Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 177 The Elf Army Packs Cheese in Many Breads, I Remain Unmoved (Please Subscribe)
What is light?
From a physicist's perspective, these are extremely small particles.

From the artist's perspective, it is the core tool for realizing the division of the picture, reflecting the character traits of the figures, or distinguishing between abstract art, the duality of gods and demons, and the duality of contradictions.

For ordinary humans, not being able to see the light means being completely plunged into darkness.

It was a void, a color completely indistinguishable in the darkness, utter despair.

According to statistics, countless people with normal vision suffer from severe mental illnesses after becoming blind, and some even commit suicide.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and also the most important organ for collecting information about the world.

Without eyes, life would lose countless sensory experiences.

Special treatment surgery recovery area.

Mu Fuguo's wife gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between her husband, who was in deep sleep anesthesia, and the two cold creations in the sterile box next to them.

The high-tech creation lay quietly on the velvet cushion, its metal casing gleaming with an inorganic luster, and its central, eyeglass-like composite lens shining in the sunlight.

She couldn't help but speak again, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Doctor, when will my husband wake up?"

"Soon." The doctor adjusted his glasses, his tone calm. "He might get quite agitated later, so we need to prepare to calm him down beforehand."

"Okay, I understand." The wife nodded vigorously, her gaze returning to her husband's face. His eyes and hands, wrapped in layers of gauze, seemed to silently tell the story of the past tragedy.

That was Mu Fuguo's only hope for exploring and seeing the world in the future.

Cyber-optical eye.

A precision visual signal generator that is implanted into the optic nerve bundle, directly linked to the visual cortex of the brain, and powered by bioelectricity.

Mu Fuguo's consciousness slowly rose from a void of chaos.

who am I?
where am I?
Mu Fuguo felt his thoughts were like a jumbled mess of paste; he wanted to move, but his body felt like it was filled with lead.

His awareness of time, place, and his own condition was vague. He only knew that he was alive and seemed to be waking up.

Then, instinctively, he opened his eyes.

A habit he had persisted in for years, a futile and heartbreaking one.

His eyeballs had been removed in the explosion several years ago, and every time he woke up, he was faced with only eternal, pure darkness.

He was about to make a self-deprecating joke as usual when his senses caught something unusual.

In that eternally dark universe, a... multicolored hue has appeared?
Like the static on a broken screen, faint, yet undeniably real.

What is this? Is it a hallucination?
Just as he was losing consciousness, sounds from the outside world came in intermittently.

"Doctor, is this how it's done?"

"Yes, after turning on the device, you can wait for your husband to regain consciousness."

"Is the signal connection successful? My husband is awake?"

"Hey, it's true!"

Mu Fuguo's consciousness was rapidly clearing, and he recognized his wife's voice.

He tried to sit up, but only felt a sudden dizziness, as if he had been stuffed into a washing machine and spun around seventy or eighty times.

This feeling was all too familiar to him.

Several years ago, a new recruit was clearing mines. To cover the enemy, he lay on top of them and was blown up. When he woke up on the operating table, he had this feeling of being worse than dead.

But, this time is different.

He discovered even more anomalies!
The snowflakes in the field of vision are converging and evolving, gradually transforming from disordered mottled patterns into blurry patches of color.

His breathing became heavy and labored, and he weakly turned his head, trying to see more clearly.

"Old Mu, Old Mu? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" A warm hand grabbed his arm, and his wife's voice was full of concern.

"No...no..." Mu Fuguo's vocal cords sounded like rusty parts, making a hoarse grinding sound, "I...I saw it!"

He repeated himself incoherently, his emotions visibly agitated.

"Don't get agitated, don't get agitated!" The doctor's calm voice rang in his ear. "Relax, take a deep breath! Absolutely no pressure on the eye wound!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Fuguo froze. He waved his arms, which had been amputated, like a helpless child trying to grasp at a straw.

"I see it! I see the color! Doctor, was the surgery successful? So fast?"

He was incoherent, and the residual effects of the anesthetic made his movements extremely uncoordinated.

The doctor rushed forward and firmly grasped his arm: "Comrade Mu Fuguo, calm down! Keep your emotions stable! Don't cry, the salt in tears will affect the healing of the nerve interface!"

In fact, the doctor had already performed some special interventional drainage procedures beforehand, so even if Mu Fuguo was emotionally agitated and cried, the tear glands would not interfere with the surgical trauma.

"Okay, okay!" Mu Fuguo gasped for breath, trying to calm himself down.

He turned his head, looking at the scenery that seemed to be seen through a thick layer of mist, and chuckled, his voice filled with the ecstatic joy of something lost and found.

"Comrade Mu Fuguo, how are you feeling now?"

"Hehe, I see it! It's still blurry and foggy, but I can see your outlines!" he shouted excitedly. "Haha! I finally see it again! But... why can't I move my eyes? I want to see you, why won't my eyes obey me?"

The doctor looked at his comical yet heartbreaking appearance, and a rare smile appeared on his lips.

"Comrade Mu Fuguo, don't worry, it's because you're not wearing a visual acquisition system."

After the doctor finished speaking, he moved his glasses slightly.

This slight movement caused Mu Fuguo's gaze to shift slightly to the side!
It was a very strange feeling; even though my head wasn't moving, my vision was forcibly turned to the other side.

"It moved! My field of vision moved by itself?" Mu Fuguo was startled and shouted subconsciously.

“No, I tampered with your visual equipment,” the doctor said succinctly. “The signal receiver of your implanted cybernetic eye has initially connected, but it hasn’t been fully calibrated yet. Once your emotions and injuries stabilize, the visual acquisition system will adjust in sync with you. What you’re seeing now is the vision from the device that hasn’t been properly calibrated.”

Mu Fuguo was stunned.

Just as he was about to ask another question, his vision went black for a moment, then returned to light after a blink similar to the blinking of a human eye.

“It’s dark!” he blurted out.

Then, there was another brief period of darkness followed by a flash of light.

"It's dark again... then it's bright again..."

Mu Fuguo stared blankly as he experienced this peculiar rhythm.

A few seconds later, as if he had figured something out, he suddenly burst into a wild, joyful laugh.

"Haha! I'm blinking! Doctor, I'm blinking! I can still blink, damn it!"

The laughter was hoarse, yet filled with joyful excitement, which made his wife beside him tremble.

Mu Fuguo's wife let go of her husband's hand, and tears streamed down her face.

She desperately covered her mouth, afraid to cry out.

"This is a simulated biological blink, occurring every few seconds, to make it feel more natural," the doctor said calmly, smiling as he asked, "Are you experiencing any discomfort?"

"No! No! It's great! It couldn't feel better!" Mu Fuguo, like a child who had received candy, greedily observed the blurry patches of color around him.

After a while, he asked again, somewhat dissatisfied, "Doctor, will this be all I can see from now on? Like looking through frosted glass in a bathhouse? I can't see people's faces clearly. The lighting isn't clear either!"

People.

Once you've received a benefit, you'll always want more.

When it comes to health, humans are especially greedy!

“Of course not.” The doctor was amused by his simple analogy. “Right now, your prosthetic eye and the external device are like two comrades who have just met. There are delays and noise in the transmission of instructions. The signals are not in sync, so naturally it’s all a mess. Once the sevoflurane in your body has been metabolized, we will perform your first neural synchronization calibration, and then it will be clear.”

"How much will it improve after calibration?"

"Yes, that's just the first step. The matching accuracy will be needed later."

Mu Fuguo understood, and the huge weight in his heart was finally lifted.

He remained silent for a moment, and the initial elation of seeing the light slowly subsided, transforming into a deeper and more profound emotion.

He raised his arm, which had no hand, and with all his might, gave a broken but perfectly standard military salute in the direction from which the doctor's voice came.

"Thank you, doctor! And thank you to all the medical staff who treated me."

There are no superfluous words, only this simplest and most solemn sentence.

"You're welcome." The doctor reached out and gently pressed his arm down. "Get some rest. Your visual system will automatically shut down in five minutes to allow your brain and neural interface to adjust. Your wife will be with you. Just call if you need anything."

"OK, thanks!"

Mu Fuguo obediently lay down, savoring the hard-won light.

Once everything quieted down and the doctors' footsteps faded into the distance, Mu Fuguo's ears twitched. Then, lowering his voice like a guilty child, he said to his wife, "Honey, can you move those glasses a little more?"

"The doctor told you to rest well!"

"Just for a moment, let me see you! Just one look!"

"Hmph! Just you wait."

With a soft groan from his wife, Mu Fuguo's vision suddenly blurred.

A blurry human figure slowly moved to the center of his line of sight.

He couldn't make out his facial features, only a general head shape and the shadow of long hair draped over his shoulders.

That was exactly the outline he had longed for day and night.

“Wife…” His nose stung, and the urge to cry surged up again. He quickly forced a smile, forcing back the tears. “I saw you! I saw you again!”

He chuckled foolishly, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"I'm almost healed! I'm not useless anymore!"

"Pah, stop talking nonsense!" His wife spat at him, her voice choked with emotion. "Once your eyes are better and you've finished packing those metal lumps, you'll take care of all the clothes and blankets at home! I need to rest."

"Hehe, good! Great!" Mu Fuguo was so happy he couldn't stop smiling; these were the most pleasant words he had ever heard.

He instinctively raised his arms, crossing his two bare forearms in front of his chest. The surgical wounds were still throbbing slightly, a reminder that he had also had surgery on his arms.

"Honey, when will my prosthetic arm be installed? Will it regain sensation after it's installed?"

At the other end of the surgical recovery room.

Zhou Yi slowly woke up from his medical bed, the aftereffects of the anesthesia leaving his mind blank.

He opened his eyes, and there was a face full of anxiety in front of him.

It's his wife!

"Who am I? Where am I? This pose is so awkward!"

He muttered to himself, instinctively trying to pull himself up.

The next second, he froze.

He is unable to control his body.

He remembered that he was a patient with high-level paralysis.

A useless person who can't even turn over.

"Don't move! Zhou Yi, you absolutely mustn't move!" His wife's voice was a mixture of surprise and joy as she pressed down on his shoulder. "The surgery just finished, and the doctor said it was very successful! Don't exert yourself! Quick, feel around, can you feel your hands and feet?"

Zhou Yi blinked, and the hangover-like haze in his mind slowly faded, and his jumbled memories began to come together again.

He recalled the surgery that had determined his fate.

perception?

He adjusted the position of his head, his gaze fixed on his left hand hanging by the bedside.

He hadn't felt that hand for many years; it was like a part that didn't belong to him.

Because of inactivity for too long, my muscles have started to atrophy.

He concentrated all his attention and gave the command to clench his fist at that hand!
Let's get moving!

One second, two seconds.

Not moving.

A chilling despair was about to rise from the bottom of my heart.

Suddenly, his left index finger twitched very slightly, almost imperceptibly!
Zhou Yi's breath caught in his throat!
Not an illusion!

He gave the order again.

verb: move!
This time, he clearly saw the second joint of the index finger bend slightly!
A strange, tingling sensation, like an electric current, rushed from the already necrotic nerve endings in his spine all the way to his brain!
"Wife..."

Zhou Yi opened his mouth and looked at his wife. His voice was extremely excited, and it was so dry that it sounded like sandpaper being rubbed.

His wife was staring intently at the finger, her hands tightly covering her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears, but she dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing this miraculous scene.

Zhou Yi turned his head, looked at his wife, and tears welled up in his eyes without warning.

"It moved."

"My finger...it moved!"

"How about trying your toes?"
-
Another world, the southern forest belt, the new city of Erangel.

The long, drawn-out bugle call resounded through the sky once more, but instead of being joyful, it carried a chilling sense of impending storm.

On the horizon, a dozen enormous black shadows broke through the clouds; they were terrifying giant eagles with wingspans of up to fifteen meters.

Each time they flapped their wings, they created a low whistling sound, and the swirling air scattered the dust in the square.

The giant eagle landed steadily, its folded wings resembling a huge cloak, revealing the two people on its back.

The front row consists of focused elven knights, while the back row comprises fully armed, silent, and solemn elven warriors.

As soon as they landed, a dedicated keeper came forward and led the exhausted giant eagle and riders to their nest to rest.

The soldiers who arrived on board marched in unison toward the central government hall.

This reinforcement was small, numbering only fifty, and consisted mostly of agile female elves. Instead of the emerald green and fiery red commonly seen on the elves of New Erigian, they wore a somber gray and pale purple.

Their equipment had no superfluous decorations, only the wear and tear of countless battles.

The atmosphere inside the governing hall was somber.

An elderly elf stood on a high platform; he was the ruler of this place.

His weathered eyes swept over the young yet resolute faces below.

"You are the sharpest arrows of the forest kingdom, the deadliest hunters of the Shadowwood." The governor's voice was crisp and clear, tinged with weariness. "But this time, your prey is different from any other time."

He paused, as if trying to form his words.

"The humans from the north are dangerous and powerful. They won't fight you one-on-one, and they don't understand the chivalrous honor of the southern humans. They only attack from a distance, and their individual weapons have an extremely long range, even stronger than ours. They can also ride flying steel golem birds to attack you and spy on you from places you can't see."

A slight commotion arose from the audience.

A steel golem bird? What is that?
“Just yesterday, our scout team was discovered by the enemy in the southern woodlands.” Leander’s tone turned cold. “Their steel golem birds circled above us multiple times, directly exposing our whereabouts.”

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent.

The discovery of the scouts' movements meant that the initiative in the entire campaign had been lost.

"Gentlemen, put away your chivalrous pride! Our experience fighting the humans of the Southern Forest is completely different from that of the Northern Forest!" The governor's face was stern. "Gentlemen, remember this: their attack methods are extremely unpredictable, and their magical artifacts are deadly and dangerous. Once you reach the front lines, your only task is to obey Tiaret's orders without fail! Now, go and pray under the Sacred Tree. You may rest for a day; we will set out tomorrow!"

"Yes!" Dozens of elven warriors responded in unison.

The governor watched them turn and leave, then slowly walked to the window and looked out at the gloomy northern sky.

The guests had already spotted them, and the banquet began ahead of schedule.

It's unclear how Tiarat is being arranged at the front lines.

While the elven troops who had come to provide support from other parts of the kingdom went to rest, the commander of the ranger squad stayed behind.

"Lord Grace, I wish to see Lani of the Yun clan!"

"She has been taken into custody."

"That's precisely why I need to see her even more."

“I’ll give you a sign. Lani’s words are full of cowardice and fear of humans. You can’t believe everything she says.”

“I understand, Lord Grace!” The elf nodded. “When does Mr. Tiaret anticipate launching his attack?”

"I estimate we'll make contact with our great enemy to the north within the next couple of days. As for the attack, I have no idea!"
-
Six hundred kilometers north of New Erigion lies a vast expanse of northern forest.

Such a place would be an absolute nightmare for a traditional human army.

It would take human armies three months to traverse such a dense forest.

But the elves are all the darlings of the forest; they march silently and swiftly through the woods, often leaping forward using branches and other means of transportation.

Within five or six days, the vanguard of the elven army had reached a point a hundred kilometers outside the human experimental field base.

If it weren't for the need to wait for troops from all over the kingdom to assemble, this time could be even shorter.

"Buzzing..."

The annoying buzzing sound came again from the northern horizon, breaking the tranquility of the forest.

Priestess Tiara raised her head and waved for the group to take cover.

He closed his eyes, and the whites of his eyes quickly filled his entire eye sockets.

Then, a head of long, emerald-green hair moved without wind, emitting a faint fluorescent glow.

The next second, the forest seemed to come alive.

As if receiving a silent command, hundreds and thousands of birds perched in the forest soared into the sky, forming a gray-black torrent that rushed straight at the "steel bird" circling in the air. A piercing metallic tearing sound came from the air. The iron bird was very clumsy, and although it managed to evade, Tiaret was controlling too many birds.

The frenzied flock of birds rhythmically stopped the propeller engine from spinning, and the flapping of their wings around the drone easily destabilized the drone that was still flying stably.

The drone then swiftly crashed deep into the dense forest.

Tiara opened her eyes abruptly, and the flock of birds fluttered their wings and dispersed automatically.

He let out a muffled groan, his body swayed slightly, and his face paled.

The pain and fear of the birds that were shredded by the drone's rotor blades before their deaths were fed back to his mind through the mental link, without missing a single detail.

"Priest, this is the third cross today!" The adjutant rushed forward to support him, his voice filled with unconcealed worry. "Your mental energy is being greatly depleted."

“It’s alright.” Tiara waved her hand, forcing herself to stand up straight. “Where did those humans get so many precious magical artifacts? It’s such a waste! I wonder how much steel, mithril, and magic stones it took to build such an iron bird.”

A nearby captain of the rangers couldn't help but interject, "Sir, if these things were really that valuable, would they be willing to send them to us one after another? It's like they're free."

Tiara glanced at her and scoffed, "They've discovered us, and they know we've discovered them. Perhaps this is a show of strength before they negotiate with us. Humans seem to want to flaunt their power and wealth in this way."

"A ridiculous tactic."

"Yes, naive tactics!"

"Weak and incompetent humans! We will make them taste the wrath of the forest."

After everyone had expressed their indignant opinions, Priest Tiaret said, "Next time iron birds come, your ranger units should cooperate with the druids to take them out."

"Yes!"

"Cerine, how long until all the main forces arrive at our designated casting positions?"

"Seventy percent of the troops and spellcasters are now in place, and we expect to have them all within three days." Celine paused, then added, "However... we've never channeled forbidden magic at such a great distance before. What if the magic's range gets out of control and affects the magical barrier to the north of the kingdom..."

“It won’t get out of control!” Tiaret interrupted her, her tone leaving no room for argument. “The Mother Goddess’s oracle has been delivered, and the prophets and high priests will cooperate with us in casting spells. The prophets say that forbidden magic is the only means to deter them from their attempts to seize our territory!”

"If we cannot sever the evil tentacles of humanity that dare to reach into the forest kingdom in one blow, and instill fear in them, we will suffer from their fear in the future!"

Deterrence?

Why would the prophet use this word?
Did Tiara pass the wrong information first?

"Then the negotiations..."

"We'll talk to them after we've chopped off their claws!" Tiaret's eyes were icy. "Strength is the foundation of survival. In this battle, we can only win, not lose!"

He looked north, as if he could already see the human base reduced to dust by the power of nature.

But at that moment, Tiara's brows furrowed suddenly.

"Ok?"

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Celine keenly sensed his unusual behavior.

Tiara did not answer; his eyes, which could see through everything in the forest, were fixed on the distance.

At the edge of his vision, in the direction of the human base, another new iron bird was flying towards him.

"Damn humans, just how many flying magical devices do they have? Pass on my orders!" Tiaret's voice was filled with apprehension. "All troops, remain hidden! Await the completion of the assembly of all front-line forces."

"Yes!"
-
Another world, the Human Union Command Center.

A huge electronic sand table flickered in the center of the command hall, displaying the forest landscape covering hundreds of kilometers.

The enemy and our own positions are clearly distinguishable on the sand table.

"Report! Drone 'Eagle Eye 9' at coordinates XX7 has detected a new enemy cluster, approximately 500 people, and its location has been marked!"

"Report! Hawkeye 9 has been attacked by a flock of birds and has been destroyed."

"Marking the location where the drone was shot down!"

As soon as a young intelligence analyst finished speaking, a bright red enemy icon appeared out of thin air on the sand table, 120 kilometers inside the forest boundary, and was automatically numbered by the system.

Su Mingjin's gaze swept across the sand table, her expression calm: "Arrange for some low-cost reconnaissance aircraft to fly over there again to gather more intelligence on the enemy."

"Ok!"

Hearing this, the brigade commander next to her couldn't help but snort, his thick fingers tapping the edge of the sand table.

"These long-eared guys learn pretty quickly. They learned from their mistakes and started using the tactic of breaking up large groups into smaller ones."

"Are they spreading out their posts and flanking us from all sides because they're worried we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

"I guess so! The enemy won't just foolishly swarm in like that forever. This is a very reasonable tactical arrangement," Commander Man said with a smile.

"Too bad they fell for it!"

If the enemy launches another large-scale area attack, humanity really needs to be careful, and may even need to avoid its attacks.

But humans love this kind of dispersed attack.

At this moment, more than twenty similar triangular markers have been lit up densely throughout the vast forest, spanning hundreds of kilometers from the human advance test field base.

These are all elven units detected by human scouts.

The number ranged from less than a hundred to no more than five hundred, flowing like water towards the experimental fields that humans were building in the forest belt.

If humans need to, they can be targeted and eliminated.

“The enemy is using multiple flanking maneuvers and not focusing on their main attack points. Although they've concealed their strategic intentions, it's useless.” Brigade Commander Man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. “Under our Sky Eye system, they're practically naked.”

“Don’t be careless, Commander Man,” Su Mingjin reminded him, “Intelligence superiority does not guarantee absolute victory. Remember, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.”

“I understand, Commander Su.” The smile on Brigade Commander Man’s face faded, and he became serious. “I’m just worried that they’re holding back some kind of powerful magic we don’t know about. If they unleash a large-scale forbidden spell, we’ll be in trouble.”

This was a thorn in the side of everyone in the command post.

Upon arriving in this alien world, humans witnessed the scourge of the undead and the attacks of forest spirits.

The thought of what happened before filled many people with apprehension.

If humanity hadn't unleashed the weapon of truth at that time, the outcome would have been uncertain, and the casualties would have been unpredictable.

Currently, humans have detected very few attack methods from the elves.

Magic is unknown and mysterious, which is what makes it so frightening.

We are not afraid of strong enemy attacks, but we are afraid of surprise attacks using unorthodox methods.

Soldiers are not afraid of sacrifice, but everyone's life is very precious and cannot be wasted by the commander.

"Therefore, I still think we can't wait until they gather before we make a move."

Su Mingjin lightly tapped the icon of the experimental field base with her fingertip, and the area quickly enlarged.

The flat land, the clear irrigation canals, the three steel defense lines arranged in a triangular pattern, and the five-kilometer-long open buffer zone forcibly created by humans form a cold geometric defense pattern on the electronic sand table.

That was an experimental field, a farm built by humans in another world.

Similarly, this is also a meticulously designed defensive meat grinder.

"Reconnaissance team, have you spotted any elf messengers arriving?" Su Mingjin asked again.

"Report: No findings! All detected squads were fully armed combat units, and their movement routes demonstrated a high degree of military organization. No envoy-like forces were detected!"

"Understood. They've come with ill intentions!" Su Mingjin nodded, no longer hesitating.

"If they don't come, we'll proactively notify them. We'll order the information warfare unit to find several large Elf units and deploy communication drones there."

“We will broadcast the language of the savages directly through loudspeakers, repeatedly playing our wishes for peace.”

Commander Man paused for a moment, his expression somewhat strange: "President Su, should we launch a barrage of firepower first, and then demonstrate our willingness to make peace?"

Since it's a demonstration, let's make it a big one.

“A show of force would be too aggressive, hindering negotiations and making us appear overly assertive,” Su Mingjin said calmly. “We are civilized people; we’ll start with diplomacy, then resort to force, and we must follow all the proper procedures! Whether they listen or not is their own business. Ultimately, they must be responsible for their choices!”

The meaning was immediately clear to everyone after hearing this.

If you don't listen to what I said, I'll launch a full-scale attack.

Ask again.

If they don't listen, we'll continue with another wave of firepower.

Commander Man understood instantly, and a menacing smile spread across his face.

"General Su is right. If the other side continues in this manner, we will have no choice but to accept the military merits that are offered to us with tears in our eyes!"

Su Mingjin took one last look at the constantly moving red dots on the sand table and added, "We can also release some of the elven prisoners we've been holding."

"Ok!"

Logically, after Lani and the others were released, they should have brought back the goodwill that humanity wanted to convey.

But at this moment, the elven forces adopted an offensive posture, which could be roughly interpreted as an admission of failure based on the news brought back by Lani and the others.

Now, humanity continues to extend goodwill to them, extending goodwill at its own pace.

If the elves continue to be stubborn, humanity will have no choice but to unleash steel and artillery shells, letting them experience the cruelty of industry once again.

If the elves are wise enough to know when to yield, then everything is negotiable!

Wouldn't it be better if we developed and collaborated together, and lived in harmony?

They insisted on killing the fire.

It's tiring enough, but it's also extremely uncivilized!

"Frontline units should also enter a state of first-level combat readiness!"

"The artillery units are updating their target data in real time and are ready to provide fire support at any time!"

"Drone battle groups must also be ready to be deployed at any time!"

"Communication drone, now deploy."

Her voice echoed in the quiet command hall, clear and cold.

"I want to see if the Forest Kingdom's magic is more powerful, or if our army's artillery shells are tougher, if they don't listen to our advice!"
-
Another world, the monitoring room for captured elves.

Gong Pengfei was facing the tablet, his fingers flying across the screen as he viewed the new day's compiled information about the Pokémon.

The investigation into the captured elves has recently progressed smoothly, and the psychological models of these elves are becoming increasingly comprehensive.

His observation report is almost finished—

On the psychological stress and behavioral pattern changes of intelligent beings in other worlds under long-term captive environment.

This is his thesis.

These proud elves, who initially showed hostility, attacked, went on hunger strikes, and even self-harmed, are now starting to chat with their guards and even ask them for snacks.

Aggressive? What's that? Is it edible?
Looking at Annie's personal mental model information, he estimated that he would soon be able to have a long talk with her about this matter.

Take Annies, who has been imprisoned the longest, for example. This young elven warrior, who once longed to die, can now sit down calmly and talk about what food is good and what food is not.

Gong Pengfei even felt that if he had a few more months, he could turn these elves into "smart people." At that time, he could not only find out internal information about the elves, but he might even be able to find out the color of the elven queen's pajamas.

I wonder if there is an Elf Queen.

After compiling the latest data, Gong Pengfei yawned and went outside to look at the scenery. Just as he was about to do some eye exercises, the dull roar of an engine came from afar, interrupting his train of thought.

He saw two armored vehicles, kicking up snow dust, come to a precise stop outside the yard.

The car door opened, and several fully armed soldiers jumped out with steady steps.

"They're all so menacing, I wonder what's going on!" Gong Pengfei muttered to himself, straightened his collar, and went to greet them.

"Team Leader Gong, hello!" The leading soldier snapped to attention and handed over a document. "Commander Su has ordered that the three elven prisoners be taken back immediately to convey our goodwill to the elven forces once again!"

Gong Pengfei took the document stamped with the red seal, quickly glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

The order was simple: the elven army in the southern forest was gathering and would attack soon. To ensure safety, humans would release some elven prisoners as a gesture of goodwill.

Did President Su specify which category of personnel should be released?

He categorized his elven captives into several personality types and labeled them accordingly.

The first type is the teachable type.

They are mainly young elves whose worldviews are not yet fully solidified and who have the lowest hostility towards humans, making them a key target for attack.

The second type is the stubborn type.

Most of them were older, seasoned individuals with fanatical faith in the Fairy Mother Goddess. They were always looking for trouble and were therefore under close surveillance.

The third category is the dangerous type.

They harbor extreme hatred towards humans and are full of aggressive desires. Once they realize they cannot leave and their personal safety is under control, they become taciturn and their eyes often reveal murderous intent, making them key targets for vigilance.

"President Su is asking you to make your own judgment."

"Understood." Gong Pengfei nodded. "Release some less hostile elf prisoners. I'll handle it behind the scenes."

"Ok!"

Soon, the sixty-nine elven captives were gathered at the exercise yard.

The wind howled, blowing through their long, light green hair. The elves' faces no longer showed the initial panic of their arrival, but rather a sense of bewilderment.

Now they have also figured out the pattern.

Every time they were suddenly gathered together in large numbers, they could sense that something was about to happen.

This time, Gong Pengfei personally served as the guide, with his assistant Tang Huanzhu beside him.

"Xiao Tang, play the movie."

Tang Huanzhu nodded, and the video information began to play on the big screen.

The video showed the scene of Lani and her group being released.

At first, they were gathered together, and then Yu Qiwen told them the information... As the professor left, they were unshackled one by one, and then they took their supplies and luggage and disappeared into the depths of the jungle.

The video is short and fast-forwarded, but it contains a huge amount of information.

The elves stirred, whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with disbelief.

Many of them believed that Lani and the others had been secretly executed or trafficked.

I never expected that he would actually leave alive.

And it seems they weren't targeted or abused when they left?
Is it a magical deception?

"We treated them with courtesy and released Lani and the others, hoping they could bring back a message of peace. At the very least, it would allow us to communicate with your decision-makers."

Gong Pengfei waited until they had finished discussing before clearing his throat and amplifying his voice throughout the venue.

"Unfortunately, what we received was not your envoy, but your approaching army."

Gong Pengfei sighed, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"Gentlemen, to prevent misunderstandings and escalation of conflict, we have decided to give you another chance. Now, we will release the three men once again to return and report the news. This is our final act of goodwill."

Gong Feipeng scanned the elves below, whose expressions varied, and said, word by word, "I hope you can take this message back with you exactly as it is—the door to negotiation remains open, but if you choose war, you will be met with the thunderous wrath of the civilized world!"

As soon as the words fell, the whole place fell silent.

Gong Pengfei didn't waste any words and started drawing lots directly.

This time, Gong Pengfei drew the answer and read it aloud.

Soon, three lucky winners were drawn.

The third name is Eileen.

When Eileen, who had given the token to Lani last time, heard that she had been chosen again, she was stunned.

Gong Pengfei glanced at her, secretly amused.

This wasn't luck; he chose it on purpose.

Although they weren't familiar faces, the elves already knew that the other party had once asked Lani to return.

"For your safety, and for our safety, put these on." Gong Pengfei ignored the whispering people and instead had the soldiers bring out three specially made shackles.

These devices are ingeniously designed to prevent them from suddenly attacking and injuring people on the street.

The three elves obediently put on shackles and were led onto the armored vehicle by the soldiers.

Annies stood at the back of the crowd, her fists clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She watched the armored vehicle disappear into the distance, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

Months ago, she was supposed to give her life for the glory of the Mother Goddess, turning to ashes in the flames of forbidden magic.

But she survived several accidents.

In this cage, her magical link with the Mother Goddess was completely severed, and the fervent faith that once filled her soul was gradually dissipating with each of her daily meals.

She didn't want to die.

She desperately wanted to live.

Hopefully... Eileen and the others can bring back the kindness that humanity desires.

Otherwise, the thunderous rage that humans spoke of must have been incredibly terrifying.

What would it be like if the other party were enraged?

She dared not think about it, nor could she imagine it.

All she could do was pray, pray for peace to come!
(End of this chapter)