"We’ve almost completed preparations on this side, and we should be able to depart in about 15 minutes. The Southern City has already dispatched a reconnaissance aircraft to scout the airspace for us, but... there’s no news yet."
"It’s still dark now, and with a Level 5 mark, if there’s no chaos, it only means those Abnormal Bodies have much better discipline than we imagined."
In fact, to some extent, Lin Xian hoped the Monster Tide would charge again at this moment. If they did, they could quickly diminish the mark and transfer quickly, with no need to confront that terrifying S-Class entity head-on.
However, ever since the mark appeared last night and the entire city’s Monster Tide rapidly retreated, Lin Xian knew that what the survivors of Xilan face is a looming, covering net!
At this moment, Luo Yang and others, who were busy setting up defensive structures, ran over, followed by Liang Lei, Li Yi, Uncle Wu, Liao Ming, and Shen Yao.
Lin Xian turned around: "Very thoughtful layout, using so many passenger planes as bunkers and so many High-voltage Ionization Walls."
"Luo Yang and this group of young ones have a lot of ideas," Uncle Wu Wu Zhenhai said. "They’ve helped Captain Xiao a lot, young minds really work better than ours."
"Right, right." Liao Ming smiled and said.
"But it’s too open here; holding it won’t be that easy," Beifeng Alliance’s Shen Yao pointed out.
"There’s no choice; within the city, it’s not only hard to maneuver but also easy to get trapped. Although it’s open here, we can gather over ten thousand people, and logistics and supplies can match up."
At this moment, Lin Xian said, "Moreover, you won’t have to face enemies on all fronts. After all, the North City Wall is less than ten kilometers from here. Mainly we’ll deal with the Monster Tide coming from the city, plus you have part of the transportation station in front, so we’ll focus more on the southwest direction."
Luo Yang and others nodded at these words.
"Captain Lin, we’ve heard that you’re going on a very dangerous mission. Please make sure to stay safe." Li Yi, with a big belly, sincerely looked at Lin Xian and advised him.
"Yes, we’ll definitely wait for your return," Liang Lei added.
At this moment, Yu Yuheng, with dark circles under his eyes, walked over: "Almost ready, let’s depart."
Lin Xian turned back to KIKI: "Go back, prepare well, stay safe, and wait for my return."
KIKI glared at him and then took a deep breath and whispered,
"You better hurry back..."
The cold wind howled as Lin Xian, under the watchful gazes of everyone, boarded the transport aircraft. The cabin slowly closed, and under the escort and accompaniment of several Lightning-2 space fighters, the transport aircraft quickly ascended, flying southeast.
Aboard the transport aircraft, Yu Yuheng detailed with Lin Xian the current status and challenges of the No.1 Machine.
In these trying times, the Phoenix Society had no reason to keep secrets, and Lin Xian saw a magnificent plan that left him in awe.
Moreover, Yu Yuheng also briefly revealed that according to the Emperor Plan, there were actually three early design drafts for the super-giant humanoid weapon. Due to energy and integration challenges, the No.1 Machine is quite a conservative version...
"The S-Class Abnormal Body we encountered before was named ’Gray Mist.’ During our first encounter, things were actually much better than we estimated. That night, Chen Wei and others fought with the No.1 Machine against that monster for over 4 hours. The final outcome was that the S-Class Abnormal Body mysteriously disappeared. At the time, we thought the No.1 Machine’s might had intimidated and defeated the opponent. Who would have thought..."
Yu Yuheng raised his glasses: "Later on, unaware of our Level 5 mark incident, we suffered the most serious attack since our mission after nightfall in Trakama Ice Valley. Two giant worms almost devoured our entire armed contingent, and there was a Winged Demon at least seventy to eighty meters in the air. We were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties, forcing us to send out an all-frequency distress signal."
Lin Xian frowned slightly at these words: "Didn’t you make any preparations in the dark?"
Yu Yuheng’s complexion slightly changed, just as he prepared to speak, Chen Wei on the opposite side directly said: "Preparations? If it were one-on-one, or even one-on-two, one-on-three, Pangu has the strength to contend with these beasts, but what about ten thousand or a hundred thousand?"
"To put it bluntly," Yu Yuheng sighed: "Our experimental group’s purpose was to target S-Class for attacks, and we hadn’t considered such a Monster Tide situation. The group tide attack commanded by high-level beings like Snow Demon Snow Demon in the Extreme Cold Vortex is rare. For us, it was completely unprepared."
Lin Xian nodded hearing this; elephants also fear many ants. He thought that the Emperor Plan, such a secret mission, might as well confront the S-Class head-on like in Yu Bei City’s scenario. He wondered why it was kept so secret.
"May I ask why the Emperor Plan is so secretive? Is it to keep secrets from the Descent Faction, or fear of leaking something?"
This question made Yu Yuheng, who was operating the computer, freeze, opening and closing his mouth, unsure how to respond.
Instead, Chen Wei directly looked at Lin Xian: "I also had similar doubts before and asked them. They told me their reasons, which I found absurd. But since joining the Emperor Plan, I don’t think so anymore."
Chen Wei took a deep breath, his expression stern: "Early on Apocalypse Day, the interstellar army had used tactical nuclear weapons in large quantities to counter Dark Creatures and Star Abyss. Thus, Phoenix Society and the interstellar army learned two lessons."
"1. Star Abyss accelerated its expansion."
"2. Abnormal Bodies were also evolving, especially in dealing with nuclear radiation!"
Hearing this, Lin Xian’s expression changed slightly.
"Do you mean you are keeping secrets from the dark?"
"That’s roughly the idea, though not entirely; there’s also an intent to keep it from survivors," Yu Yuheng shrugged. "At least until this plan matures, headquarters doesn’t want a large-scale exposure. First, there could be many design flaw issues with the No.1 Machine. Second, if this weapon, integrated with the core of human technology, fails, it would be a huge blow to the survivors’ confidence."
Lin Xian was inwardly apprehensive; one must admit, the Phoenix Society’s considerations are comprehensive. But what Chen Wei said also left him a bit shocked.
This seemed to suggest that Dark Creatures are intelligently and consciously counteracting and even evolving against human weapons. It sounded eerie and terrifying. In hindsight, it’s no wonder the interstellar army and Phoenix Society didn’t directly crush Star Abyss with nuclear force; turns out, they had tried...