Cultivation Online

Chapter 2692: Hospitalized(2)

"What’s going on? Why are so many foreigners trying to join our military this year? Are we being invaded?"

"Although foreigners are allowed to join the military, they are usually extremely rare. This number is too abnormal! Something is definitely happening!"

Meanwhile, in the spectators’ room reserved for the higher-ups, the officers were just as puzzled as the ordinary soldiers, as they had yet to be briefed on the situation.

"What the hell is going on?"

"General Mei, do you know anything?"

They turned to her for answers.

"..."

After a moment of silence, she responded, "I can’t tell you anything right now, but there will likely be a briefing about this later."

And so, they all returned to watching the recruitment and continued wondering inwardly about the situation.

Although Supreme General Tian couldn’t be bothered to watch the recruitment, he had been alerted to the situation.

"So that’s how they want to play, huh?" A bitter smile tugged at Supreme General Tian’s lips. "Although it’s a little shameless, at least this means they’ve decided against going to war. However, this also means we won’t be able to keep things hidden for any longer."

He turned to look at the black-haired woman and asked, "What do you think?"

"What is that man’s condition right now?" she asked.

"As far as I am aware, he’s still unconscious."

"..."

After a moment of silence, she spoke, "There’s no point in hiding it now."

"Then I will address the situation after the recruitment," said Supreme General Tian.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the recruitment came to an end.

"Although Li Jieyu was unable to break any records, she came very close to many of them. She definitely has the potential to rival Captain Yuan!"

"Isn’t he still hospitalized right now? It’d be a pity if he were to die..."

"Is he even still alive? He could’ve died long ago."

"I guess we’ll find out soon, as a mass summoning had just been issued."

Shortly after the recruitment ended, every soldier was summoned to the Parade Deck.

The soldiers expected either General Mei or General Gu to speak, but to their shock, the Supreme General had appeared.

"That’s the Supreme General?!"

"Don’t tell me this is his retirement speech?"

Many expected to hear about the Supreme General’s retirement, but their expectations were shattered once again when he revealed the true situation to them.

Supreme General Tian first spoke about what had occurred during the assembly before moving on to the main subject.

"Because of his Perfected Heavenly Refinement Physique, Captain Yuan is currently the only person in this world capable of fighting the Void Hunter—and potentially defeating it. The reason so many people from other cities have participated in this year’s recruitment is directly related to that."

The soldiers were left bewildered and speechless by this revelation, but they also believed that they’d found the explanation behind Yuan’s unfathomable talents.

"Lastly... I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors, but Captain Yuan is currently hospitalized. Although I won’t disclose the reason, I can assure you that his condition is stable."

The briefing lasted only a few minutes, yet by the time it ended, it had left every soldier with lingering unease and uncertainty.

Although the mass briefing had ended, another was held shortly afterward for the higher-ups, this time delving into the finer details of the situation.

However, Yuan’s true condition was still kept secret. In fact, aside from Mei Feng and those assigned to monitor him, no one else knew the truth—not even General Gu.

"I still don’t understand why the other cities are sending people into our military. How does that benefit them?" one of the officers asked.

"They’re most likely trying to establish a connection with Captain Yuan—or, at the very least, secure a direct line of communication with him."

"That sounds like espionage."

"Are we going to do anything about it? Or are we simply going to let these foreigners flood our military despite knowing they have ulterior motives?" another officer asked.

"They may be foreigners, but before they’re allowed to join, they must sever their ties to their former affiliations and swear their loyalty to Gaia’s Heaven."

"We know that, but that doesn’t mean they won’t secretly pass classified information back to their former cities. I believe we should prohibit them from joining our military altogether. It’s the only way to protect our integrity."

Many officers shared the same sentiment.

Supreme General Tian sighed and said, "It’s either this, or we go to war."

"That’s..."

The officers fell silent at the word ’war’.

"Whether you like it or not, the world is changing fast, and we can only adapt to it."

"So what are we going to do if something happens to Captain Yuan? This is all happening because of him, right?"

"..."

After a brief moment of silence, Supreme General Tian responded, "I can’t see the future. I will deal with it when the time comes."

General Gu suddenly raised his hand and spoke, "What about your retirement, Supreme General?"

Supreme General Tian sneered.

"You think I don’t want to retire already? Unfortunately, with everything that’s happened, I have no choice but to remain in my position a little longer... at least until we can see a clear path forward and find a solution."

One might have expected General Gu to be upset by the delay in Supreme General Tian’s retirement, but in reality, he was pleased. It gave him more time to expand his influence, especially now that so many outsiders were joining Gaia’s Heaven and presenting him with connections and opportunities he had never had access to before—at least, not this easily.

’I was already behind General Mei, so this is the perfect opportunity for me to catch up and surpass her, especially now that I have a decent talent on my side!’ he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, a black-haired woman quietly entered the room where Yuan was staying.

Normally, his room would have been monitored around the clock, yet for some reason, no one was present at that moment.