Chapter 415: Double-Faced Game, The Last Hope

After receiving responses from various locations, Lin Xuan felt a slight sense of relief, but he did not lower his guard. He summoned the core team members to hold an emergency meeting in the headquarters' war room.

"Practitioner organizations around the world have already begun to take action, which will greatly weaken the infiltration effect of Void Energy on a global scale," Lin Xuan informed the team of the latest developments, "but our Urban Great Array remains a crucial link. According to Xu Feng's analysis, this city is very likely a key node in the Yage Project."

Xu Feng nodded and pulled up a holographic projection: "Through analysis of recent Void Energy fluctuation patterns, I have discovered a worrying trend."

The holographic projection displayed a complex energy flow map; purple energy streams flowed globally in specific rhythms and patterns, but all major flows eventually converged at one point—the city they were in.

"I believe the Yage Project is constructing a 'Void Resonance Network' that will cover the globe by midnight on the Summer Solstice Day," Xu Feng explained, "utilizing all 'Star Brain' users as nodes to form a massive energy network. And this city is likely the core hub of the entire network."

"What if the plan succeeds?" Xiao Yuan asked.

Xu Feng's expression was grave: "Diqiu will become an outpost for the Void dimension, and Void Energy will pour into our dimension without end. The final result is... human civilization will face total annihilation."

The meeting room fell into silence, with everyone digesting this terrifying prospect.

"Then, what is our countermeasure?" Zhou Zhuo broke the silence and asked the question everyone wanted to know.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath: "As the eve of the Summer Solstice Day approaches, Void Energy has already begun to erode our Array itself. Even with the support of practitioners worldwide, we are still facing an unprecedented challenge."

He walked to an old bookshelf in the corner of the meeting room and took out a locked wooden box. After using his own blood to break the Seal, Lin Xuan took out a yellowed parchment scroll from the box.

"This is the forbidden ultimate secret technique of the Five Elements Academy, 'Five Elements Unity'," Lin Xuan's voice was exceptionally serious, "Under normal circumstances, this secret technique is absolutely forbidden to be used because the price is too heavy. But now... we may have no other choice."

"Five Elements Unity" is the most powerful and dangerous secret technique in the history of the Five Elements Academy. Through this secret technique, the practitioner can temporarily fuse the origin of Five Elements Energy to create an energy burst far exceeding the norm, sufficient to resist or even Seal a Void-level threat. But the price is that the practitioner is likely to consume their entire life force, and even their soul origin will suffer irreversible damage.

Xiao Yuan gasped: "No, absolutely not! This secret technique has been banned for hundreds of years. Of the eleven masters in history who attempted to use it, not one could walk away unscathed. Five perished on the spot, four became cripples, and the remaining two, though they survived, both withered away within a year!"

Lin Xuan gave a bitter smile: "I know the risks, but please trust me, this is only a last resort. Before that, we still have other strategies we can try."

He unfolded the city map and pointed to the five Array Eyes: "Before the Summer Solstice Day arrives, we need to further strengthen the energy reserves of the five Array Eyes while optimizing energy conduction efficiency. Xu Feng, you are responsible for improving the energy conversion devices; Xiao Yuan and Zhou Zhuo will split up to guide the Array Eye guardians in adjusting the Array structure; I will personally comb through the core lines of the Urban Great Array to ensure the energy flow is unobstructed."

Lin Xuan paused for a moment, looking around at every face in the meeting room: "I want to be honest with everyone: the next 24 hours will be the greatest challenge we have ever faced. The probability of success... is not high. But please remember, we are not fighting alone. Practitioners all over the world are joining the battle in their own ways. As long as we work together, human civilization has hope."

After the meeting ended, Lin Xuan remained in the war room alone, examining the "Five Elements Unity" secret technique scroll once more. The ancient characters on the parchment seemed to glow faintly, containing awe-inspiring power and danger.

"I hope I don't need to use it until the very last moment," Lin Xuan whispered to himself, "but if I must... I am prepared to pay the price."

On the eve of the Summer Solstice Day, as soon as the sky darkened, reports of bizarre celestial anomalies began to arrive from all over the world. From Tokyo to New York, from Moscow to Sydney, a Purple Aurora covered the entire night sky like a flowing curtain, completely obscuring the light of the stars and the moon. This unnatural celestial phenomenon triggered global panic; social media was flooded with doomsday prophecies and conspiracy theories, while spontaneous prayer gatherings and protests appeared on the streets.

Governments around the world declared states of emergency one after another, and the military and police began to move into major cities to maintain order and prevent potential riots. Global air traffic was almost paralyzed, with countless flights urgently canceled due to concerns about the Aurora's interference with navigation systems. Scientists were at a loss regarding this phenomenon; the most authoritative explanation was merely "an unprecedented atmospheric anomaly," but no one believed such hollow rhetoric.

At the Five Elements City Guardian Network Headquarters, the atmosphere was grave to the extreme. Lin Xuan stood in the central command room, and the holographic screen in front of him displayed global abnormal energy monitoring data, with values already exceeding the limits envisioned at the time of design.

"Two pieces of bad news," Xu Feng looked up from the data terminal, his eyes filled with exhaustion and worry, "The Xingchen Keji Zongbu has been completely 'Void-ified,' and the entire building has transformed into a giant 'Void Energy Emitter Tower,' sending activation signals to 'Star Brain' devices globally every hour. If our calculations are correct, by midnight on the Summer Solstice Day, over 60% of 'Star Brain' users worldwide will be completely controlled."

Lin Xuan frowned: "And the second?"

"We still haven't found the true 'Void Core'," Xu Feng sighed, "Without them, we cannot dismantle the energy foundation of the 'Global Synchronization Project' at the source. The Urban Great Array and the protective net laid out by the global practitioners can, at most, delay the speed of the Void Invasion; they cannot stop it completely."

Lin Xuan was silent for a moment, thinking about various possible countermeasures. At this moment, a rapid signal tone suddenly sounded in the war room. Xu Feng quickly checked the communication panel, his expression shifting from confusion to shock.

"This... this is impossible!" His voice rose in surprise, "Someone is using Yang Zhiyuan's private encrypted terminal to send us a communication request!"

"Connect it, but maintain maximum alert," Lin Xuan immediately ordered, "It could be a trap."

Xu Feng quickly activated multiple security protocols to ensure the communication would not become a pathway for Void Energy to invade the system, then cautiously connected the signal. The central projection area flickered a few times, and a distorted figure gradually took shape.