Have a Taste

At 5:40 AM Distant Harbor time, the first large passenger plane landed.

Volunteers greeted the crowd and guided the shaken survivors to a makeshift shelter that had been hastily set up, where hot food was already prepared.

And a tent to shelter from the wind, and a warm mattress.

These survivors have gained precious safety and been saved from the crisis, but for many more who are still fighting, it is far from time to rest.

"It is extremely unfair to send you to the front lines when the Broken Isles have become a hellish place and we are doing our best to evacuate and rescue innocent people and warriors."

Although time was short and there was still much to be done, Kang De decided to stay at the airport for the time being.

He addressed the soldiers lined up in front of him.

Volunteers drawn from various military units, primarily spellcasters supplemented by engineers and archers, will embark on their journey to the Broken Isles aboard the Homeward.

The pilots who transported refugees in hot air balloons needed to take turns resting, and experienced soldiers were needed to assist the fire control system in clearing out lone enemies. This massive evacuation operation required the addition of fresh troops, which is why these heroes were called in.

Kang De looked at them one by one.

They come from different races, nationalities, and backgrounds; some are naval soldiers, some are from the Survey Corps, and some are locals from the Distant Harbor. But now, they all share the same identity.

"I do not know your names, nor do I know the reasons why you answered the call so readily. In the face of your actions, empty praise and hypocritical flattery are shameful."

"I won't give you a long lecture about the significance of this righteous act and fearless action, because you can't teleport like I can, and you can't retreat to a safe area anytime, anywhere. Your unwavering commitment is true courage, and in the face of your choice, any praise is pale."

The last survivor had left the cabin, the door closed, and then the aircraft slowly started up. In the dim light of the sky, the behemoth slowly started, rounded the bend along the runway, and headed toward the other departure runway on the opposite side, where it then carried out various self-checks and preparations before takeoff.

As the volunteers prepared to board the plane, Kang De gazed solemnly at these brave individuals.

"Therefore, I can only make two promises to you all."

"First, I promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety, and I will always place your safety above the safety of the refugees who are waiting for our rescue. If sacrificing you can save a hundred people in the Broken Isles, I will not hesitate to abandon those hundred and choose to bring you back alive."

"Remember, this is my promise, Kang De's promise. It is your choice to stand up, and it is my task. I am willing to place the weight of my life on the scales of justice to make the choice and judgment for you."

"Secondly, I promise that I will do my utmost to ensure that your choices and righteous deeds have the greatest significance. We will work together to accomplish this great undertaking. Today, our actions will be renowned throughout the world and will shake the nation. And you, everyone, whatever you seek—honor, power, money, or simply self-realization—after this is over, you will all receive rewards commensurate with your achievements and contributions."

"This is also my promise, Kang De's promise, which I hereby make with you."

At this point, Kang De suddenly felt it necessary to conclude his speech with a gesture of courtesy.

The People's Liberation Army salute is inappropriate; he is not a soldier.

Bowing wouldn't be appropriate either; it would be too formal and awkward. He didn't really need to express such gratitude to these warriors, because he, like them, was a benevolent person who saved lives. If anyone should be expressing thanks, it should be the people of the Broken Isles bowing to him and his good brothers.

He was afraid he would burst out laughing at the Young Pioneers' salute.

In the end, he chose the most suitable one.

I clasp my hands in a gesture of respect to everyone before me.

At this moment, they were all kindred spirits, the greatest heroes of the martial world.

"With this setting sun, the rising moon, the unchanging earth, and the sky soon to be draped with stars as our witness, we make a pact," Kang De said. "We will all return alive."

Meanwhile, the "Homecoming" ship is preparing to set sail again.

Ten minutes later.

The first group of survivors who arrived at the Distant Harbor were relieved of their worries and anxieties by the enthusiastic cheers and welcome, and walked into the temporary settlement prepared for them with slight trepidation.

Meanwhile, Mayor Hong San of Distant Harbor directed the Emergency Rescue Committee's subordinate forces to turn on the Illumination Spell and prepare for the landing of the second plane.

After a brief period of celebration, the volunteers resumed their work. Mad Shark continued working as a construction laborer; Tex determination to work for the radio remained firm, and his motivation for wielding the sledgehammer was still pragmatic, but his mood had improved considerably.

"You rich scum of the Broken Isles," he spat into his palm, "Thank you for the walls of Lord Tex that shelter you from the wind and cold!"

This is your room.

Airuina led the two professors to a brightly lit camp. Valentan Guards patrolled in military off-road vehicles, and there were even machine gun emplacements and watchtowers. After scanning their ID cards at the gate's camera, the fence rose, and they entered.

Professor Xuelier breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Along the way, she saw chaotic crowds, walls resembling a barbarian camp, and rows of military green tents, all of which made the germaphobic young professor deeply uneasy. She wondered if she should once again claim to be Kang De's mistress in exchange for a better room.

But at that moment, she breathed a sigh of relief.

What I saw before me was not a savage camp of tents that was neither hygienic nor soundproof, but a white house full of orderly and simple beauty.

White walls and blue roof, with doors and windows, nothing else, no pillars or carvings—what a noble and pure house this is! There are no extra, vulgar, or boring added elements; its only value is to be lived in. The person who designed this house must have been a pure person.

Yes, Kang De, the Cathayan, had a pure heart. He was truly worthy of the name, just like me, possessing a pure and holy body and soul... What a wonderful house!

"This will be your temporary residence."

A hint of envy flashed in Airuina's eyes. She thought this house was amazing, wonderful, even better than the mansions of noblemen... She had never seen a house like this before.

Xuelier didn't answer. She stepped forward and gently knocked on the white wall of the house. The sound was clear and resonant, and the touch and echo made her expression change slightly, "This is... metal? No, what material is this...?"

Meanwhile, Laisalin cheered and rushed forward, peering through the window.

She saw a two-tiered wooden bed, just like the one she used to sleep in with her sister when she was little, but made of much better material. Against that wall, there was a pink curtain; when drawn, it created a private space. She saw a small, off-white Round Table with plates of colorful snacks on it. She saw a dressing table on the other side, with a huge round mirror edged in gold... Oh my gosh!

"Open the door! Open the door quickly!"

Airuina smiled, took out the key, and opened the door. She then handed the two keys to the two professors before entering the room with them. Laisalin went straight to the bedroom and let out a happy scream.

Xuelier pursed her lips and followed. Then she paused, stunned. She had to admit that the layout, design and colors of the bunk bed were absolutely stunning. With the curtains drawn, it was a private space with bookshelves on both sides. What made Laisalin scream was that the room was filled with fluffy toys, rabbits, dogs, pandas, and all sorts of things, piled up everywhere.

The gray-haired girl's eyes flickered for a moment, then she took a deep breath.

Airuina pressed the button on the wall.

The next moment, starlight lit up, and strings of lights emitted a soft glow, illuminating the room in a dreamlike color, as if it were a dream.

Laisalin had started to stammer. She turned her head and looked at Airuina in disbelief. "Is this really, really our room? For us to stay in?"

Airuina looked around and then nodded gently, her eyes full of envy. However, she had arranged and placed all the decorations herself, and she had secretly rubbed against those cute dolls a few times.

"Yes," she replied, "It was specially prepared for you two by His Highness Kang De."

About two hours ago, she was called here as a volunteer to receive temporary tasks and assignments. A drone flew in front of her and instructed her to do things in an awe-inspiring tone. Airuina knew that the owner of this voice was Horus, His Highness Kang De's most loyal comrade-in-arms and adopted son.

Lord Horus instructed her to receive two brilliant professors and scholars, two young ladies, and to do her utmost to entertain them, saying it was a supreme instruction from His Highness Kang De.

After she agreed, she saw the magical flying alchemy device toss a small object to the side, and then something amazing happened in front of Airuina.

--A black vortex swirled in the air, from which a torrent of things flew out, making her eyes widen in amazement. From a huge bunk bed to a dressing table she envied so much, and then countless fluffy little cuties...

Finally, the Zhendan Language rang out from inside. It was the voice of His Highness Kang De, a voice both majestic and mysterious, which filled the young girl from the Distant Harbor with awe.

If Airuina understood Chinese, she would understand the whispers from the Dragon of Cathay.

"Damn it, thankfully I still remember which floor that quaint home decor store is on. Why the hell did they make me make this special trip? And which island needs high-explosive grenades? Hurry up!"

She listened blankly at the time, and then Lord Horus provided the translation.

"Please arrange this place properly," His Highness Kang De said. "As a young and beautiful girl, you should be able to place these things in their proper places with your innate aesthetic sense and lovely soul. Please take good care of the two ladies and convey my greetings and apologies to them."

"Explain that the situation is urgent and we cannot provide you with better accommodations. Please stay here temporarily to calm your troubled minds. Distant Harbor is a place I protect, and you will be well protected here. I look forward to meeting with these two top scholars and welcome you to join my team."

Airuina told her everything truthfully, though she was indeed a little jealous.

The two scholars were utterly astonished.

Laisalin stammered, "This... this was all specially prepared for us by His Highness Kang De?"

"Yes."

Although he did not come in person, his most loyal friend and adopted son sent a message via an alchemical puppet, which can be interpreted as representing His Highness's wishes.

--The understanding Airuina seemed to have guessed the intention behind Prince Kang De's grand reception, so she deliberately omitted the part about Lord Horus handling the matter.

As for why...

"You really want it, don't you?" Her gaze was completely drawn to the mountain of plush toys. Lord Horus whispered, "Then complete your task well. If you do it well, in addition to the work points you are entitled to, His Highness Kang De will also give you an extra reward... Do you understand?"

Laisalin went from surprise to astonishment, from astonishment to embarrassment, from embarrassment to shyness, and finally blushed, lowered her head, stared at her toes, her expression subtle, twisted her fingers, and remained silent.

Xuelier observed coldly. "Ha, it seems this village girl, who's had some kind of delusion since childhood, is fantasizing about some unrealistic, ugly scenario filled with desire..."

" --Xue Lily, what are you saying?!"

"You're far too easy to understand, Laisa, but that's just pathetic delusion. You think the Cathayan is doing this to seduce you? You're so wrong. There may be a thousand reasons why he's doing this, but it's definitely not the one you're thinking of. As for why? Of course, it's because he's a virgin like me..."

Professor Xuelier's mouth was covered.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

The gray-haired girl struggled free, wiping her mouth vigorously. "Disgusting! Dirty! Unhygienic!"

They were about to play around when they suddenly heard a faint whooshing sound. The sound was very familiar, and the three girls were startled. They ran to the window and exclaimed, "Is another plane coming?"

Just then, Airuina's expression changed. "Ah, the radio!"

She ran to the table, turned on the radio that was there, and the gentle voice of the leading lady of the Hibiscus Theater rang out. "--As survivors from the Broken Isles arrive at their settlements and enjoy steaming hot dinners, the Homeward takes off again. Two hundred and sixteen heroes have volunteered to go to the Broken Isles to expedite the evacuation and protect and rescue those still trapped there..."

Let us pray for these brave souls, that each of them may return safely and laden with honor, and that the gods may protect them...

A soft, beautiful voice told the stories of the brave, those heroes who went against the current and faced danger. They listened, silent, speechless for a moment.

This is the mainland, across the Broken Isles. Here, it's peaceful, warm, and beautiful, without danger, pressure, or fear—only comfortable beds, luxurious houses, and warm-hearted people. But what is it like on the other side of the sea, on the island that has become hell?

"Long-Lasting Illumination Spell activated!"

A powerful light source hovered in the air. Night was gradually falling, and it was about to begin. This was bound to be the most difficult night for the Broken Isles. The reduced visibility and the drop in temperature meant that the evacuation and combat missions would face even greater challenges.

The fire blazed fiercely, flames flew everywhere, the fire dispelled the chill and brought light. Kang De had already placed an urgent order for a batch of military overcoats from China. The relevant departments must be very puzzled; Kang De's requests are getting increasingly strange.

Of course, this reason was plausible. They could say that Moyani had suffered repeated calamities, many houses had collapsed, and the nighttime temperatures were low, making it difficult for many people to keep warm. They could then ask the king to help cover it up, which would be perfect.

The military overcoat we acquired will be kept in Moyani's Kang De private warehouse for a while.

Then they can be distributed gradually.

As for the lighting issue...

"Someone, bring up the tower crane light!"

The 50,000-lumen lights illuminated the surrounding areas as if it were daytime.

This is from Zhuerban.

Researchers and investigation teams from various countries gathered in the capital of Gambia to investigate the Grewind Hive beneath the city. Under the covert manipulation, instigation, and bias of the despicable Fire Thief, the five permanent members of the United Nations have launched an open and covert arms race. Today, Kang De secretly helped China transport a large number of heavy machinery, and several Western countries are now trying to find a way to transport twice as much as possible.

While formulating plans and mobilizing transport planes, the leaders of various countries breathed a sigh of relief. At least that China man, Kang De, was quite considerate, only secretly helping his own country transport goods without sabotaging or hindering the transportation activities of other countries, which greatly exceeded their expectations.

The foreigners could park anywhere at Zhuerban Airport without inspection or obstruction. They carefully brought in several relatively heavy weapons without any reaction, which made them restless.

In short, with the delivery capabilities and logistical support of the five strongest nations on Earth, Kang De's Great Evacuation of the Broken Isles was undoubtedly much easier. For example, in terms of lighting, each nation had established independent research camps around the research base leading to the Zerg hive. To prevent "friendly nations" from doing foolish things like cutting power lines, they also had their own independent power supply and lighting systems.

Kang De borrowed their entire system.

As a result, the evacuation points throughout the Broken Isles were as bright as day.

"Further observation balloons will be deployed, and the Eagle Eye officer will establish a life detection system on the aerial platform to observe the gathering of sea monsters on each island, providing guidance for the fire support platforms to strike them."

At a rate of one flight every half hour, the temporary airport on the central island transported the survivors to the Distant Harbor. This speed had to take into account both the time needed to guide people onto the plane and settle them in, as well as the receiving capacity of the Distant Harbor. Horus's computing power was secondary, since it was only responsible for the takeoff and landing. After reaching the designated altitude, the plane would simply follow the inertial navigation.

"So far, everything is normal, Your Highness!"

Upon returning to the central island, Kang De received Quilion's report, and the evacuation operation was on track.

The addition of helicopters and dragons accelerated the evacuation of personnel. Seeing several planes roaring into the sky, hope rose in the hearts of those stranded on the island, and they became more cooperative with the orders of the Combined Fleet. The hot air balloon moved forward in the dark sky, surrounded by Long-Lasting Illumination Spell. The bright light from the direction of the central island was like a lighthouse, guiding them forward.

The large platform's fire support base continuously launched fire support in all directions, the dragons bombarded everywhere with mines, and countless sea monsters had been killed at various hot air balloon drop points. Evacuation points were being evacuated in an orderly manner, and the situation seemed to be under control, but Kang De was not optimistic.

"The second runway between Distant Harbor and here is now complete. We need to expedite the evacuation. From now on, open the second gate. You and your soldiers should already be familiar with the procedures."

Kang De observed the sea from his Phoenix Vision, then said to the elven commander beside him, "Every fifteen minutes, a plane will land at the Distant Harbor. Reinforcements will arrive in an hour. We must evacuate the island's residents as quickly as possible and be prepared to evacuate at any time."

From the very beginning of the evacuation operation, Kang De prepared numerous contingency plans.

The previous battles had made a breakthrough. Kang De had figured out the pattern of the sea monsters' gathering. They Wild Hunt and didn't even know to avoid danger, which made it possible to use mines to blast the fish. These bloodthirsty monsters did not have the instinct of ordinary creatures to seek advantage and avoid harm. Instead, they took devouring and collecting flesh and blood as the sole meaning of their lives. So Kang De found a way to gather them together and use large-yield mines to bombard a large area.

By utilizing this pattern and strategy, the endless stream of monsters was brought under control to some extent, giving the tense defense work a chance to catch its breath. Kang De has ordered the Doom Warriors to find suitable flat land on several other densely populated islands, to flatten the ground with road rollers and enhance it with spells.

Some small passenger planes and military transport aircraft do not have very high requirements for runways.

Transporting people from the various islands to the central island by hot air balloon ultimately wastes a lot of time.

Time is precisely the most precious resource in this evacuation operation.

He then looked at the elven commander and asked, "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Quilion looked out at the sea from the cliff edge, his expression grave. "I can almost feel the... fear emanating from the depths of the ocean."

That is the most instinctive reaction of living beings when faced with an unimaginable ultimate predator...

It's waking up soon.

"How does it feel, elf?" Kang De said quietly. "We're snatching food from its mouth."

"Very exciting, Your Highness."

Born in the great forest, following the law of the jungle, neither elegant nor peace-loving, the elf licked his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.

This race became the masters of the forest, above the many predators, mystics, and dangerous creatures of that thriving ecosystem, not through singing, pretty faces, or gentle nature—but through spears, bows and arrows, slaughter, predation, and extermination.

Aside from not setting fires, they committed every act of violence they could in the forest.

As is widely known, the culinary traditions of the elves are truly unparalleled in the world.

Because they ate all over the forest.

The elven captain grinned maliciously, "I'd like to taste it too."

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PS1: Unbelievable... I lay down at 11:30 last night, feeling sleepy but unable to fall asleep...