Chapter 373: Project Tinder

Chapter 373: The Spark Plan

Inside the operations command room of Base 011.

The decoding of the storage module is only five percent complete; the figure seems modest, yet even the freshly decoded files already teem with an immense trove of data.

What thrilled everyone most was that among the decoded data lay records of the very issue he cared about most—the aftershocks of the Great Cataclysm.

Compared with the capital’s logs, the Mountain City archives are clearer, more meticulous, yet paradoxically even more inscrutable.

“So the cataclysm’s aftershocks always manifest in a wholly invisible fashion?”

“The confirmed impacts now include broken genetic chains, plummeting fertility to the point of outright sterility, hyper‑accelerated metabolism that shortens lifespans, and widespread respiratory poisoning.”

“It seems every ‘aftershock’ targets only individual humans?”

“Is it truly that precise, or is this some form of directed assault?”

Leijie stared at the scrolling data, his brow furrowed, and said:

“If even Mountain City cannot pierce the phenomena to discern the true cause of the cataclysm’s aftershocks, then solving this puzzle will be exceedingly difficult for us as well.”

“Unless we can outpace them in a short span, mastering a higher tier of foundational theory.”

“Not necessarily.”

Chen Jian’s voice crackled through the headset, cutting Leijie off.

He followed immediately with:

“Mountain City’s theoretical route is fundamentally flawed; divorced from experiment and reliant solely on simulations, how could they hope for accurate results?”

“They do attempt ‘real‑world interaction’ to gather data, yet overall their dataset remains woefully scant.”

“At present we command a total computing power nearly nineteen times that of the 011 installations; should we refine our algorithms and boost utilization, our effective capacity will climb even higher.”

“With such raw power coupled with massive experimental data, we may not fare worse than they do.”

“As for the so‑called foundational theory issue,”

“We have all the time we need; why rush?”

“The time‑honed path may be long, but civilization’s rebirth demands epochs, and we can wait.”

His words hung in the air; Leijie was left speechless.

You’re only thinking in ideal terms!

The real problem is that we have no clue when the cataclysm’s aftershocks will strike—how can you tell me we can wait?

Where is there any room to wait?

He drew a deep breath and spoke:

“Our greatest dilemma now is that we cannot guarantee a stable, safe span of existence.”

“Have you read *The Three‑Body Problem*? When the three‑body conundrum remains unsolvable, every civilization’s trajectory is reduced to a roll of the dice.”

“And, truth be told, we fare even worse.”

“What decides survival isn’t randomness but a definite entropy we cannot compute.”

“That is precisely why Mountain City chose this path.”

“Unable to calculate that ‘entropy value’ accurately, their sole option is to slow entropy’s rise to the minimum.”

Leijie’s words faded, and Chen Jian’s voice rose again:

“The line of thought is wrong.”

“What I mean is that for three hundred years after the cataclysm, everyone’s reasoning has been flawed.”

“We simply cannot solve this ‘doomsday puzzle’ in a short term, no matter the method or attempt.”

“Any scheme that seeks to resolve the issue within a generation or a single civilizational cycle is a doctrine of swift victory.”

“The Mechanical Cult, the Holy Blood Hall, the Ring Consortium—and even the original Ring scholars—are all embodiments of that swift‑victory mindset.”

“They are consummate proponents of rapid triumph.”

“Yet the fact remains: every one of those swift‑victory zealots has failed.”

“We must learn from their downfall.”

When the words fell, everyone in Mountain City’s command room—Shen Yue, Leijie, Xie Liu, Zeng Yi and the rest—sank into silence.

Swift‑victory doctrine?

It is not an unfamiliar term to them.

In fact, for a long stretch, Chen Jian has repeatedly invoked that phrase.

Whether speaking of monsters, the Mechanical Cult, or the apocalyptic disaster, he has always warned that swift victory is untenable.

Back then his definition of ‘swift victory’ was narrowly bounded to ‘a few weeks, a few months.’

Now?

Even a ‘generation’ or an entire ‘civilizational cycle’ is being labeled swift victory?

That feels a bit… off.

Shen Yue exhaled softly; among them he was the most composed.

After a brief pause, he asked:

“Captain, you mean our generation, our current civilization can only lay foundations for those that follow?”

“That’s not all.”

Chen Jian’s voice came again.

“What I mean is that, given the inevitability of the apocalypse and its short‑term intractability, we should shift more of our effort toward disaster preparedness.”

“Preparedness??”

Shen Yue stared, dumbfounded.

Then, in an instant, comprehension returned.

“You mean you intend to rebuild civilization through preparatory works?”

“Like you suggested, akin to the Trisolarans’ dehydration?”

“Exactly.”

In the video feed, Chen Jian nodded gravely.

“But we need more than just preparatory structures or resources to restart industry.”

“We require a robust system—one that guarantees civilization’s continuity and spiral ascent for future generations.”

“We need precise, reliable educational frameworks and equipment.”

“We need a vast, comprehensible repository of knowledge.”

“We need resources, minerals, food.”

“We must reshape the environment generation after generation, until even if only two souls remain on this land, they can harness the existing resources to repopulate anew.”

"We have many tasks to undertake."

At that point, Chen Jian paused for a breath.

The others fell into a brief, stunned silence.

It was a plan of staggering grandeur.

So vast that it demanded the entire world’s map be folded into its scope.

In three centuries past, no one had ever achieved such a feat.

No one had even dared to imagine it.

A colossal shock swept through each heart, and then Chen Jian pressed on:

"To accomplish all this, we must first mobilize an all‑encompassing industrial system."

"And then, a step more refined."

"We need more excavators!"

Chen Jian’s proposal was swiftly approved.

For once he laid bare his true scheme, everyone realized that this seemingly mad design was, in fact, the most rational and hopeful choice.

Does the apocalyptic disaster exist? It does.

Can it be solved? It must be.

Yet can such a calamity truly be resolved within a single generation?

Almost impossible.

Thus, this Huaxia army and the others of the wasteland must first learn not how to survive, but how to accept their own death.

It is the most fundamental mindset that allows civilization to endure.

After the meeting ended, Shen Yue sought out Lei Jie.

Sitting in the rest area outside the main gate of the 011 works, Shen Yue asked:

"If this plan is to be carried out, does it mean we must shift our current path of industrial development?"

"No."

Lei Jie shook his head and replied:

"That's the beauty of it—we need make no adjustments to the existing plan."

"Climb the tech tree when it's time, gather the wanderers when needed, expand our influence when the moment calls."

"We can proceed along the predetermined course without deviation." "If we must note any difference, perhaps it's just as the captain said—we need more excavators."

"Because beyond basic construction and industrialization, even in the later disaster‑prevention works, we will require additional engineering equipment."

"Beyond that, there is no other distinction."

"Even He Shuo's plans remain untouched."

"We still must seize Jinling City and crush the Mechanical Church at the smallest possible cost."

"This is a pivotal part of ideological reformation, one we cannot bypass."

"Understood."

Shen Yue nodded thoughtfully.

After a moment of silence, he turned his question:

"What about the Ring?"

"It was supposed to be our most hopeful weapon against the apocalypse—must we now set it aside?"

"Of course not."

Lei Jie shook his head, rose, and answered:

"According to the captain’s plan, we will continue to explore the Ring’s applications."

"Only it is no longer our top priority."

"Now our primary focus shifts to Mountain City."

"There we must erect the largest metropolis the wasteland has ever known."

"Only when the city swells enough in size and populace can we truly achieve the goal of continuity."

"A massive migration of people will soon unfold."

"And with such a colossal movement of souls,"

"an age of upheaval is about to dawn."

"Upheaval?"

Shen Yue was taken aback.

Then a cryptic smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He looked at Lei Jie and asked:

"Do you truly believe the captain would permit such turmoil?"

As the words fell, Lei Jie’s gaze shifted subtly.

He then exhaled with a sigh of acceptance.

"Indeed."

"Upheaval cannot occur."

"One could say the era of great transformation is at hand."

Meanwhile, in Mountain City.

Guo Xu had just led his squad in clearing the final batch of small monsters surrounding Mountain City.

At that moment, his barrel still hot from battle, his emotions burned equally bright.

During his stay in Mountain City, his spirit surged daily, not merely from the thrill of the hunt nor from vengeance against the beasts, but from the palpable sense of personal advancement each day.

Not only himself, but the zealots under his command grew stronger with each passing day.

From being unable to hold formation before the monsters, they now spontaneously split into squads, employing agile tactics to encircle the foes.

One must admit this evolution is inseparable from the Huaxia army’s generous tutelage.

Yet Guo Xu also believed that the spiritual support of the Sacred Trinity was indispensable.

Combined, this zealot force would soon blossom.

Then I could lead this unit back to Jinling City, bringing them something new.

With that thought, Guo Xu returned to the command center at the heart of Mountain City.

He had intended to report to He Shuo, or perhaps share the battle report of this operation.

But when he lifted the tent’s curtain

and stepped into the command room, he found it utterly empty.

"Where are they?"

He stepped out again, and addressed Yu Qian, who was disassembling and maintaining firearms outside the combat command room.

"They've gone underground."

Yu Qian replied offhandedly.

Guo Xu frowned slightly, then asked:

"Underground? I recall Commander Chen Jian said yesterday that today we would launch the next phase of the cleanup operation."

"Has that plan been called off? What are we supposed to do next?"

"It hasn't been canceled."

Yu Qian shook his head and replied:

"The commander simply has more pressing matters."

"They need to investigate all the underground facilities of the mountain city and assess its maximum production capacity."

"That assessment is crucial to their subsequent plans."

"Understood."

Guo Xu gave a slight nod, but after a moment of silence he suddenly spoke again:

"So then? Back to the same question—what should my unit do next?"

"Arrange it yourself."

Yu Qian answered:

"A large group of pilgrim believers will soon arrive at the mountain city, and the commander wants you to handle it on your own."

"You may lead a team to guard them, stay in the city on watch, or continue to carry out the cleanup independently."

"You need not report to him repeatedly; after all, this is your own unit."

"However, within a short time you may have to leave the mountain city."

"We intend to establish a quarantine zone here; within it, obviously, no other armed forces can be accommodated."

"Understood."

Guo Xu had long anticipated that this day would come.

He just hadn't expected it to arrive so swiftly.

After a brief contemplation, he pressed on:

"And what of those pilgrims?"

"Will they never be allowed to enter thereafter?"

"No."

Yu Qian shook his head and replied:

"They can enter normally—actually, if you are unarmed, you may also enter."

"That way."

Guo Xu vaguely guessed what Chen Jian intended.

He likely plans to build a new city here.

He was utterly powerless to halt the scheme; the most he could do was

ask a few more questions and gather whatever information he could.

With that in mind, he turned to Yu Qian once more and asked:

"So, are you planning to found a new city here?"

"Do you intend to relocate Jinling New City to this spot as well?"

"No."

Yu Qian shook his head and answered:

"Jinling New City remains Jinling New City; the mountain city is a new initiative."

"A new initiative?"

Guo Xu frowned slightly.

"What plan?"

Yu Qian lifted his head, looked at him, and said deliberately:

"The Spark Plan."

(End of Chapter)