Having loosed the arrow, Zhang Heng felt a distinct emptiness in his core. This technique, the volley of energy arrows, didn't draw upon his own inherent Elven energy; instead, it required the complete expenditure of an energy stone to unleash such terrifying area damage. However, as the wielder of the bow, a portion of Zhang Heng's own Elven energy was still necessary to guide the trajectory of that energy, and even that small drain left him feeling hollowed out, hinting at the sheer magnitude of power required for that single shot. (It seems I'm ill-suited for mass engagement; I should be like Ling Dian, optimized for single-target ranged combat... Though, if what Ling Dian said is true, his Gauss sniper rifle has numerous specialized rounds available for trade, including ultra-powerful area-of-effect rounds obtainable via side-quest redemption. If a sniper rifle can possess such variety, surely my bow shouldn't be limited to just these enchanted arrows. There must be range-attack arrows more powerful than these, absolutely...) Zhang Heng’s thought was merely a fleeting spark of inspiration, for at that moment, he was attempting something beyond his wildest imagination: challenging over twenty thousand foes single-handedly. Even the term 'a match for ten thousand' failed to capture the scope of his feat; if he succeeded, a mythical title like 'Slayer of Ten Thousand' would be the only fitting descriptor.

The ground troops, after being struck, descended into near-chaos, overwhelmed by an utterly unimaginable form of attack. Measured against this world's modernized military structure—its ground forces, navy, and nascent air force— these three primary branches, each with its distinct sub-systems, represented the peak of military technology. Even the Japanese Imperial Army of World War II, which stood as one of Asia's foremost modernized forces compared to its contemporaries, had never witnessed or heard of such an offensive maneuver: silver-white beams of pure energy descending from the heavens. In an instant, they annihilated countless lives and various mechanized vehicles. The sheer destructive force was incomprehensible to every soldier and officer, ensuring the state of disorder persisted. Until several tense seconds later.

As junior NCOs regained control, the army slowly stabilized its momentum. Only then did they remember to counterattack. Facing a target hovering hundreds of meters above the ground, the contemporary anti-air weaponry proved woefully primitive. Forget missiles; even heavy anti-aircraft machine guns offered negligible punch, and their accuracy was laughable. Even if a hundred such guns blanketed the sky with fire, the Green Devil Skateboard, small, incredibly fast, and executing unpredictable maneuvers, rendered them ineffective. Furthermore, any glancing hits were absorbed by the protective layer of the Dragon Crystal Necklace. Thus, the army posed no genuine threat to Zhang Heng or his companion.

“How is it, Ming Yanwei? Can you still tolerate this speed?” Zhang Heng yelled back to the woman behind him while deftly maneuvering the Green Devil Skateboard. Due to the extreme velocity, the roar of the wind was painfully distorting Ming Yanwei’s ears. She barely caught the sound of Zhang Heng’s voice, but before she could respond, a blast of cold air flooded her mouth. Simultaneously, visible projectiles zipped past her side. Genuinely terrified, the woman abandoned any pretense of maintaining distance, merely wrapping her arms tightly around Zhang Heng’s waist, unable to hold back any further.

Feeling the desperate grip of Ming Yanwei’s arms, Zhang Heng’s anxiety melted away, allowing him to focus entirely on the battle—or rather, the war—that was unfolding: one man against twenty thousand. Zhang Heng unleashed three more Energy Light Arrows. Since the Japanese soldiers below were not arrayed as densely as they were during the march, these subsequent attacks claimed fewer lives, and his personal energy reserves were struggling with such massive expenditure. (Previously, I used D-grade energy stones to fire the Energy Light Arrow; using a C-grade stone this time certainly increased the potency significantly, yet my internal reserves seem incapable of sustaining it... As expected, I am not suited for mass combat at this stage.) Regardless, after four wide-area Energy Light Arrows, Japanese casualties surpassed ten thousand. Furthermore, most of the army's heavy weaponry was destroyed. Beyond the Light Arrows, Zhang Heng had also fired standard Two-Point Burst Arrows specifically targeting heavy weapons and troop carriers. Consequently, while soldier casualties were just over fifty percent, the army’s heavy assets were almost entirely obliterated.

Though he reluctantly admitted it, the endurance of the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII was unparalleled. Brainwashed by the spirit of Bushido, over eighty percent of the soldiers had been wholly assimilated into the collective military mindset. Facing massive death tolls, they buried their fear deep within their hearts. During engagements, the majority exhibited a profound disregard for death and could overcome severe environmental disadvantages—Midway and Iwo Jima following naval defeats served as stark examples. Conversely, this almost pathological level of indoctrination, while fostering brave, fearless soldiers, simultaneously warped them into demons who specialized in, or even derived pleasure from, the slaughter of civilians. Such was the Japanese Army of WWII, paralleled by two other units on the European front and another soon to emerge on the Chinese mainland. However, one European unit and the future Chinese unit achieved their resilience and bravery through different means, managing to circumvent the cruelty and perversion inherent in the Japanese model. Yet, it was an unfortunate and unavoidable reality that during the Anti-Japanese War, China possessed no single force capable of matching the might of the Imperial Army; that future Chinese force had yet to materialize... Zhang Heng faced precisely such an army. With half their ranks fallen and heavy weapons and vehicles almost entirely ruined, this force refused to retreat in the slightest. They fired their rifles futilely skyward, while soldiers manning heavy and anti-aircraft machine guns relentlessly tracked the Green Devil Skateboard. Even as Energy Light Arrows rained down upon them, these soldiers merely shrieked in Japanese, firing maniacally, seemingly impervious to death. Only about one to two tenths of the troops began to flee, but they were swiftly cut down by nearby NCOs or comrades. The entire army had descended into sheer madness.

Although Zhang Heng could still deploy the Energy Light Arrow, his internal Elven energy could not sustain further depletion, and he was loath to waste more C-grade energy stones. Seeing the fanatical state of the Japanese soldiers below, he plunged the Green Devil Skateboard toward the ground, casually snatching an anti-aircraft machine gun. He then proceeded to unleash relentless fire upon the clustered troops. Soldiers caught without cover collapsed in entire rows under the sustained barrage. After emptying the machine gun's ammunition, Zhang Heng immediately steered toward another anti-aircraft gun emplacement...

“...That is the general situation.”

“A certain Japanese division headquarters sustained catastrophic losses from our forces. That division headquarters suffered over twenty thousand casualties; put simply, that Japanese division is completely erased. Furthermore, all reinforcements from the Japanese air force were annihilated, resulting in the destruction of approximately thirty enemy aircraft...” Chu Xuan stated calmly, holding a sliver of silver metal. “That is the summary. I trust this can be easily verified? After all, that division headquarters was utterly destroyed, and not far from the main front lines. Or perhaps, you have already received reports from the front confirming my account?” A long silence followed on the other end of the silver communicator. After a considerable pause, a male voice finally spoke: “Indeed, I received an urgent report from the front; the Japanese forces there unexpectedly retreated. However, concerning your claim of completely wiping out an entire Japanese division...”

“Disbelief? Or perhaps you simply cannot accept it?” Chu Xuan massaged his temples. He held the silver communicator in one hand and picked up a file with the other, speaking as he scanned the documents. “From a rational standpoint, or scientifically speaking, my account is an absurd lie that defies your logic. Yet, you have demonstrably received intelligence regarding the Japanese army’s withdrawal and the disappearance of a specific division headquarters. Isn't that absurd? That a single person from our side could annihilate an entire Japanese division? Then why are these continuous wars even happening? If China truly possessed immortals, flying swords, or legendary artifacts of such immense power, we could have annihilated the Japanese forces the moment they invaded—or even earlier, during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of the Yalu River, the Eight-Nation Alliance, the Opium Wars, or even further back to the Manchu entry, the rise of the Yuan Dynasty, or the Jin-Song Wars. If people like us existed, would China have suffered so many tragedies, so many humiliations?”

“Or perhaps, in your heart, you both hope this is true—that China can finally rise—and simultaneously wish it were false, because it’s impossible, and it implies we stood idly by. Is that correct, Chairman, Chiang Kai-shek, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek?”