Zhang Zheng didn't hurry home after returning to Earth. Instead, he went to a park he hadn't visited in a long time. Due to the time, the park was nearly empty. Zhang Zheng found a random bench and lay down.
Having been in this world for almost two years, this was the first time Zhang Zheng seriously thought about his future. That night, he slept on the park bench, which was also the first time he didn't return home since Zhixin came to Earth.
On the Giant Gorge, Di Leina received a message from Yuan Li last night and reported it to Dukao early in the morning.
"Comrades, the vanguard fleet of the Gluttonous has arrived in the solar system as of last night."
"The war is about to begin, and last night, Deno No. 3 captured a series of images."
At this point, the large screen behind Dukao suddenly lit up. The footage showed Zhang Zheng and Morgana in space. From the beginning, when Zhang Zheng turned Morgana into ashes, to the moment he whispered in her ear, everything was clearly captured by Deno No. 3.
At first, the members of the Super Seminary didn't recognize Morgana and thought Zhang Zheng was fighting another powerful opponent. It wasn't until the end, when Morgana summoned the Devil's Claw, that they realized the person Zhang Zheng was fighting was Morgana. However, they didn't understand the purpose of Dukao showing them this video.
"Commander, what's the meaning of showing us this video?" Ge Xiaolun asked curiously.
"Last night, Zhang Zheng made three moves. The first time, he turned Morgana into ashes."
"The second time, he destroyed the Devil's Castle on Earth, along with the demons inside."
At this point, Dukao paused.
"Commander, please tell us where Zhang Zheng's third strike was aimed. It seems like Morgana desperately tried to stop it, so it must have been an important target!" Liu Chuang, impatient as always, asked loudly.
"Yeah, Commander, tell us!" Zhao Xin added, his tone full of urgency.
Dukao looked at the anxious group of soldiers and felt a bit helpless. How could they fight a war with such a lack of discipline? But he didn't hide the truth any longer and said directly, "According to the calculations of Deno No. 3, Zhang Zheng's final strike was aimed at..."
Here, Dukao paused again, his expression becoming serious as he said three words: "The Giant Gorge."
Silence.
An eerie silence.
After a long pause, Liu Chuang was the first to stand up.
"Commander, could it be that Deno No. 3 made a mistake? How could Brother Zheng possibly attack us?"
"Besides, if Brother Zheng really did strike, why would Morgana try to stop it?"
Liu Chuang's voice was so loud that the glass in the conference room seemed to vibrate. This was because, in his excitement, Liu Chuang had unknowingly unleashed his God-Slaying power.
"Yeah, Commander, could there have been a mistake?"
"Brother Zheng would never attack us."
Just a few days ago, he was training me and Chuangzi with all his might.
Ge Xiaolun also stood up and said loudly. Soon, the entire Super Seminary was abuzz with their own opinions, all centered around the belief that Zhang Zheng would never attack them.
"Alright, quiet down."
Dukao, feeling a headache coming on from the buzzing voices, said loudly, "I haven't finished speaking yet!"
With that, Dukao played the video of Morgana killing someone in the library. Following that was a conversation, a lip-reading expert's translation of Zhang Zheng and Morgana's dialogue. Although it wasn't completely accurate, everyone understood the general meaning.
Now, everyone understood the context. However, when Zhang Zheng said they weren't his friends, Liu Chuang and Ge Xiaolun felt a bit down. After all, they genuinely regarded Zhang Zheng as their leader.
Seeing everyone fall silent again, the first to speak was Du Qiangwei.
"Although I'm upset that Zhang Zheng called me an alien, if sacrificing myself can really restrain Morgana, I'm not afraid to do it."
Du Qiangwei's words started with frustration but ended with firm resolve. As a soldier, she understood Zhang Zheng's actions, even if she didn't like being called an alien.
"Qiangwei, you..." Ge Xiaolun looked at Du Qiangwei in shock, unable to find the right words. He was amazed at how high Qiangwei's sense of duty was, considering Zhang Zheng had threatened others with her life.
"Qiangwei's sense of duty is admirable! If sacrificing a few of us can save Earth, I think it's worth it too," Liu Chuang said bluntly. He admired Du Qiangwei's resolve and saw her as having the highest sense of duty among them all.
"It's one thing for Brother Zheng to attack us to protect ordinary people, but it's another for him to say we're not his friends. That really hurts," Zhao Xin said, now understanding Zhang Zheng's intentions.
He realized that Zhang Zheng was ready to take extreme measures, attacking what Morgana cared about the most if she harmed ordinary people. It was mutual destruction, an eye for an eye.
"Wow, so I almost got killed by Zhang Zheng yesterday," Di Leina, who was usually a bit slow on the uptake, finally realized she had experienced a life-or-death situation the previous night.
She was frustrated. As a goddess, she was there to help Earth, not to sacrifice herself.
Dukao, seeing the group chatting again, felt even more exasperated. After all, the Super Seminary was a military organization, and as soldiers, they should maintain discipline.
"Alright, alright, Qiangwei is right."
"If sacrificing yourself can save more people, then so be it."
"Zhang Zheng didn't do anything wrong. You saw it yourselves: even after Zhang Zheng turned Morgana's fourth-generation god body into ashes, she was able to revive so quickly."
"Zhang Zheng did what he had to. If Morgana continues to act recklessly, who knows how many more ordinary people will die?"
Dukao said, understanding Zhang Zheng's actions. Although he was unhappy that his daughter was being sacrificed, as a soldier, he would make the same choice if it meant saving countless ordinary lives. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Du Qiangwei into the military.
Dukao had once been a war fanatic, but after the destruction of the Deno Galaxy, he understood the horrors of war. He now saw Earth as his second home and was determined to protect it.
"General, sacrificing the entire Super Seminary just for a few ordinary people seems a bit extreme, doesn't it?" Lianfeng, feeling sorry for Qiangwei, voiced her concerns, subtly criticizing Zhang Zheng's actions.
"Lianfeng, haven't you realized yet? Whether it's a life of a hundred years or ten thousand years, they are all equally precious."
"So, are you saying your sense of duty is still not as high as Qiangwei's?"
Dukao said proudly when he mentioned Qiangwei.
"But still, how could Zhang Zheng be so sure that Morgana would stop his attack? What if she hadn't? Wouldn't Qiangwei and the others have sacrificed themselves for nothing?"
Although Lianfeng acknowledged Dukao's point, she stubbornly pressed the issue.
This question was also something Dukao hadn't figured out. Why was Zhang Zheng so confident that Morgana would stop him?
Once again, everyone fell silent, each pondering the question.