89: Chapter 89 The Last Chopstick on the Eve of Destruction

Inside the Fortress core, in Lin Chen's private living area.

In stark contrast to the frantic, high-strung atmosphere of war preparation outside, a rich, appetizing aroma permeated the air here. On a table placed in front of the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, an exquisitely designed Nine-Grid Copper Hotpot was bubbling with a rich, red oil broth. Around it were piled various luxuries, considered the ultimate in the apocalypse: Snowflake Beef sliced as thin as cicada wings, crystal-clear Handmade Shrimp Paste, a vibrant green vegetable platter, and even several bottles of chilled, top-tier beer.

Lin Chen, dressed in comfortable black silk loungewear, leaned languidly against the back of his chair, slowly dipping a piece of tender Tripe into the bubbling red oil, repeatedly raising and lowering it. His movements were so relaxed, it was as if he wasn't facing a world-ending crisis, but rather enjoying himself at a resort.

Su Qingyu sat opposite him, a bowl and chopsticks in front of her, but she clearly had little appetite. Her gaze occasionally drifted anxiously towards the window. Inside the Fortress, even with excellent soundproofing, one could faintly perceive the low hum and vibration from the mobilization of countless nether soldiers and the full operation of the Rune Forges crafting equipment.

"Eat something," Lin Chen said, dipping the cooked Tripe in Sesame Oil and Garlic Paste, putting it into his mouth, and narrowing his eyes in satisfaction. "Even if the sky falls, you have to fill your stomach first. Only when you're full will you have the strength to fight."

Seeing him like this, Su Qingyu's taut nerves inexplicably relaxed a little. She picked up her chopsticks, picked up a piece of green vegetable, hesitated, and then couldn't help but whisper, "Master, all preparations for war have entered the final stage. Three sets of [Pseudo-Sun God Battle Armor] have completed initial rune etching, and energy conductivity is up to standard. The 'Solar Core' of the three [Spear of Longinus Replicas] has been activated and is in a stable state. Generals Bai Qi, Xing Tian, and Ying Bu have completed the initial screening of special assault team members and tactical coordination drills... However, nether talisman reserves have been depleted by 87.4%, the Energy Core load has reached critical levels, and the strength of the outer defense matrix has decreased by thirty percentage points due to energy diversion..."

She reported one cold, astonishing statistic after another, any single one of which would be enough to make other survivor leaders collapse.

Lin Chen merely waved his hand casually and scooped up another spoonful of shrimp paste. "Got it. Not enough energy? Throw those spare 'Yin Sha Crystals' from the warehouse into the reactor and burn them. Defenses are weak? Let them be weak for now. Once we've dealt with the Lord of the Ultimate End, I'll build you a new one with its bones."

His tone, treating billions in wealth like dirt and using materials from a world-ending BOSS as building supplies, completely disarmed Su Qingyu. She could only lower her head and quietly eat the food in her bowl, which had already grown a bit cold.

Just then, in the shadows of the room's corner, a faint energy fluctuation flashed. Zhang Hao, who had just completed his initial treatment and was still wrapped in thick rune bandages, his face as pale as a ghost, appeared like a phantom, 'supported' by a nether soldier.

His injuries were extremely severe, and the trauma to his soul required long-term recuperation, but the top-tier medicine and Soul Crystal Gel provided by Lin Chen had astonishing effects, pulling him back from the brink of death and barely restoring his basic mobility and speech.

"Mas... Master..." Zhang Hao's voice was hoarse and dry, like a broken gong. He struggled free from the nether soldier's support, wanting to kneel, but due to weakness and stiffness, his movements appeared clumsy and comical, almost causing him to fall directly to the ground.

Lin Chen didn't even lift his head, continuing to blanch his meat. "Can you crawl now?"

Zhang Hao lay on the ground, struggling to lift his head, his face a mixture of fear, lingering terror, and a hint of fawning relief at having escaped death. "Th-thanks to Master's blessing... I... I got my dog's life back..." He gasped a few times, then hastily added, as if seeking praise, "Th-that contract... I'll sign it! I'll sign it right away! From now on, I, Zhang Hao, will be Master's most loyal hound! You tell me who to bite, and I'll bite them! No questions asked!"

As he spoke, he struggled to pull out a scroll shimmering with a faint glow from his embrace—it was precisely that "vicious dog contract." He bit his finger, which had only just begun to heal, and, trembling, was about to press his handprint onto it.

"No rush." Lin Chen finally glanced at him, his gaze lingering for a moment on the chaotic, cold aura that still clung to him, a residue from forcibly connecting with low-level Bizarre Monsters. "It's not too late to sign after you've thoroughly tamed those 'little friends.' Once you sign the contract, there'll be no chance to back out."

Zhang Hao trembled all over and immediately kowtowed like pounding garlic. "I wouldn't dare! Absolutely no backing out! I will tame them as quickly as possible! To serve Master!"

Lin Chen was noncommittal, waving his hand, signaling the nether soldier to take him away. Zhang Hao, as if granted a great pardon, and also as if fearing Lin Chen might change his mind, quickly disappeared back into the shadows with the 'help' of the nether soldier.

Only Lin Chen and Su Qingyu remained in the room, along with the sound of the hotpot boiling.

Su Qingyu looked in the direction Zhang Hao had disappeared, her brows slightly furrowed. "Master, although his ability is unique, his state is extremely unstable, and his soul is impure. Wouldn't keeping him be a hidden danger?"

Lin Chen swallowed the last piece of fatty beef, picked up the chilled beer next to him, took a large gulp, and sighed contentedly.

"Hidden danger? Perhaps." He wiped his mouth, his eyes deep. "But sometimes, the dirtiest quagmire can yield unexpected things. He was able to bring back the Lord of the Ultimate End's weakness this time; next time... who knows?"

He put down his glass, stood up, and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the interior of the Fortress was still a scene of bustling activity. The three special assault teams were undergoing their final adjustments. The light emitted by the Solar Equipment, even from a distance, conveyed a sense of scorching heat and sanctity. Further away, the Fortress's outer defensive light screen was indeed noticeably dimmer than usual, like a beast poised to strike, retracting its claws for that single, crucial blow.

The entire Fortress was like a fully drawn bow, an arrow nocked, but not yet fired.

The air was thick with an extreme 壓抑, like the suffocating calm before a storm. Even the eternally unchanging blood moon in the sky seemed to have grown more crimson and eerie, like a giant eye coldly watching the ant-like struggles and preparations below.

"It's almost time," Lin Chen murmured, looking out the window.

He turned and instructed Su Qingyu, "Notify everyone to enter final standby status. One hour from now, according to plan..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

A sudden change occurred!

On the table, the nine-grid hotpot, which had been bubbling with enticing red oil, its broth, without any warning, instantly turned a viscous, dark red, like congealed fresh blood!

It no longer boiled, no longer steamed, but instead emitted an intensely strong scent of blood and decay!

"Ah!" Su Qingyu cried out in fright, abruptly standing up from her seat and knocking over the bowls and dishes in front of her.

Lin Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened like knives, and he abruptly turned his head to look at the eerie 'blood soup' in the pot!

Almost at the same time!

"Ohm—!!!"

An indescribable, low hum, as if from the depths of the primordial universe, suddenly pierced through heaven and earth! The entire Fortress, no, the entire world, trembled and vibrated violently with this hum!

Outside the Fortress, the already dim defensive light screen, like fragile glass, let out a "crack" and was instantly covered with countless fissures!

Lin Chen suddenly looked up, his gaze penetrating the reinforced glass, staring intently at the blood-red sky.

He saw that at the highest point of the sky, the thick blood clouds were violently torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand, and a massive rift, spanning across the heavens, spread out menacingly!

And in the bottomless depths of that rift...

An unimaginably huge, cold, indifferent eyeball, its pupil seemingly reflecting the extinction of stars and the end of all things, slowly emerged, carrying a terrifying pressure that crushed all rules!

Its gaze, like a tangible beam of death, penetrated the distance of space, penetrated the Fortress's crumbling defenses, and landed precisely... on Lin Chen, who stood before the window!

"Boom—!!!"

Accompanied by that eyeball's extremely slight... blink.

The most solid front outer wall of the Underworld Fortress, facing the rift, and dozens of internal functional areas, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly... collapsed by half, amidst a terrifying, earth-shattering roar and a sky full of dust!

Rubble, metal, and the remains of people and nether soldiers who couldn't escape in time, poured down into the Fortress like a waterfall!

The storm did not precede the night.

It had already arrived.

He had already awakened.