As the commander of the First Imperial Guard, Harred led one hundred of his men in pursuit of the Iron Armor Man, but he felt anything but relaxed.
This was true even though the Iron Armor Man had changed direction and was no longer heading for the capital.
However, this operation had already resulted in the death of Royal Clerk Ruto, and his Jigsaw Sacred Object, the Space Sage, had vanished along with him.
More importantly, the Iron Armor Man showed no sign of leaving the Eternal United States. And because of his change of direction, they were no longer sure what his target was.
This rendered all their previous preparations useless.
Who knew if he would suddenly change course again in the next second.
’Even if we manage to kill the Iron Armor Man this time, the Imperial Guard will inevitably be punished.’ Harred thought with a bitter heart.
If this were the handiwork of the Xuan Empire, he wouldn’t feel so aggrieved. But for some mysterious person to pop out of nowhere and throw them into such turmoil was infuriating.
How could he possibly accept that?
"Commander, Haisi County is up ahead. The Iron Armor Man has stopped," an Imperial Guard on tracking duty suddenly reported.
Harred’s expression changed instantly. ’He couldn’t believe the man had just stopped to wait for them. He’s definitely plotting something.’
"Immediately notify the Governor of Haisi County! Tell them to be on high alert." Harred suspected the Iron Armor Man was planning to strike Haisi County.
But he didn’t understand why he had suddenly stopped moving.
"Increase our speed! We must stop the Iron Armor Man’s plot," Harred ordered. His adjutant understood immediately.
He immediately arranged for a spatial teleportation.
They didn’t choose to teleport directly to the Iron Armor Man’s side, but rather to a position three kilometers away.
As for teleporting into Haisi County itself? That was impossible.
Without prior authorization, they couldn’t; Haisi County possessed a Sacred Object that could lock down space.
Their teleportation would only fail.
And Harred didn’t dare request that the lockdown be lifted.
He feared that if the spatial lockdown were lifted, the Iron Armor Man would succeed in his plot, leading to consequences far too dire for him to bear.
So they had to resort to this compromise.
Three kilometers was not a great distance for them.
Preparation, teleportation, arrival—the entire process was completed in just one minute.
Then they immediately rushed toward the Iron Armor Man’s position.
"You’re here. I’ve been waiting for you for some time," the Iron Armor Man said.
The Iron Armor Man they saw now was completely different from the one described in the intelligence reports.
Some kind of massive metal object now extended from his back.
He didn’t know what it was, but the object looked incredibly bulky and massive, seeming to rob the Iron Armor Man of his usual agility.
However, he didn’t act immediately. Instead, his gaze fell warily on the strange metal cylinders arrayed around the Iron Armor Man.
"Seeing as you didn’t proceed to the capital, we can grant you a dignified death," Harred said coldly. The Imperial Guard behind him were ready.
They would attack on his command.
"Hahaha..." Hearing this, Qi Suian couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "You people... you really don’t leave any way out, do you?"
"If you had just said you’d let bygones be bygones, I would have turned around and left immediately."
"But no, every single one of you wants your enemy dead."
"Then again, that’s normal. Who doesn’t want their enemy dead? But you have to pick your moment, don’t you think?" Qi Suian said mockingly.
Harred, however, was unmoved. "Everyone is a puppet of war. It’s either the enemy dies, or I do."
"Surrender has never been an option."
It wasn’t that Harred didn’t understand Qi Suian’s logic. The problem was, no one would believe it.
In this day and age, the best promise one could offer was a dignified and painless death.
Being captured alive meant facing a fate worse than death.
That was why if he, Harred, were ever captured by the Xuan Empire, he wouldn’t consider surrender or escape—only a swift death.
"And that," Qi Suian said, "is why I don’t fit in with you people."
"But that’s fine. I have no intention of adapting to you."
"I intend to make you adapt to me." As Qi Suian spoke, a massive intercontinental missile shot out from the silo opening on his back, launching with a speed so great they had no time to react.
"Stop it!" Harred roared.
But it was too late.
Qi Suian had dragged out the conversation for this very reason—to catch them completely off guard.
Of course, it was also because the strategic missile weapon system required time. This was an intercontinental missile; Qi Suian couldn’t just fire it at a moment’s notice.
He had made some preliminary preparations, but their arrival was so swift that his prep time was limited.
Although Harred and his men didn’t know what Qi Suian had launched, they were certain it was a weapon.
Since they couldn’t stop it, they changed their thinking and decided to attack Qi Suian first.
However, Qi Suian had no intention of fighting them. Instead, he asked, "Have you ever heard the howl of the East Wind?"
When Harred heard the words, he subconsciously assumed it was some kind of hurricane-style attack.
But he quickly dismissed that thought.
The reason was simple: in the distance, he saw a massive mushroom cloud rising into the sky.
Then came the sound of the explosion, followed by the terrifying sight of the shockwave sweeping toward them.
The intercontinental missile in Qi Suian’s arsenal carried multiple nuclear warheads, enabling it to strike several enemy targets simultaneously, which enhanced both its destructive power and its ability to penetrate defenses.
The entirety of Haisi County was blanketed by the attack.
Moreover, this was no ordinary nuclear strike. It was enhanced by numerous modules and even contained a faint trace of nether energy.
With this single strike, the entirety of Haisi County was wiped from existence.
The lingering radiation would be impossible to eliminate anytime soon.
From the moment of the explosion, Haisi County had become a toxic wasteland.
Sacred Objects were miraculous, so the Eternal United States surely had a way to cleanse it. However, the cost, the time, and the interests involved would all be troublesome matters.
Harred stared at the scene, completely dumbfounded.
He had considered that Qi Suian might inflict serious damage on Haisi County, but he had never imagined he would obliterate the entire county.
He couldn’t help but swallow hard. Such power... it was utterly terrifying.
If he hadn’t changed course for Haisi County, if this terrifying Sacred Object’s attack had landed on the capital... the consequences would have been unimaginable.
But even with the attack hitting Haisi County, the situation had already spiraled out of control.
An individual in possession of such a terrifying Sacred Object—neither the Eternal United States nor the Xuan Empire would simply let him go.
"The sound of the East Wind... was it pleasant?" Qi Suian’s voice broke through Harred’s thoughts.
Harred snapped back to his senses, composed himself, and said, "The United States will not let you get away with this."
"Hah. And if I hadn’t done this, would the United States have chosen to reconcile with me?" Qi Suian scoffed.
The retort left Harred speechless.
"This is just a warning," Qi Suian said coldly. "If you dare to pursue me again, the East Wind might not howl over your capital, but I can’t guarantee the safety of your other cities."
"You destroyed Haisi County... just for that?" Harred asked in disbelief.
"Of course. Are the lives of your United States people the only ones that matter? Is my life worthless?"
"Since you’re coming for my life, you should be prepared to have your cities destroyed by me."
"If you dare to make a move against me again, don’t blame me for being merciless," Qi Suian warned.
’What was so hard to believe about that? It was a simple double standard.’
’In Harred’s eyes, it was perfectly fine for his enemy, Qi Suian, to die in any manner, but it was unacceptable for Qi Suian to inflict any losses on them.’
’And so, Qi Suian held the same view: no form of retaliation against his enemies was too extreme. After all, they wanted his life, too.’
"Attack!" Harred didn’t debate with Qi Suian any further, launching a direct assault.
Harred took Qi Suian’s threat to heart. Precisely because of that, he believed the best way to eliminate the threat was to kill the person who dared to make it.
It was a sound plan, but Qi Suian had no intention of tangling with him any longer.
"Stay alive and deliver my message to your King."
"Otherwise, if you die, who will know that I was the one who did this?"
With those last two sentences spoken, Qi Suian shot up into the sky and vanished from the sight of Harred and his men.
Harred’s expression was grim. He stopped the Imperial Guard from giving chase.
"This situation is out of control. It’s beyond our ability to handle."
"The destruction of Haisi County must be reported to His Majesty the King immediately," Harred said in a grave tone.
Meanwhile, the adjutant made immediate arrangements. An Imperial Guard with a communication-type Jigsaw Sacred Object quickly established a connection.
"Harred, what is it?" The voice of the King of the Eternal United States came through the Jigsaw Sacred Object.
"Your Majesty, the Iron Armor Man has used an unknown Sacred Object to destroy the entirety of Haisi County."
"Such immense power... it’s highly likely the Iron Armor Man has pieced together a Forbidden Sacred Object." Harred stated the most critical point first, then gave a brief account of what had happened.
He also relayed the two sentences Qi Suian had spoken before departing, repeating them verbatim to the King.
The communication Sacred Object went silent for a long time, as if the King on the other end was digesting the news.
"I understand. Abandon all plans targeting the Iron Armor Man."
"Return to the capital," the King said.
Harred understood the King’s meaning. He was conceding to Qi Suian’s threat.
"But, Your Majesty, the Iron Armor Man destroyed Haisi County! The war effort will be..."
He was cut off by the King before he could finish.
"The war effort will be affected, yes, but the alternative is a price we cannot afford to pay."
"We need a more comprehensive plan, not to simply continue with the original one."
Hearing the King say this, Harred had no choice but to accept it, no matter how reluctant he felt.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Harred replied.
The communication was then cut.
His mind was in a whirl. Things were getting more and more complicated.
The United States had actually compromised. In the past, even in the face of devastating blows, they had always maintained an extremely hardline stance.
This concession would likely unleash a terrifying storm of public opinion across the entire Eternal United States.
"Let’s head back. His Majesty has made his decision," Harred said.
Of course, he would have to keep this from the Imperial Guard. Otherwise, their morale would surely plummet—it might even collapse entirely.
After all, the hardline stance of the United States was well-known. To suddenly back down now was enough to shatter their entire worldview.