Twenty days meant very little to the ordinary people of Terra. Not even a full month had passed, which meant wages had not yet been paid out. It also meant that babies born twenty days ago were still sleeping quietly in their swaddling cloths, not yet having opened their eyes to truly see this land.
And yet Terra's total war had already lasted twenty days.
Throughout that time, battle reports kept arriving from the front lines one after another, and the people lived with their hearts hanging in suspense. Outwardly, they continued their ordinary daily lives, but unease lingered beneath everything. What would be the outcome of this war? Would the Terrans win? No one knew. All they could do was live through each day as it came.
In such an atmosphere of constant fear, unrest was inevitable.
That was exactly what happened in Lungmen, within the territory of Yan.
Since the start of the war, under the tacit agreement between the Emperor of Yan and Wei Yenwu, many mobile cities near the northern regions had begun relocating toward Lungmen. As for those towns that could not move, their residents brought their families and entered Lungmen as temporary outsiders.
The arrival of so many outsiders in Lungmen meant countless additional mouths to feed, along with millions of idle laborers suddenly gathered in one place. Even Wei Yenwu found himself troubled by the burden of so many innocent people.
Fortunately, as a city that combined commerce and industry within Yan, Lungmen offered many opportunities. In addition, Lungmen's factories were now working at full capacity, producing all kinds of battleship components, and they were severely understaffed. Many of those who had been forced to come to Lungmen quickly found work and began earning wages to support their families.
However, some people still could not find employment, while others felt that Lungmen's relentless pace simply did not suit them.
And so, darkness began to grow in the shadows.
Soon, with the prospect of apocalypse hanging overhead, some people began to turn to crime.
At first, thefts surged.
Then came open robbery in the Lower City.
After that, it escalated into organized crime, gangs raiding supermarkets and banks, throwing Lungmen's lower districts into chaos and bringing great suffering to both the original residents and the newcomers who had arrived later. Their neighborhoods were no longer safe. At any moment, they had to be on guard against gangs of robbers descending upon them.
The sudden population increase into the millions led to a severe manpower shortage within the Lungmen Guard Department. Whether it was carrying out population registration or checking the people entering the city at the gates, enormous numbers of personnel were required. These new cases left the guards with almost no time to return home. Dark circles hung beneath their eyes, and they were fighting on the front lines of public order almost constantly. Although their wages had risen, the increase in workload meant they could not even return home and could only catch their rest whenever they found a spare moment.
Faced with this terrible situation, Old Man Lin stopped opposing Wei Yenwu and instead ordered his own people to begin a sweeping purge of the underworld, targeting all those who had been supplying weapons to the robbers. Selling weapons on such a scale at a time like this was no different from seeking death.
Wei Yenwu then issued a commission to Tomorrow's Developments' branch.
Although a huge number of players had gone to the front lines to carry out the main quest, an astonishing number still remained in the rear to handle essential logistical and security work. As one of the players' recognized main cities, Lungmen naturally had a large player population living there, and not a single one of them refused Wei Yenwu's request.
The moment the players saw the quest, their eyes lit up, and they immediately joined the Guard Department in their day-to-day operations. Maintaining order was tedious work, but the chance to fight crime and exchange fire with criminals was something they found naturally exciting. Though these players could not compare to those fighting on the northern front in terms of level or equipment, they were still players, Taking down criminals was practically effortless for them.
This brought enormous relief to the Guard Department, which finally had a chance to breathe in the rear. Of course, they could have handled the dangerous work themselves, but without proper rest or sleep, the chances of getting injured would only grow higher.
Director Swire and Deputy Director Hoshiguma had become so busy that neither of them had slept properly for days.
For Hoshiguma, this kind of life was still bearable.
For Swire, however, it was much harder.
This young lady had never experienced anything like this before. She practically slept in her office every day, collapsed onto the sofa so exhausted she could barely move, getting only a few hours of sleep each night.
Fortunately, the assistance from Tomorrow's Developments' branch had truly eased a great deal of their burden. Over the past two days, they had only had time for quick showers, and barely even that. They had certainly not had time to change clothes properly, including their shoes...
At a time like this, no one cared whether their shoes or feet smelled.
Work came first.
"The reinforcements from Tomorrow's Development arrived at exactly the right time. The entire gang causing trouble in the Lower City has already been arrested." Hoshiguma read aloud from the report. "Two hours ago, a group in the Middle City tried to rob a bank, but they were unlucky enough to run into dozens of adventurers who happened to be inside depositing money..."
The corner of Swire's lips twitched upward into a somewhat awkward smile. Slumping back in her chair, she gazed out through the floor-to-ceiling window toward Lungmen, and her eyes gradually began to droop despite herself.
"I wonder how Ch'en Hui-chieh is doing."
"Are you worried about her?"
Hearing that, Swire, who would normally have answered in her usual prickly way, only gave a quiet hum today. Perhaps she really was too tired. "Unlike us, who are still in the rear, Ch'en Hui-chieh is fighting those strange demons on the northern battlefield. Although most of the intelligence has been sealed off, I still know some things from the front because of my family's connections. The enemies Ch'en Hui-chieh is facing, the enemies Felix is facing, the enemies Terra is facing... they are the most dangerous creatures of all."
"Compared to her, fighting on the front lines, we are still the lucky ones."
"You should sleep for two hours first. I'll wake you when it's time."
Perhaps because she had heard Hoshiguma's words, Swire closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Hoshiguma used the remote to draw the curtains shut, plunging the room into darkness once more.
Swire had said it aloud, but Hoshiguma felt the same way. She looked at the shield resting in the corner and took a quiet breath. Right now, her duty was simply to maintain order in Lungmen. Nothing more.
With that in mind, despite her own exhaustion, she forced herself to accept the task Swire had left behind and began reviewing the documents.
Outside the city, Lungmen's supply teams drove their trucks along the deserted roads, transporting convoy goods and food supplies. The roads leading into the city were clogged with all kinds of vehicles. Some drivers had climbed out of their trucks to smoke, while others cursed in frustration. The lanes into Lungmen were packed solid with traffic, while the lanes leading out were almost entirely reserved for transport convoys.
At a moment like this, no one wanted to leave Lungmen.
Dozens of hours later.
The player responsible for transport turned off the car stereo and looked toward the giant object that had appeared beyond the canyon.
The enormous landship, Rhodes Island.
He could not help but yawn.
Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals, as a powerful company, had also joined the war. Among the many corporate powers involved, Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals possessed the deepest foundation. After Felix, they had attracted more adventurers than anyone else. Elite operators like ACE entered Kazdel, studied at the Imperial Naval Academy, and then "purchased" several ready-made battleships.
After all, Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals did not possess any real industrial production capacity of its own.
They relied entirely on money.
As for where that money came from, on the surface it was said to be Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals' own savings, but in truth, that money was nowhere near enough. All the elite operators knew the truth: it had been given directly by Felix.
Although Felix had said that such things meant nothing in the face of a calamity, Rhodes Island's upper management understood clearly that they now owed him an enormous favor. Of all the nations and factions that had attended the war conference, none had ever received such a "generous gift" from Felix.
Only Rhodes Island.
For the first time, Kal'tsit found herself feeling a little embarrassed in front of Felix, an emotion she had never experienced before. Perhaps it was because, after her secret as AMa-10 had been exposed, she no longer felt the need to hide anything from him. Or perhaps her true nature had never really been that of a silent, emotionless robot-cat in the first place.
The Preserver had ordered her to take care of Felix.
But in the end, it was Felix who had taken care of her.
Along the way, she and the Doctor, as relics of a previous civilization, had done nothing. Yet Felix, the final savior chosen by civilization, had changed the entire world of Terra.
For the first time, Kal'tsit felt a trace of guilt toward Felix, and for the first time, she wanted to take care of him.
Yet in Felix's eyes, these emotions were like watching a robot-cat that had been silent for thousands of years suddenly begin showing all sorts of feelings, which honestly made him a little uneasy. That, in turn, left Kal'tsit somewhat depressed. When Theresa saw that expression on her face, she laughed at it for quite a long time.
Rhodes Island now carried a group of high-level adventurers who were able to fight personally on the battlefield. As for the battleships, they had evolved from being decisive weapons into secondary vessels. Firepower and technology no longer had any advantage against the erosion of nothingness. Only direct, visceral combat could truly strike the enemy down.
"Doctor, you have not rested in fifteen hours."
Kal'tsit stood beside the Doctor and poured her a cup of hot cocoa. "We repelled a wave of demonic attacks five hours ago, and the demons are now regrouping. Doctor, you should get some rest."
"Thank you... Kal'tsit."
Beneath the hood, the Doctor's eyes carried both weariness and a stubbornness that was strange, yet at the same time familiar, to Kal'tsit. "But Felix is personally holding back the vast majority of the demons on the main battlefield, while we are stuck here, unable to advance even an inch..."
"Doctor, that is not your responsibility."
"I know. But I cannot accept it."
The Doctor raised her head, and Kal'tsit could clearly see the bloodshot veins in her eyes. She murmured softly, "Felix has placed so much trust in us. Our battleships, our army, our equipment, all of it was supported by him, and he never even asked for anything in return. Yet we are stuck here, unable to move forward at all. I do not see it as humiliation, because other nations are in the same situation. I just feel that we could have done better. I... could have commanded better."
"Doctor..."
Amiya pushed open the door to the preparation room. Her eyes were full of worry as she gently reached out and took the Doctor's hand.
"Doctor, you should go and rest. I'm here."
"Amiya..."
Amiya smiled gently, sweetly. "I've learned so much under the Doctor's command, and not just me, the elite operators have too. The radar officer told us that the demons are still gathering, and they probably won't launch another attack for about three hours. Doctor, you should take this chance to rest."
Hearing that, the Doctor let out a quiet sigh and did not insist any further. Amiya took her hand and led her away. Ten minutes later, Amiya returned to the preparation room.
"The Doctor has already gone to sleep."
Amiya blinked as she looked at the electronic map spread across the table. "Brother Felix has already drawn away the vast majority of the demon warriors and collapsing entities, buying a great deal of time for the other nations and forces. We're the closest to Brother Felix's current position. If we can defeat the demon army after the next three-hour assault, then we may be the first to reunite with him."
A faint smile touched Kal'tsit's lips. Seeing Amiya grow so mature filled her with quiet satisfaction.
"We really do need to thank Brother Felix properly now." Amiya tapped her finger against the table in thought. "But what would Brother Felix even want... I can't think of anything. It feels like he doesn't lack money, and he doesn't lack resources either. So how am I supposed to repay a favor this enormous?"
"Dr. Kal'tsit, what do you think?"
"At Felix's level, he may not care much for personal obligations, but we still have to remember them." Kal'tsit pressed her lips together. "After this battle, the entire landscape of Terra will be changed. All we can do is continue following in his footsteps. That alone is enough. It is just that the people of Terra still have not yet seen the dawn of victory. For now, they are still enduring the darkness before daybreak."
Amiya gave a slight nod, then quickly raised her communicator. "Scout, what's the situation with the demons?"
"Just as the radar officer said, the number of collapsing entities has increased the most, and it's highly likely the demons will attack again in less than three hours." Scout's clear voice came through the intelligent communication system. "I suggest we begin bombardment ahead of time. It won't cause large-scale casualties, but it can still reduce part of their numbers. After all, we don't have a powerhouse like His Highness here... though perhaps Logos might be able to find a way to break through those turtle-shell defenses with Arts."
Amiya paused for a moment, then said, "Have the warriors prepare themselves. We cannot wait for the collapse to be fully constructed. I'll notify the Seaborn of the attack timing. When the moment comes, we'll launch an assault to completely purify this land, and while we're at it, we'll sweep away all the collapsing entities that haven't fully formed yet."
"Understood."
Amiya smiled and ended the call, her eyes shining brightly as she looked into the distance.
"Brother Felix, we'll see each other very soon!"