A busy tone crackled with static over the communications channel.
Rubbing his brow with his index finger, Chu Guang, seated in the administrator's office of Vault 79, wearily ended the video call from Dawn City.
It had been three days since he obtained authority over Vault 79.
To establish a respawn point and temporary base in Vault 79, Chu Guang had remained on the front line these past few days instead of riding Nikko back.
Just ten minutes ago, his little players had finally set up a temporary communications base station in the urban district of Ruigu City.
And Chu Guang had finally reestablished contact with the rear, learning from Luka about Kaliman and the Legion's invasion of Sunset Province.
Of course, he understood the principle that if the lips were gone, the teeth would be exposed to the cold.
Once the Legion took Sunset Province, the southern corridor of River Valley Province would become the foremost battlefield between the Legion and the Great Rift.
When that happened, everything from Dawn City to Dawn City—and indeed all of southern River Valley Province—would become a battlefield.
And all the wealth created by the players and Alliance residents over the past year would vanish in the war.
If the Heart of Steel had not come knocking at their doorstep, the Alliance's several thousand players would have long since turned into mercenaries and rushed to the front to fight the Legion.
Just as Chu Guang was preparing to discuss countermeasures with Vanus, the communications that had only just been restored for less than ten minutes suddenly cut out.
Footsteps sounded from the corridor outside.
Before the doorbell rang, Chu Guang opened the office's sliding door. As expected, he saw a head of silver-white hair.
Standing in the office doorway, Heya complained with a