Three months?
It was like a judge reading out a death sentence.
"Is there really no other way?"
A general of the Earth Defense Army abruptly stood, bracing both hands on the table, veins bulging on his forehead.
"We plundered so many resources from the Great Thousand World. What about the high-dimensional battery banks the Consortium left behind? What about those compressed stellar cores that can supply energy for over a hundred years?"
"We've tried them all."
Scarface leaned back in his chair, his mechanical left arm giving off a faint electronic hum.
"The Abyss isn't an ordinary physical disaster. The Origin Barrier needs the purest 'origin energy' and 'life essence.' Feeding those industrial batteries from the Consortium into it is like throwing a pebble into the sea. You don't even hear a splash."
Scarface raised his single eye to look at the general.
"What's sustaining the barrier now is the lifespan of the major planets, and, even more importantly, the psychic resonance generated by the intense 'will to survive' of the billions of living beings on Earth."
"This is the second-and most fatal-problem I want to discuss today."
Star Sea Survivor brought up another report.
It displayed the public security and mental health indices of the major refugee camps.
Every indicator was red.
"Their psychological defenses are collapsing."
Star Sea Survivor sighed.
"Humans-or any intelligent beings, for that matter-will develop severe negative emotions after spending a long time in a hopeless environment under absolute pressure. Fear, despair, anger, selfishness."
"And those negative emotions are precisely the nourishment the Abyss loves most!"
She pointed to Earth's position on the star chart.
"Have you noticed that, over the past few days, some strange black spots have begun appearing inside the barrier-in Earth's atmosphere?"
Everyone sucked in a cold breath.
Su Li's