Chapter 577: Decision
Chapter 577: Decision
After lunch, Chen Chuan poured himself a cup of hot drink and stood by the porthole, looking down from above. From this height, the Central City presented a different perspective.
The sunlight shone down from above, creating varying shades of light from top to bottom. The wide streets crisscrossing below seemed like mere threads that could be toyed with at will. The towering skyscrapers, which usually seemed unreachable when looking up, were now all beneath their feet, giving rise to a sense of transcendence.
Pan Xiaode stood beside him and said, "Our airship is responsible for inspections and emergency replacements in various regions, so we receive information from all aspects. The people from the Government Hall and the Defense Department are handling the situation, and critical information is not allowed to be leaked. However, we can still access some general information."
"It's said that apart from the biome invasion in the Convergence Zone, there was also an attack by the Former Imperial Court. But they were blocked at the eastern sea, and for now, the situation is still under the control of the Government Hall and the Defense Department."
"I reckon this situation will continue for another two days."
"Oh, right, Chen, you probably don't know this, but the Resistance Organization has also made an appearance. Not long ago, they fought in the Fengde District, and I just saw it. The entire street was destroyed, apparently due to the combat of Tier Three Combatants..." He sent over the footage and curiously asked, "Chen, do all Tier Three Combatants have such destructive power?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Not everyone can achieve that."
Pan Xiaode yearned to reach that stage immediately.
Chen Chuan glanced at the footage, where a small portion of the skyscrapers were pockmarked and the roads seemed to have been bombarded repeatedly.
Such large-scale destruction was likely caused by Tier Three Combatants who had mastered Heart Force, and there was more than one of them. It seemed that multiple factions had intervened in the Central City.
As long as the Spider Mother's splitting and breeding hadn't ended, similar scenes would likely continue to occur.
In the Defense Department Command Center, Liang Specialist glanced at the time. It was almost 1:00 p.m., and the Spider Mother's splitting and breeding were about to enter the tenth wave.
According to the watchtower's estimates, there would be around thirteen to fifteen waves in total.
Although there were many split bodies, they had been modified to be smaller in size, resulting in a larger number of them. This meant that each individual had more or less some defects.
If the Great Shun Government wanted to cultivate new biome field organisms, they would typically select the most superior individuals as candidates. If they couldn't find any that met the standards, they would further modify the batch, requiring more resources. Usually, only major factions could afford such an expenditure.
Therefore, theoretically, each individual was both important and unimportant.
Based on previous estimates and the watchtower's current analysis, the subsequent intervals were likely to be less dense and would last longer than the initial ones.
This meant they didn't need to rush to gather their forces as urgently as before, and they could concentrate more power.
In fact, the companies involved were also aware of this, which was why they took action in the early and middle stages. Most of their strength had been exhausted in the initial stages, so it was uncertain if they would continue to act in the later stages. He believed they would likely exercise restraint, but necessary precautions were still required.
He glanced at the display showing the situation outside the Jin Yang District. The General of the Former Imperial Court was still confronting Xue Shou, indicating that he wouldn't leave until the splitting ended.
Everything else was fine for now, but what he was most concerned about was that existence.
But... where exactly was it? He couldn't figure it out for the moment. Aside from that, there was another matter that required attention: the Ferris Wheel Corporation.
According to reliable intelligence, the Ferris Wheel Corporation had put all their available resources on the table to join the joint force and free themselves from their predicament.
The corporation's subsequent response would depend on the outcome of the battle at sea, but news from there had yet to arrive.
On the ocean outside the Eight-Jar Island, the sea was littered with half-sunk and half-floating ship wreckage, and the air was filled with the strong smell of sulfur and burnt wood.
Numerous buoys and lifeboats floated on the surface, and the joint fleet's crew was attempting to rescue both friendly and enemy personnel who had fallen into the water.
The three-company naval battle, which started at 5:20 a.m., had lasted nearly eight hours until 1:30 p.m., eventually ending in victory for the joint fleet of the Canglong Corporation and the Oceanic Expansion Group.
The Ferris Wheel Corporation lost five of its nine Yuanshan-class battleships, three were captured, and one managed to escape. Nine of their twelve gunboats were sunk, three were captured, and more than half of their twenty-five airships had withdrawn from the battlefield.
On the Great Shun side, only one reconnaissance ship and two gunboats were sunk, and twelve regular ships suffered minor damage. This was a significant victory.
However, the battle had been quite dangerous.
At the beginning of the battle, the Ferris Wheel Corporation released modified flying organisms provided by the Linax Federation. These insect-like organisms could cling to the air bags of the airships and inject a special biological liquid through their abdominal tail needles, causing a rapid outbreak of fire after they left.
This was likely a newly developed modified organism by the Linax Federation, which the joint fleet had no knowledge of beforehand. As a result, the airships, which initially held an absolute advantage, suffered a one-third loss at the start.
The loss of air superiority would have made the upcoming battle extremely challenging, indicating that they would be exposed without any cover from above.
Fortunately, the Allied Fleet, acting on a staff officer's advice, had temporarily equipped a batch of modified flying creatures produced by the Wing Blade Light Nest Company, effectively curbing the offensive of these modified creatures and allowing the battle to proceed smoothly.
The four submarines dispatched by the Dashing Military played a significant role, sinking most of the Yuan Mountain-class warships within two hours after the battle commenced.
The Ferris Wheel Corporation, already outnumbered by the Allied Fleet, suffered further losses and never recovered. It took the Allied Fleet nearly six hours of pursuit to sink or force the surrender of the remaining fleet.
With this, the Ferris Wheel Corporation's fleet, formed over a decade, was completely annihilated, leaving only records of its existence.
Upon confirming the battle's outcome, Captain Feng Dingshan immediately sent a coded telegram to the Central City Defense Department, reporting the results of the battle.
The telegram arrived at the Central City Combat Command Center at 1:30 PM.
Specialist Liang received the news and, after repeated confirmations, verified its authenticity, feeling a sense of relief.
This naval battle was of utmost importance. If the Allied Fleet had lost, there would be no barrier against the Ferris Wheel Corporation at sea, allowing the company's forces to withdraw or return at will, rendering them extremely passive.
Moreover, with the Ferris Wheel Corporation's maritime strength eliminated, even if they did nothing, they would be confined to the land with no room for maneuver.
He handed the telegram to his female assistant, instructing her, "Send this message as a confidential notice to Chief Qi and Director Wei."
The female assistant immediately complied.
About ten minutes after the news was sent out, the female assistant, Jie Ping, tapped her shoulder and said something to her.
Specialist Liang nodded, left the public area on the second floor, and arrived at the office hall on the third floor. The surroundings dimmed, and the light screen on the wall flickered, displaying the silhouettes of two people.
On the left stood Qi, the Chief Secretary of the Government Hall and a close confidant of Chief Qi, and on the right was Wu Quan, the Deputy Director of the Processing Bureau, responsible for specific affairs.
Specialist Liang said, "Chief Qi and Director Wei should have read the telegram. Do you have any messages to convey?"
Qi Yang, in his forties and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appeared gentle and refined. He smiled and said, "We need to provide an explanation and account to the public regarding this incident. The Ferris Wheel Corporation is an ideal scapegoat."
Specialist Liang immediately understood the Government Hall's intentions. After some thought, he said, "What does Speaker Quan think? The Municipal Council is unlikely to agree if we take action against the Ferris Wheel Corporation."
Qi Yang smiled and said, "Special situations call for special handling. We are in a state of emergency, and the military regulations apply, but only for the present."
Specialist Liang nodded. In the current situation, apart from the security forces guarding Wei Guang District, Wuding District, White Bird District, and Motie Mountain, all other military forces were under the control of these three departments. Moreover, outside these regions, information and communication transmission were not smooth.
If they were to take action, they could cut off all communication signals in advance, preventing any interference from the Council. However, if they missed this opportunity, handling the situation would become more challenging.
He reminded them, "Don't forget that the people from the Former Imperial Court are still knocking on our door. We can't ignore them, and we still don't know what those who slipped through the cracks want to do or where they are."
"Facing these threats, is it appropriate for us to divert our forces to deal with the Ferris Wheel Corporation?"
At this moment, Deputy Director Wu spoke up, "Mr. Xue is responsible for confronting the people from the Former Imperial Court. That's sufficient. Unless they find another stable rift, there's no chance of them breaking through, and the current situation makes that possibility almost non-existent."
"As for that existence, Specialist Liang, Director Wei has confirmed with Headquarters that the Processing Bureau's active consciousness, 'An Dun,' can provide the necessary resistance."
Specialist Liang looked at him. The Processing Bureau's active consciousness was essential in countering the active consciousness of various companies. In reality, these companies were the ones they truly needed to guard against. Would they be afraid if these companies took action?
Deputy Director Wu spoke in a deep voice, "We've been in contact with the Wu Yi Academy. If the companies show any unusual activity, their active consciousness, 'Hong Fu,' can replace 'An Dun' when necessary."
Specialist Liang understood. It seemed that the two departments had clear attitudes towards the Ferris Wheel Corporation, even representing the opinions of their respective higher-ups. Now, it was his turn to make a statement.
After deep contemplation, he looked at the two men and slowly said, "Considering the repeated disruptions caused by the Ferris Wheel Corporation to the order in Jiubei Dao Central City and the serious security threats posed to the Central City Government, I propose, in my capacity as the Defense Department's Commissioner in Jiubei Dao Central City..."
His voice turned solemn, "...to invoke the National Special Clearance Regulations and conduct a comprehensive purge and rectification of the Ferris Wheel Corporation, ensuring that the national interests and public welfare of Dashing are not infringed upon."
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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