Taking Command

At midnight, Qing Chen opened his eyes.

Beside him were baskets of Longevity Sky Fruits.

Xiao Qi and the others, with Purple Orchid Star leaves in their mouths, sat cross-legged beside him, cultivating and firmly protecting him.

"Dean, you're awake!"

Qing Chen looked toward the direction from which the voice came and was shocked to see Little Yu squatting on the ground playing with mud, while Zard was watching him with a grin.

Xiao Qi and the others opened their eyes, and Qing Chen said, "You should continue your cultivation."

Xiao Qi closed her eyes again.

"Why are you still here in the middle of the night? And you even brought Little Yu here?" Qing Chen asked Zard, as he didn't know where the water for playing in the mud came from.

Little Yu smiled innocently and said, "Dean, Zard said you overexerted yourself during the day, so I have to stay by your side right now. There are still some dangerous bad guys on the island."

Qing Chen paused for a moment, then looked at Zard: "Do you mean the creatures in the Forbidden Forest, or... He Jinqiu?"

Zard chuckled and said, "Actually, there aren't any bad people. I just told Little Yu this so he could understand."

"Who are you guarding against?" Qing Chen asked with a smile. "Xiao Qi and the others are guarding me in the War Fortress. Ordinary people can't break in."

"I'm wary of He Jinqiu. With your status now, anyone who dares to kill you is definitely not an ordinary person. Xiao Qi and the others are still too weak!" Zard said, scratching his head.

Xiao Qi and the others twitched their lips, but it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with an expert like Zard saying they were too weak, so they could just pretend they didn't hear it.

Qing Chen asked, "Why do you think He Jinqiu is in danger?"

Zard: "Last night you were searching for a way out for the Time Walker, but he was clearly on the island and didn't step forward to help. It was the same on the battlefield before; Boss Zheng fought for us to the very end, but He Jinqiu left very early on. I don't like him."

Qing Chen knew that Zard was just a bit unconventional in his thinking, but not stupid.

Behind that unconventional thinking lies its own logic and code of conduct.

And now, Zard is incredibly clear-headed.

I understand it perfectly well.

Yesterday, Qing Chen spent a lot of energy on replicating City No. 10 and planning 99 routes. Both of these tasks seemed easy when he was planning them, but in reality, there was a lot of information to organize and summarize.

Zard seemed to know that he was overworking himself, so he simply took Little Yu and stayed there overnight to watch over him, in order to prevent him from being ambushed.

After all, Qing Chen's power has already taken shape. Whether it's the plants in the Agricultural Academy or the organization under his command, they are already extremely impressive.

It's never too much to guard against malicious intent.

In the middle of the night at the Agricultural Academy, Qing Chen whispered, "Thank you."

"It's okay, as long as you admit that I'm the cutest soul," Zard chuckled.

Qing Chen asked in confusion, "You can't even communicate with Ding Dong, so how did he praise you?"

"His expression!" Zard said confidently. "I can tell what he means from his expression."

Qing Chen lay back down in his chair. "Sooner or later, the 'Approaching Science' program will feature an episode about you..."

Zard was pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

"By the way, when is Big Yu coming out next?" Qing Chen asked. "You should really persuade him not to cause any damage in the wilderness settlement."

"Last time, Big Yu also overexerted himself. I estimate that it will be difficult for him to come out again in less than ten days," Zard said.

Qing Chen asked in confusion, "Since the three of them share one body, don't they also share a common spirit and will?"

"No, everyone has their own," Zard said. "Little Yu is the weakest."

"Who is the strongest?"

Zard paused for a moment. "Zhong Yu is the strongest."

"I understand now. No wonder Big Yu said that if he was ever pushed to the limit, he would release him and drag the whole world down to hell with him," Qing Chen said. "You guys go back and rest."

Strictly speaking, the mental and willpower of mentally ill patients is likely to be stronger than that of normal people.

If Little Yu is weak, then it means that Zhong Yu is exceptionally strong.

As for Big Yu, he was a normal person in the Inner World. Although he had some talent, he was still not as good as a mentally ill person.

Zard asked, "Boss, aren't you going to take a little more sleep?"

In fact, Qing Chen had only slept for four hours.

After returning to the Agricultural Academy, although he was lying in a chair, he kept thinking about one thing: if he were Shen Daichihachi, having done something so outrageous, how would he maximize his profits?

Or rather, why would Shen Daichihachi dare to do such a thing?!

This is actually a very disgusting way of thinking.

Because Qing Chen wanted to uncover the other party's thoughts, he had to completely corrupt his own mind and think from the perspective of Shen Daichihachi in order to find the answer.

Qing Chen was very reluctant to do this, but only in this way could he find out what Shen Daichihachi really wanted to do.

Qing Chen shook his head. "I'm not going to sleep. There are still many things to do. I can't sleep An Xin until I finish them."

He has too many things to do.

Qing Chen called Zheng Yuandong: "Principal Zheng, let Xiao Ying and the others come and move the Longevity Sky Fruit. Also, have all the Time Walker assemble. I need to make a backup plan."

Zheng Yuandong: "A backup plan?"

"Hmm," Qing Chen said, "I feel uneasy."

After saying that, he hung up the phone and continued to think about something, making the most of every second.

Now, the Agricultural Academy has been completely transformed into the War Academy, and what it does is to make the most thorough preparations for the upcoming war in the Inner World.

Which plant in the Agricultural Academy would be most helpful to the Time Walker on their next journey?

It is not the Early Summer that improves reaction speed, nor the Ask Winter that enhances cold resistance, but the fruit of the Longevity Sky.

Currently, the daily output of Longevity Sky is over 700. Even if it is transplanted twice more in between, when averaged among the 4,811 Time Walker, it would only be one or two per person.

That 30-60 jin increase in strength might be enough to help a person survive a chaotic disaster.

The problem is that among the 4,811 Time Walker, there are 1,358 children under the age of 12. One or two pills are definitely not enough for them, at least not enough to protect them in the chaos.

Those children are Qing Chen's biggest worry.

A short while later, Xiao Ying came and knocked on the door. They carried several baskets of Longevity Sky Fruit to the square outside the dormitory area.

Xiao Qi stood in front of everyone and said, "In order to increase everyone's chances of survival, the academy has decided to distribute the fruits of the Longevity Sky to everyone. Don't worry, according to the planting plan, we can guarantee that each person will receive one before this journey."

The Time Walker looked at each other in disbelief. Could there really be such a good thing?

But everyone thought that the academy would only do this in extremely dangerous situations, right?

However, the next second, Xiao Qi continued, "But this Longevity Sky isn't free, it's more like an advance payment. Come on, everyone open the Academy APP, and you'll see a Longevity Sky loan program on the homepage. Each Longevity Sky is worth 100 points, and you can apply for installment payments to repay your points. The annualized interest rate is very favorable, only 3.57%, and you can pay in 3, 6, or 12 installments. In other words, it's okay if you don't have any points right now, you can eat first and pay later."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the square looked at each other in bewilderment.

What the heck? Why is the college offering installment loan services now...?

Can a single Longevity Sky be purchased in installments?

While everyone was still in shock and doubt, Xiao Qi was still shouting from the side, "Your points are not consumed, they are just in a different form accompanying you. The power is real and growing in your body. Besides, the sooner you eat, the sooner you enjoy it! Everyone hurry up and process the installment loan procedures. Raise your hands when you're done, and I'll go and distribute the Longevity Sky to everyone. Today's quota is limited, first come, first served."

The Time Walker were both amused and exasperated; how did this turn into sales pitches?

Watching this scene, Lu Yuan complained to Boss Zheng beside him, "Only someone like Bai Zhou could do something like this. They've even set up a consumer trap in the academy. I really didn't expect that... But I can understand that they mean well. It must be painful for someone like Qing Chen, who used to be stingy, to suddenly take out so much Longevity Sky. They still have 132 people going to the island tomorrow, and none of them have eaten Longevity Sky yet."

With an annual interest rate of 3.57%, you'd only owe 3.57 points after a year, which is hardly any. You could easily earn that back by completing any task.

In other words, Qing Chen essentially gave up his Parent's Association quota to the academy, just so that more Time Walker could survive.

So, Lu Yuan his complaints, Lu Yuan was well aware of the choice Qing Chen had made.

The Time Walker appreciated the gesture, as they understood perfectly what it meant to occupy a quota from the Longevity Sky at this time.

Zheng Yuandong said, "This time, he didn't even give those Cliff Challenger any special privileges, but treated them all the same... Qing Chen is really different now."

He pondered for a moment, then found Xiao Qi and whispered something to her.

Then, Xiao Qi said to Hu Jingyi and Chen Zhuoqu, "There are a total of 22 of you in City No. 10. Dean Zheng has specially granted you an extra spot in the Longevity Sky, interest-free. The amount can be deducted from it after you complete the challenge."

Chen Zhuoqu understood. This was a preferential treatment from the Agricultural Academy for those who successfully completed the challenge. Although they also had to spend points, the problem was that even one point per person in Longevity Sky might not be enough. It was already quite good that they were given a second point.

Under normal circumstances, getting an extra piece might not mean much. But in this dire situation, getting an extra piece can increase your chances of survival.

She knew that the academy wanted them all to survive.

Since the Agricultural Academy made concessions, the college naturally had to give special consideration to students favored by the Agricultural Academy.

However, Chen Zhuoqu shook her head as she looked at the panicked children in the night, children who hadn't even graduated from elementary school yet.

She suddenly said, "Although I like money, possessions, and even stealing and robbing, I only take what I deserve. Thank you for your kindness, Dean and Principal, but please give these priority to the children. However, there are still more than five days before the crossing, enough time for me to complete several challenges. I can't miss out on any of my rewards."

After saying that, she turned around and went to the huge city model to continue memorizing her own evacuation route.

Xiao Qi watched that dashing figure from behind.

Hu Jingyi and the others standing nearby also said, "Let's give the Longevity Sky to the children first. We have our own way of obtaining Longevity Sky."

At that very moment, among the 4,811 Time Walker, someone stood up and said, "I'm already a gene warrior, let's give my quota to the children."

Another person stood up. "I'm a genetic warrior too, let's give mine to the children."

Those kids are the underdogs in the academy's points-based system; many events are irrelevant to them, and they can't beat others.

If a disaster were to actually occur, out of the 1,358 children, whose strength and endurance are at most one-third that of adults, it would be a miracle if even one-tenth of them survived.

One of the children had tears in his eyes. "Thank you, seniors!"

Someone in the square laughed and said, "No need to thank us, we wouldn't steal from kids. Dean, let's give the kids two first, and then let the junior high Time Walker get the rest first. Anyway, we've been training at the academy a lot lately, so our physical fitness isn't bad."

It was only when faced with disaster that everyone realized how important it was for the college to encourage them to exercise.

"Raise your hands to vote! Those who agree to give priority to these junior students for the Longevity Sky should raise their hands!"

With a whoosh, the Time Walker in the square raised a cloud.

Zheng Yuandong watched this scene silently.

Perhaps this is the true meaning behind his establishment of the Time Walker Academy.

At this moment, Qing Chen also arrived in front of the huge sand table model. He ignored Longevity Sky's assignment and calmly said, "All captains and vice-captains, step forward. Tonight, I will plan a second route for you."

"The second line?" Xiaoying asked doubtfully, "What is it for? Is the line last night going to be cancelled?"

"It's not invalid. The second one is just a backup plan," Qing Chen said, pointing to Chen Zhuoqu. "If you find that you can't evacuate smoothly from the southern border gate, I need you to immediately head east along Zhongzhou Avenue. Once you reach the Lower Three Districts, immediately look for the Association of Societies. There will be people there to meet you... I want you to completely obey their orders, hide under their arrangements, and even assist them in battle."

The Time Walker suddenly panicked.

Previously, everyone thought that as long as they remembered the route, they would have a good chance to leave City No. 10 before things got worse.

After all, City No. 10 was still normal before the return, and only 16 out of 4,811 Time Walker died. This mortality rate shows that the real threat is far from approaching.

But now it seems things aren't so simple!

The sense of crisis that Qing Chen was worried about made them realize a problem:

They are very likely not able to leave!

"Dean..." a girl asked timidly, "Aren't we able to leave?"

"I don't know. I'm just preparing for the worst. There are some things I can't confirm yet, but things aren't that simple," Qing Chen said.

Zheng Yuandong paused for two seconds before suddenly saying, "I understand what you're thinking. Since this disaster was meticulously planned by the Shen Daichihachi, and since he is very likely to possess the Forbidden Item ACE-22 Queen Ant, then for him, the greatest benefit of this disaster is to kill all the residents in the city and feed the Rat Tide."

Qing Chen looked at Boss Zheng in astonishment. In the entire Time Walker Academy, only Boss Zheng could still keep up with his thinking.

That's right, this is the result of Qing Chen's six hours of thinking.

He set himself a question and came up with a terrifying answer: if he were Shen Daichihachi, he would definitely find a way to kill all the city's residents in the city.

The opponent chose the timing of the boxing final and Qinghe's campus recruitment, which is precisely when the population of City No. 10 is at its largest.

Why do this?

When the scattered clues— Shen Daichihachi, the uncontained demigod body, and the Forbidden Item ACE-22 queen ant—were pieced together, Qing Chen had already figured it out.

Let's start with the cunning demigod Shen Daichihachi.

In this process, only the Forbidden Item ACE-039, which is outside the Three Realms, can help Shen Daichihachi escape the judgment of the Tribunal of Taboos; otherwise, the corpse would have been contained by the Tribunal of Taboos long ago.

This also shows that Shen Daichihachi had been plotting this for a long time.

This demigod was nearing the end of his life and desperately needed neuronal reconnection to possess another body to prolong his life, but he still went to participate in that extremely dangerous battle of the century.

How could someone who has survived for two centuries through possession suddenly act recklessly and then die suddenly?

This is neither reasonable nor logical.

Therefore, Qing Chen guessed that Shen Daichihachi must still be alive!

Qing Chen speculated that the other party had chosen the target of possession before participating in the battle and began to plan how to use his own corpse.

The opponent fakes their death to escape, then uses their corpse to feed the Rat Tide —this is their true plan.

Now that Qing Chen had concluded that Shen Daichihachi was not dead, he began to consider Shen Daichihachi's situation: if the other party had successfully possessed him, then this must be his weakest moment.

Shen Daichihachi was already at odds with the head of the Kaminari family. After being demotion following possession, he had to resort to extreme measures to protect himself.

Otherwise, if the head of the Shendai family finds an opportunity, he will truly be doomed.

Therefore, the method that Shen Daichihachi used to protect himself was definitely not to cultivate quickly, since no matter how hard he tried, it would take him a long time to return to the level of a demigod.

Shen Daichihachi wouldn't wait that long, nor would the head of the Kamishiro family wait that long to discover the clues.

Time is of the essence for Shen Daichihachi.

Therefore, creating the world's largest Rat Tide and controlling it with the Forbidden Item ACE-022 queen ant would be enough to make him stand firm again.

That was Rat Tide enough to destroy a city; it was a force more terrifying than a demigod.

The Forbidden Item ACE-22 queen ant can cause all social creatures to regard the host as the master of the colony, including but not limited to rats, lions, hyenas, ants, bees, termites, etc.

The method of use is unknown.

The current Rat Tide perfectly fits the rules of this Forbidden Item.

Once the Rat Tide forms and is controlled by Shen Daichihachi, this terrifying disaster will not only be a disaster for City No. 10, but will also evolve into a disaster for all mankind.

It will probably be much harder to kill Shen Daichihachi then.

Furthermore, the Kamishiro Corporation colluded with foreign forces on the west coast in an attempt to create chaos and overturn the Federation's structure.

When the plan progressed to this point, all of Shen Daichihachi's plans would have completed a closed loop.

The Rat Tide was the most important part of Shen Daichihachi regaining control of capital and trump cards.

How could such a cunning and calculating person allow the residents of City No. 10 to escape before his plan succeeds? Therefore, Shen Daichihachi must have a backup plan in mind.

This is why Qing Chen wanted to set up an extra backup line; he was afraid the Time Walker wouldn't be able to escape! He was afraid the entire city's residents wouldn't be able to escape!

It should be noted that City No. 10 is blocked by towering walls, and there is a metal storm on top of the walls. To enter or leave, one must rely on the border gate. He suspected that people had been placed there by Shen Daichihachi.

If evacuation through the border crossings becomes impossible, everyone will have to flee to the Lower Three Districts, rely on the Parent's Association's Association to organize a defensive line, and then wait for reinforcements from the Lee and Qing Clan Group.

Qing Chen originally thought that the other party might choose to start during the boxing finals, using the 100,000 people in that arena to feed the Rat Tide.

This conjecture is bold enough.

But now Qing Chen believes that the venue is just the beginning; Shen Daichihachi's goal is the entire city...

If that's the case, then as soon as Shen Daichihachi notices someone starting to try to escape, she will definitely take even more extreme measures.

Qing Chen sighed; it was another dead end.

It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough, but rather that the other side had been planning for far too long; the plan had been quietly underway even before the start of the war of the century.

Qing Chen was forced to accept the challenge hastily, leaving him with no choice but to make a passive one.

He looked at Zheng Yuandong: "How many people from Kunlun are currently in City No. 10? Boss Zheng, are you there?"

Zheng Yuandong sighed, "Kunlun still has more than 600 people in City No. 10, but I'm not there."

He and Lu Yuan are currently in a northern city, leading their families to expand their territory and prepare to take over the Lower Three Districts of City 20.

Qing Chen said, "I want to take command of these six hundred people."

This statement suddenly tore at people's emotions, even the noisy Time Walker stopped their discussion.

Lu Yuan subconsciously looked at Zheng Yuandong. Was Qing Chen trying to seize power?

However, Zheng Yuandong didn't care. He simply asked Qing Chen, "Have you thought this through? The person who takes over command is in the most pain right now. The choice you make may not be understood by others."

Qing Chen nodded. "I know what I'm doing."

Zheng Yuandong turned around and beckoned a young man. "Iodine, come here. From now on, you will follow Qing Chen's orders in all your actions."

The young man, codenamed Iodine Potion, nodded solemnly. "I understand, I will fully cooperate."

As soon as Qing Chen took command, he calmly said, "I need all Kunlun members in City No. 10 to rush to the power plant immediately and protect it. There will definitely be people who try to sabotage it... even if it costs them their lives. If I can still command the Qing Clan Secret Intelligence Department after we travel through time, then someone will come to your aid. But if communications are cut off immediately after we travel through time, you will be isolated and helpless. Even if you die, you must die in the power plant."

Everyone was stunned and speechless; Iodine was unable to answer for a moment.

Ni Ergou was shocked when he heard what Qing Chen said. He did not expect that the first thing Qing Chen did after taking over command was to send the Kunlun members to their deaths.

He asked, bewildered, "Why not let your Parent's Association?"

Qing Chen glanced at him. "In the first plan, the Parent's Association assist the Secret Intelligence Department in evacuating all the city's residents. In the backup plan, if everyone is unable to leave the city, the Parent's Association must stay in the Lower Three Districts to protect a safe haven for everyone and create an opening for the Rat Tide for anyone who wants to escape to the Lower Three Districts. Everyone can retreat, but I guarantee they will not."

In fact, Ni Ergou, Lu Yuan, and Zheng Yuandong now understand Qing Chen quite well. This time, Qing Chen definitely didn't have any selfish thoughts. Every decision he made was based on the goal of "letting more people live".

Parent's Association be completely unharmed if they stay in the Lower Three Districts? No.

The rendezvous mission they were responsible for was equally brutal.

Or even more cruel.

Just as Zheng Yuandong said, this disaster was destined to involve sacrifices, and the one who directed others to sacrifice themselves one after another was the one who suffered the most.

The commander must use the clearest mind to make the most correct decisions, and then begin to endure a long period of blame and self-reproach.

Ni Ergou sighed and said, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I promise I will never question your decisions again."

"It's alright, your questions are all valid. I was prepared to be questioned after taking command," Qing Chen replied, glancing at the iodine solution and saying coldly, "Any problems?"

Iodine Fluid straightened up. "No problem!"

That city must not be extinguished.

Once the lights go out and the city is plunged into darkness, that vast city will become a playground for Rat Tide.

Zheng Yuandong looked at the boy in front of the city model. The boy had begun to grow into a towering tree, just like the World Tree in Forbidden Zone No. 002, which sheltered all living beings from the wind and rain.

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