The Almighty Dominance (by Sunshine) novel Chapter 651

In the ruined capital of Qingyang, Liu Dai paced the governor’s mansion like a caged tiger, fists clenched behind his back.

Every passing hour felt like another knife pressed against his throat. He had already lost fifteen thousand men without a single proper battle. He would not lose the rest.

Thirty-five thousand soldiers remained — hardened veterans, sect disciples, and clan warriors who had survived the mysterious losses of the last two weeks. Yet forging this force into a single, decisive hammer blow would take time.

Wagons had to be loaded with grain, arrows, and spare armor. Horses needed fresh shoes. Supply lines to the newly captured cities had to be secured, or the army would starve on the march.

They would need two full days to ready themselves. Two days filled with barked orders, the groan of straining axles, and the relentless ring of steel on whetstone. Only then would they march south and bring the matter to an end.

In Qingshui City, two hundred miles away, Alex sat behind the polished oak desk in his private office.

He wasn’t alone.

Zhuge Liang stood at his right shoulder, arms folded, studying the same live feed that streamed directly into Alex’s mind.

They had been watching Liu Dai’s camp for the last forty minutes.

Ling Xue never realized that a Gaia Band-Aid had been placed on her neck amid the chaos of battle. The Wudang Elders had applied it in the final moments of the mist trap — completely silent, weightless, and undetectable even to Core Formation cultivators.

The nanomachines had already infiltrated her bloodstream and were feeding a steady flow of intelligence directly from Liu Dai’s camp. Every observation passed through her without her knowledge.

Whatever Ling Xue saw or heard, Alex witnessed in perfect real time. Satellite feeds from above the ruined capital of Qingyang completed the picture.

Alex leaned back in his chair, eyes distant.

“Thirty-five thousand,” he said quietly. “They’ll be ready to march in two days. Food, water, spare horses, medical supplies—everything. They’re going all-in.”

Alex exhaled through his nose.

He could field ten thousand Wudang disciples—maybe. The rest were still drilling, still integrating the new tech, still learning how to fight alongside drones instead of against them.

Another ten thousand drones was the absolute ceiling Mother Ai could keep in the air at once without burning through their power reserves or exposing the hidden launch sites.

Twenty thousand total.

Against thirty-five thousand elite, battle-hardened troops surging forward like an unstoppable tidal wave? His forces would have to fight with just twenty thousand soldiers.

This time, the enemy would remain on high alert both day and night. Launching a sudden attack or ambush would be extremely difficult.

It would be nothing short of a bloodbath.

He looked at Zhuge Liang.

“If they’re coming straight for us,” Alex said, voice low and steady, “why let them choose the battlefield?”

Zhuge Liang’s eyes sharpened. He waited.

Alex tapped the holographic map. A glowing line traced north from Qingyang, straight to the distant provincial capital of Tianyuan Province—the true heart of Liu Dai’s power.

The place where his remaining grain stores, his family compounds, and his political allies all sat behind thick walls.

“We’ll deploy ten thousand Wudang disciples along with ten thousand drones,” Alex continued. “They fly the whole distance — fast and completely silent. At full speed, they can reach the capital in just half a day. They’ll strike Tianyuan City before Liu Dai even realizes they’ve crossed our borders. Capture the walls, seize the granaries, take the governor’s mansion, and force every person there to use a Gaia Band-Aid. Turn them all into our assets.”

A cold smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

“Once that’s done, we’ll control eight of his cities. Liu Dai will be forced to pivot. He’ll have to wheel his entire thirty-five thousand troops north to defend his capital. That gives us valuable time and splits his attention.”

Zhuge Liang was silent for three full seconds, running the numbers in that lightning-fast mind of his. Then he gave a single, decisive nod.

“It is bold,” he said. “They expect us to defend Qingshui like cornered rats. They’ve never considered that we might strike straight at their heart instead.”

He paused, then added with quiet respect, “Depending on how many troops they divert back north, we can attack them from both front and rear. As long as they split their forces, we can slowly grind them down and eliminate them piece by piece.”

Alex stood up. The holographic map spun and zoomed in on the northern capital.

“Tell the Wudang Elders to pick their best ten thousand,” he ordered. “Full stealth formations with maximum drone escort. They depart in one hour. No food needed — they’ll sleep and eat after they’ve taken the city. I want Liu Dai’s scouts sounding the alarm in the north before his main army even finishes loading their wagons.”

“Let’s see how brave Governor Liu Dai feels when his own capital is burning behind him.”

***

Meanwhile, deep inside the hidden Wudang training realm, the mountain air hummed with anticipation.

Gaia had already done the work. Ten thousand of the sect’s finest disciples stood assembled on the wide stone terrace that overlooked the mist-shrouded peaks.

Liu Piao walked among them, white robes snapping in the mountain wind.

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