Simultaneously, in the reinforced command center on the third basement level of the Civil Affairs Bureau, a massive panoramic water-screen monitor filled an entire wall, its segmented displays showing the status of the barriers along each section of the coastline.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Director Qin stood before the main screen, his expression calm. The county magistrate and three bureau directors flanked him, their gazes locked on the energy spectrum displayed on the water screen—the area indicating the climactic deep-sea battle.
"Director Qin, this commotion..." The county magistrate’s brow was furrowed as he looked at Director Qin.
Director Qin’s gaze never left the main screen. He replied before the county magistrate could finish, "Don’t worry. For the next few hours, the municipal bureau has run over one hundred and twenty different simulations. We have detailed contingency plans for every possible variable at every stage."
His words had a remarkably calming effect, easing the palpable tension in the command center.
After a brief pause, Director Qin continued, "Regardless of the outcome of the deep-sea battle, a massive wave of residual energy will strike the coast. When it does, the pressure on the barriers will peak..."
His gaze swept over the three directors. "I need you to return to your respective command posts immediately. Prepare for the potential impact!"
"Yes, sir!" The three snapped to attention to accept their orders. They then turned swiftly, issuing the latest directives to their subordinates over separate encrypted channels before briskly exiting the command center to head for their respective battle stations.
...
In the Port District, the words Yang Wenqing had just spoken to Yan Kuan had barely left his lips when the muffled boom from the deep sea suddenly escalated, transforming into an indescribable, piercing shriek that tore through the water and air, lancing directly into everyone’s minds.
"SKREEE—"
At the same time, a nauseatingly foul stench of blood, carried on a bone-chilling gale, slammed into everyone on the docks. The wind was unnaturally cold, almost enough to freeze the blood in their veins. The smell of gore was so thick it felt tangible, clinging inside their nostrils, refusing to dissipate.
In the dark depths of the distant sea, an area barely illuminated by searchlights and fading flares, a blindingly intense light erupted once more without warning.
The intense light lasted less than half a second, yet it illuminated the sea and sky for miles around as if it were broad daylight. It even momentarily overpowered some of the searchlight beams, leaving a searing afterimage hanging between sea and sky.
In that instant, Yang Wenqing saw—
No, rather, he saw the vast and terrifying silhouette—briefly outlined by the intense light—painfully disintegrating at the heart of the white-hot radiance.
Almost at the same moment the light exploded, several powerful auras, long held in readiness, erupted high in the sky behind the coastline. Several police commissioners, hovering in the air on their Flying Shuttles, simultaneously formed hand seals. Beams of variously colored Spiritual Qi shot from their hands, converging thousands of meters out above the sea. They rapidly formed a massive, translucent, arcing screen of light.
It was the "Pressure-Dampening Barrier" established by the joint command, designed to weaken and disperse the combat shockwave expected to hit the coast.
The barrier had barely formed when the shockwave hit. It wasn’t exceptionally fast at first, but the kinetic energy it carried was horrifying. In its path, the sea surface was brutally depressed by dozens of meters, creating an ever-widening, deadly trough. A wall of water a hundred meters high piled up along the trough’s edge!
Even before the colossal wave arrived, the terrifying pressure made it hard for Yang Wenqing and the others on the very front line to breathe. The stench of blood in the air grew to an unbearable intensity, and the light from the flares dimmed before the wave’s advancing shadow.
"Hold the barrier!!!" Yan Kuan’s roar was torn to shreds by the gale.
"BOOM—"
The first hundred-meter-high, gore-filled wave slammed squarely into the outermost golden barrier, a wall of light protecting the coastline.
The thick, golden curtain of light buckled and warped violently, the runes flowing across its surface flickering frantically. Through the distorted barrier, one could see that the wave was thick with the shattered limbs of Sea Beasts and viscous, filthy blood. There were even occasional chunks of dark red flesh that could be seen still faintly twitching!
All the Spirit Gathering Arrays behind the barrier were running at maximum capacity. The barrier was only holding because it was just the force of the tsunami for now, and the police commissioners in the sky were suppressing some of the wave’s power.
But this was only the first wave. Before its force had fully dissipated, the second and third waves—smaller, but still deadly—arrived in quick succession, continuing to batter the faltering barrier.
Yang Wenqing grabbed onto a nearby fixture to keep from being knocked off his feet by the violent tremors. His face was slick with the cold, sticky spray of seawater and bloody foam.
Looking up, he saw the golden barrier wall, like a lone boat in a storm, on the verge of capsizing at any moment. ’But there are no orders. I absolutely cannot retreat. And besides, I *can’t* retreat.’
In that moment, Yang Wenqing understood another layer of responsibility that came with his authority. But reality offered no time to dwell on the feeling; a cacophony of reports exploded over his comms:
"Rune meltdown at Node Three is over forty percent! Spiritual Qi output is unstable..."
"The Array Base in Sector Seven is cracking! Needs immediate reinforcement..."
"Energy-tide interference at the eastern junction with the Linshan County barrier..."
"First defensive line’s overall integrity has dropped by thirty-seven percent and is continuing to weaken..."
Liu Qin’s voice, punctuated by ragged breaths, cut through the noise. She was rapidly compiling the incoming damage reports, synching the data over an encrypted channel to Li Yi and Wang Ming on the eastern and western flanks, and to the joint command headquarters in the rear.
A moment later, Li Yi’s steady voice came over the line: "The eastern flank is holding. We’re diverting reserve Spiritual Qi to reinforce the Port District’s nodes. Hold fast!"