359: Chapter 36: Seventy Days to Go and "Final Preparations"

On the day the countdown hit seventy days, it rained in New Homeland.

It wasn't ordinary rain; it was silver-blue. When droplets fell on leaves, the leaves grew brighter; in the fields, the leaves of the rainbow potatoes instantly grew a size larger; on people, their skin would emit a faint shimmer before it slowly faded.

"This is the memory aggregate 'charging' the entire planet," Silver Thorn said, analyzing the rainwater's composition. "It diluted some of its stored memory energy into the rain, allowing all life to absorb a bit. It's fertilizer for plants, nutrition for animals, and for humans... it's a mental soothing agent."

Wen Youyi reached out and caught a handful of rain. The droplets rolled in his palm like silver-blue pearls before slowly seeping into his skin, bringing a strange, warm sensation.

"Why is it doing this?" he asked.

"Because it knows that in seventy days, much of the life on this land might vanish. It wants to give every living thing one last chance to 'remember' before they disappear."

Wen Youyi fell silent.

The rain lasted for an entire day and night. When it cleared the next day, all of New Homeland looked as if it had been washed clean, every color appearing a few shades more vivid.

The Council decided to designate this day as "Memory Day." Every year on this day, it would rain—if New Homeland was still around then.

Countdown: Sixty-seven days.

The first batch of Law Fields was successfully tested.

Senior Brother Zhang stood on the edge of a dormant volcanic crater on the East Coast, looking at the massive, translucent dome of energy at his feet. His voice trembled with excitement:

"Power is stable! Coverage meets the standard! Self-repair functions are normal!"

Wen Youyi watched as the dome slowly rose, like a giant translucent hat placed over the crater. Complex runes flowed across its surface—the Law Field construction technology from the Star People's legacy, combined with the Blood Fiend Old Demon's blood-path Cultivation Techniques and the memory aggregate's mental field simulation.

"How long can it hold?" he asked.

"The theoretical limit is thirty days of continuous operation," Senior Brother Zhang said, adjusting his glasses. "But in actual combat, there will definitely be wear and tear; we'll need rotations and maintenance. Estimating for the worst-case scenario, each Law Field can hold for fifteen days at most."

Fifteen days.

Three Law Fields, operating in rotation, could theoretically hold for forty-five days.

But the enemy's two fleets were spaced thirty-six hours apart, which meant they had to handle attacks from two directions simultaneously within those thirty-six hours while maintaining high-intensity operation of all three Law Fields.

"We don't have enough manpower," Luo Chen shook his head. "The Law Fields need people to stand guard, maintain them, and replenish their energy. Opening all three at once requires at least three hundred people."

"Then pull three hundred people," Wen Youyi said. "Draw them from those who have qualified in training."

"If we pull three hundred people, that's three hundred fewer for ground defense."

"Then let the trees fill the gap."

Luo Chen was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. "Are you serious?"

"I'm serious," Wen Youyi said, looking at the silver-blue forest in the distance. "They've already agreed to help. Not as reserves, but as the main force."

Luo Chen was silent for a few seconds before finally saying, "Fine. I trust them."

Countdown: Sixty-one days.

The second batch of Hedgehog Weapons passed inspection.

On the testing grounds, rows of bizarre weapons were neatly arranged: explosive clay pots (already improved to the seventh generation, with five times the explosive power of the first), launchers that released hallucinogenic spores (refined from silver-blue tree leaves), "Landmine Vines" that could automatically track enemies (Explosive Talismans tied to moving vines, allowing them to crawl to the enemy's feet on their own)...

The most ridiculous part was Little Girl's contribution. Using her method of "thinking it into being," she had given every weapon a "nickname":

The explosive pots were called "Rumbly-Wumbly," the hallucinogenic launchers were "Dizzy-Wizzy," and the Landmine Vines were "Tickle-Scratchers" (because they would crawl around the enemy's feet, making them too itchy to concentrate).

Zhao Iron Pillar, who was in charge of the weapon inspection, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "These names... won't it be a bit unprofessional to shout them during a battle?"

"Then call them by their code names," Wen Youyi said, following the advice. "Rumbly-Wumbly Type 7, Dizzy-Wizzy Type 3, Tickle-Scratcher Type 2. Is that professional enough?"

Zhao Iron Pillar: "..."

Countdown: Fifty-three days.

The first "Joint Exercise" was held.

The participating units included: three thousand from the Human Race ground defense team, five hundred from the Yao Race hunter team, one hundred "representatives" from the forest tree army (they couldn't move collectively, so they could only send representatives for the simulation), three hundred from the Law Field guard team, five hundred from the weapon operation team, two hundred from the medical team, and one thousand from the logistics team...

A total of five thousand five hundred people, plus one hundred trees.

The exercise lasted for three days and two nights, exposing thirty-seven problems. Twenty-three were solved, leaving fourteen that needed time to optimize.

The most serious problem was the chaos in the command System. The Human Race used flags, the Yao Race used roars, and the trees used root vibrations. The three communication methods were incompatible, often leading to awkward scenes where "the humans charged, the Yao didn't move, and the trees didn't know what to do."

"We must unify communications," Luo Chen said at the summary meeting. "Otherwise, when the real fight starts, everyone will be fighting their own separate war."

"How do we unify them?" Zhao Iron Pillar scratched his head. "Trees can't speak human languages."

Wen Youyi thought for a moment and looked at Silver Thorn in the corner. "Can you act as a translator?"

Silver Thorn's silver humanoid form was silent for three seconds. "I can. But it requires implanting a 'Symbiotic Relay Node' to cover the entire battlefield. The node will receive signals from all parties in real-time, translate them, and distribute them to all units."

"Then let's do it."

"But implanting the node requires... Little Girl's help."

"Why?"

"Because the core of the node needs a 'Resonance Frequency.' Silver Thorn's technology can provide the framework, but the specific frequency tuning can only be completed by someone who can 'talk' to the trees."

Wen Youyi looked at the Little Girl in the distance playing with Bright Fur Ball.

Sixty-one days ago, she was just an exceptionally gifted child.

Sixty-one days later, she was expected to take on the role of the communication hub for the entire battlefield.

"Can she do it?" Yun Zhi frowned.

"I don't know," Silver Thorn said honestly. "But if we don't try, the communication problem is unsolvable."

Wen Youyi was silent for a long time, then said, "Ask for her own opinion. If she doesn't agree, do not force her."

That evening, Yun Zhi took Little Girl aside and explained the whole situation in words she could understand.

After listening, Little Girl hugged Bright Fur Ball and thought for a long time.

Then she asked, "Will that... 'Resonance Frequency' hurt a lot?"

Yun Zhi was taken aback. "I don't know. Silver Thorn didn't say."

"Then I'll go ask it."

Little Girl found Silver Thorn and asked it seriously.

Silver Thorn's silver humanoid form looked at her and replied, "It won't hurt. But it will be tiring. You'll need to stay inside the node for four hours every day for seven consecutive days. During those seven days, you will hear the voices of countless people—their heartbeats, breathing, speech, and even the thoughts they don't say out loud. You must learn to distinguish which are important and which can be ignored. It will be very exhausting."

Little Girl thought for a bit and asked, "Can I bring Bright Fur Ball with me?"

Silver Thorn was silent for a second. "Yes."

"Okay then," Little Girl nodded. "I'll do it."

Yun Zhi wanted to say something, but Wen Youyi stopped her.

"She agreed," Wen Youyi said. "We respect her choice."

Countdown: Forty-six days.

The "Symbiotic Relay Node" began its implantation.

Every afternoon, Little Girl went to the technology center and lay on a specially made, soft chair, letting Silver Thorn connect countless hair-thin silver tentacles to her temples.

For the first two days, she came out pale and unable to eat, which made Madam Liu cry with heartache.

On the third day, she came out and proactively asked for a bowl of porridge, then went straight to sleep after finishing it.

On the fourth day, she came out skipping and jumping, saying, "There weren't as many weird noises today; it's like I can hear clearly now."

On the fifth day, she came out and said to Silver Thorn, "A few trees want to talk, but their voices are too quiet. Can you help turn them up?"

Silver Thorn was silent for three seconds, then said, "I can."

On the seventh day, the final round of implantation was complete.

Little Girl sat up from the chair, looked at the circle of nervous "adults" around her, and suddenly smiled:

"They said, thank you for being willing to listen."

"Who?" Senior Brother Zhang asked.

"The trees, of course," Little Girl said as if it were obvious. "And that 'memory aggregate.' It said it added something inside. Later, during the war, if the enemy uses a 'Law-level attack,' it will be 'remembered' first and then reflected back. It said this is called 'using their own methods against them.'"

The room fell silent.

Wen Youyi looked toward the direction of the memory aggregate—there was no movement there, but he always felt that the silent mass of memories was also watching them.

Countdown: Thirty-nine days.

The final round of inventory was conducted.

Wang Wu held a thick ledger and read out the items one by one:

"Food reserves: Enough to feed sixty thousand people for three months. Based on wartime consumption estimates, it's enough to feed everyone for forty days."

"Medicinal Pill reserves: Hemostatic pills are enough for ten battles, healing pills for eight, and detoxification pills for five—the latter two still need urgent refinement."

"Weapon reserves: Rumbly-Wumbly Type 7 is enough for seven days, Dizzy-Wizzy Type 3 for five days, Tickle-Scratcher Type 2... these can be recycled; as long as the vines don't die, they can be used indefinitely."

"Energy reserves: If the Law Fields are fully open, they can hold for twenty-three days. If combined with rotations and energy-saving modes, they can last up to thirty days."

"Personnel status: Training qualification rate is 94%, basically meeting expectations. The remaining 6% are those truly unsuitable for combat—the elderly, children, pregnant women, and the sick. They will be responsible for logistics and cover."

Wen Youyi listened, calculating silently in his head.

Thirty-nine days.

Three Law Fields, thirty-day limit.

Food for forty days, energy for thirty days, Medicinal Pills... might not be enough.

"The issue with the Medicinal Pills," Mu Wanqing took the initiative to say, "I can lead a team to work overtime on refining them. We still have Materials in stock; if we lack hands, we can draw from the medical team. In thirty-nine days, we should be able to prepare thirty percent more."

Wen Youyi nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

Countdown: Thirty-two days.

The activation test for the first batch of "Blood of the Defectors" was held.

Senior Brother Zhang and Silver Thorn worked together to take those three hundred and seventy-two drops of blood out of the crystals and "awaken" them using a special Formation. With each drop awakened, a blurry human figure would appear in the air, linger for a few seconds, and then dissipate.

Those figures included the elderly, the young, men, and women. They wore different clothes and had different faces, but their expressions before dissipating were all the same—relief.

"What are they 'saying'?" Wen Youyi asked.

Silver Thorn was silent for a few seconds before answering:

"'Finally, the time has come.'"

When the three hundred and seventy-second drop of blood was activated, all the figures appeared simultaneously for an instant. In that moment, the entire technology center seemed crowded with three hundred and seventy-two Souls, and the temperature dropped several degrees.

Then, they all dissipated at once.

A line of words made of light and shadow remained in the air for only three seconds, but everyone saw it clearly:

[If we can make them hesitate for even a single second, we win.]

Countdown: Twenty-three days.

The final general mobilization meeting was held.

The plaza in the center of the town was packed with people. There were Cultivators, Mortals, members of the Yao Race, the elderly, the young, and even infants held in their mothers' arms. On the edge of the plaza, one hundred "representatives" of the trees stood silently, their silver-blue treetops shimmering in the sunlight.

Wen Youyi stood on a temporary platform, looking at the faces below.

He recognized many of them: Madam Liu holding Little Girl in the front row, Zhao Iron Pillar standing beside her, Senior Brother Zhang pushing up his glasses in the technology team, Mu Wanqing leading the medical team in their neat white robes, Blood Fiend Old Demon and the Sword Maniac standing side-by-side in a corner, Lin Jiang standing alone on another side, and Yun Zhi and Aila standing behind him...

And then there were those he didn't know. Mortals who had farmed all their lives, tailors who only knew how to embroider, young Cultivators who had just learned how to throw bombs, and Yao Race youths who were naturally gifted at stealth.

"In twenty-three days," he began, his voice not loud but enough to silence the plaza, "the Creation Heavenly Court's fleet will arrive."

"They have two fleets: one for a frontal assault and one to flank us from behind. Their weapons are better than ours, they have more experience than us, and they have more people. If we just fight them head-on, we might not last seven days."

The crowd was silent.

"But wars are not won by 'fighting head-on' alone."

"No matter how strong the enemy is, they are still people—or they once were. They have weaknesses, they make mistakes, they fear death, and they will hesitate for that one second when they see three hundred and seventy-two drops of their own kind's blood."

"What we need to do is seize that one second."

"The Law Fields will interfere with their Law-level attacks. The Hedgehog Weapons will throw them into chaos. The trees will make them lose their way. Little Girl will allow all of us—humans, Yao, trees, machines—to hear the same voice at the same time."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"The rest depends on us."

"Depend on the weapons in your hands, on the people standing beside you, on the families behind you who need protection, and on every minute and second of these twenty-three days."

"In twenty-three days, no matter how many enemies come, we will make them remember one thing—"

"New Homeland is not a Ranch."

Below the platform, the gazes of a hundred thousand people were focused on him.

No one spoke, but that silence was more powerful than any shout.

Wen Youyi looked at them and suddenly smiled.

"Alright, everyone go back to work. We have twenty-three days of preparation time, and not a single second can be wasted."

The crowd began to disperse.

As Madam Liu carried Little Girl past him, the girl suddenly reached out her small hand and touched his face.

"Uncle Wen, you have dust on your face."

Wen Youyi was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Yes, I'll wash it off later."

Little Girl nodded and was carried away by her mother.

Wen Youyi stood in place, watching that small silhouette disappear into the crowd.

The twenty-three-day countdown continued to tick.

(End of Chapter)