Chapter 25: The Price of Power and the Despair of War

The perspective now returns to Lin Ling’s home.

After a day of diligent study and research, Lin Ling, with Little White’s assistance, finally managed to master the purification technique. She successfully obtained a Star Source devoid of impurities.

Through this process, Lin Ling truly understood why Star Sources were so precious in the Origin Star Universe. Not only were they rare, but the purification and impurity removal process was incredibly complex, almost maddeningly so.

As she gazed at the Star Source resting in her palm, emitting a faint crimson glow, the young woman smiled with profound satisfaction.

The now-purified Star Source had transformed into a thumb-sized, entirely crimson gem. Though considerably smaller, its spiritual energy was remarkably substantial, promising the creation of a powerful warrior in the near future.

Now, the most critical step was selecting the right candidate. While Lin Ling knew she could achieve a perfect union between the Star Source and any suitable ordinary individual, she could not afford to be careless.

The ultimate choice had to consider the candidate’s character and moral standing. If necessary, she would even need to delve slightly into their memories.

This was to prevent inadvertently creating a chaotic individual, which would inevitably leave her to clean up the ensuing mess.

****

Having finished her shower, Lin Ling stretched out her limbs, lying spread-eagle on her bed, and began scrolling through her tablet.

Though she no longer strictly needed to bathe—her body could simply decompose into Sacred Spirit Power and then reassemble, shedding all grime naturally—Lin Ling still clung to the habit. Immersing herself in water helped her relax her mind and body, offering a slight respite from mental fatigue.

The young woman used WeChat to handle various domestic matters, including affairs concerning her parents and younger brother, as well as requests for gaming sessions. She mused that playing games might be a good idea lately.

Ever since she started living with Xi Yue, her gaming time had diminished significantly. She barely had enough time to spend with her girlfriend after work, a true tragedy of the working world.

She also promised Wu Hang to meet up this weekend. She wondered aloud why he was seeking her out, given how busy he had been recently.

As soon as Lin Ling opened Weibo, she stumbled upon a major news headline: “I-nation Nuclear-Obliterated a Giant Beast Near Its Capital, Ridexin?”

What?? I go offline for just one day, and this kind of chaos erupts?

According to the news, a giant beast had appeared near I-nation’s capital, Ridexin. The I-nation army bravely confronted it to protect their capital and people but ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.

‘Well, that’s to be expected, perfectly normal. After all, the I-nation army isn’t exactly known for their strength,’ she thought, a wry smile playing on her lips.

Under duress, the I-nation army resorted to nuclear weapons. However, it seemed there were quality control issues due to shoddy manufacturing, causing the first nuclear weapon to detonate prematurely and fail to kill the beast.

The I-nation army then launched a second one, finally eliminating the enemy. Lin Ling found herself both amused and exasperated as she read the report.

‘If I remember correctly, the Star Source near I-nation is located to the north. That beast was just passing through Ridexin, only to be brutally assaulted by them. Truly unlucky,’ she thought.

‘Even more amusing is that I-nation couldn’t even kill it! The moment the second nuclear bomb fell, it escaped underground. Only the folks from I-nation could pull off such enigmatic maneuvers. I’m impressed, truly the number one superpower of the cosmos! They effortlessly achieve what others cannot.’

However, this situation forced Lin Ling to prioritize dealing with all these giant beasts. Otherwise, she worried about how many more nuclear incidents might occur while she purified Star Sources, potentially pushing Blue Star beyond its limits.

‘Any communicative beasts will be spared; those that cannot be reasoned with will be humanely destroyed to prevent future calamities,’ the young woman planned.

She turned her head to look at the little pangolin in the living room, wrestling playfully with Wangzai. The once ferocious Red Horned Beast had transformed into such an endearing, spoiled pet.

Lin Ling couldn’t help but wonder where Bisika had learned such peculiar techniques.

Despite browsing Weibo, Lin Ling’s consciousness remained attuned to the movements of these ancient giant beasts.

Suddenly, Lin Ling detected a giant beast near A-nation’s waters abruptly change its course. It charged onto land, heading towards a location teeming with countless individual souls.

‘So many souls… that location seems to be a city,’ she mused.

‘I wanted to rest a bit longer!’

‘Damn it… Sigh, but who can blame me for being so kind? I suppose I’ll go check it out.’

****

Somewhere along A-nation’s coast,

What was once a beautiful and picturesque tourist destination had now become a living hell. Artillery roared, smoke billowed, and countless soldiers lay dead across the land, while many surviving forces scattered in retreat.

The sounds of lamentation and cannon fire enveloped the entire battlefield.

General John, the current commander, watched the loss of young lives around him with profound grief. At the same time, he bitterly denounced the soldiers who fled in disarray.

Forty minutes earlier,

General John, following the Prime Minister’s directives, had joined forces with the M-nation fleet to attempt to eliminate a gigantic, shark-like beast lurking in A-nation’s inland sea.

Although the beast showed no apparent intention of approaching A-nation, it remained a potential threat. If not dealt with promptly, it could adversely affect shipping, fishing, and other industries.

It was precisely when they had locked onto the beast’s location that General John gave an order he would regret for the rest of his life.

“Open fire!”

Following the command, a barrage of torpedoes, cannons, and depth charges rained down upon the beast, including M-nation’s newly equipped deep-sea armor-piercing torpedoes—weapons rumored to be capable of killing shark-type ferocious beasts.

Yet, the outcome was far from satisfactory. Though the beast sustained considerable damage, it was not fatal. Instead, it merely ignited its ferocious nature.

The next moment, the combined A-nation and M-nation fleet faced a furious counterattack. A colossal fishtail erupted from the sea, smashing M-nation’s aircraft carrier into shattered fragments.

Simultaneously, overwhelming blue light cannons and water blades shot forth from the depths. In mere minutes, the once formidable joint fleet was almost entirely annihilated, with the remaining ships and submarines rendered incapable of further combat.

Soldiers who fell into the sea could not escape their fate either. The beast released a massive amount of purple toxins into the seawater, polluting the entire operational area. As these toxins rose to the surface, the soldiers’ lives were instantly claimed by death.

General John was left speechless, utterly stunned by this devastating result.

He had believed it was over then.

Unexpectedly, the ferocious beast had no intention of stopping. It immediately changed its target, heading directly towards the coastal city.

****

At this moment,

From the beast’s landing until now, barely twenty minutes had passed, yet A-nation’s established defenses were utterly obliterated with destructive force. Neither planes nor tanks could halt its advance; all were completely destroyed.

This giant beast seemed to spare no life that dared to attack it. Even fighter jets in the air or bombers at high altitudes were annihilated by the blue rays it discharged. Moreover, its accuracy surpassed all modern guided weapons.

In this moment of utter despair, John received direct orders: command the remaining forces to delay the ferocious beast.

M-nation’s nuclear weapon had already been launched. Their task was to stall the beast for as long as possible, lure it away from the city, and grant civilians sufficient time to evacuate.

But how could they possibly be fast enough? At this point, it was a matter of saving whoever they could. “Have we been abandoned?” John muttered self-deprecatingly.

Since that was the case, he chose to unleash the last strength of everyone, ensuring their deaths would hold some value. John did not inform the remaining soldiers about the impending nuclear strike.

He refused to let these young lives experience the bitter taste of betrayal. With this thought, John continued to heroically command his surviving forces, supported by what little air cover remained, in a final, fierce battle against the giant beast.

Even though their guns and cannons inflicted no substantial damage on the beast, they never ceased their assault. In the eyes of these soldiers, their only goal was to delay the beast’s advance as much as possible, to buy precious escape time for the innocent civilians in the city. They were willing to sacrifice their lives!

The next moment, a blue light cannon descended with a roar, landing directly in front of John’s squad.

!!!