Chapter 152: A Proposal of Life and Death

Chapter 152: A Proposal of Life and Death

With the collapse of the two fortified camps, the forces of the Blood Clan suffered a total rout. Luo Bing led an army of tens of thousands in an all-out advance. At this stage, ranged units could no longer play a decisive role, leaving only close-quarters combat.

The genetic warriors charged at the very forefront, continuously cutting down the demoralized Blood Clan members. This was the most cathartic victory humanity had achieved thus far. Although comrades continued to fall in battle, at this moment, nearly everyone regained their confidence, dispelling the overwhelming despair of the past.

Xia Zheng continuously struck down the Blood Clan members who swarmed him from the air. Although these creatures possessed the ability of low-altitude flight, he found that they were worlds apart from the Blood Clan member he had encountered in Peigeer; their wings were not natural, but artificially grafted.

At this moment, the Droplet Sword unleashed terrifying might, especially in close combat. Conversely, the Blazing Flame Arrow and the Blazing Ice Sword were unsuited for melee engagements.

The sword body constantly shifted between liquid and ice states. Sometimes it scattered into a shower of water droplets that instantly transformed into flying swords, piercing through the surrounding Blood Clan members. At other times, it formed an ice-style sword array capable of both blocking enemy attacks and self-detonations, as well as trapping opponents.

As the reinforcements arrived from behind, the Blood Clan members surrounding Xia Zheng finally broke and fled. He let out a long breath; his mental energy was nearly depleted, and the mental beads in his mouth had already been sucked dry.

Hastily taking out another mental bead to replace the exhausted one, he relied on his Moon Radiance bracelet to recover rapidly.

The blockade of the camp was breached, and the main army smashed through the Blood Clan's defense line, charging more than ten miles before only a few hundred surviving Blood Clan members managed to escape.

Returning to the ground, Luo Bing hurried to his side, looking him up and down with deep concern. Seeing that he was completely uninjured, save for some fatigue, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are our casualties?" Xia Zheng asked, sitting cross-legged on the ground to recover his strength.

Luo Bing sat beside him and replied, "The exact casualty figures are not out yet, but the total number is roughly around three thousand. This is our lowest-casualty engagement yet."

"Sigh..." Xia Zheng sighed. Humanity's overall strength was still far inferior to that of the Blood Clan. Even while holding the upper hand, their casualties still outnumbered the enemy's, which spoke volumes about the enemy's formidable nature. Had it not been for sufficient troop numbers, continuing to fight until now would have been practically unsustainable.

Knowing what was on his mind, Luo Bing said, "Don't worry, the soldiers' morale is soaring after this victory."

"Let's rest for two hours, and then we'll continue our advance," Xia Zheng said after a moment of thought.

Luo Bing asked with a puzzled look, "Shouldn't we press our advantage and attack?"

"No, the Blood Clan is not that fragile. Although they haven't controlled the Eternal Sector for long, they have already subjugated a portion of the residents and assimilated them into the Blood Clan. Therefore, if they send these former compatriots of ours to fight us, how are we supposed to conduct ourselves?" Xia Zheng analyzed deeply.

Luo Bing understood the implication and continued, "I realize that too, but given the circumstances, we would just have to deal ruthless blows. Besides, aren't they still preparing the resurrection ritual? Once they complete it, wouldn't that mean—"

"It's not that simple. Although I didn't destroy the altar last time, I caused damage to that statue. Judging by the importance they attach to it, even minor damage to such a resurrection ritual is not easily repaired. Furthermore, this battle has solidified a conviction in my mind: the truly high-tier Blood Clan members must all be guarding the altar to prevent any further sabotage. If we launch a rash attack, we will likely lose all hope. My current idea is to lure the snake out of its hole, gradually consuming their elite forces and continuously wearing down the altar's guards. As long as we can safely escort the optical cannon unit into effective range of the altar, this campaign will be a victory. As for completely wiping out the Blood Clan, I hold no illusions of certainty. However, once the altar is destroyed, the Blood Clan will inevitably suffer a devastating blow. When that time comes, even if they wish to avoid a decisive battle, they will have no choice." Xia Zheng finished speaking in one breath, and Luo Bing, having understood his logic, indicated that she would follow his advice.

Soon, Luo Bing gave the order to rest in place and retreated directly back to their own camp. All comrades who died in battle were cremated to ensure the Blood Clan could not exploit their remains.

Under Xia Zheng's arrangements, the scout troops had largely avoided participating in the main frontline battle. Now, while the main army rested, they braved great danger and hardship to penetrate deep into enemy territory.

An hour later, the scout unit returned almost entirely intact. According to their reconnaissance, the Blood Clan had further contracted their defense line, concentrating nearly all their forces around the altar. Rough estimates indicated there were upwards of five thousand Blood Clan elites, alongside over one hundred thousand federal citizens controlled by the Blood Clan, as well as forty to fifty thousand Blood Clan monsters and undead legions. They now seemed reckless and desperate, solely focused on guarding the altar.

A temporary combat meeting was convened, and everyone reached a consensus: a frontal assault would yield little effect, and the numerical strength between the enemies and themselves was not vastly different. Although those Blood Clan monsters and undead legions posed a much smaller individual threat, their fanatical tendency to fight without regard for death meant that wiping them out would still inflict heavy losses.

"Currently, after these few battles and the fact that I previously disrupted their resurrection ritual, I believe I will become the primary target of the Blood Clan's attention. We can use this to our advantage," Xia Zheng finally revealed his plan after listening to everyone's opinions.

Luo Bing and the other officers looked at him, looking somewhat perplexed.

"My plan is to exploit the Blood Clan's hatred and wariness toward me, drawing out and pinning down their main forces, while the rest of you lead the army to assault the altar. This time, their battle formation is extremely concentrated, which happens to maximize the destructive power of the optical cannons. We can deploy all the optical cannons at once to deal a devastating blow to their living forces. If necessary, we must stop at nothing; our ultimate goal is to destroy the altar," Xia Zheng said with absolute confidence.

"No, how can you venture into danger alone? I think it would be better to split our forces. You and I will each lead half the troops; I will launch a feint attack while you lead the main assault. You are much better suited to destroy the altar," Luo Bing voiced her opinion, which won the agreement of the majority.

Xia Zheng shook his head and said, "I disagree! Doing so will only bring unnecessary sacrifices. The ones who besiege me will inevitably be high-tier Blood Clan members, and the more soldiers that follow me, the heavier the casualties will be. I won't be able to launch active attacks on my end and will only be forced into defense or evasive maneuvers. If your forces are also bogged down, then this deep penetration mission into enemy territory to destroy the altar will be a total failure. I don't know what the outcome will be if this operation fails and over eighty thousand people perish, but the crucial point is that the altar would remain intact. Once the Blood Clan resurrects that mysterious female, General Lefebvre and General Ying Fan, along with the remaining troops stationed outside, might face catastrophic danger. If the entire army is wiped out, Eternal Night City will completely fall, and we will all become sinners against the Federation."

Hearing Xia Zheng put it this way, everyone fell silent. Indeed, a split-force strategy was exceedingly dangerous. Their troop numbers already felt insufficient for this operation, and splitting them further would practically guarantee defeat.

"Therefore, my containment strategy will be far more effective. The optical cannons are our current trump card as humanity, and we must play this card well. For the sake of the Federation, I and everyone here share an unshakable duty." After Xia Zheng finished speaking, everyone, including Luo Bing, raised no further objections, though the atmosphere remained heavy.

Once Xia Zheng was surrounded by the powerhouses of the Blood Clan, his fate would likely be death in battle. Yet, he believed this offered the highest chance of victory. Perhaps in the real world, it was precisely the failure to stop the resurrection ritual of the altar that had led to the total collapse of human forces. If he wanted to prevent the fall of Eternal Night City within this simulation instance, this was the only way, and perhaps a glimmer of survival remained. As for his own fate and whether he lived or died, to him—an outsider—it was ultimately insignificant. He was destined to return to the real world anyway. If he could change a destiny once, he was willing to "die" for it.