The Inspector, Lei Feng, swallowed a pill, and the slight paleness returning to his face regained a touch of rosy hue. With genuine sincerity, he said to the person before him, "." Sitting across from him was an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a light gray robe, who smiled and said, "Inspector Lei, please don't be formal. This pill was specially sent by the Jade Emperor, who heard of your injury. I merely happened to bring it along." The elder immediately became solemn and said, "When you return, please convey my heartfelt thanks to the Jade Emperor. I am deeply grateful." "Ah, don't be so formal," the elder chuckled, "after all, you were injured in the battle against the demonic forces." "Indeed, the Marshal has already been informed," he added, "and he has pledged that the demons will not succeed in their ambitions to claim the lands of Huaxia. They will have to pass our heavenly realm first." "The Celestial Court is now aware—this is excellent news," the elder said with delight. "Has the Marshal specified when the troops will be dispatched to eliminate the demonic forces, and which general will lead the campaign?" The elder paused, slightly embarrassed, saying, "This matter hasn't been finally settled yet, as some people hold different views—claiming that a minor magical invasion, especially one not targeting the Celestial Palace directly, really doesn't warrant sending down heavenly armies." "What?" the elder brother was taken aback. Back then, especially during the Tang Dynasty, Sun Wukong and his companions were always causing trouble for the heavenly court—constantly bringing new issues to their attention. As the saying goes, "the child who cries gets fed," while the quiet, steady ones often went unnoticed. Seeing the elder hesitate, the middle-aged man quickly interjected, "Esteemed envoy, this matter is of utmost importance. If we fail to act, the Chinese civilization itself may truly perish. Please make sure to clearly convey this to the emperor and urge the general and the other generals to lend their support without fail." The elder expressed some difficulty, saying, "This may not be easy. Honestly, few people truly regard the Chinese nation as a priority. The Jade Emperor himself has stated that, since there is still the realm of immortals, this matter should be handled by them. The Inspection Office can provide assistance from the sidelines, but beyond that, we simply don't have any further support." "Léifēng groaned, saying, 'If the cultivation realm were truly capable, why would they need my assistance? Honestly, I've already dispatched my subordinates to help, yet I've sustained serious injuries myself, and my forces have suffered heavy losses.' 'That's quite severe,' the elder exclaimed, eyes widening. 'But even this still fails to win the hearts of the others. Allow me to say this—I can at most secure a decree on your behalf. As for confronting the demonic race, it will ultimately have to be the people of Huáxià who resolve it themselves.' The elder was nearly in tears, yet his rank and position were too modest to offer him a chance to reach the heavenly court, let alone speak directly to the Jade Emperor. When the court made its decision, he could only comply. A mere decree might seem useful, but even that was better than nothing—it at least gave him a reason to appeal to others in the future. Seeing his dissatisfaction, the elder changed the subject, 'On my way here, I encountered the governor of the Xianhu Fu. Guess what?' 'What now?' Léifēng asked instinctively. "He had a face as pale and serious as a bitter gourd, as if someone had stolen from his very own pharmacy of elixirs." The elder smiled and said, "When I approached him, he stammered and wouldn't speak at first. Later, I learned that his beloved son had suffered a setback outside the household—seemingly even losing a family heirloom artifact." The elder brother expressed his puzzlement: "How could anyone dare to cause trouble for Chen's family and take their precious artifacts?" "Indeed, I suspect this isn't something a celestial being would do—how could anyone fail to show Chen family some face? Though, as for his son, well... I'll just refrain from mentioning it—speaking of it would surely be awkward." "Go on, then," the elder brother said, showing rare curiosity. "Then allow me to tell you about his son..." Even deities aren't exempt from the love of gossip—on this matter, no one could escape it. ... Within just half a day, Europe had suffered significant losses. Except for the more remote cities, nearly every city had been attacked. Large numbers of refugees poured into the countryside, and while the army fought fiercely, its efforts yielded only limited results—though it had defeated hundreds of magical foes, such losses were negligible against a force of tens of thousands. More people chose to abandon their homes, and roads were severely damaged, forcing them to seek shelter in various places. Eventually, a medium-sized nation in southern Europe announced its surrender, flying a white flag prominently and ordering its troops to cease hostilities. Yet the outcome was far from what they expected: the magical forces launched even more intense attacks, leaving everyone in a state of constant fear. With no viable escape, they were now determined to fight to the last. But at this very moment, the magical forces unexpectedly announced that they would accept sincere surrenders, offering preferential treatment to the first groups to do so over those who came later. The resolve that had been painstakingly built up crumbled instantly. First, individuals, then entire social groups, and eventually the entire government began to adopt surrender as a policy, with white flags now flying everywhere. There are certainly some who refuse to surrender, but they can no longer control the situation—after all, people are naturally afraid of death. You may be willing to risk your life, but you have no right to ask others to do the same. "Notice the hand troubling my leg," she said, reaching out to pat it. "The Europeans are no match, let alone the Africans. Can those native tribes really outmatch our army here? What comes next is Asia. Just keep your focus—let's get to the point. Don't you think the Chinese state must be well-prepared? Shouldn't they be ready to surrender?" "No," he shook his head.