Chapter 526: The Gate Anchor

The alien prisoner kept staring at the large symbol on the holographic map as if he hoped it would disappear.

Unfortunately, the symbol continued moving toward Qinghe Base.

Leng Pan turned to him. "What exactly is a gate anchor?"

The alien hesitated, but Little Vine tightened around his wrist before he could come up with an excuse.

His face twisted in pain as he quickly replied, "A gate anchor is a device that can stabilize a temporary passage. The Passage beneath Tayi City is too large and requires an enormous amount of energy to activate. A gate anchor is smaller, but it could still allow soldiers and equipment to cross over."

"How many soldiers?" Lu Zhen asked.

"That depends on the energy available and how long the anchor remains active," the prisoner explained while glancing nervously at Little Vine. "If they only have the energy stored inside the transport vessel, a few hundred soldiers could cross. However, if they connect the anchor to a powerful energy source, the passage could remain open for much longer."

Everyone’s eyes shifted toward Leng Pan.

The aliens had been searching for the purification core. If they could seize it and connect it to the gate anchor, the number of aliens that crossed over might not be limited to a few hundred.

Leng Pan ignored their gazes and asked, "Could the blue core power it?"

The prisoner nodded reluctantly. "It might. The core beneath the village had already gathered energy for a long time. It could probably keep the gate open for several hours."

Lu Tao frowned. "Several hours should not be enough to bring an entire army through, right?"

The prisoner looked at him as if he had asked a very naive question. "Do you know how many trained soldiers could pass through a gate in one hour?"

Lu Tao immediately stopped talking.

Commander Han stared at the hologram for a moment before asking, "How much time do we have before that transport vessel arrives?"

The prisoner touched several symbols on the communicator, but nothing happened. "This device does not have enough authority to access the vessel’s exact speed. Judging by its current position, it might arrive after the first zombie group."

"That means we could be fighting the zombies when the aliens appear," Commander Han said as his expression became more solemn.

"Which is probably their plan," Leng Pan replied. "They would let the zombies weaken your defenses first, then place the gate anchor while everyone is distracted."

Colonel Deng suddenly chuckled.

Lu Hao tightened his grip on the man’s arm. Electricity flowed into Colonel Deng’s body, causing him to grit his teeth as his knees weakened.

Commander Han looked at him coldly. "Do you find something amusing?"

"You are already too late," Colonel Deng replied after recovering from the shock. His eyes moved from Commander Han to Leng Pan. "The base has been marked. Even if you defeat the first zombie army, more will come. The aliens can offer humanity a future, but people like you keep resisting them."

"A future as experimental subjects?" Leng Pan asked as disgust appeared in her eyes. "Or do you mean the kind of future where they remove your emotions and turn you into a puppet?"

Colonel Deng’s expression changed slightly, but he still insisted, "Sacrifices have to be made if humanity is going to survive."

Lu Tao stared at him in disbelief. "Why do people who say that always expect someone else to make the sacrifice?"

Colonel Deng turned toward him. "You are young. You would not understand the choices adults have to make."

"I understand that you betrayed more than eighty thousand people and are now pretending it was a difficult decision," Lu Tao replied. "If being an adult means becoming like you, I might prefer to remain young."

Lu Zhen glanced at his younger brother, but this time, he did not stop him.

What Lu Tao said was not wrong.

Commander Han motioned to the soldiers holding Colonel Deng. "Take him to the interrogation room and separate him from everyone else. Search his residence, office, and every place he has visited recently. Anyone who tries to interfere should be detained."

Colonel Deng stopped smiling. "Commander Han, you cannot do this based on the words of strangers."

"I am not doing it because of them," Commander Han replied as disappointment filled his eyes. "I am doing it because you have an alien communication device hidden under your uniform."

As the soldiers dragged Colonel Deng away, he suddenly turned his head and shouted, "You cannot stop what is coming! Qinghe Base will fall before sunset!"

Commander Han watched him leave before turning toward his adjutant. "Find out who was responsible for monitoring the western communication tower. Colonel Deng could not have contacted the aliens for so long without help."

"Yes, Commander," the adjutant replied before hurrying away.

Leng Pan looked at the alien communication device in her hand and frowned.

Colonel Deng had been very confident. It could be blind faith in the aliens, but she did not think that was all.

She handed the communicator to the prisoner. "Check whether it sent anything after we landed."

The prisoner carefully examined the device. A few seconds later, his expression became uneasy.

Lu Zhen noticed his reaction. "What did he send?"

"It was not a message," the prisoner replied. "The device was acting as a location marker. It had been transmitting the coordinates of Qinghe Base continuously."

Commander Han’s expression darkened. "Turn it off."

"I could, but that might alert them," the prisoner explained. "If the signal disappears now, they will know the device has been discovered."

Leng Pan thought for a moment before asking, "Could you change the coordinates?"

The prisoner looked surprised. "You want to move the marker?"

"Yes," Leng Pan replied. "Can it be done?"

"It should be possible, but I would need access to the aircraft’s control system."

"Then do it."

The group returned to the damaged alien aircraft while Commander Han sent soldiers to begin preparing the base.

Although the left engine had been destroyed, most of the internal systems were still functioning.

The prisoner connected Colonel Deng’s communicator to the main panel. Alien symbols spread across the screen, and a red point appeared over the center of Qinghe Base.

Leng Pan pointed toward the abandoned quarry on the map. "Move it there."

The prisoner shook his head. "That would be too obvious. The marker has been in the center of the base for months. If it suddenly moves several kilometers away, they will know someone changed it."

"Then we should not move it all at once," Assistant Yao suggested. "Could you make it drift slowly?"