Chapter 236 - 234: Huo Jun’s Other Side

In the Hei Race territory, inside the advance team’s assembly hall, the room was packed with people.

Leaders of the Hei Race and Mo Race, members of the advance team, Europeans... There were even a few from the Xi Race who had yet to depart.

Yang Shen leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, observing everyone’s expressions in the nearly frozen atmosphere.

Everyone wore a grave expression, especially the natives of the Noon Realm, whose faces were ashen...

The River of Calamity and Pestilence followed no pattern. Some clans might not encounter it for a hundred years, but they never forgot why they struggled just to survive.

In their long history, the River of Calamity and Pestilence was insurmountable.

Even being grazed by a small-scale Corpse Calamity near its path meant a bitter struggle and devastating losses.

Every encounter was a history written in the blood and tears of a clan. More often, it meant losing their ancestral lands and dying somewhere on the desolate plains.

As for the handful of Europeans, they were dejected, and a few were even scared out of their wits...

Yang Shen hadn’t been assigned to the scouting mission, so his understanding of the "Corpse Calamity" and the "River of Calamity and Pestilence" was purely theoretical. He couldn’t imagine how terrifying it must be to frighten these people from Cyan Blue so badly.

Huo Jun sat at the head of the room, legs spread wide and imposing. "The scouts haven’t returned, but we need to prepare for all contingencies. You from Europe, whatever your name is. Are you willing to transfer command of your unit?"

"If you’re not, I’ll give you two options. Either we confiscate your weapons and imprison you as captives, or we kick you out of the camp to die outside. Don’t come crying to us."

The middle-aged woman, still in her full Rune Armor, looked grim at his words, but his terms were in line with protocol.

In fact, under the framework of the joint development agreement, this was the most ethical course of action.

"First, my name is Jill... And yes, I am willing to transfer command, but you can’t deliberately send us on suicide missions."

Huo Jun’s gaze was like a knife. "You’re that afraid of dying?"

Jill was taken aback.

Huo Jun roared, "If you’re afraid of dying, what are you doing in the Exotic Realm? How am I supposed to lead a subordinate who’s afraid to die? Huh!?"

Jill clenched her fists, half-expecting Huo Jun to attack them. But the Madman just burst out laughing and pointed at everyone in the room.

"Let me tell you something! If you want to live, the first thing you have to do is stop being afraid of death! The Yanhua Army has conquered countless dangers across the Exotic Realms. What crisis haven’t we seen!"

"Are you as gutless as a chicken? If you’re afraid to die, there’s no command to discuss. You Europeans can get the hell out right now!"

Inside the room, many of the Yanhu People smirked, their gazes toward the battered European soldiers filled with mockery.

The runes on Jill’s armor flared to life, a clear sign of her extreme anger, but in the end, she just sighed.

’He’s trying to boost morale by stepping on us Europeans. And at the same time, he’s using provocation to stir our fighting spirit.’

So she stood up. The woman, whose power was comparable to the Yanhua’s Jade Viscera Realm, was a towering six-foot-three. "Wherever the blades of Europe go, we know no fear! As long as Advisor Huo is fair and just, what is sacrificing our lives for the cause!"

Sure enough, a few of the younger European Martial Artists, as if having found a release valve, also stood up to support their leader. A sense of being "alive" returned to them.

’What a move,’ Yang Shen thought. ’He secured command authority, boosted morale, and even turned the potential friction from having different subordinate groups into a form of healthy competition.’

Even if it was only on the surface, Yang Shen couldn’t help but marvel. ’When my Madman isn’t acting mad, he’s truly formidable.’

’He must have commanded some pretty large units in the past...’

Having won them over, Huo Jun waved a hand. "Regardless of what the scouts report, we have only two options: defend or retreat!"

"If the Corpse Calamity only grazes the Hei Race’s territory, we might be able to hold our ground. The Hei Race’s land is situated on a cliff, easy to defend and hard to attack. While we don’t have much in the way of heavy firearms, we have plenty of Martial Arts experts."

"If the Corpse Calamity hits us head-on, and it’s truly as vast as Jill said, then retreating is also an option."

As soon as he said this, the Hei Race’s Clan Leader, who had learned some of the Yanhua language, cried out in terror, "My lord! If you leave, what will become of the Hei Race?"

Huo Jun stood up and walked step by step toward the Hei Race Clan Leader, his voice ringing out clear and loud.

"Our cooperation is built on mutual benefit. We’ve all profited from this arrangement so far; you haven’t lost out."

"But! That doesn’t include shedding the blood of the Yanhu People to fight a desperate battle for you. If the potential losses are too great, we will naturally leave. Is that so strange?"

The Hei Race Clan Leader’s face was pale. He clenched his jaw, his fingernails digging into his palms.

Huo Jun was much taller than him, looking down on the Clan Leader condescendingly.

"But I can give you a chance. Pack up all your scrap metal and junk right this instant. Then, the moment I give the order, we all retreat together."

"If you hesitate for even a minute, I won’t wait for you. Understood?"

The Hei Race Clan Leader immediately replied, "I’ll go make the arrangements right away!"

Every person from the Noon Realm was a survivor of the River of Calamity and Pestilence, but not every one of them had experienced it firsthand.

Many had heard stories their whole lives, but when faced with a true crisis, they weren’t necessarily decisive. The Hei Race Clan Leader was no exception—hesitation is human nature.

This was another of Huo Jun’s power plays, ensuring the Hei Race wouldn’t become a burden and would obey orders without question when it was time to leave.

Otherwise, given the poverty of the Hei Race, abandoning their ancestral lands would be an agonizing decision, let alone one made in a matter of hours.

’I can’t tell if he’s motivated by the mission objective of "protecting an endangered species" or by a genuine desire to protect civilians,’ Yang Shen thought.

He leaned toward the former.

’My power is growing,’ he mused. ’I can’t beat the Madman now, but I know I’ll surpass Huo Jun one day.’

’But there was still so much to learn from him.’

In the short half-hour since the routed European forces arrived, scouts, logistics, contingency plans, and defenses... everything had been thoroughly addressed!

The large house had become a command center, with people constantly coming and going.

They brought a steady stream of news and feedback.

This method of responding to a major crisis kept everything orderly and efficient.

Until more "bad news" arrived.

Deng Ming returned, travel-worn and weary. Relying on his personal strength, he had flown at low altitude to investigate on his own, but what he saw was not encouraging.

"Advisor Huo... I found the River of Calamity and Pestilence... It’s heading this way!"

Not only that, but as a great master at the Late-stage Jade Viscera, he was able to capture some footage while flying low, and had even caught a "husk."

But as soon as the husk left the confines of the River of Calamity and Pestilence, it would die completely... weathering away rapidly. In the end, Deng Ming only managed to bring back a handful of "ash."

Deng Ming looked at the map hanging in the command center, stepped forward, and drew a trajectory.

After a moment’s thought, he thickened the line, turning it into a wide, winding stripe.

"It’s over ten kilometers wide to the naked eye, and its length is probably hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometers. I couldn’t find its end..."

"A sky-blotting, earth-covering tide of husks—humans, animals... especially animals. Many were primitive species long extinct in the Noon Realm. They weren’t so much ’corpses’ as highly dilapidated skeletons."

Huo Jun asked calmly, "What about their strength?"

Deng Ming seemed to be thinking about how to describe it. "It’s hard to say. If you don’t enter their range or block their path, the husks don’t actually attack. But if you come into contact with the area of the River of Calamity and Pestilence, they attack immediately."

"I charged in and fought with them for a bit. I didn’t encounter any particularly powerful individuals; the strongest was only close to the Innate realm, the husk of some ancient species. But their numbers are truly endless, and fighting them head-on is pointless... Unless you completely crush them to dust, they just get back up..."

Not far away, Xu Mo was observing the "ash" Deng Ming had brought back, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. Still, he knew this was not the time for research.

’But this is a precious sample.’

Xu Mo asked, "After you tested them, did the Corpse Calamity give chase?"

"Not at all. They can’t leave the area beneath the River of Calamity and Pestilence. It’s not like they’re following it; it’s more like they can only exist beneath it."

"That strange weather phenomenon is like a slowly moving ’aurora.’ Its trajectory is completely unpredictable, and it even breaks off into tributaries occasionally..."

"If it continues in a straight line, it will pass through the Hei Race’s camp in about two hours..."

It seemed evacuation was inevitable!

Huo Jun nodded and immediately asked, "Any news from Harmony Island?"

A runner inside the room shook his head. "Not yet... And looking at this trajectory, they’ll probably be cut off on the way..."

Time was information, and information was time...

When the messengers were sent out an hour ago, the advance team didn’t have detailed intelligence. Even if they’ve arrived, they still have to wait for Harmony Island’s assessment.

The previous report was that the River of Calamity and Pestilence had been spotted, but it was uncertain if it would hit the Hei Race. Now, it had suddenly changed to an immediate evacuation. The time lag was frustrating.

Besides, a round trip took several hours.

Huo Jun stood and pondered over the topographical map for a long time.

’They have no desire to pursue, which means they can’t be lured elsewhere...’

’I could gamble that the River of Calamity and Pestilence will turn before it reaches us. But that’s a gambler’s move, not a general’s.’

A moment later, Huo Jun made his decision.

"Prepare for evacuation! Everyone, move out!"

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