248: Chapter 248 Truth Points Exceed 10,000! The Railway Cannon is Within Reach

Day 73, 10:17 PM.

Cockpit.

Truth Points balance: 7,344.

The numbers jumped every few seconds, with each increase ranging between thirty and eighty.

Lu Chen stared at the numbers, unmoving.

Lin Wan stood behind him, her notebook flipped to a new page, the tip of her pen hovering over the paper.

"Seven thousand three hundred," she reported softly.

Lu Chen didn't respond.

7,381.

7,429.

7,502.

Zhou Yuan spoke from before the console. "Lin Xiao reported that as of 10:15 PM, twelve thousand people have evacuated from the front half of The City-State. Approximately three thousand eight hundred remain in the queue."

"Are all three channels open?"

"All open. The Main Channel and the Second Channel are at full capacity. The third channel's flow is ten percent slower than during the day because the night temperature has dropped another two degrees."

"That's fine," Lu Chen calculated quickly. "Three thousand eight hundred people. At the current speed, we can clear them out before 11:30 PM."

"11:30 PM," Zhou Yuan confirmed.

7,688.

7,751.

7,830.

Degradation had been ongoing for an hour and seventeen minutes.

The rear half was four hundred and forty meters long. Eating away from the end forward, they had consumed about one hundred and fifty meters by now.

In the remaining two hundred and ninety meters, there was the lower section of The City-State's industrial zone, the main body of the Storage Area, and a section of the Residential Area's foundation structure.

The industrial and Storage Areas had the highest metal density, so the Degradation rate was fastest there.

The Residential Area's foundation structure was relatively sparse, so the rate would be a bit slower.

However, the overall trend was accelerating because the further they ate forward, the closer they got to the Ninth Framework, and the denser the structure became.

8,012.

It broke eight thousand.

Lin Wan noted the time in her notebook: 10:23 PM, balance surpassed eight thousand.

"City Lord," she spoke.

"Speak."

"At this rate, what time will it break ten thousand?"

Lu Chen did a quick mental calculation.

It took about twenty minutes to go from seven thousand to eight thousand.

From eight thousand to ten thousand, they still needed two thousand more.

But the metal density in the areas ahead was higher, so the rate would increase.

"Between 11:00 PM and 11:30 PM," he gave a range.

"After breaking ten thousand, will we unlock the Railway Gun immediately?"

"No rush," Lu Chen shook his head. "Wait until the total reaches seventeen thousand before acting. Ten thousand for the Railway Gun plus seven thousand for the Leaded Inner Shell. We'll unlock both at once."

"Seventeen thousand." Lin Wan circled the number. "At the current rate, I estimate it will be between midnight and 12:30 AM."

"About then."

8,234.

8,307.

8,445.

The communicator vibrated; it was Cheng Zheng's channel.

"City Lord Lu."

"Speak."

"There's a change in the signal from the northern probe," Cheng Zheng said in a low voice. "Our Passive Listening Array captured the probe emitting a short-wave pulse. It lasted zero point three seconds, direction due north."

Lu Chen's fingers stopped on the tabletop.

"The probe sent a signal toward the main force."

"Yes," Cheng Zheng followed up. "It's a standard data return pulse. The probe compresses the images it observed into a data packet and sends it back to the Main Base."

"What did it observe?"

"Not sure," Cheng Zheng answered honestly. "But looking at the timing, the rear half of The City-State is being decomposed. If the probe's optical sensors are sensitive enough, it might have captured the silhouette of The City-State shortening."

The Cockpit fell silent.

Zhao Tiezhu's hand tightened on the Phalanx CIWS switch.

"So what if it was captured?" Lu Chen asked. "If Iron Hoof sees The City-State shortening, how will they judge the situation?"

"Two possibilities," Cheng Zheng analyzed on the other end. "First, that The City-State is dismantling itself to recycle materials. This isn't rare in the wasteland; dying cities often dismantle their own shells for resources. Second, that an external force is consuming The City-State, but such a judgment would require more supporting information."

"Regardless of their judgment, will Iron Hoof act early?"

"No," Cheng Zheng answered with certainty. "Iron Hoof won't strike rashly before Base Building is complete. Their standard procedure is a three-step process: finish Base Building, deploy firepower, and confirm with reconnaissance. A single data return from a probe won't change that protocol."

"Are you sure?"

"I've studied the Iron Hoof Legion's combat regulations," Cheng Zheng said confidently. "This man, Iron Crown, is extremely cautious. Without one hundred percent certainty, he won't let a crusher move a single step."

"Good." Lu Chen noted this judgment. "Continue monitoring. If the probe sends another signal, report it immediately."

"Understood."

The communication cut off.

Lu Chen turned to look at Zhao Tiezhu.

"Keep the Phalanx on hot standby. Keep the Ray Cannon at full charge."

"Understood."

He turned back to the console.

8,677.

8,801.

8,923.

Approaching nine thousand.

Lin Wan quickly recorded the time for every thousand-point milestone in her notebook.

Master Wu Bingde stood in the corner, remaining silent the whole time.

His gaze had moved from the observation window to the jumping numbers on the console.

He didn't understand what Truth Points were.

But he knew that every time that number jumped, a piece of The City-State disappeared.

The houses he had spent twenty-three years building were turning into numbers, piece by piece.

9,011.

Broke nine thousand.

10:41 PM.

"City Lord," Lin Wan reported, "it's nine thousand."

Lu Chen nodded.

Less than a thousand left until ten thousand.

At the current rate, within fifteen minutes.

He picked up the milk cup from the corner of the table; it had long since gone cold.

He tilted his head back and took a gulp.

9,156.

9,287.

9,445.

9,612.

9,788.

10:53 PM.

9,901.

Lin Wan's pen tip hovered over the paper, her breathing hitching slightly.

9,953.

9,987.

10,024.

Surpassed ten thousand.

Lin Wan drew a heavy circle in her notebook.

10:55 PM, balance surpassed ten thousand.

Lu Chen looked at that five-digit number, his eyes shining.

Ten thousand points.

The threshold for the Railway Gun had been met.

But he didn't move.

Still seven thousand short for the Leaded Inner Shell.

He would wait for seventeen thousand and unlock both major items at once.

He looked away from the numbers and toward the radar.

The northern probe signal remained unchanged, the six light spots to the south remained unchanged; everything was calm.

Degradation continued, and the numbers continued to jump.

10,089.

10,156.

10,234.

In the direction of the early morning hours, the Railway Gun was waiting for him.