This was the day the Earth ended its era of nuclear deterrence and stepped into the age of black holes. This was also the day the Indian 'Bull Nation,' which had long been eyeing the snow-covered plateau of Tibet, awoke from its fanciful dreams. A single Black Hole Bomb sent over ninety percent of the Bull Nation’s high officials straight to hell, completely shattering their regime. The country, already chaotic, descended into utter ruin. Those turtles who dared to dream of realizing the McMahon Line certainly deserved their fate.

The Americans and Russians, who had always been suspicious of the Black Hole Bomb, were now completely convinced by the data previously released by the Great Dragon Nation: the Black Hole Bomb was a controllable, high-yield weapon. It could indeed negate nuclear explosions, and its arrival shattered the balance of nuclear monopoly deterrence. Whoever possessed the Black Hole Bomb now held the world; nuclear weapons had become obsolete, no longer affording any nation a sense of security.

However, what puzzled the US and Russia even more was this: wasn't the Black Hole Bomb first announced by the Great Dragon Nation? Why, then, did it appear in the hands of Taihao?

As intelligence agencies quickly intervened, the news was finally dug up: a young general had led his army, taking the Black Hole Bombs and their technical data, in a rebellion against the Great Dragon Nation to establish Taihao. At this point, the Japanese also understood why Taihao had targeted Tokyo for bombing; they were originally people of the Great Dragon Nation, and it was inevitable they would disapprove of Japan's daily worship of dead war criminals.

Due to their fear of the Black Hole Bomb, the international community held no favorable impression of Taihao, yet no one dared to speak ill of him—wouldn't that be inviting self-immolation? Nevertheless, the International Anti-Black Hole Bomb Organization sprang up overnight. The organization pleaded for Taihao to exercise restraint and not misuse the Black Hole Bomb, pointing out that fifteen million innocent lives had already been lost to it, and the demonstration of power should surely end there.

I felt a pang of regret for the heavy casualties caused by just two Black Hole Bombs, but Yi Xiaorou was right: war allows no room for sentimentality. The victors' hands will always be stained with blood. Throughout the history of Earth's evolution, across the several civilizations that have appeared, eliminating casualties in every war has been an impossibility! Once both sides engage, there are absolutely no truly innocent parties. If there were, Japan would not have inflicted the Nanjing Massacre of 300,000 people back then. The Bull Nation thought itself formidable with its aircraft carriers and nuclear arsenal, repeatedly disregarding the Great Dragon Nation government’s protests regarding the Southern Tibet issue. This time, they received their lesson!

However, I had no intention of winning the entire war using Black Hole Bombs. Thus, I seized the opportunity to issue a proclamation: as long as the opposing side did not use nuclear weapons first, Taihao would absolutely refrain from deploying the Black Hole Bomb, to prevent further civilian casualties.

Following this commitment, the United States and Russia both immediately took significant steps to downsize their nuclear arsenals. Both nations possessed nearly twenty thousand nuclear warheads; maintaining them was extremely costly. Now that nuclear weapons had become a liability, why keep them? It was better to save the money and focus on developing their own Black Hole Bombs, which was the real priority.

The Japanese government secretly congratulated itself for not wasting too much time and money on nuclear weapon manufacturing. Since Taihao promised not to use the Black Hole Bomb first, surrender was absolutely out of the question for Japan, given its current strength!

Tomorrow was the appointed day for bombing Tokyo. After waking up that morning, Zhu Da, Cai Bao’er, and I went to Haishén City to check on the construction progress. In two days, we would all move into our new residence on the beach behind the Sun Palace. Originally, according to Long Nü's wishes, we should have lived in the Sun Palace temple, but we were all accustomed to apartment living; staying in such a vast palace might keep us awake at night. Therefore, a large complex of residential buildings was constructed on the beach behind the Sun Palace—a small nod to the homeland of the Great Dragon Nation.

Cai Bao’er grinned mischievously at me, "Brother-in-law, my sister has been very happy lately. You haven't neglected her at night, have you? When can I expect to become an uncle?"

I gave Cai Bao’er a light kick. "You're too young to meddle in adult matters. By the way, how is the control over the Japanese Yakuza progressing?"

Zhu Da replied, "Progress is average. The fall of the Sankō-gumi plunged Japan into massive internal chaos. Coupled with the announcement of the Tokyo bombing two days ago, our people have found it impossible to enter various Japanese cities. However, now that Taihao is operating openly, I suppose controlling gangs is no longer the primary method for controlling a nation. During wartime, there’s no need to bother with such schemes."

I nodded. "You make a good point. Do you have any free time?"

The two looked surprised. "For what?"

"We're going to Tokyo to take a look, maybe snap a few pictures for posterity, just in case there's nothing left to see after tomorrow."

Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er were overjoyed. "Great! We were just wondering what to do today. Let's go, we've never been there before."

The three of us flew straight to Tokyo, Japan, in the Divine Dragon Automobile, though we reverted to normal driving speed before entering the city limits to avoid terrifying the Japanese populace. Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er were most interested in Tokyo's red-light districts; the two had even planned to see how pink films were made. But current Tokyo was in utter disarray, making that wish impossible to fulfill. They could only stroll around the main streets for a bit.

The Japanese certainly didn't take Taihao's bombing warning as a joke; preparations on all fronts were quite thorough. If our means of transport hadn't been so formidable, we might not have passed through the numerous anti-air blockade lines so easily.

Along the way, we saw no Great Dragon Nation people, nor any Americans or other foreign races. It seemed they had all heeded Taihao's warning and evacuated Tokyo early. The Japanese, however, stubbornly clung to the city. As we gradually entered the bustling urban area, we encountered groups of Japanese citizens marching and protesting their government's failure to declare war on Taihao.

Zhu Da said while driving, "There’s no need to deploy the Earth-class underwater fortresses to bomb Tokyo. The Japanese won't awaken from their militaristic delusion. Just take care of them with one Black Hole Bomb."

I replied, "We must keep our word. How can we go back on the promise not to use the Black Hole Bomb first? Doing so would cause the nations under our protection to lose trust in us. Besides, there's no need to use a Black Hole Bomb on those little Japs; that would let them die too easily. The battle with the Bull Nation has sufficiently demonstrated the power of the Black Hole Bomb. The future world will be an era of Black Hole Bomb deterrence; there might not be many opportunities for actual combat use."

Cai Bao’er reminded us, "Look, the protesters are mostly heading in one direction. Let's go see what's over there."

Zhu Da expertly maneuvered the car through traffic until we stopped before a building that looked strangely archaic. Since none of us could read Japanese, we didn't know what it was, but the Japanese citizens were shouting and yelling by the entrance, some even prostrating themselves in deep bows before entering.

Zhu Da asked curiously, "What kind of place is this? Let’s get out and look. Maybe the Japanese worship gods too? Are they praying for protection tomorrow?"

Before the three of us could move toward the entrance, a detachment of aging Japanese veterans rushed out, wearing old uniforms from the WWII era. They stood in formation, shouting slogans. Cai Bao’er remarked, "What does that mean? I can't understand a thing."

Unexpectedly, a Great Dragon Nation reporter was nearby. Hearing us speak in Mandarin, he struck up a conversation. "You don't know where this is?"

Frankly, none of us were very familiar with Japan, and this was our first time in Tokyo. The reporter explained, "This is Japan's Yasukuni Shrines. They house the spirits the Japanese consider war heroes. During WWII, this was where the Kamikaze departure ceremonies were held. These old soldiers are shouting militaristic slogans to recall the high tide of wartime fervor back then."

So this was the infamous Yasukuni Shrines. Unknowingly, the three of us had stumbled upon this notorious place. I quickly recorded the coordinates; this place must be a priority target for tomorrow's strike.

On either side of the main gate of the Yasukuni Shrines were relief sculptures on memorial tablets. One depicted the Sino-Japanese naval battle of Jiawu; the other showed the Japanese invasion of Shanghai during the War of Resistance Against Japan. Both reliefs overtly glorified the 'bravery' of the Japanese military at those times—an undeniable whitewashing of their history of aggression. The three of us grew increasingly enraged, especially when we heard strange demonic yelps coming from inside the shrine. Whatever they were doing, it certainly wasn't good.

Zhu Da asked Cai Bao’er, "Do you need to use the restroom?"

Cai Bao’er shook his head. "I relieved myself before we left, and again this morning. I'm fine."

I said, "I do. Let's go into the restroom and take care of business."

Zhu Da burst out laughing. "Commander Zhao always understands me. Let's go!"

Cai Bao’er finally caught on to Zhu Da's meaning and hurried after us. "Wait for me! Wait for me! I suddenly feel the urge too!"

I turned to the Great Dragon Nation reporter. "You need to leave Tokyo immediately. This place will be reduced to ruins by tomorrow morning. I don't want you to lose your life here innocently."

The reporter seemed to recall something. "You, you, you look very familiar. Could you be Zhao Qian of the Great Dragon Nation?"

I didn't answer the reporter's question but followed Zhu Da and Cai Bao’er into the Yasukuni Shrines. This place, which should have been solemn, was today a complete mess. But no matter how much the living caused a commotion, the dead sat in their places with impassive faces—all sporting handlebar mustaches, looking as if they deserved a beating.

Zhu Da mused, "I don't understand why every Japanese Prime Minister, despite opposition from so many Asian countries, comes here to worship these dead people. Aren't they just asking for trouble? Does worshipping them really make them invincible? Does it guarantee career success? I think the essence of the Japanese character is just 'cheapness'!"

I replied, "Actually, it’s none of our business whom they worship, but some of these dead people are incredibly detestable. If someone in our Great Dragon Nation constantly worshipped Qin Hui, they'd be cursed and probably beaten up. Consider those fellows who launched the war of aggression against us; having them enshrined for worship here is a direct insult to us, wouldn't you say?"

Cai Bao’er suddenly jumped onto the altar, ripped down the memorial tablets of Hideki Tojo, Koki Hirota, and others, and threw them onto the floor. His action naturally drew the attention of the Japanese inside the shrine. Soon, a large crowd of Japanese surrounded us. They recognized us as speaking Chinese, so they showed no restraint and attacked the three of us.

The Japanese vastly underestimated our abilities. Our previous expedition had provided us with excellent practice. Wiping out a few hundred thousand people in one go wasn't a big deal. In a short time, the Japanese inside the shrine were cleared out by the three of us. Looking at the bleeding and broken bodies of the Japanese outside, Zhu Da swore, "Damn it, worshiping a chicken's head! If they had that much time, they should shoot more adult films."

Cai Bao’er pulled down his pants and began to urinate on the tablets on the floor. "Hey bosses, we’re in the restroom, what are we waiting for? Do you expect some MM to personally help you unzip?"

Zhu Da responded, "I was thinking of taking a dump for them to sample, but I’m worried I won’t be able to in this environment. A quick piss will have to do."

The three of us each relieved ourselves and then left quickly before the police arrived. Let the little devils worship. Every Chinese person would want to defecate here. Tomorrow, this shrine would vanish from the Earth. See what the next Japanese prime minister will have to worship then. Then again, soon there won't even be a name like 'Japan' left, so perhaps my worry is unnecessary.