Chapter 449 News

Although the Chicks Stronghold was initially built on rural foundations, it has undergone tremendous changes over time. The most obvious transformation is the construction of a high wall encircling the core area, with heavy firepower constantly vigilant against demon invasions. Outside the wall, there are expansions featuring small houses scattered about, akin to military camp tents but significantly more upscale.

This layout is primarily designed for quick responses to demon attacks, allowing for flexible counterattacks or defensive withdrawals.

Moreover, it’s not just the heavy weaponry on the walls—there are numerous high watchtowers deployed with ample firepower, and helicopters regularly conduct aerial patrols to scout for demon activity in the wilderness.

Aside from these, the development within the walls has thrived. While there aren’t towering skyscrapers, the infrastructure is comparable to that of a villa area, luxurious to the extreme. Even Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan’s houses have been renovated—though they largely retained their original form as a kind of keepsake.

This stronghold model has nearly become standard for all forces in the Dark Zone, given that the Dark Zone is demon territory where demon attack incidents are much more common than in reality. Thus, building density should be low to facilitate quick reactions, alongside abundant defensive facilities and active scouting systems, such as helicopter patrols. As long as there’s a game point, these things are not an issue.

However, this scene is clearly different from what Guan Ling observed in the Three Kingdoms, prompting her to wonder, “Is this really a human city-state?”

“Yes,” Xia Xinyan nodded. “To be precise, it’s a city-state for humans in this world, while the true living places of humans are in another world, but they’ll be coming over soon.”

After a pause, she explained, “What you saw before on television… that box, was a depiction of human lifestyles from thousands of years ago—long since obsolete. The world where humans truly live now is akin to that city-state you managed before, but the difference is that it’s pre-destruction.”

“Fascinating…” the woman murmured.

At that moment, a helicopter landed on the helipad.

The waiting group, including the chubby guy, immediately rushed forward. Moreover, Xia Xinyan spotted Summer Jincang here too.

Seeing Guan Ling descend from the plane, the chubby guy paused again: “…And where did you guys pick up this girl?”

Upon speaking, he belatedly noticed the distinct demon aura around Guan Ling—much like canned meat.

However, before he could say anything, Summer Jincang exclaimed, “A demon?”

“Yes,” Ling Mo nodded. “It’s not a good place to discuss specifics here. By the way, what brings you here, Brother Jincang?”

“With such a big issue, how could I not come?” Summer Jincang took a deep breath, not caring much about Guan Ling anymore. “If it’s not a good place to talk, then let’s find somewhere we can.”

He had come regarding the Eden matter.

Previously, when the riots in Shen City had just begun, Ling Mo had sent the recording to Summer Jincang as per Xia Xinyan’s direction. Upon receiving that comprehensive recording with a clear beginning and end, his first reaction was that something monumental was afoot.

The account from which it was sent was Xia Xinyan’s, coupled with the content matching seamlessly with some results he had been investigating, leading him to believe it outright—yet believing it instantly spiked his blood pressure.

The Eternal Life Palace is a top-tier faction on par with New Dawn. Naturally, their authorization for expedition operations is incredibly high. If the Eternal Life Palace is a mole, then Eden could indeed easily acquire any firsthand information—and more importantly, no one can guarantee the Eternal Life Palace wouldn’t weave in their own agenda during the expedition. If their goal is to become number one, it’s far simpler to undermine others than to enhance their own power, and this expedition is the perfect opportunity.

Of course, even having that knowledge won’t enable him to directly confront the Eternal Life Palace with the recording—that would be a fool’s move. However, extricating both the Eternal Life Palace and Eden without raising suspicion is not a trivial task.

Thus, he wanted to discuss strategies with Xia Xinyan… and involving Ling Mo would be fine too, even if he wasn’t particularly fond of him, he couldn’t deny that this guy was indeed quite capable.

“The Eternal Life Palace’s strength is not inferior to any faction, so restraining them won’t be easy. Even with this recording, it’s hard to rely solely on this to bring them down; the web of relationships among high-level factions isn’t that simple.” In Ling Mo’s living room, Summer Jincang said seriously, “The moment I received the recording, I discreetly severed several key components responsible for the Eternal Life Palace. However, making too big of a move risks attracting attention.”

He paused, then continued, “So, I’m wondering if you have any methods to draw them out? If we can force them to reveal their flaws, restraining them will become much easier.”

“To draw their flaws out… how about advancing the expedition by half a month?” Xia Xinyan proposed suddenly.

Summer Jincang thought it over and nodded, “That… could work. By drastically moving the timeline up, they might push to set their plans in motion faster, and if they do, they could easily reveal a flaw. Once we catch that, we can claim it was a test… it shouldn’t affect the expedition too much.”

“Not a test.” Xia Xinyan shook her head. “I genuinely intend to advance the expedition by half a month.”

Summer Jincang: “…”

His immediate response was that Xia Xinyan was joking.

The expedition was almost akin to a world war in scale; if any segment went wrong, it could result in casualties on par with a world war. Even if they previously mentioned hastening preparations, that was measured in months, even half a year. Yet, Xia Xinyan wanted to move it up to half a month?

That little time is definitely insufficient.

“Because this matter is much more urgent than you guys realize.” Xia Xinyan turned serious. “Our discoveries in the demon stronghold could shatter humanity’s understanding. The current expedition can no longer be aimed merely at eliminating real-world invasion events; its purpose is to ensure humanity’s survival—surviving in the true world.”

Summer Jincang paused but still didn’t grasp the meaning: “What do you mean?”

Xia Xinyan didn’t keep him guessing and directly shared everything Monica had told her earlier—of course, omitting some incomprehensible cosmic truths, as she couldn’t quite comprehend those herself.

However, even sharing just the comprehensible parts was enough to leave Summer Jincang in a daze.

This news was even more explosive than the Eternal Life Palace situation.