Chapter 322

Shangguan Ying said: "Currently, all our energy combined is just enough to power the signal device; that is, all three underground cities will become dark cities, but I will go to the front line and, together with everyone, vow to defend our last stronghold."

The commander stood at attention and saluted, "Yes, general!"

The order was quickly passed down.

Two underground cities fell into darkness one after another, all facilities shut down, and all energy was concentrated and transmitted.

When the signal device in the third underground city began to start up, Shangguan Ying calmly put on her combat uniform, then opened her phone and pulled out the precious photo inside of a woman who resembled Ning Jinli, holding a little girl.

After staring at it for a few seconds in a trance, she put her phone away, then put on her tactical helmet and left the office.

Soon, the third underground city was also swallowed by darkness.

Only the signal transmission equipment inside a laboratory remained lit.

The scientists of the Repair Plan Team, in order, opened the various complicated switches, readjusting the equipment and system accurately.

"Miss Ning, everything is ready," the chief scientist said beside the main control console, gripping the lever, "When I activate the instrument, the power will peak in thirty seconds; at that moment, the electronic signal we have written will be sent out through you, and the world that receives the signal will be able to see you directly. At the same time, you must focus your attention as much as possible, because you are also part of the signal transmitter; you must not lose focus, for we have only this one chance."

Having already put on the specially made protective suit, Ning Jinli took a few deep breaths, nodded, and stepped into a round sealed cylinder.

Afterwards, the sealed cylinder was closed, and coolant was poured in until it was completely full.

Ning Jinli relied on several tubes connecting to the outside of the sealed cylinder to maintain breathing; when her whole body was surrounded by coolant and endless darkness, she closed her eyes.

"Connect the instruments!" the chief scientist ordered.

The staff on standby around the sealed cylinder, one after another, plugged in more than ten cables as thick as arms into the cylinder's port.

The science team highly focused, each in front of a computer screen constantly checking data.

All components of the instrument and the energy connections were normal.

The chief scientist looked at the fluorescent device above the sealed cylinder and said, "Countdown: five, four, three, two, one, activate!"

Pop!

Having finished counting down, he forcefully pushed the lever all the way down.

In an instant, the instrument above the sealed cylinder burst forth with blinding white light.

All team members present, protected by their goggles, looked anxiously at the sealed cylinder.

The interconnected power networks of the three huge underground cities were bearing unprecedented high pressure, even emitting a series of deep, rumbling electrical sounds like the earth roaring.

At the same time, all combat personnel, under Shangguan Ying's leadership, reached the surface.

Under the overcast sky, in the distance the ground was surging like a tide with the surrendering army, and farther up in the sky were swarms of combat aircraft from the descending army.

"Everyone, it is an honor to fight alongside you," Shangguan Ying said via the walkie-talkie in her tactical helmet to the remaining over ninety thousand Huaxia soldiers, "Perhaps we will all perish, but I hope we can each survive as long as possible, so we can buy Ning Jinli a little more time, and behind us are tens of millions of Huaxia people; the survival of Huaxia hinges on this battle."

Soon, the surrendering army entered the battlefield, numbering over a million, with weapons and equipment too many to count, and this was only the first batch.

The battle thus erupted.

Thirty seconds later, the signal transmission instrument, having reached peak operating power, emitted an extremely special column of light.

The rock layer several kilometers thick above the underground city seemed to vanish before this beam of light; the beam pierced directly through the strata and shot toward the dim sky.

This beam of light lasted less than half a second before ending.

Then all energy was completely exhausted.

On the ground, the fighting was fierce and brutal.

Below ground, inside the three underground cities, the last tens of millions of Huaxia citizens, in total darkness where one cannot see one's hand before one's face, clung tightly to relatives, friends, or family, silently praying.

Inside the laboratory, the members of the Repair Team turned on the last remaining battery-powered lamp and opened the mechanical switch of the sealed cylinder.

The sealed hatch opened.

Whoosh—

Scalding coolant poured out.

Ning Jinli's tall stature collapsed along with it.

Everyone, risking burns, worked together to support her and lift her out from inside.

Medical personnel who had been waiting nearby quickly removed her protective suit and immediately checked her condition.

From this point on, the most important people around Ning Jinli, as well as the top echelon of Huaxia state, accompanied her outside the laboratory.

When the laboratory door opened, everyone, anxious and worried, rushed inside.

Leading the way were Ning Shan and Ye Zhiqiu, with Su Qinglan and Wu Sanye beside them.

The four looked extremely worried.

Su Qinglan unconsciously gripped Wu Sanye's arm tighter, hurting him so much his face twisted.

"How is Xiao Li?" she asked hurriedly.

Ning Shan and Ye Zhiqiu also spoke in unison, "How is our daughter's condition?!"

"Miss Ning has exhausted her physical and mental strength; she fainted right after leaving the cabin," the medical staff quickly explained, "but she is not in danger of death; we are giving her an IV and letting her rest, and she will be fine."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Sanye gently patted the back of Su Qinglan's hand and softly comforted, "Miss Ning, a fortunate person has their own heavenly appearance; just relax."

"Mmm... I just hope heaven blesses her," Su Qinglan said, her eyes still full of worry and heartache.

"Cough, could you loosen your grip a little?" Wu Sanye said even more softly, "It's a bit painful..."

Su Qinglan then realized, released her grip, lowered her gaze, and said, "You say, will we die?"

Wu Sanye embraced her, saying, "I don't know, but if we are going to die, I will be with you."

When the last battery-powered lamp in the laboratory ran out of power, those present were also engulfed in endless darkness; they sat on the floor, gathered together to guard Ning Jinli, and no one spoke anymore.

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

In the vast battlefield on the ground, the Huaxia soldiers exerted all their strength to resist wave after wave of attacks by the surrendering army.

Although they were at an absolute numerical disadvantage, relying on superhuman combat prowess, extremely strong tactical and organizational abilities, and weaponry ahead of all other nations worldwide, they won victory in successive defensive battles.

In the high sky.

Inside the mother ship of the Descending Legion headquarters.

Ning Yao looked at the enormous holographic screen before her and coldly said:

"If my legion doesn't act, Huaxia Guo could completely rely on its own national strength to single-handedly take on all other countries in the world; those who surrendered are truly trash."

"Heavenly Venerable, should we take action now?" a high-ranking officer of the legion beside her lowered his head and asked.

Ning Yao waved her hand and said, "No rush, don't spoil my enjoyment of the show. What could be more entertaining than watching people in this world slaughter each other? I actually want to see how long Huaxia Guo, with less than a hundred thousand troops left, can hold out against the surrendered legion that outnumbers them by tens or even hundreds of times."

Three days later, Huaxia Guo lost two strongholds.

The residents of the Underground City transferred one after another through the underground passages into the final stronghold.

As the huge crowd poured in, the supplies stored in the final stronghold were quickly running low.

Moreover, of Huaxia Guo's over ninety thousand soldiers, more than half have been casualties; now only forty thousand can still fight, and their weapons and ammunition are almost exhausted.

After the civilians from the two lost strongholds had been relocated, the forty thousand soldiers formed a protective defensive circle and fought desperately to hold the final stronghold.

Inside the battlefield shrouded in gunpowder smoke.

Shangguan Ying, who hadn't slept for three days and nights, half-reclined in a trench bunker to rest briefly.

"General, there's still a compressed biscuit and an apple; please eat quickly!" a commander of a combat unit approached, bending over, his rough hands dry, cracked, and stained with blood, carefully holding the two items he mentioned.

Shangguan Ying glanced and asked, "How much food do we have left?"

The commander replied, "There's plenty left! You haven't slept for three days and nights, not even a grain of rice has passed your lips—hurry and eat something!"

"No need to lie to me," Shangguan Ying shook her head, "my physique isn't something you can compare to; I can endure it—give the food to others instead."

"General..." the commander's nose tingled, "then... at least take a bite, even a small one will do."

Shangguan Ying smiled and said, "Alright, I'll eat."

She took the apple, bit into it quickly, then put it back.

The commander stared, tears welling in his eyes, for this withered apple had only its skin broken.

Shangguan Ying chewed a tiny piece of apple peel, smaller than a fingernail, and said, "It's pretty sweet—try it, and share it with everyone."

"General..."

"Hurry up and go!"

"Yes, General!"

Soon after, tactical reports from various defense points kept coming through Shangguan Ying's combat helmet earpiece.

She kept adjusting tactics by communicating with several subordinate commanders.

Over these three days, she had been doing this—not only frequently engaging in combat personally, but also constantly overseeing the overall situation, her stamina and mental energy being drained wildly.

After arranging the latest round of battle plans, Shangguan Ying nearly blacked out and fainted.

She bit hard on her tongue tip, using the sharp pain to stay conscious.

Night had already fallen, and an even more difficult defensive battle lay ahead.

Yet casualties kept rising, and weapons and ammunition might not last much longer.

"Can... we... hold on until the moment a miracle appears?" Shangguan Ying murmured, gazing at the pitch-black night sky where not a single star could be seen.

Time passed again, nearly half a month.

Ning Yao learned that Huaxia Guo's final stronghold had somehow not yet fallen, and she couldn't help but lose a bit of patience.

Watching that bunch of worthless surrendered legion deliver heads every day had also grown tiresome.

"How many combat personnel does Huaxia Guo have left?" she asked while eating delicate pastries.

"Reporting to the Heavenly Venerable," the subordinate replied respectfully, "it should be fewer than twenty thousand, and since two days ago they've repeatedly engaged in close-quarters combat with cold weapons, suggesting their ammunition is exhausted."

"Huh?" Ning Yao laughed angrily, "they've started fighting with cold weapons, yet those damned surrendered legion soldiers still can't win?"

The subordinate's face showed a hint of contempt, saying, "Just as you said, they're nothing but a bunch of trash."

Ning Yao pondered briefly, then said, "I've thought of something fun—come, listen to me."

The subordinate immediately leaned in, listened carefully to Ning Yao's instructions, couldn't help but smile, and said, "Yes, I'll pass on the orders right away."

After more than half an hour, the surrendered legion began to show clear signs of collapse.

Even during the retreat, they dropped a considerable amount of food and weapons and ammunition.

The Huaxia war army's morale instantly surged; at least they could replenish some resources and catch a breather.

Shangguan Ying knew things couldn't be that simple; from the start of the great decisive battle to now, only the surrendered legion had fought, while the countless flying vessels of the Descending Army in the sky hadn't moved at all.

But she couldn't let this dampen the troops' spirits at this moment, so she had everyone pick up whatever the surrendered legion had left behind to fill their stomachs first.

In the sky, Ning Yao clearly watched through more advanced surveillance equipment as Huaxia warriors in the trenches cheerfully shared food.

"You're about to die, yet you're this happy?" Ning Yao sneered.

All the soldiers were hungry, but they endured it, waiting until the gathered food was evenly distributed to each person before preparing to eat.

But at that moment, several triangular combat aircraft suddenly broke away from the Descending Legion's sky combat squadron and swooped down at lightning speed.

One after another, massive bombs kept falling from the sky, sweeping over every trench and bunker.

Wherever the bombs landed, everything was flattened, and raging fires ignited, spreading rapidly in all directions.

At the same time, the triangular combat aircraft could unleash a dense rain of laser bolts—though they had no physical warheads, their destructive power and attack speed were dozens of times that of this world's heavy machine guns.

"No!!!!" Shangguan Ying let out a anguished howl.

She knew things wouldn't be simple, even anticipating that after the Descending Legion's defeat, her side's soldiers would have no ability to counterattack.

But she never expected the opponent to be so vicious.

And then, at that very moment, they launched a sudden attack.

The soldiers hadn't even managed to put the last bite of food into their mouths before the artillery blast turned them into flying ash……

After just one round of bombardment, the Huaxia war army of fewer than twenty thousand was reduced to only two or three thousand still alive—but even those were severely wounded, with virtually no chance of survival.

One triangular combat aircraft had fallen down, intending to land and inspect the situation.

Boom!

A sudden explosion sound rang out.

It was a group of severely wounded Huaxia soldiers who, working together, transported some ammunition and explosives over, directly detonating them by sacrificing themselves.

However, the ammunition and explosives captured from the surrender army only left a layer of soot on the surface of the descending army's combat aircraft.

Shangguan Ying recalled the wars she had experienced long, long ago.

Countless Huaxia sons and daughters once sacrificed their lives to resist the invaders; back then, it was common to see people charging with explosive packs to blow up bunkers and enemy tanks.

Such sacrifices played a huge role at many critical moments.

But now, even if the soldiers do that, the enormous gap in military technology means they can no longer inflict any damage on the enemy's equipment.

Despair...

Too desperate!