186: Chapter 186 Lu Chen finalizes the retreat! All 30,000 men board the ships.

Lin Xiao stood up from his chair and walked to the Cockpit window. With his back to the three of them, he gazed out at the wasteland.

"Lu Chen."

"Of the four options you just mentioned, which one do you personally lean toward?"

"Running as the primary focus, negotiating as a secondary one."

"And fighting?"

"Fighting is reserved as a last resort, provided we unite with the Dawn Legion and the Forge's faction wins out."

Lin Xiao turned around.

"And if the Forge's faction doesn't win?"

"Then only running and negotiating remain."

"If we run, all thirty thousand people will be on your ship."

"Correct."

"If we negotiate, what do we negotiate with?"

"Food technology. But we won't give them seeds, only finished products. We'll make the Iron Hoof Legion understand that we have what they need in exchange for peaceful passage or a time buffer."

Lin Xiao put his hands in his pockets, his gaze lingering on Lu Chen's face for two seconds.

"Lu Chen, there's one thing I want to confirm with you."

"Speak."

"If we ultimately take the path of running, is the Ash Rift Valley the destination or a transit station?"

"A transit station."

"And after the transit station?"

"Continue south," Lu Chen replied, his speaking pace unchanged. "The Ash Rift Valley is just a buffer zone to use the terrain to slow down pursuit. The real goal is to find a location where we can establish a long-term base and restart the accumulation of Truth Points and resources after putting some distance between us."

"How far south?"

"It depends on the Iron Hoof Legion's determination to pursue. If they just want to control the coal crystal veins of the Rustwind Wasteland, there's a very high probability they'll give up the chase after we clear the Ash Rift Valley. If their goal is to completely eliminate all potential threats, then we'll have to run all the way to the Pale Shoals or even further."

"The Pale Shoals." Lin Xiao's voice sounded strained.

Lu Chen knew why.

The Pale Shoals was the outermost and most resource-poor region of the Central Ice Field. Fleeing there meant starting from scratch.

"But we'll be alive," Lu Chen said.

Lin Xiao looked at Lu Chen.

"You're right."

Lin Xiao pulled his hands out of his pockets.

"Lu Chen, I'll do two things once I get back. First, I'll accelerate the physical relocation. As you said, we'll get the people onto the Polaris first and handle registration later. Starting tomorrow, I'll organize relocation teams of over five hundred people every day, rather than waiting for the registration terminals."

"Good."

"Second, there are still some usable materials in The City-State—ammunition, parts, medical supplies, winter clothing, bedding. No one will care about these things once The City-State's engines run dry. I'll have people move them in batches ahead of time; we'll take as much as we can carry."

"Use the first-floor main entrance as the transport channel. Zhao Tiezhu will arrange for people to receive the goods."

Zhao Tiezhu nodded.

"Alright."

"One more thing." Lin Xiao glanced at Zhou Yuan. "I won't interfere with the Dawn Legion's side. How you negotiate with the Forge and what chips you use—that's your call."

Lu Chen paused for a beat and glanced at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan nodded.

"Okay."

"One last question." Lin Xiao stood before the elevator door, his hand resting on the frame.

"Ask."

"If the fifth signal appears tonight, what will you do?"

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If the fifth signal appears tonight, it means the Iron Hoof Legion's main force has already issued the order to advance. From the time the signal is sent to the main force arriving at the northern edge of the Rustwind Wasteland, it will take twelve days at the fastest."

"Twelve days."

"I need to finish three things within twelve days. First, whether the degradation of the Black Rock City-State's remains can keep up depends on when the engines run out; that can't be artificially accelerated. Second, the full relocation—you'll speed up your side, and I'll continue registrations here. Third, accumulate over five thousand Truth Points to unlock the next node."

"Where will the five thousand come from?"

"If The City-State's remains aren't degraded in time, we'll have to rely on other channels. Exchanging blueprints with the Dawn Legion is an opportunity, but we won't get new blueprints in the short term. Another option is hunting mid-level Mutant Beasts, but the risk of going out to hunt has increased significantly now that the Iron Hoof Legion's outposts have completed their reconnaissance."

"Neither path is easy."

"Neither is easy."

Lin Xiao took his hand off the door frame.

"Lu Chen, I said all thirty thousand people are on this ship of yours."

"I remember."

"And you also said you wouldn't let this ship sink."

"I did."

Lin Xiao turned and stepped into the elevator.

Zhao Tiezhu followed behind him.

Before the elevator doors closed, his voice drifted out from inside.

"Tomorrow morning at seven, the first relocation team sets out."

The elevator doors closed.

Zhou Yuan was still sitting in the co-pilot's seat, looking at Lu Chen.

"City Lord, you just said running is the primary focus and negotiating is secondary."

"Yes."

"Where do you place a joint strike?"

Lu Chen picked up his notebook and drew a circle around the word 'backup' next to the first option.

"A hidden alternative. Not publicly stated, but it can be activated at a critical moment."

"What constitutes a critical moment?"

"After the Iron Hoof Legion's main force enters the Rustwind Wasteland, if the Dawn Legion hasn't left yet and the Forge is still fighting for the final council vote—that will be the critical moment."

"You'll state your position then?"

"We'll see how things stand then."

Zhou Yuan gathered the documents on his lap and stood up.

"City Lord, I'm going to send a communication to ask about the depth of the Ice Rift Zone."

"Go ahead."

"Do you plan on sleeping tonight?"

Lu Chen glanced at him.

"Hard to say."

"Lin Wan will nag you."

"She always nags me."

Zhou Yuan pursed his lips.

Zhou Yuan walked toward the elevator.

After the doors closed, Lu Chen was the only one left in the Cockpit.

The clock on the panel showed 3:47 PM.

In the signal log column, four dark red records continued to pulse.

The fifth had not yet appeared; for now, it was nowhere to be seen.