114: Chapter 115 shows that this is indeed the case based on the data.

[Author's Note: Because I was busy during the New Year, I messed up the scheduled updates. To keep my perfect attendance, I merged the original Chapter 115 into Chapter 114. Please forgive me.]

On the other side of the screen, what he didn't know was that his opponent was likely also looking at his civilization information, seeing his 31% tech tree development and C-rank logistics rating.

They were probably thinking, "What is this? How did the system match me with a training target?"

He couldn't see what was happening outside his operation pod, but if he could, he would find that the exclusive commentary booth for Judging Panel 103 had already lit up.

Two pillars of light descended from the void above the livestream room, one on the left and one on the right, slicing through the dull pre-match air like two scalpels.

Isabelle arrived first, her silver-gray uniform without a single wrinkle. A monocle data lens was already perched on her right eye. Before she even sat down, she had already pulled up the civilization panels of both sides onto her private data layer.

Her fingertips swiped twice in the void, placing the two panels side-by-side. The corners of her mouth pressed down slightly—a habitual expression of hers when performing comparative analysis. It wasn't dissatisfaction; it was concentration.

Karen arrived almost at the same time. He didn't walk over; he sat directly down, the full weight of his body slamming into the seat with a metallic groan of protest.

The metal interfaces left by the implanted exoskeleton on his neck glinted with a dull silver under the lights. He didn't pull up a data panel; he was waiting for Isabelle to speak first.

"Hello, viewers. I am Isabelle. The commentary for this Evolution Period PVP match will be handled by Judging Panel 103."

Her speaking pace was neither fast nor slow, each word enunciated clearly. "My partner, Chief Karen, is the same as always—waiting for me to finish my homework before he starts picking flaws."

Karen didn't respond to that. He was looking at the livestream's bullet chat. The comments were already rolling, and most of the content was similar to what Li Cang had guessed. Terms like "68 vs 31," "Dimensional Strike," and "Free Points" floated up in dense clusters.

Isabelle enlarged the Cyber Federation's panel and projected it onto the public screen so all viewers could see it clearly.

"First, let's look at the Blue side: the standard template, Cyber Federation. Tech tree development is at 68%. This figure is at an upper-middle level among LV.0 civilizations in the Evolution Period, indicating that this player's development rhythm is very healthy, resource allocation is reasonable, and there are no obvious shortcomings."

She tapped a few key terms on the panel with her fingertip.

"The main unit type is mass-produced mechanized infantry, standard-issue medium power exoskeletons plus Gauss rifles and AI-assisted aiming. This configuration is a proven, mature solution in Evolution Period PVP."

Long range, high precision, and strong endurance—against low-to-medium intensity targets, it's almost an unbeatable solution.

The support unit type is heavy mecha, featuring composite armor plus energy shields and rapid-fire cannons. Positioned as mobile fire support points, they provide cover for the infantry while also handling anti-armor tasks.

Logistics is A-rank, with automated production lines and nano-repair systems. Frontline attrition can be quickly repaired in non-combat states."

She paused for two seconds, minimized the Cyber Federation's panel, and swapped in Li Cang's.

The public screen went silent for a moment.

It wasn't the kind of silence born of being shocked; it was the kind of silence one feels when seeing a zero written on an exam paper.

"Now, let's look at the Red side."

Isabelle's tone didn't change, maintaining that calm academic register, but the speed at which her finger swiped across the panel was noticeably slower than before, as if she were repeatedly confirming that what she saw was real.

"Tech tree development is 31%. Among that, civilian technology is nearly blank, industrial technology has only unlocked the most basic mining and smelting, and agricultural technology is at zero. Almost all resources are concentrated in two directions: biological modification and military organization."

She pulled up the visualization map of the tech tree. The left and bottom halves of the tree structure were entirely gray with locked nodes, with only a small area in the top right corner glowing a piercing red.

"Logistics rating is C-rank. This means his supplies are entirely dependent on frontline plundering. He has no stable rear production capacity. Every round of ammunition and supplies consumed in a battle needs to be scavenged from the battlefield or seized from the enemy on the spot."

The bullet chat began to thicken, the tone consistent with before but much more specific.

"This logistics C vs A is fundamentally unwinnable."

"In a war of attrition, they'll just starve to death."

"What happens when the ammo runs out? Use fists?"

Karen spoke up then. His voice formed a sharp contrast to Isabelle's—deep and gravelly, every word sounding like it was being hammered out of an iron plate.

"The bullet chat is right. The logistics gap is indeed the most fatal."

His bionic eye whirred, focusing on the main unit column on the panel.

"But what I care about more is this: Thunder Warriors."

Isabelle glanced at him but didn't interrupt.

"There is no template index for this unit type in the database," Karen said. "An original unit. Completely original. It's not an improved version or a variant of any known template. The underlying logic was built from scratch."

He pulled up the publicly available tags for the Thunder Warriors.

Heavy Infantry, Frenzy, Rend, genetic collapse.

"Four tags. Two are positive, two are problems." Karen drew a circle over 'genetic collapse' with his finger.

"I've never seen anyone voluntarily attach this tag to their main unit type. genetic collapse means these soldiers have a built-in expiration date. They are used up as they go. It's not a matter of attrition, but a matter of expiration. Even if you don't use them, they'll break down on their own."

Isabelle took up the thread, having already run a quick calculation in her data layer.

"From a resource consumption model perspective, the cost of maintaining an army with the genetic collapse tag far exceeds conventional units, because besides combat attrition, you have to continuously pay for genetic stabilization fees."

"This is why his GP has always been tight. It's not that he doesn't know how to make money; it's that his troops are too expensive. So expensive that the rate he earns will never catch up to the rate he spends."

She pushed up her glasses, her gray-blue eyes narrowing behind the lenses—a habitual movement before she made a concluding judgment.

"So, from an architectural perspective, the core conflict of this match doesn't lie in the exchange of fire on the battlefield, but in the sustainability of the resource cycle."

"The Cyber Federation's resource cycle is positive; if they win, they profit, and if they lose, they won't lose much. The Red side's resource cycle is negative; if they win, they barely break even, and if they lose, they go straight into bankruptcy."

"In two words," Karen summarized, "cannot afford."

Isabelle nodded.

"If the Blue player is smart enough, they should choose the safest playstyle: maintain distance and use their range advantage to wear down the Red side's effective strength. There's no need to pursue total annihilation."

"They only need to drag the battle out until the Red side runs out of ammunition or until genetic collapse starts occurring on a large scale. Then they win automatically."

"The Red side has only one path to victory," Karen said. "Speed."

"Yes, speed," Isabelle picked up his words, her speaking rate increasing slightly.

"End the battle before logistics collapse. End the battle before genetic collapse spreads. End the battle before the ammunition runs out. He must achieve a decisive result within an extremely short time window. But the problem is, the opponent has energy shields and composite armor."

"The prerequisite for a melee assault is breaking through the fire blockade line first. Within that distance, his soldiers will be exposed to the effective range of Gauss rifles."

"Based on the currently known protection level of the Thunder Warriors' power armor, the armor-piercing capability of the Gauss rifles is sufficient to cause lethal damage within their effective range."

She placed the panels of both sides together; the data comparison was clear at a glance.

"Based on the above analysis, my personal judgment is that the Blue side has a clear advantage. The Red side would need a major tactical error from the opponent or an extreme bias in the scenario conditions to have any chance of a turnaround."

Karen didn't immediately agree. His bionic eye lingered on the Thunder Warriors' tag panel for two seconds before moving elsewhere. There was an area on the panel that was gray, displaying 'Deployment Information Not Disclosed'.

The hidden trump card area.

"The architect is right," he said slowly. "On the data side, that is indeed the case."

He didn't say "but," but the way he paused made everyone listening feel like there should be a "but" following it.

Isabelle glanced at him.

"You have a different view?"

"No," Karen said.

"It's just that back in the colony defense wars, I saw a type of person whose equipment was three generations behind the enemy's, whose logistics had been cut off for two months, and whose comrades were two-thirds dead—but when you looked into their eyes, you couldn't see the word 'surrender'."

He leaned back into his seat, the metal interfaces glinting under the lights.

"Looking at the data sheet, there really isn't much suspense in this match. But the fact that this civilization reached the Evolution Period without dying out is abnormal in itself—an original civilization with C-rank logistics and only 30% tech tree development surviving until now."

"Either its luck is outrageously good, or it has something that cannot be seen on the data panel."

Isabelle didn't argue. She just glanced again at that gray 'Deployment Information Not Disclosed' area.

"Then let's wait for the start," she said. "The scenario will be revealed soon."

Li Cang couldn't hear these conversations.

His attention was already fully locked on the deployment interface. The cards for Plan A lay quietly in the deployment slots.

Six tags were lined up in a row, two of which were red, like the indicator lights of two time bombs.

System Prompt: The scenario will be revealed after deployment is complete. Please finish troop allocation first.

He slotted the final tactical card into the reserved slot, took a deep breath, and pressed confirm.