Touching the Future

"We have reached the designated location!"

Accompanied by the distant rumble of explosions and gunfire, the Combined Navy marched on in silence.

They had to thank the Broken Isles for its infrastructure as a tourist resort. After leaving Long Beach, the roads became smooth and wide, and a five-kilometer forced march was no problem for these well-equipped soldiers, especially with the help of spellcasters and the enhancement of potions.

About twenty minutes later, the navies of the various countries landed on the observation deck area of the central island.

This is a famous scenic spot on the central island, where you can overlook most of the Broken Sea. It is located on the mountainside and is man-made. There are wide and flat ramps on both sides, and it is a large protruding platform. In terms of terrain, it is high up and quite dangerous.

The mage's retinue ascended into the air to survey the landscape and draw a simple map, while the battlefield commander Quilion, carried a freshly made parchment scroll and wandered around the spacious platform, issuing orders continuously.

Moreover, their breath was fragrant, completely disregarding the elegance and arrogance of the elves.

"Listen up, you scum! Get moving! Did His Highness Kang De and Horus rescue a bunch of dung buckets? Did you just crawl out of your mothers' vaginas? Even so, bite off that damned umbilical cord right now, because those horrible things in the sea are about to attack! I want you to immediately reorganize and be reorganized, even if you are..."

The captain, spitting as he spoke, was aggressive and fierce, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.

Whether it was his own sailors or soldiers from other ships, they all fell silent under the terrifying verbal violence and the frightening gaze that seemed to want to devour them. No one dared to stand still and dazed. They all gathered towards their respective officers, sensing that something was very wrong.

Spellcasters enjoy certain immunity; after all, they are a high-tech military branch, and they deserve a higher status and preferential treatment. Besides, the mages know what they are supposed to do.

Halsey, the Son of the Typhoon, is gathered with the chief mages of the other three ships to arrange the deployment of magical positions and to select assault teams to operate the magical devices at several fortresses on the island.

They discussed matters at a table, drawing complex geometric figures. Halsey glanced at Commander Quilion, who was shouting and cursing in the distance, and lowered his voice. "I say, what's wrong with him? He looks like a male turkey trying to mate."

"Have no idea."

Quilion's partner, the chief mage of the Song of Evergreen, also looked bewildered. "To be honest, the last time I saw him this excited was 135 years ago when he tried to woo a countess... to show that beautiful and noble elf his military prowess, he... tsk..."

Judging from the elven mage's shake of his head and sigh, that pursuit must have been very unsuccessful.

"But..."

The chief Imperial mage on the Snowy Peak whispered, "There don't seem to be any ladies here."

Then he attracted the meaningful gazes of the two elven mages in front of him.

The chief mage of the Gliding Light and Flying Shadow, with an elfin arrogance and subtle chuckle, said, "Sir, no offense intended, but you know, for long-lived beings, changing styles, inclinations, and thoughts at a certain stage of life is not a big deal. As we always say—these are precious and unique experiences in the long river of destiny."

The short-lived animal subconsciously tucked its rear end in.

There are differences between spellcasters... Compared to elves, human spellcasters still have shorter lifespans, so they seize every moment. However, their ambition and thirst for knowledge have not been extinguished, and they will eventually become sugar-loving, overweight people who are destined to be unmarried. Elves, on the other hand, are much happier. It's really hard to believe.

But he was still somewhat curious. "So, what exactly is Captain Quilion...?"

Before they could finish asking, they heard the field commander's voice change from its previous foul language and shouting to one of extreme ingratiation and self-expression, with an inexplicable awkwardness about it.

"Your Highness Kang De! Welcome! We have arrived at our designated position! All soldiers will fight bravely under your glorious light and great protection! We await your command!"

--hiss.

In that instant, the cold air that the four chief mages exhaled could probably freeze a Void Dragon to death.

No way! No way! No way!

Is this Moon Goddess trying to steal Her Majesty the Queen's man?!

They turned their heads stiffly.

But then, an unprecedentedly awkward and enthusiastic smile appeared on Commander Quilion's rugged, chiseled face—a true example of a tough guy with a tender heart.

Moreover, there was a certain unease and anxiety in that smile. The helpless and overly enthusiastic look reminded the monks of their innocent childhood, but this scene could no longer make them smile. Instead, their faces were filled with subtlety, fear and disbelief.

Halsey lowered his voice. "I used to think you elves were arrogant and despicable, haughty and condescending, but this is the only thing I have to say—you've got guts, you fucking guts."

The Imperial Mage also said, "I'd like to open a betting pool. Do you think Commander Quilion will be blasted into mincemeat by Prince Kang De, or chopped up by the Phoenix King and thrown into the sea?"

As for Kang De... Kang De tried his best to calm himself down and subtly took a half-step back.

Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that changing generals at the last minute is unacceptable, I'd love to kick him off the mountain and feed him to the sea monster right now.

Regardless, being stared at with a fawning, obsequious gaze by an elf who was definitely over two meters tall was incredibly unsettling, even for a seasoned warrior like him.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

Kang De took a deep breath, controlling his expression to project a cold, arrogant, and straightforward image. Without wasting words, he cut to the chase. "We will build a military fortress here to defend against the attacking sea monsters, protect our soldiers, and provide long-range artillery support for our upcoming military operations..."

"A wise decision, my lord!"

Quilion cheered, "We are ready and await your command!"

"..."

Kang De paused for a moment, then said, "I still admire your unruly and proud demeanor more."

The elf was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized—oh! Ah! I had completely forgotten about this! Would His Highness Kang De think more highly of me because I fawned over him like a jester? Would he bestow that sacred armor upon me because of it? No! He was reminding me!"

At this thought, Quilion's eyes burned with even greater fervor and emotion. He cried out, "Indeed! I feel utterly ashamed! Please allow me to prove my worth and sincerity to you with the blood of battle!"

Damn it.

After this war is over, I'm going to have Dairian transfer you to some godforsaken island to get some fresh air.

Kang De walked toward the large platform with a stern expression, followed silently by Quilion, whose face was equally stern. Quilion, with his hawk-like eyes and wolf-like demeanor, looked like a loyal dog.

The chief mages also approached one by one with subtle expressions.

At this moment, a raging fire had already broken out at the foot of the mountain, with black smoke billowing everywhere. The fierce fire hindered the sea monsters' advance, but from the large platform, the sea surrounding the island was already surging with white waves, and the undercurrents beneath the surface were turbulent, with countless monsters gathering here in an endless stream.

"Gentlemen, you have already seen the situation we are facing. We don't know what these monsters from the deep sea are, where they came from, or who released them. We also don't know what the Broken Isles have to do with these monsters, but one thing is clear..."

"If we want to get back to Distant Harbor, we must find a way to deal with these monsters."

"Otherwise, as you have seen, under the threat of such a monster, a long voyage means absolute danger."

"We need to find out where these things came from, and we need to eliminate them."

"Therefore, I need your help, your experience, your knowledge, and your skills."

Kang De pointed to the continuous flames below. "We will now build a military base here as a support and logistical headquarters. You will fight here, firstly to protect yourselves and reduce Horus's fire control burden, and secondly to mobilize manpower for the upcoming combat missions."

He turned to look at the officers present, and the soldiers who were slowly gathering around.

A little over a thousand soldiers, no more, no less.

"I won't say too many words of encouragement or motivation, but this battle concerns everyone. I hope you can all return to Distant Harbor alive and remember this shared struggle for the rest of your lives."

"I believe this war will be unforgettable for us all, and I am absolutely certain that for you, it was an honor and a glory."

"Because you will be fighting with futuristic military equipment and tactical support far beyond your comprehension, you will personally experience an unprecedented military revolution, and possess logistical support unimaginable to any army throughout history. This will ultimately become your most valuable asset, allowing you, the survivors of this war, to touch the future earlier and more clearly than your comrades..."

"You will eventually understand that the experience, knowledge, and insights gained from this war will continue to benefit you, whether you become officers or even generals, whether you are serving under me or still loyal to your country. But that is in the future; for now—"

Listening to Kang De's words, some soldiers seemed thoughtful, but most were bewildered and surprised.

This was not a passionate, morale-boosting battle mobilization. What Kang De was talking about was too fantastical and abstract for these soldiers in danger to understand or feel any reality.

But this didn't stop them from clapping, cheering, and shouting at their respective superiors' signal.

--After all, enduring the scorching sun or howling winds while expressionlessly listening to some idiotic bigwig who suddenly appeared out of nowhere spout a bunch of meaningless, useless nonsense, and then enthusiastically applauding and cheering, is one of the duties of soldiers in feudal and capitalist countries.

But this did not prevent Kang De from thoroughly inciting these soldiers with his final concluding remarks.

"And now!"

He raised his finger to King of Understanding: "Let me summarize what you need to do now!"

"With unlimited supply of free, steaming hot instant noodles in dozens of flavors, sausages, Biscuit, jerky, chocolate, candy, and drinks, and with Horus's firepower that can blow everything up wherever he points, we'll send any monsters that dare to resist and any fools from the Broken Isles to eat shit, crush any idiots who dare to block our way home, and then swagger back to Distant Harbor safely and soundly, bragging for a month to those loser comrades who missed out on this good fortune!"

The soldiers were stunned at first, then they let out a deafening roar of cheers and shouts, with whistles and praises filling the air, and their morale was instantly boosted!

The unease and fear of being forced to abandon ship and trapped on this island vanished!

What followed went incredibly smoothly. Without the officers yelling or urging, the navy had already sprung into action. The seats, restaurants, shops, and pavilions on the observation platform were demolished, leveled, and thrown off the cliff. The mages marked out their positions, the elves reorganized their arrow corps, and the supply train and engineers prepared to build defensive fortifications.

The Phase Gate unfolded from the sky.

Large ballistae descended from the sky, landing in the positions marked by the engineers. The naval personnel of the ballista groups on each ship cheered as they climbed up to calibrate and set them up.

Apart from the Snowy Peak, the other three warships were all taken into the White Mist World by Kang De. He had long coveted the Magic Core, the culmination of the otherworldly magical alchemy system. This thing could probably be regarded as the steam engine of Earth's era, but of course, even more important.

Now I finally have the opportunity, and I can finally try to find a way to study it.

Ballistae are fine, they're just a matter of mechanical engineering and materials science, so we can keep a few.

The ballistae and small magical devices from each warship were all deployed onto the observation platform, and then immediately towed away and secured by the navy for deployment and testing.

Your Highness!

Halsey rushed over and handed over a blueprint. "The earth and nature mages are in position. The engineering battalion will assist them. We will dismantle the buildings and plants on the viewing platform to obtain building materials. Based on this, we will build a defensive wall. The specific design is as follows..."

Without even glancing at the blueprints, Kang De handed Halsey a sheet of A4 paper. "You've come at the right time. Leave the wall to me; I need the earth mages to dig the foundation beforehand..."

Halsey glanced at it and asked blankly, "This is... the moat?"

"... It's the foundation, hurry!"

"Yes!"

Even the chief mage served in the navy, and obedience was his top priority. Soon, the spellcasters followed the blueprints and used magical artifacts to break bricks and clear away soil. As Kang De instructed, they dug a deep trench, like a moat, to surround the large platform.

Then the Phase Gate opened, and heavy blocks of iron crashed to the ground.

The mages stared in disbelief as sections of steel city walls continued to fall from the sky, embedding themselves perfectly into the trenches. With a series of resounding booms, they easily enclosed the entire platform. Towers, stairs, sandbags, and modular components landed one after another, while small robots controlled by Horus climbed and moved up and down, using welding equipment to complete the final fixation.

This was also the preparation Kang De had been making during this period.

Or rather, it was a war plan that had already been scheduled.

The modular fortification construction plan utilizes Earth's powerful industrial capabilities to customize numerous "seemingly fine" semi-finished building materials, completes the final pre-packaging in the White Mist World, and then instantly deploys them to other worlds when needed, including walls, towers, turrets, fortifications, logistics and armories, medical centers, and even more buildings.

It is foreseeable that this plan will provide Kang De with unprecedented deployment capabilities and enormous tactical advantages in the increasingly fierce and dangerous military conflicts to come.

After all, the looming Sound of Doomsday, the watchful eyes of the outer realms, the emergence of Paradox Element, and information from the past and the future... all of this made Kang De increasingly aware of the impending crisis.

This modular fortification deployment protocol is named "Command & Conquer".

Fixed turrets, mortar arrays, machine gun lines, rocket launchers, and even heavy artillery.

Then there are the ammunition depot, medical center, and logistics kitchen.

To the astonishment of the navy, an impregnable and terrifying defensive fortress was swiftly erected. Faced with those ferocious and powerful alchemical weapons, the soldiers who were nervously and rapidly adjusting their ballistae suddenly felt... utterly bored.

"Don't underestimate yourself; enchanted ballistae and magical artifacts can sometimes have unexpected benefits."

Kang De offered a word of comfort, then addressed the distraught officers, "But I still need the help of some skillful, quick-learning soldiers— Horus has limited energy, so some of the less technically demanding weapons can be operated by a group of naval soldiers."

"My men and Horus will teach them how to fight. Rest assured, it's not difficult, especially against such a large and concentrated enemy."

"Gentlemen, you have thirty minutes to integrate your troops into the operational system of this fortress, select the assault team to seize the fortress's magical artifacts, and send the cooks to the kitchen—everyone's hungry!"

Kang De's voice echoed in my ears.

In the distance, rockets soared into the sky, turrets spun, and heavy cannons roared. Horus had taken over the base's fire control and began firing at the swarming sea monsters. The Combined Fleet's naval personnel looked around in bewilderment, as if in a dream. In the blink of an eye, they had gone from a scenic viewing platform to a steel fortress, where the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and the gleam of metal.

In that instant, they seemed to understand.

Understand what Kang De had told them before.

An unprecedented military transformation, unimaginable logistical support, and the most valuable asset.

Besides...

--Touching the Future.

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PS1: Update... Yes, I moved to a new place. The apartments I lived in last year were under renovation. First 2702, then 2301, and finally 1202. By the way, 1202 is the boss's house. I stayed at my hometown for half a year this year, thinking it should be finished by now, right? When I came back, yes, it was finished. 2301 was indeed finished, but damn it, 2302 started again—by the way, I live in 2402, which is right downstairs from my apartment. Damn it, what else could I do but move?