Chapter Six: The Meeting! The Entire Nation Unites Against the King of the Underworld!

"Commander Wang, this prophet’s demand is to meet with Number One in person. Such a request..."
A crowd of high-ranking figures from various sectors quickly gathered around, their voices overlapping in anxious debate.
In their eyes, regardless of the prophet’s abilities, to allow an ordinary person to meet Number One so abruptly was an act of extreme recklessness.
"This matter is my decision. If anything goes wrong and the higher-ups seek someone to blame, let them come to me, Wang Tao. It has nothing to do with the rest of you!"
Waving his hand impatiently, Wang Tao stood, straightened his uniform, and strode out of the grand hall, making his way toward a most secluded room on the third floor.
This night was fated to be a sleepless one.
At midnight, even in Pearl City, a world-renowned metropolis, the streets were typically deserted at this hour.
Yet now, a convoy of five Warrior jeeps raced through the streets, trailed by several police cars.
Pedestrians who had not yet dispersed turned their heads, speculating about what major event might have occurred.
With Wang Tao’s order, the entire city was set in motion.
Meanwhile, the instigator of it all, Chu Xiao, was still fast asleep in his own bed, oblivious to the chaos he had triggered.
At 12:11, the five jeeps and the police cars had already surrounded the Chu family villa.
Qi Tianlei led the way, flanked by skilled soldiers, who fanned out with weapons drawn, taking position at the entrance.
He drew a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong—
The sound echoed, and after a long while, a lazy voice responded from within.
“It’s so late—who is it?”
“Hello, this is property management. There’s a leak in the community’s drainage pipes. We need to inspect your plumbing. Please open the door.”
“Leak in the pipes?”
Uncle Zhang, suspicious, cracked the door open just a little.
Bang!
Almost instantly, the soldiers who had been lying in wait shoved the door wide and stormed inside.
“Who are you people? Do you even know whose house this is?”
“Yes. This is the official residence of Chu Renfang,” Qi Tianlei replied coldly, casting Uncle Zhang a glance before barking an order. “Bring out Chu Xiao—now!”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers and police saluted, then dispersed swiftly, some charging into the rooms on the first floor, while others ran upstairs.
Bang!
In the midst of a dream, Chu Xiao was startled by a sudden crash at his door. Before he could react, several burly soldiers had already pressed their weapons to his head.
One of them, speaking in a local dialect, asked, “Chu Xiao?”

“Who are you people? Are you trying to start a mutiny?”
Before Chu Xiao could answer, Chu Renfang and Qin Lihua hurried in, hastily dressed.
Especially Chu Renfang, who shoved aside the soldiers and demanded sharply, “Who’s in charge here? Step forward!”
“Deputy Mayor Chu, sir, I am Qi Tianlei, captain of the Direct Guard Company of the Central Command. I’ve been ordered to bring your son Chu Xiao in for questioning.”
“On whose orders?”
“I’m afraid that’s classified.”
“You—”
“Dad, it’s all right.”
This was precisely what Chu Xiao had been waiting for.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he grabbed his clothes from the bedside and said calmly, “Let’s go.”
“Son, what is going on?”
Both Chu Renfang and Qin Lihua were baffled. How could their ordinary son have anything to do with the military?
“Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. When I return, I’ll give you a satisfactory explanation.”
With that, under his parents’ anxious gaze, Chu Xiao followed the soldiers and climbed into a Warrior jeep.
As the convoy disappeared into the night, Qin Lihua stamped her feet in distress. “Chu Renfang, I don’t care what you have to do—I want to know exactly what has happened!”
Without waiting for her demand, Chu Renfang, his expression complicated, withdrew his phone and dialed a number.
“Hello, this is Chu Renfang.”
…
Inside the vehicle, Qi Tianlei placed a hood over Chu Xiao’s head and personally conducted a thorough scan with a portable scanner. Satisfied there were no issues, he finally spoke:
“Kid, in a moment—”
“Number One is here?”
Before Qi Tianlei could finish, Chu Xiao interrupted with a question of his own.
“He is.”
Qi Tianlei’s eyes flashed with shock. He thought to himself that this young man truly was extraordinary.
Not only was he unfazed by being suddenly arrested by so many soldiers, but he could even guess their purpose—this boy was clearly no ordinary person.
At exactly 1 a.m., after countless checks, Chu Xiao was escorted by two soldiers into a study.
Though the hood was still in place, Chu Xiao could smell the rich scent of books, mingled with a faint note of sandalwood.
On command, the hood was finally removed. Qi Tianlei left with the other soldiers, closing the door behind them.

Chu Xiao took a long moment to adjust his eyes to the light before slowly opening them.
Less than two meters in front of him, seated at a desk, was an elderly man with silver hair and spectacles.
It was the very man Chu Xiao had seen countless times on television—the great leader who had devoted his life to the rise of the Nine Provinces.
Beside the old man stood another elder, nearly 1.9 meters tall, dressed in full military uniform. His hair, too, was streaked with gray.
But compared to Number One, this man lacked some of the leader’s gravity, though he exuded the commanding presence unique to soldiers.
Even standing quietly, the sheer force of his presence was so tangible that even an ordinary person like Chu Xiao could feel it pressing in.
After casting a brief, appraising glance at Chu Xiao, Wang Tao picked up a dossier and read aloud:
“Name: Chu Xiao.
Age: 23.
Place of origin: Southern Anhui.
Father, Chu Renfang, is the second-in-command of Pearl City. Mother, Qin Lihua, is CEO of a multinational corporation. Grandfather, Chu Guozhong, is a veteran of the Red Army. Thus, Chu Xiao is a descendant of heroes.”
Finishing in one breath, General Wang Tao closed the folder and looked at Chu Xiao.
“Yesterday, you sent prophecy emails to leaders in various fields, and at the end, you wrote that if your prediction proved true, you wished to meet with Number One.
Now, the leader is here. State your purpose.”
Throughout, Number One said nothing, simply watched Chu Xiao with a faint smile.
Truth be told, even without a word, the aura emanating from Number One was so overwhelming that Chu Xiao felt he could barely breathe.
Perhaps it was the legendary charisma of the great leader.
Chu Xiao would never forget that, when the army of the Underworld King attacked Yanjing and the city’s final defense began,
This old man gave up his only chance to retreat, surrendered his seat to a mere child, and himself stood at the front, rallying his troops with the cry: “Protect the Nine Provinces, defend Yanjing!”
Number One was the first of the world’s great leaders to fall when the Nine Provinces went to war with foreign powers.
Now, finally meeting the leader he had long dreamed of, Chu Xiao was overwhelmed, his heart pounding with nervous excitement.
“I want to halt all production across the country, unite the entire nation as one, and concentrate all resources on the development of advanced weaponry.”
At these words, Number One showed no change in expression, but Wang Tao’s face grew ever darker.
“Halt all production nationwide? Do you understand what that means?”
“I do,” Chu Xiao nodded, taking a deep breath. “I want to mobilize the power of the whole nation to fight the Underworld King, who is about to awaken!”