Chapter 371 - 328: I Have a Bold Idea

Chapter 371: Chapter 328: I Have a Bold Idea

The sudden, terrible news made the air, which had just begun to lighten, become incredibly heavy again. It was almost tangible, pressing down on everyone’s hearts like the coming of the apocalypse.

Even the three professors’ expressions turned extremely grim...

The three exchanged glances, their eyes filled with questioning looks.

But they immediately lowered their heads again, carefully checking all the data, hoping that the researcher had made a mistake.

However, that wasn’t the case. The error, it turned out, lay in the initial prediction of the storm’s path...

Fortunately, the three professors didn’t panic and cry out like the others. Instead, they were rapidly thinking, considering their next move.

"We must contact the Dean immediately and tell everyone to evacuate as quickly as possible. Using the equipment from our department, we should be able to save some of them..."

Professor Albert was the first to present his plan.

Then, the Dean’s voice came directly to their ears:

"I’m already here. Report the situation."

Professor Pierce then replied:

"It’s extremely bad. The scale of this Spatial Storm far exceeds anything in recorded history, and it’s also far beyond the academy’s ability to withstand. Furthermore, it’s still showing signs of strengthening. If it makes landfall, the consequences will be unimaginable...

I don’t agree with Albert’s idea. It’s impossible. Even if we use all of those failed creations of yours, we wouldn’t be able to take many people with us, and we certainly couldn’t escape. Given the intensity of this storm, those toys of yours will be torn to shreds like paper in a hurricane!"

"You disagree? Then what’s your idea?"

Professor Albert, having been shot down, immediately retorted.

"Let’s use the 0-class Holy Artifacts. I remember the Dean still has a few trump cards, especially that one, 0-005. It should be able to solve this."

Professor Pierce suggested.

But this was met with a rather helpless reply from the Dean:

"I’m sorry, Lawrence suggested that idea even earlier. Unfortunately, 0-005 can’t do something like this. Unless... one of you is able to understand the core and essence of that storm..."

"The core and essence? How is that possible?"

"So... why don’t we hear what Lawrence has to say?"

the Dean suggested, changing the topic.

Professor Lawrence thought for a long while, his brow deeply furrowed, before finally presenting his plan:

"Gather everyone in the Central District, where Knowledge Square is located. Then, release the Spatial Anchors for the other districts..."

He hadn’t even finished speaking before the other two professors practically jumped to their feet, questioning him urgently:

"I think you’ve really gone mad! Releasing the Spatial Anchors in the middle of a storm? Do you want the academy to be ground to dust?"

"Have you forgotten the purpose of the Spatial Anchors? Or are you just unaware of what happens when they’re released? You dare to even mess with them?"

Faced with his colleagues’ accusations, Professor Lawrence just smiled, not denying them directly.

"Perhaps I have gone mad. But when facing a storm this insane, only an equally insane plan can give us a sliver of a chance at survival!"

As he spoke, he slid the light screen in front of the three of them, displaying a simple schematic of his plan.

Professor Pierce took one look, and his expression immediately soured with frustration. Pounding his chest, he demanded:

"Hmph? Release the Spatial Anchors and let the other districts become a shield for the Central District? How could you come up with such an insane plan?"

Professor Lawrence’s diagram depicted the entirety of Mizkatoke as a string of interconnected balloons. When the storm arrived, the plan was to cut the strings connecting them, leaving them isolated and helpless.

On the surface, it undoubtedly looked like an utterly foolish, suicidal plan.

But Professor Albert didn’t immediately refute it. Instead, he checked the various data points and then said:

"It’s insane, but not entirely unfeasible. By sacrificing the other districts, we could create a form of spatial interference, thereby weakening the storm’s power or deflecting its path. This is indeed feasible. At the same time, we could consolidate our current resources to heavily fortify the Central District..."

With that, he swiped on the light screen a couple of times and continued to add:

"However, doing this means we’d have to abandon the other districts, along with all the various documents, equipment, treasured collections, and countless other riches accumulated over many years. The only space the academy would have left to stand on would be this small piece, the Central District. It would basically be an institution in name only...

Furthermore, this isn’t a one-hundred-percent foolproof plan. It’s very possible that collisions with the other districts could cause the storm to become even more violent, or some other terrible situation could arise, making everything worse. At the same time, even if the Central District could be preserved, there’s a high probability it would be ’blown away,’ lost in the Alternate Space, never to find its way back to the real world..."

After Professor Albert’s analysis, the Dean generally understood the situation and summarized it simply:

"In other words, our choices right now are to either leave it to fate and wait for the academy to be utterly destroyed, or to fight for our lives in pursuit of a slim hope and an even more difficult future?"

"That’s about right. But even so, this is our only chance to survive."

Professor Lawrence answered in a low voice.

The Dean no longer had any questions and said very directly:

"Alright. Proceed with your plan. I’m leaving it in your hands."

"But..."

"There are no ’buts.’ As long as we can survive, Mizkatoke will not perish. No matter how terrible our current situation is, it’s still a little better than it was back in the old days..."