Chapter 101: Latest Developments (Part II)

Because the duration of this career mission had somewhat exceeded Guo Lang’s expectations, he gathered everyone almost immediately upon his return. Once they were assembled, he received three pieces of news right away.

The first two were pieces of good news regarding the development of the base. First, half a month ago, the entire Orchid Island had been completely reclaimed. The island was entirely covered by the Tree of Life, and with not a single living corpse remaining, it had become a true paradise, free from the virus in this post-apocalyptic world.

The second piece of news concerned training. Because Guo Lang had provided a large batch of high-grade inferior gene serums upon his return, the progress of the team’s warriors had accelerated. Now, including leaders like Thomas and his group, there were over twenty Level 3 archers. The first two hundred warriors of the base had all successfully mastered the skills of a Level 1 archer. Although most were still equipped with firearms—largely because the various production lines of the base had not yet been fully established—the situation was no longer allowing for delay. After hearing the third piece of news, Guo Lang knew that the current situation had become extremely dire.

The third piece of news came from the outside. Although Guo Lang had not explicitly ordered anyone to go out and gather intelligence, the group had discussed it during his prolonged absence and decided to send out a team of high-level soldiers to scout the situation. They had only just gone out when they returned with shocking news.

The Undead had taken the initiative to attack. The Northern Military District, the most powerful among the currently established warlord factions, had been conquered!

When this news first arrived, it stunned everyone. Although Xie Lin and the others had been given a warning by Guo Lang long ago, they still found it hard to accept; it was simply too exaggerated.

Upon hearing this, Guo Lang’s expression turned grave. While it was within his expectations, the pace was faster than he had imagined.

At the conference table, Guo Lang looked at Thomas and asked, "How much do you know about the situation in the Northern Military District? What level are their armaments and strength? Especially their ground forces—I need as much detail as possible!"

"Understood!" Thomas saluted and, without hesitation, explained, "The strength of the Northern Military District has always been highly praised by the military. Before the apocalypse, the Northern Military District consistently won the annual military exercises held between the major districts. Their ground combat units were exceptionally strong; both their equipment and the quality of their personnel were renowned throughout the Rosa Federation. Furthermore, the Northern Military District held the Federation's largest airbase. In terms of overall strength among the remaining major military districts, they were undoubtedly at the top."

"Is there any specific intelligence on the attack?"

"No!" Thomas said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "According to the scouts, it started when the Northern Military District sent out distress signals to all surrounding major military districts. At the time, all the districts were shocked by the news of the attack and held emergency military meetings. However, because each district had its own hidden agenda, they could never reach a consensus. Everyone wanted to gain the most benefit from the rescue while avoiding unnecessary losses." He paused, his expression heavy. "After dragging their feet for a few days and finally cobbling together a rescue plan, the top brass of the military districts discovered that they could no longer reach the Northern Military District. They immediately dispatched reconnaissance units, but not a single one returned. They didn't even bring back a shred of decent intelligence. That was when those leaders realized a catastrophe had occurred."

"What about our soldiers who went out? Are they safe?"

"Yes!" Thomas nodded. "No casualties so far. Some soldiers requested to scout the Northern Military District, but I stopped them."

"Well done," Guo Lang nodded in approval. Every Level 3 archer was extremely precious and could not be lost lightly. Besides, given their level of experience, the quality of intelligence they could gather would not be very high.

"Could it be a conspiracy by the Northern Military District itself? After all, satellites are paralyzed now, and both communication and modern reconnaissance are far inferior to what they used to be. Perhaps the Northern Military District’s ambitions have swelled, and they are planning something?" Jiang Liuying proposed a possibility.

"That’s unlikely," Xie Lin shook his head. "If it were a conspiracy, they wouldn't gain any substantive benefits. At most, they might swallow up a few reconnaissance units from other districts. Do you really expect the leaders of the other military districts to run over and hand themselves over? They would, at most, send a few exploratory forces. Those military bigwigs aren't idiots; they won't throw away their vital forces all at once."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with Xie Lin’s point of view.

"But I still don't understand," Xie Lin said with a serious expression. "What is that player relying on? If what Thomas says is true, given the armaments and strength of the Northern Military District, I think they would have no trouble reclaiming cities or even the world on their own. How could they fall in just a few days? How did the opponent achieve that?"

"Biological weapons," Guo Lang said with certainty.

"What kind of biological weapon is that powerful?" Xie Lin remained puzzled. "Are you referring to a new type of virus? If so, how did they deploy it? Could it be through airborne infection? I’ve read the plane rules. This kind of world-ending, large-scale slaughter by the Undead is already touching the bottom line of the Gaia plane’s consciousness. If they used airborne transmission, it wouldn't be a conquest; it would be pure destruction. As a Bronze-tier novice, he would be blasted into nothingness by the plane’s consciousness in an instant!"

*As expected of a 'mage,'* Guo Lang thought to himself with a sigh. *He really knows a lot and is clearly someone who browses the database every day.*

"So-called biological weapons don't just refer to viruses; they could also be mutated organisms," Guo Lang reminded him.

"That's even more absurd..." Xie Lin frowned deeply. "What kind of organism can face the modern military technology of this plane head-on? No matter how powerful he is, his level is limited; how high-level a creature can he create? Take your Level 3 archers, for example. I've looked at them—honestly, their individual combat power is not bad. If they use the terrain well, one person might be able to wipe out a platoon. Well, if they fight a guerrilla war, the chance of one person wiping out a company is not small. But in a frontal assault, even all your enhanced soldiers combined might not be able to defeat a division!"

"That is true..." Guo Lang nodded in agreement.

"Then I'm very curious!" Xie Lin said with interest. "How did the opponent do it? No matter how strong he is, given his current level, how high-level a creature could he produce? Level 4? Or Level 5? I looked into those bio-technologies a while ago. The Undead race's biological factory doesn't create things out of thin air; it requires primordial biological embryos. That is to say, its biological samples are taken from this plane. Although this plane has relatively strong technology, it is a low-magic plane. The biological strength is about the same as our plane. How powerful can they get even after mutation? It’s impossible for them to be god-like, right?"

He paused, then added, "Not to mention that military district's air force! You should know the importance of air superiority on the battlefield, right? With the technology of this plane, if nothing else, how would you break through the dense bombing of an air force?"

"Perhaps the opponent created a very powerful flying creature?" Ye Zhichiu asked curiously. "The kind that can take down fighter jets in mid-air... like, say... a dragon?"

Guo Lang and Xie Lin rolled their eyes at the same time. "Have you been playing too much StarCraft?"

"Is that not possible?" Ye Zhichiu rubbed his bald head, a look of anticipation actually appearing on his face.

Guo Lang looked at him and coldly shattered his fantasy: "It really isn't."