I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

"I'm not kidding. I think it won't be long before even Lao Hai will be swept away on the beach like the old waves."

Unable to bear Yan Shan's praise, Mo Sheng looked left at Yan Shan and right at Zhou Ye, and retorted:

"Senior Yan Shan, please don't flatter me. I am still far inferior to all of you seniors! I dare not say whether I surpass you or not."

Yan Shan sat up straight, took a sip of tea, and said:

"Hey, Mo Sheng, humility is a virtue, but excessive humility is hypocrisy. Let me ask you something: were you able to reach the state of Concentration of Spirits a while ago?"

"...I just happened to enter that level, and I fell out after only a few seconds," Mo Sheng continued to defend herself.

Yan Shan simply shrugged and continued drinking his tea.

Qin Tianhai picked up the conversation:

"Just based on this alone, you're already better than Lao Ye. He hasn't even come into contact with this level yet."

"Who said that? I feel like I'm almost there. Just give me a few more years, and reaching the Gathering Spirit Realm will be no problem!"

Zhou Ye was indignant; didn't this imply that he was the weakest one?

Oh no, there was another guy there who was even weaker than him, but that one doesn't count.

The nine ranks are divided into three smaller levels: Qi Evolution, Gathering Spirit, and Void Spirit, which correspond to essence, qi, and spirit, respectively. When the three are perfectly combined, one reaches the highest realm of humanity: Soul Heaven.

Mo Sheng and Zhou Ye are at the first level – Qi Evolution, Qin Tianhai and Huang Tao are at the second level – Gathering Spirit, and Yan Shan is at the third level – Void Spirit, which is the highest level among them.

Although he seemed to be very close to the Soul Heaven Realm, Yan Shan knew that he had no hope of breaking through for at least the next ten years. To break through to the Soul Heaven Realm, talent, hard work, and opportunity were all indispensable.

Currently, because of his special ability, he has the possibility of taking a further step, namely the level called the Sequence Level, which is above the Ninth Rank and below the Soul Heaven.

If it were anyone else who reached the Void Spirit Realm, they would stay there, unless they broke through to the Soul Heaven Realm, otherwise their strength would not improve significantly.

Huang Tao was dismissive of Zhou Ye's explanation, a typical case of "putting on BB cream before going to the coffin—dying for face."

"Forget about it. In a few years, Mo Sheng will probably be rushing towards the Void Spirit Realm by then."

Surprisingly, Zhou Ye didn't refute, but sighed and said:

"The younger generation is truly formidable! In the future, China will belong to you young people!"

It should be noted that at the beginning of the apocalypse, Mo Sheng was still at the seventh level. He had already broken through to the ninth level nearly two years ago and was known as one of the two peerless talents of China, along with Mu Mu at the time. He was much stronger than those who had been hovering at the peak of the eighth level for many years and were only able to break through after the apocalypse and the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Before Mo Sheng could refuse, Huang Tao continued:

"Haha, that's the truth. If you think about it carefully, our country has produced quite a few talented superhumans. First there was Mo Sheng, then Mu Mu who is about to break through to the ninth level, and now Yan Zimo has appeared. Other countries are extremely envious."

Of these three, besides Mo Sheng who has already broken through to the ninth rank, the other two are also destined to reach the ninth rank. Each of them is an exceptionally talented individual, the envy of others.

"There's nothing wrong with that. I've wanted to lighten my load for a long time. China is full of talented people, and my retirement is finally no longer a dream," Yan Shan said with a smile.

Mo Sheng was shocked and said urgently:

"Senior Yan Shan, why did you suddenly decide to retire? China can't do without you!"

"That's right, Lao Shan. As China's strongest fighting force, you're far from retiring. Even if others allow it, I won't!"

The Chinese leader interjected.

Yan Shan is not only the strongest fighting force in China, but also a pillar of the military. His early retirement would be detrimental to the country's development and construction, so as the national leader, he naturally opposed it.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Specific Matters

"What's the rush? This is just my vision of a better life. I'm really not used to having so much free time after retiring."

Huang Tao stared silently at Yan Shan. He knew perfectly well just how strong Yan Shan's obsession was with eradicating mutated species—so strong that it even alarmed him.

His own son died young on the front lines of the fight against mutated species, and he, as the father, could only watch him die tragically without being able to do anything about it.

From that moment on, he became obsessed with mutated species.

In any battle, they were always at the forefront, charging into battle and dying on the battlefield, leaving behind countless glorious achievements.

While he was busy fighting against mutated species and traveling around, he saw far too many scenes of wives and children being torn apart and families being destroyed.

This strengthened his resolve to fight the mutated species to the death.

As long as the apocalypse is not over, as long as there is still a single mutated species in any corner of the world, as long as he can continue to shine for the country and the people, he will fight to the death and never stop fighting for the rest of his life!

It was not only to commemorate his son, but also to leave a bright future for future generations, so that they would no longer have to grow up amidst gunfire and bloodshed.

Huang Tao simply wouldn't believe that he would retire and enjoy a peaceful life.

Unless there is an outstanding descendant who can truly shoulder the great responsibility, Yan Shan will really fight the mutated species to the death in battle or from old age.

Sensing the somewhat somber atmosphere, the Chinese leader changed the subject and asked:

"Going back to what we discussed earlier, when should we take action, and how should we take action? Can anyone come up with a concrete plan?"

Huang Tao roughly outlined his objectives and summarized them as follows:

"The key point now is how to effectively avoid the eyes and ears of other countries and bring back the sea serpent's carcass without anyone noticing."

“Zi Mo also told me about this. The Mu family is the largest and most prestigious family in Bei'anli. Tomorrow, they will be hosting a banquet for everyone in the circle to celebrate Mu Hong’s 80th birthday on their cruise ship. We can use that as a starting point.”

"It's Zi Mo again. She really planned everything perfectly. Lao Shan, you are very fortunate to have such a niece."

Huang Tao's tone was full of envy; why didn't he have such outstanding descendants?

"Don't even mention it, she's always causing me trouble. She was almost shot down by an anti-aircraft missile just now, and I had to clean up the mess for her! Besides, isn't your son quite outstanding too? He's almost at the sixth rank, right?"

Although he was cursing Yan Ziming, Yan Shan's face showed no dissatisfaction, but rather a look of pride.

He had witnessed Yan Ziming's outstanding performance, and he was certain that her future would be no worse than Mo Sheng's and Mu Mu's, and that she would very likely surpass them and reach even greater heights.

"Stop flattering each other, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up? Let's get down to business," Zhou Ye said with dissatisfaction.

"So I plan to start with the Mu family's celebration, communicate with their leaders, and replace all the security personnel with our people."

Mo Sheng crossed one arm over her chest and said:

“This is simple. Senior Tianhai has always had a good relationship with the Mu family, so it would be most suitable for him to go.”

Long ago, before Qin Tianhai broke through to the ninth rank, he would visit the Mu family every few days and became very close to them.

Qin Tianhai held Mu Mu many times when she was just born, and then watched her grow up. Mu Mu's escape with his connections was never discovered, and their good relationship has continued to this day.

"I'll handle that. I know Mu Hong pretty well, and I'll attend the banquet too, just in case," Qin Tianhai agreed, thinking it was a good idea.

Huang Tao frowned and said:

"You're going too? That's a serious dereliction of duty. As a public official, you should avoid suspicion. Even if we all know the details, outsiders won't think that way."

"It's alright. Mu Mu will also be participating in this celebration, so it's perfectly normal for me to go along. To the outside world, I can say that I'm protecting their safety."

The people present all nodded in agreement, agreeing that the idea was feasible.

As one of the main characters at this banquet, Mu Mu's attendance, given her relationship with Qin Tianhai, could indeed silence any external forces.

I believe the people on the cruise ship won't have any complaints. They've been given an exception by a ninth-level expert to protect them—something they would normally beg for!

Yan Shan continued, "I also think we can send one or two warships to escort them, so that we can transport the sea snake carcasses."

"Sending a ninth-tier being isn't enough, you also want to send a warship?! How are we supposed to explain this?" the Chinese leader said with a wry smile, as sending a warship was indeed a bit too difficult.

"I don't think there's any problem. Senior Tianhai has already taken action, so having one or two warships escorting them isn't unacceptable."

"Alright, you can take care of all that. I'll handle the questions from the other 'old friends'."

The "old friends" referred to by the Chinese leader are naturally the heads of state of the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council and some small countries.

"Then, meeting adjourned!"

"and many more--"

A woman's voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

"You guys are being ridiculous. You didn't even consult me ​​about something this important."

The newcomer was a capable and straightforward young woman with shoulder-length hair, a pretty face, a sweet temperament, and an aura of youthful vitality.

"Hey, what brings the Great Prophet here? Don't you always stay up even when a gun is pointed at you in the middle of the night?" Yan Shan joked.

"Fate has reminded me that there is something I must inform you all, otherwise something bad will happen." The girl's words sounded like those of a charlatan, but everyone present looked serious and took her words very seriously.

“Something is bound to happen on this trip. Senior Yan Shan, you should also go to avoid irreversible losses.”

.........

"Oh! Speaking of which, I forgot to call Jiang Lan on my way back. I hope she's not mad at me."

On his way home, Yan Ziming suddenly remembered that Jiang Lan had asked him to let her know he was safe at the hotel, and he hadn't called her yet.

She took out her phone. It was 2 a.m., so even if she was asleep, she should be asleep by now.

But what if she's still waiting by the phone?

Yan Ziming scratched his head, realizing that there was no doubt that Jiang Lan liked him. A girl in love could do anything silly, and Jiang Lan was probably waiting for his call like a fool.

"Mo Xin, can you give me some advice?"

"No, go find out for yourself!"

"I'll come and keep you company in a bit, don't be angry."

Yan Ziming had no way to deal with Mo Xin, the little girl. After all, she would be someone who stayed by her side often in the future, and it was her duty as her master to treat her well.