29: Bloody lessons and ironclad defenses

The moment the phantom tank's signal vanished, the Command Center became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The footage of Area B-7 on the screen was lifeless, save for that ice crack which had swallowed the tank and the trooper, etched into everyone's hearts like a leering scar.

Falcon One silently returned to Forward Base Alpha with the survivors. There was no joy of victory, only the heavy burden of survival and the grief of losing comrades. Although these were system-generated units, long periods of fighting side-by-side had long since forged a deep bond between Sun Zheng and these "soldiers."

Sun Zheng blamed no one. The risky reconnaissance had been his command, and underestimating the dangers beneath the ice was his mistake. This lesson in blood had completely awakened him.

He first ordered the posthumous awarding of the base's highest medals of honor to the fallen phantom tank driver and Rocket Trooper, engraving their serial numbers on the base's memorial wall. The living needed to remember, but more than that, they needed the motivation to move forward.

He then immediately convened an emergency military meeting.

"The situation in Area B-7 proves that the Under-ice Ruins are not unclaimed territory. There are native creatures there that are completely unknown and highly aggressive, or rather... guardians." Sun Zheng's voice was calm and firm, sweeping away the previous sense of defeat. "Our previous strategy of 'non-contact research' was correct, but the alert level must be raised to the maximum."

He quickly adjusted the North Pole strategy:

Total Retraction: Immediately recall all reconnaissance units operating near the North Pole's core area. Raise the defense level of Forward Base Alpha to the maximum, and deploy two additional prism towers and a squad of American Soldiers.

Establish a Buffer Zone: Using the ice crack in Area B-7 as a boundary, designate a clear "Red Line of Warning." No units are permitted to enter within the red line. Deploy Automated Sensor Turrets and Vibration Sensors at intervals outside the red line to build a long-range early warning defense line.

Change Reconnaissance Methods: Cease all ground and low-altitude reconnaissance. Subsequent detection of the under-ice areas will rely entirely on Rocket Troopers performing wide-area scans at extremely high altitudes, as well as the deployment of more Fixed Long-range Scanners. Never approach dangerous areas.

Biological Sample Research: Despite the heavy losses, the combat data transmitted by the phantom tank and the potential monster tissue samples collected are extremely precious. The Combat Laboratory will immediately form a special task force to analyze the carapace strength, behavioral patterns, and energy signatures of these creatures to find their weaknesses.

Accelerate Core Technology: The development of the Chronosphere must be sped up! If we had the Chronosphere then, perhaps we could have saved the phantom tank. Sun Zheng approved the laboratory's request for additional resources.

Orders were issued one by one, and the base began to operate efficiently once more. Grief and fear were transformed into heightened vigilance and firmer determination.

A few days later, the Combat Laboratory's analysis of the monster samples yielded preliminary results:

[Provisional Target Name: Ice Abyss Predator.]

[Biological Structure: Confirmed as a non-carbon-based lifeform. The carapace is primarily composed of high-hardness organosilicon crystals, providing good resistance to both kinetic and energy attacks.]

[Attack Pattern: Excels at ambushes and is extremely fast. The tail stinger is suspected of being able to fire low-temperature energy rays or inject neurotoxins.]

[Weakness Speculation: Defense is weaker at joint connections and compound eye sensors. Electromagnetic attacks seem to have an interference effect on the neural conduction system within its carapace.]

"Electromagnetic attacks are effective?" Sun Zheng noted this key piece of information. This might be a breakthrough.

He immediately checked the unit list. Currently, the units in the base with strong electromagnetic attack capabilities, aside from the prism tanks which lean towards energy burning, were mainly Tesla Troopers and Tesla Tanks. However, these were Soviet Forces technologies, and he hadn't unlocked them yet.

"It seems the need to unlock the Soviet Forces technology tree has become more urgent," Sun Zheng thought to himself. The mixed technologies of the Red Alert system might produce unexpected counter-effects.

Meanwhile, the remote analysis of the energy source within the Under-ice Ruins had made some progress. Researchers discovered that those dormant energy signals seemed to have a faint synchronization with the moon's own tidal gravitational forces.

"Could it be... these energy sources are utilizing the lunar gravitational field?" A bold hypothesis formed in Sun Zheng's mind. If that were true, the ancient civilization's use of energy had reached a staggering level.

The loss brought pain, but it also brought valuable experience and a new direction. The base's defenses became even more stringent, and the sense of awe for the unknown grew deeper.

Sun Zheng stood before the updated lunar panorama, looking at the newly designated "Red Line of Warning" with sharp eyes.

"Ice Abyss Predator... Ancient Guardians..."

"No matter what you are, I will eventually conquer this moon."

"The next time we meet, I will be the one who wins."