At the official residence of the Prime Minister of R Nation, a profound silence fell over the high-ranking officials. Their gazes were fixed on the screen before them, etched with shock and terror.
Dead... dead? Lord Vulcan... just like that?
For a long time, no one spoke in the conference hall.
Prime Minister Kōiiō, along with the other cabinet ministers, found it impossible to believe. The monstrous being they considered immensely powerful, capable of directly threatening national security, a being they had even deified as a 'god,' was now deceased.
"We have misjudged his strength time and again..." A deep sense of dread permeated the room, and more and more ministers began to fidget restlessly.
Initially, before Bai Ye had even left Great Xia, they had gathered some information. Their conservative estimate was B-class strength, but that was not yet enough to instill fear in them.
Later, when Bai Ye arrived in their R Nation, they gained more understanding and reassessed his rating to A-class, a disaster-level threat.
This was already at a level that made them wary. Consequently, they had summoned R Nation's "Guardian Deities," specifically Prince Hōō and the Flame Toad, in succession.
However, they never anticipated that they had still miscalculated. Bai Ye's strength was unfathomable!
Perhaps Prince Hōō hadn't disliked following their orders, but rather, he had understood that fellow's strength?
Damn it! Couldn't they have been given even a hint?
At the site of the Wáng Guó Guǐ Cè ruins, the terrifying black and red hellfire dissipated, leaving behind only the 'ordinary' crimson flames.
The outermost park was also engulfed in fire. Countless fire brigades were battling the blaze, while many onlookers voluntarily joined in the firefighting efforts.
But no matter how much water was poured, the flames in the park barely diminished. The firefighters looked as if they had seen ghosts. To be a firefighter in a metropolis like Tokyo, they were all battle-hardened veterans. Yet, none of them had ever encountered such a terrifying conflagration!
"This is Tokyo Television, I am reporter Yamano Miko. As you can see behind me, our great 'Hall of Heroes' has inexplicably caught fire, turning into a sea of flames. The temperature is extremely high; even from nearly a hundred meters away, I can feel the terrifying heat..."
"Although it's not yet determined if there are any casualties, our great 'Hall of Heroes' is destroyed... We hope the relevant authorities will investigate the specific cause of the fire and provide an explanation to the citizens!"
The beautiful young reporter from the television station reported tearfully. Around her, the crowd also let out sounds of weeping.
The citizens of nearly all of R Nation were currently watching the news, their hearts aching as if being sliced by knives!
At the center of the inferno, Bai Ye, suspended high in the air, cast a dispassionate glance at the surrounding R Nation populace, who were engaged in a scene of 'lively' activity.
He then turned his gaze, locking onto the reconnaissance drone hovering overhead. Slowly, he raised his hand, straightening his index finger and raising his thumb.
A playful smile touched his lips as he whispered, "Boom~"
*Swoosh~* A silver-white streak of light flashed through the night, striking the targeted reconnaissance drone.
*Boom!!!*
In an instant, the reconnaissance drone exploded in the night sky, resembling a colossal firework, scattering sparks in all directions.
Fortunately, it was an unmanned drone. Had there been a pilot, they would have surely perished on the spot! As the explosion lit up the sky, Bai Ye's figure vanished into the night.
"Ah?? An explosion? An explosion in the sky? What's going on?"
"What happened?"
"What is happening tonight?"
"Could it be terrorists?"
The moment the explosion sounded, it immediately drew the attention of the gathered crowd and the firefighters, causing another wave of tension and commotion at the scene.
The Prime Minister's Official Residence.
"What do we do... Now, what do we do?"
After a long while, a cabinet minister could no longer contain himself, his voice trembling as if asking himself, yet also asking others. "Was he just warning us?"
"Is he going to come here now?"
At this utterance, the taut nerves and psychological defenses of everyone present crumbled. Coupled with Bai Ye's earlier gesture of pointing at them from afar, and the sinister smile on his face, every cabinet minister felt a chill run down their spines.
If he really were to come here, what could possibly stop him?
"Prime Minister, I suddenly have a terrible stomachache and need to go to the hospital! Excuse me~"
"Ah!! Prime Minister, I've suddenly had a heart attack, I can't hold on..."
"Prime Minister, I... uh... oh, my daughter-in-law is in difficult labor..."
...
In a historically unprecedented scene, the high and mighty cabinet ministers of R Nation fled the Prime Minister's Official Residence, a place considered the pinnacle of R Nation's power and a source of pride for even a single visit, much like common thugs!
"Baka yarō!" Prime Minister Kōiiō's face turned as dark as charcoal. Watching the figures of the ministers fleeing, he felt powerless. In fact, his own legs seemed to betray him, taking steps as if wanting to leave this dangerous place himself.