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

"I'm not asking about trivial family matters; I'm asking about military intelligence concerning national security. Telling me is an act of trust. Not telling me—"

Gu Xu paused, then raised an eyebrow: "Then I'll just go to the intelligence department tomorrow and investigate myself. Which do you think is more convenient?"

These words left Li Weiguo speechless.

He knew Gu Xu's personality too well.

This guy keeps his word and never fires empty promises.

If you don't tell him today, he might actually go and search the intelligence database himself tomorrow, and the commotion that follows will only be bigger.

Zhang Daoxuan behind him coughed lightly and whispered, "Old Li, tell him. You know his personality; it's better to guide than to suppress."

Li Weiguo pursed his lips, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally let out a long sigh.

"OK."

He pulled up a chair and sat down on the edge of the bed, crossed his hands on his knees, and carefully began to speak.

"You guessed right. While the Forbidden Water Tribe was invading the East China Sea, other countries were indeed taking action. And—not just one or two."

Gu Xu's expression shifted slightly.

Li Weiguo stretched out one hand and began to count on his fingers.

"The United States has dispatched an elite division to bypass the main route from the southeast, attempting to penetrate the northeastern heartland of China."

One finger.

"The Sakura Kingdom has dispatched nearly 10 Saints and the Oni-Slaying Clan to encircle the northeast flank, with their target being the direction of Dragon Capital."

Two fingers.

"The legions of the South Indian Empire have infiltrated from the southwest."

Three fingers.

"The Northern Alliance has deployed its Northern Mobile Corps, heading straight for the northern border of Sheikha."

Four fingers.

"Finally—the Papacy of Europe."

Li Weiguo's tone turned somber: "They dispatched two cardinals, leading the Holy Knights, with an unknown objective, but their direction was straight for the East China Sea."

Extend all five fingers.

After listening, Gu Xu didn't say anything, but just stared quietly at Li Weiguo's face.

Five forces took advantage of the crisis in the Eastern Sea of ​​Shenxia to launch a collective attack.

This was not some spur-of-the-moment act of taking advantage of someone's misfortune.

They were certain that the Divine Sheikh had been severely weakened in the battle in the East China Sea, so like sharks smelling blood, they pounced on them from all directions.

"really."

Gu Xu said softly, his tone surprisingly calm.

He was not surprised by the result.

That's human nature.

In today's world, self-interest is the only eternal driving force.

When you are powerful, everyone is a friend.

If you reveal any weakness, your friends will be the first to turn the tables.

"but--"

Gu Xu noticed the subtle pause in Li Weiguo's words.

He looked into Li Weiguo's eyes and asked sharply, "But?"

Li Weiguo fell silent again.

This silence was longer and heavier than before.

The atmosphere in the room became strangely awkward.

Everyone present, including Zhang Daoxuan, wore an indescribable expression.

It wasn't anger, nor worry, but something closer to... confusion.

"But the problem is..."

Li Weiguo finally spoke again, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"These invading troops—all of them are dead."

Gu Xu was taken aback.

"all?"

"all."

Li Weiguo's tone was heavy. "The expeditionary fleet of the Lighthouse Nation was completely annihilated the moment it entered the territorial waters of Shenxia, ​​leaving not a single intact corpse. The same happened to the Oni-Slaying Clan of the Sakura Nation. The legions of the South India Nation, the legions of the Northern Alliance, the cardinals and paladins of the European Papacy..."

"Not one left."

The ward was eerily quiet.

Gu Xu's pupils contracted slightly.

"How did he die?"

"have no idea."

Li Weiguo gave a wry smile, his expression as if he had swallowed a fly: "This is the most troublesome part. When our reconnaissance team arrived at the scene, all they saw were wreckage and traces of residual energy."

"Based on the analysis of traces at the scene, these invading troops were all eliminated by the same person—or the same force—in a very short period of time."

"The technique was extremely clean and swift, killing the victim with a single blow, without any hesitation or delay."

Li Weiguo's gaze fell on Gu Xu's face, with a hint of inquiry.

"Furthermore, we detected an extremely peculiar energy fluctuation in the remnants of multiple battlefields. The characteristics of that fluctuation... are highly consistent with the energy properties within your body."

"But according to the timeline, you were in the Silvermoon Realm when those invading forces were annihilated! It was impossible for you to be in two places at once to deal with these enemies."

"so--"

Li Weiguo spread his hands, his expression even worse than one of constipation: "The General Headquarters still hasn't figured out who did it."

"All we know is that an unidentified entity intervened at the most critical moment for Shenxia. He single-handedly wiped out all the opportunistic enemies and then vanished without a trace."

"They left no message and made no demands."

"It's as if—he just did it on a whim."

After saying this, Li Weiguo let out a long breath.

He looked at Gu Xu's thoughtful face and added, "This matter is currently classified as top secret. The General Staff is investigating the identity and motives of that mysterious entity with all its might."

"But before the truth comes out, you need to get better first. Stop worrying about these trivial things all the time."

Li Weiguo stood up, patted Gu Xu on the shoulder, and spoke earnestly.

"You've done enough. Leave the rest to us old folks."

Gu Xu leaned against the hospital bed and did not respond.

His gaze passed through the window, looking at the sky over Longjing, and a blurry figure appeared in his mind.

The future self I encountered on the dark side of the moon.

A flock of ravens circled around him, followed by a large group of calamities, their eyes cold and profound.

So it was you...

Gu Xu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cryptic smile.

Others might not know who he was, but he knew him perfectly well.

But... he didn't intend to explain this to Li Weiguo.

After all, if you tell a high-ranking official, "The person who cleaned up your messes was actually me in the future," they'd be sure to send you to a psychiatric ward.

"Alright."

Gu Xu yawned, pulled the blanket up a bit, and lay back down.

"Then I'll go back to sleep."

"Remember to make sure my bonus and military rank are settled, Minister."

"I don't accept things that are just empty words."

Li Weiguo's lips twitched, but he ignored him and turned to walk towards the door.

Halfway there, he stopped and, without turning back, uttered a single sentence.

"You'll get your share."

These words are as simple as the thumbs-up gesture from earlier.

But Gu Xu could tell that the value of those three words was many times greater than that of the thumbs-up.