216: Chapter 216 The Iron Hoof Will Arrive as Early as Tonight! Throwing Out the Trump Card as a Cheating Chip

Day 66, 10:00 AM.

Cockpit.

Zhou Yuan pushed the door open and entered, a stack of papers clutched in his hand. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, but his steps were still relatively steady.

Lu Chen didn't look back; his gaze remained fixed on the signal log column of the panel.

"Any new signals today?"

"No. It's been thirty-eight hours since the fifth one, and it's been clean as a whistle." Zhou Yuan pulled out the chair to Lu Chen's right and sat down, spreading the papers across his knees. "I went through the data again this morning."

"Speak."

"The Iron Hoof Legion's advance speed." Zhou Yuan flipped to the first page and tapped it with his finger. "According to the intel from the Dawn Legion, their Lv.5 crusher can reach top speeds of twenty-two to twenty-five kilometers per hour. But if it's towing a formation of four lv.4 and over ten lv.3 fortresses, that speed gets cut in half—twelve to sixteen kilometers at most."

"From the southern mouth of the Roaring Ice Abyss to the Rustwind Wasteland, based on the distance measured during the fourth signal, it's nine hundred to nine hundred and fifty kilometers."

"Nine hundred and fifty divided by sixteen," Lu Chen calculated. "Fifty-nine hours, a bit over two and a half days."

"Right. If the main force broke camp on the day the fifth signal appeared—which was Day 63—the earliest they'd arrive is Day 66. If they're slower, Day 67 or 68." Zhou Yuan paused and swallowed. "But that doesn't account for delays in the Roaring Ice Abyss's Ice Rift Zone."

"The Ice Rift Zone will cause a delay of half a day to a day."

"Yes. Adding that half-day, the earliest they'd arrive..." Zhou Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed. "...is this evening."

As soon as he said those words, only the low hum of the main engine idling remained in the Cockpit.

"This evening. That's the bottom line for the most optimistic estimate." Lu Chen rolled the words over his tongue.

"What about the most pessimistic calculation?"

"The main force didn't move on Day 63, waited for a day or two, and didn't leave until Day 64 or 65." Zhou Yuan stared at the numbers on the paper. "Pushing at a slow speed of twelve kilometers, plus a day's delay in the Ice Rift Zone, the latest they'd show up is Day 71 to 73."

Lu Chen processed these two points in time in his head.

Earliest, this evening.

Latest, Day 71 to 73.

A full seven-day gap in between.

"These numbers are very vague; we won't know for sure until they enter the eight-kilometer radar range," Lu Chen said.

"That's the logic. If the radar can't pick them up, it's all guesswork." Zhou Yuan gathered the papers and set them on the edge of the console. "City Lord, I came today mainly for another matter."

"Speak."

"Forge's Beacon Station. He promised that as soon as the scout vehicle passes the southern mouth of the Roaring Ice Abyss, he'll send us a signal." Zhou Yuan slowed down, enunciating every word clearly. "But there's a huge gap between the southern mouth and our eight-kilometer radar circle. We're blind on that stretch of road; we're relying entirely on his intel."

"Margin of error within two kilometers," Lu Chen interjected.

"He guarantees two kilometers verbally. But City Lord, you know exactly what a two-kilometer discrepancy means on a real battlefield." Zhou Yuan paused for a moment. "If the actual location of the Iron Hoof scout vehicle is two kilometers closer to us than what Forge reported, and it happens just as we start the Degradation..."

"We'll be sitting ducks, dead in the water," Lu Chen finished for him.

"I'm bringing this up not to ruin the Degradation plan," Zhou Yuan quickly added. "My point is, during those five to eight hours of Degradation, we should have Zhao Tiezhu send out those twelve elites from the Reconnaissance Platoon. Set up an early warning line six or seven kilometers outside Polaris."

"Have you calculated the risks of moving forward?"

"The risk of the scout vehicle running head-on into the Reconnaissance Platoon is indeed high," Zhou Yuan didn't hide anything. "But if the Iron Hoof Legion really doesn't take the initiative to attack while building their base, their scout vehicles won't push toward us, so the risk can be managed."

"Forge's word was that they won't move during the base construction."

"He checked the records. Standard base construction protocol: first lay down a defensive line, then expand outward, and never proactively provoke a fixed target." Zhou Yuan looked up at Lu Chen. "City Lord, I've been thinking about this all night. Should we give Zhao Tiezhu a heads-up so he can start preparing for the forward deployment?"

Lu Chen tapped his knuckles on the table twice.

"Go pass the word to Zhao Tiezhu. This afternoon, check all the Reconnaissance Platoon's gear and rations; be ready for forward deployment at any time." Lu Chen set the tone. "As for what they're going out for, keep it a secret for now. We'll brief them once the Degradation window is finalized."

"Got it."

"Also." Lu Chen called out to him. "Zhou Yuan, check the accounts with Forge again today. When exactly is his Beacon Station getting powered up? The signal for the scout vehicle passing the southern mouth must be real-time. Don't wait until they've already finished building the base to say something; it has to be sent the second they pass the southern mouth."

"I'll go contact him right now." Zhou Yuan pushed off his knees and stood up.

"Wait, one more thing." Lu Chen didn't let him leave. "Regarding the joint strike, Forge is still one vote short."

"Yes. Evening Bell's vote is the bottleneck. If he doesn't relent, who among those wavering below would dare move?" Zhou Yuan stopped at the door and turned around. "City Lord, do you have a plan?"

Lu Chen stared at the pale red fifth signal on the panel, not in a hurry to speak.

Forge's situation was obvious. The pro-war faction held five votes, while Evening Bell held the key to the remaining seven. They were just one vote short of a majority.

To break the deadlock, they either had to pry open Evening Bell's mouth or poach people from the fence-sitters under him.

To sway Evening Bell, they needed a bargaining chip heavy enough.

"Zhou Yuan, what does that old fellow Evening Bell fear most?" Lu Chen asked.

"Based on his past behavior..." Zhou Yuan calculated, "He doesn't care about winning or losing; he cares about his assets. He's most afraid that the Dawn Legion will lose everything just to win a single battle."

"So, even if he knows the joint strike can win, as long as he thinks the price is too high, he still won't agree."

"Exactly."

"Then what if he knew that not fighting would cost even more?"

Zhou Yuan's hand on the doorframe froze.

"If the Iron Hoof Legion swallows the Rustwind Wasteland, the next bite will be the Ash Rift Valley. Inside the Ash Rift Valley are three of the Dawn Legion's forward research stations." Lu Chen broke it down piece by piece. "Is Forge aware of this?"

"He's aware. Those are the Dawn Legion's internal ledgers; as the Chief of Weapons, he has the clearance." Zhou Yuan's mind raced through the information. "But Evening Bell knows too. The reason Evening Bell chose to retreat is that he feels if the forward stations are lost, they're lost, and protecting the core base is what matters most."

"What exactly is hidden in those forward research stations?"

Zhou Yuan closed his mouth, holding back for a good three or four seconds.

"Excavation data from pre-civilization weapon research facilities, piles of unorganized raw materials, plus..." He swallowed hard. "...the survey maps of the ruins beneath the ice of the Iron Curtain Frozen Sea."

"survey maps." Lu Chen chewed on those words.

"Right. These maps took the Dawn Legion twenty years to produce. Where those ruins under the ice of the Iron Curtain Frozen Sea are and what they look like are clearly marked. If this thing falls into the hands of the Iron Hoof Legion..." Zhou Yuan's voice caught in his throat.

"The Iron Hoof Legion could follow the maps into the Iron Curtain Frozen Sea and wipe out the Dawn Legion's home base," Lu Chen finished the second half for him.

The Cockpit was so quiet that only the sound of the ventilation fans could be heard.

"This matter..." Zhou Yuan lowered his voice. "City Lord, this bargaining chip must be handed to Forge. It's useless for us outsiders to poke Evening Bell; we have to let Forge take this and threaten their livelihoods in the Council."

"Go give Forge a heads-up," Lu Chen decided. "As for how to use it, let him weigh it himself."

"Got it." Zhou Yuan pushed open the door and leaned halfway out before stopping again.

He looked back at Lu Chen.

"City Lord."

"Speak."

"If the joint strike actually happens, how are we going to fight this war?"

Lu Chen moved his gaze from the signal log column and fixed it on Zhou Yuan.

"Finish harvesting the wheat before worrying about that." His tone was steady, showing no sign of anxiety. "Starting today, there are still five days left. We take things one bite at a time, one step at a time."

Zhou Yuan glanced at him, said no more, nodded, closed the door, and left.

Lu Chen turned his gaze back to the panel.

The fifth pale red signal sat quietly in the bottom right corner of the screen.

He opened his notebook and began to write.

Joint strike bargaining chip: Iron Curtain Frozen Sea survey maps, left to Forge's discretion.

The tip of the pen left the paper, and he set the pen aside.

Waiting for Chen Li's 11:00 AM midday briefing.