Before Bai Zemin arrived at the bridge Lilith had talked to him and she had recommended that he should form an alliance as strong as possible with the mermaid princess now that he and she had some kind of relationship. In fact, it was during the previous night when Lilith had disappeared after he had told her in more detail about the war on the bridge that took place a week ago and when she came back that she started to insist on it constantly.
Although Lilith gave no reasons and simply smiled every time he asked her about it, Bai Zemin was no fool and knew that since she was so insistent on the matter there should be something really good in the seas that in the future would be of use to him.
In any case, it wasn't as if Bai Zemin hadn't thought about it since he was planning to form an alliance with the Seventh Princess of the East Sea anyway. However, he definitely wouldn't have offered so much just for some manpower.
Zombie corpses were a thing but the bodies of mutant beasts were of great use to humans; there was basically no part of them that could be considered total trash. As for the 40% of Soul Stones…. This might seem like a small percentage when you compared it to the 60% that Bai Zemin would keep but considering the amount of beings that walked the earth, that number would definitely not be something to scoff at.
Indeed, when Xian Mei'er heard the proposal from Bai Zemin, her heartbeat sped up. She fixed her eyes on him and asked in a serious voice, "Are you being serious?"
Bai Zemin secretly gritted his teeth but his outward expression did not waver as he nodded, "Of course, I mean what I say. You will help me to remove all the obstacles from all the perispheric districts and sub-districts of China and in return I will give you resources so that you can feed your people and foster an even larger and more powerful army. Additionally, during the course of all of this you will be able to see what I and my army of soul evolvers are capable of doing…. We can talk later regarding whether or not you becoming the future Queen of the East Sea is possible."
"We have a deal then." Xian Mei'er didn't even pause to think about it and nodded hurriedly as if she was afraid that Bai Zemin would decide to back out.
What Xian Mei'er needed the most was time to grow; she not only needed to grow her own strength in order to be respected more or for her word to carry more weight but she also needed to raise the strength of her current troops and recruit or build up a larger and more powerful army.
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at Xian Mei'er and even though she did not understand the sea situation she could not help but pointed out, "Xian Mei'er, remember that for there to be peace war will always be inevitable. For many to live in peace, many more need to die."
Mankind's history was proof that blood washings were the only ones that truly had the ability to clean up problems and even then it was only a partial cleansing, not a complete and total one. However, it was true that without fighting and leaving everything as it was or naively thinking that the future would be brighter just because, nothing would really change.
"…" Xian Mei'er looked at Shangguan Bing Xue for a moment before sighing and shaking her head, "I somehow understand what you mean, Shangguan Bing Xue. That's why I need to become stronger and also for that reason I try to recruit and raise my own army."
While the history of the marine race was not as varied as makind history since intelligent beings were extremely rare and scarce before the arrival of the Soul Record on Earth, Xian Mei'er had seen with her own eyes bloody battles for the control of a few nautical miles. Therefore, she understood well that to be heard she needed to have sufficient power.
Those in power only listened to the strong while the weak would be ignored if they were lucky or killed if they were too much of a nuisance. That was how the real world worked regardless of whether it was on the surface or in the deep seas.
"Since that's the case, I'll leave Xiao Xiao with you." Xian Mei'er glanced at Bai Zemin before lowering her head to face the little pink dolphin who suddenly began to stir in her arms as if she was fidgeting about something. The mermaid princess raised an eyebrow as she said in a growling voice, "Child, do you really like that human that much? Before you didn't even want to detach from me and when I told you that you were going to accompany a human you seemed so reluctant, but look at you now, just abandoning me just like that."
"Pu…" Xiao Xiao let out a soft, low sound as she lowered her little head since she didn't dare to look at the mermaid princess as if she had done something wrong. Even her little pink eyes were filled with tears that threatened to fall at any moment as if she really felt bad about it.
The corner of the mouth of Xian Mei'er twitched a couple of times but before she could say anything the voice of Bai Zemin came to where she was at::
"Hey, mermaid princess. Stop bullying my dolphin partner and hand her over to me at once."
"Your dolphin partner?" Xian Mei'er looked at him and said a bit dumbfounded, "Xiao Xiao is my subordinate! It was me who found her, raised her, and took care of her! How can you be so shameless?"
Bai Zemin raised a hand with his index finger extended towards the sky and shook it from side to side constantly as he did with his head while saying as if it was obvious, "Parents raise but eventually the children leave the nest to build their lives…. Besides, of course, I'm shameless. I am a human after all."
"Hey, don't put me together with you. Besides, apologize to all honest humans!" Shangguan Bing Xue gritted her teeth beside him and looked at him as if she wanted to bite him.
"Hmph." Xian Mei'er snorted and gave Xiao Xiao one last look as she said with a hint of resentment, "Go. Go to him at once then."
Xiao Xiao raised her head to look at the mermaid princess and hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Xian Mei'er looked at Xiao Xiao again and said this time in a softer voice, "It's okay, Xiao Xiao. You really need to go since you are the only means of communication we can use to coordinate the attacks."
The hesitation in the eyes of Xiao Xiao dropped drastically but still did not disappear as she still felt a little guilty. However, when the little pink dolphin turned her face slightly to the side and looked to the bridge only to see Bai Zemin extending both arms upwards as if waiting for her, that hint of hesitation finally vanished without a trace.
Like a little bird excited to return to its nest after a long day's work, Xiao Xiao jumped out of the arms of the mermaid princess and her pink body shined under the sun's glare, making a beautiful arc and landing perfectly in Bai Zemin's embrace.
The eyes of the little animal immediately lit up powerfully and she began rubbing her head again and again against Bai Zemin's armor as if she wanted to dig a hole and crawl in there so she could feel the warmth of his body more plainly.
The mermaid princess's right eye contracted as she said in a flat voice, "Really…. What's going on here?"
"The same thing I wonder…. The same thing I wonder." Shangguan Bing Xue couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Bai Zemin chuckled and caressed the dolphin's small body in his embrace as he said with satisfaction, "Welcome back."
"Pu!"
…
The fleet of vehicles began to move again but the shocks were not yet over.
As the buses and other vehicles moved across the bridge, most of them had their outer vision completely covered as the glass had been removed and replaced by steel plates covered with beast skins capable of withstanding the claws of a level 20 creature without problems. Only the driver and those closest to the front were able to see what was happening in the outside world but they were too stupefied to do more than watch with their eyes wide open.
On the other hand, the soldiers who had almost total sight and the stronger soul evolvers walking around the fleet looked at their surroundings with eyes brimming with surprise. The shock was so great that none of them dared to say a single word so the only sound that could be heard was the sound of engines and constant footsteps advancing southward.
Several thousand sea beasts surrounded the bridge and followed the fleet closely. Under the orders of the Seventh Princess of the Eastern Sea, any sea creature that did not belong to her side and came too close to the bridge after detecting the enormous amount of Soul Power was slaughtered and devoured before it could even plan an attack.
The most spectacular sights were naturally the three giant beasts that while walking or moving raised huge waves or splashed water everywhere. Even though they were more than 1000 meters away from the bridge, all the soul evolvers and soldiers felt fear in their hearts at the sight of those three creatures that seemed to be capable of ending the world.
"Size really does matter after all." Nangong Yi said with a loud voice as he trotted in the front to keep up with everyone.
Zhong De gave him a sidelong glance and remarked, "Too bad for you then."
"Hahaha!"
Many laughed out loud not only because the silent Zhong De had just made a joke but also to release some of the pressure they felt on their bodies when the aura of more than one Second Order creature and several First Order creatures advanced next to them from such a close distance.
With the skills of Xian Mei'er, the bridge that was about to collapse managed to withstand the weight of the vehicles without any problems. Therefore, about 2 hours later and just as the sun was beginning to set along with the drop in temperatures, they had all made it across to the other side.
"We're finally here."
"It seems like it's been forever since I visited Changping District even though it was only a little over two months."
"A lot of things happened after all."
…
The soul evolvers began chatting among themselves while looking around the surroundings at the same time as they collaborated with the armed army to create a safe perimeter because although the zombies nearby had been slaughtered and eaten by the sea creatures that jumped onto land occasionally, in this world nothing was safe and the training they received daily was definitely showing an effect on everyone's orderly behavior.
Even those who were previously nothing more than farmers or white-collar businessmen were beginning to behave more like adept soldiers.
Bai Zemin took several steps forward and raised his head to the sky. He couldn't help but close his eyes and take a deep breath of the fresh sea-scented air.
Although the air felt the same outside, to him it was completely different from the air he breathed on the other side of the bridge. Because that huge sea behind him was what kept him away from his loved ones for so long because of the zombies.
"Finally… I'm finally here. Changping District." He clenched his fists so tightly that bursts of air attracted the attention of those closest to him.
But no one interrupted him.
Bai Zemin's back, despite looking as powerful and imposing as ever, also looked a bit lonely when viewed from afar. Those who knew him best naturally understood his reasons and motives so they gave him time alone.
But he was not the only one who felt this way. There were many more who felt the same way and some even began to cry silently at the thought of their families. At the same time, the gratitude and veneration they felt toward Bai Zemin and his leadership only shot skyward.
It was thanks to that young man standing in the distance that most of them had made it this far. It was also thanks to the miracles he created with his own hands that those who had not yet managed to reach the places where their loved ones could live now had a chance before them.
From his monstrous strength to his ability to strike up a close relationship with the marine race; from his cruelty but at the same time righteousness that constantly created safer places for everyone; Bai Zemin might not be the best leader in the world, but he was the leader they got and most of them didn't complain about it at all.
"Bai Zemin, I am leaving here since my part is done."
The voice of Xian Mei'er sounded from the sea, but Bai Zemin did not turn around as he was too busy calming himself.
"Remember to communicate with me through Xiao Xiao when you decide to start!"
"Ok. Good luck." He said aloud.
Xian Mei'er did not delay and with a shrill cry took all her troops with her, disappearing into the deep sea leaving nothing but large ripples as proof of her presence; ripples which disappeared not long after.
Shangguan Bing Xue walked towards Bai Zemin with the intention of asking him what they would do next but she seemed to sense something so she hurriedly stopped and looked at the ground beneath her feet with a frown. Her face changed slightly as she watched the small rocks begin to bounce, each time shaking more and more.
Rumble…
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble; it was such a gentle rumble that it could easily be ignored. However, the soul evolvers noticed the shaking as it quickly began to get stronger and stronger!
Just as Bai Zemin looked around in search of a large-sized beast, Lilith's urgent voice rang in his head:
"Bai Zemin, your world is about to expand in size. Get away from the sea quickly or you might be swallowed!"
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Really thank you very much to all those who send gifts to the novel and support with valuable Golden Tickets. I hope we can all keep it up <3
