An hour later, the car arrived at the Safe Zone.

Chen Shouyi and a group of Martial Artists got off one by one, but strangely found that people on the road were all looking up at the sky.

Chen Shouyi instinctively looked up, and just one glance left him frozen like stone.

This was a fleet of three giant airships. Compared to the five airships that had previously entered the battlefield, these were akin to infants facing robust giants. These airships flew at a low altitude of seven to eight hundred meters, with a streamlined, egg-shaped bluish surface, exuding a strong sense of technological beauty.

Underneath each airship were three large and five small launches, totaling eight launch ports, along with bomb compartments already loaded with bombs. Each side was equipped with five multi-barrel phalanx systems, and the top similarly had many phalanx systems for defense against aerial threats.

Chen Shouyi had seen images of this type of airship online; these were three nuclear-powered strategic armored airships, preliminarily commissioned to strategic forces before the mutation.

It had a length of more than four hundred meters and a maximum width of one hundred meters, with a weight of six thousand five hundred tons and a carrying capacity of up to one thousand tons.

It was undoubtedly a gigantic entity, an aircraft carrier in the sky!

It was a mobile nuclear arsenal, the most powerful force for humanity's deterrence against other worlds today. If he guessed correctly, those three large and five small launch ports were for various models of nuclear missiles using steam high-pressure ejection.

Chen Shouyi was inexplicably shaken in his heart.

Anyone who saw this armed-to-the-teeth giant could feel a severe mental impact. If one considered its world-destroying power, capable of easily eradicating Hedong City if desired, it instilled awe.

Especially the front of the airship, with its massive red and black warning signs, was synonymous with apocalypse in human minds.

Sadly, given today's technological regression, it was likely impossible to manufacture such awe-inspiring giants in short order.

These nuclear-powered strategic armored airships did not land in the Safe Zone, as there was neither the condition nor the space for such giants to land.

Passing over the outside of the Safe Zone, these giant airships flew straight away into the distance.

"Is this the support troops from above?" Song Jieying beside him recovered and asked.

"It should be!" Chen Shouyi said with a bit of fear, "Luckily the Barbarian God was taken care of, otherwise who knows what would have happened?"

Although he knew that even if a nuclear bomb were to be launched, it would probably be a small-yield miniature nuclear bomb with a lethal radius, including radiation, not exceeding one or two kilometers. But the panic it would cause among the populace would likely render all of Hedong City empty, turning it into a ghost town.

...

"Dad, Mom! I'm back. I'll take a shower first." Chen Shouyi returned home, greeted his parents in the living room, and quickly headed towards the stairs.

Father Chen and Mrs. Chen noticed his hunchbacked, sword-bearing, tattered-clothed look, resembling someone who had just emerged from a refugee camp, feeling somewhat strange. But before they could ask, he was already quickly heading upstairs.

Before setting out today, Chen Shouyi hadn't mentioned anything to his parents, so Father Chen and Mrs. Chen were completely unaware he had just returned from a dangerous battlefield.

"This child, hasn't even asked if he's eaten yet?" Mrs. Chen complained as he strode past her.

...

Chen Shouyi returned to his bedroom, removed his weapons, tore his clothes and pants, now mere rags, to pieces, and threw them into the trash can. As for his shoes, he had long since disposed of them on the battlefield.

He walked into the bathroom, turned on the showerhead, and took a good shower, washing away the dust and specks of blood from his body.

He changed into a set of clothes and threw himself onto the bed, letting out a long breath, feeling his whole body relax.

Finally, it was over!

Only by experiencing death and war can one truly understand the preciousness of peace.

As his mind relaxed, his eyelids grew heavier, and soon he fell into a deep sleep, which lasted for three hours until his sister woke him up before dinner.

During dinner, Chen Xingyue excitedly asked, "Brother, did you see those three airships this afternoon?"

"I saw them!" Chen Shouyi replied vaguely as he ate.

"They were huge; I was really afraid they'd drop a nuclear bomb!" Chen Xingyue said.

Mrs. Chen reprimanded at this, "Why would they drop a nuclear bomb for no reason? Stop saying such nonsense, eat your food!"

Chen Xingyue stuck out her tongue, and after a while, she asked again, "I heard the Barbarians in Cheng'an District have been wiped out today, and many people died. Did you go, brother?"

Chen Shouyi quickly glanced at his sister, thinking, Are you trying to get me into trouble?

Seeing their parents look over as well, Chen Shouyi quickly said, "Why would I go? Even a powerful Martial Artist on the battlefield is hardly more effective than a regular soldier."

Fortunately, Chen Xingyue was just asking casually, so she let it go.

...

At night, Chen Shouyi stuffed the excited Shell Lady into his embrace and left the villa.

The night was quiet, like flowing water.

After the mutation, people's life rhythm gradually turned to resting at sunset and working at sunrise. The rich nightlife of the city was already a memory, and by eight o'clock, there were no pedestrians on the road.

Although Chen Shouyi's family was using gasoline lamps, for most people, such lamps were still considered a luxury, with limited monthly production. Most still used candles or oil lamps for night lighting.

Chen Shouyi walked quickly down the street. Just as he reached a community entrance, he saw a figure in black clothing and pants, carrying a sword in one hand and a suitcase in the other, walking out of the community.

The person in black was slightly startled, but upon seeing Chen Shouyi's face clearly, his expression changed instantly, stammering, "Pre... President Chen!"

"You know me?" Chen Shouyi asked in surprise.

"I do, I saw you once from a distance during a recent mayor's meeting!" the person in black said respectfully.

Chen Shouyi's expression turned gentle as he looked at the large suitcase the person in black was carrying, curious, "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to stay in Hedong City. I'm preparing to leave here and go back home!" The person in black found Chen Shouyi's attitude friendly, so he didn't hide it and answered frankly.

Chen Shouyi's mind turned quickly, instantly understanding. This was evidently someone avoiding conscription, having heard something and preparing to leave!

He didn't expose him: "Then leave quickly, and stay safe."

"Thank you, President Chen. I'll leave now," said the person in black gratefully, relieved, and then left quickly.

...

Chen Shouyi stood there watching the person in black disappear into the distance, deep in thought.

Martial Artists, in the end, are not soldiers, and their relationship with the government is akin to mercenaries and employers. Unlike civilians, they possess greater power, more choices, and stronger survival capabilities, able to resist danger and live well wherever they are.

Especially now, with communications cut off and national control extremely weakened, leaving Hedong City doesn't require leaving the province. Even going to nearby cities, local governments welcome new Martial Artists with open arms. Once at this level, it's not the government choosing Martial Artists but Martial Artists choosing the government.

If the punishment for Martial Artists refusing conscription were too harsh, even direct sentencing, it could lead to a mass exodus. Even those who originally complied might leave Hedong City, and stopping this would be impossible.

But if this refusal is brushed aside lightly, other Martial Artists might also feel discontent, making future conscription difficult.

The City Government now faces a difficult choice.

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