"Hiss..." Old Wang could not help drawing a sharp breath.
And right after that came a surge of pride!
Pride in being a Daxia citizen!
When Daxia had just announced its plan to conscript twenty million soldiers within a week, foreign countries had all been pessimistic, and even domestically, quite a few "elites" were waiting for a good show.
Yet who could have imagined?
In just a single day, eight million soldiers enlisted!
Calculated this way, this was far more than merely exceeding the recruitment quota; it was a twofold completion!
"Daxia citizens have always taken the rise and fall of the nation as their own responsibility!" The officer said with equal respect, as if reading Old Wang's thoughts. "Aren't you and these brothers also civilian engineering teams who came here voluntarily?"
"You guys are much fiercer than us. In just one day, more than twenty million people arrived directly. Counting the state-owned engineering teams, that's a full thirty million!"
Old Wang could not help laughing. "Haha, well said."
"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen!"
"Now, please assign us our tasks." The officer pointed behind himself at the green recruits with their tender faces, and chuckled. "These raw recruits are quite spirited; they need to be trained well."
"Don't be afraid of tiring them out."
"Their future enemies will be far more terrifying than laying bricks or anything like that."
***
Chapter 34: The Anomaly About to Awaken
On internet information platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, and Toutiao.
Video after video was being wildly shared, racking up massive likes!
In the footage.
A steel dragon formed by countless engineering vehicles roared along the highways, heading toward Ludong from all directions across the country!
Even more trucks loaded with various supplies were driving toward Ludong.
Along the coastline of Ludong.
Red flags fluttered, and machinery roared.
At this moment, the self-organized civilian construction teams and the state-owned engineering teams were indistinguishable from one another, all striving together for a single goal!
To build the Steel Great Wall and protect Daxia!
At this moment, the entire Daxia was striving for this one goal!
Those new recruits who had just finished their paperwork did not delay for even a moment, rushing in truckloads from all over the country straight to Ludong to help build the Steel Great Wall.
Of course, these recruits lacked the skills of construction workers, and there was no time to learn on the spot. All they could do was handle the dirty, exhausting work that required no technical skill at all—carrying bricks, carrying cement.
Yet those dust-covered, youthful faces carried a radiant glow.
At this moment, the entire Daxia was united as one heart!
Accompanied by the magnificent national anthem, these scenes were deeply stirring.
Beneath these videos, the comments kept surging!
"Too stirring! I'm speechless, I'm going to enlist too, I want to contribute to Daxia as well!"
"On the highway right now, rushing to Ludong. We in Chuanzhou don't have much else, but we hold the title of the land of abundance. Our village is voluntarily sending twenty tons of rice!"
"My dad! That's my dad!"
"Say, why are the recruits heading to the construction site? Shouldn't they be rushing through military training?"
"Haha, let me tell you, friend above, working a day at the construction site is way more exhausting than running twenty kilometers."
"This is Daxia!"
"No regrets in this life entering Daxia; in the next life, I am willing to be a Daxia person!"
At this moment.
The entire Daxia was invigorated.
The pessimism on international networks could no longer disturb Daxia!
Daxia had already begun its war against the gods!
Meanwhile.
In a temporarily established headquarters command center along the Ludong coast.
The chief commander, Chen Yan, was busy with phone calls, driven nearly to distraction. Call after call kept coming in, and he, along with the research team he led, answered them one by one.
Lin Fan sat nearby with his eyes closed to rest, while Elder Jin chewed on a cigarette, watching the latest updates on recruitment sent from various regions.
In theory, since the concept of the Steel Great Wall was proposed by Lin Fan, he as the Commander-in-Chief should have taken full charge of it.
Yet Lin Fan had some self-awareness. Though he had been the Supreme Commander of the Asian Alliance in his past life, while he was fine at fighting wars and skilled at handling anomaly events, when it came to scientific research, at best he could only offer some suggestions and conceptualize things based on memory.
To truly implement them, he still had to rely on the top talents from the Chinese Academy of Sciences led by Chen Yan.
"Old Wang, go to sector 0657. The rock strata there are quite difficult to break through; go help deal with it." Chen Yan hung up a phone call and turned to instruct a researcher under him. "Remember, do not alter the blueprints to avoid those rock layers under any circumstances. Even if those rock layers are made of iron, break through them for me!"
"Guarantee to complete the mission!"
The young researcher pushed up his glasses, his gentle face carrying incomparable determination, and strode out in large strides.
"Well, General Commander Lin," Elder Jin took a sip of tea and smiled. "The progress of recruitment far exceeds our expectations. The ideology of 'without a country, there is no home' among us Daxia people is truly carved into our bones."
"In just one day, eight million enlisted nationwide."
"Chuanzhou alone under Bai Zhan has eighty thousand—a full tenth of the national total. Those young people truly live up to the name of Chuanzhou lads."
"Even Bai Zhan's child, Bai Yifei, has joined the military, starting from the very bottom ranks, and is currently hauling bricks right now."
"And with those online videos coming out, not only has the recruitment speed not slowed down at all, it has actually increased. We estimate that in these seven days... we might recruit sixty million!"
"Sixty million..." Elder Jin repeated the number in a low voice. Even this renowned military commander of the Luzhou Military Region could not help losing his focus slightly.
Simply because this number was too exaggerated!
Within a week, sixty million recruits!
Looking across the global stage, probably only vast Daxia could achieve this!
Elder Jin had once upon a time imagined what terrifying power today's Daxia would erupt with when facing a crisis.
Yet he had never imagined this figure!
At this moment, a strange thought suddenly arose deep within Elder Jin's heart.
Those predecessors who had once given their lives for Daxia—how wonderful it would be if they could just take one glance at today's Daxia!
The Daxia people who once could not eat their fill had now built rows upon rows of towering buildings, standing close together, constructing spiderweb-like roads filled with bustling traffic.
Daxia, once bullied by tiny states, had now recruited sixty million soldiers in a single week.
If you could just take one look, how wonderful that would be.
If you could take a look, you would surely laugh heartily: this Daxia, just as you wished, has stood up with its head held high!
"Mhm." Lin Fan nodded quite calmly.
"Ahem," Elder Jin suppressed his thoughts and returned to business. "Should we put a cap on it? Sixty million... to be honest, it somewhat exceeds our plan."
"No, do not put a cap on it." Lin Fan suddenly opened his eyes and interrupted.
"However," Elder Jin's expression was complicated. "I know that having a large number of recruits is a good thing. But if there are too many, it will end up affecting the lives of the common people..."
Lin Fan looked at Elder Jin and suddenly said, "Sixty million... Elder Jin, do you know how many soldiers Daxia had in the year New Era 013?"
Elder Jin was stunned. "How many?"
"Three hundred and twenty million!" Lin Fan slowly uttered the number.
Elder Jin immediately drew a sharp breath. "Three hundred and twenty million... Daxia back then..."
"Daxia back then could not be compared to the present at all; it was already a devastated wasteland, and all Daxia citizens combined totaled only five hundred and ten million." Lin Fan sighed. "Three hundred and twenty million soldiers was the total of everyone in Daxia who still had combat capability!"
"Which means."
"Every citizen was a soldier!"
Elder Jin widened his eyes.
Every citizen a soldier?
This.
What kind of madness was this?
"This isn't madness; it was for survival." Lin Fan seemed to recall a painful past. "The Daxia people back then—forget about having a normal life, even staying alive was difficult."
"The potential erupted by the Daxia people back then shocked the entire world."
"Yet, two years later, the funeral bell still tolled."
Lin Fan exhaled a breath and looked at Elder Jin. "Therefore, sixty million is really not much."
"For us right now, the more recruits, the better."
"Right now, they are only participating in construction. What awaits us later is the battle against the gods and their believers."
"And besides that, some anomaly presences within Daxia's borders will also awaken."
"Anomaly presences in other national borders will also pose a threat to Daxia. Every city, every village and town, needs specialized special personnel to guard it."
"Moreover, food will also become very scarce... We will still need a large number of soldiers to farm and ensure food supplies."
Elder Jin nodded. "Put that way, the more the better indeed... Wait, you said anomalies? What are anomalies?"
"The descent of the gods will awaken some slumbering things... You will find out soon enough." Lin Fan did not explain further, but a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes.
According to memories from his past life.
Right now, a certain fellow should be waking up soon.
And right here on the Ludong coastline!
The Corpse King, Jiang Chen!
***
Chapter 35: The Corpse King, Jiang Chen!
Hearing Lin Fan say this, Elder Jin stopped dwelling on it and suddenly smiled. "Speaking of which, you really had a way, actually sending recruits to the construction site for physical conditioning... Haha, this method is simply brilliant. On one hand, it accelerated project progress; on the other hand, working half a day at a construction site is way more exhausting than a twenty-kilometer weighted cross-country march."
"Aren't you afraid of scaring these green recruits half to death from exhaustion?"
Lin Fan shook his head. "If they can't even endure this bit of hardship, then they shouldn't bother making an enemy of the gods; they might as well go home."
"Don't forget, our enemy is the gods. Stronger than any previous opponent—the gods."
"Being a bit tired from training is better than dying at the hands of the Ocean God and her sea beast believers." Lin Fan paused here, then continued, "However, other training programs cannot be neglected either. When all is said and done, exercising physical strength this way is really a last resort, but shooting, tactics, and other training must keep pace."
Right at this moment.
Elder Chen, who had been busy answering calls and constantly dispatching orders nearby, finally could not hold back anymore. He turned around and said, "You two are going too far! If you're really that idle, why don't you come over and help me out!"
"Hehe, Elder Chen, isn't it because you're the chief commander?" Elder Jin grinned shamelessly. "I'm just a rough man; you can have me lead troops into battle, but put me in charge of construction... Tch tchs, I don't want to become a sinner of Daxia."
Elder Chen was left momentarily speechless.
Right at that instant.
"Report!" A young soldier ran over quickly, his gaze looking respectfully at Lin Fan and Elder Jin, before turning a solemn expression toward Elder Chen. "Chief Commander, construction area 1125, located ten kilometers from here, has run into trouble."
"What trouble?" Elder Chen frowned slightly. "You guys don't have rock strata there; it's a sandy beach with soft geological conditions. Could it be that you can't even dig through that?"
The young soldier shook his head with a complicated expression. "It's not that we can't dig through it. In construction area 1125, we dug up a pitch-black stone tablet with a very strange appearance... We've sent the photo over, please take a look."
Before Elder Chen could react.
Lin Fan suddenly stood up and snatched the photo directly.
Looking at that familiar stone tablet, Lin Fan's breathing grew slightly hurried.
"A stone tablet with the character for 'Corpse' carved on it..."
"The first anomaly awakened by the divine aura has begun!"
"And it's even earlier, because we started building the Steel Great Wall ahead of schedule, which is why we dug up the place where this anomaly slumbered ahead of time!"
Without any hesitation, Lin Fan abruptly turned around and strode out the door. "Leave this matter to me!"
With that, Lin Fan walked to the neighboring room and pushed the door open.
Inside, Daoist Sect Old Master Dao Wanqian, Buddhist Sect Master Beimin, Confucian Sect Mo Buzhi, and other first-batch members of the God-Slaying Army were sitting cross-legged in meditation!
"Everyone, stop cultivating for a moment!" Lin Fan clapped his hands. "Up, form up!"
Wang Hu, the burly man from the Xingyimen school, blinked curiously. "Boss, you..."
Lin Fan said word by word, "The first battle of the God-Slaying Army has arrived!"
The first battle of the God-Slaying Army!
At this moment, everyone's expressions grew tense, their eyes flashing with a trace of excitement.
The purpose for which the God-Slaying Army was established was completely different from other troops!
And the battles of the God-Slaying Army...
"Hehe." Wang Hu, whose God-Slaying and Demon-Butchering Technique had entered the sixth level, grinned and clenched his fists, a massive white tiger instantly manifesting behind him. "Finally, I get to test things out!"
The peach-wood sword at Dao Wanqian's waist swayed gently.
Five minutes later.
A military vehicle sped toward sector 1125, roaring all the way.
Sitting in the shaking cabin, Lin Fan—dressed in athletic wear—said in a deep voice, "The creature we are about to face may exceed your imagination."
"In the future, we call this kind of creature an anomaly."
"They are not gods, yet they likewise possess extraordinary power. They are a unique existence, and they also appear in many legends."
"Ah?" Wang Hu scratched his head, looking somewhat dazed.
"To put it simply," Lin Fan frowned. "Since legendary gods like Poseidon and Apollo truly exist."
"Then do you think it's possible that legendary werewolves, vampires, zombies, and fox fairies also exist?"
As soon as these words fell, the first-batch God-Slaying Army members in the cabin all drew sharp breaths!
"You mean..." Dao Wanqian's brow furrowed tightly as he gripped his peach-wood sword!
"That's right." Lin Fan nodded. "These things are anomalies."
"They were once suppressed into slumber by the Eastern martial gods who guarded us, but that doesn't mean they stand together with the gods."
"We can slaughter them, or we can... subdue them, making them serve our purposes."
"However, killing is much simpler than subduing." Lin Fan spoke to this point, his voice sinking. "I don't expect to subdue this anomaly, because this is our first battle—don't hold any wishful thinking. Kill if we can kill, cleanly and ruthlessly without showing mercy. The primary goal of this battle is for everyone to survive while experiencing this extraordinary combat."
"Do not lower your guard."
"This anomaly is not very strong, but in my memory, it is one of the anomalies that inflicted the greatest harm upon Daxia, once causing hundreds of thousands of deaths."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned shocked!
"Hundreds of thousands of deaths?" Mo Buzhi said in disbelief. "This... and you call that not strong?"
"Its own combat strength is indeed not very strong; after a long slumber, it is only equivalent to a demigod." Lin Fan said in a low voice. "Yet its name is Jiang Chen!"
"Jiang Chen!"
These two names caused everyone's expressions to shift drastically!
Corpse King Jiang Chen!
The progenitor of zombies!
The legendary first zombie born from the convergence of resentment and yin qi!
"This is our opponent?"
"I never expected that the demons and monsters recorded in Daoist texts actually exist." Dao Wanqian gently stroked the peach-wood sword at his waist and suddenly smiled. "How truly anticipated! Finally, there is a chance to slay demons and eliminate devils just like the predecessors!"
Daoist peach-wood swords and Daoist yellow paper talismans were naturally born to slaughter such filthy demons and monsters!
Mo Buzhi's expression, however, turned ugly. "I think I know how he caused hundreds of thousands of lives to be lost..."
Hundreds of thousands of people—
Even if killed one by one, it would probably take decades or centuries.
If that Jiang Chen had dropped to demigod cultivation as Lin Fan said, it would be utterly impossible to kill that many.
Yet the problem was.
What is a zombie?
A life form born from the yin qi of heaven and earth, not only possessing a craving for fresh blood, but most crucially—once the yin qi inside their bodies is transmitted into a human body, it will also cause that human body to transform under that kind of yin qi into a mindless zombie!
This is equivalent to a mobile source of infection, constantly spreading disease.
If caught completely unprepared, that corpse king would easily build a zombie army!
The best way to deal with this kind of anomaly is to completely kill it the moment it appears.
Yet... the location where it appeared this time was construction area 1125! There were at least several thousand workers and new recruits there!
Even more terrifyingly, all construction areas were connected, spreading across the entire Ludong coastline. Once that wave of zombies truly erupted, then...
Doesn't that mean the eight million new recruits and thirty million engineering personnel that Daxia had managed to conscript with such difficulty would all become subordinates of Jiang Chen, turning into zombies?
By then, it would likely be completely uncontrollable, and the entire Daxia would be submerged by zombies!
Mo Buzhi bit his lip hard, not daring to voice his deduction.
***
Chapter 36: Sprinting
Construction area 1125.
Machinery roared.
It was hard to imagine that in just a single day, a deep pit over thirty meters deep had already been dug out.
At this moment, all the workers and the young recruits who had come to help had stopped their work, looking with curiosity at the pitch-black stone tablet exposed in the deep pit.
"What's going on? Why is there a stone tablet here?"
"How strange. Who buried it here?"
"It couldn't possibly be buried. Who would have nothing better to do than dig a thirty-meter pit to bury this stone? Are they bored?"
"Is that the character for 'corpse'? This stone tablet looks a bit evil... pitch-black and doesn't even reflect light. What material is this?"
"None of you move. I'll go take a look." A bold worker ignored the dissuasion of others, curiously walked up, and touched that stone tablet.
The stone tablet felt ice-cold to the touch, yet somewhat sticky.
Yet when that worker lifted his hand, he was stunned to discover that his palm was already a deep red!
Resembling blood!
He looked in astonishment at the stone tablet, and only at that moment did he finally see clearly.
"This isn't a stone tablet at all!"
"It's blood!"
That stone tablet was actually condensed from viscous, dried blood!
As if sensing the presence of living beings, the stone tablet vibrated slowly, and the character for "corpse" wriggled.
"Ah!!!"
Seeing this scene, that bolder worker let out a loud cry, scrambling out of the pit using both hands and feet. "Run quickly, run quickly! Something's wrong here..."
The sky suddenly darkened.
The originally scorching wind suddenly stopped, and at that moment, all sounds of nature fell silent.
Then.
The wind, which should have been hot summer air, turned as biting and freezing as deep winter ice.
The earth shook at that moment.
From within the stone tablet, a huge, cyan palm violently reached out, grabbing the man's back!
"Splat!"