. When they saw Xiao Aqiao come out, they protected her and disappeared into the night together.

The fighting continued on the second day.

However, the news that the Japanese flagship had been severely damaged by a mysterious force spread like wildfire, appearing on the front page of major newspapers!
The news sent the entire nation into a frenzy!
Citizens took to the streets, beating drums and gongs and setting off firecrackers to celebrate this hard-won victory.

Upon hearing the news, the Chinese soldiers who were fighting valiantly on the front lines were greatly encouraged and launched an even more ferocious attack on the Japanese pirates' positions.

The high-ranking officials in Nanjing were also overjoyed, finally receiving good news since the start of the battle.

However, this joy did not last long.

Even worse news followed.

The Japanese pirates' reinforcement fleet has arrived!

One after another, warships of varying sizes appeared on the sea, and on this massive fleet sat a naval admiral. Although this admiral had retired to the second line, his past status still held sway.

As a result, this battlefield was filled with three high-ranking Japanese pirate officers of general rank, which shows how much importance the Japanese pirates attached to this place.

Everyone's heart sank. The joy of destroying the warship vanished instantly. This matter was unlikely to end anytime soon.

With the arrival of the Japanese pirate support fleet, their naval firepower advantage became even more terrifying.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

One after another, large-caliber naval guns began to unleash indiscriminate and devastating barrages!
Each shell weighs hundreds of kilograms. They whistle as they tear through the air and fall from the sky. When the shells land, they explode in a way that shakes the earth.

The massive shockwave from the explosion was enough to level an entire building, and the flying shrapnel, like the scythe of death, reaped all life within a radius of hundreds of meters!
Faced with such a storm of steel, flesh and blood are so fragile. The Shenzhou army's positions were repeatedly turned over by the fierce artillery fire; countless soldiers, without even seeing the enemy's face, were killed or buried alive…

As the Japanese pirate fleet arrived and began to unleash a barrage of fire, Admiral Takeshita Yujiro, who had come from the mainland, also set foot on this land.

Although he was only a general who had retired to the second line, since the Japanese pirates valued the hierarchy, he still wielded enormous power.

Upon arrival, he immediately convened an emergency meeting with the leaders of all the Japanese pirates and other strange people in the area.

Upon learning that his fleet had been attacked by a group of extraordinary people from China, who not only destroyed a cruiser but also killed the "God of Karate," Funakoshi Kazuo, on the spot, he was furious!
"Bagaya road!"

He slammed his hand on the table, shattering the conference table, made of fine mahogany, into pieces with a single blow!
"A bunch of useless idiots! Good-for-nothings!"

He pointed at the Special Higher Police chief's nose, spitting as he roared, "The Empire's warships were sunk by a bunch of rabble! The Empire's Grandmaster died on his own warship! What an utter disgrace!!"

His eyes flashed with a crazed killing intent: "I don't care what methods you use, I'm only giving you one day! You must find the hiding place of those murderers from last night!!"

"If you can't do that... then commit seppuku to atone for your sins! At that time, I will personally... be your second!"

Faced with the violent Takeshita Yujiro, the head of the Special Higher Police was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe.

He dared not utter the slightest rebuttal or hesitation. He immediately shouted "Hai!" and scrambled out, mobilizing all available resources to frantically search for the murderer of the previous night.

Although the Special Higher Police (TAT) has always been known as incompetent and useless among intelligence organizations, it is considered one of the worst intelligence organizations in the world.

But even a broken ship has some nails; under Takeshita Yujiro's death threat of seppuku if they didn't complete the mission, they displayed unprecedented efficiency.

Lu Yusheng's operations were far too extensive; the intelligence network he organized involved a large number of people at the very bottom of society.

While such networks are well-informed, they also mean they are a mixed bag with many flaws.

The Special Higher Police quickly followed some clues and found that this tycoon who wielded considerable influence in Shanghai's underworld was one of the masterminds behind the incident.

At the same time, they easily discovered Ah Xing's identity.

There's no way around it, Ah Xing is just too high-profile.

Some time ago, he became famous for wiping out a large number of messy gangs in just a few days under the name of "Messenger of Justice". The entire underworld of Shanghai knows that he is the Messenger of Justice of the Tiantong Church. Moreover, his methods are so distinctive that it is easy to find him.

Although the Special Higher Police have not yet been able to fully ascertain who exactly was involved in last night's operation to destroy the warship.

But it's enough to have identified Lu Yusheng and A Xing as the two key figures.

The Special Higher Police Chief was overjoyed and immediately ran to report the situation to Takeshita Yujiro.

Upon learning that one of the masterminds was the Tentsu Church, a terrifying glint flashed in Takeshita Yujiro's eyes. (End of Chapter)