Chapter 465: Transmission

Dean Avery ignored the commotion below and continued speaking in a steady, powerful voice:

"The enemy's specific tactical intentions are not yet fully clear. But given the current disparity in combat power, the highest decision-making body of the workshop has only one requirement for this war…"

His gaze seemed to sharpen further, each word deliberate:

"Delay!"

"At all costs, hold the enemy! Hold them long enough!"

Whether we later engage in large-scale army battles or split into elite squads for guerrilla raids and seizing key nodes, every strategy and tactic must begin with "buying time"! To give the workshop more time!

Delay time?

Gao Jie Ming sat below, his fingers idly rubbing the armrest as his mind raced.

This posture… the Noble Workshop's high command must be holding some "certain victory" or at least a "decisive trump card"?

But this trump card requires considerable time to prepare or activate?

So the current core strategy is to "hold on" at all costs, trading space and partial sacrifices for time?

But… the Tower of Annihilation and the Chaotic Cult aren't fools.

Their joint strike must also have prepared targeted killing blows.

Can the Noble Workshop's "ultimate move" truly outmatch the enemy's possible, even multiple, "ultimate moves"?

Gao Jie Ming's doubts remained unresolved, but Dean Avery had already concluded the announcement of the highest strategy.

The holographic screen rose slightly, making space for another senior wizard, his face stern, clad in pitch-black battle armor.

He was a senior strategist of the Noble Workshop's Military Command and one of the mentors of Academy 147.

In a tone devoid of emotion, he began detailing the enemy's known paper strength:

"Preliminary assessment of combined enemy combat power:"

Level Eight wizards: Two—one from the Tower of Annihilation, one from the Chaotic Cult.

Level Seven wizards: Over five hundred confirmed to participate.

Level Six wizards: Estimated total exceeding ten thousand.

Level Five and below wizards: Exact numbers unknown, but based on recruitment scope and force size models, total enemy strength is approximately one point five to one point eight times ours.

With each number announced, the temperature in the conference hall seemed to drop another degree.

These were not merely cold figures — behind them stood countless powerful individuals and a war tide capable of drowning everything.

The disadvantage was far greater than many had imagined.

According to Gao Jie Ming's knowledge, the Noble Workshop could deploy only about four hundred Level Seven wizards—nearly their entire reserve.

The number of Level Six wizards was also limited; fewer than seven thousand could be mobilized.

Moreover, since Anton Buchanan's promotion to Level Eight had been too recent, the gap in high-end combat power was far larger than initially anticipated.

Then, several Level Six wizards stepped forward one after another to outline specific preparations.

Personnel grouping, resource allocation, transmission sequences, initial defense deployments, communication and command chain establishment, emergency evacuation plans…

Each deployment and order was clearly and systematically explained. Finally, the lengthy pre-war meeting ended.

On the stage, Dean Avery Knight's holographic image gave a slight nod, then dissolved like ripples in water.

Almost simultaneously, across the smooth, mirror-like metal floor of the circular tiered chamber, intricate and orderly transmission runes flared to life.

Light radiated upward from beneath their feet, enveloping every wizard, as spatial fluctuations became active and orderly.

Gao Jie Ming glanced down at the exquisitely detailed array beneath him — clearly just completed — and scratched his head in surprise: "I swear, last time I came to this meeting, there wasn't anything like this underneath."

Viola, seated in the front row, turned around.

The stern expression from the meeting vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of smugness.

She gave Gao Jie Ming a thumbs-up and whispered, "Of course! This is the 'express route' we pulled an all-nighter to lay yesterday! Efficient enough?"

Gao Jie Ming looked at her face—dark circles under her eyes but glowing with energy—then recalled the solemn, imposing Level Six wizard on the stage moments ago. His expression darkened, his tone tinged with irony:

"So… you all sat up there so 'serious,' looking like master strategists beyond comprehension… was it because…"

"Of course! We've been setting up arrays, calibrating energy nodes, and coordinating transmission parameters with other academies for days — we were too exhausted to even stand, let alone move! We just needed to sit still and rest our eyes!" Viola replied without shame, even yawning slightly. "Maintaining appearances takes a lot of effort too."

Gao Jie Ming: "..."

For a moment, he felt the mysterious "prestige" of senior wizards in his mind had shattered with a crisp "crack," scattering into pieces.

Before he could continue his critique, the transmission array beneath his feet blazed with sudden intensity!

A gentle yet inescapable spatial force enveloped his entire body; his vision filled with pure white light, and a faint sensation of weightlessness arose.

When the light fully faded and his vision returned, Gao Jie Ming found himself no longer in the solemn conference chamber.

Around him stretched an eerily "orderly" wasteland.

The ground was composed of some unnatural, dark gray, perfectly flat rock, extending infinitely to the horizon.

The sky was a constant, unchanging pale blue curtain, emitting uniform, soft light.

The air carried an extremely "clean" yet rigid elemental aura, with energy particles of all attributes precisely regulated to a stable ratio, their fluctuations suppressed to the minimum.

Unlike when he was still a novice wizard, Gao Jie Ming now perceived elements with far greater precision—and thus noticed far more.

Feeling this overly "neat," lifeless, and chaotic-free energy environment, Gao Jie Ming immediately understood where he was.

"The Ship Plane…" he murmured to himself.

Thinking it over, it made perfect sense.

After all, the Ship Plane was a realm heavily modified by wizard civilization, specifically designed for interdimensional travel or as a mobile war fortress.

An ideal platform for mass troop assembly, transit, and long-range deployment.

"Gao Jie Ming! Over here!"

A familiar voice came from behind and to the side.

Gao Jie Ming turned to see David pushing through a group of wizards adjusting to the environment, murmuring among themselves.

Behind him followed Seraphina, Kaelen, Rex, and Anya.

David was the first to reach Gao Jie Ming, his face filled with the warmth of reuniting with an old friend — and unmistakable shock at Gao Jie Ming's rank.

He scrutinized Gao Jie Ming from head to toe, as if verifying whether this was truly him, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind:

"You… didn't lose your mind, did you?!"

Gao Jie Ming's eyebrow twitched. He replied dryly: "No. I'm perfectly fine."

(End of Chapter)