Chapter 1

The shrill alarm echoed across the boundless sea.

Within two hours of the Second Cataclysm, naval fleets and reconnaissance stations of more than twenty countries were attacked by mutated sea beasts. The vast sea was littered with corpses of all sizes.

The fragmented corpses of mutated sea beasts, torn apart by destroyer cannons, emitted a pungent stench of blood and fish. Dozens of warships flying the Yan Huang flag crisscrossed the East Sea, carrying the lingering scent of gunpowder smoke...

On the deck, a young officer stood with a stern expression, the insignia of a major gleaming on his shoulders.

"Sector N50 has been cleared!"

A military police officer reported, his attitude serious.

The mutation on the sea had drawn the attention of all national navies.

The Dong Yan Fleet belonged to the Yan Huang Kunlun Theater Command and was the ace navy of the Kunlun Theater Command. After the mutation became apparent, a large number of sea beasts began attacking coastal bases in the Kunlun Theater. The Dong Yan Fleet was ordered to set out and, within two hours, had cleared an area of one thousand kilometers in all directions.

"Continue patrolling!" the officer said in a deep voice.

The military police officer left, and an old man walked out of the nearby command room, stood beside the officer, and said softly, "You have successfully completed the mission, but you don't seem to be in a good mood. What are you worried about?"

The officer pondered for a moment, pointed to the sea, and said coldly, "Although these sea beasts are ferocious, they cannot withstand our strong ships and cannons. In front of our fleet, they are just larger, more insane beasts."

"On the sea, even if their numbers are ten times greater, I am confident that I can kill them all!"

The old man shrugged, noncommittal.

"But if they enter the cities, enter densely populated areas, how should we respond?" the officer asked in a deep voice. "We can certainly blockade the ports and coasts, but who can guarantee that there are no hidden rivers or underground caves connecting to the city's rivers beneath the sea?"

"Once a monster breaks into the city... can we use Fortress Destroyer-class rockets for indiscriminate coverage in the city center?" A hint of worry appeared on the officer's stern face.

Tie shu ji qi (holding back from striking the rat for fear of breaking the dishes)!

Once monsters broke into the city, the high-powered weapons they currently possessed would become useless. If a monster broke into a residential building, the military could not simply level the entire building with artillery!

The lives of those residents were also a factor that the military needed to consider!

The old man nodded in agreement and then pointed to the monster corpses, saying, "This is a difficult point, and have you noticed anything strange about these sea beast attacks?"

The officer frowned.

"They are completely suicidal attacks. Although these mutated beasts' consciousness is insane, they do not kill each other. Instead, they launch attacks against our warships in a very coordinated manner... They don't seem like beasts driven by crazy instincts, but rather like a clan." A sharp glint appeared in the old man's eyes. "They seem to be commanded by a powerful king!"

"You mean, mutated sea beasts have established their own clan and civilization in such a short period of time?" the officer asked in surprise.

"Civilization... is far from enough." The old man shook his head. "This is just an early stage of clan phenomenon. I always feel that these sea beasts are not launching attacks against us without meaning. Their attacks are very frequent and staged."

"I have a bold guess. There must be many powerful kings in the deepest shadows orchestrating all of this. They are driving sea beasts to attack us, not to cause us much damage with these sea beasts... but to observe our strength, weapons, combat methods, and even clan habits through this battle!" The old man's voice carried a hint of coldness. "They are trying to understand us, to study the defects and weaknesses in our combat methods!"

The officer gasped when he heard this, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes: "If things are really as you guessed, these monsters are too terrifying..."

"Perfectly mutated beast kings possess intelligence no weaker than humans." The old man sighed. "I hope things are not as I guessed, otherwise... humanity will really face a disaster!"

The officer's cheeks trembled slightly, and he remained silent.

"Report, urgent telegram from the Ministry of State Security!"

At this moment, a military police officer strode over, holding a red-headed confidential document in his hand.

The officer took it, opened it, and quickly read it through, his expression changing slightly.

"What's wrong?" the old man asked.

"Urgent telegram from the Ministry of State Security. Three days later, Yan Huang will implement military-political integration throughout the entire territory, and the military region will take over the entire country! I am being transferred from the Dong Yan Fleet to take over a city!" The young officer said expressionlessly in a cold voice.

"Where?" the old man asked.

"Ba Zhou War Zone, Han Dong... Nan City!" The young officer spat out a few words heavily, one word at a time.

...

Three hours after the Second Cataclysm.

Li Tianran sat on the sofa, chicken soup and mutton stewing in the kitchen, the aroma permeating the room.

After his body suddenly enlarged, Xiao Hei could no longer enter the small building. It was very uncomfortable with this change, pacing back and forth anxiously in the farm.

Li Tianran thought about it and decided to remodel the small building in a couple of days.

From childhood to adulthood, Han Han had always had Xiao Hei on guard while sleeping. Suddenly separating would naturally cause some discomfort.

However, Xiao Hei's body size had not changed too much, not increasing by dozens or hundreds of times. Li Tianran was originally worried that if Xiao Hei grew to the size of a small mountain, the entire farm might not be able to accommodate it...

At this moment, only one official news channel on the television was still broadcasting live. Sure enough, after the Second Cataclysm, everyone began frantically抢水 (qiang shui - grabbing water).

With the experience of the First Cataclysm, the survivors this time had greatly improved their vigilance. Looking at the turbid water flowing from the tap, most people did not dare to drink it.

The official testing agency also promptly issued a notice that underground tap water could no longer be consumed, otherwise it would cause severe poisoning.

Water was a more important survival resource than food. When this notice was issued, the people who were already frantic due to food shortages went even more insane.

Just now, Li Tianran had conducted an experiment: Evolvers could drink irradiated water without experiencing any abnormalities in their bodies.

Li Tianran's current body was like being impervious to all poisons and protected by the indestructible Vajra Body Divine Skill. A little bit of radiation toxin could not do anything to him at all.

Although it would not cause any harm to his body, the bitter taste in the water still made Li Tianran feel nauseous. With other backup water available, he would definitely not drink this kind of water again!

In addition, Li Tianran also had some considerations regarding the current situation. Li Tianran also thought of what the young officer was worried about.

Nan City was a city not far from the sea, making it easily accessible if mutated sea beasts invaded!

He used his identity to send an email to the Speaker's mailbox.

"In response to the crisis that may occur next, I suggest that Nan City establish a solid shelter and summon all residents into the shelter, with unified allocation and distribution of supplies!"

"This can avoid the large-scale casualties that may be caused by mutated sea beasts breaking into the city, and the military police can freely use high-firepower weapons in the open city center!"

"Nan City does not have many defense personnel to begin with. Instead of dispersing them, it is better to concentrate them in one place! In this way, the military police only need to fully guard the shelter, and their strength will not be dispersed!"

"It is foreseeable that great chaos will descend in the future. The sooner this is implemented, the fewer casualties Nan City will suffer. Please consider carefully and implement it as soon as possible!"

After clicking send, Li Tianran turned off his computer.

But as for whether this suggestion would be adopted, it was up to fate!

This was all he could do.

He would do his best to help Nan City brainstorm ideas, and even extend a helping hand to his compatriots in certain times of crisis.

But all of this had to be established on one premise.

That was to ensure his own interests, life, and property were safe!

Li Tianran never minded using the worst assumptions to speculate about people's hearts. In this situation, unreserved and selfless dedication might not be rewarded with a warm embrace, but rather with cold swords and guns...