226: Chapter 226 Joint Strike Passed 7-5! Lu Chen's Situation is Settled.

Day 68, 6:05 AM.

The lock on The City-State passage at the main entrance of the first floor opened.

Lin Xiao had finished assembling the fourth batch of the Relocation Team last night. Before dawn, a long queue had already formed at the other end of the passage.

Lu Chen didn't leave the Cockpit; Chen Li and Song Ya were on the first floor receiving people.

Chen Li's panting voice came through the communicator.

"City Lord, the fourth batch of the Relocation Team has entered. The leader reported a count of one thousand and thirty-nine."

One thousand and thirty-nine.

This number was higher than any previous batch.

"Why are there so many extra?" Lu Chen asked.

"Lin Xiao said that because the relocation stopped for a day yesterday, a bunch of people piled up in The City-State. Once it opened today, people forced themselves into the team, and the leader couldn't stop them at all," Chen Li sighed.

"If you can't stop them, then don't," Lu Chen didn't hesitate. "Open all three Registration Terminals. We'll just work a few extra hours today."

"Understood. How should we arrange the Settlement Area?"

"Open up the third and fourth sections of the Storage Area and stuff them in first. Have Han Zhengqing work overtime today to set up two more temporary partitions."

"Okay."

The communication cut off.

Lu Chen opened his logbook and filled in the numbers in the relocation column.

Fourth batch: 1,039 people.

Cumulative relocation: 3,036 people.

Total registered: 9,877. With today's progress, it would definitely break ten thousand by tonight.

Still twenty thousand short.

He circled the number with his pen and stopped calculating.

"City Lord." Lin Wan's communication cut in, with the sound of a water pump in the background.

"Speak."

"The curtains are drawn, and the Greenhouse is operating normally. Song Ya started grinding this morning; we can produce a thousand kilograms of flour before noon."

"Good."

"The air-drying progress for the third crop—the 7.8 tons harvested yesterday—will be finished air-drying and ready for threshing by noon today."

"Schedule the threshing for the afternoon."

"Got it." Lin Wan paused for half a second before asking, "City Lord, have you decided on the sowing for the fourth crop?"

"Not yet." Lu Chen delayed the matter for a moment. "We'll wait for the news this morning before deciding."

"Wait for what news?"

"The council's voting results."

Lin Wan didn't make a sound on the other end.

Two seconds passed.

"Okay, I'll wait for your confirmation."

The communication ended.

Lu Chen picked up his thermos, downed the remaining cold milk in one gulp, and set the empty cup in a corner.

6:40 AM.

Liao Dacheng's communication came in.

"City Lord, morning report from the Livestock Farm."

"Speak."

"There are thirty-three Piglets in stock, all present and accounted for. Number 12 of ZM08 had a low body weight yesterday; I weighed it this morning, and it gained forty grams, so it's catching up."

"Good."

"The ewe's twins are both doing well; the male is stronger than the female. Zhou Hai stayed up all night yesterday, so Ma Dong is taking over the watch today."

"Good."

"City Lord, I finished the draft for the transportation plan yesterday and sent it to Chen Li. Have you seen it?"

"I saw it. Arrange the anti-slip mats yourself."

"They're already being cut; they'll be laid down by this afternoon."

"Good, if there's nothing else, get back to work."

The communication hung up.

Lu Chen flipped to the transportation plan page and scanned it.

Liao Dacheng's plan was written in detail.

Piglets would be caged by litter, five per cage, using the Livestock Farm's existing transport cages.

Breeding Pigs and Pregnant Sows would be fixed in individual stalls, using carts and manual labor to move them.

Cattle would use lead ropes to walk through the passage, which would be covered with anti-slip mats.

Sheep would walk with the cattle, and the twin Lambs would be carried by people.

The entire transfer process was scheduled for two to three hours and required twelve hands.

He added a note on the last line of the plan.

Manpower to be transferred from Zhao Tiezhu's unit.

Closing the book, his gaze returned to the panel.

7:03 AM.

Less than two hours until the council reconvened.

The communicator rang again; it was Zhou Yuan.

"City Lord."

"Speak."

"Forge replied."

"What did he say?"

"Two sentences. The first said we'll talk about the blueprints after the fight, no problem. The second said he's eighty percent sure about the council meeting this morning."

Eighty percent.

He rolled those words around in his mouth.

"He used eighty percent, not one hundred percent."

"Correct."

"Where does that twenty percent risk lie?"

"He didn't mention it." Zhou Yuan thought for a moment. "I guess that twenty percent is from whatever homework Evening Bell did last night to stabilize the abstention votes. Forge isn't sure if the public opinion pressure from the researchers below can overwhelm Evening Bell's private work in a single night."

"Eighty percent," Lu Chen repeated.

Enough.

An eighty percent probability was already a luxury when making decisions in the wasteland.

Most of the time, the cards in his hand didn't even reach fifty percent.

"City Lord," Zhou Yuan's voice came through. "Should we make alternative preparations?"

"What do you mean?"

"In case that twenty percent falls on us and the Joint Strike doesn't pass, we need a second plan."

"There has always been a second plan," Lu Chen replied bluntly. "Run. The shock absorption passed, and the full-speed combat readiness is activated. If the Joint Strike doesn't pass, Polaris will retreat south at full speed through the Ash Rift Valley."

"What about Degradation?"

"If the Joint Strike doesn't pass, we won't do the Degradation," Lu Chen made it clear. "Degradation requires being stationary for five to eight hours. Without the Dawn Legion's Joint Strike to cover us, staying stationary is suicide."

"Then we're just giving up those thirty thousand plus Truth Points?"

"Do you want your life or the points?"

Zhou Yuan was quiet for two seconds on the other end.

"Understood."

"But an eighty percent probability is still high," Lu Chen pulled the conversation back. "Wait for the results first; don't overthink it before nine o'clock."

"Got it."

The communication hung up.

He leaned back in his chair.

The clock on the panel ticked forward minute by minute.

7:11 AM.

7:26 AM.

7:44 AM.

The Cockpit door was pushed open.

Lin Wan walked in carrying a cup of hot milk.

"It was separated from the sixty liters." She set the cup on the console. "Today's, and it's hot."

"Thanks." Lu Chen took it and had a sip.

Hot.

The chill in his stomach was suppressed.

"Results aren't out yet?" Lin Wan sat down in the chair next to him.

"Still over an hour."

"Did you sleep in this chair last night?"

"Managed a few hours."

Lin Wan didn't respond, opening the logbook and beginning to fill in today's Greenhouse data.

8:15 AM.

8:29 AM.

8:41 AM.

Only the scratching of the pen on paper and the hum of the ventilation vent remained in the Cockpit.

8:53 AM.

The communicator vibrated.

Zhou Yuan.

He reached out to answer, his knuckles tensing.

"City Lord."

"Speak."

"A message from Forge."

His fingers gripped the communicator's casing tightly.

"The council began voting at 9:03 AM."

Zhou Yuan's voice was completely hoarse, dry and cracking.

"Seven to five."

This result landed in the Cockpit.

"The Joint Strike plan has passed."