236: Chapter 236 Pre-Battle Mobilization: A Battle for the Survival of Civilization
Thirty-nine hours remain until the three Scavenger vanguard units reach their attack positions.
In the command hall of the Ark, the atmosphere was tense to the breaking point. Everyone was working frantically at their posts; no one spoke, and only the sound of data streams refreshing and low-voiced command reports intertwined to form a dense, airtight web.
Lin Mo stood before the massive holographic star map, his gaze sweeping across the three approaching red dots, the defense deployment maps of the Moon, Earth, and the Ark, and the rows of warship icons representing countless lives.
His fingers slid lightly across the console, pulling up a list.
It was a list of all terminals capable of connecting to the global communication channel. From the public broadcasting systems in every city on Earth to every dormitory in the Moon Base, from every individual pod in the Mars outpost to the bridges of every warship—billions of terminals were now waiting for a single voice.
He took a deep breath and pressed the communication button.
In the next second, his voice was transmitted through the quantum network into everyone's ears.
"Everyone."
His voice was calm and low, yet as clear as the tolling of a bell.
On Earth, in countless underground bunkers, huddled people looked up at the holographic screens on the walls.
In the Moon Base, engineers performing emergency maintenance on equipment stopped their work and stood tall.
In the Mars outpost, a lonely monitor took off his headphones and listened intently.
In the fleet, every crew member straightened their backs and cast their gazes toward the main screens on their bridges.
"I know you are afraid," Lin Mo said. "Afraid of death, afraid of loss, afraid of the enemy that is approaching and is far stronger than us. I am afraid too. Scared to death."
"But today, I don't want to talk about fear."
His voice became lower, yet more powerful:
"I want to talk about who we are."
On the holographic screens, the images changed. It was no longer star maps or data, but segments of video—
It was the back of Long Zhantian standing on the bridge before the soaring heavens's final sortie. He looked back at the camera, and in that gaze, there was no fear, only determination.
It was during the attack on the Moon Base by the 'Purification Probes,' when a young engineer piloting a pegasus prototype used a mechanical arm to desperately grip a black geometric object that was about to drill into a gap in the shield. His face was contorted under his helmet, but he did not let go.
It was the moment at the Truth and Reconciliation Committee hearing when an engineer who had once participated in the rebellion said tremblingly, "I am willing to spend the rest of my life making amends."
It was that moment on the edge of the New York ruins when Old John handed a coffee to a Europa engineer and the two shared a smile.
It was the countless ordinary people who, in countless ordinary days, silently gave every drop of sweat, every tear, and every drop of blood for this civilization.
"We are people who get afraid," Lin Mo's voice rang out again, "but we are also people who suppress that fear for the sake of others."
"We are people who make mistakes. But we are also people who learn from those mistakes and rebuild upon the ruins."
"We are people who can be divided. But in the face of a true enemy, we are people who will stand together once more."
The image froze. It froze on that small, azure planet.
"The dust of internal strife has settled," Lin Mo said, his voice like solid rock. "Those who stabbed us in the back have been purged. Those who once wavered have chosen their side. Those willing to spend their lives in atonement are proving their choice through action."
"Now, we have only one identity—"
He paused, emphasizing every word:
"Humanity."
Those words were like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up massive waves in the hearts of countless people.
"Our enemy is right ahead," Lin Mo continued, his voice growing faster and more powerful. "They are stronger than us, colder than us, and know better than us how to destroy. But there is one thing they do not understand—"
"They do not understand the meaning of 'home'."
"They do not understand why someone is willing to trade their own life for another's."
"They do not understand why, in a situation of certain death, people will still charge forward with a smile."
"They do not understand because they are machines. And we are human."
On the holographic screens, those three frantically approaching red dots appeared again. But now, those three dots no longer seemed so invincible.
"In thirty-nine hours, they will arrive," Lin Mo said. "They will try to destroy our Moon Base, destroy our home, and destroy our command center. They want us to collapse in fear and perish in despair."
"But they are wrong."
Lin Mo's voice suddenly rose, like a clap of thunder:
"Because we will not collapse. Because we will not despair. Because we will rise from the ruins, dry our tears, pick up our weapons, and keep fighting!"
"For those who have already died, for the children still in their swaddling clothes, for this damn but lovely civilization—"
"For survival, for the future—"
"Fight!"
The final word, like a thunderbolt, exploded in everyone's ears.
On Earth, in all the underground bunkers.
After a brief, dead silence, someone was the first to stand up.
Then a second, a third, a fourth...
Countless people rose from their huddled corners and straightened their backs.
Old John, holding Little Amelia, also stood up. The little girl hugged her grandfather's neck tightly, her eyes showing no fear, only a determination unbefitting her age.
"Grandpa, are we going to fight?" she asked softly.
Old John looked down at her and smiled. In that smile, there were tears, but even more pride.
"Yes, we are going to fight," he said. "But not with guns or cannons. We will fight by living. Living until those who died for us can return with a smile."
Little Amelia nodded and pressed her face against her grandfather's chest.
She could feel that her grandfather's heartbeat was stronger than ever.
The Moon, Guanghan Palace base.
Wang Lei stood in the command center, listening to Lin Mo's voice coming through the communication channel. When that word—"Fight"—exploded, his fist clenched tightly.
He turned to face all the officers and soldiers in the base standing at attention.
"Did you hear that?" His voice was raspy but full of power. "That is what we must do. Fight. For those on Earth waiting for us to return, and for those in the stars who can never come back."
No one spoke. But everyone nodded vigorously.
Wang Lei took a deep breath and issued the simplest command of his life:
"To your stations. In thirty-nine hours, let those cold iron lumps see what it means to be—living people."
Mars, Lovo Base, Kelson's laboratory.
Kelson stood by the window, listening to Lin Mo's voice over the broadcast. When those words rang out, his body jolted.
He looked down at the cold monitoring bracelet on his wrist.
He turned to look at the heap of avengers wreckage in the lab.
"Did you hear that?" he muttered to himself, as if talking to the cold metal. "This is true power. Not your kind of fratricidal madness, not the deformity that blows itself up. It's this... this stupidity of charging forward even while knowing you'll die."
The corners of his mouth pulled into a bitter smile.
"I didn't understand before. But now, I think... I understand a little."
He put his gloves back on and walked toward the wreckage.
Thirty-nine hours left. He could still do something.
The Ark city, command hall.
Lin Mo's speech ended.
The hall remained silent. But that silence was no longer heavy or fearful. It was the tranquility before a storm, a silence that condensed countless strengths.
General Xu Rushan walked to Lin Mo's side and said in a low voice, "The fleet is fully prepared. The North Heaven Gate main force can deploy at any time."
Lin Mo nodded. His gaze remained fixed on the three approaching red dots on the star map.
"Tell everyone," he said, "this is not a battle we are certain to win. But it is a battle we must fight."
General Xu Rushan stood at attention, saluted, and turned to leave.
Su Xiaowan walked to Lin Mo's side and gently took his hand.
His hand was very cold. But beneath that coldness was a heat like molten lava from the Earth's core.
"The things you just said," Su Xiaowan said softly, "do you believe them yourself?"
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds. He turned his head to look at her.
In those eyes, there was exhaustion and fear, but more than that, there was an unshakable determination.
"I do," he said. "Because it's the only thing I can believe in."
Su Xiaowan nodded and said no more.
She simply held his hand tightly and, together with him, watched the starry sky that was about to welcome blood and fire.
---
Thirty-eight hours remain until the three Scavenger vanguard units reach their attack positions.
Human civilization is ready.
Not for victory. For survival.
Not for glory. For the future.
For those who have already died. For the children still in their swaddling clothes. For this damn but lovely—civilization.
The battle.
Is about to begin.