232: Chapter 232 The Entire City Buried Along With?

"Thirty minutes."

Chen Chen stared at the fifty frantically blinking red dots on the holographic Radar.

The energy fluctuations of each red dot were sufficient to cause cracks in the spatial barrier of the Level 3 Map.

And the entity at the very center, three times larger than the other red dots—a Tier 6 Peak Judgment Command Aircraft—was trailing a gray-white light tail so intense it could almost solidify, bearing down on them at a speed that broke the sound barrier.

Shen Wanbing's fingers were still flying across the keyboard; sweat trickled down her temples, and her white shirt was soaked through over a large area, clinging to her body, but she had no time to care.

"I have already extracted the short-range warp code."

She projected a dense stream of light text in front of Chen Chen. "But this code was designed for the complete Interstellar Fortress. We only have two-sevenths of the fragments. Forcing it into the Sea Scale's existing power system..."

"Can we jump?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"Then jump."

Chen Chen pulled open the door to the secret room and accessed all combat channels.

"The entire city is to enter the highest level of warp pressure resistance status. All non-fixed equipment is to enter lockdown procedure."

"Jiang Jiuyou, transfer full main control authority to the Sea Scale's power cabin."

"Copper Hammer, everyone in the Engineering Zone, get your asses over to the Star Sea Composite Energy Furnace and stand by."

"Yi Chang, secure the safety lines in the Lower Deck. Fasten them tight."

The orders were barked out in one breath, and the communication channels of the entire Sea-Air Composite Fortress instantly exploded into chaos.

Engineering Zone.

When Copper Hammer received the data packet for the warp code, he almost dropped his massive hammer.

He stared at the string of high-dimensional light text for three seconds, his beard trembling with excitement.

"Lord! I've never even seen this stuff before!"

Mio's projection rushed out from the side, her electronic voice cranked to the maximum.

"Of course you haven't! This is the space-folding language of a high-dimensional civilization! Why is a dwarf blacksmith like you even looking at it!"

Copper Hammer had already swung his massive hammer and was walking toward the Star Sea Composite Energy Furnace.

"Whether I understand it or not isn't important; whether we can shove it in is what matters."

Mio's entire face distorted.

"What are you doing?"

Copper Hammer swung his hammer at an inspection panel on the side of the Star Sea Composite Energy Furnace.

Clang!

The metal panel flew off, revealing the complex, scalp-tingling energy pipelines inside.

"You're insane!" Mio screamed. "That's a precision energy circulation circuit! If you smash it with a hammer—"

"Then there's just one more port." Copper Hammer shoved the warp core into the hole, his thick, short arms bracing against the edges as he pushed with all his might.

Sparks from the welding torch flew everywhere.

Two dwarf assistants rushed up with wrenches to help secure it.

Mio was collapsing on the side, her projection even shaking.

"You are trying to… physically… shove high-dimensional code into a Level 3 civilization's energy furnace?!"

"Correct."

"This will tear the city to pieces!"

Copper Hammer didn't even look back.

"That's still better than being torn to pieces by fifty warships."

Mio opened her mouth, but found herself unable to refute him.

Lower Deck.

The pre-shockwaves of energy triggered by the warp preparation spread outward from the core.

The entire city began to experience slight but continuous tremors.

The Lower Deck public channel immediately exploded into chaos.

"What's going on? Are we at war again?"

"The ground is shaking!"

"Is the city collapsing?!"

A few mine slaves sprang up from their beds and ran toward the elevator.

Iron Wall's heavy machine gun clicked as it swiveled.

"Sit back down!"

But panic is contagious.

With nearly a million people in the Lower Deck, cries and screams erupted everywhere.

Just then—

An incredibly soft female voice flowed out from the city-wide broadcast.

Luo Yunwei simply used the simplest humming to send that voice into every corner.

Pale golden light seeped out in wisps from the cracks of the broadcast speakers, spreading along the walls.

The panicked mine slaves' knees went weak.

The essence carried within that voice peeled away the surging anxiety in their chests and forcibly pressed it down.

The cries in the Lower Deck dropped by eighty percent within five seconds.

On Chen Chen's retina, the golden slot for the Faith Shield began to jump frantically.

[Faith Value: 127430 → 189700 → 234000...]

The numbers were still skyrocketing.

A layer of pale golden film appeared on the city's outer shell, visibly solidifying and thickening.

Jiang Jiuyou glanced at the data from the auxiliary command console, her tone rarely carrying a hint of praise.

"This Diva is actually useful right away."

Shen Wanbing had no time to evaluate Luo Yunwei.

Her ten fingers blurred across the holographic keyboard, her two hundred-plus points of Mental Power running at full capacity, the veins on her forehead bulging.

Thirty seconds later.

She stopped.

"Forced docking of the warp system complete."

Chen Chen turned his head.

Shen Wanbing's face was deathly pale, her soaked white shirt rising and falling against her chest as she bit her lower lip and looked at him.

"Success rate... 15%."

The main control room went silent for a beat.

Jiang Jiuyou's finger pressed on the fire control panel without letting go.

"85% probability of disintegration in subspace?"

"Yes."

Su Xiaoqi poked her head out from the kitchen, clutching a pot.

"Can we still eat hot pot if we disintegrate?"

Mio answered listlessly.

"Molecular state hot pot."

Chen Chen glanced at the Radar.

The red dots had closed in to five hundred kilometers.

"15% is not enough." He turned and walked away.

Shen Wanbing immediately looked up.

"Where are you going—"

"To drag someone here."

Chen Chen strode through the corridor, the sound of his military boots hitting the metal floor sharp and forceful.

At the end of the rest cabin corridor.

The cabin door marked "Shen Wanxing · Temperature-Controlled Soft Bed Rest Cabin · Knocking Forbidden Without Permission" still had a sticky note attached:

[I am currently on vacation. For any work, please contact Deputy City Lord Yi Chang.]

Chen Chen raised his foot.

Bang!

The door was kicked open.

Inside the cabin.

Shen Wanxing was lying on her side on the temperature-controlled soft bed, with the blanket covering only half of her, and a very thin silk camisole nightgown hanging loosely on her body.

A large expanse of skin from her collarbone down was exposed in the warm light; the nightgown strap had slipped from her rounded shoulder down to her arm, the thin strap tracing an arc.

She wasn't asleep.

The corners of her eyes were red; she had clearly been crying.

When she was startled into sitting up by the sound of the kicked door, the hem of her nightgown flipped up, revealing a length of blindingly white thigh.

"Chen, Chen Chen!" She hurriedly grabbed the blanket to cover herself, her voice hoarse and aggrieved.

"Can't you knock! I'm on vacation—"

Chen Chen had already walked to the bedside.

He yanked the blanket away and scooped her up directly.

Shen Wanxing was draped over his arm, her legs dangling in the air; the silk nightgown couldn't cover much, and her straight, white calves kicked wildly in the air.

"I haven't put on a coat yet!"

"No time."

Chen Chen carried her toward the main control room.

"Wait! I need to get my pillow!"

"You don't need a pillow."

"Then at least I need—"

Chen Chen quickened his pace.

"The thing you need to do only requires one finger."

Shen Wanxing shivered as the cold air hit her, and only then did she notice that all the lights in the corridor had turned to a red alarm color.

"What… what happened again?"

"Fifty gray-white warships will arrive within thirty minutes."

Her entire face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Then why are you dragging me here! I can't fight!"

Chen Chen carried her into the main control room and placed her next to the warp main control sphere.

Standing in the middle of the crowd wearing that silk nightgown so thin it was nearly transparent, Shen Wanxing crossed her arms over her chest, shivering from the cold, with aggrieved tear tracks on her face and her hair sticking up.

Su Xiaoqi was the first to raise her hand.

"Sister Wanxing is so fair."

Shen Wanxing nearly exploded on the spot.

"Shut up!"

Blood Rose leaned against the doorframe, scanning her up and down.

"Nice nightgown, where did you buy it?"

"You shut up too!"

Jiang Jiuyou glanced at her, then withdrew her gaze.

"Hurry up."

Shen Wanbing brought up the parameter panel of the warp main control sphere in front of Shen Wanxing. It was covered in red warnings.

"Wanxing."

Shen Wanxing looked at the glowing sphere and shrank back half a step.

"Sister... will this thing explode if I touch it?"

"If you don't touch it, the whole city will explode in fifteen minutes."

Chen Chen stood to the side, the red dots on the Radar having closed in by another fifty kilometers.

"Don't dawdle."

Shen Wanxing stared at the sphere, her throat bobbing.

Her hands were shaking.

The giant "15%" on the holographic panel made it hard for her to breathe.

"If… if it doesn't trigger?"

Chen Chen looked at her.

"Then the whole city will be buried with us."