Mobile Shelter

Chapter 257 Each Goes Their Own Way

After the banquet hall doors closed, Lu Ziye didn't rush to speak. He remained silent for a moment, and only when everyone below stopped talking and looked at him did he slowly begin to speak:

"We've been here for a week now, and I'm sure everyone here has a general understanding of the situation."

I believe everyone has a general idea of what will happen in the future. As for those who left early, it goes without saying that everyone can guess that they are preparing to settle here permanently and do not plan to leave in the future.

To be honest, I'm sure I wasn't the only one thinking this at the time; I imagine everyone present had the same thought.

I just don't know why you ultimately didn't make up your minds and didn't choose this idea.

But I can tell you something here, something that can be verified.

As you all probably already know, the identity of time travelers is not a secret in the forward fortress. But do you know when those time travelers who are still living in the forward fortress came here?

If you really pay attention and investigate, you'll find out with a little effort that there are no transmigrators who have lived here for more than ten years.

It's not that no time travelers arrived here ten years ago. You should know that the forward fortress has been established for about a hundred years. And you should all know the purpose of the forward fortress: to make us time travelers fight desperately.

Otherwise, why would they build a forward fortress in such an odd location? I'm afraid we might just be putting in a half-hearted effort on the real human defense line.

If we don't fight with all our might, then what awaits us is the fall of the city and the destruction of our people.

Let me first tell you the purpose of the human leadership in establishing the forward fortress. Then I'll tell you why there are no transmigrators who have survived for more than ten years in the forward fortress.

Putting aside the special circumstances in my hometown, just considering the special circumstances here, no one who transmigrates to this place can live for more than ten years.

The specific reasons can be found in the hidden realms of our hometown.

Perhaps you are not very clear about the origin of the secret realm in our hometown. To put it simply, it is the original will of our hometown that specifically attracted remnant souls from other dimensions to descend to Earth.

After those remnant souls from other dimensions descended upon Earth, they formed various unique secret realms.

When we, the native inhabitants of Earth, destroy the remnants of other dimensions and obtain the primal energy, isn't it still split 50/50 with the primal will of our home planet?

Honestly, you should be able to figure out the ins and outs here if you think about it for a little while.

When we arrived here, our situation was not much different from that of those otherworldly remnant souls. As long as we lived here for more than ten years, we would be considered to have left our hometown.

After leaving our hometown, the primordial energy we absorbed while in our hometown naturally needs to be returned to our hometown.

But that primordial energy has already been absorbed by the body and completely integrated into all aspects of it. Therefore, if all the primordial energy absorbed back home were to disappear, the consequences would be self-evident.

Upon hearing Lu Ziye's words, everyone present changed their expressions. Those who were initially hesitant felt a pang of anxiety upon learning of this.

By this time, they knew that if they didn't find a way to leave this place within ten years, they would face death even if they didn't die on the battlefield.

However, after learning about this situation, some people will strive to earn more contribution points, while others, after realizing that the hope of leaving this place is somewhat slim, will indulge themselves.

Lu Ziye gave the others some time to think before speaking: "There are two ways to leave here. The first way is to obtain an honorary military rank as an individual. As long as you accumulate enough contribution points, you can leave directly."

This method is only suitable for awakened individuals with superpowers. For ordinary people without superpowers, it is not entirely impossible, but it is still extremely difficult.

Another method, which you are probably all familiar with, is to form a battle group and act as a team.

I don't want to lead you to make a choice. You all probably know that no matter which path you choose, some people will end up on their way home.

Lu Ziye then ordered the banquet hall doors to be opened before continuing, "If you choose to apply for an honorary military rank, you may leave now."

Those who remain will discuss with me the various matters concerning the formation of the battle group.

Upon hearing Lu Ziye's words, Dong Qi did not hesitate and stood up decisively, then left the hall without hesitation.

As Dong Qi left, Liu Yi and Kou Hai also got up and left the hall at the same time.

Although the others hesitated, they ultimately did not get up, and even when the banquet hall doors closed again, no one chose to leave.

Dong Qi looked at Kou Hai, with whom he had previously had some disagreements, and Liu Yi, who was usually very low-key, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that only the three of us would choose to act alone. The others..."

Before Dong Qi could finish speaking, Kou Hai interrupted him, saying, "The others who remain in the banquet hall at this time may not necessarily join the battle group formed by Lu Ziye."

Ordinary people are fine, but it's hard for us awakened individuals with superpowers, especially those like Ji Yunting who have wide-range attack capabilities, to stay safely in the midst of the battle.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that only soldiers who obey orders without question are suitable for forming combat units. While the ordinary people in our convoy have undergone several rounds of physical enhancements and undeniably far surpass those former elite soldiers, their military skills are far inferior.

While I don't deny that Lu Ziye might eventually lead the battle group back to Earth, the time that would take... tsk tsk tsk...

Seeing the mocking smile on Kou Hai's face, Liu Yi also complained, "There's nothing we can do about it. This is all a conspiracy devised by the forward fortress. We new transmigrators can only obediently comply."

Who told us to act impulsively and jump straight into this pit?

Going back now will probably be very difficult, and I don't know what our hometown will be like when we get back.

Seeing Liu Yi's worried face, Dong Qi still comforted him, saying, "Let's not think about things back home for now. We need to take care of things here first."

Over the past few days, I've gained a general understanding of this area. If we rely solely on the missions released in the mission hall, let alone ten years, even fifty years would be insufficient to accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for a Major General title.

To gain a massive amount of contribution points, the only way is to slaughter countless White Walkers during the war.

After Dong Qi shifted the topic to this area, Kou Hai also shared what he knew: "As far as I know, each White Walker invasion lasts for at least a month and at most half a year."

During this period, not only here, but all the forward fortresses are like a reef in the ocean, constantly subjected to attacks from the Others like waves crashing against them.

Unlike the ancient warfare we know of, where battles were fought during the day and rested at night, in this war, the frontline fortresses were constantly under attack from the White Walkers.

As soon as Kou Hai finished recounting the intelligence he had obtained, Liu Yi immediately spoke up: "I learned about the situation at the front-line fortresses during the war from a different perspective."

Once the war truly begins, the forward fortress will be divided into two areas, inner and outer.

Needless to say, the inner city is definitely the area heavily defended by the natives, and compared to the outer city, the inner city is a completely enclosed fortress.

The outer city is more like a playground for those skilled in urban warfare to showcase their abilities.

According to the information I've gathered, during the war, Awakened individuals below the rank of major were not qualified to enter the inner city.

This was the first time Dong Qi and Kou Hai had heard this news, so both of them showed expressions of shock.

Upon seeing the expressions on the two people's faces, Liu Yi immediately revealed a smile of success in his prank.

Upon seeing the smile on Liu Yi's face, Dong Qi and Kou Hai immediately realized that they had been tricked by Liu Yi and were about to take action to "get justice".

Then Liu Yi spoke up, saying, "I wasn't joking with you just now, but I did leave out some information."

The distinction between inner and outer cities doesn't appear at the very beginning of a war. Rather, it only occurs when it's confirmed that the outer city is indefensible, at which point native inhabitants of the local world are sent inside the fortress to take refuge.

As for us outsiders who have traveled through time, unless we have the rank of major, we really have no way to enter the inner city to hide.

However, the loss of the outer city is actually a good thing for us, because once the outer city falls, all the items in the shops and rooms within it become ownerless, and whoever gets them can keep them.

Upon hearing Liu Yi's words, Kou Hai's eyes immediately lit up with a golden light.

Seeing Kou Hai's expression, Liu Yi instantly guessed what Kou Hai was thinking, and thus directly rebuked him: "Alright, stop thinking too much. Don't be fooled by the many shops in the outer city; their warehouses are all underground, and they were built at the same time as the forward fortress."

The underground warehouse was constructed using special materials, and without the correct method of opening it, even bombardment with missiles would make it difficult to breach the warehouse's outer defenses.

The shops on the ground only have some samples. If the city falls, although we can get some unclaimed items, in the ensuing chaos, not much will be left for each person.

Don't forget that besides us time travelers, the indigenous warriors who formed their own battle groups also couldn't enter the inner city to hide.

Those who were able to enter the inner city to take refuge were basically the official logistics personnel of this fortress.

In reality, whether it's us time travelers or the professional warriors among the natives, we basically all need to engage in street battles with the White Walkers in the outer city areas.

Upon hearing Liu Yi's words, Dong Qi and Kou Hai both breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.

After all, according to what Liu Yi just added, although they could not enter the inner city to take refuge, they were not isolated and helpless when fighting in the outer city.

However, at this point, no matter how they discussed the situation during the war, it was all just speculation. Only after actually experiencing a war could they know the specifics of the situation.

The three walked and talked, then randomly found a restaurant and chose a private room to continue sharing the information they had obtained.

The other two were also tempted when they heard that Dong Qi was preparing to leave the dormitory and move.

In the previous week, not only Dong Qi, but also Kou Hai and Liu Yi found suitable tasks to carry out alone.

In fact, Dong Qi was unaware that, in addition to the public missions released in the mission hall, there were also exclusive missions that could only be received by those with honorary ranks.

Compared to public missions that everyone can take on, the military rank missions that can be taken on by individuals not only offer generous rewards but also have a very controllable level of difficulty.

The patrol mission that Dong Qi received in the lobby was actually a team mission that would normally be assigned to a battle group.

During the conversation, when Liu Yi heard that Dong Qi was preparing to exchange for a standard mechanical protective artifact, he directly told Dong Qi about another way to exchange for it.

That means not using official channels for redemption, but instead spending contribution points to redeem in personal shops.

While the quality of mechanical artifacts obtained through official channels is reliable, the quality of mechanical artifacts from personal shops is also quite good.

In particular, the mechanical creations that Dong Qi wanted to exchange for were like cannon fodder in Liu Yi's eyes. Therefore, Liu Yi felt that since they were all disposable mechanical creations, the slightly poor quality would not affect their use.

Upon hearing Liu Yi's words, Dong Qi immediately thought of the second exchange method: directly exchanging for a complete set of manufacturing data. With the complete set of manufacturing data, Dong Qi could manufacture those mechanical creations himself.

After the three finished their meal, Dong Qi didn't linger outside. He went directly to the quartermaster department, found a computer, and checked the contribution points required for the complete set of manufacturing data.

To Dong Qi's surprise, the price of exchanging all the mechanical wolves or mechanical flying ants he wanted to exchange for the complete set of manufacturing materials was actually not that expensive.

But when Dong Qi opened the exchange interface for basic materials, he discovered that these manufacturing materials were just like the atomic bomb manufacturing materials that could be easily found online.

Even if the manufacturing methods and steps are made public, ordinary people still cannot collect the actual manufacturing materials.

That's why the exchange price for a complete set of manufacturing materials is so low, since this kind of knowledge can be copied and exchanged without limit.

Furthermore, the mechanical creations that Dong Qi selected were all very ordinary. Even without detailed manufacturing data, as long as there was a prototype, it would not be difficult to replicate them.

Just like civilian drones on Earth, anyone who understands the principles can make one by hand.

Such standardized mechanical creations, if produced in small quantities, would hardly cause any ripples on the battlefield. However, if they were to be mass-produced, it would be impossible to obtain enough manufacturing materials in the forward fortresses.

The transportation costs alone for materials manufactured in the rear and transported here are several times higher than the cost of manufacturing materials.

For this reason, the exchange prices for most of the standard equipment on the exchange list, along with their detailed manufacturing information, are not too high.

Upon learning of this situation, Dong Qi immediately shifted his exchange target, since only 10,000 contribution points were needed to exchange for a complete set of manufacturing data for a mechanical creation.

With these manufacturing data, the Hundred Refinement Furnace, in coordination with the intelligent hub, can directly manufacture the desired mechanical guards.

When Dong Qi woke up the next day, the Starfire Flying Boat had just been upgraded again. This time, the Starfire Flying Boat unlocked a special cabin. Needless to say, Dong Qi directly chose the mechanical space to store the mechanical guards.

Starfire Flying Boat (Level 3): Kunpeng

Treasure Forging Technique Cultivation Level: ∞

Physical Strength: Spiritual Weapon

Main weapon: Thunder Dragon Electromagnetic Cannon (Green)

Secondary weapon: Laser cannon (green)

Armor: Alloy Armor (Purple)

Power compartment: Engine (green)

Special Cabin: Farm Space (Seven Colors)

Mechanical space (green)

General Equipment Slot: Smart Hub (Green)

Hundred-Refining Furnace (Green)

Robotic arms (six in total) (green)