Chapter 20: Ji Ling, you are doomed to die!

Ji Tianxing had intended to use these seven days to push Ji Yun to work harder and improve his affinity with Yinglong.

However, even he could not fathom why Ji Yun, a Divine Contractor possessing a Heavenly-grade Divine Space, could not increase his affinity with Yinglong by even the slightest margin.

But there was no time to dwell on such matters now.

The divine battle between the Dragon Kingdom and the Sakura Kingdom was already a lost cause for the Ji family.

Losing face on a global scale, disappointing the entire nation, and even facing disciplinary action from the Dragon Kingdom's official authorities—these were already inevitable facts.

He could find various excuses after the fact to cover for Ji Yun; as long as one looked hard enough, excuses could always be found.

Yet, the Ji family could not suffer such a massive loss without gaining anything in return.

And so, Ji Tianxing conceived a devious scheme.

He planned to make a fortune through illegal gambling.

Gambling was illegal in the Dragon Kingdom, so Ji Tianxing had to be discreet.

Ji Tianxing lifted his eyes slightly, glancing at the security guard driving the car. Seeing that the guard was focused on the road, he returned his gaze to his phone screen, took a deep breath, and placed a bet of over 400 million on the Sakura Kingdom to win.

After placing the bet, Ji Tianxing let out a breath of relief and nodded with a smirk.

This 400 million was all the liquid capital the Ji family had available; Ji Tianxing had not held back a single cent, placing it all on the outcome.

Based on the current odds, as long as Ji Yun performed as he usually did, the Sakura Kingdom was guaranteed to win.

And according to the amount he had wagered, the 400 million would at least triple, instantly becoming 1.2 billion!

Losing face, yet earning a profit of over 800 million—this deal was not entirely a loss after all.

...

Inside the Ji family villa’s indoor training ground.

Ji Yun hung up the phone, grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his face, and turned to look at the sandbag in front of him.

Pinned to the sandbag was a photograph of Ji Ling.

The photo was clearly wrinkled and worn from being punched and kicked by Ji Yun.

But even this did not seem to satisfy his hatred.

Ji Yun’s hand moved slowly to his waist, drawing a dagger. With a vicious look in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and thrust the blade into the photo of Ji Ling on the sandbag.

With a "shish" sound, the sharp blade pierced straight through Ji Ling’s forehead in the photo. The sandbag was punctured, and the filling spilled out, scattering across the floor.

Still, Ji Yun did not seem satisfied. He slashed the dagger downward with ferocity, slicing the photo of Ji Ling into two pieces. The sandbag was also ripped open with a long gash, further accelerating the loss of its contents.

Ji Yun roared, hacking wildly at the now unrecognizable photo of Ji Ling on the sandbag, his chaotic strikes leaving the sandbag and the photograph in tatters.

Finally, the filling of the sandbag was completely exhausted, leaving only the outer skin and the shredded remnants of the photo hanging in mid-air.

Exhausted, Ji Yun sat on the floor, gasping for air. He looked up, his eyes locked onto the unrecognizable photo of Ji Ling, a sinister smirk creeping across his lips.

After a long while, Ji Yun stood up slowly, walked to the edge of the training ground, and picked up his phone.

"Hello? Is this the Divine Bureau? This is Major General Ji Yun. Please put me through to Director Nangong."

A hold tone came from the other end of the line, and the cold, sinister smile on Ji Yun’s face deepened. He muttered to himself, "Ji Ling... you’ve lived long enough. But this time, you will surely die!"

...

Inside the broadcast studio.

Ji Tianxing was still indulging in his dreams of wealth, a smile constantly on his face. The host, seemingly noticing Ji Tianxing's joy, immediately said, "It seems General Ji has also seen the results achieved by the Eastern Theater, and is genuinely happy for them; the smile on your face cannot be hidden."

Hearing the host's words, Ji Tianxing’s face stiffened visibly as he looked at the host in confusion.

What on earth?

Given the situation in the Eastern Theater, how could they possibly have achieved any results?

Ji Tianxing was no fool; having reached the rank of General, he certainly possessed a degree of strategic foresight.

The conflict in the Eastern Theater had been fiercer than any previous anomalous incursion. Months had passed, more than half of the troops had been lost, and the remaining army was firmly locked within the black mist, unable to escape.

Reinforcements could not get in, and the trapped army could not get out. Even if they had occupied an abandoned military base with decent supplies, their only fate would be to be worn down until they perished.

But the host said they had achieved results?

Could it be that the Boss had been found and eliminated?

At this thought, Ji Tianxing immediately looked at the big screen, which showed footage relayed by the Clairvoyant and the Wind Listener.

In the footage, centered on Base 3176, the black mist had been dispelled within a radius of over a hundred kilometers. The remaining 100,000 troops now had a vast safety zone, and they had even captured a long stretch of the eastern coastline.

At that moment, a group of soldiers was even fishing and scavenging on the beach.

If not for their uniform camouflage military fatigues, Ji Tianxing would have truly thought this was a trending livestream of someone foraging by the sea.

The host immediately added, "General Ji, this is precisely why we invited you today. Due to communication issues over these past few days, our understanding of the Eastern Theater has been based primarily on speculation."

"However, after long hours of analyzing the spliced footage, it can be preliminarily confirmed that it was the twenty-odd Dragon Kingdom deities contracted on-site, working tirelessly day and night to expand the safety zone, that led to these results."

"So our viewers are asking: if the current rate of expansion continues, is there hope for our soldiers in the Eastern Theater to emerge from the black mist, or perhaps even completely resolve this anomalous incursion in the short term?"

Ji Tianxing processed this for a moment, finally understanding what had happened.

The deities that Ji Ling had contracted for those twenty-seven soldiers that day, along with his own, had been killing anomalous creatures day and night, leading to the scene before him.

He had to admit, the strategy had truly worked. If they continued to expand the safety zone at this pace, the survival of the soldiers in the Eastern Theater was likely just a matter of time.

This would not do!

If Ji Ling actually escaped, they would be finished!

Ji Tianxing adjusted his composure and said with a chuckle, "I am deeply comforted. The soldiers were driven to the brink of death, but now they have found a way out. I am sincerely happy for them!"

"It seems that my younger son’s notebook being stolen by Ji Ling turned out to be a good thing after all."

"Although his theft was shameful, without that notebook of Ji Yun’s, the soldiers of the Eastern Theater would not be where they are today!"