Chapter 55 Global Astonishment

Just as Liu Yang was preparing to find a room to have a good spar with Bai Ling and show her his Golden-Gong Ham King, he had no idea that his feat of entering the Heavenly Rankings test and securing the number one spot had already spread across the entire globe.

All the information on the stone steles was interconnected. The moment Liu Yang claimed the top spot, the name for the number one position on every single Heavenly Rankings stele worldwide changed to Liu Yang.

In the Baiying Empire, located in a secure fallout shelter more than fifty meters underground, the president’s secretary hurried in, looking flustered, and said to the president:

"Mr. President! Mr. President, the number one spot on the Heavenly Rankings has changed!"

"Oh? Has General Bob finally managed to push Hinoue Yamada down from the throne?" A happy expression appeared on the face of the Baiying Empire’s president.

The top spot on the Heavenly Rankings had previously belonged to Hinoue Yamada of the Hinode Empire, with General Bob of the Baiying Empire in second place, Zhou Xingchen of the Shenlong Empire in third, and Machechev of the Ursine Empire in fourth.

These top four individuals were locked in a fierce rivalry where none of them was willing to submit to the others. Although Hinoue Yamada held the number one position, the other three constantly pushed themselves through endless testing and relentless pursuit, desperately trying to climb higher in the rankings.

After all, whoever claimed the number one spot was acknowledged as the most powerful supernatural being alive.

The struggle for supremacy among the major powers was not confined to times of peace; even in the apocalypse, they still sought to prove their dominance and their right to rule the world. Securing the number one position on the Heavenly Rankings was the ultimate proof!

Therefore, upon hearing that the name at the very top of the rankings had changed, the president’s very first reaction was that General Bob had risen from second to first place.

The secretary shook his head. "No, it's not General Bob. It’s a newcomer named Liu Yang! Judging by the name, he should be from the Shenlong Empire."

"What?!" The eighty-year-old president of the Baiying Empire, whose face had previously worn a benign expression, suddenly flashed a look of ruthless intensity.

The Shenlong Empire had actually managed to suppress the Hinode Empire?

If that was the case, didn't the top five of the Heavenly Rankings now feature two individuals from the Shenlong Empire?

He immediately made his decision: "Order General Bob to continue testing! I want him to reach number one within ten days!

Additionally, dispatch a team of supernatural operatives into the Shenlong Empire to locate this fellow named Liu Yang. I want all intelligence on him within a month!

What about the bio-enhanced troops and the mechanized augmentation units? And what about the extraterrestrial entities in Area Nine?"

This was the first time the secretary had ever seen such an expression on the president's face since the apocalypse began. Cold sweat beaded densely on his forehead as he answered nervously, "They are still in the experimental phase and cannot be deployed yet. They don't meet combat standards. As for Area Nine, alien weapons are still undergoing tests."

The eighty-year-old president spoke with absolute finality: "Conclude the experiments within three days and deploy both units into actual combat! Actual combat is the best test of all! At the same time, order the scientists at Area Nine to accelerate their progress!"

"Yes, Sir!" The secretary straightened his back, delivered a salute, and hurried out of the president's office to begin issuing the president's commands.

***

In the Hinode Empire, within the Prime Minister's Residence, a secretary rushed in frantically, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Mr. Prime Minister, disaster has struck! Mr. Prime Minister, disaster has struck!"

"Baka yarou! What kind of decorum is this, bursting in like a madman?" The Prime Minister of the Hinode Empire wore a displeased expression as he reprimanded the secretary.

The secretary wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stammered, "Mr. Prime Minister! It’s a catastrophe! The number one spot on the Heavenly Rankings is no longer held by General Hinoue! It has been replaced by a completely new name!"

"What?!" Absolute disbelief washed over the Prime Minister's face. "How can this be? General Hinoue is blessed with peerless talent and is invincible! How could he possibly be surpassed by someone else? Summon General Hinoue immediately; I have matters to discuss with him!"

The secretary replied, "General Hinoue discovered that his ranking had been usurped and was furious. He has already entered the stele chamber to begin testing!"

"I see. Very well." The Prime Minister nodded.

Initially, he had intended to order Hinoue to continue testing, but he hadn't expected that the general had already gone in. It seemed General Hinoue guarded his honor fiercely.

"Who is it that usurped General Hinoue's ranking?" the Prime Minister continued to ask.

The secretary answered, "It is someone named Liu Yang. Judging by the name, he is likely a citizen of the Shenlong Empire."

"Crack!" The Prime Minister of the Hinode Empire slammed his palm onto the desk, an even more furious expression twisting his features.

"The Shenlong Empire again?! Damnable! Pass down my order: immediately dispatch our most elite supernatural tactical team into the Shenlong Empire to track down this Liu Yang. Eliminate him at all costs! Also, what is the current situation regarding the Ninja Village?"

The secretary wiped his sweat and said, "The Deputy Prime Minister is still engaged in urgent negotiations with them."

"The Hinode Empire has reached a life-or-death crisis, yet this group of villagers from the Ninja Village still sits idly by and watches?! Are they even citizens of the Hinode Empire at all?

Damnable! Give the order to the Deputy Prime Minister to step up negotiations. No matter what it takes, he must secure the aid of the Ninja Village's elites!" The Prime Minister issued a final, unyielding command.

"Hai!" The secretary bowed deeply, then turned and fled the Prime Minister's Residence.

***

In the Ursine Empire, within the Presidential Palace, the secretary bolted in at a frantic pace. "Mr. President! The number one spot on the Heavenly Rankings has changed! The name is Liu Yang, and he should be a supernatural being from the Shenlong Empire!"

The stern, unsmiling face of the Ursine Empire's president hardened into a solemn expression. "Oh? The Shenlong Empire managed to produce such a talent?! It appears we must accelerate our own pace. How is the research on the supernatural enhancement serum progressing?"

The secretary answered nervously, "It is still in the animal testing phase."

The president of the Ursine Empire began issuing directives: "Initiate human trials within three days, and reactivate Project Poseidon! Furthermore, order General Machechev to enter the Heavenly Rankings test immediately.

In three days, dispatch a supernatural strike team into the Shenlong Empire to investigate who this Liu Yang really is.

Order our covert operatives infiltrated inside the Hinode Empire to enter radio silence. From this moment on, focus all our intelligence resources entirely on the Shenlong Empire."

"Mr. President! Project Poseidon was a project shelved all the way back during the former Allied era. If we restart it now, I fear..."

"Do as I say!" The president’s face set in an unyielding line.

"Yes, Mr. President!"

***

In the Shenlong Empire, within an underground shelter, the secretary's face radiated immense excitement. "Commander Wang! The number one position on the Heavenly Rankings has changed! The name is Liu Yang! Judging by the name, he has got to be one of our people from the Shenlong Empire!!!"

"Oh?" Commander Wang’s face lit up with pleasant surprise, and he couldn't help bursting into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! Excellent, excellent, simply marvelous! With this, those bastards from the Hinode Empire won't dare act so arrogant anymore, will they?

Our Shenlong Empire has finally saved face in a major way!

Pass down my command: dispatch all members of the Hidden Dragon Unit immediately to search for this supernatural being named Liu Yang. Spare no expense, and absorb him into the Hidden Dragon Unit at all costs! We must find him before the Flying Eagle Unit does!"

The Hidden Dragon and the Flying Eagle were the two premier supernatural forces of the Shenlong Empire. Although they cooperated with one another, they were also locked in a fierce rivalry, neither willing to yield to the other.

This Commander Wang was the commanding officer of the Hidden Dragon Unit.

On the other side, Commander Zhang of the Flying Eagle Unit had also received the news and immediately issued his orders:

"Everyone, your primary objective is to find Liu Yang! Do whatever it takes to make him join the Flying Eagle Unit! I don't care what methods you use—threats, enticements, or even seduction!

In short, within one month, I want to see this Liu Yang standing right in front of me! You must beat Old Wang to the punch!

With Zhou Xingchen—who holds the third rank on the Heavenly Rankings—already in their ranks, the Hidden Dragon Unit has secretly held the upper hand. If they also snap up Liu Yang, the holder of the number one spot, our Flying Eagle Unit will truly never see the light of day!"

"Yes, Commander Zhang!"

Watching his subordinate depart from the office, Commander Zhang wore a grave expression. He muttered to himself under his breath:

"Where on earth have all these guys in the military been putting their training hours? Day in and day out of training and testing, yet none of them could secure the number one spot on the Heavenly Rankings. This Liu Yang is a completely unfamiliar name; he's probably just a grassroots civilian awakening his powers, yet he managed to claim the top spot directly! Truly, the younger generation is formidable, blessed with freakish talent.

I suppose right now, even this Liu Yang is probably training hard somewhere, isn't he?"