Chapter 941: Departure to Star Island
After a long while, Li Tianyang and Situ Xin finally emerged from within Xuanwu.
Situ Xin still wore the gentle smile of a good-natured person, though this smile seemed slightly strained.
As for Li Tianyang, his face was dark and unpleasant.
He clasped his hands behind his back and announced to everyone, "We have reached an agreement with the Colombian Joint Fleet."
"Both sides will rely on their own capabilities to enter Star Island and search for the Divine Source."
These words caused an uproar among the assembled crowd.
"Rely on our own capabilities? Does that mean we have to fight against their Epsilon-level superhumans?"
"Xuanwu is too massive to land easily, while they can. Are we supposed to confront the Lord of the Ocean?"
That would obviously be a suicidal endeavor.Even Zhang Yi glanced sideways at this.
He had fought against Cadillus before and knew exactly how terrifying that guy's power was.
Even away from the ocean, his strength was absolutely beyond what Delta-level superhumans could imagine.
If that were really the case, their entire operation would become a complete joke.
"Rest assured! The Epsilon-level superhumans from both sides will not land on the island to participate in this competition!"
Li Tianyang declared loudly.
"Only the superhumans from several other nations will be competing with you."
"And what you must do is seize the Divine Source before they do!"
His eyes suddenly turned fierce.
"Of course, if conditions permit, it would be best to eliminate as many of them as possible in this place!"
"This mission is rated S-class! For every enemy superhuman you kill, you will be rewarded accordingly, with resources from both major regions available for your choosing!"
Both major regions had sent their top superhumans.
Wouldn't the other side do the same?
If they could eliminate enough of the enemy's top combat forces here, especially captain-level superhumans, it would definitely deal a significant blow to the opposition.
Zhang Yi understood the meaning behind Li Tianyang's words.
"The Epsilon-level beings from both sides balance each other out. If the Lord of the Ocean lands, then their other naval forces at sea would be completely annihilated by Xuanwu."
"So even if Cadillus could survive, none of their high-ranking officers would be spared."
"Nobody is foolish enough to play this kind of exchange game. Having sub-Delta-level superhumans make their move keeps the situation within acceptable limits."
Deng Shentong and others nodded upon hearing this.
Zhang Yi's analysis was indeed quite reasonable.
Deng Shentong leaned closer and whispered, "So now that the East Sea Region's plans have been disrupted, we don't necessarily have to follow their commands completely."
Zhang Yi glanced at him. "Don't make it sound like you would have followed their orders even if the Colombian Navy hadn't come."
Deng Shentong laughed, and slight smiles appeared at the corners of the other investigation team captains' mouths.
Clearly, everyone was thinking along the same lines.
Although the addition of superhuman forces from Colombia and other countries increased the difficulty of obtaining the Divine Source.
The more chaotic the situation became, the greater their opportunities would be.
As the saying goes, wealth is found in dangerous ventures.
After the two major regions made their agreement with the joint forces, both sides immediately arranged for their superhuman troops to enter the massive toxic miasma zones of Star Island.
However, there were some subtle changes in the operation's arrangements.
With more competitors, everyone had to race against time.
On one hand, they had to guard against their allies, while on the other hand, they had to be even more wary of hostile forces.
Allies would only prevent you from obtaining the Divine Source, but enemies would take your life!
Situ Xin looked at Li Tianyang. "Now that third-party forces have appeared, we must replan our operations. We can't continue like this! Especially the reconnaissance troops—if they encounter enemy superhumans, it would almost certainly result in complete annihilation."
But Li Tianyang said, "As soldiers, they should have the resolve to sacrifice themselves for their country! As long as they can buy us time, their deaths in battle would be worthwhile!"
"This isn't child's play anymore—it's a life-and-death struggle!"
"I won't show any mercy!"
Situ Xin fell silent.
Li Tianyang suddenly smiled. "If you want to withdraw your people, I have no objection. However, they must all go to the battlefield!"
He pointed at Zhang Yi and the others as he spoke.
Situ Xin chuckled. "Look at what you're saying. If your East Sea Region people aren't afraid of death, do you think our Jiangnan Region people would be scared?"
A shadow passed through his heart.
But currently, to compete for the Divine Source, the scale of the war had already escalated.
That's right—this was no longer simply about seizing treasure, but a large-scale war!
After the apocalypse, the world's rules had already changed.
If superhuman strength were quantified, each investigation team's combat power would be comparable to a powerful army with the most advanced weaponry!
This battlefield might have far fewer participants than pre-apocalypse wars.
But it gathered over fifty percent of the strength from both major regions of Huaxu Kingdom, plus the Colombian Ocean Fleet and surrounding nations!
Therefore, even though they knew those less capable scouts would most likely be marching to their deaths, they still had to do it.
"I believe the Colombian Navy will choose the same approach."
Li Tianyang said coldly.
"We cannot afford to lose!"
He suddenly turned back to look at the superhumans from both major regions.
"Now, go! Rush to your battlefield and bring back the Divine Source!"
The Qinglong, Baihu, and Zhuque teams were the first to reach Star Island by speedboat.
They would follow the prearranged plan and head to Mist Valley as quickly as possible with the scouts' assistance.
"We should set out too!"
Zhang Yi stroked the fur of Hua Hua and Lele.
Deng Shentong nodded. "You're right, we should take action too. Chaos, what are your plans?"
Zhang Yi glanced at him expressionlessly. "I wasn't talking to you."
Deng Shentong: "Huh?"
Zhang Yi sneered. "I was talking to my cat and dog. You're really quite presumptuous, assuming I was addressing you."
As he spoke, Zhang Yi took out a speedboat on his own, then left alone with Hua Hua and Lele.
Deng Shentong, Lilong, Jingwei, and Taotie watched him, completely speechless.
The number one expert of Jiangnan Region had just left alone like that.
"He... why is he being such a lone wolf!"
Deng Shentong said helplessly, rubbing his forehead.
"It doesn't matter, I'll take action."
Taotie, captain of the Demon Squad, walked over. He was quite young, appearing as a handsome silver-haired youth.
However, perhaps due to his age, he wasn't very tall, only about 160 centimeters.
"I didn't plan to work with you guys either!"
After coldly saying this, he also selected a speedboat, then took his investigation team members and headed toward Golden Phoenix City.
Seeing this, members of other investigation teams also began their island landing operations.
However, nobody intended to cooperate with anyone else.
In Jiangnan Region, there was no existence with absolute power to command everyone.
The East Sea Region had Xuanwu, Colombia had Cadillus.
But in Jiangnan Region, even though Zhang Yi was called the number one expert, he wasn't an Epsilon-level after all.
This made the other captain-level superhumans, except for Deng Shentong, somewhat unconvinced to varying degrees.
Without a central pillar, gathering together would only create mutual hindrances, with nobody willing to listen to others.
Moreover, since the goal was to find the Divine Source, operating separately would increase the probability of discovery.
If they huddled together for warmth, what if someone else got there first?
Furthermore, if they actually found the Divine Source, even people from the same region would become competitors.
Author's Note