Volume Two: The Expedition! Chapter Seventy-Two: Deliberation

As his trusted aide listened, sweat beaded on his forehead—Li Yu’s vision extended far beyond their own. They were already accustomed to hiding under the military’s protection, their sense of vigilance long since dulled. With the army to fight the monsters, why should they worry about personal danger?

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Zhao Tian was also growing increasingly troubled. When he met with Masao Nakamura, the man would surely ask where his superior was—how should he answer? And more importantly, how could he probe for the coordinates without arousing suspicion?

The more Zhao Tian thought, the worse his headache grew. Beside him, Yin Peng spoke up, “Captain, are you agonizing over how to bring up the matter with Masao Nakamura?”

“Exactly. If you have a good idea, let’s hear it.” Zhao Tian seized the suggestion as a drowning man grabs at reeds.

Yin Peng considered for a moment. “Captain, why not go straight to Masao Nakamura? Under the pretext of discussing evacuation routes, ask if there are any areas nearby with disrupted signals or unusual occurrences. If they ask about your superior’s whereabouts, simply say he headed toward the area where people have gone missing and won’t be back for now—then casually ask if anything unusual has been reported along that route.”

Zhao Tian frowned. “It’s a good plan, but the information we’d get would be too broad. Chief Li’s orders were to investigate a specific coordinate—we need to narrow it down.”

Yin Peng thought a little longer, then smiled. “Captain, you could say we’ve been particularly interested in the movements of the Sword Sage. We noticed that as he advanced, our signal was lost at that exact coordinate, and only after passing through did we regain contact. Then we can ask if anything special happened there—this way, we’ll pinpoint the location.”

Zhao Tian thought the idea was good, though he still felt uneasy. “Wouldn’t it be suspicious if we mentioned the loss of contact directly?”

“Not at all. If we tried to hide it, that would only raise doubts. If we ask openly, they won’t suspect anything. After all, the Sword Sage just landed and slew a monster bird that, to them, was terrifying.”

Zhao Tian’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, ‘to them’? That bird destroyed all of Tokyo!”

Yin Peng was stunned. “Captain, you’re joking, right? Wasn’t it just an ordinary mutant bird? Was it really that powerful?”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me. I didn’t either at first, but these were Masao Nakamura’s own words. Do you really think he’d lie?”

Hearing Zhao Tian reference Masao Nakamura, Yin Peng was finally convinced. No wonder the Japanese crowd had been so agitated when the Sword Sage killed that bird. He had thought it was simply because they were unaccustomed to such things.

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A thought struck him, and he stammered, “C-Captain, isn’t Japan terrifying? Even a common mutant bird became that formidable. How many even greater monsters must there be? We should finish our mission and get out of here fast!”

Zhao Tian clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Masao Nakamura said that bird was the only one found in all Japan, and nothing more dangerous has shown up. Hurry and get ready—gather some men and let’s go question Masao Nakamura together. The more of us, the stronger our presence.”

Yin Peng finally relaxed at the news that there was only one such bird. Without the Sword Sage nearby, he felt less safe than before. As he moved to gather the men, Zhao Tian stopped him.

“Remember, this is just a routine exchange with the Japanese. We’re not here to gather intelligence, and our superior is not missing. Understood?”

“Understood!” Yin Peng replied dutifully.

Satisfied, Zhao Tian nodded. “Good, go on. I’ll wait here for you.”

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Masao Nakamura was conferring with several staff officers about evacuation, having already outlined several preliminary plans. Further details would be discussed with the Chinese delegation.

A man approached and whispered in his ear. Masao Nakamura paused the meeting with a smile. “Our guests from China have arrived. Let’s go out to greet them.”

The people in the conference room followed him to the entrance. In the distance, they saw Zhao Tian and his group advancing toward them.

Masao Nakamura was a competent soldier but not a skilled politician, valuing strength above all else. Now that the Chinese side possessed superior military might, he adopted a humble stance, going out to meet Zhao Tian from afar. The Japanese officers behind him, though resigned, had little choice but to follow.

“Mr. Zhao, you’re here,” Masao Nakamura greeted them with a smile. Looking around, he added, “But where is the Sword Sage?”

“Oh, our superior went out to assess the disaster situation in Japan and hasn’t returned yet. He specifically instructed us to come ahead and discuss evacuation matters with your side. Once he returns, we’ll report back to him.”

Zhao Tian delivered the prepared line smoothly.

Though disappointed, Masao Nakamura maintained his composure and led the group into the conference hall. Both sides had designated personnel to set up recording equipment, ensuring that no details of the meeting would be lost.

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Once seated, Zhao Tian took the initiative. “Mr. Nakamura, may I ask, how many people does your country plan to evacuate this time?”

After a brief exchange with his advisers, Masao Nakamura replied, “Mr. Zhao, the situation in Japan is growing dire and clearly uninhabitable. We hope to evacuate as many citizens as possible to your country.”

Hearing this evasive answer, Zhao Tian frowned. “Mr. Nakamura, I understand your concerns. We also want to help as many Japanese citizens as we can, but we’ll need your full cooperation.”

Masao Nakamura nodded, “I understand, Mr. Zhao. Before your arrival, we discussed several preliminary plans. Let’s review them together, and whichever your side approves, we will implement.”

“Oh? Let’s hear them,” Zhao Tian replied, secretly amused by the Japanese eagerness to leave—so eager they had plans prepared even before his arrival.

After exchanging glances with his officers, Masao Nakamura began, “Plan one: evacuate all Japanese citizens. Currently, there are seven safe zones in Japan, totaling over six hundred thousand people. With the Sword Sage present, we could evacuate everyone in order. The method would be large transport planes making repeated trips, though this would require considerable time and the Sword Sage’s escort.”

Zhao Tian exchanged looks with his team, who were recording the meeting’s details. He asked, “If we use airplanes, how many can your country provide?”

This question struck a sore spot. Masao Nakamura gave a wry smile. “Mr. Zhao, nearly all airports in Japan have been destroyed, and mutant creatures roam everywhere. Large planes cannot take off or land safely, and they require too much space. Apart from a few helicopters, we have no large aircraft left. If you want helicopters, we can deploy all forty-five.”

All the Japanese officers lowered their heads, well aware that evacuating with helicopters was a fantasy—a single helicopter could carry only a handful at a time. Even flying for months, they could not evacuate so many.

Zhao Tian and his team consulted briefly. “We’ve noted the first plan. Let’s move on to the next; we’ll have to discuss with our government before deciding.”

Masao Nakamura nodded. “Plan two: evacuate residents from all safe zones with railway access. There are four such zones, with a total population of four hundred seventy thousand. We could use trains to move people to our naval base and then transport them by warships—each ship can carry up to five hundred people. We have a carrier battle group there. However, this plan requires the Sword Sage’s help to clear the rail lines, and we’d need to repair the tracks.”

Zhao Tian sucked in a breath. Good heavens—a carrier battle group? But sea evacuation was perilous and slow, not an ideal choice.