Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 59 Critical Point

Lin Yi placed the crystal in his hand: "Take a look first."

Chen Yu eagerly grasped the crystal, but after a moment, the excited expression on his face froze slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.

"Huh? Not a mechanical dog? Hmm, the 'Frost' disposable freezing beam emitter is effective against targets with a source energy level below 300. The freezing time decreases depending on the target's intensity."

He looked up at Lin Yi: "Brother Yi, what's this?"

“Aren’t you all going to join the rescue team?” Lin Yi said. “I can’t always be able to work with you. It would be best if you guys applied to be in the same group. In case of an emergency, this should buy you some time.”

Chen Yu was taken aback for a moment, then understood Lin Yi's intention.

This is not a weapon designed to inflict damage, but rather a life-saving device for critical moments.

Chen Yu scratched his head, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Since you're so meticulous, then I won't hold back, Brother Yi."

Lin Yi waved his hand speechlessly, indicating that he should put it away.

He then said no more, sat cross-legged, took out the source energy crystals he had obtained that day, held them in his palm, closed his eyes, and began to recover from his depletion.
-
The next morning, Lin Yi had just finished eating half a compressed biscuit and was preparing to go to the department store later when Ren Yinuo came rushing over.

"Staff Officer Lin, the General Staff urgently asked me to inquire about something."

She cut to the chase, "The General Staff would like you to give a rough estimate of how long it will take you to break through to the Stardust level?"

"Furthermore, if the advancement is successful, with the total amount and recovery speed of Stardust-level source energy, is it possible to support the neutralization of the source energy of a micro-nest for up to an hour?"

She paused, then added, "The General Staff has expressed initial interest in developing an operational plan to eliminate this tiny nest near Helu City, with you at the core."

"If this plan succeeds, its symbolic significance and its boost to the morale of the military and civilians across the country will be immeasurable."

Lin Yi understood.

He understood the General Staff's urgency.

At a time when the nation is mired in crisis and people are filled with anxiety, any hope that can prove that humanity can take the initiative to fight back, or even destroy the lair of the abyssal beasts, is worth investing huge resources to try.

This was not just a military operation, but also a spiritual breakthrough.

Lin Yi pondered for a moment.

For him, there is no bottleneck to breakthroughs; the main question is what level of achievement he should demonstrate.

He thought about it for a moment and realized that the Stardust level was indeed not difficult for talented people; they could just break through directly.

"Ten days."

Lin Yi set a deadline.

"According to the description of the guiding technique, the journey from the beginner level to the Stardust level is a major hurdle, and the difficulty of breaking through it is not low. The accumulation of source energy and the precision of its control are both indispensable, however..."

His tone became more certain, "I'm quite confident."

As for whether it could last for an hour, Lin Yi thought for a moment and then gave an answer.

"Based on what I learned about the characteristics of the Stardust level from the Ninefold Origin Method, if I can successfully advance and raise my source energy control to another level, minimizing the loss of energy during output, theoretically it should be enough to support a neutralization process for one hour."

Ren Yinuo carefully noted down every word Lin Yi said and nodded, saying, "Okay, Staff Officer Lin, I will report your reply to the General Staff immediately."

After saying that, he turned and took his leave.

After watching Ren Yinuo leave, Lin Yi finished his breakfast. In order not to disturb others and to have a relatively quiet environment, he chose to go to the office assigned to him by the department store in the morning.

Later, feeling that he couldn't fully utilize his abilities, he simply went up to the heavily guarded rooftop platform of the old department store.

The open view and the absence of disturbance made it convenient for him to hone his skills.

In the afternoon, he went out with the rescue team to assist in rescuing survivors.

As evening fell, just as he returned to the settlement from outside, Ren Yinuo came looking for him again. Her face showed a hint of excitement.

"Chief of Staff Lin, the General Staff has replied."

"The Supreme Command has decided to immediately begin deploying a portion of the main force and heavy equipment to the area surrounding Helu City. It is expected that the assembly and tactical deployment will take about a week to complete."

"The Supreme Command has instructed that once your successful breakthrough to the Stardust level is confirmed, the operation will commence!"

"Goodness, this is quite a bit of pressure." Lin Yi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said half-jokingly, "With all this fuss, what if I fail to break through? Wouldn't that be a huge sin?"

Ren Yinuo's expression was unusually serious as she looked at Lin Yi:

"Staff Officer Lin, please don't feel burdened by this. This is a strategic decision made by the General Staff after rigorous analysis and risk assessment."

"Even if the plan ultimately fails to be implemented for any reason, you will not bear any responsibility."

"Besides."

She paused, her tone tinged with an inexplicable conviction, "Commander Li Zhenguo asked me to convey a message to you: 'Our Xia Kingdom has a history of thousands of years, and in times of crisis, heroes have always emerged to turn the tide. We believe that this time will be no exception.'"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, then grinned, revealing a somewhat complicated smile: "Heh, you seem to have a lot of confidence in me."

He didn't say anything more, but his eyes subtly deepened.

For the next week or so, Lin Yi's life settled into a relatively simple and regular rhythm.

During the day, he sometimes volunteers and goes out with the rescue team to carry out some rescue missions.

Lin Yi doesn't always take action; he often just sits in the truck, thinking silently. But his presence is like a stabilizing force, greatly enhancing the team's sense of security.

Once he takes action, he displays swift and decisive methods. In particular, he once rescued a rescue team that was being chased by the Abyss Bear, saving hundreds of people and earning widespread respect from the entire settlement.

When not on missions, Lin Yi would either practice his martial arts on the rooftop of the old department store, attracting a large group of officers and others who felt they had some understanding of energy sources to watch.

Alternatively, they could stay in the command center of the department store, communicating with Zhang Weidong, Ren Yinuo, and other officers responsible for tactical planning and intelligence analysis, subtly strengthening their influence while obtaining the latest information on the situation in Xia State.

In recent days, because Xia Kingdom adopted a strategy of contraction, apart from some initial heavy losses, with the establishment of settlements and the rescue of a large number of survivors, it has been able to initially establish a foothold.

Of course, this is only apparent.

Secretly, through Ren Yinuo's communication, Lin Yi learned that the General Staff had confirmed the fact that the nest would expand through observation, comparison and analysis, but in order to prevent panic, it was not made public.

However, the General Staff has already begun to formulate countermeasures.

Every night, without fail, Lin Yi would return to his tent and use the source energy crystals to continuously accumulate and refine the source energy within his body.

He could clearly feel that his dantian was becoming more and more full and concentrated, and the speed of its flow was increasing day by day.

During this period, Lin Yi's life was simple yet busy.

Every day, as he cultivated, assisted in rescue efforts, exchanged intelligence, and honed his control, he could feel the source energy within his body becoming increasingly abundant, and the barrier between him and that invisible barrier becoming thinner and clearer.

Several days later, one night, after Lin Yi had once again completely absorbed the energy of a source energy crystal, he slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the tent, all was quiet except for the occasional light footsteps of the patrol team and the faint sound of engines from the distant defensive line.

As Lin Yi felt the surging energy within his body, his dantian seemingly saturated and unable to absorb any more energy, a sudden realization dawned on him.

The critical point has been reached.

　I watched it this morning, it was really awesome.

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(End of this chapter)