Chapter 68: Duty Bound

At eight in the evening, the welcoming ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Extreme Pavilion in Jiangnan Base City. Qin Ming arrived on time, traveling by fighter jet.

Outside the grand hall, many had already gathered, waiting expectantly. When they looked up and saw the fighter jet soaring above, they could not help but be moved.

“That’s a Heaven-and-Earth class intelligent fighter jet! Only a handful of council members could possibly afford one, and to think…” Zhou Zhengyong exclaimed in awe, then laughed at himself, “How could I forget? He’s now as wealthy as a nation.”

“Heaven-and-Earth class fighter? They say it can withstand attacks from king-level beasts!”

“Yes! Even for our Extreme Pavilion council members, who can purchase it at half price, it still costs fifteen trillion. As for other council members, they must pay the full thirty trillion!” Zhou Zhengyong shook his head, marveling at the outrageous price. “With such a fighter, even a marshal could escape from a king-level beast!”

“He could escape even without it,” Zhuge Tao said softly.

Zhou Zhengyong paused, remembering the video from the House of Extremes, where Qin Ming had been pursued by a king-level beast in Australia. He could not help but grin.

He watched as Qin Ming landed, stepped onto the red carpet, and hurried forward to greet him. “Inspector!”

“President Zhou, we meet again,” Qin Ming replied with a smile.

“Just two months ago, I accompanied the envoy to Yangzhou Pavilion, when you were headed to the Elite Training Camp. Who could have imagined that in a mere two months, you would not only create the miraculous Air Step, but also become an Invincible Warlord!” Zhou Zhengyong sighed in admiration. “It feels like a dream, too unreal to believe!”

“It is nothing but fortune’s turnings.”

“Please, this way.”

“After you.”

The two walked inside, followed by the three chief supervisors of the headquarters—Zhuge Tao, Yu Sen, and Wang Kefan. The others who had come to welcome them also followed in succession.

Within the great hall, guests had long since gathered. As Qin Ming entered, they all rose to their feet.

Zhou Zhengyong, walking alongside him, introduced the guests: Mayor Ye Zhong of Jiangnan Base City, Director Liu Yan of Special Department Nine, Elder Xu Yunguo of the Xu family, and so on. Each offered their praises and courtesies.

Even Lei Meng, the Inspector from the Thunder Pavilion in Jiangnan Base City, did not dare cause trouble. He had originally intended to embarrass Qin Ming, but upon hearing that their own Chief Instructor had personally guided him, he let go of such thoughts.

Such a banquet was, in essence, for acquaintances to meet one another, to form connections, to probe for possibilities of cooperation and alliance. In short, it was a marketplace of fame and fortune.

At last, Qin Ming stood at the center, raising his hand for silence. The hall immediately quieted.

“I was born here, raised here—Yangzhou, Jiangnan Base City, these are my homeland. To be appointed Inspector is my honor, and I will naturally shoulder this responsibility: to defend Jiangnan Base City, to permit no beast to cross our borders, and to uphold the glory of the Extreme Pavilion!”

“In the struggle between races, righteousness comes first. I, Qin Ming, will never shrink from duty!”

“If there is a beast tide, if there is danger—whether for the Extreme Pavilion or the military district—I will not hesitate to come forth!” Qin Ming declared.

And as he had said, with righteousness foremost, he would bear the weight of responsibility.

“Well said!” Commander Li Dawei of the Southeast Military Region was the first to applaud, the others soon echoing him.

“If there is any lapse in hospitality, I beg your forgiveness,” Qin Ming said, then moved to stand beside Li Dawei.

“Young hero, the nation’s pride,” Li Dawei said with admiration. “Mr. Qin, may I speak with you privately?”

“Of course.”

Qin Ming naturally understood his intent, but did not refuse. After all, the man bore the rank of general, was commander of a major military region, and a mid-tier war god himself—his personal congratulations were an honor in itself.

Moreover, he was an elder worthy of respect.

In the small meeting room, the two sat down.

Li Dawei smiled. “The first time I saw you was online—when you created the Air Step and its accompanying video. I immediately purchased and watched it. It was astounding. Even more admirable, it was rated SS-level secret technique by Hong, yet you set the price at just one billion. Do you know what that means?”

He grew suddenly passionate. “With Flash Step and Air Step, our warriors can reduce casualties by at least ten percent—eventually, the number will be even greater.”

“Every year, over ten thousand, sometimes more than a hundred thousand, of our warriors die in battle.”

“And globally, how many more must fall?”

“This secret technique—its merit is immeasurable!” Li Dawei stroked his white hair, gradually calming. “My greatest wish is to see the beast threat subdued. In the past, even with Hong and the Thunder God, who are like deities, I felt only despair, unable to glimpse any hope.”

“Until you appeared.”

“Air Step has given our warriors the means to command the skies,”

“And has truly brought hope!”

“You, with the strength of a War God and your Air Step, escaped pursuit by a king-level beast! When I saw that video, I was first stunned, then overjoyed!”

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

“You flatter me,” Qin Ming poured a cup of tea and offered it over. “It was little more than a flash of inspiration. The price was set at one billion due to Hong’s compensation—in truth, my sense of duty was not so high.”

“If that were so, even with compensation, would you have set it so low?” Li Dawei waved his hand. “With your status and power, Mr. Qin, there’s no need to be modest.”

Qin Ming smiled. “Is the pressure on coastal defense truly that severe?”

“Severe is an understatement,” Li Dawei’s face darkened. “Most warriors fight in the wilderness, yet even so, we humans have not eradicated the threats on land; at best, we maintain a precarious balance! But the beasts in the sea outnumber those on land by a thousand, by ten thousand times—no matter how many we kill, they are endless, and we are forced into the defensive!”

“I lived through the Great Cataclysm, witnessed countless deaths. To defend our homeland, I have never allowed myself to grow weary or slack, bit by bit building the Southeast Coastal Defense Base.”

“Every year, we endure several, sometimes dozens of beast tide assaults.”

“Each year, over ten thousand, sometimes more than a hundred thousand of our warriors are lost, their bodies never recovered.”

“They never complain, working in silence. Sometimes, when the base can no longer hold, they go to their deaths willingly, using their own bodies to block the advance of sea beasts, holding out for reinforcements.”

“To see those faces, generation after generation of young men, those innocent eyes, falling before me…”

“My heart…” Li Dawei’s eyes grew misty, his voice choked with emotion.

“It will get better, truly, it will!” Qin Ming said with feeling. “We humans stand upon this earth—how many disasters have we survived in our struggle to live? What we face now is but another trial. We were the masters here before, and we will be again.”

He knew that the man before him, in his sixties, had no son or daughter; his life had been devoted to the cause of coastal defense, diligent and unyielding. Despite his tireless efforts, he had reached mid-tier War God early, but was left with lasting injuries. Otherwise, with his talent, he would have ascended to the ranks of the council.

“I’m an old man now, making a fool of myself,” Li Dawei said, wiping his eyes.

“If this is foolishness, then the whole world is a fool,” Qin Ming replied.

“Ha! That cheers me greatly.” Li Dawei laughed. “I wished to see you today to ask that, should danger threaten our coastal defense in the future, you would lend your strength.”

As he spoke, he stood up to bow, but Qin Ming quickly stopped him, saying, “This is too much for me. To slay beasts is my duty—should the coast call, just one phone call and I will be there.”

“Good, good, good! In our great Huaxia, we have never lacked hot-blooded sons—this is the legacy of guardianship, the continuation of responsibility, and the wellspring of hope.” Li Dawei was truly overjoyed.