novelslam Chapter 229 Counterattack Plan
Chapter 229 Counterattack Plan
The bald man swallowed his bread and clicked his tongue: "With the death of the Sirius King, the land beasts are leaderless."
"This morning I heard from the Legion that the Council is already drafting a counter-offensive plan, intending to first clear out the alien beasts on land, and then..."
He pointed east, roughly in the direction of the Mediterranean: "Then push it out to sea."
"Push it into the sea?" The plaid-clad man frowned.
"The ocean isn't just home to royalty. The three great royal families, the giant whales, and the sea dragons are all fine. I wholeheartedly support fighting land-based beasts, but the ocean? Are you out of your mind?"
"Whether it's crazy or not, with the Sirius King dead, a human counterattack is inevitable. Peace, understand?"
"True peace, peace we haven't seen in fifty years, where you can go wherever you want without a gun or armor."
The bald man stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth and mumbled something.
"Peace?" An elderly man in a wheelchair suddenly interjected.
His voice was hoarse, his French had a heavy southern French accent, and his left leg was bare from the knee down, with his trouser leg tucked into the armrest of his wheelchair.
"Do you young people know what peace is? My father died in the defense of Nancy, and my brother died during the retreat from Marseille. You weren't even born then."
"It's a good thing the Sirius King is dead, but do you think you can have peace after defeating the land monsters?"
"The monsters in the ocean are endless. They are in the water, and nuclear bombs are mostly weakened underwater. We can launch a counterattack on land, but launching a counterattack on the ocean is easier said than done."
The bald man didn't respond, nor did the man in the plaid shirt; the area around the bench was quiet for a few seconds.
Only the accordion player busking under the Eiffel Tower was still playing an old tune, the sound drifting along the stone path, sounding like "La Vie en Rose".
After a long while, the man in the plaid shirt sighed: "The Sirius King is dead. Shouldn't humanity strike while the iron is hot? But what happens after the fighting? How many people have died over the past fifty years because of the word 'peace'? Have you ever counted?"
Song Chen leaned back on the bench, watching the spire of the Eiffel Tower sway slightly in the wind, without saying a word.
He didn't come to Paris to participate in debates; he just wanted to see the Eiffel Tower, the city, and the ordinary people who survived the catastrophe.
He could understand their argument, but he couldn't tell who was right and who was wrong.
The bald man wanted to launch a counterattack and seek peace; he probably had family members who died in the last beast tide.
The elderly man in the wheelchair didn't want to fight back; he had probably seen too many dead people.
The plaid-clad man is caught in the middle, wanting peace yet fearing war.
As for him, he didn't need to choose.
His goal has never changed from the beginning: to become stronger, to kill alien beasts, and to become even stronger, to kill even more alien beasts.
If a land-based counterattack is launched, the alien beasts will be driven away, surrounded, and forced into a corner, increasing his killing efficiency on the battlefield several times over.
As for the sea, Qi Shanhe said not to go into the sea, the teacher said not to go into the sea, and he himself knew that going into the sea at the fifth level was tantamount to courting death.
But that's now. When he becomes a Grandmaster, when even Qi Shanhe can't stop him, the score in the sea will have to be settled sooner or later.
The Eiffel Tower's shadow moved slowly across the ground, and the accordion melody changed to a more cheerful one.
Song Chen stood up, tucked the Heavenly Blade into his waistband, and walked towards the Seine.
The bald man behind me was still arguing with the elderly man in the wheelchair about whether or not to counterattack. His voice grew fainter and fainter, drowned out by the melody of the accordion.
He walked slowly along the cobblestone path by the Seine, the river surface rippling in the afternoon breeze.
The newsstands on both sides of the riverbank have been closed for who knows how many years, their tin shutters covered in rust. But a few vendors have set up wooden tables outside the kiosks, displaying old books and handmade soaps.
A Black child squatted on the riverbank and threw pebbles into the water. The pebbles bounced three times on the surface of the river before sinking.
Just then, his phone rang.
Song Chen glanced at the caller ID; it was Zhou Wangyue calling.
He pressed the answer button, but before he could even call out "teacher," he heard Zhou Wangyue's excited voice: "Song Chen, the Great Xia's counterattack plan has been finalized."
"So fast, how can we fight?"
Zhou Wangyue's tone calmed down: "It's not what you think. It's not about gathering a large army to push north. The council discussed it for two days and decided to first clear out the monster dens around the major base cities."
Song Chen thought for a moment and asked, "Clear the hideout? Why not take this opportunity to attack the Arctic and wipe out the Sirius clan?"
"We need to fight in the Arctic, but not now."
"Over the past fifty years, humans have retreated to base cities, and each city has dozens or even hundreds of monster dens outside it."
"They're in the wilderness outside Anning City, and even more outside Tianhai City."
"If these dens are not completely eradicated, ordinary people will not dare to leave the city to farm, will not dare to walk on the highway, and will not dare to go to the river to fetch water."
"True peace is not about fighting a great battle. First, we need to clear the beast nests around every city, allow ordinary people to leave the city, restore the roads, and allow the farmland to be cultivated again."
"There's no point in fighting the Arctic if we don't finish this."
Song Chen thought for a few seconds and then he remembered the wilderness outside Anning City.
After the college entrance examination, he walked alone through the wilderness to register at Tianhai University. On both sides of the road were abandoned farmland and houses trampled by strange beasts. Half of the utility poles were down, with withered vines hanging on the remaining half.
I was reminded of the repeatedly scorched kill zone outside the city walls of Tianhai.
I was reminded of the deserted old town square in Brasov, where grass grew in the cracks of the cobblestones, the fountain had been dry for fifty years, the little cherub statue had half its head gnawed off by a monster, and all the houses were still there, but no one was there.
"Teacher, you're right. Peace doesn't end after the war."
"The council has already prioritized things, with Anning City at the top of the list. Let's restore peace to your hometown first."
"this……"
Song Chen felt a little uncomfortable, but she was still happy inside.
He thought of Anning City, a small base city.
He lived there for eighteen years, growing up listening to the sounds of the city's cannons.
Peace is about to be restored.
Thinking of this, he changed the subject and said, "Teacher, can I take care of the hideouts outside Anning City?"
"I've already saved it for you. Besides, you're an honorary councilor now. When you go back to raid the hideouts, the local garrison will cooperate with you. You'll be the leader, not fighting alone."
"I know, I'll be right back."
Song Chen hung up the phone and dialed Han Duo's number.
"Come pick me up."
"yes!"
Then he put his phone back in his pocket and walked towards the Eiffel Tower.
As he passed the Black child squatting on the riverbank throwing stones, the child looked up at him and asked him in French who he was.
Song Chen looked down at the child who only reached her waist, thought for a moment, and replied in French, "Just passing by."
The child blinked and threw another pebble.
Fifteen minutes later, Song Chen stood in the very center of the Eiffel Tower Square.
The accordionist had stopped playing "La Vie en Rose" and switched to a faster piece, which attracted a few more onlookers.
The ticket seller was still calling out "last batch," and the number of people in line had decreased by only two.