Hass wheeled around and slapped one of the men across the face. "I tasked you with guarding the starship, and look at the mess you've made! Someone stole something, and you dared to hide it for this long? If I hadn't come to inspect today, you probably would have let your guilt keep you from reporting it, wouldn't you?"

No one dared to reply. Hass jabbed a finger into the man's forehead. "Do you have any idea what would happen if those things exploded? It would destroy our ship, and it would destroy the Earth beneath our feet!"

Someone standing nearby tried to soothe Hass in a low voice. "Ship Master, you shouldn't worry too much. We've already sent extra personnel to search for the missing nuclear warheads. Besides, the detonation codes are still in our hands; those thieves can't use the nukes even if they stole them."

When the Dragon Girl translated what she heard, I jumped in shock and yanked her away from the cave entrance. "Listen carefully! Are they really talking about missing nuclear bombs?"

The Dragon Girl nodded. "Yes, I heard it very clearly. That's exactly what they said."

It seems our worst fears have come true—it must be Kang Hui! I guess we need to start mobilizing people to evacuate the metropolis; the shadow of death is drawing nearer. I recall that the Kang Hui family also possesses starships, and their vessels would certainly be armed with weapons like nuclear bombs. He couldn't possibly be ignorant about the need for detonation codes for those weapons. Since he knew the situation, his decision to steal the nukes means he has a way to bypass those security restrictions!

"How many nuclear bombs are on one starship?" I asked the Dragon Girl.

The Dragon Girl replied, "There should be no fewer than ten. The exact number is unknown, but our Dragon Family starship carries thirteen."

Knowing that anything I did now would be futile, I said, "Let's keep listening to see how Hass handles this."

Hass stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Let's hope you are right, or we are all doomed!"

"No way?" another person questioned. "That ancient weapon is actually that powerful? I couldn't tell."

Hass didn't even spare that man a glance, merely dismissing him with a casual remark. "What do you know? I heard the Old Ship Master describe the detonation of a nuclear bomb—it's pure, human-made hell. I fear a single nuclear bomb in all of Yanshan could send us all to the heavens. It seems everyone possessed these weapons, which is why we kept a cautious peace. Now, our nukes are gone, but others still hold this means of mass murder. I fear if push comes to shove, we won't have a choice but to comply with their demands."

Silence descended below. I hadn't expected that scouting Yanshan at night would unearth such news—it was even more shocking than seeing Kang Hui commit murder in the city. After a pause, I pulled the Dragon Girl close and whispered, "Let's go back. Since it's already happened, we just need to be careful and vigilant from now on. It would be best if we could persuade everyone to disperse from the dense city, because that kind of weapon is most effective against highly concentrated populations and structures; it loses its punch when people and buildings are spread out."

The Dragon Girl nodded. "I will discuss it with my brother when I return."

The next morning, the Dragon Girl went to ask Hass for a saucer to return to Dragon Mountain, but she was stopped at the door. A retainer, whom we had seen on the roof the night before, said, "The Ship Master is feeling unwell and is resting. Princess, please forgive us."

So, we didn't see Hass the entire day. When we tried to see him again the next day, we were told Hass had gone to inspect the starships and would not return for several days. He left a message asking us to rest well here and apologized to the Princess upon his return.

"We can't wait!" everyone gathered again that night to discuss. The Dragon Girl said firmly, "We can't wait!"

Elena agreed. "I agree too, but Hass is intentionally avoiding us. We can't even ask to borrow a saucer now. Are we supposed to walk back to Dragon Mountain?"

The Dragon Girl replied, "Walking isn't a big deal. If we could walk here, why can't we walk back? Since Hass has decided not to help, we don't need to beg him anymore. But I think one day he will come begging us. I don't believe he'll have smooth sailing all the way."

Although I wanted to return to Dragon Mountain sooner, I also wished to learn more about this world. So, I said, "Princess, please give the order. If you say go, we'll leave immediately."

The Dragon Girl commanded, "Let's go! We depart tomorrow. We still have six riders assisting us, so the journey won't be too strenuous even if we have to hurry. Everyone divide up and make preparations, mainly food and water. The route back to Dragon Mountain crosses a long stretch of uninhabited territory where acquiring provisions won't be easy."

No sooner said than done. The next morning, we informed the person who brought our meals, ignored his attempts to keep us, and left Yanshan City directly. The journey was smooth, and we quickly returned to the city. That evening, while resting in the city, I sent Xiao Ke out to gather intelligence. It turned out Hass had sent new personnel to take over the city. But that had nothing to do with us; stubborn Hass would eventually suffer a great loss.

We bypassed Kang Hui's giant insect base and set off on the journey back to Dragon Mountain. It was truly thanks to the help of the Centaur brothers; otherwise, these women would have had a terrible time. With horses to ride, the journey turned into a sightseeing trip. Although we encountered rebel forces trying to rob our convoy several times along the way, we repelled them all.

As we traveled, I observed the configuration of the Earth from six thousand years ago. It largely matched the overall outline of six thousand years later. After several days of observation, I confirmed that we were walking across the T Desert. Of course, there was no secret base with small raindrops beneath the T Desert at this time; six thousand years ago, the T Desert was shaded by green trees and lush with flora.

Judging by our direction of travel, I determined Dragon Mountain must be near the Yellow River basin. When I teleported, the original destination was the Yellow River basin, but the result was appearing near the modern Siberian Plain. Why such a large deviation? It was likely due to the different orbital path of the Earth six thousand years ago, causing a confusion of latitude and longitude that resulted in the teleportation error.

Along the way, we gathered several more tribes willing to join us in fighting the rebels. This meant we had to assign personnel to manage and assist them. After all, given the capabilities of these primitive people, if we didn't send assistance to help them develop, they would likely have no chance of fighting the rebels at all.

Consequently, by the time we reached the vicinity of the modern Jade Gate Pass, apart from Elena and the Dragon Girl, the Centaur team was reduced to just Xiao Xi, who had lost limbs. I felt quite proud of my method of igniting the "fire seed" within them. Six thousand years in the future, I conquer the world with absolute advantage; six thousand years in the past, I am using the countryside to surround the city, the weak fighting the strong. Who dares say I lack leadership talent? This time, I will definitely pull off something big to show him. Of course, these strategies and techniques are learned from others—learning from others and supplementing one's weaknesses is precisely the strength of humanity.

"There’s a lake up ahead!" Elena shouted excitedly.

The Dragon Girl looked longingly. "I really want to take a bath too, but I'm afraid of infection."

Elena retorted, "Yeah, you wear that protective suit all day; it must be stifling. I don't care. Zhao Qian, help me carry me down to bathe. If you don't, you'll be the only one who loses out!"

Watching Elena dash into the lake water, I quickly arranged for the Centaurs to rest below a small hill slope. Due to the incline, they couldn't see what was happening by the lake. Meanwhile, I led the Dragon Girl to watch Elena emerge from her bath.