Chapter 398: Restart (10,000)

Lin Xian, Lin Xian!

A deafening hum filled his ears; the overwhelming sense of detachment from the world left Lin Xian dizzy and disoriented. The voices beside him gradually sharpened. He focused his gaze ahead: a row of cabinets was fading into darkness. With the shutdown of his superstring reactor, the central control room of the City Ring went dark once more—and with it came the relentless barrage of gunfire and Chu Yan's shouts.

How's it going?

Seeing Lin Xian's complexion slowly return to normal, Chu Yan immediately asked.

Lin Xian took two deep breaths, then checked the time: 8: 6. Scanning the entire city had consumed nearly ten hours!

"Found it. Thirty-five kilometers southeast of Dawn City, Sector E—outside the city. It was originally the unfinished No. 2 underground city base, now converted into something called… the Colossus Peak Launch Site."

Lin Xian concentrated and rushed out the information: "The Crimson World people are there too—not just the operational brain. They're going to launch the entire S-Class as a curtain-piercing device!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yan immediately pressed her earpiece.

"Thirty-five kilometers southeast, Colossus Peak Launch Site. Move out now."

Taptaptap!

Outside the Twin Stars Tower, artillery fire roared. Zhou Jin's voice came through: "Understood. We're moving through the underground network!"

"Still fighting outside?" Lin Xian snapped back to awareness, astonished.

"Three Star Abysses' Eternal Nights are accelerating toward us. The Strange Tide attacked all night. Now the 83rd Iron Guard Brigade and the Sky-Pacifying Warship have arrived near the northern and eastern city walls to reinforce." Chu Yan turned to Kiki: "Take care of him."

Kiki's face was exhausted. The Twin Stars Tower was no longer just occupied by a few squads from the Crescent Moon Operation—garrison troops had been massively redeployed to resist aerial assaults.

I'm fine.

Lin Xian glanced at Shizhi, took a breath, pulled out the Continuity Key Chu Zhaonan had given him, and said to Chu Yan: "I'm coming with you. They've got brain-machine interfaces—I can prevent them from self-destructing."

At that moment, Qino's Nightwalkers team fought their way in: "Hurry, time's running out!"

Lin Xian donned his Black Eagle battle armor. The group, fully armed, descended toward the underground network. The elevator plummeted. Lin Xian reached the window: under the rain-soaked night, a vast arc of Dawn City's First Wall blazed in fire. The air reeked of thick smoke and blood.

All night, the Strange Tide's assault never ceased. The outer district beneath the First Wall had become ruins, piled high with Strange corpses like a sea of the dead. Incendiary bombs had burned continuously over those ruins and corpses all night—countless destroyed, charred mechs and soldiers clad in powered armor lay among them. Survivors were scattered everywhere. All city gates had been sealed; firepower was now poured entirely from the walls and within the city outward.

Round-the-clock battle!

Watching the catastrophic scene, Lin Xian's gaze flickered. Under these conditions, he didn't know if any survivors remained alive in the Yunjiang Plains who could reach Dawn City. And as for Jinhai—he didn't know if Ningjing and Qian Dele had returned safely.

There were no other options. They had to obtain the S-Class communication data from the Crimson World before the Vanguard Plan launched. Only by acquiring equal information could the human faction have any chance in the remaining time. Meanwhile, Lin Xian had to seize control of the Galactic Heart's central core after the Vanguard Plan launched.

Chu Zhaonan gave them ten seconds. He had to seize it. Otherwise, if all city weapons went offline, the front line could collapse entirely—the consequences were unimaginable.

"Many convoy groups have rushed to the front lines. Inside the city, chaos erupted multiple times overnight due to mutations. But the problem is, many convoy vehicles were destroyed last night—especially smaller ones. Almost all their transport was abandoned just to get inside."

Arriving at the underground facility, several squad members boarded magnetic levitation transport vehicles and began advancing toward the city's outskirts.

Onboard, Kiki briefed Lin Xian on the situation. The aftereffects of using Lei Da's mechanical scanning began to show: piercing pain shot through his skull, blurring his vision.

Why are there fewer people?

"Zhou Jin's squad lost their heavy machine gunner, Tong Silei. Qino's squad lost two flight-capable psychics. Several others died resisting last night," Chu Yan told Lin Xian.

Lin Xian's expression darkened. He looked at Zhou Jin, Li Su, Qino—all battered from battle. To Lin Xian, scanning the entire city felt like minutes, yet so much time had passed. The squad's losses weighed heavily on him. He spoke: "I'm wondering—we can't be sure who's connected to the Gray Mist. What if we accidentally kill one?"

Chu Yan's tone turned serious: "You don't understand the Crimson World well. We've tracked and investigated them for years. We've captured several high-ranking members. This organization isn't simply anti-human or opportunistic. In a sense, their foundational ideology mirrors that of Chu Zhaonan and these Federation members: the 'humanity must fail' mental imprint. Combined with digital life technology, it has fundamentally altered their understanding of survival. Simply put—they don't want civilization to go extinct or humanity to die out. They believe human power can communicate with, assist, even assimilate the dark beings, achieving eventual coexistence."

"In the Crimson World's eyes, the Dark Civilization brought by the Star Abysses is merely another form of life's ruler. They revere it, obsess over it, pursue it—and even attempt to transform their own existence to merge with it. They call this 'a higher form of life.' Psychics are the 'desecrators' who've been preliminarily affected."

"Desecrators?" Lin Xian frowned. "Why?"

"Because they're not perfect yet. Psychics can't fully survive in areas ravaged by darkness. Their lives remain fragile."

The magnetic levitation vehicle sped through the underground network, air pressure pressing against their eardrums. Chu Yan continued: "So what we see as S-Class, to the Crimson World, is divine. To communicate with such divinity, to perceive an entirely alien lifeform and civilization, they could never entrust ordinary people—or test subjects—with this task."

Kiki nodded: "I get it. Like the Red Man Strange—they don't just want to communicate with the S-Class. They want to become S-Class themselves through this method?"

Chu Yan nodded: "Exactly."

A bunch of lunatics.

Opposite him, Qino tried lighting a cigarette but failed. He spoke: "Freud's 'death drive' holds that humans possess an unconscious instinct toward destruction—including self-destruction. When fear exceeds the limit, it can transform into a pathological obsession with destructive power."

"Add to that the fact that humans gained psychic abilities from the darkness—this only strengthens their conviction."

"Correct."

Lin Xian nodded: "Then the one connected to the S-Class is almost certainly Julius. But how many clones and copies does he have? I remember you eliminated one at the White Deer Beach Star Observation Station."

Chu Yan said: "He has many clones, used to manage secret labs. Beyond him, the Crimson World has several other 'co-creators'—their identities are unknown."

Lin Xian frowned: "Could it be his original body? After all, this is such an irresistible opportunity…"

"Possible," Chu Yan replied. "But from my multiple encounters with him, he's an extremely cautious man—with exceptional intelligence."

Lin Xian checked the time: "Still over an hour. The curtain-piercing device will activate again. We just need to capture him then."

Chu Yan looked deeply at Lin Xian: "Lin Xian, your condition isn't good. We'll definitely engage the Crimson World soon. Don't get too close. Retrieving the data is my priority. Your job is to ensure the Galactic Heart isn't compromised."

"Right," Zhou Jin added. "My squad's job is to protect you. If the city weapons stay offline too long or get taken over by the Crimson World, we're all dead."

"Ten o'clock. Sunrise should be around then," Lin Xian murmured, closing his eyes slightly. "Hope everything goes smoothly. By dawn, the Strange Tide will retreat."

9: 0. The magnetic levitation vehicle entered a sealed tunnel from the underground network and stopped. At the tunnel's far end loomed a massive blast door.

Under the flashlight beams, prominent signs of 【DANGER】 and 【QUARANTINE】 glowed.

Zhou Jin stepped out first, checked the ground, then said: "The track is clear, but it splits into two completely isolated systems. That's why we never found it before."

"All supplies and equipment must be transported via this track. This place must be extremely secure."

Hum!

At that moment, Lin Xian emerged from behind and pulled four large armored vehicles from the Black Star Forge space. He approached the blast door, ready to open it.

But Shizhi suddenly called out: "Careful—there's a monster behind this door!"

At once, all squads raised their weapons, alert.

Qino raised his hand in a signal. Four psychic squads instantly scattered into formation: "Zhou Jin, Chu Yan—take Lin's squad aboard. We'll cover you and hold the rear."

Understood.

Time was critical. No one wasted words. Zhou Jin led his squad onto the first vehicle, preparing to charge. Lin Xian, Shizhi, and Chu Yan's team boarded the middle vehicle. The last two vehicles were left to Qino's thirty-odd men.

Tension spiked. The next moment, after the Nightwalkers were ready, Lin Xian activated his mechanical psychic ability to control the blast door—and forced it open.

Whoosh!

The massive blast door split open. A chilling gust of air rushed out, revealing a dark tunnel before them.

Inside, the tunnel dwarfed the external facility in scale—its dimensions increased by an order of magnitude. Chu Yan drove; Kiki sat beside her, staring into the tunnel. Only a row of green emergency lights stretched deep into the darkness. Ahead, Zhou Jin's squad had already mounted their guns, headlights blazing, illuminating a pale white zone.

Huh… huh…

A muffled, labored breathing sound—like someone wearing an oxygen mask—echoed from the depths. Guttural, eerie, chilling.

Slowly, a shadow over two meters tall emerged from the darkness. With each step, two gleaming black Gatling guns appeared beside it.

Red Man Strange!

Seeing this Red Man Strange, Lin Xian's pupils contracted sharply. Compared to the one encountered in Bai Cheng, this one was covered in heavy powered armor. Its head and neck bore grotesque, butcher-like stitching. A dual-tube respirator covered its face. One eye glowed red—a terrifying fusion of human-Strange and mech.

Watch out!

Whoosh!

Instantly, the two Gatling guns' motors spun up. A storm of metal bullets erupted. At that moment, a female psychic from the Nightwalkers spat a massive cloud of crimson smoke, instantly engulfing the tunnel entrance. The furious bullets were completely blocked by the smoke—this instantly reminded Lin Xian of the Strange Serpent's ability in the Star Abyss.

Then the woman pushed the crimson smoke forward—there was a massive explosion. Lin Xian immediately used his mechanical psychic ability to disassemble the two Gatling guns. The gunfire ceased—but was replaced by several shockwaves.

Boom! Boom!

Kiki immediately activated her psychic barrier. After the violent explosions, the armored Red Man Strange surged from the darkness toward the group, accompanied by a deafening roar.

Under the headlights, several fast-moving human-Strange appeared—men and women, incredibly agile. Each bore mechanical suppressors and lightweight armor. Screams erupted as psychic powers tore through the air, weapons fired, and explosions erupted.

Kiki's psychic ability seized several. In the brief gap, Lin Xian used his mechanical psychic ability to disassemble their armor. But strangely, these human-Strange had no brain-machine interfaces—they were like monsters tamed by suppressors. When the suppressors were dismantled, they didn't die. Instead, they grew even more frenzied.

"These aren't Red Man Stranges!" Lin Xian said.

Boom!

A large magnetic pulse bomb detonated in the center. Qino and his squad launched a counterattack, blasting open a path.

Hurry! We don't have time—just push through!

Zhou Jin stomped the accelerator. The armored vehicle's engine roared. The gunner on the roof opened fire. Behind them, Chu Yan's vehicle followed suit.

Now, the Nightwalkers and Zhou Jin's squad unleashed full firepower. Psychic abilities and thermal weapons cleared the way. The two vehicles charged into the tunnel, heading toward the city's outskirts.

Aaagh!!

As soon as they entered the tunnel, everyone felt an intensifying chill of dark invasion. From the darkness, countless human-Strange fitted with suppressors crawled out—climbing from the tunnel walls, swarming the convoy in dense numbers.

Behind them, Qino's squad also boarded vehicles and charged in, using psychic explosions to cover Lin Xian's group. The Red Man Strange rose from the debris, half its heavy armor shattered—but its flesh was rapidly growing. It roared, unleashing a massive shockwave.

Boom! The entire tunnel shook like a metal drum being struck. The air itself vibrated violently—every emergency light in the tunnel exploded.

"Even the Nightwalkers couldn't kill it quickly! This modified Red Man Strange's psychic index and vitality are growing stronger!" Chu Yan said, driving hard.

"They must be using higher-grade psychics as test subjects," Kiki said, using all her psychic power to repel the charging human-Strange.

For them now, the main goal wasn't to kill these blockers—it was to reach Colossus Peak Launch Site before the Vanguard Plan launched.

Taptaptap!

Ahead, Zhou Jin's squad fired furiously. Tires screeched against the metal floor. Lin Xian deployed an AT field to shield both sides of the vehicle. Simultaneously, hundreds of attack drones were released. Instantly, the tunnel erupted with blinding flashes: red pulse beams from the Lei Sun 2000s, magnetic storm fields from "Thunder Yu," and the shrill whistles of "Iron Rain."

Dozens of "Iron Curtain" drones unfurled defensive armor, flying in formation around the two vehicles, creating a mobile shield.

Pressure dropped instantly. Watching the precision battlefield of hundreds of drones, Chu Yan glanced in the rearview mirror at Lin Xian: "Did you build these drones yourself? How fast are they?"

She'd wondered this last night—Lin Xian hadn't just deployed drones for combat, he'd also built and repaired the City Ring devices. She naturally assumed these drones were summoned instantly by him.

"Sort of." Lin Xian handed control to Grace and began checking the route.

With hundreds of drones providing firepower, radar could now precisely eliminate threats emerging from the darkness. Soon, lights appeared ahead—the view cleared. The human-Strange had thinned out, as if their appearances were regionally controlled.

After breaking through the human-Strange, the two armored vehicles entered a vast underground facility. The space widened.

The armored vehicles emerged from the tunnel. A massive vertical shaft, hundreds of meters in diameter, came into view. Suddenly, dense gunfire erupted ahead. Countless drones poured from the underground city, engaging the tunnel and Lin Xian's two squads.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, Lin Xian felt engulfed by an entire battalion's firepower. A storm of bullets and pulse beams blotted out his vision. His ears rang with the deafening roar of bullets and clanging metal.

"Watch out!"

"To the left!" Zhou Jin shouted through the communicator. Instantly, two armored vehicles smashed through a wire fence under a hail of gunfire, plunging into an unfinished underground city district. The ground was paved with standard concrete prefabricated modules; the newly built office walls had been abandoned before even being put into use.

In their panic, the two armored vehicles crashed through a row of light steel walls and entered an internal street.

If not for Lin Xian's "Iron Curtain" drone and his AT field, the sudden burst of firepower would have melted the armored vehicles outright. Wuwu~—at the same time, Lin Xian's drone tangled with the pursuing drones; he activated his mechanical ability, disabling wave after wave of them. But from another direction, countless Deep Red World armed personnel clad in powered armor began chasing them.

In an instant, a frantic pursuit erupted. A troop-carrying aircraft rose from below, firing a barrage of pulse beams at the two armored vehicles. The high-temperature beams pierced through walls and concrete pillars. The armor plating of the "Iron Curtain" drone was already riddled with holes.

At that moment, Chu Yan yanked the steering wheel sharply, executing a drift that turned the armored vehicle. Her mechanical arm raised a pneumatic hammer and smashed through the front grille and windshield. Her eyes flashed crimson—suddenly, a massive psychic energy wave erupted. Lin Xian and the others in the back felt their entire bodies go numb. Dozens of armed personnel on the aircraft suddenly exploded into blood mists inside their facial armor, collapsing in unison, motionless. Lin Xian stared, eyes wide: "You said this would just give people a headache?!"

"It really does give you a headache," Kiki couldn't help muttering.

She killed them outright without even piercing their powered armor. Lin Xian, seeing Chu Yan's ability for the first time, felt his scalp go cold.

"Killing humans is easier than killing Strange Bodies," Chu Yan said coolly. "That's why my ability is better suited for intelligence work in the Star Abyss."

"No way ahead!"

Zhou Jin shouted as his special team carved a bloody path forward.

In the multi-level underground tunnels, hundreds of Deep Red World armed personnel appeared, firing at their vehicles—but none used heavy weapons. Now, the vehicle had entered a dead end; all tires were shredded. The two sides were forced to dismount, fighting while taking cover behind debris.

"Grace, move out!"

After eliminating countless drones, Lin Xian ordered Grace to lead her drone swarm in clearing the enemy. Here, Kiki and Chu Yan used their abilities to wipe out swathes of Deep Red forces. Chu Yan was right: compared to Strange Bodies, humans were strongest in flexibility and thermal weapons. With Lin Xian's armor and abilities blocking sniper fire and bullets, they quickly turned the tide and suppressed the enemy.

But there were too many snipers. Lin Xian couldn't rely on his AT field or powered armor to charge out—so he sent Grace out directly.

At the same time, he released more newly manufactured drones into battle.

Grace received Lin Xian's command. Instantly, over eight hundred drones surrounded her, forming a dense swarm. Her ultra-high computational power, combined with the drones' electro-optical radar, locked onto enemies across multiple floors, plus all aircraft and drones, within 0. 1 seconds. Precision firepower rained down. The enemy's drones, seemingly controlled by some powerful AI, rapidly targeted Lin Xian and the others. But precisely because Lin Xian was a mechanical adept, these drones were like EMPs swatting mosquitoes—a single mechanical control sweep rendered dozens black out and crash to the ground.

Meanwhile, Shizhi, who wasn't combat-capable, nervously stayed close behind Lin Xian. All she could do was occasionally cast a green healing ability on him, then retreat back into cover.

Grace quickly took over the battle. With Lin Xian, Kiki, Chu Yan, and Zhou Jin unleashing their powerful abilities, the armed guards and drones were swiftly wiped out in large numbers.

"This is the launch site—and also the Deep Red World's research base for S-Class entities. There are no Red People Strange Bodies here!"

Seeing the information returned by the drones, Lin Xian immediately synced it with Chu Yan and Zhou Jin.

"Old Qi's team is holding all the Strange Bodies in the tunnels. We need to hurry," Zhou Jin replied.

At this point, Lin Xian and his squad, under Grace's drone swarm's clearance, descended along the launch corridor. As the last armed guard fell, gunfire fell silent.

The deeper they went, the brighter the lights became—as if all construction vitality had been directed upward. The roar of steel echoed through the cylindrical underground cavern, like the breath of some colossal beast. This unfinished underground city, originally planned as a million-person residential zone connected to Dawn City, had been brutally converted into a massive launch facility.

Between the unfinished concrete skeletons, thick hydraulic supports held up the dome and underground walls. The central vertical shaft exceeded five hundred meters in diameter; its walls were lined with stacked maintenance platforms, now illuminated by orange-red warning lights.

Lin Xian and Chu Yan's squad rode an engineering platform slowly downward. Gradually, a larger, more complex launch apparatus emerged into view. Around the original underground city's central shaft, metal pipes coiled like vines; multiple fuel injection towers and hoisting platforms stood vertically.

"There's a strong dark aura down here!" Shizhi's face turned pale; her breath and nose exhaled frost. The deeper they went, the colder it became.

"Look over there!"

Kiki gasped. Everyone turned their gaze downward. At three hundred meters below ground, a colossal biological silhouette appeared.

It resembled both a living organism and some colossal mech. Its sharp head armor was embedded with countless restraint arrays; suppression devices beneath the plating glowed a sickly green. Under the various warning lights, the massive "Breakthrough Device" grew larger in their vision. Its white outer armor was identical to that of starships. It seemed to be in pre-launch standby—only automated systems were active.

Seeing the menacing armor, Lin Xian recalled the gray-skinned, bone-spiked horror of the Gray Mist Envoy he'd seen in his dream with Chu Yan. Everyone stared at the colossal device, inhaling sharply, holding their breath.

"My god, they fused a starship with Evangelion and strapped it onto an S-Class?!" Zhou Jin's pupils locked in shock.

"Not just that… eight Starlight Heavy Propulsors—that's at least four starships' worth," Li Su murmured beside him.

"Can something this big even fly?"

"The core support is the S-Class Gray Mist's torso. With this scale, as long as the main structure holds…" Kiki's face was stunned. "It… should be able to."

"After all, this is a joint project between Dawn City and the Deep Red World. Everything was designed for flight. The sole purpose: launch this thing into the Skyveil Curtain."

Lin Xian finally understood why Dawn City poured all its resources into starship construction—much of the componentry was being used here. This differed fundamentally from the Phoenix Society's Emperor Plan. Strictly speaking, the Emperor Plan would have been even harder to build. This one primarily leveraged the Deep Red World's brain-machine interface suppression tech, then wrapped it in starship propulsion and armor. With current human materials, building a structure this massive as a mech was impossible—at least on Blue Planet, gravity made it unfeasible.

The engineering elevator stopped at a platform located at the Gray Mist's chest armor—the position of the nuclear power engine. The entire level had been converted into an engineering research facility. When Lin Xian and the others stepped inside, they found the floor littered with dead scientists and engineers.

Zhou Jin kicked open the nearest corpse, frowning. "Just died. Right before we came down."

Chu Yan scanned the research facility corridors as they advanced. Every office, lab, and command center was filled with corpses—recently killed by precise drone strikes. Over a hundred in total. Some were the clones Lin Xian had seen in Baicheng; a few were ordinary people.

"They were all executed," Chu Yan said.

"Executed? Why?" Lin Xian asked immediately.

As soon as he spoke, a slightly magnetic voice crackled through the command center's speaker.

"Because the sacred mission is complete. They will all be reborn."

"Julius!" Chu Yan said instantly. "He's here after all!"

Hssss~

Ahead, a main control door slowly opened. Everyone watched warily. Inside was a vast white hall. As they stepped forward, the scene opened up: the floor was lined with countless cylindrical devices, transparent pods filled with pale green liquid, each containing a floating human body.

And the strangest part? Every single body was the same person.

In the center of the hall stood a white desk. A middle-aged white man, dressed in a suit, elegantly sipped red wine and ate a steak.

No one else was in the hall.

"Oh, oh, oh—what a rare occasion. Chu Yan, Lin Xian—two of the most fascinating adepts I've ever wanted to study, standing before me at once. Today must be my lucky day."

The middle-aged white man was none other than Julius Lite, whom Lin Xian had seen in his dream and at the White Deer Beach Observation Station. And every transparent pod? All him.

"Julius, we meet again," Chu Yan said, her expression icy.

Julius set down his knife and fork, raised his wine glass, took a sip, then frowned slightly at Chu Yan.

"Actually, this is our first meeting—based on 'individual life.'"

Hearing this, Kiki whispered beside Lin Xian: "Of all these clones, which one's the real him?"

"Damn, there are hundreds!" Zhou Jin scanned the room—every pod held an identical copy.

Julius seemed pleased with their reaction. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, smiling at Lin Xian and Chu Yan.

"You should know: according to current data, S-Class entities—or any being reaching this disaster tier—are the true beings born from the Dark. Communicating with the Dark… is humanity's first real dialogue with a civilization beyond Blue Planet. This…" He shrugged, smiled faintly. "Is rather marvelous."

"Of course, also extremely dangerous."

He glanced at his clones. "Half a behavioral brain link cost me 145 assets. Just half. God, what an immense scale of vitality."

Zhou Jin's squad raised their weapons, all aimed at Julius. "Chu Yan, what's the plan?"

Chu Yan shook her head. "He killed all the researchers on purpose—to make us know only one Julius holds the information we need."

Lin Xian also murmured: "He's waiting for us."

"Don't be tense, friends. I know why you're here. We're currently cooperating with Dawn City. The Vanguard Plan is about to launch. Even Madame Ye Lan of the Phoenix Society must have instructed you not to sabotage this operation, right?"

"What do you want?" Chu Yan asked coldly.

Julius smiled. "I admire you, Miss Chu Yan. You're brilliant. Your psychic ability lets you survive in the Star Abyss. For New Century life, you're undoubtedly the perfect specimen."

He turned to Lin Xian. "And you, Mr. Lin Xian. Your mechanical ability can replicate human industrial civilization. From a human perspective, you're the perfect adept."

Lin Xian frowned. "You want me and Chu Yan to let you study us?"

Julius studied Lin Xian with a measuring gaze. "That's a fine idea. But right now, that's not what I want most. Not yet."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want one thing: the Galaxy Heart," Julius said to Chu Yan and the others. "Or rather, the City Core."

Lin Xian looked at Julius in confusion. "Your cooperation with Dawn City is just for a quantum AI?"

"No! No! No!"

Julius chuckled strangely, looking at Lin Xian with amusement. "Mr. Lin, you don't seriously think we did all this to seize Dawn City, trigger mechanical rebellion, capture survivors, and run some evil experiment straight out of a movie, do you?"

"You've captured enough already," Lin Xian replied coldly.

"It seems you deeply misunderstand us," Julius pointed at Lin Xian. "If that were true, what's the point of cooperating with Dawn City? What could Chu Zhaonan possibly offer us? Dawn City will be swallowed soon anyway. A day earlier or later—does it matter to us?"

He looked at Lin Xian with a subtle gaze. "Mr. Lin, understand this: time is on my side, not yours."

"Why would you think we'd hand over the Galaxy Heart to you?" Lin Xian countered.

Julius raised a finger and walked slowly forward. "Because I have the information you want: about the Dark, about the End, about how long the tens of millions of humans abandoned by Chu Zhaonan can survive. About a choice. Am I right?"

"Actually, this information isn't that valuable to me. I just need to confirm Chu Zhaonan didn't tamper with the Galaxy Heart. After I overwrite it with Deep Red No. , I'll immediately give you the details. Oh, by the way—before that, you might as well fully power down your weapons. Dawn's coming soon, and you'll evacuate Dawn City anyway. A city about to be swallowed by Eternal Night—what use is it to you?"

Lin Xian's expression changed.

As if anticipating his reaction, Julius smiled faintly. "Surprised? I don't want to seize the weapon systems. I don't care about your resistance. In fact, I hope the Vanguard Plan succeeds."

He snapped his fingers. With a whoosh, the entire back wall of the hall opened. A transparent screen appeared, revealing the Gray Mist Rig outside. On the eight Starlight Heavy Plasma Propulsors, energy conduits were coated in frost, dripping steadily.

"Look—what a magnificent New Century life form. We call it 'Angel.' Imagine if humanity evolved and reproduced in this form: possessing such vitality, destructive power, and intelligence. Our civilization could leap into a new era in an instant. With this power, interstellar colonization, civilizational wars—wouldn't they become far easier?"

Julius turned, checked his watch. "Ten minutes until launch. We can wait here for the Vanguard Plan to lift off. Then you'll get the information you want. Or, after you learn it, you can shoot me dead. I'd gladly accept that too."

Lin Xian frowned. "That's it?"

"That's it," Julius smiled. "I don't care about death. Death isn't the end. History has shown time and again: civilizations are reborn from destruction. Chu Zhaonan's Vanguard Plan is just a flight of refugees. The Deep Red World represents true human destiny. But… you won't live to see this day. Heh. What a pity."

"Oh," Lin Xian nodded slowly, as if thinking deeply. "So all your effort cooperating with Dawn City on the Vanguard Plan… your real goal is just an empty city and a quantum AI? And you don't even want weapon access—just so we can hold off the Strange Body tide long enough to retreat?"

Julius remained silent. Chu Yan looked at Lin Xian.

"Let me think… I'm not sure if you're too stupid or I'm too smart. The Star Abyss is stirring, yet you have no solution to the Dark's invasion. If Dawn City is consumed, you'll die too. But you want the Galaxy Heart. If you strip away the weapon systems, what's left? Hmm… city-wide surveillance, sensors, transportation, ecology, water, air. Oh—and the underground rail system and strategic facility access rights."

Julius slowly frowned, his face turning cold.

Lin Xian continued: "Last night, the Eternal Night erupted. Over a million survivors in the outer districts abandoned their vehicles and flooded into the city. But strangely, many vehicle convoys inside the city were destroyed last night. Where could they go at dawn? Nowhere. But if Dawn City's underground rail system and strategic tunnels were all opened now…?"

Julius's face darkened.

Other squad members also frowned.

Lin Xian smirked at Julius. "You don't want nothing. You want everything. When the city is trapped and the Dark arrives, you'll use Dawn City's entire system to conduct a comprehensive, clear, planned large-scale study. And the subject of that study? Observing how millions of people mutate, how they awaken their abilities. You want to restart…"

"The Apocalypse Day disaster!"

(End of Chapter)