Chapter 434
Shi Lei has some knowledge of nutrition, but he still wants to hear the opinions of two professionals.
"Miss Shining, Miss Nightingale, last night I rescued someone who had lived in the city's underground palace for about four years. He must be very weak right now. You can come with me to check on him."
Having no reason to refuse, the two readily agreed:
"Okay, Doctor Zhongli, please."
The group arrived at their destination, where a scruffy Victoria man sat on a rock bed inside. He looked somewhat dazed, with a rather dull gaze.
Shining that the other person showed signs of amnesia, Shining observed for a moment before politely inquiring:
"Sir, do you remember your name?"
Upon hearing this, the man lowered his head and muttered to himself:
"Evans ..."
"Evans?"
"No, Jones? No, Orwell? No, it's not that either. Could it be Wilson, or Lynch? I don't know my name, I... Ughhhhhh!"
The man clutched his head, as if struck by a giant needle. In his mind, an image flashed of a large group of Steam Knight swearing an oath under the Victoria flag.
"We are the Steam Knight!"
"We swear to defend Victoria to the death!"
"No, no, that's not how it is..."
The images in his mind shifted again. He saw the Victorians turn against them, and other Steam Knight die at the hands of the Sarkaz Elite.
In the end, he was all alone.
"I... I can't fall! If I fall, the Steam Knight falls! Victoria still needs me... Does Victoria really need me?"
The man emerged from his painful memories, only to fall into a deeper state of confusion. He didn't know what it was that he had been protecting all along.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
With a shout, the man fell into a coma again. After a clinical examination, Shi Lei determined that there was nothing seriously wrong with him. It was likely a stress reaction caused by prolonged isolation from the outside world.
Shi Lei called over Heredrey, who was not supposed to appear in public, and W, who was in charge of looking after him. He instructed them to watch over the man and wake him up once he woke up.
After giving his instructions, Shi Lei walked out of the Rock House.
The night breeze in Londinium was cool, and since he usually didn't need to sleep, he wasn't sleepy at all.
Seeing that her lover seemed to want to find something to do, Texas shyly reminded her:
"It's already three or four in the morning, time to sleep. They've both warmed the bed and are just waiting for you."
"Oh."
Shi Lei looked toward Texas when he heard the sound. She lowered her head, took his arm, and let a blush creep up her cheeks.
Despite Texas being the most proactive of the three girlfriends, she was actually the one who lasted the shortest and had the least stamina—a typical case of being bad at the job but having a lot of addiction.
Mudrock's stamina speaks for itself. As a fragment of Great Beast, Xi is even more tireless.
Even though Texas possesses the power of the Vision, far surpassing that of ordinary people, she is still powerless against Mudrock and Xi with her mortal body.
Shining him and his girlfriend being all lovey-dovey, Shining tactfully said goodbye to them.
"Doctor Zhongli, it's getting late. Don't worry about that gentleman's condition; he'll be fine after a few days of rest. We should go to sleep too. See you tomorrow, goodnight."
Okay, goodnight.
After saying that, Shining pushed her Wheelchair away from the scene.
Shi Lei was just about to find a room to create a new space when he suddenly looked towards the Central City District as if he had a premonition.
Texas knows what's important and what's urgent; matters of the heart can be done anytime, but it shouldn't interfere with important business.
"What's wrong?"
Shi Lei sensed Broca's Thousand Rock Spear and Qianyan Armor entering a six-kilometer radius.
According to the mission he assigned, the other party should have been protecting the Operator on the This Ship.
The Broca is here can only mean that he has Operator who needs protection.
Shi Lei turned his head to look at his sensible girlfriend, feeling that there was no need to personally go and pick her up.
He then remotely controlled the direction of the Thousand Rock Spear, guiding them to the Norbert District.
Anyway, the Doctor and Amiya are here; they can come in by simply mentioning Rhodes Island's name when they arrive.
"It's nothing, it's all taken care of."
Shi Lei, with Texas in his arms, found Mudrock and Xi. They cleared a new space inside the house, planning to come out after six o'clock when it got light.
June 24, 5:30 am
The night before dawn is the darkest.
After a night of intensive work, the artificial weather Catastrophe, which was originally scheduled to be completed today and undergo final testing tomorrow, was completed one day ahead of schedule.
A massive dark cloud was quietly gathering above The Shard Building. The thick cloud cover blocked out all the sunlight.
Occasionally, a streak of electricity would flash across the clouds, moving so fast that it would be missed unless one kept a close eye on it.
This is Cataclysmic Clouds, a spiral-shaped Cataclysmic Clouds.
This is the first time a giant Cataclysmic Clouds has been artificially created since the inexplicable occurrence of Catastrophe. Currently, its power is not yet at full capacity, but its range has already covered the Central City District. If it were to activate at full power, it could even cover the entire Londinium!
In the center of these layers of spiraling clouds, a strangely shaped airship floats. Theresis stands above it, looking down at the land below.
Within the scope of Artificial Cataclysm, all Sarkaz enemies will have nowhere to hide!
Face the storm!
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Chapter 511 Prelude to War (4K)
Theresis paused for a moment, then descended from the airship onto the rooftop of the Shard Building. Salus, a member of the Confessors responsible for gathering battlefield information, and Manfred, who wanted to make amends after his defeat, were both there.
Upon seeing the Regent arrive on the rooftop, Salus knelt on one knee to pay his respects and reported on the evening's search:
"Your Highness, we conducted an urgent, thorough search of the Central City District. Although we destroyed some private armies of nobles and merchants, we did not find the Exotic Demon King or the Rhodes Island the Doctor."
Theresis trusted her men's execution skills, saying that a thorough search would leave no corner unchecked. However, Londinium's terrain was complex, especially its extensive network of underground pipes, making it difficult to be discovered while hiding inside.
They've spent several hours now without success; they're either hiding underground or not in the Central City District.
Wendigo spoke with great certainty, saying that the City Lord of Liyue City would accompany the Doctor into the Central City District.
The major entrances to the Mid-level District are now under lockdown, allowing entry but not exit. Therefore, this group is most likely hiding in some Underground Space.
If you can't find anything with a thorough first search, you won't find much even if you search again.
Theresis is the King of Sarkaz, and must be extremely cautious before making any major decisions. He won't change his mind just because Wendigo says how powerful the other party is; he must see and interact with Zhongli in person before making a judgment.
He quickly changed his strategy and decided to start with Kal'tsit and the others. After all, once they entered the Central City District of Londinium, they would eventually meet up with the Doctor.
By following them, we can still find Zhongli.
"Lord Kal'tsit, have you sent anyone to follow her and confirm whether she has joined up with the Exotic Demon King?"
Upon hearing this, Salus lowered his head even further:
"We sent out a whole team to track them, but some of them were experts at concealing their tracks. They used all sorts of tricks to shake us off and completely lost our trail."
Ascalon and Misery were both experts in stealth, Theresis knew the Confessors had done his best. There was no reason to punish them further here, so she gave the order:
"Keep searching. If you find any news about the Doctor from Rhodes Island, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Your His Highness."
Seeing Theresis wave her hand, Salus tactfully bowed and took her leave. She had personally participated in the search and felt guilty for not having achieved anything. It was perfectly understandable that the following conversation was excluded.
After the Confessors left, Manfred covered his left chest with his right hand and bowed to Theresis, saying:
"Your His Highness, I know these two days are crucial to the future of Sarkaz. I want to do my part for Sarkaz, even if it means sacrificing myself."
When faced with his subordinates' expressions of loyalty, Theresis maintained a serious expression and did not respond directly.
He is thinking now.
Now that the Artificial Cataclysm project is complete, it will create an unavoidable Cataclysmic Clouds above the Shard Building.
Seeing this, the various Duke outside the city will surely launch a fierce all-out attack on Londinium today.
Don't be fooled by their outwardly nonchalant attitude; it's all a facade. They've been secretly amassing troops and are ready to storm the Sarkaz's Defense Zone at any moment.
However, with the other Duke also outside the city, he didn't want to be the one to take the Liberi. Each Duke was like a shrewd businessman, never getting involved without seeing a profit.
Once war breaks out, it's like an arrow shot from a bow—there's no turning back; a decisive battle must be fought to determine a winner.
To take the Third Path offered by Wendigo, you need to contact the City Lord of Liyue City before the war begins.
However, despite mobilizing a large number of the City Defense Army to search, Zhongli is still nowhere to be found.
Perhaps, this is fate.
From the moment the Cataclysmic Clouds successfully formed, the Sarkaz embarked on a path of no return.
Seeing that the Regent remained silent, Manfred became very nervous and tentatively asked:
"Your His Highness?"
Theresis snapped out of her reverie, her face as cold as the Ursus snowscape in winter, and calmly replied:
"I'm leaving the task of firing on the Duke's Warship this morning to you to oversee and supervise. I have other important matters to attend to and will be unable to attend."
Manfred was overjoyed upon hearing this, straightening his back ramrod straight. Even though the City Defense Cannon under his command had been destroyed, Theresis still placed great trust in him, which deeply moved him.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly not disappoint His Highness!"
June 24, 5:40 am
Londinium, Norbert District.
Because Manfred ordered the withdrawal of the City Defense Army and adopted a strategy of shrinking the battle lines, the Mid-level District and Outer District were left undefended, allowing for free movement in and out.
After entering the city, the Rhodes Island members first infiltrated the Sardien District around dawn. Around 3 a. m., they moved to the Haibury District, and at 5 a. m., they entered the Norbert District. They set up a temporary camp to rest and prepare to set off again during the day.
As the official commander of the Rhodes Island, Jiu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She closed her eyes for a long time but felt no sleepiness at all, so she simply gave up and didn't sleep at all.
Jiu got up, picked up his weapon, and patrolled the area around the rest area to guard against enemy attacks.
As she passed by a three-story building, she noticed two figures on the rooftop.
As Jiu crept closer, he discovered that they were Talulah and Alina, the founders of the Rhodes Island.
"What are you doing here so late?"
Talulah turned around at the sound and explained to Nine:
"Don't get agitated, I just came out for some fresh air."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on you from here."
Talulah knew they viewed her as a sinner, treating her most of the time like a thief. But she acknowledged that things in Chernobyl hadn't gone well.
Talulah just wanted to chat casually with Alina, but suddenly a person watching her appeared. Even though she seemed unconcerned on the surface, she still felt a little uncomfortable inside.
Alina tugged at Talulah's sleeve, signaling her not to act rashly and to try to keep her emotions stable.
The latter, not wanting to cause trouble, pointed to the Central City District of Londinium and initiated the conversation:
"There's a firelight over there, very far away."
Nine looked into the distance; she remembered that the Scout team had given a similar report a few hours earlier.
"Hmm, it might be a fire. If we need to get close to that area in the future, our team will avoid it."
Talulah an "oh," and an awkward silence fell instantly. Alina remained silent, leaving only the faint sound of the night wind whistling through the quiet room.
Nine, steeling himself, started a new topic:
"I saw you cooking at the camp before. I never expected that this pampered Eldest Daughter could cook these things."