Chapter Seventy-Eight: Boundless Love for the Nine Provinces! United Against the Enemy!

Orris stared at everything in disbelief. “We are truly grateful to Kyushu!”

“It’s nothing. We also brought some supplies and these blueprints. Please keep them safe,” Chu Xiao said, handing Orris the blueprints and inventory list.

Orris reached out and took them, momentarily at a loss for words as he looked at what he’d received.

“In addition, I’ve brought a team to help with postwar recovery and weapons manufacturing. They are all elite members of Kyushu, and I hope they can report to Oqiang. Also, I trust Oqiang will ensure the safety of Kyushu’s citizens,” Chu Xiao added, speaking from Kyushu’s interests.

“Of course! On behalf of Oqiang, I thank you, and I thank Kyushu!” Orris was now as respectful as possible, a stark contrast to his earlier attitude toward Kyushu.

“No need. We’re all on the same front, united against the Lord of the Underworld,” Chu Xiao replied matter-of-factly, reminding everyone that they were all in the same boat and no one should think of abandoning the others.

Meanwhile, in both the United States and North Sand, the fighting had ended. Thanks to Kyushu’s improved weapons and combat experience, casualties and losses were relatively light.

At the headquarters of the Lord of the Underworld.

The Lord of the Underworld slammed the table in anger—although he was only a virtual entity, not truly present.

“Humans are far too cunning! I despise them!” he roared.

Louis, standing nearby, dared not speak, fearful of being caught in the crossfire.

“You, Louis! Tell me, what do you think the humans will do now?” The Lord of the Underworld turned on him without warning.

Knowing he couldn’t avoid the question, Louis braced himself and replied, “I’m not sure, but now that they’re weakened, perhaps it’s the perfect time for us to attack?”

No sooner had he spoken than a surge of electricity shot through his body, making him tremble violently.

“Fool! Aren’t we also weakened? If we attack now, we might be wiped out in one blow! Kyushu’s momentum is strong! But we did inflict considerable damage on those three countries.”

“My opinion is that we should focus our attacks on these three nations, gradually wearing them down, and only then turn our attention to Kyushu. That might be our best course.”

“Get out! I don’t want to see you!” The Lord of the Underworld glared at Louis in disgust.

Electric shocks still racked Louis’s body as he crawled out on his own—no machine came to help him. Such is the fate of the lackey.

Yet even so, Louis was willing to be a traitor; after all, it was the best way to survive for now.

Kyushu.

Chu Xiao had already returned to Kyushu. Now was the time to focus on the research of the “Fire of the Sun.”

Recently, the research had encountered several obstacles. When it was first developed, the weapon had been rushed to the battlefield without extensive testing due to the urgent need. Naturally, various minor issues had surfaced during combat.

Problems included slow reaction time, sluggish energy accumulation, excessive recoil, and inaccurate firing angles, among others.

Most of these were easy to resolve, but the slow energy accumulation and insufficient explosive power proved the most challenging.

The energy for the “Fire of the Sun” came primarily from sunlight, but its slowness was due to the inability to rapidly collect solar energy from the surroundings.

Thus, the priority was to solve the problem of “slowness.” It sounded simple, but was actually quite complex, requiring strict standards from configuration to environmental control.

When Chu Xiao arrived at the arsenal, everyone was deep in discussion. As soon as he entered, he heard Ren Boyuan speaking.

Everyone had tried various methods, but none had resolved these issues.

“My idea is to set up a solar sensor—a device that, as the name implies, detects the surrounding solar energy and automatically adjusts the collection range and intensity,” said Ren Boyuan, twirling a pen in his hand.

“I agree! But if such a weapon fell into the Lord of the Underworld’s hands, wouldn’t it be easily acquired?” Hall of North Sand interjected.

“No need to worry! We’ll use self-destruct and password systems. If any intrusion is detected, it will instantly self-destruct. Besides, each is an independent unit—unless the Lord of the Underworld physically touches it, he can’t breach it.”

It was the same principle as the self-destruct mechanism on the laser cannon.

“Any other opinions?” Ren Boyuan asked again.

“None!” Hua Bo replied loudly.

The rest remained silent.

“Good! Let’s get started. First, we need to build the solar sensor!” Ren Boyuan gave the order.

Hall raised another concern. “How exactly are we supposed to make this solar sensor? Do you have any suggestions? To be honest, no one in the world has ever created such a thing!”

Ren Boyuan was well aware of this. He had gathered everyone not to hear them say it couldn’t be done, but to work together to find a solution.

Just as Ren Boyuan was about to speak, a cool, clear voice cut in.

“The solar sensor may not exist yet, but can’t we create it now?”

“All of you are the best of the best from your countries—do I need to remind you of your many world-renowned achievements?”

“So many brilliant young talents, and yet you can’t produce something as small as a solar sensor? Is this a joke?”

“I, for one, believe in your abilities, and I hope you’ll unite and find a way to improve our weaponry. I know you can do it!”

Once Chu Xiao had finished, no one spoke.

Ren Boyuan quickly added, “Let’s begin, then! Don’t just stand there!”

Everyone hurried to their tasks.

As Hall passed by Chu Xiao, he whispered, “You’re impressive. Ren Boyuan is impressive. Kyushu is impressive.”

Chu Xiao smiled faintly. “Thank you for the compliment. Ren Boyuan truly is our pride.”

Thus, the elite team from four countries officially began work on the solar sensor project.

It was only a matter of time before they succeeded.

The fortresses destroyed by the Lord of the Underworld’s mechanical army were now fully restored.

During this brief respite from emergency preparations, everyone took the chance to recuperate and enjoy a rare moment of peace amid the war.

The hackers also rotated shifts to rest, as the Lord of the Underworld had ceased his attacks on Kyushu’s networks.

“Lulu, let’s go for a walk,” Chu Xiao said, reaching for Wang Lulu’s hand.

Wang Lulu gently pulled her hand away.