ccnovels #395 - Dark Clouds
#395 - Dark Clouds
This was the fourteenth day of Wang Jixuan's seclusion.
In that ancient, lost city, two beams of light soared into the sky and began to intertwine, like a biological DNA helix.
After Gao Huating came out, no one knew what exactly had happened inside.
However, the aura that Amina occasionally revealed already exuded a strong oppressive force.
Wang Jixuan's aura, on the other hand, didn't have any oppressive feeling, but rather a sense of tranquility and etherealness.
At the same time.
Border area of the D5 Comprehensive War Zone.
Dense formations of armored vehicles were advancing towards the southeast.
Fu Jian stood in the bridge command center of the aerospace aircraft carrier, watching the steel torrent on the screen.
He was used to maintaining a solemn expression—actually, it was just being expressionless.
This way, his subordinates couldn't judge the severity of the situation from his face.
It was indeed quite severe.
This time, the Blade Beasts didn't disperse their forces to attack the major comprehensive war zones—a tactic to contain humanity's living strength.
After several major battles, the existing King-level Blade Beast packs on Earth were already few in number. Now, large numbers of King-level Blade Beast packs were gathering towards the border of the D8 Comprehensive War Zone under the protection of the four Pillar Blade Beasts.
Six directions, one hundred and twenty King-level Blade Beast packs, plus six Pillar Blade Beasts (two of which were about to awaken through sacrifice) and the Blade Beasts they personally led.
Once D8 fell, D7/D9 would suffer a catastrophic blow.
D8, D7, and D9, these three newly developed war zones, had a total population of 130 million, cultivated by Fu Jian himself. Most of the generals and officials within were young and staunchly aligned, closely united with Fu Jian's D5 Comprehensive War Zone.
Fu Jian couldn't abandon them.
Human society absolutely couldn't abandon these twenty-six percent of the population.
However, the speed at which the Blade Beasts were gathering was significantly faster than before.
And the six Pillar Blade Beasts, without sufficient Spirit Practitioners to restrain them, were a force they couldn't resist at this stage.
Fu Jian glanced at the data sent by the supercomputing center.
According to the simulations and deductions of the supercomputer, the first wave of Blade Beast attacks was only twenty-four hours away at the earliest.
There was good news:
Under Fu Jian's adjustments, the mobilization efficiency of the War Alliance was now quite good. The reinforcements that humanity could mobilize had gradually arrived, and the three space fortresses had also completed their orbital changes.
There was bad news:
The City of Spiritual Energy was preparing to demand exorbitant prices. They readily agreed verbally, but the mobilization of their high-end combat power was very slow, and they were unable to reach the designated locations.
This added a layer of gloom to the battle even before it began.
Fu Jian didn't quite understand anymore.
What were these Spirit Practitioners relying on?
One of their masters had been killed by Wang Zheng, and two were temporarily cooperating with Wang Zheng, yet these people still put on a high and mighty posture…
"Commander-in-Chief."
Dongfang Zhenghong, who had just arrived, gave a military salute from behind.
Fu Jian responded, "How did the negotiations go with them?"
"They still agreed very readily," Dongfang Zhenghong couldn't help but blurt out a curse, then changed his tone, "They seem to want a public letter of invitation, issued jointly by the commanders-in-chief of the major comprehensive war zones, preferably facing the entire human society."
Fu Jian: …
Dongfang Zhenghong said in a low voice: "Food, reputation, the conditions they put forward are nothing more than these two. As long as we give them, they will immediately send people to their posts."
"What do you think?" Fu Jian asked.
Dongfang Zhenghong replied: "Food can be given, but reputation cannot. This is a matter of political ecology."
Fu Jian slowly shook his head: "It is the military of D1/D2/D3 that is currently restricting the food supply to the City of Spiritual Energy. They are also the main food-producing areas that previously supplied the City of Spiritual Energy. We cannot actually interfere with this issue."
"A humanitarian crisis is already erupting within the City of Spiritual Energy."
Dongfang Zhenghong sighed:
"Spirit Practitioners do evil, but the civilians are innocent. They are also victims of exploitation by the Spirit Practitioners."
Fu Jian didn't respond, but continued to look at the screen in front of him, allowing his perspective to roam around.
After two minutes, Fu Jian said: "I will talk to those few about the food issue. Come and take over my work."
"Yes!"
Dongfang Zhenghong saluted and walked to Fu Jian's side, putting on a pair of holographic glasses.
He immediately saw the page that only Fu Jian could see, and then, with the authority of the acting commander, observed the entire battlefield.
Fu Jian didn't rush to exit the command interface, silently watching Dongfang Zhenghong operate.
Dongfang Zhenghong asked in a low voice: "Commander-in-Chief, is there still no news from Wang Zheng?"
"Well, Mudan reports every eight hours. Wang Zheng is still in seclusion, and it should be at a critical moment now."
"He's not planning to play the deus ex machina trick, is he?" Dongfang Zhenghong smiled.
"Don't always place your hopes on individuals," Fu Jian reminded, "Excessive reliance will only lead to disaster for both sides. Wang Zheng will eventually leave us."
"Yes."
Dongfang Zhenghong replied in a deep voice, putting away his smile, introspecting for a few moments, and throwing himself wholeheartedly into his current work.
Before long, Fu Jian confidently exited the interface.
The old commander walked towards the wide chair on the side, slowly leaning back while holding the back of the chair, beginning to maintain this mechanical war body.
He also needed to rest, conserve his energy, and go to the front lines to fight later.
Just as Fu Jian's consciousness was about to fall asleep, a suddenly popping message quickly restored his thinking.
It was a letter of request for help from Mai Qingting.
Ancient civilization technology to remove the resentment of Blade Beast flesh…
Fu Jian didn't hesitate much, immediately issuing an order for several research institutes to simultaneously conduct research on the application of this technology, and extracting the original document of this technology, reviewing it twice, and sending it to Mai Qingting.
But this was only a temporary solution.
Blade Beast meat could be used in emergencies, but long-term consumption would most likely lead to various problems.
Food.
Fu Jian kept thinking.
The Commander-in-Chief was also a little conflicted.
For the fortresses, because there was a technology for artificial synthesis of starch, energy and food were almost equal.
The food that humans could produce at this stage was just enough to feed the current population. The City of Spiritual Energy had not yet established a complete food supply system, and most of the time it was sucking blood from the major war zones to maintain its own survival.
And this was actually a good opportunity to dismember the existing system of the City of Spiritual Energy.
From a political point of view, it should not be supported.
From a humanitarian point of view, it should still be supported as much as possible.
Fu Jian was not a simple politician, and he also retained empathy for other humans.
But he also didn't want to use the rations of the D5 Comprehensive War Zone to feed those populations that basically couldn't be converted into industrial output.
Fu Jian looked at the avatars of those old guys in the communication list.
As long as he spoke, some food would naturally be transported from D1/D2/D3 to the City of Spiritual Energy.
After three seconds of silence, Fu Jian didn't send any communication, silently closing the communication list and starting to focus on maintaining his body.
Everyone was a Commander-in-Chief, so there was no need to interfere with each other.
…
[Distance from the destruction of the D8 Comprehensive War Zone: 18 hours.]
Cloud City in the world within the Earth, in front of the central hall.
Zheng Shiduo and Ji Xiao paced back and forth anxiously.
The two beams of light above the main hall had begun to rotate constantly, like the tail flames of a planetary engine shooting into the sky.
The spiritual energy of the entire Cloud City was highly active at this moment. Countless spiritual energies poured into the main hall from all directions every moment, and then poured out from these two rapidly entangled beams of light, spreading in all directions.
Anyone could see that Wang Jixuan and Amina's cultivation had reached a critical moment.
But…
"Can't we really call out to Brother Wang?" Zheng Shiduo asked with a frown.
Mudan shook her head decisively: "The commander said that we can't go in unless he comes out. If the sky falls, let the tall Nielda and Mr. Meng take care of it."
The strong man reading a magazine in the hall not far away shook his head with a wry smile when he heard this.
He had become a coolie.
Zheng Shiduo said again: "Then, let's go back first. Ji Xiao, Wu Man, and I will go up first."
"Without Amina leading the way, we would have some trouble getting in and out. We have troubled her twice already, and she is probably already impatient."
Mudan advised:
"Don't worry, Red Serpent and the Semi-Human Mecha Group have already successfully arrived on the surface."
"They have rejoined the battle sequence. We just need to wait for the commander to come out and support them."
Ji Xiao muttered: "The Blade Beasts suddenly switched from strategic contraction to offensive. The three new old Spirit Practitioners must be behind this! This time the enemy is a bit too tricky! Pillar Blade Beasts plus Spirit Practitioners, how can we fight this!"
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Wu Man, who had been thinking on the side, added: "I'm afraid there are more than just three old Spirit Practitioners."
"What means did they use to come here?" Zheng Shiduo was a little depressed. "The planetary barrier is on, and we can't locate them here."
"They used the ancient civilization's space technology."
Mudan once again muttered meaningfully:
"According to the information I have received, the situation is still very serious. The Blade Beasts have learned to be smart this time, concentrating their superior forces to attack a weaker comprehensive war zone on our side."
"The military's War Alliance is still pulling with the City of Spiritual Energy. The City of Spiritual Energy has promised to provide support, but we haven't seen a single S-level shadow. They are all a bunch of B-levels and C-levels who are just muddling along."
"I see, the City of Spiritual Energy is really courting death."
"Do they still think they are qualified to be my commander's opponent? My commander is already on a different level from them."
As soon as Mudan finished speaking.
"I'll go back first."
Nielda Tamon's muffled voice came, his figure already disappearing from the great hall.
"Please tell Wang Zheng that when he comes out of seclusion, I'd like to spar with him in the art of combat."
Peony laughed happily.
Great, this guy can understand human speech.
Zheng Shiduo asked in a low voice, "Peony, did you deliberately say those things to him?"
Peony calmly said, "Based on personality profiling, Sabina is indecisive and has a small vision, while Nielda Tamon has stronger principles."
"Will it be useful for him to go back?"
"It should be somewhat useful," Peony said, turning her head to look at the great hall.
Her spiritual body could faintly sense that the two figures inside the hall were spinning like spinning tops.
'Hopefully, it's not too late.'
Peony calculated in her heart.
… …
[Time until the D8 Comprehensive War Zone is destroyed: 14 hours.]
Nielda Tamon's return was silent, but the effect was obvious.
Transport planes took off from the satellite cities of the City of Psionics, carrying dozens of S-class psionicists and hundreds of A-class psionicists, and landed in the D8 Comprehensive War Zone.
There were a large number of awakened psionicists there.
Obviously, since the space battle, Sabina had not been idle, and was also working hard to recover from her injuries and prepare for the next war.
The human military quickly responded.
In return, the three oldest comprehensive war zones sent a grain transport team, giving the City of Psionics several thousand tons of low-quality compressed starch.
Although it was low-quality compressed starch, it could feed many people when mixed with other nutrients.
The representative sent by the City of Psionics conducted further consultations with the military, trying to restore trust and rebuild the grain transport channel.
The attitude given by the military was…
Let's finish this battle first.
The second and third batches of high-end combat power from the City of Psionics were still gathering.
However, the military all thought that the City of Psionics couldn't withstand the pressure, and no one knew that Nielda Tamon was directly interfering behind the scenes.
Spirit slaves cannot resist the will of their masters.
If the full support of the City of Psionics was good news;
Then the following news was almost all bad.
In the underground periphery of the D8 Comprehensive War Zone, the number of Blade Beasts had exceeded the human side's estimate by thirty percent.
Two newly awakened Pillar Blade Beasts had begun to slowly travel on the surface;
Their mountain-like bodies took light steps, without bringing many high-level Blade Beasts, intentionally consuming the human's airdropped firepower.
The other four Pillar Blade Beasts, which could move freely, maintained a synchronized speed and pressed towards the human defense lines in different directions.
The huge pressure, like a tsunami, surged towards the military of the human war zones.
The commander-in-chief of D8 had already issued a preliminary retreat order, and a large number of scientific research talents, senior engineers, and high-precision equipment were forcibly transferred to other comprehensive war zones.
Most importantly, humans detected a large number of pseudo-spirit slaves, numbering around 1.5 million.
And among these pseudo-spirit slaves, there were also some high-level spirit slaves of unknown origin.
The psionic reactions of these high-level spirit slaves could not deceive people.
Before Fu Jian could make public the news that the Blade Beast side might have three new spiritual cultivators joining, the major comprehensive war zones had already captured clues.
'This battle will be difficult.'
The generals pondered in their hearts.
But during meetings, whether online or offline, they were all high-spirited, with firm gazes, believing that victory would belong to humanity.
… …
[Time until the D8 Comprehensive War Zone is destroyed: 9 hours.]
Anxiety spread from the surface to the City in the Clouds.
Just as Zheng Shiduo and the others were about to return, the violently fluctuating psionic energy in the great hall suddenly calmed down.
It was as if the stormy sea had suddenly ushered in a cloudless calm.
The barrier of the great hall dissipated, a ray of moonlight spilled down, and Amina, wearing a fishtail dress, slowly floated down, exuding a strong pressure that made everyone almost dare not look directly at her.
She savored the power at this moment, a slight smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she nodded slightly to everyone, saying in a crisp voice:
"The battle on the surface is about to begin, let's rush back to support."
Everyone obviously breathed a sigh of relief.
Afterwards, their attention was attracted by Wang Daochang, who strolled out from behind.
Compared to Amina, who was obviously exuding pressure at the moment, Wang Jixuan looked a bit… ordinary, like a sunny boy who had been at home for a long time and came out for a stroll.
He didn't even have a trace of psionic energy around him.
Wang Jixuan said with a smile, "Why are you all looking at me? Haven't you seen a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator? Let's go quickly, this time the enemy is not just Blade Beasts."
"Wait."
He Ruli's voice came from the side.