“Regarding spacecraft, what level did your technology reach before?”
Jiang Lin asked.
The technology tree of this world seemed to have surpassed Earth's in terms of imaging.
Devices like those holographic projectors existed on Earth in his previous life, but they were nowhere near as widespread as they were here.
As for spacecraft, he wasn't sure.
However, based on Leah's words, they had at least unlocked the technology to launch satellites.
Leah remained silent for a moment, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
“I am not from that era, so I don't know the exact details.
“But according to some documents passed down, we once landed on this planet's moon, established a space station in near-planet orbit, and launched probes to neighboring planets.
“Back then, our magic crystal energy was abundant. Combined with the transcendent knowledge of the time, it was even enough to support the exploration of other star systems.”
She paused, her pale fingers lightly tapping the armrest of her wheelchair.
“But after Mozos arrived, everything changed.
“The high-tech facilities connected to the outside world were corrupted.
“Satellites crashed, the space station lost contact, and communication towers became nests for Aberrants.
“In just ten years, our civilization regressed by centuries.”
Jiang Lin listened quietly without interrupting.
“Today, the only ones who might still possess complete aerospace technology are the Old World Remnants.
“They are the descendants of the top scientists, engineers, and specific key figures from before the Great Cataclysm.
“When the disaster struck, they retreated into the deepest, safest shelters, using the most advanced isolation technology to completely cut themselves off from the outside world.
“For three hundred years, they have never made contact with the outside, only occasionally collecting resources through automated mechanical devices.”
“Do you know where they are?” Jiang Lin asked.
“I don't know the exact location, but the general area is clear.”
Leah raised her hand, and the holographic projector lit up again, condensing a map of the North Continent in the air.
“The Eternal Frost Ruins, deep within the North Continent.
“That is the coldest and most desolate region on the entire continent. The temperature remains below minus sixty degrees Celsius year-round; even Aberrants are unwilling to go there.
“Before the Great Cataclysm, several national-level shelters were built there, said to be capable of withstanding nuclear blasts and biochemical attacks. The Old World Remnants should be hidden somewhere there.”
Jiang Lin stared at the area marked in pale white on the map, lost in thought.
“They are completely isolated from the outside... then how do we contact them?”
“There is no way,” Leah shook her head.
“For three hundred years, the predecessors of Ember have tried countless methods.
“Sending radio signals, dispatching exploration teams, even leaving information carriers in the ruins... everything has vanished without a trace.
“They don't want to be disturbed, nor do they want to participate in the conflict.
“To them, as long as the shelter doors remain closed, it doesn't matter if the outside world is destroyed.”
A brief silence fell over the intelligence room.
The light from the holographic projection flowed slowly through the air, illuminating the pale outline of the Eternal Frost Ruins like a ghostly realm.
Jiang Lin gazed at the area, flickering points of light reflected in his golden eyes.
“Since we can't contact them, we'll ignore them for now.”
He withdrew his gaze and turned to Leah.
“The immediate priority is still clearing the Aberrants from this continent.”
Leah tilted her head.
“Do you know what that entails?
“Millions of Aberrants occupy the Corrupted Plains, and terrifying existences that even we cannot detect are hidden deep within the Crystallized Jungle, to say nothing of those Aggregates and corrupted behemoths...”
“Of course I know.” Jiang Lin nodded.
Leah was silent for a moment before saying, “Very well. We, Ember, will support you with everything we have.”
Although she couldn't see the expression of the youth before her, Leah felt she hadn't gambled wrong.
This youth from another world definitely possessed the strength and the will to lead them to victory.
She could indeed see things that might happen in the future.
But her power was limited; the futures she saw were not necessarily the true future.
Among countless fragments, she had only seen a few futures with hope of success.
In some fragments, the youth before her even became one of the world's invaders.
As the Leader of Ember, she had to make a choice for the future of humanity in their world.
So, after personally interacting with this youth, she finally made her decision.
That was to go all-in on the first variable to appear in all these years!
If the gamble succeeded, then the apocalypse would end with her generation of Ember.
If it failed, it would simply hasten the extinction of humanity.
...
Ember Headquarters, Intelligence Room.
This time, Leah accompanied Jiang Lin here.
The silver-haired woman stood to the side.
The holographic light bathed the entire room in a faint blue glow. A 3D map of the East Continent hovered in the air, the deep red area of the Corrupted Plains looking particularly jarring under the light.
Jiang Lin stared at the map that covered the entire continent, his golden eyes reflecting dense clusters of dark red light points.
Tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions of Aberrants.
Dozens of large-scale gathering zones.
And those terrifying existences marked as "Unknown."
This was indeed going to be a long war.
There were roughly three months left for the current Demon Lord Trial.
He didn't know when the next one would open.
If he wanted to participate in this Demon Lord Trial, he would have to conquer this planet within three months.
If he couldn't, he might miss this particular Demon Lord Trial.
But as Jiang Lin looked at it now, three months felt a bit short.
He might not make it back in time.
However, it wasn't a huge problem; after all, if he participated in the next Demon Lord Trial, he would only be stronger.
So, he wasn't in a rush for that specific moment.
If it took longer, so be it. After all, even if he used a spacecraft to send the Shadow of Blood off-planet to complete the breakthrough, he would need a massive number of Blood Demons for support.
But if he could finish it as soon as possible, that would naturally be best.
“Give me some exploration teams.”
He turned and looked at the silver-haired woman.
“I want veterans who know the terrain, can draw maps, evaluate the landscape, and mark all possible locations for establishing outposts.”
The silver-haired woman was slightly taken aback. “You want to...”
“One step at a time,” Jiang Lin said calmly.
“Starting from the closest areas.
“Rusty Town is already ours.
“Next, the small towns, mines, and transportation hubs on the edge of the Corrupted Plains... we'll take them down one by one.”
He raised his hand and drew an arc across the holographic map.
“Every time we take a location, we establish a stronghold, station Blood Demons, and clear the surroundings.
“The outposts will support each other, forming a defensive line.
“Then we push forward, and push forward again.”
“This will take a long time.”
“But it is the most stable method.
“Deep-diving directly into the heart of the Corrupted Plains to face millions of Aberrants and those unknown monsters is too risky.
“I need to understand this continent first, understand the habits of these Aberrants, and understand how they coordinate with each other.”
Pausing, Jiang Lin continued.
“Furthermore, I need time for my Blood Demons to grow.
“Rusty Town is only the beginning.
“With every battle, they will devour more flesh and become more powerful.
“When they accumulate in sufficient numbers, they will truly become a force capable of destroying an evil god...”
The silver-haired woman was silent for a moment before nodding heavily.
“Understood. I will organize the exploration teams immediately and set out tomorrow at dawn.”
“No rush.” Jiang Lin raised a hand to stop her.
“Send people to Rusty Town first to confirm the safety there. At the same time, I need you to help me gather some information.”
He looked at Leah.
“Additionally, regarding the Old World Remnants' shelters, do you have any more detailed information? Even if it's just speculation, legends, or ancient document records.”
Leah tilted her head slightly, her pale fingers tapping the armrest of her wheelchair.
“For three hundred years, the predecessors of Ember have indeed collected quite a bit of information about the Old World Remnants.
“But most of it is fragmented, blurry, or even contradictory.”
She paused. “However, there is one piece of data that is quite special.”
“What data?”
“A satellite remote sensing image from the early days of the Great Cataclysm.”
Leah raised her hand, and the holographic light changed again, revealing a blurry black-and-white image.
In the image, on the vast ice plains of the Eternal Frost Ruins, there was an area showing abnormally regular geometric outlines. Those were traces of artificial structures, and they were massive in scale.
“This is an image sent back by the last batch of satellites before the disaster struck.
“After that, all satellites lost contact.”
Leah pointed to that abnormal area.
“According to analysis, this should be a national-level shelter, codenamed ‘Ark’.
“It is located in the deepest part of the Eternal Frost Ruins, surrounded by myriad-year-old ice layers at a depth of over five hundred meters.”
“Ark...” Jiang Lin stared at the blurry image. “Has anyone ever been inside?”
“We don't know,” Leah shook her head.
“For three hundred years, we have sent seventeen exploration teams to the Eternal Frost Ruins.
“Six were completely wiped out. Of the remaining eleven, only three reached the vicinity of that area.”
She paused, a hint of gravity entering her voice.
“But none of those three teams found an entrance.
“They only saw an ice plain—a silent ice plain where nothing existed.
“There were no traces of buildings, and no breath of life.”
“Could the satellite imagery be wrong?”
“It's possible. But it's also possible...” Leah went silent for a moment. “...that they don't want to be found.”
Jiang Lin was lost in thought.
Not wanting to be found meant they had the ability to hide their existence.
To survive for three hundred years in the Great Cataclysm and possess such advanced stealth technology, the strength of these Old World Remnants likely far exceeded Ember's imagination.
“I need their help,” Jiang Lin stated frankly.
“If I cannot leave this planet, I will never be able to kill Mozos. And the only ones who can help me leave are them.”
“But how will you convince them?” the silver-haired woman couldn't help but ask.
“For three hundred years, they have never responded to any call from the outside world. They hide in their shelters and ignore what happens outside.”
The corners of Jiang Lin's mouth curled up slightly.
“Then I'll make it so they have no choice but to respond.”
He turned and looked out the window at the greenery protected by the purification zone.
“When I have cleared this continent of Aberrants, when I have deployed the Blood Demon Legion to the edge of the Eternal Frost Ruins, and when the whole world knows I intend to hunt Mozos...
“They will notice.”
Jiang Lin's words echoed in the intelligence room. Leah's pale lips curved up slightly, while the silver-haired woman fell into deep thought.
“You mean... use strength to force them to come out and meet you?” the silver-haired woman asked tentatively.
“Pretty much.”
Jiang Lin turned around, his golden eyes sweeping over the dense dark red light points on the holographic map.
“When a faction becomes powerful enough to change the landscape of the entire continent, those hiding in shelters won't be able to ignore it.
“They will dispatch reconnaissance means, gather intelligence, and evaluate the threat. And at that time, I will be able to find them.”
“But what if they choose to continue their silence?”
“Then I'll take the fight to their doorstep,” Jiang Lin said calmly.
“I'll deploy the Blood Demon Legion to the edge of the Eternal Frost Ruins and establish outposts at the closest possible distance to them.
“By then, they will understand that silence is no longer an option.”
Leah nodded gently. “This strategy... is feasible.
“For three hundred years, we were too weak for them to care.
“But if a force capable of sweeping across the entire continent appears at their doorstep, they will no longer be able to ignore it.”
“Then it's settled.” Jiang Lin looked at the silver-haired woman.
“Organize the exploration teams as quickly as possible. I need detailed terrain intelligence.
“Start from the area surrounding Rusty Town and gradually expand outward.”
“Yes!”
The silver-haired woman stood at attention, turned, and walked away quickly.
Only Jiang Lin and Leah remained in the intelligence room.
The light from the holographic projection flowed slowly, bathing the room in faint blue.
Leah sat in her wheelchair, her silver-white hair fluttering slightly in the breeze. Her eyes, hidden behind the bandages, "looked" in Jiang Lin's direction.
“You've changed a lot,” she said softly.
“What do you mean?”
“When you first arrived, you had a certain... sense of detachment.
“Like an observer, a passerby.
“But now, I can feel that you've started to treat this world's affairs as your own.”
Jiang Lin was silent for a moment and did not answer.
Instead, he asked, “Don't you say you can't see?”
Leah nodded. “That's right, but do you know what intuition is?”
“Then your intuition is quite accurate,” Jiang Lin complimented.
Leah smiled. “As a leader, I have always been this way.
“Additionally...” she hesitated for a moment before saying, “You are the first person in three hundred years to truly give them hope.”
“Them?” Jiang Lin was confused.
“The others in Ember.
“By the way, that projector you gave us has been repaired.
“In a while, it will be sent to the outpost you visited previously along with support supplies.”
Jiang Lin nodded in acknowledgment. “Good.”
Pausing, he asked curiously, “By the way, how do you handle your daily consumption and food supplies?”
...
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