Chapter 286: Cast City Plan: Deployment (10,000 Explosions!)

The Cast City Plan, Phase One.

Mobilize all 1, 72 convoys in Xilan City, totaling over 65, 00 survivors, and 12, 56 Survey Corps soldiers, divided into three defensive bastions.

The 【East City–Steel Plant–Weapons Factory】 defense line: commanded by Zhao Yu, leading the Mecha Federation, Survey Corps 3rd and 5th Battalions to hold the East City Wall; the Arctic Wind Alliance and 80 other convoys defend the Steel Plant industrial zone; the Brave Convoys and Torch Alliance and 160 other convoys defend the Xilan Weapons Manufacturing Plant. Because the East City line is the most compact and shortest in span, it has the fewest personnel of the three points—but the Arctic Wind Alliance and several major convoys possess firepower equivalent to dozens of convoys combined, and cannot be underestimated.

The 【North City–Railway–Airport】 defense line: commanded by He Zhen, leading Survey Corps 1st, 2nd, 4th Battalions and Artillery 7th Battalion to hold the North City Wall; 22 train-end-of-days including Longshan No. , Infinity, and Queen Mo, along with the North Wind Alliance, Great Eagle Convoys, Chase-the-Sun Convoys, and Run-Far Camp Convoys—78 convoys total, 100 convoys altogether—defend the Xilan Railway Passenger Station; Joker Convoys, Zhou Li Convoys, and 300 other small and large convoys defend the Xilan Airport line.

The 【South City–Dugaleida Array Station】 defense line: commanded by Xiao He, leading Survey Corps 6th Battalion, Artillery 9th Battalion, Support Units, and Reconnaissance Battalion to hold the line. Here, the southern range of Fenglan Mountain stretches continuously, the terrain is relatively open; 432 convoys including Cosmic Convoys have deployed a defensive line stretching for kilometers along the radar array station, connecting directly to the South City Wall, forming a mutually reinforcing position.

The South City has the largest total number of personnel, but because it relies on the mountains and the radar station, the pressure of resistance is not especially heavy, so most small convoys have gathered here.

The Air Combat Command, led by Zhang Chengzhi, operates from the Invincible-class aerospace carrier, directing Hawk-class aerial gunships, Lightning-2 aerospace fighters, and H50 bomber squadrons to handle air defense and bombing missions, providing aerial support to all three lines.

The Cast City Plan, Phase Two.

Form a 35-member Berserker-level and 140-member Diamond-level ability hunter team, concentrated at the Central Plaza for mobile hunting; all other abilities and enhanced individuals participate in defense at the bastion centers.

Commanded by Wen Zhuo, divided into 35 five-person squads, each with a squad leader. Each squad includes a Berserker-level ability user or enhanced individual, and based on their ability traits, each squad has at least one member with exceptional mobility or the ability to assist teammates in movement or defensive cover. However, flight abilities are limited; some squads consist entirely of enhanced individuals equipped with powerful powered armor, extremely agile, capable of scaling buildings and leaping across rooftops with ease.

For example, Lin Xian has entrusted the defense and command of Infinity to Chen Sixuan, Miao Lu, and Dali, plus Shasha, the mech pilot; Kiki, Fire Brother, Shu Qin, and Lu Chang have all been selected for the Ability Hunter Team.

Kiki, Wen Zhuo, Han Jun, Qin Xueming, and Lu Xingchen form a core assault squad, tasked with carrying the Hell Black Chrysanthemum to lure enemies—extremely arduous and perilous.

Finally, the Unit Zero squad, led by Lin Xian, Chen Wei, and Yu Yuheng, will reactivate Unit Zero—a crucial element of the Cast City Plan, likely possessing the power to alter the entire battle's outcome.

"The overall plan is this: after shifting the defense lines, the Phoenix Society will make one final resupply of ammunition and resources."

06: 0

At the Gospel Hall Command Center, Zhao Yu checked the time and addressed everyone solemnly: "From now on, we have an estimated 12 hours to prepare. Within this window, we must accomplish several tasks."

"One: rapidly deploy Survey Corps, survivor convoys, and ability users across the three zones to construct defensive fortifications—use every available material: concrete walls, steel plates, barbed wire, barricades. Armored vehicles, trucks—all heavy armored carriers must be positioned to form stable defensive formations."

"Two: strictly establish firing points, ensuring full fire coverage and smooth ammunition supply. Allocate ability users and enhanced individuals across defense sectors according to the difficulty of each zone."

"Three: set up decoy traps. We've fought these snow wraiths and blood demons before—we know their tactics. The traps aren't meant to kill, but to slow the speed of the horde's charge."

"The fourth point is critical." Zhao Yu's gaze swept over everyone: "Conduct thorough pre-battle morale mobilization. Many casualties last night resulted from panic and fear triggering internal chaos. This must be watched closely—morale is vital!"

"Understood." Shi Di immediately replied: "This battle leaves no retreat. Fear won't help."

"Yes, we have no retreat left," Han Jun's face remained as calm as still water: "Without any hope of luck, people unleash courage greater than usual."

He turned to Lin Xian: "Lin Captain, Chief Yu, I hope your secret weapon arrives in time."

"I will do my utmost," Lin Xian said solemnly.

Zhao Yu nodded, then turned to Wen Zhuo: "Wen Zhuo, your hunter teams must scout the terrain ahead and prepare thoroughly."

"Wait, hold on."

At the back of the crowd, Zhou Wuer spoke up: "Director Zhao, why aren't we the Mail Team included? We have combat capability too."

"Yeah, yeah!" His fellow Mail Team members behind him looked confused.

"Our mobility is exceptional!"

"We're no weaker than the Spark Team…"

Zhao Yu's expression hardened slightly as he looked at Zhou Wuer and the others: "You have another mission."

Clang.

As he spoke, the door burst open. Guo Sicheng and several members of the research team rushed in, faces tense, carrying several crates.

"Guo Lao, ready?"

Guo Sicheng still had bandages wrapped around his head. The group placed the crates on the tactical table and opened them—inside were twelve cylindrical containers made of titanium alloy, each emitting a faint green glow.

"All… all of them are here," Guo Sicheng panted. "Our entire research in Xilan City, including the complete experimental data on the Dark Mark—if we can get these out of the Extreme Cold Vortex and upload them to headquarters, they'll reconstruct the results in no time… then… broadcast it globally!"

Lin Xian, listening in the crowd, stiffened. He realized—if everyone in the city perished here, the Dark Mark data would never reach other survivors. All Wei Ke Xue's sacrifice, all their efforts, would be wasted…

Zhao Yu stepped forward, picked up one beacon, and said: "There are twelve information beacons here. I ordered the research team to make them urgently. They contain the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of the Xilan research team and every fallen comrade. Even if all 70, 00 of us die, we must transmit this Dark Mark data. Only by broadcasting it globally to every struggling survivor can we prevent others from suffering our fate."

"The sooner the Dark Mark is discovered, the faster the Phoenix Society can study the Dark Beings—and the fewer will die."

At these words, everyone understood the weight and importance of this mission. As their leader, Zhao Yu had prepared for total annihilation—he must transmit this information capable of altering humanity's fight against the Dark.

But he also knew: every member of the Mail Team bore a Level 5 Mark. This mission was nearly certain death.

Zhao Yu looked at Zhou Wuer: "Mail Team!"

"Present!"

Zhou Wuer stepped forward with a smile. Simultaneously, Peng Peng and all twenty-four Nightwalkers of the Mail Team stood out, their expressions solemn.

"Each of your twelve mail squads takes one beacon. Head toward Daliang, Quancheng, or Xilin. Only one goal: escape the Extreme Cold Vortex's coverage and deliver the message!"

At this, everyone's gaze sharpened.

Saturation transmission—suddenly, a cruel atmosphere filled their hearts. Everyone's eyes on Zhou Wuer and the others grew complex and heavy.

"Yes!"

Zhou Wuer snatched a beacon without hesitation and muttered: "Mission guaranteed. Too bad we can't fight with you guys—we're leaving first. Hehe~"

"Yeah, such an easy mission~" Another Nightwalker smiled as he took a beacon.

Quickly, all twelve beacons were taken—no hesitation.

Standing beside Zhou Wuer, Peng Peng chewed gum, her face slightly tense. Zhou Wuer patted her shoulder and whispered: "It's fine. Just like always."

Peng Peng nodded.

"No time to waste. I declare: everyone, begin immediately."

Zhao Yu officially activated the Cast City Plan. Everyone in the hall prepared to leave the command center.

"Good luck," Lin Xian said to Zhou Wuer, looking between them: "I hope we meet again."

"Don't talk like that~"

Zhou Wuer smiled: "We'll definitely meet again."

Lin Xian nodded and turned away.

Seeing everyone depart, Zhou Wuer took a deep breath and turned to his comrades: "Let's go, everyone—watch your step. Headquarters is waiting to drink with you."

"Haha, definitely!"

"Don't be too slow—if headquarters gets eleven duplicate messages, we'll lose face~"

"Bullshit—I'll be first."

"Don't joke—you think you're faster than me?"

The Mail Team joked and laughed, as if utterly unaware of the deadly stakes behind their mission.

"Zhou Wuer."

As Zhou Wuer and Peng Peng turned to leave, a voice called from behind.

Zhou Wuer turned—and saw something flying through the air. He caught it, looked, and his face lit up.

"Hehe, you kid, actually giving me this to drink?"

Wen Zhuo looked at him with complex eyes and whispered: "The snow's heavy on the road. Consider it for warming your hands and feet—run faster."

"Ah, such kindness—I thank you!"

Zhou Wuer hefted the bottle of Xinghua Fen liquor in his hand, waved to Wen Zhuo, and turned to leave.

Wen Zhuo watched his retreating back, his expression bleak, and whispered: "Brother… don't die…"

…

Beneath the black tide canopy, wind howled through Xilan City's streets, carrying snow pellets. The battlefield from last night's battle had not yet been cleared—everywhere lay grotesque corpses, human remains, wrecked vehicles—already hastily buried under fresh blizzards within hours.

Under the night sky, evacuation convoys had left Xilan City; their lights vanished into the endless snowstorm. Inside the city, headlights converged into flowing ribbons. The remaining survivor convoys, under the command of Survey Corps and Phoenix Order leaders, began moving orderly toward the three defense lines.

Unlike last night's desperate clustering, these countless survivor convoys moved in perfect order—the communication channels were eerily quiet.

Everyone knew: soon, they would face an extremely brutal trial.

"Don't rush—small convoys move inward! All armored vehicles, trucks, polar vehicles—wait outside for deployment!"

"Different convoys may disperse—focus on firepower and defensive formations!"

"Flamethrowers, heavy machine guns, various autocannons, arc weapons—send them to the perimeter for firing point setup. Other mobile fire units disperse to reinforce."

"All air defense units report upward!"

From high above, the night sky was filled with vast steel convoys moving. Lights from the South, North, and East zones grew brighter and brighter.

In East City's Steel Plant, once-empty factories and warehouses were now packed with apocalypse vehicles. Streets around the industrial zone were encircled by layers of heavy armored vehicles. The Seventh Survey Corps' heavy artillery batteries extended their barrels through factory skylights. Rusted conveyor belts formed circular barricades. Rooftops were occupied by YJ-03 anti-aircraft guns with anti-freeze covers and heavy machine gun turrets. Crowds surged. Barbed wire, doors, stone pillars—more and more fortifications rose.

Under Han Jun's command, from the Steel Plant to the Weapons Factory, the entire industrial zone had become a ring of steel. Thousands of vehicles gathered inside; streets were blocked, turning the once-open industrial zone into a temporary fortress with only three accessible corridors. Nine electromagnetic railguns were deploying their bases, standing like a single man holding a pass against hordes from three directions.

At South City's Dugaleida Array Station, thousands of vehicles lined up along the mountain contours, forming a "V" from above—perfectly aligning with the South City Wall to create a triangular defense line. Phoenix Society's engineering team poured steel anchors into frozen ground and installed seismic sensors. When the Abyss Worms' shrieks echoed from underground, the frontline convoys would launch strings of cold-light flares—stretching lights nearly illuminating the entire mountain range.

Behind the glass curtain walls of North City's airport, He Zhen and other defense commanders calibrated the placement of high-voltage ion walls. The massive terminal building was encircled by 300 convoys—over 2, 00 vehicles. Abandoned airliners on the runway were converted into mobile fortresses and automatic machine gun turrets. Wing-mounted rapid-fire turrets turned with surveillance drones. On the runway, engineers and survivors braved the storm to lay anti-charge mines, land spikes, tripwires, and flame trenches. Even the control tower was reinforced with heavy machine guns and anti-air cannons. High-voltage ion walls and barbed wire were laid thickly—rows of machine gun turrets made the scalp crawl.

The railway station was simpler. Twenty-plus steel trains, centered on Infinity and Longshan No. , formed an inverted "T" across the rail junction. Both ends of the tracks were sealed with massive boulders—no retreat remained. All the apocalypse trains here became fixed fortresses. The hordes came almost entirely from the vast plaza before the passenger terminal and the straight avenues—making this a hub-level defensive bastion.

Infinity and Longshan No. had been moved to North City's railway. Wu Shu Shen Yao's combined convoy also began setting up defenses on the plaza before the terminal. Three rows of converted shipping containers formed anti-impact trenches at the front. Over a thousand heavy machine guns, autocannons, Gatling guns, flamethrowers, arc pulse string Zhen ers, and high-voltage ion walls—all convoys, including Infinity, had pulled out their last reserves.

Lin Xian even hastily manufactured additional Gatling guns to supplement firepower across the plaza. Besides Shasha's Sally, there was also a Survey Corps mech company and several other surviving mechs.

Inside Infinity's carriages, Lin Xian urgently convened with convoy members.

"Level 5 Mark—you're all familiar with it. The scale is unprecedented. Prepare yourselves—it will be larger than our escape from the snow plains or last night's battle. But this time, the goal isn't to kill the horde—it's to buy time!"

In Carriage 2, Lin Xian looked at everyone: "Hold out as long as possible. Our goal is to lure out the S-Class Black Thorn in the Clouds. Once we kill it and clear the Level 5 Mark, we survive."

Chen Sixuan, Dali, Shasha, Kiki, Lu Xingchen, Shu Qin, Lu Chang, Xiao Yuan—all had been summoned here. Every face was grim—even Shasha, who never feared anything, looked solemn.

Ding Junyi brought the box of Cold Dark Reagent the Phoenix Society had given, plus several bottles filled with green liquid. Lin Xian opened them and handed each person one vial of Cold Dark Reagent.

The green liquid was Ding Junyi's prepared vegetable juice.

"I asked Zhou Wuer—this won't give a major boost in the short term, but it rapidly restores ability energy and boosts mental focus. However, it may cause some Dark Corruption. So I had Director Ding prepare vegetable juice."

"Every vehicle has vegetable juice—use it as a precaution. But Cold Dark Reagent is limited—I can only give it to you first."

Shasha stared at the vial and bottle in her hand, frowning: "Can't we drink them now? Wouldn't it be better to boost first, then fight?"

"You can."

Lin Xian nodded and said, "I'm mainly considering tonight will be a tough fight, a war of attrition—gene-evolved individuals should drink first."

He looked at Kiki and Lu Xingchen, taking the last two vials from the box and handing them to the two.

"As psychics, you two expend more energy—take an extra one just in case."

Kiki held the two Cold-Dark vials and looked at Lin Xian with concern: "What about you?"

"You don't need to worry about me," Lin Xian said, picking up a bag beside him. "I took all five from the test rewards—taking down that mech will drain a lot of energy."

"Five? Aren't you afraid of the Dark Infiltration?" Kiki exclaimed in surprise.

"I'll be careful myself."

"According to Yu's description, that S-class anomaly may not use ordinary attack methods—pay attention to this," Ding Junyi reminded them, knowing Kiki and Lu Xingchen were the core of the hunting team. "Also watch out for the Abyss Worm—you're carrying Hell Black Chrysanthemum; you might get caught between two fronts."

"No problem."

Lu Xingchen gripped the two Cold-Dark vials; his eyes held no panic, only anticipation. "Brother Lin and the whole city have entrusted me with such a heavy task—this is exactly the moment to break through my limits: slaying demons, defending the Dao, saving the world from fire and water. Thank you, Brother Lin."

"You're right about that," Kiki said, unusually not retorting. "If you actually kill that S-class thing, you won't just save tens of thousands in the city—you might even get the global S-class first kill achievement."

"First kill?" Lu Xingchen frowned slightly. "Bah… this… the Honored One simply…"

He swallowed hard, his gaze shifting rapidly, then turned and sprinted toward the rear cargo compartment.

"Hey, where are you going!"

"The Honored One has been lazy in cultivation for over thirty minutes—how could I let this ruin my cultivation!!" He turned and left as if making a solemn vow.

"Lin Team Leader, please stay safe," Shu Qin said to Lin Xian. "We'll hold the vehicle here—you can count on us."

Lu Chang and Miao Lu also nodded. Xiao Yuan carefully tucked away the Cold-Dark vial and gave a firm nod.

"Big Brother, you can rest easy," Da Lou slapped his Zhangangdajian firmly. "I'll protect everyone on this vehicle—even if I die."

"Good."

Lin Xian's gaze hardened slightly, then turned to Chen Sixuan. "By the way, Shu Qin and Lu Chang have joined the hunting team—give Lu Chang your TRP power armor to boost his mobility."

"Huh?"

Lu Chang immediately exclaimed: "That's impossible—I…"

But Lin Xian raised his hand to cut him off. "Just follow my orders. Since Infinite No. is under Chen Laoshi's command, I built her a new set."

The brand-new Black Hawk power armor featured full situational awareness and battlefield data aggregation. Lin Xian hastily constructed it for Chen Sixuan—first for her safety, second to aid her in monitoring the defensive line, and third to free up another set for Lu Chang. For full-city mobility, even agile enhanced individuals like Lu Chang couldn't scale walls or cliffs without power armor, leaving them at extreme risk against endless waves of monsters.

"Oh oh, alright, thank you, Lin Team Leader," Lu Chang said, visibly energized.

!

"Alright, that's settled. I must act immediately—fortification duties are yours."

No time to waste. Lin Xian quickly ended the meeting, instructing everyone to prepare immediately.

Lin Xian stood and called Chen Sixuan to Car No. 1. He opened a metal cabinet and displayed the newly built power armor before her.

"Try it on. The functions are more complex, but it has AI control—wear it now and adapt to the movement mode."

Chen Sixuan frowned, staring at the brand-new armor: "How… do I put this on?"

Beep.

Lin Xian extended his hand. The armor automatically activated a holographic spectrum, scanning Chen Sixuan's face. Instantly, the chest plate opened, while bolts, clamps, and armor units across the limbs began auto-unlocking with a series of hissing mechanical sounds, stirring the heart.

"It has a thermal regulation system—no need to wear thick clothes," Lin Xian said to Chen Sixuan.

Chen Sixuan nodded, immediately shedding her heavy winter gear, dressed lightly, and stepped carefully into the full-coverage armor.

【Black Hawk - Silent Hunter Armor Activating, Performing System Self-Check】

A cold, mechanical female voice echoed.

Hssss~

A screen of light flickered before her. Progress bars loaded. Subsystems—movement, defense, radar, situational awareness, life support—appeared one by one on the interface. Then the armor units began retracting, bolts tightening automatically.

【Self-check Complete. Multi-panel Body Armor Units Now Syncing to User Physiological Profile, Adjusting Armor Form.】

【Adjustment Complete. Proceed to…】

Voices echoed in Chen Sixuan's ears. Vast streams of data flooded her vision. The new armor gave her an overwhelming sense of power output and defense, without the bulk of outer clothing—movement became far swifter and more agile.

Clank. Clank.

Chen Sixuan stepped out of the metal cabinet, her body fully encased in black armor. The holographic situational sensor on her face glowed azure. The multi-panel body armor perfectly conformed to her figure. Standing there, she looked like a mechanical goddess descending from the stars!

Lin Xian stood frozen. The beauty of this machinery stirred his soul. He didn't know the technological level of this armor, but seeing this scene, his mechanical heart felt as if it had ascended from heaven.

This is the direction I must build toward!!

"Chen Laoshi."

"Hmm?"

"You're stunning," Lin Xian said, leaning in to kiss her—but before he could reach, the lower half of the armor's facial plate automatically rose, sealing her face. He paused, then smiled helplessly, forced to sigh.

"I'm about to go on a dangerous mission—and you won't even let me kiss you?"

"It's not that…" Chen Sixuan was busy studying the armor's interface. "Wait—I don't know how to operate this yet…"

"No need. I'll kiss you when I return," Lin Xian smiled. "Time's short—I leave early to come back early."

"Hey…" In the holographic combat interface, Chen Sixuan watched Lin Xian turn away, her heart tightened.

"Lin Xian, you must stay safe. If you get hurt—or worse, if you don't come back!"

Watching his back, Chen Sixuan shouted through the comm.

"I'll… deduct your grades!"

Lin Xian, just stepping away, stumbled, nearly falling.

"Don't worry," Lin Xian turned back.

"I'll come back. We'll see the dawn of September together!"

…

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh~

The howling wind raged. Lin Xian stood inside Kiki's psychic barrier, endless blizzards falling without end, making the city below nearly invisible.

Lin Xian had Kiki take him to the airport. The Emperor Project team was waiting there. To save time, the Reboot Team would risk using aircraft to rapidly reach the Trakama Ice Valley.

Kiki remained silent the whole way. Lin Xian glanced sideways and saw her face was icy, clearly upset.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xian asked.

"Why didn't you bring me to the Trakama Ice Valley?" Kiki spoke.

Almost every mission, Lin Xian took Kiki with him—their synergy was flawless. But this time, he'd unusually left her behind.

Lin Xian had considered it. But after careful thought, he decided to keep her here.

The main reason: he judged that all monsters across the snowfield had gathered near Xilan City—this was their ultimate target. Even the "Scout" was watching the prey, serving the higher entity soon to arrive.

If that were true, going alone to Trakama Ice Valley might be far less dangerous. Lin Xian hoped so—for the Reboot Plan and Zhou Wuer's courier mission, it would be a major advantage.

Another reason: the hunting team's needs. As the top three psychics among survivors, if both left, the team's burden would skyrocket.

The real threat remained above Xilan City. As a psychic, Kiki wasn't just powerful—she was comprehensive in defense and mobility support. With her, Huo Ge's effectiveness would rise further, and she could also watch over Shu Qin, Lu Chang, and the Infinite No. train group in the north.

So after weighing all factors, Lin Xian decided to leave Kiki behind. He didn't know how long repairing Unit-01 would take—if the city collapsed completely, even a fully repaired mech would be meaningless.

"Most monsters on the snowfield have gathered around Xilan City. Your ability is better suited to assist Huo Ge and the others in urban hunting," Lin Xian said, patiently explaining.

"Pfft, do you think it's absolutely safe over there?" Kiki grumbled.

Lin Xian knew she was worried. "It's the same everywhere now—no place is safe. If we can repair that mech, we might gain one more card against the thing in the sky. Just stay here and coordinate well with Huo Ge and Wen Zhuo."

"I know. You don't have to tell me," Kiki glared at him, cheeks puffing, turning her face away deliberately.

Soon, Xilan Airport appeared through the snowstorm. An empty tarmac held several Lightning-2 aerospace fighters and one transport plane. Dozens of staff were loading equipment, computers, tents, and the black box—Unit-01's Black Tablet—into the transport.

Yu Yuheng, covered in snow and grime, wore thick winter gear and checked each device one by one in the wind. Chen Wei, fully armed, sat inside the transport, medical tubes still attached, quietly awaiting takeoff.

Lin Xian also spotted several familiar faces.

Armed Company Commander Sun Kai.

"Lin Team Leader!"

Seeing Lin Xian and Kiki descend from the air, Sun Kai and several others walked over.

"Commander Sun, what's this?"

"I've requested it from Command Center—I've been assigned to guard the Reboot Team!"

Lin Xian nodded. Jing Tian, the Nightwalker, stood behind Sun Kai, giving a nod—clearly sent by Wen Zhuo.

"We're almost ready. Departure in about fifteen minutes. The southern sector has dispatched a recon aircraft to scout the airspace—but… no news yet."

"It's still dark, and we're carrying a Level 5 marker. If no chaos erupted, it means these anomalies have better discipline than we thought."

To some extent, Lin Xian actually hoped the monster tide would surge again—if so, they could quickly reduce the marker and flee, avoiding direct confrontation with the terrifying S-class entity.

But since the monster tide retreated swiftly after the marker appeared last night, Lin Xian knew: for Xilan's survivors, a vast, sky-covering net awaited them.

"Lin Team Leader!"

At that moment, Luo Yang and others, busy fortifying defenses, ran over, followed by Liang Lei, Li Yi, Wu Shu, Liao Ming, and Shen Yao.

Lin Xian turned and looked: "You've got some clever ideas—using passenger jets as bunkers, and so many high-voltage plasma walls."

"These kids have plenty of ideas," Wu Shu Wu Zhenhai said. "They've helped Commander He a lot. Young minds just work better than ours."

"Exactly, exactly," Liao Ming laughed.

"But this place is too open—it won't be easy to hold," Shen Yao of the North Wind Alliance spoke up.

"No choice. Inside the city, we'd be cramped and easily cut off. Here, though open, we can gather over ten thousand people, and logistics can keep up."

Lin Xian added, "And you won't face four-sided siege. The northern wall is less than ten kilometers away. The main threat comes from the city, with the northern passenger station tying down part of the tide—so we mainly face the southwest."

Luo Yang and the others nodded.

"Lin Team Leader, we heard you're going on a very dangerous mission—please, stay safe," Li Yi, pregnant and earnest, looked at Lin Xian and urged him.

"That's right, we'll definitely hold out and wait for you to come back," Liang Lei also said.

"Captain Lin."

At that moment, Yu Yuheng, with dark circles under his eyes, walked over: "It's about time. Get ready to depart."

"Alright."

Lin Xian turned back to Kiki: "Go back. Get ready well. Stay safe. I'll be back."

Kiki glared at him, then sighed softly and said:

"Then you'd better come back quickly..."

"Mm."

The cold wind howled as Lin Xian, under the gaze of everyone, boarded the transport aircraft. The cabin slowly closed, and under the escort of several Lightning II aerospace fighters, the transport rapidly ascended, heading southeast.

Onboard the transport, Yu Yuheng used his laptop to give Lin Xian a detailed account of the current status of Unit-01 and the challenges they had encountered.

In this moment of shared hardship, Phoenix Society had no further need for secrecy, and Lin Xian saw a grand plan that left him awestruck.

Yu Yuheng had also briefly revealed to him that, according to the Emperor Plan's original design, the super Juxing humanoid weapon had initially had three prototype blueprints; limited by energy supply and integration complexity, Unit-01 was in fact a very conservative version...

"The S-class anomaly we previously encountered was named 'Gray Mist.' When we first engaged it, the situation was actually far better than we expected. That night, Chen Wei and his team piloted Unit-01 and fought the monster for over four hours. In the end, the S-class anomaly mysteriously vanished. At the time, we assumed it was Unit-01's overwhelming power that had intimidated and defeated it—but it turned out..."

Yu Yuheng adjusted his glasses and said: "Later, we didn't know about our Level-5 markers. After nightfall in the Trakama Ice Valley, we suffered our most severe attack since the mission began. Two giant worms nearly devoured our entire armed unit, while in the air, a winged demon at least seventy to eighty meters long attacked us. We were caught off guard, suffered heavy losses, and had no choice but to send out a full-spectrum distress signal."

Lin Xian frowned slightly: "No preparations at all after nightfall?"

Yu Yuheng's expression shifted slightly. Just as he was about to speak, Chen Wei cut in directly: "Preparations? If it were one-on-one, or one-on-two, or one-on-three, Pangu could hold its own against these beasts—but what if it's ten thousand? A million?"

"To be blunt," Yu Yuheng sighed, "our research team's original purpose was to target S-class anomalies. We never considered a scenario like this—a wave attack. The snow wraiths and snow demons in the Extreme Cold Vortex being commanded by higher-level entities to launch mass assaults is extremely rare. For us, it was completely unanticipated."

Lin Xian nodded. Even elephants fear being overwhelmed by ants. He thought: if the Emperor Plan was meant for secret operations, why not just confront S-class anomalies head-on in places like Yubei City? Why keep it so secret?

"May I ask bluntly—why is the Emperor Plan so top-secret? To hide it from the Descent Faction, or to conceal something else?"

At these words, Yu Yuheng, who had been operating the laptop, froze. He opened his mouth but didn't know how to answer.

Instead, Chen Wei directly turned to Lin Xian: "I actually had the same question before. I asked them, and their answer seemed absurd to me. But since joining the Emperor Plan, I no longer think so."

"What do you mean?"

Chen Wei took a deep breath, his expression turning grave: "In the early days of the Apocalypse, the Interstellar Army extensively used tactical nuclear weapons to counter the Dark Beings and the Star Abyss. From this, Phoenix Society and the Interstellar Army learned two lessons."

"One: The Star Abyss accelerated its expansion."

"Two: The anomalies evolved—especially in their adaptation to nuclear radiation!"

At these words, Lin Xian's expression changed slightly.

"So you're saying you're hiding this from the Dark?"

"Something like that—but not entirely. There's also the intention to keep it secret from survivors," Yu Yuheng shrugged. "Until this plan is fully mature, headquarters doesn't want large-scale exposure. First, Unit-01's design likely has many flaws. Second, if a weapon integrating humanity's core technology fails, it would devastate the morale of all survivors."

"I understand."

Lin Xian's heart tightened. He had to admit, Phoenix Society's considerations were comprehensive—but Chen Wei's words left him deeply shaken.

It seemed to suggest that the Dark Beings were consciously countering—and even evolving against—human weapons. Strange and terrifying. Now he thought about it, no wonder the Interstellar Army and Phoenix Society never simply nuked the Star Abyss flat—they had tried...

(End of Chapter)