228: Chapter 228 Degradation Plan Finalized! Lu Chen Needs 30,000 Points

Day 68, 10:13 AM.

Cockpit.

Lu Chen finished listing the execution framework for the degradation window in his notebook and reviewed it from beginning to end.

The framework was divided into three sections.

Section one: Time.

Degradation startup conditions: The City-State's auxiliary engines come to a complete halt.

Estimated time: Day 73 to Day 74.

Degradation duration: five to eight hours.

During Degradation, Polaris will completely lose its mobility.

Section two: Security.

Forge's Beacon Station provides the real-time location of the Iron Hoof main force, with an error margin of less than two kilometers.

Zhao Tiezhu's Reconnaissance Platoon will set up an early warning line six to seven kilometers outside Polaris.

Four Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems are on standby to handle emergencies.

The Joint Strike has been finalized; the Dawn Legion formations are on their way, arriving at the outskirts of the Rustwind Wasteland between the middle of the night on Day 69 and the morning of Day 70 at the earliest.

Section three: Revenue.

Estimated gains from Decomposing the remains of The City-State: over 30,000 points.

Priority unlock nodes.

155mm Electromagnetic Railgun: 10,000 points.

Radiation-proof Lead-lined Inner Shell: 7,000 points.

Gas Turbine Generator Set: 10,000 points.

Total cost: 27,000 points.

Adding the current balance of 2,622 points, the Degradation gains minus the three unlock costs will leave a balance of over 5,600 points.

5,600 points can be used to exchange for ammunition, replenish the CIWS interception reserves, or be saved to unlock subsequent nodes.

He put down his pen and stared at these three sections of the framework for half a minute.

"Lin Wan."

"Here."

"When will The City-State's auxiliary engines stop completely?"

"According to the data from Lin Xiao, based on the current consumption rate of the remaining coolant, it will be between Day 73 and Day 74."

"Can we be precise to within half a day?"

"I'll have to ask Lin Xiao. The coolant consumption rate depends on the engine load. The City-State can't move now, so the auxiliary engines only provide heating and lighting. The load isn't heavy, and the consumption rate is stable."

"Go ask Lin Xiao for precise data today. How many liters of coolant are left, how many milliliters are consumed per hour, and calculate to the hour when it will be exhausted."

"Okay." Lin Wan made a note in her book.

"Zhou Yuan." Lu Chen pressed the button on his communicator.

"Here."

"Regarding Forge, after the Joint Strike was finalized, when will his formations set out?"

"He didn't give a specific time," Zhou Yuan replied.

The sound of papers being shuffled came through the communicator.

"But according to him, the transfer orders can be issued as soon as the voting results are out. From the issuance of the orders to the actual departure of the formations, it takes half a day at the earliest."

"Orders at noon today, departure in the afternoon. From the Iron Curtain Frozen Sea to the Rustwind Wasteland, it takes one and a half to two days. They'll arrive by the morning of Day 70 at the earliest."

"Correct."

"There's a one-day difference from when the Iron Hoof main force arrives on Day 69."

"A one-day difference. This day is the window where Polaris will be facing it alone."

"Who said we're facing it alone?" Lu Chen corrected.

He looked at the notebook in front of him.

"The Iron Hoof main force arrives on Day 69 and will perform Base Building first. They won't attack us during the Base Building phase. The Dawn Legion arrives on Day 70. By the time they arrive, Iron Hoof will still be in the middle of Base Building."

"That's assuming Iron Hoof's Base Building process is normal and they don't expand early."

"Forge's judgment is that the standard procedure takes three to five days."

"Does the City Lord trust his judgment?"

Lu Chen weighed the question in his mind.

"I do, but I'm leaving a margin," he said.

He leaned back against the backrest.

"What if Iron Hoof finishes construction in two days and starts expanding on Day 71? The Dawn Legion arrives on Day 70, arriving just in time. The time difference won't exceed one day."

"A one-day error is manageable."

"Manageable." Lu Chen turned a page.

He pressed his hand onto the paper.

"There's one more thing. During Degradation, Polaris will be immobilized and unable to move. With 30,000 people on board, we can't afford any mishaps."

"What do you mean?"

"Before Degradation starts, move everyone from The City-State who can be moved. There are still five days. Squeeze in a thousand people a day, five thousand in five days. Combined with the existing 9,877 people, we'll have around 15,000 by Day 73."

"That still leaves 15,000 people in The City-State."

"The people in The City-State can't be moved during Degradation. We'll continue moving them once Degradation is finished."

"Once Degradation is finished, The City-State will be gone."

Those words echoed through the communicator for two seconds.

The pen in Lin Wan's hand pressed an ink blot onto the paper.

"After The City-State undergoes Degradation into Truth Points, its physical structure will completely disappear," Lu Chen said plainly.

His tone was steady.

"Before Degradation, everyone in The City-State must leave. Whether they move to Polaris or set up a temporary camp on the wasteland outside The City-State, no one can stay inside."

"There are over 30,000 people in The City-State; subtracting the 9,877 who have already moved and the 1,039 from today, there are still over 20,000 left," Lin Wan calculated.

She looked up.

"These 20,000 people need to leave The City-State before Degradation."

"Move them where?" Zhou Yuan asked from the other end.

"We can't squeeze them all into Polaris," Lu Chen said.

He had calculated everything very clearly.

"The Registration Terminal processes eight or nine hundred people a day, so at most another four or five thousand can be registered in five days. That leaves 15,000 people without registration slots and without shield protection."

"Temporarily settle them around The City-State?"

"No. When The City-State undergoes Degradation, the range is quite large; the surrounding area must be cleared."

Lu Chen cycled through various schemes in his mind.

"There's only one way," he said.

His knuckles tapped the tabletop.

"Perform the Degradation in batches. Zoned Decomposition."

"Zoned?" Zhou Yuan and Lin Wan spoke at the same time.

"The City-State is eight hundred meters long and four hundred meters wide; we don't need to consume it all at once." Lu Chen brought up the Degradation function of the Truth Tech Tree in his mind.

He looked at the two people in front of him.

"The Degradation system can specify a range. Decompose half of The City-State first, for example, the rear half. All personnel will be concentrated in the front half."

He drew a circle on the paper.

"Once the rear half is Decomposed, we'll get 15,000 points. Unlock the key nodes. Then move the people from the front half out and Decompose the front half."

"Decompose in two stages."

"Yes, in two stages. The first Degradation will be the rear half, taking three to four hours. The second Degradation will be the front half, taking another three to four hours. Leave one to two hours in between for personnel transfer. The total time taken will be eight to ten hours."

"That's less risky than doing it all at once," Zhou Yuan thought for a moment.

The sound of a pen scratching came from the other end of the communicator.

"During the first Degradation, the people will be in the front half, and Polaris will be immobilized for three to four hours. Before the second Degradation, the people will transfer to Polaris, and it will be immobilized for another three to four hours."

"Between the two periods of immobilization, there's a mobility window," Lu Chen said.

He finalized this point.

"Once the first Degradation is finished, Polaris will regain its mobility and can move its position or adjust its defenses."

"The first Degradation alone will give us 15,000 points," Lin Wan took over the calculations.

She quickly wrote down a few numbers in her book.

"10,000 points to unlock the railgun, and 5,000 points to unlock other things or exchange for ammunition. Perform the second Degradation after the railgun is online."

She looked up.

"It means that during the second Degradation, Polaris will already have the railgun to hold the fort."

"Correct." Lu Chen wrote down this Zoned Decomposition scheme in his notebook.

He drew a simple diagram, dividing The City-State into front and rear halves and marking the Degradation order and the direction of personnel transfer.

"This scheme needs to be confirmed with Lin Xiao," he said.

Lu Chen put down his pen.

"The internal structure of The City-State—which are load-bearing walls and which are partition walls—and whether Zoned Decomposition will cause the front half to collapse. We need Lin Xiao to have a Structural Engineer calculate it."

"I'll go ask him." Lin Wan stood up.

"Wait a second," Lu Chen called out to her.

"What else?"

"Let's get today's tasks sorted out first." Lu Chen flipped to the task page.

He arranged them one by one.

"One thousand kilograms of flour will be produced by noon today. Air-drying and threshing for the third crop will begin this afternoon. Continue the compost conductivity inspections."

His gaze turned to Lin Wan.

"Don't fall behind on the registration for the 1,039 people relocating today. Then go talk to Lin Xiao about the structural issues of the Zoned Decomposition."

"Okay."

"Also, the sowing of the fourth crop."

Lin Wan paused in her tracks.

"The Joint Strike has passed," Lu Chen said.

His gaze fell upon her.

"Polaris won't be moving for now. We can sow the fourth crop."

Lin Wan pursed her lips.

"Sow them this afternoon?"

"Sow them this afternoon."

"What are we planting?"

"Ninety percent wheat, ten percent rice. As usual."

"Okay."

Lin Wan pushed open the Cockpit door and walked out.

The door closed.

Lu Chen was the only one left in the Cockpit.

He looked down at the Zoned Decomposition scheme in his notebook.

"The first Degradation: the rear half of The City-State.

Gains of around 15,000 points.

Unlock the 155mm Electromagnetic Railgun.

The second Degradation: the front half of The City-State.

Gains of 15,000 points or more.

Unlock the Radiation-proof Lead-lined Inner Shell and the Gas Turbine Generator Set.

Including the current balance, the total balance will exceed 35,000 points.

From the eighth node of lv.3, pushing directly to the eleventh node.

Eleven out of sixteen nodes completed.

Only five nodes away from the lv.4 upgrade.

He put his pen down on the notebook.

The temptation of 30,000 points.

It's worth the risk.

The radar sweep line on the panel continued its usual rotations.

The area within eight kilometers was completely clear.

Lu Chen wrote a few words on the last line of the notebook.

Joint Strike finalized. Degradation scheme tentatively set.

In the next five days, finish everything that can be done.

Day 69, the Iron Hoof main force arrives.

Day 70, the Dawn Legion arrives.

Day 73, Degradation starts.

He put down the pen.

The countdown begins.