Chapter 473 - 419: A Million Lives in Crisis (Part 2)

Chapter 473: Chapter 419: A Million Lives in Crisis (Part 2)

"Lieutenant General, I’ve been briefed on your situation." Dr. Heisen’s aged voice came through. "You have authorization to deploy the ’Annihilator’ against the enemy."

The "Annihilator" was the intelligent war machine Soloma had previously used to thwart the Fire Worship Cult. Its power was immense.

"But, Dr. Heisen, the remote guidance issue..."

"That is indeed the key," Dr. Heisen interrupted. "Engineers operating it remotely will be affected by the Crimson Fear. Therefore, the ’Annihilator’ requires on-site guidance."

"On-site guidance?!"

"I will temporarily transfer the authorization to you. Lieutenant General, you will be responsible for finding personnel to go to the front lines and guide the ’Annihilator’ to eliminate the cultist army. Due to deliberate signal jamming by the enemy, ordinary Intelligent Robots cannot handle the guidance task. It must be done by a real person."

"If a real person goes to guide it, won’t they also be affected by the Crimson Fear?!"

"That is not my problem to consider," Dr. Heisen said, his tone cold. "I suggest, Lieutenant General, that you send some High Spirit User Ascenders to guide it. Their resistance to the Crimson Fear is stronger. They just need to hold out until the ’Annihilator’ has eliminated the enemy."

After saying this, Dr. Heisen terminated the communication. The lieutenant general’s grim face was all that remained, reflected on the darkened screen.

’A real person for on-site guidance of the "Annihilator"... A High Spirit User Ascender...’

The lieutenant general turned and looked at the team leaders from the various countries.

"Everyone..."

"Hold it!" An Ascender from a smaller nation, who was both a team leader and a member, shot to his feet. "I am absolutely not going to do on-site guidance! That’s a suicide mission!"

The others didn’t speak, but their expressions made it clear they felt the same way.

The results of the Human Federation’s previous experiments with the rules had been partially disclosed. People were well aware that compared to ordinary individuals, High Spirit Users could only last a few moments longer against the Crimson Fear. There was no essential difference; they would still be driven mad and killed by that power.

Simply resisting the irrational terror brought on by the rules was already extremely difficult. To do so while on the battlefield, facing attacks and harassment from the cultists, *and* simultaneously guiding the "Annihilator" in combat... It was utterly preposterous.

"I know it’s difficult, but the situation is critical! The entire city, with its population of nearly one million, needs your help!"

"Why not transfer in High Spirit User Ascenders from other cities?" Li Meng asked. "If you use Teleportation Items, there should be enough time."

"We are bringing in people, but due to the betrayal in the previous operation, we must screen certain Ascenders to ensure their background and loyalty. As for all of you and the Ascenders you brought, you’ve already proven your loyalty is beyond question during this operation!"

The lieutenant general was, of course, referring to Peter. How that hidden Bishop had managed to pass the screening and join the team was still unclear due to the short amount of time. This had led to a crisis of trust among Soloma’s high command regarding their own Ascenders, making them hesitant to deploy them rashly.

"...For something like this, we must consult our own country’s high command."

"Indeed. And as a team leader, I can’t make this decision for my team members," Sisiya’s team leader said. "For an unplanned mission like this, even if our superiors approve, it still depends on whether the team members are willing to carry it out."

...

Outside the war room, Guan Tong and the other members of the action teams were waiting for the meeting to end.

"Seems pretty serious, huh?" Yang Ran peered at the war room door. "It’s been almost an hour and they’re still not done."

"I agree, this isn’t normal." Silver Fox stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe our mission isn’t over yet. Xuewu, what do you think?"

Bai Xuewu shook her head. "I don’t know. What about you?"

She was asking Guan Tong, who replied, "I don’t know either."

Just then, the door opened, and the team leaders from the various countries walked out, their faces grim.

Li Meng walked over to Guan Tong and the others. Seeing their questioning gazes, he briefly and concisely explained what had happened in the meeting.

"What?!" Yang Ran exclaimed after he finished. "Going to the front lines to guide it? How is that any different from suicide?!"

Even the usually jovial Silver Fox had an extremely serious expression. "That is indeed too dangerous."

Li Meng said, "That’s why I didn’t agree, and I believe Mr. Gao and the other higher-ups won’t agree either. You are all elite assets with limitless potential for our country. You can’t be sent to do something like this. The cost of losing you is higher than the cost of this city falling."

Yang Ran scratched his head. "The city falling... that’s not so bad, is it? Don’t get mad, but think about it. If those cultists are Parasites in disguise, isn’t the Parasites’ goal to convert humans into more of their kind? Even if they take this city, they probably won’t just start killing people randomly. Soloma can just send in a large force later to take the city back, right?"

The others were taken aback, not having expected Yang Ran to come at it from that angle.

In the next moment, however, Bai Xuewu refuted his point.

"No," she said. "The Parasites not killing people... that’s a thing of the past. The allied forces have been fighting a bitter war against the Parasites in the Black Banner Country for months. We’ve discovered that the Parasites have changed their strategy. They’ve begun to consciously eliminate humans who cannot be converted, or who cannot be converted unconditionally."

She looked at Yang Ran. "You say that Soloma will quickly retake the city after it falls. If you can think of that, then naturally, so can the Parasites. So, when the Parasites determine they don’t have enough time to convert the people in this city, they will raise their butcher’s knives to eliminate future obstacles."

Yang Ran was dumbfounded, unable to speak.

The others’ expressions turned grave. They knew Bai Xuewu wasn’t just spouting nonsense.

Because she had been fighting on the front lines in the Black Banner Country. No one here knew the Parasites better than she did!

"If that happens... if this city falls, nearly a million people will..." Chen Na’s face went pale. The consequence was undoubtedly terrifying to her.