The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

After Gu Xu asked those questions, the square in front of the Longjing military headquarters fell silent.

He was surrounded by fully armed soldiers, elites who had looked at him with awe just a moment ago.

At this moment, many people lowered their heads slightly, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

The autumn wind swept up a few dry fallen leaves, making a rustling sound as they scraped against the paving stones.

This tiny sound was particularly jarring in the absolutely quiet square.

Gu Xu didn't move; he just stared at Li Weiguo and Zhang Daoxuan in front of him.

The initial sense of relief and joy from just reaching level 45 and successfully completing the third job advancement quest was instantly extinguished, like being doused with a bucket of ice water.

"You two...why aren't you saying anything? Is something wrong?"

As he spoke, Gu Xu could feel the anxiety in his voice.

Li Weiguo looked at the young man in front of him.

On that weathered and weary face, the muscles twitched uncontrollably a few times.

He was a tough soldier who had been in charge of the Shenxia Command for so many years and had seen all kinds of storms.

But at this moment, facing Gu Xu's clear eyes filled with eager anticipation.

He felt as if there was sand stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything.

"Gu Xu..."

After a moment, Li Weiguo took a long breath: "We won't hide it from you. The situation is indeed a bit bad..."

"The Forbidden Water Clan has launched a massive invasion. This time, it's not a regional skirmish, nor a probing attack for a few resources. It's a war of annihilation that will wipe out the entire clan."

Gu Xu frowned, but did not immediately interrupt Li Weiguo.

He knew that the East China Sea had never been peaceful, and he had previously stayed at the headquarters of the God-Slaying Army.

They even saw warriors of the Forbidden Water Tribe.

What he didn't understand was that the Shenxia Empire had stationed a large number of troops in the East China Sea year-round and built countless strong defensive fortifications.

How could it suddenly become uncontrollable?

Seemingly sensing Gu Xu's confusion, Li Weiguo gave a wry smile: "We were all wrong. Not just our headquarters, but the intelligence bureau, and even those generals who have been fighting on the front lines for years, were all deceived."

"The Forbidden Water Clan has been concealing its strength over the years."

Li Weiguo's tone revealed a deep sense of regret and helplessness: "Every time they create friction on the defensive line, the casualties are only some low-level sea beasts and cannon fodder."

"They deliberately created a misconception that their top combat strength consisted of only a few ninth-tier saints."

"Therefore, our deployment of defenses and allocation of resources are all based on this hypothetical enemy."

"But in reality... during the time you entered the secret realm, the dimensional rift in the East Sea was completely torn open. What poured out was a force dozens of times greater than we had anticipated."

"Moreover, what's most deadly is their high-end combat capabilities."

Li Weiguo paused, seemingly to calm himself: "There are dozens of ninth-tier peak Water Forbidden Marshals. Above them, there are even four demigod-level beings."

"Four demigods?"

Gu Xu's heart skipped a beat when he heard the number.

He knew all too well what demigod meant.

It was on the rocky beach in the East China Sea.

Grandpa Wang Cang just stood there casually.

That would keep a group of peak ninth-tier Sakura Kingdom saints pinned in place, unable to move.

That was a terrifying force that had touched upon the rules of a higher dimension.

It is an insurmountable barrier that conventional professionals simply cannot overcome by sheer numbers.

Now, four demigods of the sea race have appeared in the East China Sea at the same time?

"Yes, four of them."

Li Weiguo clenched his fist: "Because of these four demigods, and those dozens of ninth-tier saints hiding in the shadows, our defenses in the East China Sea collapsed completely within hours of the start of the war."

"As of now, half of the Shenxia Empire's legions have been deployed at full speed to the East China Sea to provide support."

As Gu Xu listened to these descriptions, those horrific scenes involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

He recalled the scene he witnessed on the dark side of the moon when he was pulled into a mental illusion by the old mind.

A broken battle flag, mud softened by blood.

And those faces lying in pools of blood, never to rise again.

He suddenly felt a chill seeping from the very marrow of his bones.

If the external situation has deteriorated to this extent, what kind of situation will the God-Slaying Army, which has always been at the forefront, face?

"Minister Li...we'll talk about that later!"

Gu Xu interrupted him, saying he didn't want to hear any more of those macro-level battle reports.

He only cares about one thing now.

"Where is the God-Slaying Army? You sent so many of them, which defensive line are they on now? Have they withdrawn to rest and regroup?"

Upon hearing the words "Godslayer Army," Li Weiguo's already unpleasant expression instantly turned even more grim.

He looked at Gu Xu, his lips trembling violently twice.

Zhang Daoxuan turned around directly, his back to Gu Xu, unwilling to see his expression.

This suffocating pause made Gu Xu's heart sink to the bottom.

"No... you two, are you speaking?"

Seeing the two of them like this, Gu Xu became anxious and suddenly raised his voice: "Where is the God-Slaying Army? Commander Zhou, where are Sister Qiong and the others?"

Li Weiguo took several heavy breaths, as if gathering the courage to say those words.

He looked directly into Gu Xu's eyes and spoke with difficulty, "Gu Xu... the God-Slaying Legion has basically been wiped out."

The moment those words were spoken, it was like a heavy hammer that slammed solidly onto Gu Xu's head.

This caused Gu Xu's mind to go blank for a moment!

The shot...missed.

In military terminology, these three words do not mean a defeat or heavy losses, but rather that the entire unit was decimated and the entire army was wiped out.

It was a massive combat unit of over 100,000 people, from top to bottom, from generals to new recruits.

They were ground to dust on the battlefield.

That means...

"What...what are you saying?"

Gu Xu felt a ringing in his ears. He stared at Li Weiguo, forcing a smile, "Stop joking around. Our God-Slaying Army has over 100,000 men!"

"Besides, how could it be possible with Commander Zhou, Sister Qiong, and Deputy Commander Zhao being so strong?"

"You're joking, right?"

Unfortunately, this forced smile and question still didn't get him the response he wanted.

No one told him it was a joke.

No one showed even the slightest sign of relief because of his deliberate attempt to liven up the atmosphere.

Li Weiguo's muscles remained stiff and tense, his lips pressed into a straight line. He looked at Gu Xu with a suffocating sorrow and self-reproach in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the old man Zhang Daoxuan had completely turned away.

He didn't turn around, but let out an extremely suppressed sigh.

The sound seemed particularly desolate in the autumn wind.