Burning Cloud Explosive Counterattack

But Yuya interrupted again.

"I've inquired; an editor who knows her well told me that Night Song Comes from the West went to Water Chestnut Island several months ago."

Yuya pointed to the manuscript on Su Ming's side.

"Flame of Succession Arc" has not received a manuscript from any of the publishers across the three mainland China regions.

"It was probably recently completed by Ms. Night Song Comes from the West!"

She herself is probably stuck on Water Chestnut Island.

A few months ago, the Taya Allied Forces and Water Chestnut Island were not yet at war, so it can only be said that Night Song Comes from the West very unfortunate.

Yise took out his phone, quickly took a picture, and uploaded it.

"Let's analyze it and see if it's her handwriting."

Yuya had a signed copy of Night Song Comes from the West's book in her collection. The results of the comparison came back quickly, and it really was Night Song Comes from the West's handwriting.

"That makes sense," Su Ming murmured. "Night Song Comes from the West to the ruins of the ' Kindling ' magic array to investigate and complete his work, in order to write the story of the last Cangxiao Dynasty's fire control efforts."

As a playwright, it's not surprising that she knows Hebana. And considering Hebana's current efforts to rescue people...

Su Ming and Katharine exchanged a glance, clearly thinking of the same thing.

A woman who also came to Water Chestnut Island and loved writing.

"Night Song Comes from the West, could that be Ximina's pen name?!"

****

Someone showed Yuya a portrait of Ximina.

"The bone structure and facial features are exactly the same," Yuya affirmed. "It must be her! She's just disguised."

As the third princess of the Pearl Duchy, it's understandable that Ximina would conceal her identity and engage in activities in secret.

Yise, however, did not understand.

"Yuya, why didn't you recognize Night Song Comes from the West's identity back then?"

"Of course I know she's wearing heavy makeup," Yuya explained, "But I don't know Ximina."

Ainuobia contacted the King of the Pearl Duchy for further verification. But to everyone's astonishment, the King knew nothing about it.

"Is my daughter Night Song Comes from the West?"

He said in disbelief.

"She really enjoys writing, but isn't it just something she does for fun?"

Su Ming sighed.

Sure enough, most parents know nothing about their children's careers and academic performance.

The king sent men to search Ximina's room, and they soon found some original manuscripts of "The Flame of Succession Arc".

"Alright, lock their identities, handle them together," Su Ming said. "Now we need to figure out a way to get them out."

With a soft creak, the gate to the Raccoon Dog Dream Theater opened, and Hebana arrived.

Su Ming glanced at him from the second floor.

The latter immediately greeted them and bowed, then began tidying up the first floor to prepare for the start of work today.

Su Ming glanced at the time; there was still half an hour before work. "Mr. Hebana, you're very hardworking," he said, deliberately using a slightly cold tone.

"I've been running theaters for so many years, I'm used to it," Hebana replied.

"I want to hang a poster for the play on the roof," Su Ming said. "Go buy a long wooden pole."

"OK."

Hebana immediately went out to buy wooden poles.

Yise was puzzled.

"Aren't you going to explain this to Hebana?"

"He hasn't been able to find out any news about Night Song Comes from the West yet."

"We must intervene."

Su Ming, however, said...

"This is your job."

Given Su Ming's character, it's unlikely he'd be interested in Night Song Comes from the West's books. His sudden enthusiasm and endless questions seem rather odd. Yise realized this.

I'll be playing the role of Night Song Comes from the West's little fangirl.

"And then, logically, participate in the rescue?"

Su Ming nodded.

"Come on!"

****

Yise began seeking advice from Yuya, inquiring about the works of Night Song Comes from the West.

Not too much is needed, just enough to avoid giving yourself away.

This fan's persona would provide ample justification for purchasing Ximina, this human slave.

Su Ming continued to monitor the situation at the Cloud Fang Royal Palace.

Or rather, this place can now be called the "Cloud Fang Mining District". Except for the outermost palace wall, all the internal buildings have been demolished, and the dismantled materials have been cut and moved into the tunnels for support and surface construction.

Su Ming carefully examined a small dot in the center.

Abidaqi

To be honest, the old elf's behavior was a bit strange, Su Ming pondered to himself.

Previously in the Blackstone Mine, Abidaqi deployed the "Obscuring Barrier Canopy" for protection simply because he discovered the Divine Eagle Drone's reconnaissance.

Judging from the process, the celestial canopy did not consume too much of the Plundering Clock's time and resources.

On the contrary, Su Ming paid a high price to break through the "Obscuring Barrier Canopy": he dispatched fifty giant dragons into the airspace of Water Chestnut Island, with the support and coordination of the Taya United Fleet on the periphery.

The Plundering Clock knows this.

Moreover, if the "Obscuring Barrier Canopy" is deployed first to conceal the palace, Su Ming's side will definitely have to go through a lot of trouble to find out what the enemy is doing.

But right now, Abidaqi is acting as if he's openly soaking in a hot spring.

"Pansy is in launch position," Magelaili reported. "Should we launch the attack?"

Su Ming and Katharine discussed for a while and finally made a decision.

"Pansy, move another ten kilometers closer to the coast, then begin the attack!" "Roger that!"

****

About ten minutes later, near the waters of Water Chestnut Island.

Sunlight fell on the crests of the waves, shattering into a dazzling silvery white. Suddenly, the silhouette of a massive ship burst into view.

The Orc Coast outpost immediately issued a warning, and all personnel quickly took cover in the air-raid shelter, leaving only observers to monitor the enemy's movements with bated breath.

The Pansy began to decelerate.

The launch units on the deck rose one by one, the metal hatches popped open, and after a brief pause, rows of flames lit up.

Numerous missiles and rockets streaked into the sky, trailing white smoke, and the booming sounds echoed to the shore.

The launch was observed from multiple outposts.

The orcs had made preparations in advance. The information was quickly sent to Cloud Fang City through a well-prepared communication array and delivered directly to Abidaqi.

"They've finally arrived!" Abidaqi exclaimed.

He unfolded the spellbook in his hand, and his entire body swelled with Magic Power. The next moment, a huge wave of Magic Power rippled outwards, like an invisible giant wave sweeping across the entire Cloud Fang City. Even at Su Ming's location, a noticeable pressure could still be felt.

"As expected of a two-thousand-year-old Dharma King!" Su Ming exclaimed in amazement.

He looked out the window and saw a large amount of firelight gathering above the Cloud Fang Royal Palace. Crimson Magic Power seemed to be swept up by an unseen wind, bursting forth from the ground.

First, streaks of fire appeared, then they intertwined in the air to form a large, bright red cloud.

The crimson cloud swirled slowly above the palace, casting an iron-like glow on the ground. When the orcs looked up, even their pupils seemed to flicker with flames.

"Burning Cloud Spell!"

Abidaqi was slightly out of breath.

Even with the aid of a magic array, such a large-scale area spell was still a huge burden for him.

Not long after the spell was completed, Abidaqi saw the shadow of a missile on the horizon.

He smiled slightly; this was definitely worth the price.

But the next moment, his pupils narrowed. There were indeed missiles, but only a few scattered ones.

Abidaqi looked behind them and found no one else following. Even the Death Knell realized something was wrong.

"Is this a feint attack from the other side?"

****

It was indeed a feint.

The vast majority of the missiles launched by the Pansy were just ordinary short-range rockets. They fired in high-angle arcs, disguising themselves as ballistic missiles, thus deceiving the observation points and communication arrays on the shore.

Now, these rockets are raining down on an orc stronghold. They're blowing up watchtowers, collapsing warehouses, and blasting the defenses into a mess of splintered wood and rubble.

Of these, only three ballistic missiles actually flew towards Cloud Fang City.

Su Ming set up the camera, zoomed in to the highest setting, and then began filming.

The first missile struck the fiery cloud. At the instant of impact, the red cloud in front of it suddenly exploded.

The second and third shots hit the target, and the same phenomenon occurred.

Two missiles veered off course, while the remaining one burst into flames in mid-air.

Su Ming was not surprised by this result. He slowed down the footage and found that when the missile made contact with the red cloud, the fire Magic Power in front of it suddenly exploded. The shock wave swept along the missile body, and a layer of visible vibration patterns appeared around the missile.

At a flight speed of Mach 5, the missile was already experiencing enormous aerodynamic drag. The sudden explosion of fire Magic Power created an additional supersonic shock wave front.

This deadly superposition caused the missile's stress level to increase several times over.

The missile's skin caved inward, causing the internal, sophisticated control and guidance components to shatter. In one more severe case, the shockwave deviated from the axis, and the missile broke due to excessive bending moment.

"That's a great move!" Su Ming exclaimed.

This is essentially a large-scale, magical version of explosive reactive armor.

These three missiles deserved their fate.

****

When this "intense" battle took place in the air, the half-fox Anrelo was not by his master Death Knell's, side.

He rushed to Beiweier's house.

The reckless merchant's face was bluish-purple, and his death was gruesome. The wizard next to him was in the same state, and the room reeked of a strange mixture of strong liquor, herbs, and some kind of burnt metal.

Anrelo investigated but found nothing unusual. There was no external force, no signs of attack; they had simply cooked a pot of poisoned soup with strong liquor, and both died after drinking it.

Rumors have begun to circulate that Beiweier and the wizard had an unspeakable relationship that was intolerable to the Plundering Clock, leading to their tragic double suicide.

For a moment, Anrelo didn't know where to begin refuting the rumors.

He steadied himself, went upstairs to the study, took out two keys from his pocket, and found the safe behind the door.

Those two are dead, but what Anrelo cares about is what's in the safe.

There are some things he can't keep close at hand. After all, Clock Hand Shizhen is a top-tier superhuman; if he were to discover the contents through some means, he wouldn't even know how he died.

But Anrelo really couldn't bear to throw it away.

So he hid the notebook with Beiweier.

As for Beiweier using his relationship with Anrelo to bully others at the bottom, he didn't care; he considered it a reward.

The safe was opened quickly.

Anrelo was shocked; the notebook was gone!

He staggered backward, barely managing to regain his balance before falling. It took Anrelo a while to finally snap out of his daze.

He summoned his men.

"Hurry, hurry!"

"Send a detachment of guards to thoroughly search this place."

Dig three feet into the ground!