Not long after Rowena and the others left, Evan Chu noticed Gavin Wei's odd expression and immediately asked, "Gavin, what's wrong? Are your injuries serious?"
"It's not that, Boss. I just keep feeling like there's a voice talking in my head, but I can't make out what it's saying. I don't know what's going on," Gavin replied.
"What did it say? Do you remember even a word or two?" Evan asked. He'd always felt Gavin was more than he appeared, especially after hearing about his special talent with herbs.
"I couldn't hear clearly—forget it, I won't think about it. By the way, Evan, why do you think the enemy suddenly retreated? Could it really be what that general said?" Gavin asked.
"It can't be that simple. That general said the enemy commander is a meticulous thinker—he wouldn't do something so foolish. Breaking through this fortress is hard, but they wouldn't just throw away lives for nothing," Evan said, gazing at the mass of corpses below the city walls.
"Evan, what would you think if I told you the enemy's secret weapon tomorrow could instantly kill hundreds of people?" Selena suddenly spoke up.
"What did you say—instantly kill hundreds? Is it some kind of powerful firearm?" Evan exclaimed in shock.
"That's right. The enemy's secret weapon is a firearm called the Skyshaker Bomb. It's incredibly domineering—even Heaven Martial Realm experts hit by it could be gravely wounded or killed," Selena explained.
Evan and Gavin both stared at Selena, stunned by her words. It was the first time they'd ever heard of a firearm capable of killing Heaven Martial experts.
"Why didn't they use it today? Why wait until tomorrow? Are they really so confident, only attacking after the Great General arrives?" Evan asked. If the enemy truly had such a weapon, the Heavenly Dragon Empire was in grave danger.
"The Skyshaker Bomb formula was actually auctioned off at my Valorcrest Auctions, but that was decades ago. The buyer back then was Yun Wanli, a royal member of the Sea Dragon Empire.
I once read about the Skyshaker Bomb in an ancient book—it was a signature weapon of the Lei family, an ancient firearms clan. Its power can level a small mountain, but the formula is extremely hard to gather. I never expected the Sea Dragon Empire to actually collect all the ingredients," Selena said.
Evan didn't care much about the latter part, but Selena's earlier words left him stunned. She said 'decades ago,' yet Gavin had mentioned Valorcrest Auctions only appeared in Bastion City a few years back. Was she talking about a different branch?
And she said 'decades'—how old was she, really? Could she actually be some ancient 'old monster' who's lived for centuries? Evan remembered he was supposed to absorb the demonic yin energy inside her; the thought sent chills down his spine.
"Evan, what's wrong? You look completely out of it," Selena asked, noticing Evan's distracted expression.
"N-nothing. Selena, how old are you, really? How do you know about things from decades ago?" Evan blurted out, unable to hold back the question nagging at him. Only afterward did he realize it was a bit much, but it was too late to take it back.
Selena laughed. "You've had that question in your heart for ages, haven't you? Do you think I'm some old witch? My age is about the same as yours—honestly, I have no reason to lie. You'll understand in time."
Evan stayed silent. With her saying that, what else could he say? At least she wasn't angry—she really had changed a lot for him.
"I only learned about the Skyshaker Bomb recently. According to my spies, Sea Dragon Empire has been using them—I've seen reports of their explosions, and the recent surge in rare material sales led me to this conclusion," Selena said.
Gavin was dumbfounded. To hear a Divine Martial powerhouse speak so gravely about a weapon—its power was all too real.
"Auction Master, is there any way to counter it? If the Sea Dragon Empire really uses Skyshaker Bombs, this war is as good as lost—we'd be doomed," Gavin said.
"Skyshaker Bombs are firearms, so they're all about explosion and burning. But this bomb combines both traits into one.
There's no way to dodge the explosion—it's devastating, but not as terrifying as the burning. After a Skyshaker Bomb goes off, it sends countless flames flying in all directions. The temperature is insanely high, like infernal fire that can't be put out quickly.
I don't know a perfect counter yet, but making Skyshaker Bombs is extremely troublesome. I estimate the Sea Dragon Empire only has about twenty here right now. That's nowhere near enough to decide the war.
There should be more bombs on the way. If we can destroy the shipments before they arrive, we've basically crippled their secret weapon," Selena said.
Night was falling. Looking at the distant campfires outside the city walls, Evan said, "Should we launch a night raid on the enemy camp?"
"No way, Evan! I'm injured—I'd just be a burden. It's safest for me to stay here," Gavin said.
"Evan, I know what you're thinking—you want to destroy the enemy's Skyshaker Bombs. If that's your plan, I advise against it. Those bombs will be heavily guarded, and even I can't guarantee success," Selena said.
Evan really had been thinking that, but after hearing Selena's words, he could only nod awkwardly. Maybe he was overestimating himself a little.
"Forget it. We've all fought hard today—let's restore our stellar power. Tomorrow's going to be a big battle!" Evan sat down and took out two high-grade Starstones, starting to absorb their energy.
Gavin started cultivating too. Goldwing, the Golden Vulture, just stood there unmoving, his wounds slowly healing in a miraculous fashion.
Seeing Evan and Gavin enter meditation, Selena's figure flickered and she shot into the sky, heading straight for the enemy camp and vanishing into the night...
At that moment, six people sat in the council hall. Roland Lowell sat at the head, with Generals Zhang and Li to his left, and three other senior commanders to his right.
Roland said, "Winston Ying's coup in the Royal Capital has caused massive damage—the capital is in ruins. If this fortress falls, the Heavenly Dragon Empire will cease to exist.
So this time, we must drive back the enemy at all costs. Let's lay out the battle plan now.
Generals Zhang and Li will continue guarding the gate with a hundred thousand troops. At dawn, we'll open the gate and deploy the army outside. If the enemy attacks, General Wang will lead two hundred thousand troops to assault the western flank.
General Namgong will take two hundred thousand troops to attack the east, General Wu will lead three hundred thousand for a frontal assault, and the remaining two hundred thousand will stay at the gate as a mobile reserve to reinforce any sector in crisis.
"Understood! We'll complete the mission!" the five commanders replied in unison.
"Go arrange the troop positions now. Make sure everyone is in place before sunrise. Tomorrow, we'll fight the Sea Dragon invaders with everything we've got!" Roland ordered.
With that, the five commanders left the council hall—a war dormant for centuries was about to erupt...