Chapter Nineteen: Construction of the Defensive Fortress Officially Begins! Another Population Migration?

Chu Xiao gazed at everything before him in awe, unable to restrain his admiration. “Is this what they call the craftsmanship of a great nation? It’s leagues ahead of anything I’ve seen abroad!”

His words came from the heart, utterly sincere.

“Alright! We’ll start today! I’m going to rest for a bit.” With that, Yang Yu casually collapsed onto a spot and fell asleep. The other team members followed suit, some even carrying sleeping bags with them.

“Is this how they operate?” Chu Xiao truly hadn’t expected that these researchers could simply sleep wherever they happened to be.

On second thought, this was precisely the state of true scientific workers. For the sake of their research, they were ready to endure sleepless nights and always prepared to sleep wherever their work took them.

Chu Xiao took the blueprints and models, instructed others to make several copies, and distributed them to various cities, such as West Mountain Province and Yan Capital.

But as Chu Xiao supervised the work in Pearl City, he discovered a problem.

The progress was far slower than he’d imagined—much slower, in fact! There were about ten other major cities, and at this rate, the fortresses wouldn’t be finished before the army of the Underworld King marched in.

No, this won’t do. The strategy must change.

Chu Xiao sought out the First Leader.

“Sir, I have a problem. I’d like to discuss it with you.”

To call it a discussion was generous; in truth, Chu Xiao had already decided how to resolve it.

“Very well! Please speak!” The single word “please” was enough to reveal the First Leader’s respect for Chu Xiao.

Chu Xiao organized his thoughts and spoke slowly, “I hope to relocate the population once more.”

The First Leader looked at him in surprise, “Why? Can you be more specific?”

He did not doubt Chu Xiao’s decision, but he needed to know the reasons, as the fate of the people of Kyushu was at stake.

“Yesterday, I pondered a question: each city is now isolated. If the Underworld King launches a full-scale attack on one city, it would be a catastrophe—there’s no way to defend it.”

“There’s another problem: the efficiency of fortress construction is too slow, and manpower is insufficient. If we concentrate the workforce, the speed of building fortresses will increase dramatically!”

“So, I propose another population migration, gathering everyone together as much as possible.”

“As for accommodations, there’s no need to worry—we can erect prefab iron houses or set up tents for everyone!”

Chu Xiao explained at length; even though he spoke slowly, the First Leader needed time to absorb it all.

After a long pause, the First Leader asked in a low voice, “Have you decided which cities will be the main centers?”

“Pearl, Nanjing, West Mountain.”

The air seemed to fall still as those six characters echoed in the room.

These three names now represented the destiny of all Kyushu.

“The relocation plan will follow the principle of proximity. The remaining nine provinces and cities will be grouped by threes and each group will move into one of the selected cities,” the First Leader responded swiftly, outlining a clear and simple migration plan.

Chu Xiao did not object. “Let’s do as you say.”

The First Leader hurried to pass on the orders, wasting not a moment.

At once, the news swept the country like a tidal wave!

The public, seeing this announcement, stopped whatever they were doing.

[Urgent Notice! The population will be relocated once more! Prepare for the great migration!]

[Everyone will be concentrated in Pearl City, Nanjing City, and West Mountain City!]

[The method is proximity: the nine remaining cities will be divided into three groups and each group will move into the nearest major city!]

[Detailed plans will be communicated by relevant departments. Please, do not panic! Do not panic! Just be ready for the relocation!]

Pearl City, Nanjing City, and West Mountain Province all entered a state of lockdown.

Tents, iron sheets, food, and water poured in without cease.

On the second day, at dawn, the outskirts were no longer outskirts; countless tents stood packed together.

Of course, this was still far from enough.

That very day, Chu Xiao made another decision: to send a team to every abandoned city and transport all food and water supplies back, to sustain the tens of thousands of Kyushu people.

At the same time, more people joined the fortress construction.

Now, the fortresses were being built at triple speed.

Arranging everything, Chu Xiao made his way to the headquarters of the Red Guest Alliance.

As soon as he entered, a stench assaulted his senses!

Startled, Chu Xiao wondered if he’d wandered into the wrong place and was about to leave, when he heard voices.

“No! This won’t work! You see, I cracked your defenses in an instant!” The voice was hoarse, yet strangely familiar.

Chu Xiao turned a corner and entered the main hall, where over a hundred people and computers were crammed into a five-hundred-square-meter room!

Not only that, but piles of garbage surrounded nearly every workstation like little mountains.

Chu Xiao now understood the source of the foul odor.

His arrival did not disrupt their work in the slightest; to put it simply, no one paid him any mind!

The only sounds in the room, aside from the clatter of keyboards, were Zhang Hua’s occasional exclamations of “No!”

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Zhang Hua looked half-asleep, but as Chu Xiao approached, he saw a strange brilliance in Zhang Hua’s eyes—an almost fanatical determination.

“Zhang Hua!” Chu Xiao walked up beside him, gently calling his name, careful not to disturb the others.

Unexpectedly, as he took that step, nearly everyone turned to look at Zhang Hua’s corner, their eyes fixed on Chu Xiao.

Being the center of attention made Chu Xiao’s heart skip a beat.

But after facing life and death, such things no longer fazed him.

“Everyone, carry on. I just need a word with Zhang Hua.”

Hearing this, the others bowed their heads once more, their actions eerily synchronized.

Zhang Hua didn’t look up; his eyes remained glued to the string of code on his monitor.

“What is it?”

“How’s the progress?” Chu Xiao had come to check on the status.

“Not great! I keep breaking through their defenses, or rather, there are too many vulnerabilities.” Zhang Hua’s fingers danced over the keyboard, yet his conversation with Chu Xiao remained cogent.

Chu Xiao nodded. “I appreciate your hard work.”

“You are Kyushu’s first line of defense, do you understand? If you fail, all our modern, electricity-based weapons will fall under the Underworld King’s control. No matter how sturdy our fortresses, if we can’t fight back, they’ll be breached sooner or later.”

Only then did Zhang Hua turn to look at Chu Xiao, his eyes filled with astonishment.