Chapter 1730: On the Eve of the Fall 2

This means... I must perfectly calculate the timing.

When the Black Lock breaks and the stars fall, no one can leave alive...

He clenched his fists silently.

Lin An could imagine how terrifying that scene would be.

Although he seemed to have found a way to survive, in the face of such disaster he still had little confidence.

Moreover, in the scenario he simulated, there was a crucial problem.

That is the celestial body above the Stellar Battlefield, whose diameter equals that of several battlefields.

It appears enormously voluminous, even larger than Earth.

But it is spherical.

Being spherical means that when this super celestial body falls and strikes, a tiny gap will remain around the point of impact.

Just like a ball placed on white paper, the ball itself does not fully touch the paper; only part of it presses onto the paper.

Instinctively lowering his gaze to the rubble beneath his feet, Lin An furrowed his brows.

The Black Lock node he must destroy is necessarily above the exchange point, and once determined, its position cannot be changed.

After the Black Lock breaks, this place will become the largest point of contact.

To kill everyone at once, he needs to gather all the Awakened Ones on the battlefield here.

If they are extremely far from the impact point, theoretically those on the outermost edge might die last.

"This point is not hard to solve.."

"The Stellar Battlefield is already shrinking its range automatically."

"According to my current destruction progress, if I want to destroy this place within the final hour, I just need to start destroying two hours from now."

"Otherwise, adjust the time of action."

He raised his head; Lin An remained silent.

At this moment, he felt as if he were standing before a time bomb; the moment he presses it, the outcome is already decided.

After a long while.

As a silent blackness seeped into the Black Lock,

The constantly moving Black Lock suddenly paused for an instant before moving again.

It was as if the gears of fate had turned again.

Northwest China, Heiyu, Long An Number Three Safe Zone.

On the heavily guarded metal high wall, squads of Awakened One soldiers ran forward on patrol.

Uniform footsteps echoed in the somewhat quiet outskirts of Heiyu.

Under the permeating black mist and morning vapor, the steel city wall encircling all of Heiyu lay like a dormant, coiled dragon, silently guarding.

"Cheer up!"

"Teams Four and Six, prepare to rotate! Watch the southwest direction!"

Searchlights swept; even in daylight, the outskirts of Heiyu remained somewhat dim, the perennial fog always obscuring distant views.

On the broad walltop wide enough for tanks to pass, a Third‑Level Awakened One captain leading the rotating soldiers loudly rebuked the other warriors lying on the wall.

"Get up and move! Whoever I catch sleeping will face a military tribunal!"

"Report any abnormalities from last night now; I'll compile them and go to headquarters!"

He cursed and grumbled.

Wearing the standard black‑red combat uniform of Long An, the squad leader, somewhat irritated, pulled off his helmet and kicked the machine‑gunner lying on the wall in the butt.

Though it was just scolding, his words truly showed some concern for these soldiers.

As the elite unit guarding the outskirts of Heiyu, all of them were at least First‑Level Awakened Ones.

But because they are too close to Heiyu, the pervasive black mist inevitably erodes the Awakened Ones' bodies, even their thoughts.

After guarding all night, even the Awakened Ones found it unpleasant.

Often soldiers would inexplicably meet with mishap, only discovered at rotation to have already 'frozen stiff'.

"I'm fine, Captain! I'm a veteran!"

"Stop kicking my butt all the time!"

Hearing the rotation order, the machine‑gunner who had lain there all night swiftly stood up, covered his butt with a wry smile, and reported his number, his eyes full of resignation.

According to the captain, the reason he kicks him each time to get him up is purely because he's too weak, fearing he might meet trouble and not react.

But he always felt that the captain just thought his butt was perky and that kicking it felt especially great.

"Team Four, Number One, safe!"

"Team Four, Number Two, safe!"

"Team Six, Number Three, safe!"

As the loud roll‑calls rang out, the squad leader's stern face finally eased a little.

Seeing his subordinates unharmed, he then nodded and issued the passage order from his hand.

"All right, as long as it's fine."

"Lately be careful; already three or four squads have sensed something off inside Heiyu, and a team that went in has gone missing."

"Same as always: if there's any abnormality, even if you think it's nothing, report it immediately! Got it!?"

"Understood! Captain!"

"We know what you're worried about; we're not rookies!"

"Rest assured, if there were a problem we'd surely sound the alarm; last night our perimeter showed no movement at all."

Grinning, he took the token from the captain's hand; a Second‑Level youth brushed off the moisture on his clothes and, while speaking, couldn't help but swallow dryly.

As an elite unit guarding Heiyu, their pressure is not small, and naturally their treatment is not bad either.

After the rotation ends, it's a whole day of rest; thinking that the base recently got back a lot of good food, he can't help but drool a bit.

Just after receiving the token, he seemed to think of something.

"Captain, if we're talking about problems, it's still the previous problem."

"The people of those gathering places around us came probing again last night. Damn, that bunch of scum even sent a group of kids to scout ahead!"

The Second Level who spoke, recalling last night's commotion, couldn't help but look a bit angry.

"Those people still want to sneak into Heiyu, fearing we'll attack them; this time they've even put a group of kids at the front!"

"Bunch of scum! Do they really think we're holding this place to monopolize its resources? Without us guarding here, everyone around would have died out!"

Hearing the team member's somewhat angry voice, the squad captain also furrowed his brow.

He knows what his subordinate is saying.

Since Faction: Long An took control here and a new Safe Zone was built, the extremely high-danger Heiyu has also been surrounded according to the instructions of Long An's High Level.

Although on one hand, Heiyu can indeed produce a large amount of supplies, controlling this place equals controlling a resource point.

But more importantly, it's to prevent Heiyu from spreading and rioting, and to reduce the casualties among the Survivors.

"It's normal; earlier, part of the mid-level here escaped, and they've been spreading the word that Heiyu is a treasure trove—once you go in, you can bring out anything."

"They deliberately concealed the level of danger."

"People outside don't know the true situation, so naturally they want to go in."