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

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Weiguo tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"You mean cooperating with other countries?"

"It's not my intention, but the situation has forced us to this point."

Zhang Daoxuan looked at him: "Even if we in Shenxia act quickly, there is still a limit. But if everyone gets involved..."

"When catastrophe strikes, our chances of survival will be greatly increased."

Clearly, Zhang Daoxuan was the first to realize this problem.

"Old Zhang, I understand the logic you're talking about, but you also know how difficult it is."

Li Weiguo shook his head and sighed.

"Leaving aside the relationship between other countries and our Divine Xia, just based on what Commander Gu just said—false gods, dimensional invasion—how can you expect them to believe it?"

"They've never seen anything like it, never been beaten before. If you tell them the sky is falling, what's their first reaction?"

"They'll think you're crazy."

"Furthermore... even if they believe us and are willing to cooperate, how will the profits be divided? Who will have the dominant role? Once we get to the negotiating table, the wrangling alone could drag on for half a year."

"By then, before the skin is even peeled back, the advance team of that false god might already be here."

Zhang Daoxuan did not refute, because everything Li Weiguo said was true.

But he didn't back down: "It's difficult, but the consequences of not doing it will be even greater. However, I do have some solutions for this matter, but there's no rush."

"Let me replenish Commander Gu's Calamity Army first, then we can talk."

Li Weiguo nodded slightly; he had always trusted Zhang Daoxuan.

Since the other party said they have some methods, they must be feasible.

"Um?"

A short while later, Zhang Daoxuan seemed to suddenly remember something, and pulled something out of somewhere, handing it to Gu Xu: "Oh right, now that we've finished talking about business, there's something else I need to give you."

"Oh?"

Gu Xu raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned his gaze over.

All he could see was a bag.

It was dusty and wrinkled, looking much like the cloth bags that old men at the market use to pack peanuts.

The surface was still covered with a lot of dust, and the corners were worn rough.

To be honest, if Zhang Daoxuan hadn't taken it out himself, Gu Xu's first reaction might have been that it was trash someone had left in the office.

"What is this?"

Gu Xu looked at the dusty bag and subconsciously asked a question.

"Grandpa Wang Cang asked me to give this to you."

Zhang Daoxuan placed the bag on the table and said in a calm tone, "Before he entered the secret realm, he specifically gave this to me, saying that I should find a suitable time to hand it over to the legion commander of the Calamity Army."

Gu Xu was stunned for a moment.

Wang Cang?

The image of the old man with the pipe in his mouth immediately flashed into his mind.

To be honest, Grandpa Wang Cang was really good to him.

The two of them hadn't really interacted much back in the East China Sea.

Without saying a word, the old man handed him a mythical-grade ring.

The ring's effect is to enhance the abilities of summoned creatures.

Although it was later discovered that given his growth rate and the unique mechanics of the Servant of Calamity, the ring was not very useful.

However, I used it once in the Silvermoon Secret Realm.

But then again...

A mythical item, given away so casually, without even blinking an eye.

Gu Xu remembered this kindness.

"The old man is very thoughtful."

Gu Xu reached out and took the dusty bag, weighing it in his hand.

It's not heavy, but it's not light either.

The contents inside were of unknown material; they felt hard to the touch, like some kind of ore or metal.

Just as he was about to open it to take a look, Li Weiguo added from the side, "That old guy Wang Cang, don't let his usual sloppy appearance fool you, he's never ambiguous when it matters."

When Li Weiguo said this, there was a hint of emotion in his voice.

That's true.

Wang Cang's official position in the Divine Xia military is that of the strongest demigod.

But in reality, his influence goes far beyond that.

Often, this guy with a pipe in his mouth, who looks no different from an old man in the countryside, is the real anchor that keeps the Shenxia army calm.

Gu Xu rubbed his fingers together and untied the bag.

I glanced inside.

Then his eyes lit up slightly.

Several items were neatly arranged in the bag, all wrapped in special protective material.

Although he hadn't had time to examine the specific attributes and quality in detail, the aura emanating from those items alone made him feel that they were high-end goods.

"Whoa..."

"This old man, has he probably emptied his savings for his funeral?"

Gu Xu muttered something to himself, then re-tied the bag and carefully put it away.

We'll investigate what exactly this good stuff is later.

Regardless of what was inside, Wang Cang accepted his sentiment.

"I'll have to treat the old man to a good meal once he comes out of the secret realm."

Gu Xu tucked the bag into his coat pocket, his tone serious.

Li Weiguo nodded, just about to say something.

"Knock knock knock—"

There was a knock on the door.

As soon as he heard the way the door was knocked, Li Weiguo knew who it was.

The people in the command headquarters each had their own unique way of knocking on doors.

Some knocked urgently, some knocked hard, and some even seemed determined to smash the door through.

But in this unhurried and orderly manner of three strikes, there was only one person in the entire command headquarters.

"Come in."

Li Weiguo raised his hand.

The door opened, and a tall, middle-aged man in military uniform walked in.

Without a doubt, it was Zhang Zhen, the Chief of Staff of the military.

After entering the room, Zhang Zhen glanced around—Li Weiguo, Zhang Daoxuan, and Gu Xu.

All three people were present.

He paused for a second, then nodded to each of the three and spoke.

"Ministers, and Commander Gu."

"I apologize for bothering you at this time, but there is something I must report to you all immediately."

His tone was unhurried, but the restrained sense of urgency in his words was unmistakable to everyone present.

Li Weiguo's brow twitched slightly: "Speak."

Zhang Zhen didn't waste any words and got straight to the point.

"That high-dimensional secret realm in the Pacific Ocean... something's not right."

Upon hearing the words "high-dimensional secret realm," the expressions of the three people in the office changed simultaneously.

"What's wrong with it?"

Li Weiguo's voice sounded strained.

Zhang Zhen nodded, then continued, "The energy fluctuations from that secret realm shattered our first set of monitoring equipment!"

"But we immediately switched to new equipment, using the latest generation of high-dimensional energy detection array, which has a range more than ten times larger than the previous one."

"But the current readings show..."

"The energy detection value of the new equipment has exceeded the upper limit of the range by two thousand percent."