The spell's range covers the entire territory of China? Hand it over to the state.

The air inside Kunlun Palace felt somewhat heavy.

Although the order to "return home" has been issued, and the determination to bring people back even if it means breaking the sky has been fully displayed, the real problems at hand will not be automatically solved by a few passionate words.

Qin Shuangyue nearly tore the tactical tablet in her hand to shreds. Data streams cascaded across the screen like a waterfall, finally settling on a glaring jumble of characters.

She silently stopped what she was doing and said, "Eighty percent of the world's communication base stations are down. The geomagnetic storm just now turned the ionosphere into a complete mess, and satellite signals are intermittent. The current overseas evacuation is like groping your way along the edge of a cliff with your eyes closed."

On the map, the dots representing overseas consulates and areas of concentration are black. This means they are out of contact.

This is not as simple as just not being able to post on WeChat Moments because of a lack of signal.

In such a cataclysmic disaster, the lack of communication means the inability to mobilize. Even if rescue planes and warships arrive nearby, they have no idea where people are.

Is he buried under rubble? Or hiding in a basement? Or is he being chased by thugs?

I don't know. I have no idea at all.

"Even sending out a professional search unit would be like finding a needle in a haystack," Qin Shuangyue said through gritted teeth, her voice hoarse. "Besides, given the current situation, there's simply no time for us to go and rescue them. Every second that passes could mean the loss of dozens, even hundreds, of our compatriots..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

Long Yi remained silent, the veins on the back of his hand, which was pressed against the edge of the table, bulging.

Su Yun sat on the sofa, her brows furrowed.

Due to his talent limitations, his skills can only be effective within the territory of Longxia and cannot be extended to foreign countries.

This left him powerless at that moment.

So is there really no other way?

This moment.

I wonder if the country is truly at a critical juncture.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration pierced the fog in his mind like lightning.

As if by divine intervention, the nation's destiny converged, bringing him a message that invigorated him, and so Su Yun involuntarily spoke:

"Mr. Long, what do you think a nation is?"

Long Yi paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Land, sovereignty, and people."

"That's right, the people."

"I have a new understanding of the concept that 'territory is territory'."

At this moment, Su Yun felt as if he were empowered by the will of 1.4 billion people, and his mind was filled with a profound sense of mystery:

"The land is inanimate, but people are alive."

"If this land of 9.6 million square kilometers is the body of the Chinese nation, then the 1.4 billion people with the blood of the Yellow Emperor are the soul of this country. Where the soul is, there the nation is."

"Since they can't find their way home, why don't we give them directions?"

The system panel silently unfolded on his retina.

[Host's intention detected...]

[The F-rank skill "Link Totem" is being activated...]

[Judging in progress... The talent "Territory is Territory" has intervened.]

[Current coverage area... *sizzle*... is currently being affected by the nation's fate...]

[Judgment passed. Current target of judgment: all citizens of Longxia (including overseas compatriots).]

[Skill level detected as too low to support 1.4 billion bloodlines... Tracing the origins of the race... Extracting the flame of civilization...]

[Skill mutation complete.]

-

Blood Ties and Shared Hearts

[Description: Born as dragons, connected by blood. Every descendant of Yan and Huang is a moving national border. When one suffers hardship, 1.4 billion compatriots can feel it; when one faces death, the entire nation shares the burden.]

[Effect 1: Shared Responsibility. When any target identified as a "Fellow Citizen of Longxia" suffers damage, that damage will be instantly shared among all citizens.]

[Effect Two: Beacon. A "golden line of return home" will automatically form in the minds of all compatriots, connecting them directly to the nearest rescue force. In the rescuers' field of vision, compatriots will be visualized as a bright golden light.]

[Current consumption: 10 mana points (already deducted), maintenance consumption: 0 (Due to the characteristic of "the will of the people determines the fate of the nation," the consumption is compensated by the spirit and will of the entire nation).]

[Note: You are not fighting alone. Behind you stand 1.4 billion people.]

Su Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

In that instant, he felt his consciousness being stretched infinitely, transforming into countless fine golden threads that, following invisible bonds, crossed oceans and pierced the hearts of everyone who shared his blood.

……

London, the Foggy City.

This once glorious industrial city is now nothing but a desolate gray. Thick volcanic ash, like an endless snowfall, has turned the Thames into mud.

Lin Xiao huddled in a corner of an abandoned subway station, trembling all over.

She was an international student pursuing a master's degree, someone who wouldn't even dare ride a roller coaster normally, yet now she was facing a real apocalypse. The concrete dome overhead emitted a teeth-grinding grinding sound amidst the constant aftershocks, and dust fell in clumps, blinding her.

All around were cries and screams, in English and French, but in the face of death, all languages ​​converged into a single, mournful wail.

"Mom..." Lin Xiao clutched the shattered phone, tears mingling with cigarette ash, leaving two distinct black and white lines on her face.

Boom—!

It was yet another violent crustal movement.

One of the load-bearing columns supporting the subway station finally gave way and snapped. A precast concrete slab, the size of a car, with twisted steel bars, hurtled toward Lin Xiao's head.

A shadow instantly enveloped her.

There is no doubt that he will die.

The weight was enough to crush her into a meat patty, leaving no chance for rescue.

Lin Xiao closed her eyes in despair, the last image that flashed through her mind was the steaming bowl of dumplings at her hometown's New Year's Eve dinner.

I wish I could die at home.

boom!

A muffled thud.

The precast concrete slab slammed into her back.

However, the expected shattering to pieces did not occur; there wasn't even the cracking sound of bones breaking. Lin Xiao only felt as if someone had slapped her back hard with a pillow, and she staggered forward two steps uncontrollably before collapsing onto the dusty ground.

"……Why?"

Lin Xiao opened her eyes blankly and subconsciously moved her hands and feet.

Does it hurt?

It's not broken?

There wasn't even a scratch on the skin?

She turned around in disbelief. What she saw almost took her breath away.

The massive concrete slab, large enough to crush a tank, was now shattered into pieces, as if it had crashed into an invisible wall of sighs, disintegrating into a pile of rubble.

Three inches above her head, a faint golden-red ripple slowly spread out before dissipating into the murky air. The light was warm and mellow, carrying a familiar feeling that made her want to cry.

"What...what is this...?"

Before she could recover from the shock, something even more unbelievable happened.

A slender yet bright golden thread appeared out of nowhere in her blurry vision.

It was extremely thin, yet exceptionally conspicuous, radiating a soft glow amidst the gray ruins. One end of the golden thread connected to her heart, while the other end pierced straight through the heavy ruins, through the pervasive gloom and volcanic ash, steadfastly pointing towards the distant east.

At the end of the golden thread, she seemed to hear a long, drawn-out whistle that seemed to pierce through time and space.

That's the direction of home.

That was... the ship that came to pick her up.

Lin Xiao stumbled to his feet and, following the golden thread, ran wildly toward the light.

……

At the same time, in Longxia, a chess and card room in Sichuan.

"Two of bamboo!"

"bump!"

A group of elderly men and women were engrossed in a fierce mahjong game around the table. Although things were in turmoil outside, since the government had assured them everything was alright, life had to go on as usual—that was the resilience of the people of Longxia.

Just then.

"Ouch!"

Grandpa Zhang, who was drawing mahjong tiles, suddenly trembled and dropped them on the table. He clutched his back, grimaced, and looked back.

"Old Zhang, what's wrong? Is your rheumatism acting up again?" Aunt Li asked from across the street.

"No..." Grandpa Zhang rubbed his back, looking puzzled. "It's very strange. Just now, it felt like someone slapped me hard on the back, like a mosquito bite. It's a little numb."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Li frowned and touched her arm: "Huh? You know what, I just felt someone pinch me too. Who was it? Was it static electricity?"

It's not just this card and chess room.

At this very moment, white-collar workers are working overtime in office buildings, students are attending classes at schools, and farmers are working in the fields...

At the same second, 1.4 billion people simultaneously stopped what they were doing.

Some people touched their heads, and some rubbed their legs.

The sensation is very slight, like being snapped by a rubber band or bitten by an ant. It doesn't hurt, and might even be ignored.

However, this nationwide incident still attracted the attention of the authorities.

Kunlun Palace.

Qin Shuangyue said:

"Commander! Su Guoshi! Abnormal fluctuations in vital signs detected!"

"Just a second ago, the adrenaline and pain receptors of the patients in the hospital beds at Quanlongxia Hospital experienced a slight fluctuation simultaneously! The waveforms were completely identical! This could be an anomaly affecting everyone in the country!"

"Don't worry."

Su Yun slowly opened her eyes, a smile on her lips.

"This is my skill, 'Blood Ties'."

"Just as I expected," a glint flashed in Long's eyes. He looked at Su Yun expectantly, hoping to hear Su Yun say that he had once again turned the tide.

"This skill's effect is to turn every citizen of Longxia into a point of stress."

"When one fellow citizen is harmed, that harm is instantly shared among the entire nation."

Upon hearing this, Long Yi and Qin Shuangyue's pupils contracted, and their hearts felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer.

"Share the cost..." Long Yi muttered to himself. Su Yun's skills once again overturned his expectations.

"Yes," Su Yun nodded. "A boulder weighing several tons would be a fatal disaster for one person. But what if 1.4 billion people worked together to carry it?"

Its weight was even lighter than a feather.

That pain is even less than being bitten by ants.

The phrase "united as one" is no longer just an adjective at this moment.

……