Chapter 194: Controlling the Beast Tide?

Chapter 194: Controlling the Beast Tide?

“So, according to their account, a massive horde of monsters swarmed Jurong Town, and someone spotted tracks of heavily armored warriors?”

Standing opposite Ji Xing, Chen Jian asked with a furrowed brow.

“What does that imply? The monsters, I can comprehend—but armored warriors? Could they be soldiers from the Mechanicus Guard Brigade?”

“Were they battling the monsters, with the collateral damage devouring Jurong Town entirely?”

“Perhaps it is not quite so simple.”

Ji Xing’s brow knit tightly. After a moment of careful recollection, she spoke.

“They mentioned a few specific details.”

“Those heavily armored warriors appeared behind the beasts, and they seemed to avoid direct engagement with them entirely.”

“The monsters entered Jurong Town first, departing on their own accord only after inflicting immense casualties.”

“Only then did the armored warriors materialize on the periphery, yet they merely surveyed the ruin of Jurong briefly before retreating, trailing the path the beasts had taken.”

“Rather than a 'battle,' the movements of those armored warriors felt more akin to a 'drive-hunt' of sorts.”

“It seemed as though they intended to herd the monsters toward a specific destination, but their ultimate purpose... remains unclear.”

“Understood.”

Chen Jian nodded thoughtfully, then pressed further.

“Have you ever witnessed such tactics before? Herding, then hunting?”

“...To be frank, such a strategy is not uncommon.”

Ji Xing subconsciously touched the Type 191 rifle slung across her chest before answering.

“But whether it be the Sanguinians or the Mechanicus, before executing such a maneuver, they would conduct thorough reconnaissance to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible.”

“If mass civilian casualties were incurred, we would be held accountable.”

“While a situation like this is not entirely unprecedented, it is exceedingly rare. It truly is difficult to divine what they are orchestrating.”

“Indeed.”

Chen Jian let out a long, heavy breath, then conceded.

“Regardless, let us settle the refugees first.”

“We are inherently short on manpower; it is a boon that people come to seek refuge with us.”

“However, do not permit them entry into the Core Area 011. Provide them one meal a day, and let them utilize the timber cleared by Fuxi to erect their own shelters on the outer clearing.”

“Subsequently, they must secure their own survival, or trade their labor for compensation.”

“We shall provide them only the most fundamental sanctuary, precisely as the Mechanicus and the Sanguinian Basilica do.”

“Understood.”

Ji Xing nodded immediately to receive the command, turning at once to convey Chen Jian’s decree to the refugees still waiting anxiously in place.

The eleven individuals fell to their knees in tearful gratitude. This time, the words "Stand up, kneeling is forbidden" were spoken by Ji Xing.

Soon, the band of refugees was eating the simple fare prepared by Fuxi.

When the steaming porridge, enriched with dried meat, was set before them, the hands that received the bowls trembled violently.

“Eat,”

Ji Xing spoke with a note of detachment in her voice.

“You may remain, but we will not sustain you for free.”

“If you wish to survive, if you wish to eat, you must work.”

“Work! We can work!”

The man leading them could not even wait for the scalding porridge to cool, swallowing several mouthfuls down and gasping repeatedly for air before speaking further.

“We have five women and two children—we can offer them all to the masters!”

“The women are all capable of childbearing, and they can labor as well!”

“We only beg to stay. If we are unwelcome here, once we have rested, we can leave...”

“There is no place better than this.”

Ji Xing let out a cynical laugh.

“Surely you do not still harbor dreams of journeying to Jinling City to throw yourselves at the mercy of the Mechanicus?”

“Cease your dreaming. They certainly will not feed you for nothing.”

These few words left the leading man entirely stunned. Only now did he finally shake off his shock enough to begin observing his surroundings with care.

He could not comprehend the things he saw, nor did he know what they signified.

In truth, he could not even discern the inherent "goodness" of this place.

He merely felt instinctively that this must be exactly what a true, mighty power ought to look like.

Yet now, this woman—frighteningly swift, evidently a Sanguinian—told him not to dream of seeking out the Mechanicus?

Then you all... are not the Mechanicus?

“My Lord...”

The man spoke with a touch of hesitation, then inquired.

“Is this place the Sanguinian Basilica?”

“No. This is the Huaxia Army.”

Ji Xing answered simply, turning away to depart without offering further explanation.

The man finished the last of his meat porridge in two gulps, then glared fiercely at the women in the group, snatching the remaining half-bowls from their hands.

Already weakened, the women seemed entirely accustomed to this and offered no resistance.

Witnessing this, Xie Liu stepped forward to intervene, but Chen Jian and Ji Xing stopped her simultaneously.

“Don't,”

Chen Jian spoke in a low voice.

“They are not yet our own people. They must operate by their own rules.”

“We cannot always play the part of the righteous magistrate; that would only increase our burdens in vain.”

“But this is unjust of them.”

Xie Liu questioned, slightly perplexed.

“Have we not always preached fairness?”

“Fairness is forged through struggle, not bestowed from above.”

Chen Jian explained.

“Huangshi City receives fairness from us because they have already been vetted and have proven themselves in battle.”

“you, the holy‑blooded, receive fairness because at the very beginning you made the right choice.”

“and them? what have they done?”

“to seek fairness, must we rely on our ‘gifts’?”

“understood.”

xie liu exhaled deeply, then said:

“i’m only worried that rules like theirs will bring us ill effects.”

“don’t worry, it won’t.”

chen jian gave a mysterious smile, then said:

“the reason men among the refugees now enjoy privileges is that they have an acute need for security, and robust men are the best protectors for them.”

“but now that need for safety has been satisfied.”

“in the days ahead, they have many tasks to perform.”

“who works more, who works better, will eat more rice.”

“that is the greatest fairness.”

“rest assured, the ‘ruling class’ will soon see its privileged rule over this refugee squad collapse, giving way to a more equitable ‘competitive rule.’”

“at most three days.”

“just wait and see.”

“got it!”

xie liu replied solemnly, suppressing the impulse to “preside over justice.”

when she glanced again at the refugee squad, she keenly noticed a woman silently fishing the jerky from her bowl and tucking it into her own lap.

while several men were distracted, she slipped the jerky into a child’s mouth.

a faint smile tugged at xie liu’s lips.

she knew the commander’s judgment was already beginning to bear fruit.

after settling the refugees, chen jian did not linger; he quickly organized a simple dinner, arranged the evening’s activities and rest schedule, then summoned the core members into the war‑room to discuss the clues the refugees had brought about juruo town.

a sky‑dome s‑type patrol drone had taken off half an hour earlier and now circled above juruo town.

from the footage the drone transmitted, chen jian and his team saw the town’s condition with crystal clarity.

blood stained the ground, corpses lay strewn everywhere.

scores of makeshift houses were razed, a few structures bore the scars of fire.

yet no signs of massive explosions or automatic‑weapon fire could be found throughout the settlement.

it was evident that the refugees’ information was truthful; this was indeed the work of monsters. by the scale of destruction, it might even have been a fourth‑grade beast.

why would it voluntarily assault a human settlement?

was it truly the mechanical cult’s “herding and driving”?

or perhaps the mechanical cult was merely in pursuit, and the tragedy at juruo town was an accident?

chen jian furrowed his brow and asked:

“fuxi, can you locate the mechanical cult’s guard legion or any trace of the beasts?”

“from the attack on juruo town to now is no more than forty‑eight hours; they shouldn’t be far.”

“sorry, no relevant traces found.”

fuxi’s voice echoed in the war‑room:

“the enemy may be using rivers or watercraft for mobility; speed unknown, direction unknown, search area too vast—no results yet.”

“if needed, i can deploy the sky‑dome drone to continue a radial sweep centered on juruo town; it will take roughly twenty hours to scan the entire sector.”

“never mind, that would waste too much flight time.”

chen jian shook his head, setting the laser pointer down.

then he spoke:

“this matter is highly irregular; i urge everyone to take it seriously.”

as his words fell, the faces around the table hardened instantly.

“first, the crisis in jinling city has only just been averted, and according to zhang tao’s report combined with the drone reconnaissance, all nearby temple guard legions were being dispatched toward jinling before this.”

“even if they abandoned the advance on jinling, they should have rushed to reinforce other defenseless towns, not lingered on the outskirts to fight.”

“second, based on the refugees’ description, the guard legion’s tactics are clear, its objectives explicit; from the clues we have, the possibilities narrow to either tracking or herding.”

“in other words, this is a planned, premeditated operation.”

“and it is evident that this operation was carried out by the very guard legion that was originally slated to enter jinling.”

“that raises a serious suspicion.”

“what kind of operation could be so crucial as to make the guard legion abandon jinling’s defense, compel that so‑called ‘saint’ to change his stance, and drop his pressure campaign?”

“i believe what happened in juruo town is merely a superficial ‘accident.’”

“what they are truly doing may be far beyond what we have witnessed.”

as his words ended, everyone in the conference room furrowed their brows.

after a moment of silence, ji xing suddenly asked:

“is it possible that what they are doing is linked to the so‑called beast tide?”

“beast tide?”

chen jian blinked, then replied:

“logically, there should be no connection.”

“according to wang lizi, a beast tide is a collective behavior that emerges after monsters communicate spontaneously among themselves.”

“the mechanical cult might be able to predict an incoming beast tide, but it’s unlikely they would deliberately trigger one, right?”

“their tech tree points toward machinery; how could they possibly converse with monsters?”

“what is this, a wasteland spirit‑beast sect?”

“even that is uncertain.”

lei jie exhaled deeply, then said:

“the monster at the huangzhou ruins already explains many things.”

“the mechanical cult has indeed tried to tame monsters; if they dared to do so, i suspect they possess some means of communicating with them.”

“otherwise, relying solely on primitive methods, the taming efficiency would be far too low.”

“in this regard, we must stay vigilant.”

“at the very least, we must prepare our defenses.”

“Makes sense.”

As those words fell, the faces in the war‑room grew even more solemn.

To provoke the beast tide deliberately?

Who, then, could be the target of their scheme? No need to elaborate.

No wonder Jin Cheng's stance shifted so swiftly; no wonder he consented almost “without hesitation” to the resource request of the Huaxia forces.

It’s also unsurprising that he specifically suggested changing the delivery schedule to a “monthly” cadence.

This pattern feels all too familiar to Chen Jian.

Offer a few rounds of tribute, bide their time, then launch a sudden assault once the moment is ripe?

What, a veteran of Civilization VI?!

To toy with us so brazenly?

Do they not fear that their intent will be exposed, inviting pre‑emptive retaliation from the Huaxia army?

Not so.

Even now, we lack sufficient proof to show they are attempting to stir the beast tide.

They could frame this operation as an accident.

It might, in fact, truly be a mishap.

Because everything is nothing but conjecture.

The one thing Chen Jian trusts without doubt is his own intuition.

When events run counter to the norm, there must be a hidden hand; in such a fierce contest, any ruthless speculation about the enemy is justified.

With that thought, he spoke:

“The nail left in Jinling must now play its part.”

“Synchronize the intel to He Shuo and Zeng Yi, inform them, and find a way to uncover the Mechanical Cult’s designs.”

“If they truly are steering the beast tide to strike us”

“then, regardless of when the tide arrives,”

“we must first eliminate that so‑called Pope!”

“Understood!”

A few minutes later, within Jinling.

He Shuo, having finished reviewing the intelligence from Facility 011, turned to Zeng Yi and asked:

“What do you make of it?”

“Do you think the Mechanical Cult can actively guide the beast tide?”

“Hard to say.”

Zeng Yi shook his head and replied:

“The material they’ve handed us so far has been heavily altered and polished; the genuine facts are scant, and the core secrets are entirely absent.”

“Yet for an organization with such deep roots, I cannot in the slightest believe they harbor no hidden methods.”

“I think the commander’s caution is warranted.”

“Whether or not they possess it, we must treat the matter with utmost prudence.”

“First, we should try to probe the depths.”

“Otherwise, shall we try to reach that brigade commander?”

“Zhang Tao or Jin Zhong?”

He Shuo asked.

“Jin Zhong!”

Zeng Yi answered decisively:

“Zhang Tao is a opportunist; he may not share intelligence with us at a moment like this, for the Mechanical Cult has only just begun to move.”

“Even if he wishes to trade, he’ll likely wait until the situation becomes unmanageable before consenting.”

“On the contrary, Jin Zhong owes us two lives.”

“Provided he does not betray the Mechanical Cult, I think he might furnish useful information.”

“Agreed.”

He Shuo rose and then said:

“Contact Jin Zhong and have him come to us.”

“Tell him we have matters of importance to discuss with him!”

(End of Chapter)