Chapter 848: Chapter 718: A Desperate Last Stand
Now that the supreme decision has come, everyone privately complained, but now they wish it hadn’t come.
The situation is clear; everyone understands.
The opponent has killed two supremes, and there’s no need to disguise anymore; next will be attacks as thorough as a scorched earth campaign.
To defend and wait for aid now is no different from waiting for death.
Two supremes have died, so the reinforcements coming must definitely exceed two supremes, otherwise, it becomes a war of attrition.
Everyone knows that we now have only two supremes left, currently at the base.
It is especially necessary to point out that one of the supremes is not from the Divine Text Association but from the base.
The supreme sits at the base, which is essential; it’s equivalent to the Guardian Supreme of the entire Garbage Star.
If it were a sure victory, the supreme at the base might join in for fun, counting as giving some face to the Divine Text Association.
But now that two supremes have died, the supreme at the base has ample reason to refuse help.
His responsibility is to safeguard the planet, but in fact, as long as the base remains orderly, the gorge and Central City don’t matter.
What’s the gathering area got to do with him? The residents here hardly count as people.
However, some still hold onto luck, "Can’t the base send a few warships to help?"
The base has ample high-end combat power, mainly due to advanced military equipment, with even a company-level warship, and several company-level warships.
If such combat power were willing to support, this battle would still be worth fighting.
However, someone knowledgeable answered gravely, "I’m afraid not—the base isn’t entirely within the military’s ranks."
The base essentially operates as a quasi-military organization, contracted by the military to guard the Garbage Star while ensuring output and profit.
Even though the Divine Text Association is strong, it can’t randomly requisition people from the base—everyone has ties within the military, who fears whom?
Yet someone was so bold, "I know someone at the base, I’ll make contact."
The result of the contact needless to say, the reply was clear.
"The Celestial District is already in chaos, we have to ensure the base’s safety, who can be sure that the enemy’s final target isn’t the base?"
Is that reasoning valid? It’s entirely valid.
In case the opponent’s tactics are to lure the tiger out of the mountain, your Divine Text Association might end up safe, but we might not be able to keep the base!
Under these circumstances, the primary concern of the base should be its own mission, not owing anyone favors.
The Divine Text Association members feel a bit frustrated but cannot blame the other side.
Thankfully, they are indeed military elites; discovering outside aid unreliable, they decisively abandoned fantasies and began to explore internal potential.
Two hundred-plus people arrived from the Divine Text Association, the gorge, and Central City.
Excluding the dead and the dozens sealing the great river, seventy to eighty currently gather at Taikoo.
Seventy to eighty are surely inadequate for the opponent’s plunder, as for the assisting City Guard, how effective they’ll be is uncertain.
Hence they decided: recruit warriors to aid self-side defense enhancement.
The pay for this wasn’t available to just anyone; one must ensure fighting desperately during attacks without retreating.
However, the Divine Text Association members are well-aware, promises aside, once the situation worsens, those hired will likely flee.
Desperados are not lacking in the gathering area, but how favorable they are to outsiders is hard to say.
This is why the Divine Text Association distrusts the City Guard—the City Guard of the former capital even switched camps!
Thus they offered a very sincere condition: we won’t mention rewards, those surviving post-war can settle in Central City!
This news immediately attracted two to three thousand applicants.
Taikoo, a major city in the Celestial District, is a rich gathering place, but it doesn’t lack daredevils willing to fight to the death.
The key is Central City isn’t particularly secretive in the Celestial District; too many know about it.
If there’s a chance to settle in Central City, risking life to gamble is nothing—at least the children have the right to inject medicines.
Yearning for peace among the wretched in chaotic times is beyond words.
Many families with decent conditions came to sign up—though the mortality rate is high, but...what if?
The Divine Text Association members aren’t short of weapons; they can even requisition Taikoo’s city defense heavy weapons.
Yet with so many signing up, weapons were still somewhat short—ultimately, two thousand were finalized.
For a courtyard of forty to fifty thousand square meters, having two thousand defenders was quite substantial.
Not to mention the Divine Text Association kept over a thousand reserves, hiding directly in the underground reservoir.
If casualties occur outside and weapons remain usable, these people will rush out to fill in.
Thus began the frantic hoarding of ammunition, not seeking victory, but hoping to severely bite the opponent.
Just now, the supreme from the Divine Text Association sent another message: you now represent the Divine Text Association’s glory; you may die, but cannot flee!
The words were cold but carried an inexplicable motivational force.
As for why the supreme wouldn’t come to fight for this glory, he stated he indeed wished to but had to stay at the base to urge for reinforcements.
The same thing can feel quite different when rushed versus when not rushed.
The Supreme admitted frankly that even if he rushed over, he wouldn’t provide much help to the battle.
At the same time, he mentioned that the base isn’t far from the Celestial District, and if necessary, he could reach there within half an hour by warship.
However, it was clear that his "necessary" was different from what the people on-site needed.
What they didn’t know was that at this moment, Qu Jianlei was silently watching the scene from ten kilometers away, arms crossed.
By his side were Flower Scorpion and Xiao Moshan; this time, he had finally brought these two along.
Having already ambushed two Supremes, there shouldn’t be more Supremes coming in the short term.
These two allies, despite being slightly less powerful, were astute enough to play a role in nighttime combat.
"You two are in charge of picking off stragglers; protecting yourselves is the priority. Avoid direct confrontation; if possible, capture them alive."
Xiao Moshan understood clearly that this was an opportunity to broaden their horizons, brought by a Supreme ally. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Capturing them alive is difficult."
Flower Scorpion, however, thought of the reason, as her relationship with Bentley was genuinely good. "Is it to find out about Old Bent’s whereabouts?"
Qu Jianlei nodded, "Of course, but let me emphasize again, safety first."
"No problem with that," Xiao Moshan stated calmly, "We promise not to cause trouble."
After a pause, he asked, puzzled, "Are they trying to fight you to the end?"
"I’m also curious about their courage," Qu Jianlei shook his head helplessly, "Are they really living opposite Liang Jingru?"
At midnight, he finally set out, stealthily advancing to a point one kilometer away from the opponent.
The Divine Text Association had suddenly gained over two thousand reinforcements, making them less than mute with fear.
Many of those temporarily recruited were even in the mood for low-voiced chatter and laughter.
They also knew they were facing a Supreme’s deadly assault, and the events in the Celestial District weren’t a secret.
But so what? Wastelanders are never afraid to fight to the death; a Supreme has one life, and so do I.
Someone glanced up unintentionally, and suddenly their pupils widened dramatically.
They nudged the person beside them with their elbow, "Hey, Old Jess, are you asleep?"
The older man beside him turned over and mumbled lightly, "I am. Wake me up when the fight starts; we’ll go be neighbors in Central City."
"Old Jess, I spotted something unusual. Can you take a look?"
"Where?" The middle-aged man instantly became alert, "What’s going on?"
The person beside him raised a finger to the sky, "Look up there—is that the legendary meteor?"
In the cosmos, meteors are not particularly rare, but the air pollution on Garbage Star is too severe.
The meteors people can see here usually turn into meteorites, not merely passing the Star Body, but actually crashing down.
The middle-aged man glanced up and instantly jumped up, "Prepare for battle; they might be coming."
"Scaring me again," the other shook his head with a wry smile. "Aren’t meteorites supposed to be Earth Attribute? The ones coming are Gold Attribute."
Do you feel accomplished teasing a young person like me?
At this moment, someone nearby shouted, "Be careful and take cover; it might be an iron meteorite!"
In Earth Attribute techniques, there is meteorite descent, but it doesn’t mean other attributes don’t have similar techniques.
For instance, Fire Attribute’s "Flaming Meteor" is a similar scenario.
Gold Attribute techniques have also been studied by many, although their names differ.
Some call it "Hammer of Heaven," others "Golden Stone Sea," and Qu Jianlei named his technique "Iron Split Stone Paste."
People from the Divine Text Association all knew these were powerful moves being unleashed, but in a rush, they couldn’t explain clearly.
So they just said "iron meteorite," which more or less captured the idea.
Upon hearing this, the two immediately lay on the ground, and soon after, they felt intense shaking from the earth and a series of dull explosions.
In fact, they were considered lucky; this single wave of "Iron Split Stone Paste" claimed the lives of sixty percent of the people.
Through perception, Qu Jianlei already knew what was happening inside and naturally wasn’t interested in hand-to-hand combat.
The other side was entirely correct in guessing that he hadn’t revealed his cultivation level and attributes to take down a few Supremes.
Now that his goal was achieved, he had no interest in playing games anymore.
Close combat can indeed be thrilling, but the opponent had too many weapons, and the chance of accidents was high.
To prevent accidents, one must focus on defense and evasion, staying highly alert. The spiritual qi consumption wouldn’t be small.
By comparison, long-range spellcasting isn’t intense but carries a certain prestige and is pleasing to the eye.
Wide-area spellcasting is generally qi-consuming, but discussing consumption without considering realm is the folly of exiles.
As the realm advances, perception and micro-operation abilities also improve, making some heavy tasks inconsequential.
Meteorite-related techniques are like that. Once one’s ability to connect with the heavens improves, it truly isn’t difficult.
However, if one’s realm isn’t sufficient, vision lacking, or micro-operation skills inadequate, meteorite-type techniques feel akin to a "forbidden curse."
