CHAPTER 360: CHAPTER 167: CRISIS AT HAN SHUI

On the other side, just as Chen Jian shared the movements of the monsters near Jinling City with those inside the city, in Han Shui City.

Li Xian sat upright behind the long table in the council hall, with Zhou Qin, who also held an important position in the City Defense Department, from the Holy Blood Temple at his side.

The expressions on both of their faces were filled with intense tension and anxiety, deeper than when they faced the threat of Yellow Stone City.

After a long period of relative silence, Li Xian finally moved slightly.

He gently tapped the table in front of him and then said:

"We have no retreat."

"The Mechanical God Sect has no ability to send more Church Protection Army support, and other towns are even more preoccupied with their own problems."

"Xianning, Jiujiang, Xishui, Wuxue... right now, the one most likely to save us isn’t Xianning but Wuxue Town, which is slowly growing with the support of the Ring Chamber of Commerce and the Huaxia Army."

"Their population may not be large, but their equipment is quite advanced."

"I’ve heard that the Ring Chamber of Commerce recently transported a batch of weapons seized by the Huaxia Army to Wuxue Town from Quan City, including a large number of explosives and automatic weapons."

"If we need reinforcements, they’re the only ones we can ask."

"At least, they have some strength to spare..."

"It’s unrealistic to reach out to them."

Zhou Qin shook his head and sighed, then said:

"Their ’strength to spare’ is only based on defense. In fact, just dealing with the increasingly active Blood Skull around them, Wuxue Town is already struggling."

"Haven’t you heard? Recently, trade routes passing through Wuxue Town have been frequently attacked, which was a big deal before."

"The entire region is in deep trouble, everyone is struggling to protect themselves, how could they be so kind as to save us?"

"We..."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Li Xian interrupted Zhou Qin, then said slightly irritably:

"This doesn’t work, that doesn’t work; I’m sitting here discussing with you not to hear you counter everything I suggest!"

"I’ve already made efforts with the Mechanical Holy Temple. I even risked my position and future to argue for our case. What about you?"

"...."

Zhou Qin fell silent, and after a long time, he finally spoke:

"I’ve tried as well."

"But compared to the Mechanical Holy Temple, the current situation at the Holy Blood Temple is even more... volatile."

"A large number of manpower has been put into the work of migrating the population south, while others have been sent to various locations for reconnaissance."

"The Holy Father has no ability to organize enough force to care for a single city. In fact, for him, it has always been an irrational and unrewarding choice."

"He’s agreed to send a small team to support us, but for us, isn’t that just a drop in the bucket?"

"Believe me, I don’t want to see this city fall any more than you do."

"But I’ve truly done my best."

"All I can do is stay here with you."

"At least before the monsters tear my body apart, I will not retreat one step."

As he finished speaking, Li Xian, who had been speaking harshly, also fell silent.

He took a deep breath and, after a few seconds, said:

"Sorry, I lost my cool."

"I’m just... under a lot of pressure."

"A Level 3 monster, over 5 Level 4 monsters, and many small monsters..."

"Since I arrived in Han Shui City, I’ve never encountered such a difficult situation."

"The most ridiculous thing is, we actually wasted so much manpower over meaningless squabbles before."

"If we had known the Huaxia Army would grow to this extent... why did we waste our forces on Yellow Stone City?"

At this, a self-mocking smile appeared on Li Xian’s face, and Zhou Qin merely shrugged and said:

"What can be done? No one is omniscient."

"But in any case, we still need to focus on the present situation."

"The Level 3 monster is expected to reach the outskirts of Han Shui City in a week. How do you plan to set up the defense?"

"We might need to sacrifice some of the Church Protection Army."

Li Xian furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and said:

"I plan to set the defense line on the bridge and establish an artillery position taking advantage of the high ground."

"We currently still have a total of 24 cannons. Unleashing a volley, even if we can’t kill the monster outright, will be enough to inflict significant injury on it."

"However, this position will likely only have the opportunity to fire two or three times."

"After firing, the position will certainly be exposed."

"All the Fire Cannon Priests and Mechanical Servants won’t have time to retreat; they will definitely die."

"After that, it will be up to you all."

"I need the Holy Blood to carry enough explosives to finish off the already injured monster. These Holy Blood... they’re unlikely to survive."

Hearing Li Xian’s words, Zhou Qin slowly nodded.

"I will personally lead the team."

"No, you need to stay behind to command."

Li Xian waved his hand and said:

"Even if we manage to kill that Level 3 monster, it doesn’t mean the battle is over."

"Those five Level 4 monsters, those small monsters, will still continue to attack Han Shui City. We need to retain some strength to deal with their threat."

"Holy Trinity above, this is simply a deadlock..."

After saying this, the two once again fell into silence.

Yes, no matter how they simulated it, no matter how they arranged it, they couldn’t change the doomed fate of Han Shui City’s destruction.

Weapons were too few, combatants too few, and the enemy too strong.

All resistance was nothing but a dying struggle.

And now, the shadow of death was gradually looming; just the day before in battle, they had lost two Holy Blood followers and more than a dozen Church Protection soldiers.

Their opponent, merely a Level 4 monster alone...

Li Xian looked up at the Holy Trinity emblem on the dome of the council hall. At that moment, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.

The Mechanical God Sect couldn’t save Han Shui City, the Holy Trinity couldn’t save Han Shui City...

----What about the Huaxia Army?

It was as if a flash of lightning cut through his mind.

At the same moment, Zhou Qin suddenly sat upright.

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously spoke:

"Find the Huaxia Army?"

No words were needed; they didn’t even need much discussion.

They both realized that this was their last option and also the best option!

"Can you contact the Huaxia Army?"

"I can!"

Li Xian swiftly moved towards the radio, adjusting the frequency to those numbers he had memorized by heart.

Then, he began calling continuously.

A few minutes later, a response came through the headphones.

Li Xian quickly explained the situation in Han Shui City, followed by a long silence on the other end.

Long enough that he almost believed his hope had vanished and that the last救世星 had given up on Han Shui City.

But soon, his expression changed.

Watching from the side, Zhou Qin saw him say several "understood" before putting down the headset, then hurried up to ask:

"What did they say?"

A smile appeared on Li Xian’s face.

He replied:

"They told us to hold on for a few days."

"Within a week, they will send reinforcements!"