Chu Xuan examined the three Buddha statue fragments on the table while speaking to the silver metal chip. These three fragments had been acquired from the two major political factions domestically. Thanks to the success of the alliance, coupled with the strength displayed by Zhang Heng and Wang Xia in the battles against Japan in Shanghai, they had finally, through a mixture of persuasion and coercion, forced these two factions to hand over the pieces. Of course, Chu Xuan had also paid a necessary price, such as granting each faction other weapon technology to compensate for the void-floating technology, before finally retrieving the Buddha fragments. On the other side of the silver chip was Wang Xia, currently piloting the Green Goblin glider high above the ocean. His current mission was to intercept the American Pacific Fleet, which was rapidly approaching American territorial waters.

This intelligence, obtained only yesterday from the Kuomintang, revealed that the KMT government had already handed over one Buddha fragment to the United States prior to this. In exchange, they were set to receive substantial war loans, and a large shipment of wartime firearms would be transported into China via Burma to support the KMT government's direct confrontation with Japan—a clear instance of Buddha-diplomacy. Wang Xia suddenly asked with curiosity through the metal chip, "By the way, Chu Xuan, didn't you send Cheng Xiao as an envoy to the Northeast? You can try to negotiate, or even threaten, a country like Japan, so why be so decisive against the United States, who is currently our ally? And what exactly is America’s hidden agenda? After all, the current United States is allied with us against the Axis powers.

To wipe out the entire Pacific Fleet without a word—won't that be too extreme?" "They are not allied with us against the Axis powers," Chu Xuan mused before replying, "Wang Xia, you still haven't managed to shift your perspective. I've reminded you several times: this world is not our world. It is a world closely resembling the modern history of the real world. Therefore, injecting too much personal sentiment into your judgment is extremely foolish. In my eyes, the Japan, America, and even the China of this world are merely different names and roles being played. As for why I chose to negotiate with Japan for the Buddha fragments while directly annihilating the American Pacific Fleet, there are two reasons.

First, I have not yet confirmed how many Buddha fragments Japan possesses, and if they do have them, where those pieces are hidden. Second, compared to Japan, the United States poses a far greater threat to my upcoming plans." "A greater threat to your upcoming plans? What plans are those?" Wang Xia grew even more puzzled. He continued to inquire, "I can understand the first reason. After all, I need to know the location of the fragments before striking; otherwise, accidentally destroying a fragment along with the fleet would be disastrous. But what about the second reason?

What is your next plan?" Chu Xuan showed no sign of impatience, maintaining his usual calm tone: "My plan to turn China into our weapon equipment and logistics base. Compared to Japan, which is certain to lose, America poses a greater threat to this plan. According to the historical trajectory we know, America requires a backward and underdeveloped China to suit its national interests. Of course, China must not be occupied by Japan or any other nation—that is why they are providing aid. Since this country stands to benefit the most from the Second World War and will certainly suppress the logistics base I choose in the future, why not defeat them from the very beginning?" Wang Xia was stunned for a long moment before urgently exclaiming, "But America and China are allies right now! If you do this, won't you put China in an impossible predicament?

No, a desperate situation. In other words, you are completely offending both the Allied and Axis powers. Never mind post-war power distribution; we won't even be able to solve the current war against Japan, and China will truly be..." Chu Xuan sighed, saying, "I've reminded you many times that this world is not the world we came from. Why should we adhere to the original historical process? Moreover, you still haven't corrected a persistent misconception: our strength is more than one level above the strength of this world. For instance, in the past, would you have ever considered single-handedly wiping out the entire American Pacific Fleet?

Similarly, my objective is simple: a stable and prosperous logistics base. Therefore, I don't care what happens to this world. If America obstructs this objective, I will destroy America. If Japan obstructs this objective, I will destroy Japan. If the entire world stands in the way of this objective, I won't hesitate to create massive numbers of micro-nuclear bombs to destroy the whole world. Do you understand?

Don't overthink things. When you possess sufficient power, you can disregard everything and focus solely on overcoming complexity with sheer force." "I more or less understand this matter, but there is another thing..." Wang Xia nodded, continuing with a puzzled look, "Although you constantly refer to us as 'hot-blooded youths'… it seems your own actions are even more... hot-blooded than ours, aren't they?" Chu Xuan gave a cold laugh: "The wisdom of mortals... What people refer to as 'hot-blooded youth' isn't judged by their actions, but by their words. Do you understand? If I can deliver on my promises—destroying whomever I say I will—then I am not a hot-blooded youth.

Only those who cannot follow through and only boast about what they will do are the so-called hot-blooded youths. That is the difference... That's all. Your mission must be completed: infiltrate the American Pacific Fleet, find the Buddha fragment. I don't care what method you use—use the control device I gave you, or forcibly destroy the entire fleet. Regardless, I want to see that Buddha fragment by this time tomorrow!" Wang Xia quietly acknowledged this, then shut off the silver metal chip.

Only after Wang Xia had ended the communication did Chu Xuan pick up the three Buddha fragments from the table. Curiously, these three pieces did not possess the simple antiquity of the Buddha head; on the contrary, these fragments looked far more dazzling and eye-catching. Their material seemed neither metal nor wood, and countless runes were engraved upon their surfaces. These runes exhibited a peculiar pale gold hue, subtly flickering on their exterior as if they were flowing water. No wonder the warlords and foreign organizations had only taken the other Buddha parts and left the head; just looking at their appearance was enough to show that these items were extraordinary. Chu Xuan then closely examined the connection points of the fragments.

They didn't look like they had been cut by any tool or forcefully torn apart. Instead, they resembled the interlocking gears of certain mechanisms. In other words, the Buddha statue might have always been composed of several connected parts. Even if these national forces hadn't fought over the fragments, the statue would still have been divided into several pieces; perhaps it was predetermined from the very beginning that the statue would be disassembled. (...If the division of the Buddha statue wasn't the doing of the Western Sages, then where exactly did they plant their contingency? Could it be that they significantly boosted the strength of the Primordial God 'Hao Yi'?

That's possible, but the probability is extremely low. After all, the Eastern Sages have always been monitoring them, and they surely would not stand idly by if the plan involved inevitable death and fundamental alteration. Therefore, besides ensuring our demise, the second thing the Western Sages desire most is...) As he pondered, Chu Xuan gently stroked the fragments with his hand. With this realization, he quietly raised his glasses, set the fragments down, and then walked back toward the mountain of endless intelligence files. (...If that is the case, then the Eastern Sages and the Eastern cultivators are not as harmonious as the documents suggest; both sides harbor hidden motives... Alas, this side plot might ultimately be fruitless.

If the Western Sages truly buried their contingency in that specific location, those infinitely valuable cultivation techniques, or the records of immense potential, might all be unobtainable... I really want to kill those Sages...) Chu Xuan was fundamentally a man devoid of feeling or emotion, with only one exception: the exploration of the unknown. Whether it was unknown knowledge or unknown profundities, all of it plunged Chu Xuan into an inexplicable fervor. For instance, at this moment, the thought of killing those Sages actually arose in his mind... If the other members of the Zhongzhou team knew, they would probably be more terrified than merely surprised... If there was anything the members of the Zhongzhou team feared most, besides the unknown, it was being the focus of Chu Xuan's attention...

In fact, the two concepts should be kindred spirits; both are equally terrifying... "Pfft!" Cheng Xiao, flying on the Green Goblin glider, suddenly sneezed. He immediately looked around. Zhang Heng, flying about ten meters away, loudly asked, "Cheng Xiao, are you sick? With your physical conditioning, can you still catch a cold or feel the chill?" "No, this isn't a normal chill," Cheng Xiao quickly denied it. "This full-body numbness, the pineal gland in my forehead throbbing incessantly, and my spine vibrating down to the coccyx—yes, this feeling...

there's a high probability that Chu Xuan is thinking about me!" Zhang Heng was momentarily stunned. After a while, he let out a soft, exasperated laugh. After chuckling a few times, Zhang Heng said seriously, "Setting aside whether your feeling is accurate, I'd like to ask: what is Chu Xuan thinking about you? Did you do something recently that earned his hatred? If not, you are obediently here in the Northeast now—does he still want you to do something?" Cheng Xiao shook his head exaggeratedly while saying, "It's not that simple. My sharp intuition certainly isn't wrong!

This matter must be related to Chu Xuan..." Seeing that Cheng Xiao was about to ramble on, Zhang Heng quickly changed the subject: "We've reached the Northeast... Cheng Xiao, according to what we discussed earlier, you go meet with the Japanese military command. I will remain on standby within a hundred miles of you. Contact me via the silver chip immediately if anything happens... Relax! I will definitely ensure your safety, absolutely!" He jumped to...