What's going on, is the portion on the ground really just a decoy?!

The kind without even a sense of pain??

Chen Jian furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment before issuing another command.

"Lower the altitude."

"The monster's body seems to be... a hollow structure."

"Find an angle to see if we can view its internal structure!"

"Understood."

Ji Xing cautiously maneuvered the drone to lower its altitude, but just at that moment, the monster below began to move.

Accompanied by a colossal noise, the flat mass of flesh on the ground started to slowly shift.

The drone swiftly evaded, avoiding the monster's path.

The live feed shifted to Chen Jian's smart eyepiece; he stared intensely at the screen but couldn't see how the monster was moving.

No visible feet, no muscle contractions.

It seemed to be dragged forward by some kind of force.

This convinced Chen Jian even more of Ji Xing's theory.

This so-called monster... is definitely more than just what's on the ground!

This thought flickered through his mind for an instant.

The next second.

"Buzz----"

Accompanied by a piercing drone, the drone suddenly went offline.

Chen Jian's muscles tensed instantly.

"Did you see it??"

He turned to Ji Xing.

"Seen it."

Ji Xing took a deep breath, pointing towards the direction of the monster.

And over there, it's already a dust-laden scene.

The dust stretched for several kilometers, completely covering an entire area.

Such a scene...

Finally matches Chen Jian's assessment of a "level one monster"!

It can't be just a single monster.

Nor is it just affecting the surrounding environment.

It might... be the environment itself!

"Just like when I encountered it previously."

Ji Xing continued:

"Spikes!"

"Now it is certain... those spikes grew out of the ground!"

...

An hour later, Chen Jian led Ji Xing back to the launching base inside the Mountain City.

By the time they arrived, Yu Qian had already led the squad to complete a secondary cleanup of the surrounding environment, setting up a warning system according to Chen Jian's criteria through dispersed guard posts.

The local network setup was completed, enabling real-time monitoring of the surrounding area from the temporary command center through wired cameras set up in various locations.

However, such monitoring may not last long as their backup power was running low.

"It can last up to 12 hours."

Having checked the equipment, Chen Jian slightly frowned, then spoke into the radio:

"He Shuo, how's the situation on your side?"

Radio waves traversed hundreds of kilometers, transmitting Chen Jian's inquiry to He Shuo, and moments later, intermittent gunfire sounded in Chen Jian's earpiece.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang----"

"I still need... "

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang----"

"Stay hidden!"

"Throw grenades for suppression!"

"I need another hour!"

He Shuo noticeably took a breath.

"The monsters here are nearly cleared!"

"Battles will end in an hour!"

"But I can't guarantee how long dismantling the reactor will take! I'm not a specialist!"

"Have Lei Jie fly over himself! I'll clear a landing area for him!"

"Understood."

The deafening gunfire made Chen Jian's eardrums throb, and he quickly switched channels, proceeding to call Lei Jie.

"Lei Jie!"

"He Shuo's side is almost ready, when will you arrive?"

"One hour."

Lei Jie's voice, filled with the loud roar of propellers.

"I'm taking off immediately, will hover and wait over Hidden Water Cave."

"Tell him to hurry!"

"Understood!"

Chen Jian cut off communication with Lei Jie, and almost immediately, Fu Xi's voice squeezed through.

"Images have been received, spare parts are in production."

"Expected completion in 1 hour and 24 minutes, can repair two sets of laser emission devices."

"Director Lei Jie has already arranged subsequent transportation; these spare parts will be delivered by the number 2 transporter within 20 minutes after the reactor is sent."

"Understood."

Another piece of good news.

The plan is going quite smoothly, and at this rate, within 12 hours at most, all the equipment needed will be delivered.

And by then...

The team, when facing the outer level one monsters, will not be entirely without effective means of attack.

Chen Jian took a deep breath, accepted the water bottle handed by Ji Xing, and took a big swig.

Yet, as he looked down, he noticed Guo Xu and the two in the team, were praying facing Jinling.

Chen Jian couldn't help but find it amusing.

He quietly observed them, waiting until they rose before slightly teasingly asking:

"Before arriving at Mountain City, did you consider Mountain City your prayer direction?"

Hearing Chen Jian's words, Guo Xu paused.

Then, he looked at Chen Jian, solemnly shaking his head:

"No."

"We've always prayed towards the Holy Hall."

"Isn't that contradictory?"

Chen Jian shrugged.

"You consider Mountain City to be the residence of the Holy Trinity, yet you don't pray in its direction. Instead, you pray towards the so-called 'Holy Hall' established by followers."

"Do you know there's a term called 'reverse heaven gangs'?"

"This term suits your situation perfectly."

Chen Jian didn't miss a chance to shake their faith, knowing it's probably futile. Yet occasionally, he liked to jab a bit.

But after he finished speaking, Guo Xu's reaction surprised Chen Jian.

Instead of anger, Guo Xu smiled slightly.

"Actually, there's no need to question our faith in this way."

"You know, I'm part of the Forbidden Army."

"Compared to other Church Protection Army members, I understand the doctrines of the Holy Trinity more deeply."

"I even know that in the doctrines we follow, there are many unreasonable aspects."

"For instance, what you mentioned about 'praying towards the Holy Hall' is one of them."

"But that's not important."

"A mistake in form doesn't prove an error of belief. We don't question the sanctity of the Holy Trinity because of this."

"It doesn't reside in Jinling, not in the Holy Hall, perhaps not even in Mountain City, nor beneath our feet."

"But, it is everywhere."

"..."

Chen Jian was at a loss for words.

He really wasn't good at pure ideological debates; upon returning to base 011, perhaps He Shuo or Shen Yue should have a good debate with him.

And noticing his expression, Guo Xu pivoted his statement, continuing to say:

"Of course, we won't deny your correctness."

"The Huaxia Army is indeed very strong, your use of machinery, electricity, and gunpowder technology has far surpassed ours."

"In fact, you have exceeded us far beyond this point."

"From this operation alone, even excluding the advantages of those gears, our standard is nowhere near a fraction of yours."

"Just in the past minute, you've mobilized three sets of forces, completing all the necessary preparations."

"Moreover, you've personally engaged in reconnaissance, strengthening front-line defenses."

"To be honest, I admire you a lot."

"I'm very grateful you included me in this operation—we've learned a lot."

Guo Xu's eyes were full of sincerity, and after he finished speaking, a sense of "relief" filled Chen Jian's heart.

Got him.

Currently, Guo Xu probably still considers himself to be a firm believer, yet capable of adopting strengths—a "Reformist Faction" of sorts?

But he absolutely couldn't have foreseen that admitting the Huaxia Army's advancements meant the collapse of faith had unknowingly begun.

Chen Jian nodded calmly and then spoke up:

"In any case, I hope this cooperation can deepen our mutual understanding."

"Our common enemy is this apocalypse, those monsters."

"And now, there's also Mountain City."

"You should have accepted this by now, right?"

"... I accept."

Guo Xu breathed deeply.

"Mountain City has lost its Holy City's status."

"The clay idol has been shattered; I acknowledge this.

"That's good."

Chen Jian nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he added:

"Now then, prepare yourselves."

"We'll soon launch an attack on the first level one monster."

"And from current intelligence..."

"This monster, won't be easy to deal with."

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