As Jiang Wuming was en route to the Northern Region Airport by car, the Martial Department had already initiated its emergency response plan for the arrival of extraterrestrial enemies.
Even though extraterrestrial enemies had not descended for twelve years, the Martial Department and the entire Dragon Country possessed emergency response plans, categorized into three levels.
This time, the Martial Department had activated the Level II emergency response plan for the descent of extraterrestrial enemies.
The Dragon Country's national emergency response plan, however, would only be activated after the Martial Department convened a meeting and formed a work report, with the activation dependent on the prevailing situation.
The emergency meeting itself was a component of the emergency response plan.
Yanjing, Martial Department Headquarters.
Qi Wufu, along with other elders of the Martial Department, and the heads of various departments and bureaus, sat in the conference room. Representatives from the six major legions and the two martial arts academies joined via video conference.
Notably, the Loulan Legion was represented by its Chief of Staff, Wu Yong, while the East Sea Martial Arts Academy was attended by its Vice Dean, Xia Xueqin, in place of Ren Xiaoyao.
Ren Xiaoyao's injuries had just stabilized, and he was scheduled to return to the country that day, proceeding directly to the Valley of Medicine Gods for treatment by Li Gu Medical himself.
"Comrades, extraterrestrial enemies have descended once again, and the number of descent points has increased by five. As of now, all descended extraterrestrial enemies have been eliminated. The Martial Department has also officially activated the Level II emergency response plan.
In accordance with the emergency response plan, we are holding this urgent meeting to unify our thinking, accurately assess the current situation, and formulate detailed plans.
I will immediately submit the plans to the Dragon Country Elder Council after the meeting. The Elder Council will then decide on the activation of the national-level emergency response plan based on our proposals, coordinating all departments to cooperate with our work..."
At the commencement of the meeting, Qi Wufu was the first to speak, his expression solemn and his tone grave, a stark contrast to his demeanor during his earlier call with Wu Yong.
This was all because the situation was extremely serious!
Although all the descended extraterrestrial enemies had been eliminated, no one could guarantee how many extraterrestrial enemies would descend next time, what their combat strength would be, or whether new descent points would emerge.
After Qi Wufu concluded his opening remarks, both the attendees in the Martial Department headquarters conference room and those participating via video felt a heavy pressure.
"Esteemed leaders, comrades, I will now report on the situation of this battle. Upon the descent of the extraterrestrial enemies, the six major legions detected the intelligence immediately. With the exception of the Loulan Legion, the other five major legions discovered the descent of extraterrestrial enemies through monitoring equipment..."
In the conference room, the second speaker was the head of the Martial Department's Operations Bureau, who reported on the combat situations of the six locations against the extraterrestrial enemies.
The Operations Bureau and the Enforcement Division were the two most crucial departments within the Martial Department. The former was responsible for formulating combat plans against extraterrestrial enemies, while the latter was primarily responsible for the management of martial artists.
Wu Yong had previously served in the Operations Bureau, demonstrating exceptional military talent in his work, which ultimately led to his exceptional promotion to Chief of Staff of the Loulan Legion.
Hmm?
When the head of the Operations Bureau spoke about the unique battle in the Loulan Ancient City, all attendees, except for those already aware of the events, were stunned.
Following a brief moment of stunned silence, including Qin Yuanzheng and Xia Xueqin, everyone erupted in praise for Jiang Wuming's brilliant performance!
This also helped to alleviate some of the oppressive atmosphere in the conference room.
"The battle on the Loulan front was our first attempt to destroy the enemy's faith in our conflict with extraterrestrial enemies. This is an area we will need to research in the future, and we will not elaborate further on it here today," the head of the Operations Bureau added before concluding his speech.
"Next, everyone, please share your thoughts on the situation of this extraterrestrial enemy descent."
Qi Wufu continued to preside over the meeting and directly called on Wu Yong, "Wu Yong, you go first."
"Yes, Marshal!"
Wu Yong immediately acknowledged, then said solemnly, "In our battles with extraterrestrial enemies over the years, we have accumulated considerable experience. The most crucial takeaway is that extraterrestrial enemies must pay a price to descend into our world and are subject to its rules.
This time, although the number of extraterrestrial enemy descent points has increased, there are many similarities to the Loulan battlefield in the past.
First, the enemies' strength is still suppressed.
Second, at the other five newly added extraterrestrial enemy descent points, similar to the initial descent at the Loulan Ancient City, the enemy numbers are not large..."
Wu Yong first touched upon the similarities and differences between the current extraterrestrial enemies and those of the past, then paused before concluding:
"However, I believe the most significant piece of information regarding this extraterrestrial enemy descent is that the five descent locations—Qinling Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, the Potala Palace of the Buddhist Sect, Longhu Mountain, and Wudang Mountain—are in close proximity to the locations of the major sects.
As everyone knows, the locations of the major sects are extremely conducive to cultivation. Based on our statistical research, the same martial artist cultivates at the locations of major sects significantly faster than in the secular world.
Therefore, my personal assessment is that if extraterrestrial enemies continue to establish new descent points in the future, they are highly likely to be similar locations.
The standard for 'similar' here requires further collective discussion.
When we formulate combat plans in the future, besides dispatching personnel to guard the existing descent points, we must also identify potential descent points and station personnel there to prevent any unforeseen events..."
Huh?
Hearing Wu Yong's statement, everyone, including Qi Wufu,'s eyes lit up, finding his points quite logical.
Concurrently, the commanders of the five regional legions—East, West, South, North, and Central—began mentally reviewing which martial arts sects and holy lands fell within their respective jurisdictions, and what other locations were similar to these.
...
Suzhou.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Dongfang Xiaoyao drove the Maybach, which had already gained fame in Suzhou, towards Hanshan Temple.
Hanshan Temple is a well-known tourist attraction in Suzhou and one of the famous ancient temples in the Dragon Country, having a place in historical verses.
Because Jiang Wuming had faced life-or-death peril in the genius group competition of the Global Martial Arts大会, Su Shiyun, still lingering in fear, had been constantly worried. Thus, she decided to visit Hanshan Temple to pray for Jiang Wuming.
"Sister Shiyun, I heard that many people go to temples to pray in the morning. Why do you choose the afternoon?" Dongfang Xiaoyao asked somewhat curiously on the way to Hanshan Temple.
Since Jiang Wuming had taken her to Nanguang and helped her resolve childhood emotional burdens and banish her inner shadows, she had become more outgoing than before.
Although her increased outgoingness was still perceived as reserved by many, it was a significant improvement for herself. Previously, she almost never initiated conversations with Su Shiyun.
"That's just people's habit; they think mornings are better. But I believe there's no difference between morning and afternoon; sincerity is what matters," Su Shiyun replied.
"That makes sense."
Dongfang Xiaoyao nodded thoughtfully, resolving to also pray for Jiang Wuming upon their arrival at the temple.
At two fifty, Dongfang Xiaoyao drove the car and arrived at the parking lot outside Hanshan Temple.
After parking the car, Dongfang Xiaoyao, as usual, exited first and quickly walked to the rear door of the car to open it for Su Shiyun.
However—
Unlike before, as Dongfang Xiaoyao reached for the car door, her movements paused.
This was because she sensed a distinct energy fluctuation emanating from behind Hanshan Temple!
At the same time.
Suzhou Martial Department Office.
"Di... Director, we... we just detected a fluctuation of extraterrestrial enemy descent..." a staff member reported nervously.
The Martial Department, as in the past, had not publicly announced the recurrence of extraterrestrial enemy descents. However, all internal personnel were aware and had entered a state of readiness.
The detection of extraterrestrial enemy descents was a critical component of this readiness.
The Martial Department offices in various cities were equipped with monitoring devices, whose operating principles were somewhat similar to seismographs.
"Wh... Where?!"
Chen Yong, the head of the Suzhou Martial Department Office, his face changed.
The staff member swallowed and trembled, "Hanshan Temple!!"