The nuclear strikes previously launched against Liu Hui's starship had resulted in successive space detonations, causing failures in Earth's electromagnetic communications and rendering most satellites inoperable.

However, a small contingent of satellites had implemented precautionary measures before the nuclear blasts. Following the explosions, these satellites continued to relay the latest intelligence to members of the New International Alliance, thus preventing them from being rendered completely blind and deaf.

But now, under the assault of the "Starlight City's" laser weaponry, every satellite in space had been annihilated, severing the connections between these nations.

The spiritual fluctuation communication network of "Starlight City" had also briefly failed during the nuclear explosions, though it was quickly restored. After initiating the plan to strike all global satellites, the spiritual fluctuation communications for the New International Alliance member states were also cut off, rendering their use of spiritual mobile phones domestically impossible.

"What is happening? Why is our communication down? Even the spiritual phones aren't working? And did the missiles we launched actually hit the target?" said the newly elected President in the White House, USA.

"Mr. President, the interruption in our communications is likely due to the electromagnetic screen following the nuclear detonations. However, we are urgently working to repair the communications system and expect a swift restoration. At that point, we will know the outcome of the attack. As for the spiritual phones, that is certainly because 'Starlight City' has shut us out; we have already declared war, so this is unavoidable."

Thus, the American President waited anxiously for communications to resume, but he soon heard terrible news.

"Mr. President, we have lost contact with all of our satellites. Our radio communications cannot be restored."

"What? Didn't those preemptively prepared satellites survive the nuclear blasts? Why can't you contact them? And what about our hidden spy satellites—are they unreachable too?" the President demanded loudly.

"Mr. President, I believe this is the situation."

It wasn't just in the United States; similar conversations were unfolding in the offices of heads of state across the globe. Their sole topic was the complete loss of contact with every single one of their satellites. They could no longer communicate by radio; in other words, they had lost their eyes in space and were utterly blinded.

On "Starlight City," a control operator reported, "Boss, all incoming missiles have been shot down. The warheads on all these missiles were processed through the matter converter's high-power conversion, so no nuclear explosions occurred."

Another operator stated, "Boss, all satellites in space, including the International Space Station, have also been destroyed by us."

Liu Hui nodded in satisfaction and said, "Excellent, you have done very well. I will be giving a televised address in half an hour. Go immediately and issue the announcement; I want the entire world to know the content of my speech."

Half an hour later, Liu Hui appeared on the live screen of Starlight Television. Due to the prior announcement, and because television programming in other countries had ceased entirely due to the destruction of their relay satellites, Starlight Television's signal was transmitting normally. Consequently, nearly everyone on Earth was focused on Liu Hui's address at this time.

Ordinary people, unaware of the true events, were intensely curious about what Liu Hui intended to say. Those harboring ulterior motives, however, were shocked the moment they saw Liu Hui on screen. They immediately realized their plans had failed; Liu Hui was still alive, meaning "Starlight City" would not descend into chaos. Fear began to grip them.

Liu Hui stood before the television camera, appearing profoundly sorrowful. He spoke slowly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Liu Hui of 'Starlight City,' and I am delivering this televised address now."

The entire world fell silent, listening to Liu Hui's speech.

Liu Hui continued, "This year, 'Starlight City' commenced the second phase of our Mars colonization project, which was set to see two million people immigrate to Mars—a matter that should bring great joy. Yet, today, I stand before you filled with sorrow. Because five hours ago, as I traveled back to Earth from Mars aboard an interstellar vessel, I was suddenly attacked in space by one hundred and twenty missiles, carrying a total of three hundred and sixty nuclear warheads. The combined explosive yield of these warheads exceeded three billion tons of TNT."

The uninformed masses erupted in an uproar, stunned by the ferocity of the attack Liu Hui had endured. Those in the know, however, felt their hopes turn to dust, astonished that Liu Hui had survived such an explosion.

Liu Hui went on, "In this sudden assault targeting me, I lost my beloved wife, her name was Hu Xian'er. And just forty minutes ago, 'Starlight City' itself came under attack by more than five hundred missiles."

Liu Hui paused, regaining control of his emotions, and said, "Our organization, 'Starlight City,' loves peace. We strive to advance our economy and technological levels, contributing our strength to human progress, and even spearheading the era of human space migration, expanding the habitable space for mankind. Having made such immense contributions to humanity, why must some persistently treat us as enemies and target us at every turn? Does humanity truly possess an inherent flaw that prevents peaceful coexistence?"

Liu Hui’s gaze sharpened as he declared, "The organization that attacked us, I believe everyone already knows, is the newly formed New International Alliance. They first launched a nuclear strike against me, then declared war on 'Starlight City,' and dispatched powerful military forces to attack us. Furthermore, within their own territories, they have seized all of 'Starlight City's' assets and detained our personnel. From their actions, it is clear that this New International Alliance is unequivocally an evil organization."

"Here, I have only one statement: Member nations of the New International Alliance, you have made the wrong choice. You have committed an unforgivable sin, and you will pay a terrible price for your actions. New International Alliance, since you have stepped forward to declare war and launch a nuclear attack against me, 'Starlight City' accepts your declaration. We will see this through to the end; we are determined to eliminate you completely. Therefore, in striking back at the missiles you launched against us, we not only shot down every one of them but also destroyed every satellite on Earth, including your International Space Station."

As Liu Hui finished speaking, a wave of shock swept across the globe. This was not only because they finally understood the reason behind the New International Alliance’s declaration of war against "Starlight City," but also because "Starlight City" had managed to destroy over five hundred incoming missiles simultaneously, and because of the resolute stance "Starlight City" projected. From Liu Hui’s words, they detected his fury and his unwavering determination to fight to the death. The heads of state who had followed the Dragon Slaying Society’s lead in attacking "Starlight City" now began to secretly regret their decisions.

Liu Hui continued, "On behalf of 'Starlight City,' I hereby declare war on every nation in the New International Alliance that participated in the attack on 'Starlight City.' This conflict between us will be a fight to the death—no surrender, no prisoners—until one side is completely annihilated. There is absolutely no other path. You will use the future of your nations and the blood of your people to wash clean the crimes you have committed. I will drag you all down to hell to mourn my beloved wife. You will discover that 'Starlight City' is not a power you can afford to provoke."

After delivering this hardline declaration of war to all nations in the New International Alliance on television, Liu Hui concluded the address. He paid no mind to the shock his declaration sent reverberating across the world, for the pain of losing Hu Xian'er had caused Liu Hui to cast aside all reservations. He swore to send those who killed Hu Xian'er to hell, even if it meant destroying the entire world.

The citizens of "Starlight City," having learned from the live broadcast that their Boss had been attacked and that the Boss’s wife, Hu Xian'er, had perished, were filled with outrage. Upon hearing Liu Hui declare war on all nations of the New International Alliance, they became fervently agitated. They began pouring out of their homes, marching through "Starlight City" and the Mars settlement, carrying banners supporting their Boss’s declaration of war against the New International Alliance.

Some passionate young people gathered before the Starlight City Hall, submitting petitions demanding to join the operational forces of "Starlight City" to avenge their Boss and his wife. The cohesion Liu Hui had cultivated in "Starlight City" over the years had finally borne fruit. At this moment, Liu Hui was not fighting alone; standing behind him were seven million citizens of Starlight.

The Starlight City Hall received these petitions from the young people and immediately escalated the reports. However, they soon received new instructions from Liu Hui: he told them to comfort these young citizens, stating that "Starlight City's" current strength was more than sufficient and they did not need these passionate youths on the front lines. If the coming war required them, Liu Hui would issue a conscription order. Reassured by Liu Hui’s promise, the young people slowly dispersed. Yet, in their hearts, they had made a vow: the moment Liu Hui needed them, they would be ready to fight, vowing to defend "Starlight City" with their lives, and to defend their Boss with their lives.

Indeed, at this juncture, "Starlight City" possessed the sufficient power to defeat these nations that seemed overwhelmingly strong. The nature of warfare had entirely moved beyond tactics relying on sheer numbers; victory no longer depended on population size but on technological superiority. As long as one’s technology was advanced enough, even a small force, relying on powerful technological equipment, could defeat the entire world.

In the Command and Control Center, Liu Hui stared at the massive screen displaying intelligence data on both friend and foe positions.

"Boss, this is the location of the New International Alliance's combined fleet. Due to regional separation, the Alliance's combined fleet has split into two parts. One part is the Pacific Rim Combined Fleet, primarily composed of the US Pacific Fleet. Russia has contributed its sole aircraft carrier to this fleet, and South Korea, Australia, and Canada have also committed all their naval assets to the Pacific Rim Combined Fleet structure. They are currently located six hundred kilometers northeast of 'Starlight City,' advancing toward us."

"The European Combined Fleet, formed by European and Southeast Asian nations, is currently positioned in the Indian Ocean, moving toward the location of the Pacific Rim Fleet. However, they are still a significant distance from the Pacific Rim Fleet," the intelligence officer explained.

Liu Hui asked, "Are these two combined fleets still in communication with the outside world?"

The intelligence officer replied, "Boss, since their satellites were destroyed, contact between these two fleets and the outside world has been severed. We have also jammed spiritual fluctuations and television signals in those two regions, so they are completely unable to communicate externally and are unaware that we have declared war on them. If they wish to communicate externally, they would have to resort to old-fashioned telegraphy."

Liu Hui said coldly, "Very good. Then I shall make the Pacific Rim Combined Fleet the first offering to commemorate Xian'er!"

De Sheng asked, "Boss, what forces do you intend to use to attack this massive fleet?"

Liu Hui sneered, "Seven carriers and over seventy warships—it sounds colossal and invincible, but before me, they are nothing more than clay figurines and pottery dogs. I can destroy them without deploying any forces. Nevertheless, at this critical juncture, I will finally show you what the ultimate power protecting 'Starlight City' truly is!"

Except for Zhou Tengyun, no one present understood the meaning of Liu Hui’s words. They were intimately familiar with all of "Starlight City’s" known weaponry and had never heard of any ultimate power existing. However, observing Liu Hui’s demeanor, he did not seem to be speaking casually due to his grief over Hu Xian'er. Curiosity surged among them; they desperately wanted to know what this ultimate power was.

Because of Hu Xian'er's demise, Liu Hui’s heart was consumed by sorrow. He finally resolved to reveal his trump card to the world—Xiao Hei. He intended to use Xiao Hei to avenge Hu Xian'er, to personally annihilate the armies of these nations, and to make his opponents tremble in perpetual fear.

Thus, Liu Hui had long since directed Xiao Hei to strike. Xiao Hei was now closing in on this fleet—the largest assembled in human history—hidden beneath the ocean waves.

Seeing Xiao Hei in position, Liu Hui coldly stated, "Everyone, watch closely. What you are about to witness is the ultimate power of 'Starlight City'—a power capable of waking our enemies from their sleep."

On the main screen of the Command and Control Center, the video feed transmitted from the orbital space station connected, allowing them a clear view of the massive fleet sailing across the vast Pacific Ocean. The amphibious command ship L19 *Blue Ridge*, positioned centrally among the colossal formation, served as the flagship for this massive armada, where their command center was established.

Onboard the *Blue Ridge*, a US Navy Vice Admiral paced anxiously, frequently glancing at the screen before him, which currently displayed nothing.

"General Arthur, we still have not received any signals," his aide reported.

This US Navy Vice Admiral was General Arthur, commander of the entire Pacific Rim Combined Fleet. Present in the room were liaison officers representing the fleets of Russia, South Korea, Canada, and Australia, all looking at Arthur in silence.

General Arthur said, "Gentlemen, we have been out of contact with headquarters for an hour. The situation outside may have changed significantly, so I hope we can deliberate on what course of action we should take now."

The Russian liaison officer spoke first, "General Arthur, I believe we only need to adhere to our mission objectives. We can disregard everything else."

The [South Korean] liaison officer added, "Correct. Before commencing operations, we knew 'Starlight City' possessed extremely advanced space technology. It would be trivially easy for them to shield our communications. Therefore, losing contact with headquarters now is perfectly normal."

The Australian liaison officer concurred, "Indeed. We cannot compete with 'Starlight City' in communications technology; we are inferior. However, once this massive combined fleet reaches 'Starlight City,' the headless 'Starlight City' will quickly yield to our military might. At that point, 'Starlight City' will vanish entirely, and their electromagnetic interference will cease."

The South Korean liaison officer also stated, "Precisely. Not only us, but the European Combined Fleet has also set sail and is now in the Indian Ocean. With us sandwiching them between our two combined fleets, there is no reason for 'Starlight City' not to surrender. After all, in history, no single nation or faction has ever managed to stand against the entire world alone."

The Canadian liaison officer concluded, "General Arthur, Canada fully supports any decision you make."

Arthur hesitated for a moment, then recalled the mission at hand. He stated, "Since everyone agrees, we shall proceed toward 'Starlight City.' No matter what trickery they employ, they will rapidly collapse before our overwhelming military power."

And so, after a brief period of disorientation, the massive Pacific Rim Combined Fleet resumed its course toward "Starlight City," intent on fulfilling its grand mission.

Beneath the waves, Xiao Hei, measuring five hundred meters in length, had positioned itself beneath the combined fleet. It activated its sensor range, which extended up to five kilometers, quickly mapping the distribution of the warships on the surface.

Watching the immense Pacific Rim Combined Fleet on the screen, a flash of rage crossed Liu Hui's eyes as he began issuing attack commands. The moment Xiao Hei received the order, its colossal body activated, charging toward the Pacific Rim Combined Fleet.

On the calm Pacific, the American aircraft carrier USS *Reagan* was moving at speed when its entire hull suddenly shuddered with a deafening roar. Then, the massive ship was propelled into the air, flying nearly fifty meters high before beginning its descent.

During this sudden aerial launch, the aircraft and personnel stationed on the *Reagan's* deck were flung skyward, separated from the deck, struggling briefly in the air before plummeting toward the sea.

Beneath the *Reagan* as it hung in the air, a massive void had appeared in its underside—a hole so vast it nearly tore the carrier in half.

When the USS *Reagan* crashed violently back onto the sea surface from its height, its massive structure instantly split into two sections, front and rear. Seawater flooded in rapidly, and within less than a minute, the entire vessel disappeared beneath the surface.

The incident aboard the *Reagan* occurred so swiftly that those nearby could not react. They watched as the carrier broke apart and sank without anyone discerning the cause of its rapid demise.

Onboard the amphibious command ship L19 *Blue Ridge*, Arthur stared numbly at the USS *Reagan* vanishing mere yards away. After a moment, he snapped back to reality and suddenly shouted, "Watch out! Enemy attack! We are under attack..."

But before the rest of the fleet could react, the neighboring aircraft carrier, the USS *Lincoln*, suddenly erupted with a massive sound and was launched into the air. Personnel and aircraft on its deck were scattered, and a similarly enormous rupture appeared in the *Lincoln's* hull.

This time, however, the *Lincoln*, upon falling, did not hit the sea directly. It slammed into the USS *Washington*, and the sheer impact force from its descent caused the *Washington* to list violently, developing several huge rents in its side as seawater poured in, indicating imminent sinking. The USS *Lincoln* was smashed directly into two pieces before crashing onto the sea and quickly submerging.

Arthur was dumbfounded. Within two minutes, his powerful carrier formation had lost three carriers, and the manner of their loss was so surreal that everything felt unreal. Yet, his professional military instinct asserted itself as he barked orders: "Activate underwater sonar! Find the enemy and the weapon attacking us from below!"

Though this massive fleet immediately activated their underwater sonar, intensifying their scanning beneath the surface, they could detect absolutely nothing unusual lurking below. At that very moment, Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the Kuznetsov, followed the American carriers down the same path. It was lifted high into the air by the impact, but its fate was even more tragic; the hull began to disintegrate while still airborne, splitting cleanly in two. One half plunged into the ocean, while the other slammed down onto a South Korean destroyer, crushing the less-than-three-thousand-ton vessel beneath the waves.

"General, look quickly! We have finally located the monster attacking us." A nearby soldier instantly brought up the screen, revealing the monstrous head breaching the surface. The head was impossibly huge, making it impossible to gauge the length of the body beneath it.

It turned out that upon receiving Liu Hui's order to attack, Xiao Hei had used its incredible speed to silently eliminate the joint fleet’s submarine contingent lurking beneath the waves. It then began using its incredibly hard skull to assault the aircraft carriers sitting on the sea surface.

Xiao Hei was now immensely powerful, its body utterly indestructible. Merely with its head, it had slammed a ten-thousand-ton aircraft carrier fifty meters into the sky and directly ripped the mass-inferior Russian carrier into two pieces.

With this powerful onslaught, Xiao Hei wiped out the entire joint fleet submarine force, four aircraft carriers, and one destroyer, showcasing its overwhelming combat prowess.

Aboard the LHD-19 Blue Ridge, Arthur stared at Xiao Hei on the surface, and a gasp escaped his lungs. He had never seen such a colossal monster, nor had he ever heard mention of one. He had no idea where this creature had come from. Judging by how quickly it had annihilated four of his carriers, his entire joint fleet was in dire peril today.

However, Arthur could not allow Xiao Hei to continue attacking his fleet unchecked. He began issuing orders: "All warships, lock onto this monster! Attack it with torpedoes!"

Then Arthur asked, "What about our submarines beneath the surface? Why have we received no warning alerts from them?"

A sonar technician reported, "Report, General. We lost contact with the subsurface subs immediately after the initial engagement began. I suspect this sea beast has already destroyed them."

Once Arthur realized his submarine force had vanished, a cold dread settled in his stomach. The remaining warships, having received his command, began to aim and launch torpedoes at Xiao Hei.

But just then, Xiao Hei suddenly vanished from the surface. When it reappeared, another Nimitz-class carrier was suddenly hurled fifty meters into the air before crashing back down, breaking in half and rapidly sinking. Xiao Hei had only briefly exposed its head before disappearing again.

A torpedo launched moments before, now without a target, instead struck an American supply vessel, tearing a massive hole in its side, allowing seawater to flood in rapidly.

"It's a demon! It’s a demon, my God..." The soldier operating the computer beside Arthur cried out in stark terror, babbling incoherently. He was utterly terrified by Xiao Hei’s phantom-like method of attack.

Arthur’s face was ashen. The liaison officers from the other nations in the room were equally pale. Their colossal joint fleet had encountered this sea monster inexplicably before even getting close to the Star City, and they had already lost the bulk of their offensive power. This reality was simply unacceptable.

Arthur, however, recovered the fastest. He roared, "Quickly launch the aircraft from our remaining carriers! Have them attack this sea monster from the air!"

The planes from the last two carriers began scrambling. But Xiao Hei granted them few opportunities. The USS Roosevelt only managed to launch a single fighter jet before Xiao Hei slammed into it, sinking it. The final carrier, the USS Truman, never got a single plane airborne before Xiao Hei destroyed it completely.

Thus, the overwhelmingly powerful Rim-of-the-Pacific Fleet had lost all its submarines and aircraft carriers under Xiao Hei’s ferocious assault.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Thanks to our readers: He Gu Lu Bin and Wei Bin for your support! RO