Chapter 402: The Great Wall! (120,000, requesting monthly votes)

*Rumblings. *

The clear sky of Dawn City did not last long. Once the afternoon passed, the sky was once again shrouded in dark clouds, and a drizzling rain began to splash onto the earth, the air growing colder.

On several main roads in the east and north of the city, large convoys of survivors roared away from time to time, kicking up dust. The rubble and uncleaned trash on the ground were soaked by the rain. The various posters symbolizing prosperity on the walls of streets and alleys were gradually fading, the rain dripping onto them with a *da-da-da* sound. Twisted corpses of various strange entities could be seen everywhere in the streets. The Garrison Army and Iron Guard Brigade troops were using bulldozers and engineering mechs to clear the traffic arteries.

In those community buildings and camp gathering areas, survivors who could not evacuate stood on rooftops and behind windows, watching the departing convoys, their gazes tense and complex. If not for the notification from the Phoenix Society and the fact that the Garrison Army and Iron Guard Brigade had begun to fully garrison Dawn City, anxiety and despair would have already spread completely.

The city, which originally had nearly 7 million people, had been reduced by more than half in just two days. Most of those remaining in the city now were the poor and weak from the former outer districts, as well as a large number of small and medium-sized convoys.

They lacked powerful firepower or had long since lost the courage to flee. At this moment, they had bet everything on the two city walls of Dawn City. More and more survivors joined the work of helping the Iron Guard Brigade and Garrison Army clean up the city.

In the sky over the inner city, the Phoenix Society's Zhentian Warship and the Iron Guard Brigade fleet hovered quietly over the Star Port area of the inner city, symbolizing that this city had been taken over by the Phoenix Society, and various basic orders had been temporarily restored.

In a large conference room, Lin Xian sat by the window, looking at Dawn City in the rain and the massive No. 1 city wall, his expression silent.

Inside the conference room, an emergency meeting was underway. Phoenix Society's Ye Lan, North American United Front's Xu Zhenyue, 83rd Iron Guard Brigade Commander Huo Jiang, Garrison Army Commander Lu Tianye, Night Walker organization head Qi Nuo, as well as former Federal Senator Xu Yan, Seraphim Department Minister Luo Ming, and many high-ranking Phoenix Society officials were all in attendance. The atmosphere was dull and oppressive. The news successfully brought back by Lin Xian and Chu Yan was no different from a funeral bell, striking the hearts of all high-level personnel.

"Notification: Today at 11:26, a super-large atmospheric creature was detected in the storm in the Yunlan direction. During the period before entering the dark night, it launched an attack on the city. Based on scale analysis, it should be a probe. The creature has been designated as No. 16 S-class creature, officially named 【Sky Touch】. This is the footage returned by the Sky Patrol machine."

The reporter was the adjutant of Iron Guard Brigade Commander Huo Jiang, a young officer. He continued: "In addition, the movement trace of the No. 19 creature 【Wanderer】 from the No. 8 Star Abyss was discovered in the direction of the Sky Guard, heading toward Dawn City. Then, through the seismic wave detection of Mount Qilian, it was preliminarily judged to be the No. 11 creature 【Earth Surge】. Finally, there is the No. 5 Star Abyss..."

"Corpse-Driver."

The adjutant's expression was sharp: "Currently, these four are the confirmed super-large disasters. Except for the Mount Qilian direction where the creature's movement direction is not yet determined, all are marching toward Dawn City."

"Don't be uncertain; just assume they are all coming!" Huo Jiang was a middle-aged man with a steady face and a bit of chubbiness, his eagle eyes carrying a soldier's murderous aura. He spoke with a bit of a dialect accent, tapped his fingers on the table, and said in a deep voice: "4 S-class monsters, how should this battle be fought?"

Lu Tianye's voice was hoarse: "From Apocalypse Day until now, the Star Army troops have never dealt with 4 S-class strange entities at the same time, let alone the Corpse-Driver. Just those three S-class ones are enough to handle."

"Corpse-Driver, world-class. We have the least understanding of these two types of creatures. The Phoenix Society's judgment is that judging from the scale and behavioral destructive power, they should be higher than S-class." United Front Commander General Xu said at this moment: "Our previous exploration of the No. 1 underground parasitic creature in Siberia suffered huge losses. This is not just facing the threat directly; just the dark infection released by this level of creature is something our elite soldiers simply cannot resist."

"The construction standard of the No. 1 city wall was not meant to deal with S-class creatures."

At this time, former Federal Senator Xu Yan spoke his thoughts: "If there is only one, relying on regional deployment of firepower to block it and relying on the city wall, there is a greater chance of success. But if there are 4, including sky and underground, then our defensive line simply cannot block it."

"We can only transfer as soon as possible." Seraphim Minister Luo Ming said at this time: "General Xu is right. The city wall and firepower are not the most critical. With four strange entities approaching, we don't even know what kind of situation the dark infection released by the creatures will cause. Most people in the city don't know this situation yet. If they knew, they might be even more desperate. Maybe the mutation will start before it gets dark."

"Transfer? Transfer to where?"

Night Walker head Qi Nuo sat in a wheelchair. His left lower leg had been replaced by a mechanical prosthetic limb through surgery. In his words, except for the difference in weight between the left and right feet and not being able to pick his toes, there was no difference.

He shook off the cigarette ash and said sternly: "Is it possible for us to transfer 3 million people before dark, or should we abandon them all and let them fend for themselves?"

"It's not a problem of 3 million people anymore." Lu Tianye looked at Lin Xian, who was silent in the corner: "According to the intelligence from your Crescent Moon operation, Dawn City and other places, including Reykjavik, the Dawn Center in the Tianji Qionggu Strait direction, Phoenix City in Ushuaia, South America, the United Front in Alaska, North America, Noah and the Republic Sanctuary Archipelago in Oceania—these directions might be a matter of tomorrow or the day after."

"I don't understand, how could the situation reach this point?"

Huo Jiang shook his head: "Or do we have a strategic misjudgment? Is the darkness's probe only Dawn City?"

"Do not harbor illusions; we must make the worst plans!"

For a time, the discussion surrounding strategic deployment began to become intense. At this moment, what humanity faced was undoubtedly a difficult and desperate problem. Lin Xian's head was dizzy. While a room full of leaders was discussing, he left the conference room alone.

He wanted to get some air. Searching the whole city with the City Ring, fighting through the night, devouring starships—at this moment, Lin Xian felt like a walking corpse.

Lin Xian didn't know if it was physical fatigue, or the sadness for Chu Yan, for the members of the Infinite Alliance, or for the old, weak, sick, and small and the weak in the small and medium-sized convoys remaining in the city, or the approaching end of humanity, that made him feel as if his heart was constantly twisted and sucked into an abyss vortex, making it hard to breathe.

In the corridors of the Zhentian Warship, busy crowds constantly passed by. Taking over the operation of such a large city was not an easy task. Emergency teams, medical, supplies, city infrastructure maintenance, water, air, dark mark measurement, repairs, and even psychological and disease services—tens of thousands of Phoenix Society staff were busy. At the emergency supply collection points in each district, the crowd waiting to collect food and supplies lined up for several kilometers.

What they got was just a piece of bread and a small bottle of water, but it would come with special options like meat cans or fruits. If you chose fruits and vegetables, you would get a portion of fresh fruits or vegetables grown in the Phoenix Society and Federal cultivation bases—perhaps two apples or half a head of cauliflower.

These things were rarer than meat cans. After all, many people hadn't eaten fresh food for a long time, and green vegetables and fruits could also balance the dark infection toxins in the body, which could be considered rare supplies.

On the Infinite Alliance side, Jian Xuwei, Chen Sixuan, Shi Diyuan, Jiang Yun, and others were vigorously preparing supplies and weapons to deal with the upcoming major transfer and war. The lengthened joint train was urgently utilized. According to Lin Xian's request, they would load as many people as they could. Now, there was simply no heart to consider supplies and interests.

At the Star City Orbital Station, on the fifteen-kilometer-long joint train, Shi Diyuan, Old Mo, Luo Yang, and others urgently collected dozens of various carriages from the orbital station's maintenance area and cargo area, all connected to the rear of the joint train. Whether it was rusty cargo carriages, abandoned ground-rail or passenger carriages, or even ore carts used for hauling ore, at this moment, they all became shelters for those helpless survivors.

A large number of children, women, abandoned wounded, and the weak grabbed onto the joint train like a life-saving straw, boarding one after another. Even if there was only a dirty corner, no one had any complaints.

At this moment, the orbital station was like the Dunkirk evacuation. Dense crowds lined up, holding high the supplies they could provide, holding high the babies in their arms, hoping to board this last doomsday train of Dawn City.

Chen Sixuan and other core members of the Infinite were all solemn. Everyone felt a suffocating sense of a storm about to arrive.

Shasha stood on the roof of the Infinite, looking at the endless crowd, her small face frowning: "Sister Chen, with so many people, can we save them all?"

Chen Sixuan did not respond directly, only saying: "Let's do our best."

"Steel Brotherhood recruiting! Those with guns prioritized! Those without guns but with skills! Car repair, medical, farming, all okay! — Repeat! As long as you can move and don't have a mark, you can come! Maximum 300 spots!"

On the survivor frequency, a hoarse male voice roared in the electromagnetic noise, with the roar of engines and metal collisions in the background.

"East District Convoy attention! East District Convoy attention! We have thirteen armored trucks, fuel is sufficient, but we need firepower cover! We can still squeeze in about 200 people, gather at the old Pingcheng power plant! Repeat —"

"Everyone attention, we are the Red Flag Alliance, currently preparing in the old industrial area of the North Outer District, the convoy is preparing to move at low speed to Qingbo City, all walking survivors can join, everyone gather for cover!"

At this moment, the information in the survivor channel was incredibly congested—recruiting, asking for help, shouting, synchronizing regional situations, one after another.

"Lin Xian, the joint train can carry at most four thousand people. The convoys of Wang Hongyuan and He Linqiu from the alliance can at most merge in five thousand more."

Lin Xian was currently at the top of the Twin Towers, standing on the edge of the building blowing in the wind. In his headset came Chen Sixuan's voice.

"If the Sky Dome train is fully opened for passengers, it can stuff in at least ten thousand more. How is the situation now? Where exactly does the Phoenix Society need us to transfer these people?" Jian Xuwei's voice also came.

"If we want to reach Qingbo or Pingcheng before dark, we must depart before 16:00 to avoid getting dark marks!" Shi Diyuan also said in the communication frequency.

"The car convoy must depart first, otherwise there won't be enough time." Jiang Yun said.

Lin Xian listened to the voices in his headset, feeling his thoughts chaotic. He pressed mute, and the world suddenly became quiet. He wanted to be calm for two minutes and take a good look at this world.

But he couldn't calm down; his heart was constantly thinking about what Chu Yan had said to him.

A breeze blew by, and Lin Xian suddenly discovered a tiny black ant that had been blown onto the back of his hand from somewhere. After Apocalypse Day, a large number of creatures on Blue Star had gone extinct, and only some cave-dwelling creatures in the dark underground remained. In his memory, ants were very common insects, but Lin Xian had forgotten when he last saw an ant.

The ant didn't know where it was. To it, the breeze was like a flood overturning the world, bringing it from a strange world to another strange world.

Now, the world in front of it was a plain area covered in velvet. These velvet hairs were very hard, like thorns, and it had to climb carefully. Soon, four hills appeared on the plain area. It didn't know those were Lin Xian's finger knuckles. It climbed to the peak and headed toward the valley. Suddenly, the hills seemed to have an earthquake, which obviously frightened it, and it began to accelerate.

The four hills were not the same. After continuously climbing over two hills, the ant found that the two hills behind were significantly lower. This was a good thing, meaning it had safely passed through this hilly area where vibrations occurred.

Lin Xian watched the little black ant crawling on the back of his hand, his mind seemingly empty. He stretched out his other hand, and the backs of his hands moved together, trying to let the ant crawl onto the other hand.

This action immediately caused huge doubt and anxiety for the ant, because those four hills were completely outside the 'plan,' which caused its original hope to fail. But the black ant just shook its head to probe, then continued to climb onto the new four hills, preparing to continue crossing. But what it didn't know was that Lin Xian's hands alternated, merging again. In the black ant's eyes, the hills that were originally from high to low suddenly became a plain of hills from low to high, and they seemed endless.

It didn't realize that the world beneath it was constantly retreating and alternating. The hills and mountains in front of it kept appearing. It tried to change direction, but strangely, the world beneath it seemed to know its purpose, and every time it was about to reach the edge, new hills appeared again.

Lin Xian observed the ant on his hand, not noticing a figure appearing beside him at this moment. He reacted, turned his head to look at the gray-white hair.

Lin Xian had a feeling that Ye Lan could always see him. This seeing was not just on a physical level, just like the first time he talked to Ye Lan, using Chu Yan's mental link. Ye Lan couldn't see him in person, but when she talked to him, it was like this now, her gaze illuminating him completely.

"Professor Ye, it's too hot in the conference room, I came out to get some air."

Ye Lan said calmly: "It's okay, I know you are under great pressure. You are so young, yet you have to stand among our Phoenix Society leadership to face and bear these things. It is unfair to you."

Hearing this, Lin Xian smiled inexplicably: "What's fair or unfair? The end of the world has nothing to do with age. Darkness won't respect women and children; the group that suffers the most casualties is precisely this group."

"Respecting and protecting women and children is a responsibility and civilizational mission that we humans have evolved to protect society, because we want to protect the next generation. Do you know? In the natural world, the population that cries with the loudest voice as soon as they are born like humans is actually very rare, because this is unfavorable for survival, just like we need to keep silent in the darkness. But our children cry because in their genes, humans have already formed group-based self-protection. There are no natural enemies for humans in the natural world of Blue Star, so under natural evolution, our genes have also undergone such changes."

"Yes, just like this ant." Lin Xian looked at the ant in his hand. He didn't want to play with it, just felt that this interaction with life was very interesting, which could relieve his chaotic thoughts at this moment.

Ye Lan glanced at him faintly and said nothing.

Lin Xian felt the atmosphere was a bit dry. Such an important meeting was being held on the Zhentian Warship. He didn't know if he should go back. It was as if Ye Lan was the teacher who caught him and brought him back to class, making Lin Xian inexplicably nervous.

"Professor Ye, I didn't see you just now..."

"I was just in contact with the Emperor Action Group at the Yongcheng Port, preparing to mobilize the Emperor-class mechs into Dawn City." Ye Lan said calmly.

Hearing this, Lin Xian looked at her in surprise: "The result of the meeting is already out?"

"Actually, there is no need to argue about anything; everyone knows it very well." Ye Lan looked at the huge Dawn City: "Abandoning 3 million people and abandoning 30 million people essentially makes no difference."

"Do you think we can only fight a desperate battle?" Lin Xian was horrified in his heart. He wasn't surprised by this result; he was surprised that Ye Lan, as the commander of the Phoenix Society, would have such an unhesitating choice and judgment!

Ye Lan said: "Our war with the darkness has always been in a situation of information asymmetry and power asymmetry. Just like the ant in your hand, you can arbitrarily manipulate its behavior and life or death, but you don't have such a purpose, purely because you don't want to, or feel it's boring. This premise is because you know it's an ant, not something else."

"And for the ant, what it sees is high mountains, abysses, and a world where it cannot control the future at all. But the problem is, when you don't understand this creature, you might not have such a mood, because you don't know whether it will bite you next. According to human common sense logic, the creature that kills you is not necessarily related to body size."

Ye Lan said, looking at Lin Xian: "If this ant were to bite you, would you still continue to tease it?"

Lin Xian smiled: "I would immediately swat it to death, or blow it away."

"These are two extreme results. But what if it were a poison dart frog that is only 2 centimeters long?" Ye Lan asked back.

"Then I'd have to weigh it."

*Hum! *

At this moment, a large transport ship flew from afar. Lin Xian looked and saw it was actually an aircraft from the Silent City.

"Mochizuki Zhenji has arrived. Come, we should discuss how to fight back."

Ye Lan signaled to Lin Xian, and the two began to walk back toward the conference room. The atmosphere in the conference hall seemed to have changed a lot. Lin Xian didn't know if he felt wrong, but clearly, with a disaster imminent, the atmosphere in the conference hall seemed... a bit more relaxed than before.

Mochizuki Zhenji was still in a plain robe, his hands in his sleeves, with a deadpan expression of not fearing death but only fearing trouble. He followed into the conference room, sat opposite Lin Xian, and smiled slightly at him.

A subtle expression of "I already know your mood is not very good now, but I think you did a good job."

Lin Xian returned a helpless expression to him. He found it hard to understand the thinking and emotions of Mochizuki Zhenji, this robot, who was not worried about the end of the world at all. But Ye Lan's next words made his blood start to boil.

"Regarding the game between us and the darkness, there is no need for too much psychological construction. From the perspective of power games, there is a gap between us and dark creatures. But if this crisis is viewed as a probe by the darkness into the capital of humanity, the only thing we can do is to fight back. Because from the beginning of its establishment, the Phoenix Society was prepared to fight for the survival of human civilization for a lifetime. If this is a game, we have no retreat, no choice. Therefore, the theme of the next meeting is changed to a combat meeting centered on how to annihilate the 4 S-class creatures!"

"Comrades, we need to make sufficient preparations in a very short time. Please express your opinions."

Lu Tianye straightened his waist and said sternly: "I agree. Dawn City has built two city walls, has 2,675 'Thor's Hammer' 120mm electromagnetic railguns, 3,500 Great Wall-50 base railguns, and 1,130 combined defense arrays, over 1,200 Fierce Fire heavy cannons, and an outer city defense network composed of 6 layers of ultra-high-temperature plasma beam lines and large pulse string-vibration devices. There are 420 heavy weapon sentry towers. Inside the city, there are 16 air defense systems composed of Silent Hunters, anti-aircraft guns, storm missile systems, and pulse laser sky arrays. My Garrison Army has 130,000 troops, two mech divisions, and one special armed power battalion. The firepower is enough to deal with the strange entity tide. The main problem is the S-class. Even if we have sub-nuclear devices and heavy aerial bombs, if we cannot break the defense, we will fall into a quagmire."

"Yes, S-class creatures basically possess defensive force fields or related means that can defend against thermal weapons. This might be the evolutionary effect brought about by the previous nuclear bomb offensives." Seraphim Minister Luo Ming said at this time: "Our Seraphim Department has over a thousand ability users who can be responsible for special offensives, cover, and reconnaissance of the S-class defense system changes. Last time we killed the Gray Mist Messenger, we gained some experience. Even if the S-class possesses a defensive force field, it is not used without limits."

"As long as the S-class is a carbon-based creature, there is nothing that cannot be killed!" 83rd Iron Guard Brigade Commander Huo Jiang said at this time: "The core problem is the acquisition of battlefield situation. On this point, the 【Cloud Black Thorn】 in Xilan City and the 【Gray Mist】 in Dawn City, including the two S-class entities injured in Reykjavik (European Storm Alliance), all prove that finding the weaknesses of the S-class is more important than frontal firepower coverage."

After speaking, he said to his adjutant: "Li Zheng, introduce the combat structure of our brigade. Tonight's focus is the fan-shaped area in the west and south of the city. The combat power needs to be redeployed with a focus."

The young adjutant of the Iron Guard Brigade immediately opened the holographic screen and introduced: "Our 83rd Iron Guard Brigade has a total force of 42,500, all equipped with tactical power armor. Like the Garrison Army, we also have a special armed power battalion composed of Iron Hunters and Ghost Wolves, with 1,200 people. At the same time, we are equipped with a mech regiment composed of 300 Iron Guard-3 assault types, 275 Guardian-X assault types, 120 Vulcan series mechs, and 8 Interstellar Slaughterers. We have engaged with the No. 13 and No. 14 creatures and created a set of tactics for guerrilla warfare against S-class creatures."

As he spoke, he began to introduce a set of tactics centered on Interstellar Slaughterer mechs.

(Vulcan series)

(Iron Guard-3 military assault type)

(Guardian-X assault type)

"We have 8 fully configured Interstellar Slaughterer mechs. This mech is 60 meters tall, with a total weight of 4,665 tons, a nuclear fusion reactor turbine processor, driven by single-person neural telepathy, using super-carbon-alkyne alloy composite armor, using high-frequency blade chain swords and plasma wrist cannons, as well as the 'Burning Wind' jet system, and 16-tube damage missiles. It is our core combat unit for tactics!"

"That's perfect. We are just lacking units that can attack head-on." Lu Tianye nodded and said with a spirited expression: "As long as the city wall doesn't fall, this battle can definitely be fought."

"And with the participation of the Silent City, our firepower is indeed sufficient." He said, looking at Mochizuki Zhenji.

Mochizuki Zhenji faced everyone's gaze and nodded lightly: "The personnel of my Silent City No. 2 city have been transferred, and all combat personnel and firepower configurations of No. 1 city are complete. Whether it is transfer or response, it is fine. However, based on terrain problems, the Silent City will maintain a hovering state with various fleets, or it will be higher, to deal with that atmospheric creature." "Air-to-air, this is not bad!"

At this time, North American United Front's Xu Zhenyue said: "Our United Front fleet and the Phoenix Society's Zhentian Warship combined have a total of 16,000 people, with the core being the ability user action force. I suggest that the Night Walker organization and the Seraphim Department can cooperate for joint action. The United Front and the Phoenix Society Iron Guard Brigade fleet will provide air firepower support. However, there is a problem that was discussed just now, which is that with so many S-class entities surrounding the city, the dark infection impact is very large. We must ensure that large-scale mutations do not occur in the city."

"I have a proposal."

Former Federal Senator Xu Yan said at this time: "The current underground strategic works have been completely sealed, but Dawn City's underground traffic network still exists, and the areas have been segmented and blocked, the purpose of which is to prevent strange entities from invading. So to avoid large-scale spread of mutation in the city, I suggest transferring the old, weak, women, and children in the city who do not have combat ability to the underground in batches, and then select some gene evolutionists or personnel not suitable for fighting outside the city from the ability user teams on both sides to protect these people in separate areas. Firstly, it can reduce casualties, and secondly, if a mutation occurs, it can also control the mutation in a small area."

"This proposal is very good." Ye Lan said at this time: "General Xu, Team Leader Qi, Minister Luo, you will be responsible for dispatching personnel to Xu Yan and Su Jin to protect these people in batches, minimizing the possibility of mutation."

"Okay, but I have another question."

General Xu said, looking at Huo Jiang and Lu: "Two generals, besides the city, the psychological pressure and dark infection of our soldiers at the front are our first major difficulty."

Although soldiers who have fought for a long time have stronger psychological quality and mental power evolution than ordinary survivors, this does not mean that mutations will not occur within the army. The collapse of the Star Army's combat power at the beginning of Apocalypse Day was caused by internal mutations.

"That's right." Huo Jiang said solemnly: "We possess powerful firepower. Even if we have over 200,000 soldiers, what we need is combat will."

Lu Tianye also immediately had a deep gaze: "We must clearly inform every soldier of the situation we are facing and the combat purpose. Although I trust my soldiers, this is indeed no small pressure."

Possessing combat will and the determination not to fear death does not mean they will not attack comrades after mutation. When danger grows from within, it is often the most terrifying.

For a time, the conference discussion fell into a standstill.

"That... can I make a proposal?"

At this time, Lin Xian, who was sitting in the corner of the crowd, suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. Countless gazes suddenly fell on him. Mochizuki Zhenji, who had a calm face, had his eyes light up, looking at Lin Xian with a smile and great interest. Ever since the previous Star Abyss crossing operation, he had been incredibly interested in any proposal Lin Xian made, as if the only action plan outside his calculation and analysis was Lin Xian's.

Ye Lan sat at the head, looking at Lin Xian with a smile at this time: "Lin Dui, you are an important member of our leadership in this battle. If you have any proposals, you can put them forward directly, don't be restrained."

"I'm not restrained, it's mainly that the aura of the generals and leaders here is terrifyingly strong, I don't dare to speak up."

Lu Tianye looked at him: "This Lin Dui, you did a big thing at the Mount Olympus launch site and saved the whole city. I don't think you are a coward. If you have anything, just say it. No one here will not respect your speech."

As soon as this was said, Huo Jiang, Xu Zhenyue, Qi Nuo, Xu Yan, Su Jin, and others all nodded slightly, casting approving glances at Lin Xian.

Although he was the youngest-looking one here, no one looked at him with strange eyes.

Lin Xian took a breath and then said the idea he had just pondered on the top of the Twin Towers.

"Our current efficiency in resisting dark invasion using dark-corrosion cells can already reach the 18% level. If we can obtain the energy data of dark-corrosion cells absorbing dark invasion on the 【Civilization Vanguard】, we can use dark-corrosion cells to perform potential energy conversion of dark invasion, reaching 100% resistance. In this way, wouldn't this trouble be eliminated?"

"However, the 【Civilization Vanguard】 is outside the Sky Veil." Xu Zhenyue said calmly: "Could it be that you can obtain this data through the mental link with Chu Yan?"

Lin Xian shook his head: "If I could do that, I would have brought it back already."

"Then why do you have this proposal?" Iron Guard Brigade Commander Huo Jiang asked puzzledly at this time.

Lin Xian cleared his throat, his tone sounding a bit unnatural.

"Although I cannot obtain this data through the mental link with Chu Yan, I can... go directly onto the 【Civilization Vanguard】!"

As soon as this was said, the conference room suddenly went quiet. Mochizuki Zhenji's eyes narrowed slightly.

Ye Lan looked at Lin Xian with an intriguing gaze: "You mean, that 【Civilization Vanguard】 which has already been destroyed?"

Lin Xian nodded: "When I was conducting the Crescent Moon operation, I landed on the 【Civilization Vanguard】. At that time, I thought the experimental device on it that stored dark-corrosion cells was the curtain-breaking device, guessing that it might be that only the people of the Deep Red World would activate and connect it before the launch. So I kept a heart and left something on that device."

Lin Xian didn't sell it short and looked at everyone, saying directly.

"It is a taboo item called a 'Flicker Bullet,' which I sealed in a lead box and hid on the 【Civilization Vanguard】. This taboo item can allow me to perform space conversion directly. That is to say, as long as I think about it now, I can immediately teleport to the scientific experimental cabin of the 【Civilization Vanguard】."

Lin Xian never expected that his cautious mind would play a role here. After scanning the whole city, he even forgot about this matter for a while, his heart full of the operation with Chu Yan to search for the curtain-breaking device.

And after returning from the mental link with Chu Yan, he remembered this matter. However, his initial purpose was considering how to save Chu Yan.

"What did you say!?"

Hearing this, Qi Nuo stood up from his chair abruptly: "When did you do this??"

Not just him, others were also incredulous at this time. Mochizuki Zhenji, sitting opposite, suddenly raised the corners of his mouth, and a look of excitement appeared in his eyes.

Seraphim Minister Luo Ming frowned at this time and said to Lin Xian: "I know the records of this taboo item, but are you sure you can perform such a long-distance transfer?"

"I am sure." Lin Xian nodded, because he could sense the existence of that bullet with his brow at any time.

"Good." Luo Ming pressed his hand and continued: "The second question, even if you go up, how do you plan to come down?"

"The Sky Veil has shielded all information." Former Far Star Project head Su Jin said at this time: "We have tested it. Even the high-power electromagnetic wave signal sent back by the 【Natural Selection】 at the end was information returned through solar gain reflection, and preliminary speculation also had a certain relationship with the Sky Veil being broken at that time. Now, even if you are on the intact 【Civilization Vanguard】, you certainly cannot transmit information back."

"He is not trying to transmit information back."

At this time, a calm yet rational voice sounded. Ye Lan at the head looked at Lin Xian with deep eyes and said lightly: "You want to take that Gray Mist Messenger with Chu Yan and fly back into the atmosphere, right?"

Lin Xian was slightly stunned. He felt that all his thoughts were seen through by Ye Lan, but he was not surprised, saying straightforwardly:

"Worth a try, right."

Lin Xian's gaze condensed slightly, becoming more confident: "If we get this data back, we can use the Silent City's co-potential gain technology, combined with the Dawn City City Ring that I repaired as a co-potential tower, to release this dark energy conversion energy. As long as the energy is sufficient, it can completely cover the entire Dawn City, shielding all dark invasion. By the way, we can also bring back a 385-meter, 160,000-ton colonial monster with a resurrected action brain and equipped with starship armor. Combined with the Iron Guard Brigade's mech troops, the Garrison Army's defensive sharp weapons, and the two Emperor-class mechs of the Emperor Project, maybe we can really... with the Corpse-Driver..."

"Wrestle?"

*Quiet! *

The conference hall was incredibly quiet at this moment.

A group of high-level world leaders were all looking at the young man in the corner with shocked eyes, unable to believe that he would propose such an astonishing plan!

Teleporting to the 【Civilization Vanguard】, bringing back the energy data of dark-corrosion cells absorbing dark invasion, and then using the 【Gray Mist Messenger】 to shuttle back into the atmosphere—this would not only save Chu Yan but also bring back the seeds of survival that Chu Jing reserved for humanity!

*Clap, clap, clap~*

At this time, a round of applause sounded strangely. Lin Xian frowned, knowing who this person was without guessing.

Mochizuki Zhenji.

This guy was brilliant at this time.

Ye Lan looked at Lin Xian and said solemnly: "Lin Dui, this is a very critical proposal. If the problem of dark mutation can be solved, our chances of winning will be greatly improved."

Everyone was shocked, and Lin Xian's plan was like a ray of dawn, causing the haze in the entire conference room to dissipate by more than half.

"If this is the case, we can completely let go and fight to the death!" Lu Tianye looked at Lin Xian with appreciation and said decisively.

"That's right! If problems like supplies, water sources, and mutations can be solved, even if we all die here, humans in other areas can get a breather and survive in the dark night!" Xu Zhenyue also said loudly.

"What a good piece of news, this kid is really good!" Commander Huo and a group of high-level officials also said at this time.

Just at this time, Lin Xian stood up slowly and looked at Ye Lan, seemingly having something to say.

Everyone watched him stand up and became quiet again.

"Professor Ye."

Lin Xian's gaze was cold and solemn at this time: "I have one more proposal."

"Go ahead."

"I think having just these is not enough to defeat the Star Abyss's probe."

Ye Lan waited for him to speak, but looking at his gaze, she knew that what he wanted to say was already understood by the other party.

"Yes."

Ye Lan took a deep breath, looked into the void, and said seriously: "This is a probe by the darkness into us humans. If we want to win, it's not just about sufficient firepower, solid defense, and protecting the weak. If doubt is a signal, then it represents fear, which is also a signal."

She said, standing up slowly: "Open the Phoenix Society global radio immediately. We need to call on all humans in the Asia-Pacific Continent and those who have left Dawn City to overcome fear and fight a desperate battle!"

"If we fail, tomorrow's dawn might not come again. And if we succeed, perhaps we can win back time for Dawn City and other Dawn Lands, as well as the initiative for survival!"

As soon as this was said, a sense of mission surged from everyone's hearts. Next, the defensive work for the Dawn City Defense Battle was carried out rapidly. The whole city moved at the news, and a steel defense line composed of over 200,000 troops from the Garrison Army, Iron Guard Brigade, and North American United Front began to be built. Dense military vehicles constantly drove through the roads.

*Boom, boom, boom. * Rows of heavy Star Army mech troops stepped with steel paces, constantly emitting the sound of hydraulic devices. In the sky, the giant Silent City stood suspended, the Zhentian Warship, the North American United Front fleet, the Iron Guard Brigade fleet, and over 100,000 drones of the Dawn City Garrison Army roared in the sky.

On the ground, air defense positions were rapidly prepared and deployed.

Far in the north of Dawn City in the Qingbo direction and the east of Pingcheng, thousands of large and small convoys were constantly rushing toward the distance. The convoys of tens of thousands of people were like steel torrents, and some small and medium-sized convoys took the initiative to gather together to form temporary alliances.

The Dawn Watcher Alliance convoy with over 100,000 people moved rapidly to the north accompanied by the orbital train convoy. Convoy captain Lin Qingyu sat in the base vehicle, constantly directing the movement of the surrounding detachments.

The Lei Zhen convoy of the Joint Alliance expanded from 80,000 to nearly 130,000 overnight. Most of these were temporary Federation members he brought away using convoy resources. Many convoys merged along the way. Lei Zhen cursed and scolded those who squeezed into his convoy along the way, but he didn't mean to drive these people away at all. Instead, he let his subordinates connect the communication frequency and take care of them.

The Wind Speaker convoy was light and mobile. Luo Heng, who came from a scout background, moved very fast and efficiently, but because of this, they could carry the fewest supplies and survivors. Along the way, they constantly communicated the situation with various convoys.

Han Tiege of the All-Metal Frenzy sat in a military armored truck. His convoy was almost a mobile arsenal, with energy and weapon vehicles occupying more than half. Along the way, many convoys still approached wanting to buy weapons and ammunition resources, and this short-statured guy who was usually calculating pennies sold everything at low prices at this time. After all, many convoys had fought until they were exhausted last night, and after the Federation dissolved, resources had disintegrated in all aspects. So, with the mentality of helping if he could, he directly announced low-price sales.

*Chirp, chirp. *

Just at this time, a burst of static current sounded in the convoy's radio, and a calm and aged female voice sounded, steady in tone, but carrying unquestionable power.

"This is the Phoenix Society Supreme Command, I am Ye Lan."

"Tonight, the Star Abyss will launch an unprecedented offensive against our final capital—Dawn City. This is not an ordinary attack, but a probe—a probe by the dark civilization into human civilization. If we retreat, if we fail... then tomorrow, it is highly likely that the sun will no longer rise."

"The Star Abyss wants to observe humanity, observe our weaknesses, observe our survival coordinates. When we retreat, they will expand. When we flee in fear, the darkness will mutate humanity. So I am here to tell the whole world: this battle in Dawn City is highly likely to be our final battle for humanity. If we fail, the Star Abyss will expand without restriction. We will no longer have 1 year and 96 days, we will no longer have 10 months, and perhaps, there will not be another dawn."

"Dawn City has stranded 3 million homeless weak people who have lost their survival vehicles. They are the elderly, women, the wounded, and children. They are our compatriots. The Phoenix Society will not abandon anyone. The defense line composed of 200,000 Garrison Army, Iron Guard Brigade, North American United Front, Night Walkers, and Seraphim will hold until the last person in Dawn City. Now, in the name of the Phoenix Society commander, I call on everyone near Dawn City or those who are leaving to gather toward Dawn City!"

"Comrades, humanity's counterattack begins tonight from Dawn City!"

*Chirp, chirp. *

The static current sound slowly disappeared. Countless rushing convoys kicked up smoke that filled the sky, and the sound of the radio seemed to disappear silently.

Dawn City, Zhentian Warship.

Ye Lan put down the global radio transmitter and then said to Huo Jiang: "Commander Huo, notify the Emperor Project group, 02 【Emperor-Zhu Que】 and 03 【Emperor-Xuanwu】 immediately release the airborne pre-positioning, start the Yongcheng Port strategic transport ship, and transport the Emperor mechs into Dawn City before dark!"

At this moment, hundreds of kilometers away at the Yongcheng Port Xinghua Heavy Industry strategic factory base, sharp alarm sounds began to resound through the sky.

*Woo~ Woo~*

The 168-wheel platform transport device, under the operation of a large number of engineers, slowly drove into the base. At this moment, in the two giant loading wells, two 'Gods' slowly started.

【Alarm, alarm, about to perform Zhu Que Burning Wind ignition, all upper-level loading personnel evacuate.】

In No. 1 loading well, the 02 super-large human weapon, flowing with yellow energy beam lines and dozens of meters taller than the prototype, slowly released the rear connecting cables.

【Qin brothers, please take your positions, prepare for real-machine neural telepathy activation, combat unit deployed, unrelated personnel please evacuate immediately.】

In No. 2 loading well, two young men wearing mech lining suits, walking in unison and with upright figures, walked resolutely toward the giant deep blue mech in front. The two nuclear-powered turbine engines were slowly rotating at this time.

"Heard there are 4 S-class entities, scared, brother?" younger brother Qin Chuan said jokingly.

"Remember." older brother Qin Yue said coldly, stepping forward: "Longguo's mechs, standing they are the Great Wall, falling they are too!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 403 =====