225: Chapter 225 The Forge Halts the Council Meeting! Lu Chen Sets His Sights on the Blueprints

Day 68, 4:11 AM.

Cockpit.

The communicator on the console vibrated several times in succession, its buzzing sounding particularly harsh in the quiet Cockpit.

Lu Chen opened his eyes.

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep in the iron chair; his neck was pressed against the edge of the backrest, aching intensely.

He rubbed his face a couple of times, reached for the communicator, and switched it on.

"City Lord."

Zhou Yuan spoke from the other end, his voice raspy from staying up all night.

"Speak."

"Forge just sent over a long message."

Lu Chen pushed the backrest upright, his joints letting out a faint click.

"Read it."

"The original message says: 'I have received all three sets of data provided by Polaris. Radar data, Beacon Station data, and intercepted communication data. All three lines align perfectly. The Council was adjourned this afternoon. Evening Bell didn't have the ability to call it off; I was the one who stopped it.'"

"He called it off?"

A furrow formed between Lu Chen's brows.

"Yes, there's an explanation following it."

Zhou Yuan cleared his throat and continued reading, "'Evening Bell took two slaps to the face this afternoon, and the tide has already turned in my favor. However, the attitude of the two who abstained is very subtle; they aren't truly intending to abstain, they're simply waiting for a way out to save face. If I push too hard, they might just vote against me to preserve their pride. So, I suspended the Council to give them a night to digest everything and let my subordinates do some groundwork for me.'"

Lu Chen broke down the statement in his mind.

Forge took the initiative to suspend the meeting.

This old fox is controlling the tempo.

"Keep reading."

"'The news has already been spread tonight. My two research institutes held general meetings, and the news about the Iron Hoof scout vehicles reaching the Rustwind Wasteland has been reported to every researcher. Other institutes are also spreading the word. The researchers under those two who abstained from Evening Bell's side came to find my people tonight and asked many questions. I didn't stop them; I let them ask whatever they wanted.'"

"He's infiltrating Evening Bell's power base."

Lu Chen sensed the calculation behind it.

"Correct."

Zhou Yuan continued, "'The Council reconvenes at nine tomorrow morning. I have three sets of hard data in my hand, plus yesterday's survey maps—four cards in total. I plan to first reveal the main force's position from the intercepted communications, telling everyone that the Iron Hoof Legion is taking a detour and will arrive in two days at the earliest. Then, I'll let those two choose for themselves.'"

"There's one last part."

Zhou Yuan slowed his speech, "'If we turn the tables tomorrow and the Joint Strike is finalized, I need you to do one thing. Polaris must complete the Degradation of The City-State's remains before the Iron Hoof main force arrives, and bring your firepower up to a level that can coordinate with my formation. I've seen the data on your Ray Cannon; it's good enough for the vanguard. But the Ray Cannon alone isn't enough. You need bigger guns.'"

"Bigger guns."

Lu Chen's eyelid twitched.

He opened his notebook and turned directly to the technology tree node page.

Armament and Weaponry Lv.3 Node 3: 155mm Electromagnetic Railgun.

Price: 10,000 Truth Points.

Current balance: 2,622 points.

Shortfall: 7,378 points.

Estimated revenue from the Degradation of The City-State's remains: over 30,000 points.

Once the Degradation is complete, let alone one railway gun, unlocking two or three other nodes would be more than enough.

"Does Forge know what trump cards we have?"

Lu Chen looked up and asked.

"He doesn't know the specific list."

Zhou Yuan answered quickly, "But he's seen the combat data for the Ray Cannon. By mentioning 'bigger guns,' he's hinting that Polaris needs to address its weakness in long-range strikes."

"He's setting conditions."

Lu Chen dissected Forge's words, "The prerequisite for the Joint Strike is that Polaris must bring enough firepower to the table. This isn't a negotiation; it's a reminder. If the firepower isn't upgraded, we can't coordinate in this battle."

"City Lord."

Zhou Yuan put the communicator back in his pocket, "Forge has a hidden meaning. He's confident that the Joint Strike will get more than half the votes."

"You think he's confident?"

"The fact that he dared to suspend the Council himself shows he's not panicking. He's waiting for his subordinates to sway those two abstentions. If he weren't sure, how would he dare to call a halt? If he suspends it and can't turn things around, he's just giving Evening Bell time to catch their breath for nothing."

Lu Chen ran this analysis through his mind.

Makes sense.

Forge's ability to go toe-to-toe with Evening Bell in the Council proves he's certainly no reckless brute who only knows brute force.

Daring to call a halt means he has a trump card.

As for how strong that card is, we'll see the truth tomorrow.

"Reply to him."

Lu Chen spoke.

"What should I write?"

"Just say: Received. Polaris's firepower upgrade plan is already in the works. Once the degradation window is finalized, we will get it done as quickly as possible. If the Joint Strike is confirmed, the specific coordination plan will be discussed separately."

"Got it."

Zhou Yuan turned and walked toward the transmitter station.

"Wait."

Lu Chen stopped him.

"Anything else?"

"Add one more sentence. Tell Forge that Polaris provided these three sets of data without any strings attached. But if the Joint Strike actually happens, I want the core blueprints in his possession."

Zhou Yuan's hands hovered over the keyboard, stopping mid-air.

"core blueprints."

He repeated the words.

"Yes."

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, "Forge is the chief of the weapons division; he must have high-level pre-civilization weapon blueprints. Using these blueprints for Degradation can provide Polaris with a large amount of Truth Points. We're risking our lives for this Joint Strike; the blueprints will be our compensation after the war."

"What tone should I use for this request?"

"An equal trade."

Lu Chen emphasized his words, "Don't make it sound like begging, and don't make it sound like extortion. Just state it plainly: as part of the proceeds from participating in the Joint Strike, Polaris requests blueprints as compensation. As for exactly how many and what level, we'll weigh that out after the battle."

"Understood."

Zhou Yuan's fingers flew as he typed the two paragraphs into the transmitter and hit send.

4:26 AM.

Lu Chen picked up the thermos at the corner of the console.

Inside was the milk Lin Wan had brought last night; it was stone-cold by now, with a thin layer of skin formed on the surface.

He didn't mind, taking two gulps before setting the cup back in its place.

The radar scan lines on the panel swept around circle after circle.

Within eight kilometers, it was completely clear.

He opened his notebook and wrote the date at the top of a fresh page.

Day 68.

Then he listed today's agenda below.

6:00 AM, external control of The City-State lifted, relocation resumes.

9:00 AM, Dawn Legion Council reconvenes. Await voting results.

The tip of his pen paused on the paper for half a second.

He added two more lines.

Forge hinted at confidence in the Joint Strike and requested Polaris to upgrade its firepower. Core blueprint trade proposed.

The degradation window is the key to breaking the deadlock.

He capped his pen and closed the notebook.

Four and a half hours left until nine o'clock.