Playboy Cultivator in the Apocalypse

Chapter 151 The Malta Ultimatum

A flurry of awkward gasps and whispers rippled through the area when Carmen Skeer, the Malta City Police Chief, told the emperor she didn't want to talk to him.

However, everyone fell silent when the chief and her bodyguards tried listening. Everyone.

They stood at the south gate, facing the only road into Immortal Skye. It was an important area bustling with soldiers installing sentry guns and reinforcing the walls.

So hearing everyone fall dead silent in unison was eerie. It was a clear indication that Kaze was important at Immortal Skye. However, she didn't know to what extent.

All information on Immortal Skye was classified, including the name of the Emperor. So all she knew was that she was there for a special event.

Now, she was unnerved but felt her behavior was justifiable.

"I suppose I was a college student when we last met." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Now it's evident that's changed.

I'm curious. Aren't you nervous that calling me a glorified college student could cause you trouble?"

Carmen cringed slightly but didn't waiver. "As I said, I do not doubt your talent or qualifications. I respect your talent more and more each day.

However, Immortal Skye has an official population cap. So I'm confident the Emperor will agree your invitation to increase it overstretches your boundaries.

It's also an undiplomatic solicitation impacting Immortal Skye's ally. That's equally problematic."

The police chief wasn't lying to get out of a potential issue; she found him remarkable since the moment he turned himself into a candle with Illuminecent Breathing.

"I don't think the Emperor would mind letting a woman of your talent into Immortal Skye." Kaze countered charmingly, making her blush slightly.

"Can you save the speculation for later?" Carmen asked hurriedly, pushing past the subject, "I have a meeting with the Emperor in an hour and want to be early.

So can you please cease the small talk and do your job?"

The emperor gave her an amused smile as she turned her head, listening to another ripple of excited whispers among the onsite builders. "Pray tell, Chief Skeer. What do you think my job is here?"

"Your job?" She asked, turning back to him with a quizzical expression, "You're here to guide me to the meeting, right?

I doubt you'd be aware of my visit and arrival time otherwise. It's also unlikely the Emperor would let a member greet a distinguished Malta representative without purpose."

Kaze's eyes glided to the left, and he chuckled in amusement. "I suppose I am here to greet a distinguished representative and lead them to the meeting. So you're not wrong."

Carmen listened to his answer with a slight feeling of dread. He confirmed her viewpoints, but his tone felt so off that it caused waves of anxiety within her.

"Well then, shall I do my job?" The emperor asked with a hypnotic voice and charming smile.

"... Yes." The beautiful police chief nodded, "Please."

Kaze chuckled when he heard her add a respectful word, hedging her bets. "Then lets go."

He, Carmen, and her bodyguards strode through the campus from the south gate, walking to the lake at the center and moving around it to the main mansion.

As they walked, she watched hundreds of people tending to various tasks on campus and hundreds more cultivating outside in the summer sun.

However, due to the event, non-essential workers were confined to their mansions for the day.

Carmen was appalled by how peaceful it was on their campus when her job centered around mass death statistics. It made her and her bodyguards envious.

However, when they walked to the mansion, they stopped thinking about the campus.

"Welcome back, faction leader." A male cultivator said, opening the door to the mansion for them. He cringed slightly, knowing they were a country but uncertain of what to call him.

Kaze smiled and thanked him, calmly leading the group into the mansion.

The police chief followed in a state that was anything but calm. She was shocked to hear [faction leader]! No wonder the builders were surprised by her treatment of Kaze Lexicon!

His talent screamed leadership, so why didn't she immediately assume he was in management? That should have been obvious!

However, thinking he'd get promoted to running the faction after Immortal Skye became a country was unbelievable! It had been two weeks since the Apocalypse Party!

"Good morning, Kaze." Marilyn said in her typical, sexy business attire at the top of the stairs, "And I assume you're Carmen Skeer?"

The beautiful police chief nodded. "Police Chief Carmen Skeer, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is mine." The sexy secretary smiled, opening the door to the conference room, "Please come in. You're early, but I can get you some tea."

Carmen's heart thumped when Kaze walked in, navigating around the table and sitting in one of the two center positions.

She wondered if he was filling in for Daniel Skye as she sat in her assigned seat, one right of the center, letting her bodyguards move to the back.

Marilyn returned with tea, which the police chief gratefully accepted. It gave her an excuse to avoid speaking and hide her awkwardness.

"You needn't be so nervous." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "As you've already noted, you're a distinguished representative of Malta. So it wouldn't be wise for someone to rebuke you."

The irony of his claim was lost on her. However, she did smile wryly, knowing she acted important only to learn he was too. In fact, he could be far more important than she was. It was still unknown!

After thanking him, they drank their tea in silence, with her being incredibly awkward. Naturally, she wanted to talk about him but was nervous, so she sat stoically, praying the Emperor or Daniel Skye would show up to break the awkwardness.

Unfortunately, the opposite occurred.

"You're already here." Daniel remarked with wide eyes, walking through the door. He feared that he was supposed to show up earlier since Carmen was already there.

Thankfully, General Michaels and Coronel Ryker, the high-level intelligence officer, had yet to arrive.

So he sighed a breath of relief and walked around the table, sitting down—to Kaze's left.

Carmen's eyes trembled in anxiety when the supposed business partner of the Emperor sat next to the teen. The action was horrifyingly natural! It didn't look like Daniel had recently got demoted and begrudgingly sat next to him—it looked like it had always been that way!

Now she was even more curious about who the mystery leader was.

Unfortunately, she finally understood the situation once Evalyn and the military leaders entered the room, and the blonde sat down in the center—next to Kaze Lexicon.

Anxiety crashed through her body, realizing how rude she was to the Emperor! She accused him of cutting off her ticket to Immortal Skye, treated him like an emissary, and even tried to abuse her authority to force his hand in the past.

Carmen's unrealistic fantasy of joining Immortal Skye was dead. That's what was going through her head when he gave her a gentle smile, calming her anxieties before the meeting began. It made her heart thump slightly.

"Greetings." Kaze announced, looking at Carmen and the military leaders, "We have morning lessons for everyone, so let's give introductions and talk about the event.

I'd also like to talk about your lodging. It's a special occasion, so all soldiers, personnel, and officers will stay in our mansions as guests tonight."

While Carmen felt the gesture was natural, Kane and General Michaels narrowed their eyes.

Both felt the emperor's behavior the day prior led to an invitation to join Immortal Skye.

It put them in a bad position. They had to decide whether to call in an order to mobilize the military for a potential retrieval mission, as planned in the event of such a solicitation.

Misinterpreting the situation or choosing could trigger a war, kill everyone, or incite defection or treason charges. It was a stressful night.

"I'm Carmen Skeer, Malta's acting Police Chief." Carmen said, breaking the military leaders out of their haze, "I have fifty officers with me. They all look forward to training with your soldiers."

General Michaels and Kane exchanged wry smiles after hearing that the officers looked forward to training with their soldiers. However, they put on fake expressions and introduced themselves.

—7:33 am, June 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Arena—

Ratat! Ratatatat! Ratatatat!

"Guided Arrow!" Rein yelled while running, avoiding a hail fire of machine gun bullets. A line of warping Qi snapped into place, moving in a fixed relative position to her body.

The soldiers thought the attack was stationary because the Qi had to build up before them. So hearing her call the attack in motion.

Moreover, the speed was appalling. While she couldn't outrun a bullet, she could outrun the soldier's ability to move their submachine gun!

It was a weakness the male soldier hadn't factored in when he decided to use conventional weapons to fight her.

Boom!

The soldier kicked the ground as she prepared to release the arrow, obstructing her vision. Then he ran in an erratic pattern, trying to prevent her from locking on.

"I can still see you." Rein declared chillingly, waving her hand while watching the Qi flow patterns with minor vision.

Whooooooosh! BOOM!

"GahhhhhHHHH!" The soldier screamed in pain when the arrow blew his calf in half, sending blood everywhere. "I YIELD!"

Rein nodded and turned to the emperor, who had already begun flying to her with a strange smile.

When Carmen saw him floating in the air, she was twice as stunned as watching a soldier's leg explode during [training]!

Kaze touched the short-haired woman's forehead and transferred the technique, including minor supplemental techniques that gave her insights into using it better.

She appreciated it, understanding her privileged status. So she ensured she'd live up to his expectations and maintain her position.

Rein walked over to the screaming man and waved her hand without hesitation.

A light red glow washed over the area, far brighter than those who practiced before her, and the man's leg closed up instantly.

Seeing only the wound shut to prevent blood loss was a reminder that Kaze's technique was far beyond what he gave them—five realms above, to be exact.

The emperor raised his fists high, leading to an explosion of cheers before he used [Paradox of Healing] to rebuild the man's leg.

Carmen watched in shock as the man laughed in bitter amazement and gratitude when his pain ended, stood up, and walked around. It was a surreal sight.

"I hope my warning was enough to decide about joining." Kaze smiled strangely, touching down next to her, "It's a loathsome sight, [real] combat.

No one realizes they haven't seen it until it's before their eyes."

The police chief opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words to say. "No, it's okay. My officers have seen real combat every day this week.

Real combat was the least astonishing aspect of this lesson."

"And this lesson is the least astonishing aspect of Immortal Skye." He replied with a slight smile.

"That's hard to believe." Carmen chuckled in bafflement, "But everything about you is hard to believe. I feel like it would take years to figure out who you are."

"Then stay around for years." Kaze replied hypnotically, making her blush furiously, "That's what all my citizens are doing, and you can be one of them."

She turned away in embarrassment, realizing she blushed, thinking he was courting her when he simply offered her citizenship.

However, once she overcame her mortification, the reality of the situation sunk in. Kaze offered a placement at his utopia! Unfortunately—

"Now that we're here on official business, I can't leave my position to join Immortal Skye." Carmen smiled wryly, "It's a conflict of interest."

He gave her a strange smile. "I see. Well, think it over regardless."

—10:12 am, June 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Arena—

After the battle and tranquility training finished, Kaze led a session to train all officers on an earth-grade cultivation technique for two hours.

Each person got an elite to aid them, expediting their growth. As a result, every officer saw immediate results, which felt remarkable. They hadn't felt so good in weeks.

They wished their day at Immortal Skye would last forever.

—1:00 pm, June 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Amphitheater—

At 1 pm, Kaze stood on the amphitheater's stage before a massive crowd of Maltian military personnel and police officers.

There were 1,553 Maltians in the audience. Among them were 777 men and 776 women, and three leaders. The unsatisfying split was caused by one man—Kane Ryker.

Most attendants were military trade workers, with each gender having 500 members. Additionally, the special forces made up 250 of each. Lastly, there were 25 officers of both sexes.

The emperor required an equal split to ensure the women on campus felt safe and to prevent an army of revenge-driven eunuchs from crowding burial ditches.

General Michaels, Kane Ryker, Carmen Skeer, the Lockheed elites, and the cabinet members were all present, aside from Victoria. All eyes were on him.

Kaze panned the audience and spoke boldly. "Proud Maltians, I would like to thank all of you for attending this special event as valued guests of Immortal Skye."

The audience clapped politely, meeting his words with slightly positive enthusiasm.

"Before we start the event, I must make an announcement." He said with a sharp glint in his eyes, "In two days' time, Earth will experience another Qi influx."

Gasps rang out in the audience, sending waves of anxiety crashing over every member.

"The Qi influx will last 24 hours." Kaze warned, "It will release roughly eight times the amount of Qi as the last influx into the atmosphere, doubling the Earth's Qi density.

When that happens, it's reasonable to estimate that 90% of Malta's military personnel will get Qi sickness, and the military will fall apart."

The amphitheater turned dead-silent, everyone unbelieving what they had just heard.

General Michaels and Kane felt icy chills crawl down their spines, and their minds raced, trying to process the news. Carmen was in the same boat, slack-jawed in disbelief.

"There is nothing we can do to stop the inevitable." Kaze proclaimed boldly, "Malta, alongside every country on Earth, will fall in three days. That is a simple reality."

The soldiers, elites, and leaders held their breaths equally. His words were far too shocking to take in immediately. Negative synesthesia waved through the audience, connecting every person present, including the Lockheed elites.

"Maltian leaders and proud elites!" The emperor roared, cutting through everyone's anxiety, "I present to you two choices.

You may leave Immortal Skye in three days' time, foolishly walking into your deaths. Or you can live in Immortal Skye as citizens and enjoy the highest standard of living in the world.

You have until tomorrow morning to accept or decline our generosity! Until then, you will not leave Immortal Skye or communicate with the outside world.

We will punish anyone who breaks one of those two rules with death!"