Chapter 206: The Rise of a Steel Fortress

“Spirit Shield System…”

“Self-locking Strike Network…”

“Spirit Tower Transplantation Technology… Core Conversion Engine…”

“Low orbital speed, maximum velocity at 1.8 Mach; near-earth orbit speed, 4.2 Mach…”

His expression was complex—almost one of awe.

From his initial marvel to his final silence, Yenir flipped through the data, now visibly at a loss.

“The value is astronomical… simply too immense…”

Even if he wasn’t a researcher or a tech fiend, a simple mental simulation of this steel fortress soaring into the skies made him grasp its terrifying significance.

“The Shield System can withstand Third-Stage attacks; the number of blocks depends on Spirit Energy reserves.”

“After the main cannon charges, its attack is equivalent to a peak Third-Stage full-force strike, capable of continuous assault…”

“Based on maximum load capacity…”

“Even if a hundred Third-Stage units assault it, this Destruction Fortress would dismantle them one by one… No, a single round of all-out fire would be enough.”

“Capable of carrying thousands of Awakeners at supersonic speeds, it can replenish Spirit Energy at any moment, massively enhancing Third-Stage mobility.”

“If I so desire! Within 24 hours, I could have an endless tide of Third-Stage forces descending over every world capital…”

“With a continuous operation time of up to three months—and up to a year in low-earth orbit—even if used as an escape vehicle, it remains the best way to preserve the spark of hope…”

This was nothing short of a near-perfect war machine…

He clenched his fists in silent determination.

At that moment, within Yenir’s heart, a voice roared with fury.

Take it down—must take it down!

Even if it couldn’t be built, the technology alone would be more than enough for him!

Once, all his previous plans had been grounded in pessimism.

Yes, he had been reborn and, with the help of a dual system, was walking an almost invincible path.

Yet Yenir knew that even in his simulations, the best outcome was merely prolonging resistance long enough to muster enough strength to shield Chinese civilization—a slim ray of hope.

Abandon every Safe Zone in the Huaxia Battle Zone! Sacrifice over 90% of the population! Forfeit 99% of ordinary people! Leave behind 99% of ports and lands!

Preemptively carpet-bomb every inch of land with nukes! Even if it turned the entire Huaxia Battle Zone into scorched earth, he would buy enough time!

Military control! Suppression! Seize supreme authority! Crush every dissenting voice! And throw every available resource into a do-or-die battle!

Consolidate every human and material asset; rally every military and private force to hold the final Capital Zone at all costs!

That was his plan.

Even so, he only had a fifty percent chance to counter the mutant horde that threatened Huaxia’s downfall. He hadn’t even factored in the mutant beasts in the oceans. Including them would mean there was virtually no hope.

All he could do was ‘pray’ that the sea beasts, once occupying coastal cities, would remain stationary long enough to grant him a reprieve.

“When I think about it, it’s only with that stubborn spirit and unyielding defiance that I dared to confront this apocalypse…”

Stirred by the emotion, a bitter smile played at Yenir’s lips.

Deep inside during the Awakener Trial, he was gripped by fear and trepidation—otherwise, that test would never have come to pass.

Although he had steeled his resolve and sworn to obliterate this apocalypse, it was as much a death wish as a do-or-die gamble staking everything on one colossal bet.

In his previous life, before dying, he had only seen a single Fourth-Stage mutant.

Theoretically, if there truly was only that one, then upon reaching Fourth-Stage he’d have a fifty percent chance to dispatch it! The remaining time would be spent enduring as long as possible, pinning his hopes on becoming stronger—or on more Fourth-Stage mutants emerging.

But as long as even one Fourth-Stage creature showed up among the subsequent monsters, there would be no hope at all.

Human resources are limited—he wasn’t a god.

“If only it were possible… if we could preserve more of our living force… even if we could rally the strength of the entire globe, my odds would improve significantly…”

Muttering under his breath, a fire ignited in Yenir’s eyes—a path he had never dared to imagine.

In his plans, he could only marshal the forces of the Huaxia Battle Zone.

But with a massive weapon at hand, everything would change.

No one knew the thoughts stirring in his mind at that moment.

“The greatest value of this technology isn’t in countering mutants… but in countering humanity itself!”

“Break through, and with a Third-Stage legion, plunder resources to ‘force’ every nation to hand over supplies—unite all of humanity’s power…”

Perhaps the idea was wild; perhaps it would lead to an extraordinarily bloody path.

But having stared death in the face once, Yenir was prepared to sacrifice everything for victory.

Nothing comes without a price.

To rewrite the ending, sacrifices are inevitable.

He exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh.

After detaching his mind from the blueprints, Yenir stood up and ceased absorbing Spirit Energy.

For him, the urgent task now was to organize the fragmented memories of the Intercontinental Instance.

“Seize total control over the instance?”

“What does that even mean?”

With a trace of uncertainty, Yenir strained to recall memories from his past life.

Clearly, the tasks issued by the Sword God System were nothing like those in his previous life’s instance.

Moreover, he keenly sensed that this instance was somehow different from before. Was it because Huaxia Battle Zone’s failure in his previous life triggered other zones to receive higher-level instance rewards, thereby transforming the instance?

Mysteries abounded.

With scant information, Yenir had no choice but to sit in his study and scribble down every remembered fragment at haste.

The pen raced across the page as moonlight under the dark sky cast dappled shadows on his face.

“The Zombie Realm… is a large-scale instance set in a world of technological civilization. In that world, human civilization also faced an apocalyptic zombie surge.”

“But unlike the real world, the instance’s storyline has them mastering the use of Spirit Energy long before the apocalypse—not on the body, but through various technological means.”

“For example, Spirit Mecha; or Psychic Rifles. The most powerful mechas can rival a basic Third-Stage Awakeners.”

“In the real world, much of the Military’s Spirit Energy technology was derived from this instance…”

He paused, pen in hand, his eyes alight with deep contemplation. After a brief hesitation, he resumed writing:

“Before entering in my previous life, my entry point was during the latter stages of the apocalypse—when the human government had collapsed, leaving only a few underground refuges.”

“The surface was overrun by zombies and teeming with mutants. Unlike the zombies in the real world, those in the instance had mutated under the influence of radiation.”

“Lacking an Awakeners system, early survivors in the Zombie Realm were forced to deploy nuclear weapons, shrouding the world in a radioactive haze that led to mass extinctions.”

“Global temperatures plummeted into a nuclear winter, eventually dropping to -16°C… The total NPC count in that instance never exceeded 200,000…”

“That mission was…”

“To help underground survivors eliminate a mutant and secure sufficient food supplies. A side quest involved breaching a Military research facility to retrieve an experimental mecha for the ‘protagonist.'”

“The mission wasn’t overly difficult… and the reward was an Energy Block—a high-purity form of Spirit Crystal.”

After rapidly consolidating the information, Yenir’s eyes flickered with sudden realization of the underlying issue.