Chapter 658: Chapter 404, Evil Spirits!_2
“Perhaps, to the Lu Family… you’ve already made your stance clear.”
Zhong Daolong’s expression was sinister, and he spoke in a heavy voice, “For disobedient pups, a proper beating is required. Otherwise, they might mistake themselves for the master.”
Phoenix’s long eyelashes fluttered as she softly asked, “What about the Shen Family? How should the Shen Family be disciplined?”
“The Shen Family are wolves, and to deal with a pack of wolves… naturally, there are other methods.”
“Dad, I suggest we should still give the Lu Family a chance, offer them a glimmer of hope… if we truly push them to desperation… it would be a tremendous loss for the Empire.”
A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Zhong Daolong’s mouth as he said, “My precious daughter, why have you suddenly taken an interest in the state of affairs? Or has someone asked you to plead their case?”
“No one approached me; it was my own idea,” Phoenix knew her father was suspicious, her gaze sincere as she looked at him, “I just hope our country continues to get better, I don’t want it to suffer needless losses. We can clearly avoid all of this.”
“So, what’s your suggestion?”
“I know it’s impossible to cancel the nationwide address, but I hope that Dad’s attitude can be as gentle as possible…” Phoenix looked earnestly at Zhong Daolong to convey her selfless stance, “If possible, I hope you can make a phone call to Lu Qingshan, the Lu Family Master…”
“Perhaps, some disasters can be avoided.”
Zhong Daolong kept smiling, looking affectionately at Phoenix as he said, “If someone else had come to me with these words, I would have sent them away by now. But since it’s my beloved daughter who speaks… I will seriously consider it.”
Phoenix stood up and said, “Then I won’t disturb Dad’s work.”
“Mhm.” Zhong Daolong nodded his head.
After Phoenix left, the smile on Zhong Daolong’s face gradually faded, and his eyes turned cold.
Phoenix Time. Seven o’clock sharp.
Zhong Daolong appeared on time on the first channel of Phoenix Empire’s TV station, wearing a gold and white royal court uniform, with black-framed crystal glasses, his expression austere, his demeanor scholarly.
“Citizens of the Phoenix Empire, I must step forward to tell you this sorrowful news. The Fire Fox Brigade, White Wolf Brigade, and the 722nd Brigade of the Undying Army, our valiant soldiers, have all perished in an internal conflict…”
“They disappeared without a sound in the hinterlands of Lu Ban Mountain, and the killers are the renowned Lu Clan of the Empire…”
“They are descendants of the Mechanical Ancestor, Lu Ban, beloved by the people and trusted by the Royal Family…”
“Yet, they mercilessly raised their slaughtering blades against their own comrades… I share the same unbearable pain as you, and even more, an uncontrollable rage.”
“Those soldiers are the Empire’s most precious treasures, the fathers and children of countless families. As the patriarch of the Empire, I cannot tolerate this atrocity…”
“Therefore, I will entrust the Military Committee, led by Shen Wuxiang, with full authority to handle this serious incident… we will hold the Lu Family accountable indefinitely…”
“This is war, a blood debt that must be repaid in blood. The blood of our warriors shall not flow in vain.”
“May heaven bless the Phoenix!”
The public was in uproar.
“A blood debt must be repaid in blood!”
“We will hold the Lu Family accountable indefinitely…”
Zhong Daolong didn’t say much, but only a few key messages could be distilled from his words.
However, everyone knew that this was the Empire preparing to wage war against the Lu Family.
The might of the nation, besieging one family.
Some of the older ones found this scene sadly familiar; twenty years ago, the Empire’s great leader also spoke on television, declaring war on a certain family…
That family was wiped out.
If it weren’t for the highly developed Starlink network, even their existence could have been erased from this world.
The Lu Family was doomed!
That was everyone’s thought.
Quickly, the Military Committee also made deployments and responses.
The Military Committee would assemble the Undying Army, the Flame-Bathed Legion, and the Phoenix Army with seven ace brigades totaling a hundred thousand troops to besiege Lu Ban Mountain.
At the same time, other departments began arresting and harvesting the Lu Family’s science and research personnel and industries under the name of Lu Ban Mountain.
Either shutting them down or nationalizing them.
Overnight, the entire Phoenix City was filled with anxiety and fear.
Yet, the much-anticipated siege of Lu Ban Mountain never commenced.
A hundred thousand troops surrounded Lu Ban Mountain so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through, but no one was sent to forcibly storm the mountain.
Not even small-scale harassment occurred.
It was unknown if the previous lesson was too painful, making the old men of the Military Committee more cautious, or if they were brewing a greater conspiracy.
The eye of the storm was eerily calm.
Xiao Lang was leading a group of children playing games in the yard.
Eagles Catching Chicks.
Xiao Lang played the eagle, striving to display a ferocious bearing as he hunted for chicks.
A group of seven to eight-year-old children formed the chicks’ team, resisting the eagle’s attacks under the protection of their mother hen.
As they were circling around, a line of black cars stopped outside the Sunshine Orphanage.
A large number of Security Bureau officers in deep blue uniforms rushed out of the cars, swiftly taking control of the front and back entrances of the orphanage.
They filled the walls around the courtyard with armed and armored guards; not even a mouse could hope to escape from under their watchful eyes.