You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Of course, Iori did not bring all the gold; she only stored about one cubic meter (approximately twenty tons) in her private space as a deposit.

Driven by the power of money, Iori quickly reached a long-term contract with the US government to provide various supplies as the "representative of Japan." The entire process was smooth sailing and went unreported. The president and secretary of state even said that their family companies could handle various business transactions to make it easier for Iori to receive them.

Iori didn't care much about these specific details. Anyway, the money came easily, and he had long since transcended the pursuit of wealth.

As long as the supplies can be delivered smoothly, it doesn't matter if we suffer losses in the contract; as long as the goal is achieved, that's all that matters.

But sometimes, even with such tolerance, there will still be people who challenge your bottom line.

Soon it was time for the first batch of supplies to be delivered at a military port. The officer in charge of liaising with Iori was a very talkative person. His manners made even the reserved East Asian feel comfortable, and he did not resemble the crude image of American soldiers in the traditional sense.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that this person was a career civil servant, the kind who spends most of his time sitting in an office, not the kind who goes to the front lines to fill trenches.

"Speaking of which, no ships have docked yet. The control tower just sent me a message saying there are no unidentified vessels in the nearby waters... So they really want us to transport supplies to Japan?"

The colonel was somewhat displeased: "There is no such clause in the contract. Instead, it states that your side is responsible for the transportation of supplies, doesn't it?"

Given the current situation in Japan, it's understandable that they can't send large ships... but if we were to send our sailors to Japan in cargo ships, we would have to add extra freight and insurance costs!

You know, Japan isn't exactly a peaceful place right now, so prices have to be—"

“There’s no point in talking about these things, Colonel.”

Iori calmly replied, "We will abide by the terms and take full responsibility for the transshipment of the goods. You only need to place these containers within a circular area with a diameter of one hundred meters."

"...What did you say?" the colonel asked, confused. "Does this have any special significance?"

"Is that not possible? I can do it myself then, so I won't trouble you."

Iori glanced at the ten containers in the distance and nodded in satisfaction.

With such limited resources, it was impossible to feed ten million survivors. In fact, Japan could only rely on its own efforts to survive, and external forces could only provide a little help, making the situation seem less dire.

Iori wanted these supplies mainly to prepare for building her power in the future—this world has great potential to be tapped, and she also has an apprentice who can act as her proxy; it would be a waste not to make some arrangements.

"..."

After Iori finished speaking, the colonel was silent for a moment, tilting his head slightly as if listening to something. Then he smiled and told Iori that he would go and discuss it with his superior. He then turned and left very quickly, and although he tried his best to slow down, he still seemed a little flustered.

The young Grim Reaper gave him a meaningful look, then raised his voice: "Don't be in such a hurry, a few seconds later won't hurt—or are they already preparing to attack?"

"—!"

Upon hearing this, the colonel's feet moved even faster, almost as if he were about to run.

Within a kilometer radius, Iori sensed far more souls than were visible on the surface. If she expanded her search area further, she would discover that it wasn't just land; because this was a port, there were several warships waiting outside the port...

"That's ridiculous. It's just dealing with one person. Is it really necessary?" Iori shook his head indifferently, as if this matter had nothing to do with him and that the land, sea and air forces that were lying in ambush were not coming for him.

But thinking about it carefully, the reason for making such a big fuss is probably to capture them alive, right?

Iori's performance has undoubtedly reached the level of "magic," especially her ability to access items from her private space, which has definitely aroused the interest of many people.

Furthermore, his act of storming the White House also touched a nerve at the highest levels. Everyone instinctively wanted to suppress this kind of "heroic" individual who "violates the law with force," unless they also had that power in their own hands!

Iori had only managed to withstand lightly armed soldiers and had not yet demonstrated any teleportation abilities, so it's not hard to understand why the higher-ups dared to send people to capture her.

From a modern perspective, even if Iori awakened some kind of superpower during the demonic tide, it's impossible for her to be so outrageous as to be able to fight an army single-handedly. After all, even high-level demons from other dimensions can't withstand weapons like thermobaric bombs, which don't even rank in the top five of human weaponry!

If the cost is disregarded, the United States could end Japan's "doomsday" right now—albeit in a more thorough way.

In other words, the root of the demonic tide lies in the spatial rift. Even if the Far East is pacified by nuclear weapons, it will not stop anything. Otherwise, the United States would never mind "letting Japan suffer and I will bear the blame."

To put it bluntly, how could the largest armed and violent group on Earth be so easily subdued by one person?

This time, the US government gave Iori a lot of face, and specially deployed a fleet to blockade the nearby sea and air, ensuring that even if Iori could fly, she could not escape!

—Faced with such an inescapable trap, Iori unexpectedly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally... finally they've made their move."

Instead of feeling nervous, he was somewhat relieved: "If things went really that smoothly, I'd be a little uneasy... Besides, if you don't make a move, I can't 'defend myself'!"

Yes, the reason he chose the United States as his contact point, rather than a powerful Eastern power that was closer in distance, was because he considered that negotiating with a country in his personal capacity would inevitably lead to some unpleasantness, and he had to demonstrate sufficient destructive power to gain an equal status.

—Making a scene in the United States would lessen his psychological burden.

"What have you prepared for me? Let me see."

Iori's sharp suit vanished in a burst of light, revealing a long white trench coat and a strange weapon with a jade-green hilt hanging at her waist.

At that moment, the US military colonel who witnessed this scene through the drone's camera suddenly frowned, a vague sense of foreboding flashing through his mind:

So familiar!

This figure seemed strangely familiar, but we were meeting for the first time today... no, it was on the report!

The colonel suddenly remembered a report that had been sent from a U.S. military base in Japan during the disaster, mixed in with all sorts of useless messages of pleas for help and venting.

The document stated that soldiers, during an external investigation, witnessed firsthand an urban legend that had recently become popular in Japan. It included a blurry video image of the familiar white uniform, and the local US military respectfully bestowed upon it a codename—

"wrong!"

The colonel's pores stood on end; he didn't know why, but at that moment he desperately wanted to escape.

"We can't start a war lightly! This man's true identity is unknown!"

--boom!

However, it was too late. The roar of the tank's main gun rang out. Although these American soldiers had received orders to capture them alive, their obsession with "emptying the magazines" was no less than that of the police. As if they had heard the starting gun, the armored units couldn't wait to start their frenzied firing!

The harbor's coastline had been completely blasted to pieces. Smoke and cement dust billowed up in thick clouds, which gradually dissipated under the sea breeze. Iori was nowhere to be seen.

But the colonel wasn't pleased. Instead, he looked up as if by some strange impulse, and saw a small, blurry black dot hundreds of meters in the air. It was difficult to make out, but under the focus of military-grade photographic equipment, its appearance became clearly visible.

It was Iori who was completely unharmed.

He stared indifferently at the armored troops below, slowly extending a finger. The dark runes on his chest flickered with light and shadow, and an ominous, liquid-like magic flowed and condensed at his fingertip, then instantly sublimated, releasing a torrent that swallowed all light—

"Hado Zero Style: Open!"

Chapter 222: Aizen, Hanma, and Iori (5K)

Gum!

The colonel moved his throat with difficulty, his eyes wide open and bulging like those of a dying patient, his whole body as if frozen into a lifelike statue, the theme of which was "the man who witnessed a miracle".

He couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. The military's internal communication channels, whether the terminals were in tanks or on ships, were all silent, with only the static of radio waves in the background.

After a long silence, a dry but firm voice rang out: "Abandon the battle plan! I repeat, abandon the battle plan!"

We have no reason to fight an enemy beyond our comprehension; it's pointless!

"receive."

"receive."

"receive."

...No officer had any objection to this. No matter how confident a soldier was, seeing the port's current state would immediately change his mind.

In an instant, most of the port, an area comparable to a small town, was completely wiped off the map!

Tens of thousands of tons of construction machinery were turned into semi-molten scrap iron, the reinforced concrete ground was turned into a deep pit, the hard foundation buried deep underground was exposed, incalculable amounts of earth disappeared in the explosion, and a large amount of seawater rushed in, forming a huge artificial lake in no more than a day and a night...

All of this was accomplished in a mere instant!

The black nightmare descended from the sky, almost without any process, directly altering the terrain. The aftershocks of the explosion, earthquake, wind pressure, and tidal surge intertwined and lasted for nearly ten minutes before finally ending.

Those who become officers generally do not start as ordinary soldiers, especially naval captains. Their level of knowledge is among the highest in human society. However, even so, what happened before their eyes still overturned their understanding.

People often use the phrase "razed to the ground" to describe the power of firepower, but in reality, it is a very difficult thing, especially when facing buildings made of reinforced concrete. Large-scale bombing may destroy the main buildings, but it is impossible to clear away the broken bricks and cement, the broken buildings, and the precarious steel bridges.

If the military wanted to do the same thing, how long would it need to bomb for and how much ammunition would it need to expend?

It's difficult to calculate because there are currently no similar examples besides nuclear weapons, and Iori simply waved her hand to achieve an effect similar to a small-scale nuclear explosion.

Furthermore, what is truly remarkable is that such terrifying power did not cause many casualties!

The energy was well contained. If viewed from above, the area of ​​destruction would appear as a fairly regular circle, as if some unseen line separated the two sides. One side was merely a shattered ground, while the other side was an exaggerated sinkhole.

The tank formation was less than 100 meters from the edge. The shockwave carried away rubble and mechanical parts that completely buried the first few tanks, and many others were overturned along with the ground... but this was clearly the result of "showing mercy".

If that energy beam, which requires no preparation and is impossible to dodge, were aimed at a group of tanks or a warship at sea... the officers couldn't imagine how they could survive.

No matter how advanced the defense system is, it's a joke against such an unreasonable force!

We absolutely cannot continue fighting!

Imagine someone possessing immunity to artillery fire, solo flight, and a destructive beam—isn't that practically a real-life "Superman"? What chance would a mere soldier have?

And this is just the tip of the iceberg; who can be sure that this is the opponent's full strength...

No, it should be said that it was definitely not their full strength, but only a very small part. Those tanks that are still intact are proof of that!

If such an attack could only be launched once, it would generally be used to eliminate as many American troops as possible in order to achieve the greatest possible result.

But Iori not only didn't do that, she deliberately left these tanks behind... This shows that she has absolute confidence in herself, and it seems that she is putting on a show or a show of intimidation.

This is a privilege that only the strong can possess—compassion.

Iori saw himself as the one with an absolute advantage, while the officers also recognized the gap in strength and accepted their position as the "weaker" ones.

This kind of opportunity is very precious, and generally there won't be a second time... They must seize this opportunity, otherwise they won't even be able to escape!

Soldiers are different from politicians; they are very clear-headed and pragmatic. After all, they don't need to please voters or donors; they only need to be responsible for their own lives.

They possess very powerful weapons, such as missiles capable of destroying a street, or even tactical nuclear weapons capable of covering half a city; no carbon-based life form could possibly survive in such a situation.

But considering the enemy's demonstrated flight capabilities and ray speed, the crew on board probably wouldn't even have opened their launch silos before being vaporized to ashes...

Should we gamble on Iori running out of energy?

No, why should I be the one to gamble? Let the Secretary of State who gave the order come over!

It's one thing to bully small countries and terrorists, but when faced with a powerful enemy, the US military appears to be more restrained than a saint.

The other side isn't some dark titan that's going to destroy the world. The fact that they spared the army's life proves their mercy and rationality. As long as they obediently surrender, they'll most likely be able to live a good life.

We're all just working people; firing a couple of shots into the air is enough to justify the paychecks from Congress.

Once they understood, the officers felt completely at ease...

This was originally a conspiracy by high-ranking politicians and capitalists, and the army was just a pawn in their game—there was absolutely no reason for them to risk their lives for the selfish desires of the bigwigs!

Moreover, judging from the current situation, if we remain inactive, they might just fly away on their own, without even a surrender ceremony. The officers could say they fought a fierce battle to a draw, and then they can go back and promote the "Japanese threat theory" and squeeze some more money out of the Diet...

-

"what?!"

Deng!

The blond-haired US president slammed his fist on the table, his face contorted with rage: "A great power wants to issue a declaration of non-aggression to 'one person'? Are you kidding me!"

The person who spoke was silent for a moment, then thought about it carefully before speaking very solemnly: "Yes, Mr. President."

"Are you even thinking straight? The United States is the most powerful country in the world; nothing can bring it to its knees!"

“We are indeed the strongest country, but if you refuse to make a declaration, then that ‘strongest’ may no longer be us.”

"Hmph! Isn't that a bit too sensational? Even if it's to get funding, there's no need to come up with such a lame excuse!"

The blond president was as "straightforward" as ever, but honestly, while the military would use various excuses to get money from Congress in the past, this time it really wasn't to falsify accounts...

In the war room of the nuclear bunker, military representatives sat on either side of a long table, speechless in the face of the president's questioning. They looked at each other helplessly.

"I don't believe the strongest military force on Earth really can't handle a superhuman! He's all alone, he doesn't even have a team!"

"This person really talks without understanding the situation," everyone thought.

"Your Excellency, there's nothing we can do about it."

A major general who stood up pointed to the large screen, adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, and said seriously, "After the conflict at the port, the target did not flee but remained there and has been under our surveillance ever since."

"...What does this mean?" the Grand Commander asked in surprise. "Is he injured and unable to move, or is there some reason why he must stay?"

"It's a provocation, no, it's a declaration of war!"

Yes, it is a declaration of war against the entire U.S. military, my esteemed President.

A flash of white light appeared on the major general's glasses: "The only reason he stayed in the port area in the past 24 hours was to give us the opportunity to demonstrate various weapons, and we did just that."

"How is the result?"

As soon as he said this, the president realized he had made a mistake: if it were truly effective, the military wouldn't have made such an outrageous request.