Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Sitting in the airship, at Barna's insistence, Lin Gui deliberately slowed down.

The airship glided slowly across the sky, passing over the Second Shield City.

Barna looked down at the fortress.

Like the city of Shield, it has been overrun by demons.

The black figures densely covered the barrier light screen.

They were tearing and ramming at each other wildly.

The flames from the magic crystal cannons continued to illuminate from inside the fortress.

With each flash, a demon was blasted to pieces.

But more demons are emerging from the black sea to fill those voids.

Barna’s gaze was complex.

He sighed.

"Now, let's see if the gods are on our side."

Lin Gui nodded slightly.

The Second Fortress stands tall.

This does not mean that Shield City will survive this demonic uprising.

It was built to delay the fall of Shield City.

It was to hold out until the moment the god at the center of the Black Tide sent the signal.

If they still don't live to see that moment.

All efforts will be in vain.

When Lin Gui brought Barna back to Shield City, Balin and the other dwarves all looked over.

After landing, Barna immediately spoke:

"The light of the Second Shield City has already been erected."

He paused.

"We don't need to worry about the pressure in the deep sea anymore."

This should have been news to celebrate.

But none of the dwarves present showed any joy.

Bahrain looked around.

The dwarves, who had just retreated from the battlefield, were covered in blood and looked exhausted.

Some were leaning against the wall, some were sitting on the ground, and some could barely stand, yet they still gripped their weapons tightly.

He remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he opened his mouth:

"Let's all take a rest."

He paused.

"Organize dwarven civilians, and humans and other races at the Blackwater Harbor evacuation point."

"Retreat into the root tunnel."

This time, the dwarven pillars did not object.

They have done everything in their power.

Now, it all depends on whether time is on their side.

One by one, the dwarves sprang into action.

……

Inside the fortified city.

The long line stood silently, waiting to enter the secret passage.

That was the entrance to the root tunnel, the city's last escape route.

There were dwarfs, humans, an old man holding a child, and a woman supporting the injured.

No one spoke; only footsteps and suppressed breathing could be heard.

Barna stood not far away, watching the team.

He turned his head and looked at Lin Gui beside him.

I wanted to remind the other person that following them would at least ensure their safety.

But then I remembered the other party's outrageous levitation and concealment magic.

He immediately abandoned the idea.

Forget it.

If this person really wanted to run, he could run faster than anyone else.

Outside, the roar of the magic crystal cannons continued, but it was much less loud than before.

The demon's ferocious roar grew closer and clearer.

boom.

A huge piece of mountain broke off and rolled down from a great height.

The opening, which was originally blocked by the mountain, gradually began to let in light.

Then, the light was blocked by the hideous demonic figure.

Outside the barrier, the demons frantically scratched at the pale blue light curtain.

The grating scraping sound kept ringing out, like countless needles piercing my heart.

a bit.

a bit.

Another one.

Bahrain and the dwarf pillars gathered together.

Their repeated attacks and retreats left them in a very bad state.

Bahrain's chest was wrapped in bandages, and blood was still seeping out.

A dwarf next to him was missing an ear, and another had his entire arm in a splint.

They are no longer able to launch an offensive in the short term.

Meanwhile, the ammunition for the Shield City is also running out.

Bahrain commanded the dwarves stationed at each window:

"Cease fire."

"All warriors, follow the civilians into the Root Tunnel."

The dwarves withdrew from the defensive line.

But they did not enter the root tunnels with the civilians.

Instead, they took up their weapons and silently surrounded the fortress lord.

They clearly intend to fight to the very end.

Bahrain looked at them.

He sighed.

There was no excessive obstruction.

More than a decade of stationing there has made them regard this fiery city as their home.

No one wanted to see their base, which they had guarded for ten years, destroyed.

The sound of the city walls breaking apart outside was intensifying.

Taking advantage of this moment, Lin Gui asked Barna:

"How long are we expected to hold out until the second phase of the Kuroshio Current begins?"

Barna calmly analyzed:

"The time from the confirmed outbreak to the second stage varies in each generation of the Kuroshio Current."

"The shortest is no more than half a day."

He paused.

"And the longest... lasted a full fourteen days."

Lin Gui frowned slightly.

"How long have you been holding out?"

Barna paused for a second.

"...Four days."

Lin Gui asked again:

"How long can the barrier hold out?"

Now, the magic crystal cannon has run out of ammunition.

Bahrain and other elite forces that were able to break through to relieve the pressure were also badly injured and unable to fight any longer.

The defense of the Fortress of Shields relies entirely on the barrier.

Barna remained silent for a moment.

He looked up at the transparent, constantly fluctuating barrier.

"Without a second stronghold, it will take at most two days."

He sighed.

"We can hold out for three more days now."

Lin Gui's heart sank.

In other words, the Second Shield City plan on which the dwarves pinned their hopes.

It simply increases the probability of survival from 40% to 50%.

That's the probability.

It's no different from gambling.

Looking at the line of civilians below, Lin Gui asked curiously:

"Can root tunnels protect them?"

Diving underground is indeed a good way to escape demons.

But very few people would do that.

First, demons have an extremely strong sense of smell and even perception.

How strong is it?

Its perception is so strong that it rivals that of an epic warrior specializing in perception.

In fact, the Night Veil can conceal the true nature of some epic-level powerhouses who are not skilled in perception.

But Lin Gui never thought he could hide anything from the epic demons.

Why use epic demons as an example?

Because in the past, powerful epic demons would not have any interest in weak civilians.

However, under the interference of the Black Tide, these bloodthirsty creatures, eager for slaughter, will not spare any life within their perception.

and so.

If the city of Fortified Shield falls.

If the epic demons detect the presence of civilians in the Roots Tunnel.

So for ordinary people, the first demon they face is this epic demon, which is like a natural disaster.

This effectively sealed the fate of all the civilians hiding in the tunnels.

Barna shook his head.

"As long as you dig deep enough, deep enough to exceed the perception limits of an epic demon, that's fine."

Lin Gui was taken aback.

How deep are the root tunnels?

Barna gave a strange smile.

He held up four fingers.

Lin Gui frowned slightly.

"Four hundred meters?"

Barna shook his head.

"Four thousand meters."

Lin Gui's eyelids twitched suddenly.

Four thousand meters?

He subconsciously did the conversion.

This is equivalent to...

They dug down half of Mount Everest.

Lin Gui fell silent.

He looked down at the civilians queuing below.

Looking at that deep, dark cave entrance leading underground.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

4 kilometers?

How many years would it take to dig this out?