The Bei'an Military Administrative District is currently Huaguo’s largest military base. It ranks first among the thirteen fortresses and covers 16,400 square kilometers—an area equal to the entirety of Bei'an City. In other words, during the five years since the apocalypse began, almost none of Bei'an City’s territory has been overrun by mutant species!

One reason is that Bei'an City has the finest equipment in the country. But another factor is just as essential: generals—great generals!

Even the finest equipment is no better than a fire poker in the hands of a poor commander. And it certainly couldn’t have kept Bei'an City’s defenses from retreating a single step in five years.

Yan Shan was a prime example.

Before the apocalypse, he was only a major general in the military. But after it began, his rank shot up like a rocket. In the first year, he became a lieutenant general. The next year, he made full general. And now, at the age of fifty-eight, he had risen to marshal!

Why had Yan Zimo asked Bai Xiaoling, a member of the security force, to step away while she was on the phone? Because Yan Zimo didn’t want anyone to know that her adoptive father was the marshal of the Central Military Administrative District. She wanted to avoid any appearance of impropriety, and didn’t want her own affairs to get her uncle investigated.

In the past five years, he had repelled three large-scale invasions by mutant species, each bigger than the last. During the first, he used the terrain to his advantage and completely wiped out the mutants that had already breached the western wall. The enemy dead numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

The second time, he used his strength as an Eighth-Tier Esper to lure the five most powerful monsters among the mutant species far away, opening up a second battlefield. Though he nearly died in that battle, he still managed to kill four of the five monsters and severely wound the last one. He also advanced straight to the Ninth Tier, becoming the first Ninth-Tier powerhouse in the country—and even the world. By then, he had been promoted to full general.

The third invasion was the largest. Mutant species across the country went berserk, attacking everything around them without regard for the cost. Chuanshu, Xihai, Sanqin, Bei'an, and several other administrative districts sent out emergency alerts. Almost all of them were at risk of being overrun. Even nuclear bombardment was useless: destroy one wave, and another would take its place.

Yan Shan led the country’s only three Ninth-Tier powerhouses—four in all, counting himself—in a surprise attack on the nest at the heart of the mutant army. They killed its leader, then he led the entire army in a full-scale counteroffensive. They wiped out more than twenty million enemies and reclaimed nearly a tenth of Huaguo’s territory!

At the time, there were only twelve military fortresses within Huaguo. The counteroffensive reclaimed most of the lost territory, allowing Huaguo to establish one more fortress. That new fortress was called the Jianghuai Military Administrative District! It ranked thirteenth, dead last. That was only natural, since it was newly established.

After that campaign, Yan Shan was promoted straight to marshal, securing his position as the country’s highest-ranking military officer.

Now, Yan Shan was leisurely sipping tea aboard a military aircraft. A middle-aged man in his forties sat beside him, his face covered in stubble. If Yan Zimo had been there, she would’ve recognized him at once: Huang Tao, the highest-ranking military officer in the Jiangning Military Administrative District!

Huang Tao asked Yan Shan, a little displeased, “What’s going on, Old Shan? Taking a call during a meeting—that’s not like you. Was it something important?”

Just moments ago, nearly all the country’s top leaders had gathered for a meeting. But most of them were handling affairs in different regions, so they could only attend by holographic projection. Yan Shan was one of them.

Then, in the middle of this meeting of the country’s biggest names, Yan Shan’s phone rang. It wasn’t a big deal; he could simply hang up. That was what he’d planned to do.

But when he saw who was calling, Yan Shan said without hesitation, “Sorry, I need to take this call.”

With that, he immediately shut off his holographic projection.

Huang Tao had been baffled when Yan Shan turned off his holographic projection. Yan Shan returned soon enough, but the other bigwigs at the meeting were still visibly displeased. They were in the middle of such an important meeting—what was he doing taking a call?

And that was how they’d ended up here.

“It’s nothing major. It’s just that when you get old, there are some important things you can’t let go of so easily.”

Yan Shan said something that left Huang Tao completely mystified.

“Reporting in! We’ll reach our destination in thirty minutes!”

“All right, I understand. You can go.”

Yan Shan looked out the window at the Jiangning Military Administrative District and couldn’t help feeling wistful. Had he really never been here before?

The Jiangning Military Administrative District!

That’s right. The Jiangning Military Administrative District was Yan Shan’s destination!

“Hmph. By the time that unfilial brat comes to see me, I’ll be in my grave!” That was the old man’s honest opinion.

Rather than wait for him to come visit, Yan Shan could go find him himself. And now, he had the perfect opportunity.

Of course, that was only one of Yan Shan’s reasons for coming here. The other was the emergency rescue operation in the Yongjing Military Administrative District. He was in overall command, and as commander, he had to be there in person.

The rotary-wing helicopter slowly descended onto the helipad, its spinning rotors kicking up rings of dust.

Yan Shan stepped off the aircraft and swept a sleeve through the air. Every speck of dust vanished, leaving not a single particle within ten meters of him.

Seeing Yan Shan’s astonishing control over his Esper ability, Huang Tao thought, “The old man’s cultivation must have improved again.”

After taking care of the usual business, Yan Shan asked Huang Tao directly, “Do you know someone named Yan Zimo?”

Huang Tao grew a little wary at the question. “What? She’s a rising star here, and one of my most important fighters. If you’re trying to poach her, I won’t agree to it.”

After saying that, Huang Tao noticed something. “They both have the surname Yan. Could it be…? But the old guy only has one son, and he died in battle years ago. Where’d this daughter come from? Could she be illegitimate?”

Yan Shan said irritably, “Don’t bother guessing. She’s my niece. Now tell me where she lives.”

Yan Shan had already learned over the phone that the nephew he’d known had become a niece. Fortunately, most population records had been lost after the apocalypse, so no one had questioned Yan Zimo’s identity.

“Don’t rush me. I’ll ask.” Huang Tao called the Population Investigation Bureau. “Hello, Xiaolei? I need you to look up someone’s address for me. She’s a woman named Yan Zimo.”

After a brief rustle of activity, a reply came through the phone. “Reporting in, sir! She lives at 666, Building 6, Xiyuan Residential Community. Is there anything else you need?”

“That’s all. Get back to work.”

“Did you hear that? She’s in Xiyuan—” Huang Tao had just started giving Yan Shan the address when he turned around and saw that Yan Shan was already hurrying toward Xiyuan.