The Emperor's Breakdown!

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a risky move by the Emperor; if he had made a mistake, it would have meant total defeat.

Even the Emperor, even the top 20 strongest on the Hero Ranking, sees no hope at this moment.

Because this is a battle on a completely different level.

The Emperor had roamed the Azure Star for decades, and this was the only time he had ever felt such profound despair, a feeling that was suffocating to the bone.

Damn it!

"Why is that?!"

The Emperor began to mutter to himself in a somewhat hysterical manner.

"How could Lin Ye, just one person, possess such a powerful military force?!"

"His strength and skill alone overwhelmed the entire Dahe Settlement?!"

Only now did the Emperor truly understand.

It wasn't that their strategy was flawed, nor that their troop deployment was problematic; they were defeated simply because of the difference in strength.

But why is Lin Ye so strong?!

All the Challengers entering the Instance this time are elites, almost gathering all the naval and Air Force elites in the entire Dahe Settlement.

While not all of them are seasoned veterans, they have at least trained extensively in various Instance.

They gathered all the forces of the entire Daiwa Settlement, but couldn't even touch a hair on the head of the Eagle Sauce Country.

How can this Instance even be completed?!

Just as the Emperor was racking his brains for a last-ditch effort, Firmament Notification.

[Firmament Notification: In light of the Challengers's attack on Pearl Harbor, the Eagle Sauce has declared full-scale war on Eastern Ocean Island and has dispatched Eagle Sauce Expeditionary Legion to launch a full-scale offensive against Eastern Ocean Island!]

[One day from now, Eagle Sauce troops will land on the Eastern Ocean Islands. Challengers may now choose to surrender or fight to the bitter end. Challengers, please choose carefully.]

The Emperor took a deep breath, his brows furrowing even more deeply.

Meanwhile, in the Great Xia Settlement, the Tenglong Central City Instance Research Center...

A cheer erupted in the auditorium.

"Well done, Lin Ye!"

"Lin Ye truly lives up to his reputation as a genius of our Great Xia. It's obvious he's considered all of the Emperor's battle strategies!"

"That's impressive! With just one fleet, they wiped out half the population of the Dahe Settlement!"

"Judging from this, the probability of this group of Dahe people clearing the dungeon is already very low. It's almost certain that Lin Ye can defend the Instance!"

Over the years, the people in the Dahe Settlement have always been doing some underhanded things behind the scenes.

When conditions permit and external peace is guaranteed, various despicable means are used to Firmament sneak attacks and persecute the Great Xia people.

The despicable Dahe people, under the guise of challenging Instance, have eliminated many young Dungeon Designers in Great Xia.

This kind of thing was done most often by elite Designers at Daiwa, such as Iga Ryūji and Yamamoto Sanjūhachi.

The Great Xia people, of course, would not sit idly by and wait to be killed, and they repeatedly retaliated against the Dahe Settlement.

Over time, the two Settlements became bitter enemies.

Seeing the people of Dahe Settlement blasted to pieces by the "Nation-Destroying Fleet," and seeing Yamamoto Sanjūhachi and Tominaga's bodies sink to the bottom of the sea, everyone in the auditorium felt extremely relieved.

But after the brief moment of elation, what shocked everyone even more was the almost abnormal naval strength amidst the Raging Waves.

However, as the saying goes, the layman sees the spectacle, while the expert sees the details. Some people who are not in the field of naval research cannot fully appreciate the value of the Nation-Destroying Fleet.

In any case, it was all over in a second, but it's difficult to accurately quantify just how strong that person is.

All eyes were on Ding Chang, the dean of the First Instance Technology Research Institute.

"Dean Ding, could you explain Lin Ye's techniques to us?"

"You're probably the only one who can understand this."

"Now that the Emperor has been temporarily defeated, he should have some time to recuperate, which will give us a good opportunity to discuss things."

Because the research focus of the First Instance Technology Research Institute is precisely on the naval field, with the most core research weapon being the aircraft carrier.

Ding Chang was indeed the most qualified among those present to assess the strength of the Nation-Destroying Fleet amidst the Raging Waves.

Compared to the shock he felt when he first saw an aircraft carrier, Ding Chang was noticeably calmer this time.

He whispered to Zhao Jianyu beside him, "Jianyu, why don't you explain the technology of the Nation-Destroying Fleet to everyone?"

"Teacher... I... I can't fully understand what's in Lin Ye's Instance..." Zhao Jianyu hesitated.

Because the technology of the maritime units in Lin Ye's lab is so advanced, not to mention herself, even the entire Research Institute together probably wouldn't dare say they understand it.

"Speak only what you understand; you've done the most in-depth research on Lin Ye."

"Good..."

Zhao Jianyu composed himself, then stood up and slowly began to speak.

"Putting aside the aircraft carriers in the Instance, even the ordinary cruisers and destroyers contain technologies far exceeding those of our Research Institute."

"As you all just saw... the speed at which these warships assemble and the rate at which their shells fire are far superior to the weapons commonly found in other Instances."

"In this respect alone, I think Lin Ye is at least decades, or even a hundred years, ahead of our Research Institute!"

Over a hundred years?!

In an instant, the hall fell silent, and all eyes were on Zhao Jianyu.

People stared wide-eyed, looking incredulous, and some even began to doubt whether Zhao Jianyu was exaggerating.

One hundred years, that's a whole century!

Technology that's a century ahead of its time—it sounds unbelievable.

Most of the people present were elites from the Great Xia Settlement, and some could even be called geniuses.

But even geniuses have their limits in terms of being ahead of their time.

Being able to surpass the highest technology of the current era by five years is enough to be considered a peerless genius.

If Lin Ye's technology is truly a hundred years ahead of the First Research Institute, then he can't just be called a genius; he should be called the God of Instance!

"Furthermore, when it comes to this aircraft carrier, its technological advantages are even greater."

Zhao Jianyu ignored the questioning looks from the people in the room and continued speaking.

"First of all, Lin Ye was the first person in the world to master Aircraft Carrier Technology. I think many people saw the aircraft carrier that was displayed when 'Raging Waves' first debut during the live broadcast."

"The fact that aircraft carriers can operate in Instance already puts Lin Ye ahead of the rest of the world in terms of technology."

"But this aircraft carrier is completely different from the previous ones!" Zhao Jianyu's eyes also showed a hint of incomprehension and shock.

"It's obvious that the previous aircraft carrier was only a half-finished product; the current aircraft carrier is the true embodiment of Lin Ye's technology!"

"I always thought aircraft carriers were just mobile airfields; they were powerful, but didn't have much combat capability on their own... But after seeing those new aircraft carriers in the Instance, I know I was completely wrong."

"But unfortunately, I really don't understand any of the technology inside an aircraft carrier... including its power supply system and its speed, etc., which are far beyond my comprehension."

"So... I can't explain anything to everyone."

The hall fell silent once again.

At this moment, Deng Xian, the director of the Instance Energy and Power Research Institute sitting to Ding Chang's left, coughed twice and said softly:

"If I'm not mistaken, Lin Ye's aircraft carrier should be using a Nuclear Energy power technology that we are currently researching and developing..."

The audience was completely dumbfounded.

Because Zhao Jianyu is just a junior, people might think she is biased, but the person speaking now is the director of the Energy and Power Research Institute.

Like Ding Chang, Deng Xian was a veteran designer of the Great Xia Instance, so he wouldn't speak carelessly.

Deng Xian mentioned that the technology Lin Ye used is one that the Energy Research Institute is currently researching.

The research for a single research result typically takes at least ten years, and sometimes as long as a century!

Doesn't that mean that the energy technology in Lin Ye's Instance is at least several decades ahead of the Great Xia's energy field?!

Is Lin Ye really a person?

Inside the Instance, the Emperor was still deep in thought, his brow furrowed in worry.

He went through all the possible ways to fight back in his mind, only to find that none of them would work.

Just then, Itō Hidetaka suddenly rushed in.

"Emperor Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

"The Eagle Sauce has imposed comprehensive sanctions on us, and all our economic indicators are declining sharply. Eastern Ocean Island... Eastern Ocean Island is in complete chaos."

The current situation is almost identical to that of Itō Hidetaka's second attempt at economic warfare.

The difference is that the last time it was an economic Instance, where only various economic indicators needed to be considered, and other factors did not need to be taken into account.

But this time it's an open-world Instance of Total War, and these sanctions will also affect the military, which is closely related to everything that follows.

The sanctions imposed by the Eagle Sauce Country will deplete the resources of Eastern Ocean Island to manufacture military supplies such as guns and ammunition.

This effectively cut off the Challengers Faction' supplies, eliminating their chance of waging a protracted war.

"Furthermore... the news of our complete defeat at Pearl Harbor has already been exposed domestically, Eagle Sauce has once again infiltrated our media, so this matter is escalating rapidly."

"Public loyalty is also plummeting! Countless people have already gathered in the streets to protest."

"Sir, look."

As he spoke, Itō Hidetaka displayed images of Edo's streets on the Light Screen of Pavilion of Pines.

In the video, countless people are holding up signs with eye-catching slogans such as "Xiaochuan step down!" "Emperor Xiaochuan, you lackey!" "Xiaochuan, you lackey, Eagle Sauce spy for the US!"

The crowd chanted accusations and questions directed at the Emperor.

Why attack Pearl Harbor? Why provoke the Eagle Sauce Country?

"Xiaochuan's lackey! His massive conscription treats the lives of the people of Eastern Ocean Island like a joke!"

"Xiaochuan is a Militarism demon, unworthy of ruling the Eastern Ocean Islands!"

"They are no match for the Eagle Sauce Country. Why are they so reckless as to launch an attack? What right does such an incompetent person have to be our leader!"

"Surrender to the Eagle Sauce immediately!"

"..."

With a casual wave of his hand, the Emperor turned off the image on the Light Screen.

His face was as pale as paper with anger.

"Untouchables!"

"What a bunch of lowly people!"

He had been in Commander of the Dahe Settlement for over a decade and had always been respected; he had never heard such insults directed at him.

The NPCs in the Instance actually dared to talk to me like that!

In an instant, the veins on his neck bulged, and his knuckles cracked as he clenched them.

He let out a long breath, then looked coldly at Itō Hidetaka and asked:

"Ito-kun, I think you're well aware that the loss of Pearl Harbor has halved our fighting strength... It will be even more difficult to fight the Eagle Sauce now."

"If it were you, what would you do next?"

The Emperor's words made Itō Hidetaka feel extremely uneasy. He simply couldn't understand the point of the Emperor asking for his opinion at this crucial moment.

But in the end, he stammered and said:

"Emperor Majesty, perhaps we should consider the opinions of these people on the Eastern Ocean Islands and surrender to the Eagle Sauce..."