Evacuation Plan

After finishing his dumplings in a few quick bites, Lin Yi didn't rest for long, as time was truly of the essence.

He stood up, and the attention of everyone in the hall, which had been focused on him, immediately converged upon him.

"Uncle, Zhou Yuxuan," Lin Yi said.

Hearing their names called, Zhou Jianjun and Zhou Yuxuan immediately straightened their expressions.

"Uncle, after I leave, you will be responsible for commanding the defense here."

Lin Yi looked at Zhou Jianjun. Although his uncle was still in the dark regarding Source Energy, his tactical awareness and on-site command ability were the most reliable assets they had at the moment.

Zhou Jianjun nodded heavily. "Don't worry. As long as these old bones of mine are still standing, I won't let those beasts break through!"

"Zhou Yuxuan, you will assist my uncle..." Lin Yi turned to look at Zhou Yuxuan. "Especially once the Sentinel mechanical dog is activated, you must familiarize yourself with it as soon as possible. Make full use of its early warning and patrol functions. You two can discuss the specifics of how to use it."

"I will master the operation of the mechanical dog as quickly as possible, clarify its detection range and alert patterns, and coordinate well with Uncle Jianjun." Zhou Yuxuan tightened his grip on the Spirit Shine Crystal that Lin Yi had given him.

Lin Yi nodded. "I need some time to recover my Source Energy, practice what I gained from the recent battle, and observe the movements of the nest outside... Once these things are done, I will set off for the official gathering point in Helu City."

"Wait..."

Ren Yinuo couldn't sit still anymore. "Major Lin, you are going to the Helu City gathering point alone?"

This was the first time she had heard of this plan, and her face was full of surprise. "It's a full 5 kilometers from here to the gathering point. It's too dangerous. Can you reconsider?"

Lin Yi shook his head. "It's too close to the nest here. I don't feel at ease."

He was telling the truth.

A large part of the reason he had chosen Hongfu Tower in the first place was that in his past life, it had quickly become an official shelter with far greater defensive capabilities than it had now. At Hongfu Tower, his family would be safe, allowing him to hunt without restraint.

But now, the situation had changed drastically. He was essentially restricted to this location, which was quite inconvenient.

Therefore, he wanted to get everyone here to the official gathering point as soon as possible so he could free up his hands to deal with other matters.

Seeing the firm look in Lin Yi's eyes and that he had no intention of changing his mind, Ren Yinuo thought for a moment and then stepped forward.

"I request to accompany you. I have received full military training and can be of help."

"Captain Ren, your duty is to maintain contact with the General Staff. If you come with me, you can't possibly carry a pile of equipment."

Lin Yi shook his head, refusing directly.

"Besides, I am only going to scout the path, report the situation here, and plan the subsequent evacuation route, so I need to be fast. I expect to return within a day... Bringing you along would only slow me down and increase the risk."

Ren Yinuo frowned. She wanted to argue, but looking into Lin Yi's unquestionable eyes and remembering that she was not a combatant, she eventually fell silent.

Just then, Chen Yu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey! Wait! Brother Yi, since Captain Ren can contact the General Staff directly, surely the General Staff can contact the Helu City gathering point, right? Can't you ask Captain Ren to help contact them directly and report our situation here? That way, you wouldn't have to go out and take risks!"

These words immediately resonated with the people around them.

"That makes sense!"

"Yeah, why didn't we think of that..."

They all looked at Ren Yinuo, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Upon hearing this, a look of embarrassment appeared on Ren Yinuo's face. She looked at the expectant eyes of the crowd, then at Lin Yi, and after hesitating, she finally said:

"Theoretically... it is indeed possible to try to contact the Helu City gathering point through the General Staff, but..."

She took a deep breath, her voice dropping lower. "The General Staff previously issued instructions that, except for listed national-treasure-level experts, strategic supply points, and other special targets, military rescue operations must be prioritized according to difficulty and efficiency..."

"Hongfu Tower is a considerable distance from the Helu City gathering point, and the situation along the way is complex. According to existing assessment standards, the priority... is likely not very high..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already clear.

Resources were limited and had to be used where they mattered most—prioritizing the rescue of easier targets before tackling the "hard nuts to crack."

Otherwise, if the military, which had already suffered heavy losses, exhausted itself on high-difficulty targets, the subsequent simple targets would also become difficult.

Hongfu Tower was in an awkward position. Although there were many survivors, the distance of 5 kilometers—which would have been nothing before the apocalypse—now made the rescue difficulty and cost exceed the current "efficient" range.

The cruel reality left everyone feeling a sense of loss.

Chen Yu seemed unwilling to give up. He couldn't help but ask, "But, Captain Ren... since the higher-ups value Brother Yi so much, giving him a rank and sending so many precious crystals, shouldn't our priority be higher? With Brother Yi's talent and contribution to Source Energy, isn't he on par with those experts?"

A complex expression appeared on Ren Yinuo's face. She glanced at Lin Yi, hesitated for a moment, and then explained, "You are right. The headquarters does indeed treat Major Lin as a 'national-treasure expert'."

"However, there is a key difference here..."

She paused, as if weighing her words. "As you all know, when Captain Tianpeng came before, he asked Major Lin if he was willing to go to the General Staff. In fact... their primary mission was not to deliver the appointment and supplies, but to escort Major Lin back to the Capital Base."

This stunned everyone, and even Zhou Jianjun looked at Lin Yi in surprise.

They had thought it was just a routine inquiry; they hadn't expected there was a real plan to take Lin Yi away.

"However, Major Lin refused... Of course, this was within the General Staff's expectations..."

Ren Yinuo smiled apologetically at Lin Yi. "The General Staff conducted a preliminary personality profile analysis based on Major Lin's public behavioral records..."

"The analysis concluded that it was highly unlikely Major Lin would be willing to leave this place and head to headquarters at this stage, which is why there was a backup plan: sending me to stay behind long-term with communication equipment..." She paused. "Of course, it is only because Major Lin's situation is special; otherwise, Tianpeng Squad would likely have taken... more decisive 'protective transfer' measures."

Her phrasing was very tactful, but everyone present understood the subtext.

If it had been any other expert on the top-priority protection list, they likely would have been "escorted" away by Tianpeng Squad.

However, facing Lin Yi, the General Staff determined that a forced "invitation" might not necessarily succeed, and for a young man like him, it could even prove counterproductive, which is why they adopted this more flexible approach that respected his personal wishes.

"And besides..."

Ren Yinuo thought for a moment and added a sentence.

"There is an even more important reason... the General Staff has also evaluated Major Lin's current survival capabilities. They believe that with those crystal equipment and cultivation techniques, within the scope of this Miniature Nest, even if Major Lin encounters an Abyssal Beast he cannot face head-on, he should have more than enough ability to protect himself and retreat... therefore..."

Hearing this, Chen Yu finally gave up all hope.

He wasn't stupid; since the General Staff believed that Lin Yi's safety was not an issue, then precious rescue resources would certainly be used elsewhere according to protocol. Everyone else at Hongfu Tower would just have to wait patiently for rescue; there was no chance of hitching a ride on his coattails.

Lin Yi did not feel surprised at all.

Unlike the others, he had served as a high-level official on Blue Star for a long time, and several people he was familiar with should still be serving in the General Staff at this moment. He had actually quickly deduced the current operating style of the General Staff.

"I understand." Lin Yi said calmly, "I never intended for the Gathering Point to dispatch a large force to rescue Hongfu Tower early just because of me."

"I was thinking, perhaps we could do it this way..."

"Please ask Captain Ren to help contact the Helu City Gathering Point... tell them that I will scout out a relatively safe route and clear away threats along the way as much as possible. Then, once I arrive, they only need to send a small squad of support personnel equipped with necessary heavy firepower to join me and cover the evacuation of these four hundred-plus people from Hongfu Tower."

The main issue was that there were too many people at Hongfu Tower. Even if he cleared the path once, with so many people moving along the route, it would attract at least a hundred Abyssal Wolves, and it would be easy for him to be overwhelmed if he were guarding them alone.

He looked at Ren Yinuo, "How about this? The main thing is that there are too many people at Hongfu Tower, and I'm afraid I can't look after everyone by myself. They only need to send one squad to assist. This level of 'difficulty' and 'efficiency' should be enough to justify requesting support, right?"

Ren Yinuo listened carefully, and her eyes gradually brightened.

Lin Yi's plan involved him taking on almost all the greatest risks and preliminary work, leaving the Gathering Point's troops with the lowest-risk and highest-efficiency segment.

She nodded immediately, her tone much more certain, "If it's like this, just making one trip to provide support can save over four hundred survivors; there should be no reason for them to refuse. I can communicate with the General Staff right now and explain this plan."

"Good, then it's settled." Lin Yi nodded, "I'll leave it to you, Captain Ren."