With the fall of Evernight Harbor, the allied forces consisting of the Alliance and corporations have officially opened a second front to attack the colonies of the Southern Legion and even their homeland.
According to the plan, in addition to transferring several major player armies from Poluo Province, the Alliance will continue to deploy at least two hundred thousand troops to the front line.
Out of these two hundred thousand, half are Alliance citizens, and the other half are those with regulated identities and Vellante volunteers from various regions.
Not long ago, the Alliance Representative Conference passed a proposal to "raise the threshold for issuing identity cards," tightening the distribution of Alliance citizenship.
However, conversely, while closing one door, the Alliance Representative Conference also opened a window for those survivors eager to join the Alliance.
All Wasteland wanderers willing to fight to end the Wasteland Era can become honorable Alliance citizens as long as they serve in the Alliance Army and avoid major violations during their service period.
While this is not the only fast track to identity approval, compared to first obtaining identities from Ideal City, South Sea Union, Academy, or Science Committee and completing studies at designated research institutions and academies, fighting is undoubtedly seen as the most reliable option by the Wasteland wanderers.
They do this on the Wasteland every day, even modifying their bodies for it, equipping things like mechanical tendons and mantis knives.
And for the Alliance, the barracks can also serve as a good buffer zone.
Through militarized management during the service period, as well as literacy and professional skills training, the Alliance can help these Wasteland wanderers integrate into civilized society in a more cost-effective manner after retirement, at least enabling them to understand discipline and master survival skills in society.
However, although the vast majority of Wasteland wanderers joining the army are aiming for Alliance citizenship, not all are.
For instance, most of the Vellante Expeditionary Army joined merely to change the fate of the Wasteland and the Vellante people.
The changes at Jinjaron Harbor not only showed the Poluo people growing on the red soil another possibility for the world but also influenced many Vellante people from the Eastern Legion, Southern Legion, and even the New Continent.
They once engaged in the slave trade there.
But now, the slave trade is banned at Jinjaron Harbor, and instead of declining, it has become the brightest pearl on the Poluo Sea.
And it's not just Jinjaron Harbor.
Too many real examples have shown them hope for the end of the Wasteland Era.
So they choose to take up arms and fight to liberate their compatriots!
Apart from the more than two hundred thousand troops sent by the Alliance, corporations will also reinforce the front line with at least eight more divisions.
Although the number of troops put in by the latter is far less than the former, the corporations are willing to take on more obligations in economic and logistics terms.
For example, funded by the Council, production by Alliance factories, and then transported to the front line by the South Sea Union fleet and transport ships.
Alliance factories today are no longer the small workshops of the past.
Though most factories cannot compare with the mature production lines of Ideal City in terms of scale effects, after integrating various technologies and production methods, several industrial parks of the Alliance have not only caught up with the major corporate conglomerates in a few fields but even surpassed them.
Especially in the fields of drones and biopharmaceuticals.
Chu Guang is not very worried about the frontline battle situation.
The current Southern Legion is like an earthworm cut in half, having lost external support and the crucial public support, failure is just a matter of time.
As a Manager, he only needs to quietly wait at the rear for good news from the front line and be wary of some desperate gambler's "trick."
In contrast, he is more interested in the Gravity Well in the southern sea area, as that thing is truly what opens a window for this planet.
Chu Guang has even thought of the version number for the next update.
Finally, as the end of the month approached, he heard bad news from an old friend in the north.
"... The deployment of the Gravity Well has been delayed."
Military camp outside No. 10 Settlement Point.
Yang Kai, who just got off the research ship not long ago, said these words to Chu Guang with a slightly embarrassed expression after exchanging a few pleasantries.
Chu Guang was visibly stunned for two seconds after hearing this, but didn't blame him, just asked concernedly.
"Is it a technical issue?"
Yang Kai shook his head.
"No, it's not that."
Chu Guang: "Then why..."
Yang Kai continued.
"Our intelligence system received word that the high command of the Southern Legion has pinned their hopes of reversing the situation on a decisive weapon called the 'Death Agent'... I guess you have heard of it, right?"
Chu Guang slightly furrowed his brow and nodded.
Not only had he heard of it, his Guards Corps had been investigating it, but the progress had been slow due to the Southern Legion's effective counterintelligence efforts and because the Great Desert was too far from the core power of the Alliance.
Also, to be honest, he harbored doubts about whether 'Death Agent' could really produce the expected lethal effects.
The Wasteland world is different from reality, this planet is not inhabited only by Vellante people as products of genetic modification; theoretically, almost everyone living on this planet has been genetically altered to some extent.
The extensive application of genetic technology has been subtly transforming the human gene pool.
This is a long and enduring task that spanned most of the Prosperity Epoch and only ceased during the Wasteland Era.
It's just that ordinary people's genetic modifications are not as thorough as those of the Vellante people.
It is precisely because of this that many viruses that would be deadly on Earth are at most a common cold on the Wasteland.
Betting on a virus for victory, Chu Guang thought Teil must be crazy.
Seeing something from Chu Guang's expression, Yang Kai continued.
"... I know what you're thinking. Yes, most viruses on the Wasteland are no longer deadly to the remnants of the Prosperity Epoch, but artificially designed viruses are a different story."
"They can use the technology of the Prosperity Epoch era to design a virus specifically targeting the remnants of the Prosperity Epoch—or put it another way, this virus only works on Old Humans, and is ineffective or limited in effect on New Humans completely generated by gene editing techniques like Vellante people and Mutants!"
"In this situation, they just need to have Vellante people infected with this virus, then let the Vellante people spread it worldwide, and then do nothing but watch as the Pandora's box of demons opens and continues to ferment."
Worried that Chu Guang hadn't grasped the severity of the issue, Yang Kai patiently continued.
"Think about how the indigenous people of the New Continent died... I mean the indigenous people of the old era. Less than one in a thousand died from gunpowder; most died from viruses brought to the New World by colonizers from the Old World, and now they plan to do the same thing."
But this sounds too far-fetched.
Chu Guang pondered for a moment and said.
"Is it technically possible to make this weapon affect others but not the Vellante people?"
"As long as we obtain the gene source code of the Vellante people," Yang Kai said seriously, staring into his eyes, "and according to our intelligence... in the past few days, the gene source code has been transported to Yavente City. The preparation of this decisive weapon is already in its final stages."
"So... you think the laboratory for this Mortal Serum virus is in Yavente City?" Chu Guang rubbed his temples and continued, "This is somewhat different from our intelligence. We believe the laboratories are distributed along the western coast of Poluo Province and the colonies in the southern part of the Great Desert by the Southern Legion."
Yang Kai continued,
"This is not contradictory. They can have many laboratories, some collecting data on the front lines, and others synthesizing and analyzing at the rear. Just like producing an aircraft, you would employ various production lines for collaboration and then assemble them in the end."
"I understand, but what does this have to do with our Gravity Well project?" Chu Guang shot a questioning look at Yang Kai, but the latter did not directly answer his question and simply stared at him unblinkingly.
After about ten seconds, Chu Guang suddenly read the unspoken answer in his eyes, and his own eyes narrowed slightly.
"I understand... you intend to erase Yavente City from the map?"
The activation of the Gravity Well would alter the gravitational parameters in the region around Earth, thus affecting the deployment of space-based weapons.
There can only be one explanation for this.
The Academy is hinting—or even encouraging me—to use the weapon inherited from Giant Stone City in this nearly certain war.
Yang Kai immediately leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands to show that he never said such a thing. But then he quickly added,
"We must admit, neutron extermination is the most efficient known method. If this 'decisive weapon' completes its final encapsulation and is carried by countless Vellante people leaving Yavente City to various parts of the world, billions of survivors will die."
Chu Guang stared at him unblinkingly,
"There are millions of residents in Yavente City, and if you count the surrounding regions, there are at least tens of millions, not just Vellante people."
"Yes, I know. This is not a good solution, but can we be blamed? We have made the greatest efforts to recover those lost technologies... If it were not for such events, we absolutely would not support you using that thing in war."
Yang Kai sighed and sat up straight from his chair.
His ten fingers interlaced on his knee, and he looked sincerely at Chu Guang as he continued.
"I hope you understand, this road was not chosen for them; they gave up their right to exist as humans on this planet. So, you don't need to feel too guilty."
"I know making this choice is not easy. To let some people survive, you have to let others die... So we hope you will reconsider before making a decision."
Leaving with these words, Yang Kai gripped the armrest of his chair, stood up, and gave a slight nod of respect before leaving the camp to return to the research ship.
Chu Guang watched his departing back, squinting his eyes for a long time without saying a word.
It was exactly like the last "Torch Crisis."
When it's impossible to make a decision, when you can't bring yourself to act, those "old stuff" once again put the shitty coin in your hand.
If there were clear evidence proving the existence of this superweapon in Yavente City, that's one thing; historically, he might be given a mixed reputation.
But now, let alone clues, all there is is a vague hint from some B-level researcher at the Academy; those guys aren't even giving him a chance to pass the buck.
If the button were pressed, even if the Alliance eventually won this war, it might plunge into another crisis.
Chu Guang had never seen the weapon's power, but according to descriptions he heard from various sources, that thing was far more potent than nuclear weapons. It is said that at the center of the target area, not a single cell would remain, and the impact depth could reach the mantle.
But then again, if the Academy really had specific clues rather than a nebulous "possibility," would they need him to go in with a carpet bomb?
It would be much more efficient to send in an airborne unit.
And no one can guarantee that after the Alliance uses strategic weapons, the Legion won't have any reciprocal countermeasures.
The Legion has only fractured, not disappeared.
Chu Guang was grateful for one thing right now.
Fortunately, he still held a trump card in his hand.
Otherwise, this matter would indeed be challenging to handle...
His index finger tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair. He closed his eyes for a moment to sort his thoughts, then quickly opened them again.
"Xiao Qi."
"Here, Master."
The spirited voice soon reached his ears.
Chu Guang could feel that Xiao Qi was cheering him on in her own way.
However, this situation was not difficult enough to stump him.
He smiled faintly and continued,
"Send a private message to the [Battlefield Atmosphere Group]."
"Tell him, it's time for our 'Leader' to take the stage."
...
In the real world, a regular three-bedroom, one-living room apartment.
The Old Soldier had just logged off, ordered takeout, and was sitting in front of the computer, browsing the forum while enjoying dinner with the amusing operations of some rookies.
Just as he was in high spirits, he suddenly noticed a small red dot in the private message column.
Without thinking much, the Old Soldier clicked on the private message.
And as soon as he opened it, he was shocked by its contents.
"WTF?! This can't be real?!"
[Mission:]
[Mission Description: The desperate Southern Legion stole the gene source code of the Vellante people stored in Triumph City and intends to develop a virus called "Mortal Serum" to wipe out all the survivors other than the Vellante people from the Earth's surface, using it as a decisive weapon against the civilized world.
If the Southern Legion's plan succeeds, it's estimated that billions of survivors will perish under his scheme.
To prevent the worst outcome, the South Sea Alliance Fleet is advancing towards Yavente City, and the Alliance's orbital weapons are being deployed underway, ready to execute a final reckoning at any time.]
[Mission Objective: At all costs, stop the Southern Legion's plan before things reach an irreparable point!]