The officer's superior was understandably furious; anyone in his position would have been.
To convince the higher-ups, the officer's superior had vouched for the plan with his own reputation. It had taken considerable effort to get them to agree to the missile bombardment strategy.
After all, each missile represented a fortune in taxpayer money. A single bombardment was astronomically expensive, but the thought of severely damaging or even eliminating the demon, preventing it from further ravaging cities and escalating losses, had made the higher-ups grit their teeth and consent.
Now, the land had been bombarded, the money spent, yet the demon was completely unharmed and had moved on to another city to continue its destruction.
The officer's superior was, unsurprisingly, subjected to a barrage of scolding from his superiors.
Instead of brooding over the dressing-down, the disgruntled superior, unwilling to stew in his own displeasure, immediately shifted the blame to the officer, using him as a scapegoat.
"If you can't come up with a solution for this thing, you can expect to lose your head!"
With that, the officer's superior gruffly hung up the phone.
Listening to the beeping of the dial tone, the officer froze for a few seconds before, with a roar, he swept the phone and everything else on the desk to the floor.
He was angry too. As the frontline commander, the failure of the plan infuriated him the most. Yet, now everyone was pointing fingers at him, and the immense pressure was making it hard to breathe.
"Get out, all of you!"
At the officer's furious bellow, everyone in the command center exchanged glances, then rose in unison and rushed out the door. None dared to incur the officer's wrath at a time like this.
Once everyone had departed, the officer slumped dejectedly onto a nearby chair. Watching the diabolic figure of the Earth Demon wreaking havoc on the screen, his heart sank.
He had no more ideas on how to deal with this monster. If even missile bombardments were ineffective, what else could be done? Should they deploy nuclear weapons?
At this moment, the high echelons of the Spanish government also realized the gravity of the situation.
In the Prime Minister's office, a middle-aged man with flecks of white in his hair sat at his desk, his hands clasped as if deep in thought. Before him sat a landline telephone. Following the man's gaze, one could see he was staring intently at the phone.
Reluctantly, given the financial losses and casualties the demon had inflicted upon Spain, the Prime Minister felt compelled to compromise. As much as he detested the idea, contacting the United States or other major powers for assistance might be his best option.
As the Prime Minister hesitated, a voice echoed from behind him.
"I can help you resolve your current predicament."
"Who?!"
The Prime Minister shivered and spun around abruptly, only to find no one there. When he turned back, he saw a handsome man sitting on the sofa not far in front of him.
"Who are you! What do you want!"
Seeing the man on the sofa, the Prime Minister didn't react with excessive alarm. Instead, after posing his question, he calmly sat back down, as steady as a rock.
"Alright, stop with the futile gestures. If I can appear here, it means your bodyguards outside have already been dealt with."
With that, the man vanished from the sofa and reappeared directly opposite the Prime Minister. He casually pulled up a chair and sat down.
This man was none other than Bai Qi.
The Prime Minister wasn't truly fearless; he had merely been attempting to discreetly press the alarm button beneath his desk while feigning composure.
However, this attempt was futile, as it had not escaped Bai Qi's notice. Even if the Prime Minister had managed to press the alarm, it would have been useless. All the security personnel and public officials outside the door, in fact, the entire Prime Minister's residence, had been subdued by the Shadow Ninjas the moment Bai Qi appeared.
"What exactly do you want?"
Bai Qi's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Only a demon knows how to deal with another demon. Human weapons are but child's play in the eyes of a demon."
The Prime Minister was no fool; he quickly inferred Bai Qi's identity.
"You! You are the Holy Lord!"
Indeed, Bai Qi had become quite famous.
His dramatic arrival in New York, America, had seemed like a declaration of his presence to the world. Subsequently, he had overthrown the king of an island nation with his sheer power. Even more astonishing was that under his rule, the nation's economy and politics had not collapsed but had instead surged forward, and its people lived in peace and prosperity.
In stark contrast, the leaders of many countries appeared as brainless imbeciles.
The Prime Minister was visibly trembling with excessive fear, looking as though he might faint from shock at any moment.
One demon was already a headache, and now another had appeared. And this one's power was evident for all to see, capable of rendering even the usually arrogant United States helpless, let alone Spain.
Bai Qi wasted no more time and got straight to the point. "Mr. Prime Minister, I believe you are well aware of the current situation. A demon is wreaking havoc on your nation's territory, and you are powerless to stop it."
"No, we can still ask for help from America."
The Prime Minister's voice was weak, lacking conviction.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Bai Qi raised an eyebrow. "America can barely take care of itself. How could it possibly spare troops to help you? Besides, do they truly have a way to deal with demons? Or do you intend to detonate nuclear bombs on your own land?"
Ultimately, the Prime Minister relented. He leaned back in his chair, sighed, and his entire demeanor aged by at least a decade, his face etched with worry. "Speak. What are your terms?"
The Prime Minister was not naive; there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world. Everything came with a price.
Bai Qi extended three fingers. "Three conditions. First, Spain must announce diplomatic relations with Kutor, with full economic and trade openness and mutual exchange. Second, the Spanish government must recognize the legitimacy of the Holy Dragon Church and fund the construction of Holy Dragon Church cathedrals in important Spanish cities. And finally, the most crucial point, you and your family must convert to the Holy Dragon Faith."
"That's impossible!"
The Prime Minister blurted out without a second thought.
Despite Bai Qi's casual delivery, none of these three conditions were easy to accept.
Firstly, Kutor, a nation controlled by a demon, was not recognized by many countries internationally. Coupled with Bai Qi's actions in America, even if the U.S. government didn't voice it openly, they had certainly obstructed Kutor behind the scenes.
With the United States leading the charge, other smaller nations were reluctant to associate with Kutor, fearing they might displease their leader.
Consequently, Kutor found itself in an awkward international position, its only diplomatic ties being with Biliah, controlled by Queen Bee.