Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 170, China’s Apprehension & General Li’s Mystery

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silavin

In a heavily guarded office, six out of the ten who stood at the peak of China had promptly arrived. The remaining four needed to remain stationed in various locations and could not be absent.

However, due to the gravity of the situation, even General Li, the highest ranked general of China, entrusted matters to his deputy and arrived in a Stealth Jet overnight.

The Stealth Jet, also known as the Spiritual Energy Fighter Aircraft, was designed to counter Mutant Birds.

It was significantly quieter, yet extremely fast.

It was not practical to fight in the air but was possible when still on the ground. Even the vast oceans could be defended with high-tech weapons.

However, the sky was a realm beyond Humans’ grasp. Even the most agile tracking missiles were no match for the flexibility of Mutant Birds; it was a futile attempt.

Generally speaking, as long as the Mutant Birds did not attack cities, Humans would not provoke these rulers of the sky.

The pros did not outweigh the cons. So, this way, Humans could avoid them altogether.

“Are you saying that the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellite was attacked?” Even before the speaker arrived, a cold and resonant voice resounded from afar.

“General Li…”

“General Li…”

While exchanging greetings, a tinge of concern was revealed on the faces of the five individuals present.

An attack on the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellites was far from an ordinary event.

It was no wonder that General Li, who typically remained indifferent, had a grim expression.

“Yes, General Li. Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellite No. 3 has been destroyed. We’ve lost surveillance on the entire Sichuan and its nearby regions…”

At this point, the Director of the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Bureau clenched his fists tightly, his expression growing even more tense.

He was feeling immensely guilty for an event like this to happen under his watch.

While the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellites were surveilling China and its other territories, they were also part of another top-secret project of China — developing a new technology that would surpass nuclear weapons, destroying everything in the name of ending things.

Each of the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellites in space was continuously modified, one might even say enhanced.

China’s greatest hope was to use these satellites as eyes, which would help in precisely locking onto targets, and then utilizing another state of the art weapon, which was far more powerful than nuclear weapons, to commence an extremely-long-range attack. 

It could be said that the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellites carried a mission far beyond imagination. It even influenced China’s century-long plan.

“Ha…” The silver-haired General Li heaved a long, deep breath as his face turned dark.

“Show me the current results of the investigation.” As he spoke, General Li, who had already entered the office, took his seat at the end.

General Li possessed absolute decision-making power when it came to matters involving China’s century-long plan. The other individual with such authority was the president of China. However, the President of China was more inclined toward formulation of strategy, while General Li was the executor.

This dual leadership structure was precisely what stabilized the current China.

In other nations, the duo of the President of China and General Li were even referred to as the ‘Twin Titans’.

The awe and fear they spread was self-evident. Especially since General Li was not someone to be trifled with; he was not only swift in action but also ruthless in his methods.

Not long ago, due to various cultural and territorial disputes, General Li wasted no time and led a large army straight to the border.

Now, it was not like times of peace. Might was everything. And General Li is exactly implementing this principle. While other countries might intend to stop him, most of them were struggling to protect themselves, so what was the use of trying to stop him?

Moreover, the only power that can rival the present China was America, which was far from them, across the ocean.

In just three days, the other nation was compelled by the show of force. They surrendered, and not only that, they voluntarily expressed a desire for China’s protection.

Of course, the specifics remained unknown. It was just known that in that small country, a five-year-old prince had taken over as ruler.

Such a situation has given rise to a legend with a profound malice spreading across the nations — ‘The former Celestial Empire has returned, and the day when all nations come to pay homage is not far off.’

…

Without wasting any time, the director of the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Bureau had already sent a report to the five people present.

While at it, he also played a projection.

In the lifelike projection, a ten-second video was being played out.

In the video, the first thing to appear was an expansive and boundless starry sky.

And within the starry sky, there was a deep blue planet…

But the next moment….

*Rip* The void cracked as an almost imperceptible rift suddenly appeared. The next moment, a colorful light flickered within the rift, causing everyone’s pupils to contract.

Immediately afterward…

*Boom!* A soundless explosion turned into a tiniest dot against the backdrop of the vast starry sky, quietly blooming like fireworks.

“Tearing of space, how is that possible?” muttering in an exceedingly grave voice, General Li’s expression changed drastically.

“General Li, what do you mean by ‘tearing of space’?” another person beside him immediately asked.

“Tier-3, and not just any Tier-3. Theoretically speaking, only when a million Spiritual Energy is gathered at a point, can space be torn apart…” General Li, who rarely gave any explanation, elaborated, pushing the entire office into an eerie silence.

“Tier…3!?” exclaiming in a somewhat hoarse voice, Professor Yan suddenly slumped on the ground.

As the person who had conducted extensive research on Spiritual Energy, he naturally knew what a Tier-3 Transcendent meant.

Catastrophe, an out and out catastrophe, one that a small notion could do nothing about, and even for a large nation like theirs, they would have to bring out everything in their arsenal, for a chance to fend it off.

It was a true terror in every sense.

Just then, the President of China seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, “Putting aside how a Tier-3 appeared out of nowhere, why did it only attack Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellite No. 3? With its strength, it could easily destroy many of our Spiritual Energy Monitoring Satellites, right?”

“No, it should not be that easy. Although we do not know how terrifying the present Tier-3 is, the ability to tear through space is by no means that simple. If it did not cost anything, do you know what that would mean?”

At this point, General Li’s expression also turned bitter before he added, “It only needs to lock onto our presence, and it can take our lives from millions of kilometers away.”

”…”

Everyone’s expressions also changed dramatically as a deathly silence filled the room, eerie and suffocating.

They had no reason to doubt General Li’s words.

Because General Li’s origins were incredibly mysterious, far beyond anyone’s imagination.

Some say they saw General Li when he was fifteen, and yet, at sixty, he still looked the same.

Of course, this was just a legend.

However, it was an undeniable fact that General Li was an enigmatic figure within China. His rise had been sudden and forceful. And yet such a legendary figure had previously been so low-key that people did not even know his full name. One could imagine how mysterious he was.

*Ha…* Releasing a heavy breath and suppressing the emotions within, General Li’s gaze slightly narrowed. He looked around at the people and stated in a deep voice, “In my view, this should be a warning. Moreover, if my guess is correct, this terrifying entity is probably somewhere within the Sichuan region.”

“You might be right about that.”

Nodding in agreement, the Director of the Spiritual Energy Monitoring Bureau stood up suddenly and took out a document, “Not long ago, people saw a colorful crown rise above the Misty Mountains, and there was even the apparition of a towering ancient tree, slowly extending…”