Chapter 316: Harvest of Firepower (Patreon)

Chapter 316: Harvest of Firepower

This temperature.

Although still somewhat chilly.

It is sufficient for humans to engage in relatively normal activities.

At the same time, the energy consumption for heating is relatively low. The overall cost-effectiveness is quite good.

Even in a supercity.

After such a long time in the post-apocalyptic era, they have learned to be meticulous.

The instinct of not wasting any resources has been ingrained.

"Now coming out are the staff from the aquarium and the workers from the external affairs department."

"They are responsible for transferring all the marine life in the aquarium, including the whale sharks."

"To the transport ships of Jianghe City."

"According to the transfer plan I have obtained."

"Jianghe City has dispatched a total of twenty Ice Lake-class transport ships, the kind seen in the footage, specifically for transporting marine life."

"Each whale shark will be transported in a separate ship."

"Enjoying nearly 10,000 cubic meters of seawater space."

Seeing the temperature in the warehouse rise to the predetermined value.

The movers began to enter.

The young man, Zhang Lang, who was live-streaming, pointed the camera at the tanks they were transporting.

The first to be transported out was a whale shark with a body length of 15 meters.

As the largest fish in the world.

It has always been the flagship of the Shuitian City Aquarium and a source of pride and spiritual sustenance for many residents of Shuitian City.

Now, watching it being handed over to someone else and leaving Shuitian City.

Many viewers in the live stream felt complex emotions.

Yet, they couldn't outright oppose it.

Because the aquarium has long been plagued by a lack of resources for maintenance.

If not sold.

How long these marine creatures could survive is a question.

"Regardless, Jianghe City clearly possesses more advanced technology."

"Just the tools used for transportation."

"Can provide the whale shark with over 10,000 cubic meters of space."

"Almost half of the living space the aquarium used to provide for the whale shark."

"For the whale shark, this might be the best destination."

Watching the footage.

As the whale shark swam into the massive water tank of the Ice Lake-class transport ship after docking.

Many rational viewers.

Ultimately turned their reluctance into blessings.

They knew.

Compared to the remote Shuitian City, which is increasingly resource-deprived.

Jianghe City, which accommodates hundreds of millions of people and has the capability to mine minerals and transport supplies across the entire East Continent.

Undoubtedly offers more suitable conditions.

Even if given the choice.

They themselves would actually like to move to Jianghe City.

Just from the information disclosed online.

The environment of the worst standard dormitory area there is slightly better than the current residences of most of them.

More importantly.

Living there, one doesn't need to worry about rent or various survival issues.

There's no fear of working hard for 16 hours a day, only to be forcibly evicted from the shelter due to inability to pay taxes.

One only needs to peacefully accept the management of Artificial Intelligence, working about 8 hours a day.

And then not have to think about anything else.

Everything will be arranged by Artificial Intelligence.

In a way.

Jianghe City has become an ideal paradise in the post-apocalyptic world.

Next.

Due to the relatively small size of the temporary factory building that had been set up.

Only one Binghu-class transport ship could enter at a time.

The handover process between the aquarium and the Jianghe City convoy lasted nearly seven hours.

Before it finally came to an end.

During this period.

Tens of thousands of people came and went in Zhang Lang's live stream.

Cumulatively, almost half of the residents of Shuitian City.

Witnessed this transaction.

Leaving an extremely deep impression of Jianghe City.

Outside the temporary warehouse.

Twenty Binghu-class transport ships loaded with marine life.

And ten Binghu-class transport ships modified into professional war machines, carrying a large number of combat robots and drones.

Formed a winding convoy, slowly embarking on the journey home.

This trip would cover over a thousand kilometers.

Jianghe City.

Farmhouse Shelter, underground control center.

Su Wu, on the holographic map that aggregated real-time dynamics of the entire Eastern Continent.

Took a moment to shift his gaze to Fuhai Province.

In his eyes, this transaction with Shuitian City for marine life.

Was actually a relatively important matter.

As the apocalypse progressed.

Even the ocean, regarded as Earth's last paradise of life, began to see a large number of creatures die due to their inability to adapt to the drastically changing environment.

Missing this opportunity to purchase marine life from Shuitian City.

Essentially meant that the Farmhouse Shelter's aquarium.

Would no longer have the chance to gather most of the marine species from before the apocalypse.

Nor would it be possible to create a miniature ocean world.

If forced to leave Earth in the future.

This would likely become a permanent regret for him.

"It's just a pity."

"Currently, we don't have the capability to create an environment suitable for whales within the shelter."

"The chances of accommodating them in the future are also slim."

For the blue whales and fin whales of the ocean.

The current Farmhouse Shelter.

Is far too small.

Only after some expansion would it be possible to have the conditions to house them.

But given the current state of the surface and ocean environments.

By that time.

Searching the entire globe, there might not be a single living blue whale or fin whale left.

Withdrawing his gaze.

Su Wu continued to look at the Farmhouse Shelter.

At this time, the ground level of the Farmhouse Shelter was still busy with the maintenance and unloading of supplies for the merchant convoy trains.

Because there were simply too many merchant convoy trains that needed to be accommodated at the same time.

Many assembly workshops had to be shut down.

And were temporarily converted into places for repairing merchant convoy trains.

Even so.

All 300 merchant convoy trains.

Could not all rush into the Farmhouse Shelter at the same time.

They could only queue up outside.

Waiting for the previously serviced merchant convoy trains to leave before they could take their turn to enter.

"Only two hours left."

The convoy of 30 Binghu-class transport ships carrying marine life.

Ultimately, was just a matter of development and commerce.

Even if an accident occurred, the total loss would only be a regret for Su Wu.

The upcoming war with the Amethyst Crystal Entity.

Was truly a crucial test that could determine the fate of the entire Farmhouse Shelter.

Time slowly advanced.

The scheduled two hours gradually came to an end.

Unbeknownst to the hundreds of millions of residents inside the Farmhouse Shelter.

Su Wu watched as the last merchant convoy train slowly departed from the shelter.

Then turned his gaze towards the Qinling Mountains.

The battle there had never ceased.

Now, it was time for a change.

"Open a gap."

"Let them leave the Qinling Mountains."

With an order issued.

On the defense line near the direction of the farmhouse in the Qinling Mountains.

A large number of Spider Robots dismantled the weapons from the automatic turrets.

Then, led by a Pioneer-class Land Destroyer.

They fought while retreating.

  They made way for a passage leading to the outside.

In an instant.

Like a dam being breached.

Endless Amethyst Crystal Entities began to transform into a flood.

Rushing and surging out.

Pouring into the vast expanse beyond the Qinling Mountains.

However.

After freely rushing out for several kilometers.

Some of the Amethyst Crystal Entities that spread in other directions were sniped by the mechanical army already deployed there.

They were forcefully driven back.

Then, after several brief but intense skirmishes.

The main force of the Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Half actively, half driven.

Entered the area within ten kilometers of the farmhouse.

At this distance.

Sensing the presence of hundreds of millions of humans living in the farmhouse.

Some of the Amethyst Crystal Entities began to stir.

They no longer maintained their aimless wandering state.

Like madmen.

They increased their speed two to three times, charging towards the farmhouse.

After a few seconds delay, the slower Amethyst Crystal Entities also seemed to receive a unified signal and began to accelerate.

"The enemy has entered the preset battlefield."

"Activate the turrets in Zone A."

In the underground control center of the farmhouse.

On the holographic map.

The ten-kilometer distance between the ground level and the Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Was divided into four zones, from yellow to red, light to dark.

When the Amethyst Crystal Entities entered the light yellow zone of 8 to 10 kilometers.

To avoid scaring them off with excessive firepower.

Only a batch of ordinary electromagnetic railguns and Thunder-class Optoelectric Cannons within the frontal Zone A opened fire.

Then, when some Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Broke through the fire blockade and stepped into the dark yellow zone of 6 to 8 kilometers.

The remaining turrets within Zone A on the ground level of the farmhouse began to activate one after another.

Targeting the Amethyst Crystal Entities in the dark yellow zone for precise elimination.

In the first ten minutes of the battle.

The Amethyst Crystal Entities lingered between the light yellow and dark yellow zones.

As if encountering an invisible dam.

No matter how fiercely their waves surged.

They could never cross the dam.

In the 11th minute.

Some of the long-range evolved Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Began to realize the situation was not right.

They consciously stayed in the safe zone beyond ten kilometers.

And began to launch long-range attacks on the farmhouse.

Thousands of long-range evolved Amethyst Crystal Entities worked together to hurl ten magma shells, each over ten meters in diameter.

At near subsonic speed.

Towards the farmhouse.

"Long-range attack detected."

"Activating air defense mode."

On the battlefield filled with surveillance equipment.

As soon as the Amethyst Crystal Entities made their move, their intentions were discerned by the Artificial Intelligence.

Then, at the same time, corresponding countermeasures were taken.

Hundreds of Thunder-class Optoelectric Cannons that had not participated in the battle began to rotate their barrels.

Locking onto the trajectories of the ten magma shells in the sky above the battlefield.

A torrent of dense metal poured forth.

In just half a second.

The magma shells that had just swept across one-third of the battlefield.

Were successively destroyed mid-flight.

Transforming into a rain of dark red magma, scattering onto the ground.

Half an hour into the battle.

The rhythm of the fight remained controlled, neither too intense nor too lax.

Groups of Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Continued to surge into the pale yellow warzone, about eight to nine kilometers away from the farmhouse.

Only to be harvested in batches.

Even at this distance.

The attack power of the Thunder-class Optoelectric Cannons had significantly diminished.

But their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

Even the Stone Scorpions, known for their formidable defense among the Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Would face certain death if hit by a concentrated barrage of over a hundred cannon shells.

The dozens of ordinary electromagnetic railguns participating in the battle, equivalent to the main guns mounted on the Pioneer-class Land Destroyers.

Experienced no attenuation at this distance.

Each shot.

Easily cleared a large area.

Their power was so immense that even the evolved Amethyst Crystal Entities, which typically harbored no emotions beyond combat.

Couldn't help but feel a slight sense of fear.

Su Wu's strategic objective.

To utilize the farmhouse's extreme firepower.

To passively harvest the excessive numbers of Amethyst Crystal Entities.

Had essentially been achieved at this point.

Three hours into the battle.

Along the route from the Qinling Mountains to the farmhouse.

The density of Amethyst Crystal Entities noticeably thinned.

Su Wu's overly efficient harvesting.

Had caused the Amethyst Crystal Entities, which had accumulated over a million in number during this period.

To show an undeniable decline.

And even at this point.

The number of turrets at the farmhouse that had participated in the battle hadn't exceeded one-tenth of the total.

The 108 large electromagnetic railguns, serving as the main force, hadn't fired a single shot.

Boom!

A familiar magma shell was launched into the air by a remotely evolved Amethyst Crystal Entity.

This time.

Its flight path wasn't directed towards the farmhouse.

But towards the edge of the battlefield, where the Spider Robot army and the merchant convoy were stationed, tasked with intercepting the Amethyst Crystal Entities and preventing them from dispersing in other directions.

The peripheral defense line, which had been idling for three hours.

Was now officially drawn into the intense frontal battle.

"Are they trying to escape?"

In the underground control center of the farmhouse.

Su Wu observed this movement of the Amethyst Crystal Entities.

And made a guess.

But soon, he dismissed this idea.

Because the main force of the Amethyst Crystal Entities was still continuously streaming from the Qinling Mountains straight towards the farmhouse.

The attacks endured along the flanks of the route.

Were merely from the subsidiary forces of the Amethyst Crystal Entities.

It seemed more like the Amethyst Crystal Entities were attempting to launch an attack on the farmhouse from other directions.

Just as the Amethyst Crystal Entities hadn't anticipated the farmhouse's firepower to almost completely overwhelm them.

Su Wu hadn't anticipated either.

That the gathering of over a hundred million humans in the farmhouse would hold such a fatal attraction for the Amethyst Crystal Entities.

After all, in the entire Eastern Continent.

There were no shortage of super cities.

Although there wasn't a second city with a population of over a hundred million, there were quite a few with tens of millions.

Numerically, there shouldn't be such a significant difference.

Five hours into the battle.

The total number of Amethyst Crystal Entities emerging from the Magma Canyon had dropped to below 100,000.

Almost no longer posing any pressure on Su Wu.

Just as Su Wu was about to mobilize the mechanical army at the edge of the battlefield, intending to launch an offensive and encircle the remaining Amethyst Crystal Entities, a violent tremor erupted. The shockwave traveled all the way from the Magma Canyon to the small farmhouse.