The moment Ye Chen saw the Minotaur, his pupils constricted, and he immediately frowned. Pouring his energy into his eyes, he perceived wisps of malevolent aura emanating from the creature—the hallmark of a dark being!

"Energy materialized! This Minotaur dark creature possesses at least ten thousand units of power!" Ye Chen slowly clenched his fists, sensing the situation was worsening. A monster of ten thousand power levels didn't frighten him, but he was wary of its potential transformation into the Ghost God Realm!

When a Ghost God Realm expert enters the "Ghoul State," they are nearly impossible to kill without specialized weaponry! No matter how strong his punches or kicks, they couldn't scratch the creature's hide. Only by deploying a nuclear ** weapon, using the particle rays within the nuclear radiation, could one inflict heavy damage on a Ghost God Realm expert in the "Ghoul State!"

Thinking of this, Ye Chen quickly activated his communicator and spoke rapidly to Bai Long: "Go instruct Murong Xue to prepare the nuclear ** bomb. Clear the entire battlefield outside!"

Poof!

Bai Long, having just struck down a Cerberus beast, suddenly felt his communicator vibrate and paused in surprise. Only Ye Chen and a few others knew his communicator ID, but everyone was currently fighting on the battlefield. How could someone have the time to call?

Though confused, he swiftly answered. Soon, he heard Ye Chen's instructions, blinked in slight surprise, and then quickly replied, "Understood!" He shut off the communicator and rushed towards the entrance of the ruins. There, he saw Murong Xue, clad in a white T-shirt, standing by the ruin's edge. Her delicate features held a trace of resolve and authority, resembling a high-ranking military officer calmly directing the surviving army to retreat.

He didn't even ask Ye Chen why; he simply executed the order!

"A nuclear ** bomb?" Murong Xue paused upon hearing Bai Long's words, then instinctively glanced at Ye Chen atop the distant flaming palace. She frowned slightly. "If that happens, everyone else present who hasn't evacuated will be annihilated by the blast. This entire spatial zone will be rendered barren, and for the next year, we won't be able to cultivate any grain here..."

"Miss Murong!" Bai Long interrupted a girl's speech for the first time. His expression turned icy, yet he maintained a polite deference: "You must understand, this is the apocalypse! The weak have no right to survive! As a ruler, you must recognize reality!"

Murong Xue startled, then silently lowered her head. After a long moment, she whispered, "I understand."

Bai Long glanced at her, a smile returning to his face. He waved dismissively with a swaggering motion, his figure blurring as he turned and departed.

After he left, Murong Xue lifted her head, a resilient glint in her eyes. With a gesture, a middle-aged Heavenly General hurried over. Having witnessed Murong Xue’s terrifying strength previously, he held deep reverence for this young woman. Although her military knowledge and seniority surpassed his own, martial power was everything!

A powerhouse might not be suited to administration, but they could certainly be a leader!

Just like Ye Chen!

Though Ye Chen's leadership and management skills fell short of those who held General ranks in peacetime, or the administrative capabilities of military commanders, the Bright Base City could not function without him!

That was a leader! His very existence was an emblem! As for leadership talent or management techniques, those could be delegated to his subordinates. A famous figure in Britain once said it well: A boss might not excel in every specific role within his company compared to the department head, but his job is simply to manage those department heads!

Thus, the middle-aged general respectfully addressed Murong Xue: "Miss Little **? What are your orders?"

Murong Xue’s expression grew serious. "Go notify Alvi, as well as the personnel from the Science and Technology Department and the Military Department. Prepare to launch the nuclear ** weapon and raze the entire Huaxia Base City area to the ground!" Her voice held a faint, ingrained authority—a legacy absorbed from years under her father’s influence, now erupting in her most dazzling talent the moment she stepped out from under his protection. She was destined to become a future Ye Chen couldn't foresee.

The middle-aged man was startled. "Activate the nuclear ** weapon? What about everyone present if we do that?"

Murong Xue remained composed and steady. "Try to bring as many as possible into the ruins. If we truly cannot accommodate them, then... we must make sacrifices!" She paused slightly after saying "sacrifices," then emphasized the word with increased gravity.

The middle-aged man stole a glance at her, noticing an ineffable quality in her eyes. He grit his teeth. "Understood." He then turned and left.

As he turned and darted toward the ruin entrance, he looked down at the countless shadowy figures below, his eyes filled with complex emotion. He sighed inwardly, No wonder for others; they have only themselves to blame for being useless! Having attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in peacetime, the post-apocalypse had merged ranks and positions, making him a General. After all he had experienced, he deeply understood one truth: the return is proportional to the input! Complaining in the elimination phase without having put forth effort is pathetic and laughable!

Therefore, with conflicted feelings, he rushed into the ruin entrance. This single message he was relaying would seal the fate of millions of living souls!

Simultaneously, on his end, after sending the message to Bai Long, Ye Chen focused his mind, wholly controlling the Nine Palaces Guardian to slaughter the monsters. He trusted Bai Long’s efficiency implicitly! Even though the man was usually jovial, in critical moments, he was the most dependable person!

Suddenly—

Whoosh!

A rushing sound approached rapidly from the distance, powerful as a swirling gale. Ye Chen looked up, his pupils shrinking instantly. He saw the leading dark creatures marching forward while unleashing their respective attack techniques!

Streams of magma sparks, chilling ice javelins, and shadowy skeletons howled from afar, covering the sky, utterly terrifying. Each ice javelin was as large as a zhang (roughly 10 feet), equivalent to the length of two connected men, slamming down into the crowd gathered at the ruin entrance.

Ah! Boom! Boom!

Countless fire bursts, ice shards, and dark wind skeletons swept in like the end of the world, bringing catastrophic disaster to the dense crowd. Screams of agony and weeping filled the air; countless people wailed to the heavens, scrambling in all directions like humble ants struggling desperately.

Seeing this, veins pulsed on Ye Chen's forehead. He clenched his fists, turned, his blood-red hair flying wildly, his eyes blazing with murderous intent!

Whoosh!

An ice javelin hurtled towards the Nine Palaces formation where Ye Chen stood. Ye Chen lunged suddenly, soaring up to meet it, opening his arms to embrace the javelin. Planting his feet on empty space, he slid backward over a hundred zhang before slowly coming to a halt.

The javelin’s temperature was surely below a thousand degrees Celsius—incredibly frigid. Even Ye Chen’s physique felt a bone-deep chill, as if his entire body were frozen stiff. Fortunately, the material of his Black Feather Armor was excellent, incorporating an internal insulation layer and an energy conversion and diffusion system, preventing him from being instantly flash-frozen. Moreover, his gauntlets were equipped with the Blazing Fist design, inherently containing a core fire source point, granting extreme resistance to both heat and cold.

"Out!" Ye Chen’s eyes were cold as he exhaled sharply, channeling all his strength into his arms. His muscles trembled slightly as he hoisted the massive ice javelin. With an upward arc of his body, he hurled the javelin back!

Whoosh!

The javelin shot toward a Lava Beast. The creature roared, raised its fist, and smashed down, shattering the javelin into pieces. It then flicked its wrist, sending a glob of magma rock hurtling toward Ye Chen like a meteor!

"You seek death!" Ye Chen’s eyes flashed with intense killing intent. Instead of retreating, he charged headlong toward the oncoming magma! This sight caused many powerful figures watching from afar to cry out in alarm.

For any fire-elemental expert, no matter how strong their talent—be it elemental combustion or explosion—daring to rush forward to resist or absorb and refine that magma attack would be suicidal. This is because any attack carries inherent chaotic force, making true absorption difficult; otherwise, two elemental fighters of the same type battling would simply absorb each other's energy, wouldn't they?

But Ye Chen was different.

He charged forward rapidly, spreading his arms, a layer of Devouring Energy and Incinerating Energy coating his body while protecting his vital areas. He was instantly enveloped by the magma, merging into it.

"Devour!"

Ye Chen clenched his hand, and the Devouring Energy within him surged madly, instantly calming the chaotic aura within the magma. He then utilized his Incinerating Energy to quickly gain control of the molten rock, condensing it into a Fire Dragon that carried him, charging against the wind!

In reality, even without using his Devouring Energy, his Black Feather Armor, Exploding Battle Boots, and other equipment were enough to withstand the magma attack. After all, his entire set was Grade Five Gold-tier equipment, specially manufactured by the Fire Civilization, containing extremely high technological content. Even a small piece of fabric was fitted with numerous micro-systems, such as dust removal and temperature conversion. Furthermore, the Black Feather Armor, though appearing like ordinary fabric, was actually composed of special metal, soft as silk—truly miraculous!

The distant onlookers watched Ye Chen forcefully convert the magma into his own mount for attack, left bewildered. They had never heard of such a bizarre feat—to absorb, refine, and utilize an opponent’s attack!

Just then—

Swish swish...

Numerous Lava Beasts and Ice Crystal Monsters rushed forward, peppering the path with ice javelins and magma. The Minotaur surveyed the battlefield. Seeing Ye Chen successfully absorb the magma, his brow twitched, and he sneered coldly: "He has some nerve! Lava Beast Q-Number, go and blow him up!"

A Lava Beast answered the command and charged toward Ye Chen. Before it even engaged, its body began to swell, entering a self-destruct sequence!

Ye Chen was startled. Whether threatened by death or for some other reason, intense murderous rage flared in his eyes. He clenched his fists, took one step, and the entire world seemed to quiet down. A ferocious, violent aura surged boundlessly from within him, earth-shattering. Only a cold voice, laden with killing intent, emerged word by word through his gritted teeth: "Who... permitted you to self-destruct!"