Thirty streaks of purple energy, and assuming they still have firearms, we still can't win.
We were too close to Han Yin Temple, and I feared our conversation might be overheard by experts. So, I called the two masters, Yao Yao and Diana, to a small grove behind the rocks. The rustling wind through the pines would mask our words.
"The immediate priority is to rescue," I stated, cutting to the chase. "If we can also cripple the enemy while ensuring the rescue, that would be ideal. Of course, neither the rescue nor the attack should come at the cost of our own people."
This effectively set three conditions, ordered by importance. Rescuing Bingbing was the absolute minimum.
"Do you think fighting a war is like dealing with you and a few others?" Yao Yao chuckled.
"What do you mean? I don't understand."
"You want it all," Yao Yao pouted. "We know you well, so you can have what you want, even both, or both simultaneously. But the enemy doesn't know you; they won't accommodate your 'want it all' demands."
Diana nodded. "Based on the enemy formation diagram you showed me, their defenses are too tough to break through and rescue Bingbing, unless..."
She paused, then smiled wryly. "If you return the demon core to me, I'll go rescue Bingbing alone."
"I can return it to you..." I mused, still pondering the 'want it all' scenario. "But you don't need to rescue Bingbing. If you recover your strength, do you think you can hit them back and forth along the mountain ridge of their encirclement?"
"You want to annihilate the enemy?" Yao Yao frowned. "Won't they just run away?"
"If they run, won't Bingbing be rescued!" I laughed. This was the best response to the "besiege the point, lure the reinforcements" tactic. Instead of focusing on the "point" in the middle, we'd concentrate all our firepower on the perimeter. The goal wouldn't be to break through their defenses, but to attack the vital forces within their encirclement. Once the defensive perimeter collapsed, the "siege" would be lifted, and the "point" in the middle would naturally be freed.
However, this carried some risk: the "point" in the middle might be irately killed by the enemy.
The enemy might think this is our weakness, but they've miscalculated and grabbed the wrong person. This was a realization that dawned on me on the way here. I hadn't tested it yet, but I felt it was worth a shot—who is Bingbing? A world-class athlete? That's not important.
I'd always wondered why those underworld officials in the Yin Hall were so surprised and envious upon discovering I was a "living underworld official." It's just a "Soul Summoning Order," at most an advanced smartphone worth several thousand dollars. What was there to envy?
Now I understood. The greatest function of a living underworld official isn't summoning souls, but rather: immortality!
As far as I know, there are only two living underworld officials currently in the Underworld's employ. One is me, Wu Chengfeng.
The other is the small banner officer of the Yin Hall, Zheng Bingbing, who was captured by the Cangjing Group!
Can a living underworld official die? It's like asking, can a dead person come back to life?
Of course not.
Obvious statement.
Even though the logic held, I wasn't entirely certain. So, while exchanging the demon core with Diana on the grass in the grove, I took off my pants and, on impulse, took out the Soul Summoning Order and pressed the button.
"Good morning, Lord Wu," came a familiar female operator's voice.
"Please connect me to His Highness, the Little King of Hell. Thank you. Ah..."
"...Uh, what are you doing?" The operator was chatty. At that moment, Diana received the demon core and let out a muffled groan.
"My, my, Lord, you certainly have a refined taste. It's broad daylight. Alright, please hold on," the operator chuckled.
A moment later, the Little King of Hell answered. She wasn't fighting this time, and the background was quiet, even somewhat vast. Perhaps she was in her grand hall? I knew of the King of Hell's Palace, but I wasn't sure if there was a Little King of Hell's Palace.
"What is it? Looking for me?" The Little King of Hell had also learned to use inverted sentences.
"Shuyao, I wanted to ask, are we, the living underworld officials, truly unable to die?"
"...Why are you asking this?"