CHAPTER 373: CHAPTER 175: THE FIRST HANDSHAKE

On the ground.

When the second bomb fell, only one of the four giant creatures besieging Han Shui City remained.

Although Lei Jie no longer pursued a "direct hit," the bomb that fell between the two creatures still shattered their innards with unrivaled pressure, and the scattered shrapnel sliced into their muscles and bones like cutting through tofu, rendering them instantly disabled.

The Holy Blood and Mechanical God Sect’s Guardian Army, seizing the chance to breathe, quickly finished off the creature.

As for the last remaining Blade Armor Beast?

The enraged defenders certainly wouldn’t let it go, and some mercenaries, whose numbers were dwindling, charged forward, eager to claim this last victory as their ticket to enter Jinling New City.

The battle ended within half an hour. On the devastated battlefield, blood-soaked warriors looked around with their weapons, finding no targets left to squeeze their triggers.

"We... won?"

Someone stammered, asking.

"We won..."

"I guess we did? The monsters are gone..."

"Not gone, they’re dead..."

"The angel of the Holy Trinity came!"

"They dropped the heavy hammer of punishment... we’ve been saved..."

"What now? What are we supposed to do now?"

"I don’t know... the bishop priest... where’s the bishop priest??"

Everyone instinctively searched for Li Xian, who at that moment was being pulled from the ground by Zhou Qin, covered in a thick layer of dirt.

"Cough, cough..."

"Pah."

Li Xian spat out the soil from his mouth, and amidst the massive ringing in his ears, he saw Zhou Qin speaking to him with a wide-open mouth, yet he heard nothing.

But that doesn’t matter now.

He knew Han Shui City had definitely been defended.

He had seen the angel splitting the Yangtze and the creatures in the river, and also saw it dive towards the remaining beasts.

At the last moment organizing the Guardian Army’s retreat, a massive shockwave had sent him flying, stunned, and buried in the dust.

He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, or even if he could survive.

The sharp pain in his chest made his muscles convulse, yet his emotions were at an unprecedented high.

The angel truly came to save us.

The "rescue" promised by the Huaxia Army was clearly not just dispatching a mercenary squad.

They sent an angel!

Although it was clear this angel was weaker compared to the one that dropped the Heavenly Punishment Sword in Jinling City, even so, the power it demonstrated was unmatched by any creature.

Han Shui City is saved.

Humanity is saved.

When the angel flew over the land in the name of the Holy Trinity, all heresies would turn to ash under its wrath!

Li Xian knelt on the ground, praying devoutly to the sky.

At this moment, he completely forgot—or rather completely let go of—the differences with the Huaxia Army.

No matter what they believe in, no matter how different they are from us, the fact that they can command an angel proves they are not those heretics against humanity.

Perhaps this is merely a different kind of salvation?

Perhaps they were born to correct certain misinterpreted doctrines?

Li Xian felt he had received enlightenment.

Though he still couldn’t quite grasp the true meaning of this enlightenment.

But undeniably, he won’t be confused anymore.

His hearing gradually returned at that moment.

He heard Zhou Qin shouting with all his might:

"The monsters have all been wiped out! We’ve held the city!"

"I know!"

Li Xian yelled in response, then continued:

"That’s an angel!"

"...That’s not an angel, the Huaxia military said it’s a plane."

"Yes, it’s an angel!"

Li Xian’s face showed a hint of pride; he hadn’t clearly heard Zhou Qin’s words, only catching the word "angel."

"...If you say so." Zhou Qin shook his head helplessly, then asked:

"What do we do now? Where do we go?"

"Gather the people! Bring them back to Han Shui City!"

"Maybe the monsters will return! We must be prepared!"

"Don’t worry, the angel will come again too!"

"Alright!"

Zhou Qin replied loudly, promptly issuing the order to gather the troops.

The Guardian Army, still capable of action, began to clean the battlefield and aid the wounded, with the civilians who hadn’t yet evacuated joining them.

After witnessing the angel’s miracle, everyone abandoned the thought of fleeing.

After all, as Li Xian said, the angel will come again.

It came once, it will come a second time!

The Holy Trinity never abandoned his people; now, his mercy had ironclad evidence!

The united citizens erupted with immense cohesion, swiftly gathering the wounded. Pharmacists and doctors from the Holy Blood Temple used various methods to attempt to save their lives.

Bonfires arose everywhere, and as night fell, this city, weathered by storms, surprisingly returned to its former order.

—Yet, when looking up, the scars are still visible everywhere.

Maybe rebirth has to be accompanied by pain?

Li Xian’s hearing fully recovered, he was lucky to survive the aerial bomb explosion.

When he again confirmed with the Huaxia Army over the radio that "support will continue," his anxious heart was utterly relieved.