Chapter 1046: Day of Judgment

Chapter 1046: The Day of Judgment

Gunfire rang incessantly within the gates of Vault 13, and beyond them, chaos reigned.

Over ten thousand soldiers clad in exoskeletons rushed to their combat positions, followed closely by swarms of combat drones, while countless newly deployed "humanoid combat armors" emerged from the shadows of the ruins.

As early as the end of last year, the Enlightenment Society had been steadily transferring its assets to Vault 13.

Apart from the production materials and technical documents already moved inside, a considerable number of personnel and equipment had gathered outside Vault 13's entrance.

Not everything could be crammed into the vault—especially the garbage-sorting assembly lines and recycling facilities that supplied raw materials to the production lines.

If the situation grew dire, they could indeed retreat into the vault's turtle shell.

But before that, they intended to teach those insolent survivors a harsh lesson with the weapons in their hands!

Nearly every member of the Enlightenment Society thought the same.

Yet at that moment, something unexpected happened.

The gates of Vault 13 were locked tight...

...

In the ground operations command post, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

A man pacing back and forth wore a grim expression, sweat beading on his forehead, like an ant on a hot pan.

His name was Morton, the right-hand man of Guixu and the nominal second-in-command of the Enlightenment Society, tasked with directing the military forces deployed outside Vault 13.

Standing expressionless beside him was an officer from the "Celestial" organization, a former aerospace force officer with the code name "Sky Rainbow," whose real name was unknown. He used the latest military-grade android as a vessel for his consciousness and served as an operations advisor.

Unlike Morton, Sky Rainbow's expression was notably calmer.

Perhaps it was due to his service in the Three-Year War, or perhaps the innate composure of the undying, but he did not take the ragtag armed forces of the wasteland seriously.

Two centuries ago, calling such things cannon fodder would have been generous.

At least, that was his view.

Just then, an officer in combat gear slipped through a tunnel and cover into the command room.

Before he could even report, Morton grabbed him by the collar and roared, "What the hell is going on with that damn door?! Is it open or not?!"

The officer swallowed hard and spoke hurriedly, "There's a situation inside the vault—"

Before he could finish, Morton's spittle cut him off.

"A situation?! You come to me with a situation at a time like this? I need you to tell me right now what happened and how long it'll take to fix it!"

Morton bellowed, his eyes bloodshot, like a beast backed into a corner.

And indeed, that was the truth.

Alliance forces were converging on him from two directions, ready at any moment to drop a nuclear bomb on his head.

Actually, a nuke wouldn't be so bad.

Near the base of the old space elevator, plenty of debris could shield against the blast wave, and neutron radiation wasn't as hopeless as in the Classical Era.

What truly spelled doom was the loss of their escape route!

Without Vault 13 as a fallback, the entire surface defense zone would become a death trap!

He could withstand one or two nuclear strikes, but what about relentless, continuous strategic bombing?

He couldn't hold out.

Not even that iron lump beside him could!

Hearing his commander's incoherent roar, the officer whose collar was seized felt just as panicked inside.

"We don't know yet—our connection to the vault has been cut... from their side. Based on the latest intel, someone inside stirred up a riot..."

"Damn it..." Morton cursed, releasing the collar and striding back to the command table. He slammed his hands on the table, staring at the strategic map with flickering, uncertain eyes.

According to frontline reports, multiple Alliance forces had, after approaching the core area of Enlightenment Society equipment, spread out to encircle the entire space elevator base ruins.

It was obvious.

The Alliance had calculated that they couldn't—and wouldn't—retreat into Vault 13. Perhaps this very riot was their doing!

Otherwise, they wouldn't have adopted an encirclement tactic.

Those bastards came from a vault themselves; they knew full well how foolish it was to besiege one!

Sweat dripped endlessly from his brow. Morton felt like a gambler clutching his last few chips.

If he concentrated his forces to break out, there might still be a sliver of hope.

Once the encirclement was complete—

All their fates would hang on that gear-shaped alloy gate!

Seeing Morton's taut nerves, Sky Rainbow placed a hand on his shoulder and said in a flat electronic voice, "No need to worry. Our defenses won't be breached so easily."

Besides 11,000 marine soldiers equipped to pre-war standards and nearly a thousand humanoid combat armors, they had also deployed numerous automated turrets and drone hives along the defensive line!

Once Alliance ground forces approached the line, they would face devastating strikes!

The area above Vault 13 now concentrated the entire strength of the Enlightenment Society in the Great Desert region!

Even if the Alliance had a vast sea of troops and endless logistics, pulling out this thorn would take some effort.

"It's not about whether the line can hold—it's about the survival of our entire organization! If Vault 13's gate can't be opened, our personnel on the surface will eventually be ground down in their sustained assault!"

"So what?" Sky Rainbow shrugged lightly, his expression calm as he looked at his superior.

"So what?"

Morton squinted at this man who seemed utterly devoid of crisis awareness, then let out a cold laugh.

"Ah, I remember now... You don't care, do you? After all, what's walking here is just a shell you left on the surface, right?"

"I won't deny that," Sky Rainbow said indifferently. "We are immortal."

Silence fell over the command room.

Every officer present was mute, each for their own reasons.

Some felt fear, some envy, and most felt nothing at all.

They were all "Ascendants" who had uploaded their minds to circuit boards.

Sky Rainbow was right.

At least for an android officer whose brain resided in a space station at the Lagrange point, victory or defeat meant little.

Even if the entire Enlightenment Society perished, it wouldn't matter.

Their souls had long been immortal.

Morton stared coldly at this unfeeling figure, a complex array of emotions flickering in his pupils.

"Lord President is right... you lot have no hearts. Using you is fine, but if we place our victory on your shoulders, we're all dead."

"Calm down. Whether we have hearts or not, at least for now we're on the same side, aren't we?"

Tianhong spoke in a light, dismissive tone, sizing up the man before him, then suddenly dropped a line that left everyone present utterly stunned.

"Actually, you don't need to worry so much. We've already copied your mind and stored it on a server at the Lagrange point. Even in the worst-case scenario, nothing will happen to you."

Morton stared at him in shock, his pupils first filled with disbelief, then shifting to fury.

"You copied my mind?! What do you mean? When did this happen?"

"Months ago," Tianhong continued calmly. "No need to get so worked up. It's just a precaution. After all, war is a risky business. If you meet with an accident, we can use this alternative method to bring you back—"

"Don't tell me to calm down?! Bring me back? Ha—" Morton laughed bitterly, staring at him as if he were some incomprehensible monster. "What do you mean 'bring me back'? Let a lump of metal replace me? Wear my face, comfort my wife? Let my kids call him 'Dad'? That's your so-called alternative?"

"What's the problem?" Tianhong shrugged, equally baffled as he looked back at him. "You'll become an immortal existence—truly immortal—"

"Shut your mouth!"

Before he could finish, a furious roar cut him off, and a gun was pressed against his forehead.

Staring at Morton, who had suddenly drawn his weapon, a flicker of surprise passed through Tianhong's eyes.

He hadn't expected this man's emotions to be so unstable, to actually aim a gun at him.

Perhaps—

Copying this guy's consciousness hadn't been the best choice.

His abilities might be decent, but he was too impulsive.

As Morton erupted, the officers in the command room stood frozen in place.

"G-General... please calm down!" The officer beside him tried to intervene, but Morton's fierce glare silenced him, choking back the words that had risen to his throat.

Tianhong looked at Morton impassively, not even glancing at the pistol aimed at his head, and spoke in a gentle voice.

"I suggest you listen to your subordinate. What we need now is to discuss a strategy, not to fight among ourselves. If you really hate it that much, we can delete your backup personality."

"Do you think your words carry any credibility?" Morton seemed half-mad, his eyes blazing as he glared at Tianhong and everyone around him.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and fear crept into his eyes.

"How many of you... are androids?"

Come to think of it, he'd always found it strange.

Ever since the Enlightenment Society started cooperating with the Celestials, his subordinates seemed to have cheated death—no matter how devastating the defeat, they always miraculously survived!

In the past, he would never have entertained such suspicions.

But now, a high-ranking Celestial was telling him they'd copied his mind without permission, using his memories and thoughts to create a puppet of him!

The air was deathly silent.

In response to the order from their commander, only two hands went up among the dozen or so people in the command room.

One trembling hand belonged to the mid-ranking officer who had come to report; the other belonged to his adjutant, Lumo.

"Sir... I'm not an android," the mid-ranking officer said, his voice shaking with fear.

Morton turned his hopeful gaze to Lumo, but what the latter said plunged him into despair.

"Sir, let me say a few words... This isn't really a bad thing. If I hadn't uploaded my mind to a circuit board, I would have died in that operation a year ago."

More than ninety percent of the dozen or so officers nodded in agreement, signaling that they were the same—thanks to Celestial technology, they had "survived" until now.

Those who didn't raise their hands silently confirmed Lumo's words with their eyes.

"You see? I told you there's nothing to worry about," Tianhong said, looking at Morton with an indifferent expression, his voice calm. "Not just me—all of us are immortal."

Staring at those "walking corpses," Morton, who had always regarded them as comrades, felt utter despair. His trembling lips muttered.

"You madman... and all of you, you're all bloody mad!"

Perhaps—

It wasn't just the Celestials who were mad.

In the eyes of the survivors on the wasteland, weren't they themselves also madmen?

Watching Morton lower his gun, a faint smile curled at the corner of Tianhong's lips.

But that smile hadn't lingered on his face for even a second before it froze completely.

Without any warning.

Morton suddenly turned the gun around, pressed it under his chin, and pulled the trigger without a word.

"Bang—!"

The muzzle flash flickered and vanished. Morton fell backward, the hot shrapnel splattering blood onto the ceiling.

The air in the command room was deathly still.

Except for those officers who had already been converted into androids, everyone still alive stared wide-eyed, swallowing hard.

Dead...

Their commander.

"Why bother?"

After a long silence, Tianhong let out a soft sigh, raised his index finger, and gave a slight wave.

Moments later, footsteps sounded from outside the door. An officer entered, flanked by two guards.

The officer stopped, saluted, and then stepped forward to face the crowd.

The mid-ranking officer who had been delivering orders widened his eyes in disbelief at the familiar face before him—

It was his commander!

General Morton!

"Drag this thing out and burn it."

Without a trace of emotion, Morton glanced at the other version of himself lying on the floor, then signaled the two android soldiers who had entered with him to drag the corpse away.

Next, he swept his gaze across the assembled officers, including the mid-ranking officer who had completely frozen, and spoke as if nothing had happened, in a voice eerily calm.

"The strategy meeting continues."

"Until the lockdown on Vault 13's gate is lifted, I need you to hold the line at all costs—"

"Monster..."

The mid-ranking officer extended a trembling hand, drew his sidearm, released the safety, and raised it to fire.

But before his gun had even cleared the holster, Morton drew his own and pulled the trigger a split second faster.

"Bang—!"

The bullet struck the officer square in the forehead. Red-and-white matter splattered across the floor behind him.

The soldiers dragging the corpse paused, glancing at Morton for direction.

Without even looking at the fallen man, Morton holstered his gun and flatly uttered a single sentence.

"Drag him out too."

The soldier nodded in acknowledgment, stuffed the corpse into a body bag, zipped it up, and dragged it out the door.

Watching the deft movements of this "Morton," a faint smile of satisfaction curled at the corner of Tianhong's lips.

Not bad—

This fellow, uploaded onto the circuit board, was far more capable than that lump of flesh from before.

Perhaps they should have disposed of him long ago and replaced him with a more efficient "undying body."

The war council continued.

Morton methodically laid out the battle plan, issuing orderly commands to subordinate units.

The few remaining living officers—only three of them—trembled in fear, not daring to breathe a word.

No one noticed the two bodies dragged out of the command post.

Not even Morton's right-hand man, Colonel Munger of the "Flicker" special forces.

Gazing at the rolling dust clouds in the distance and the enemy unit signals drawing ever closer on the tactical display, he crouched in the concrete fortification, brow furrowed, feeling a violent twitch in his eyelid.

He sensed a gun aimed at him, yet couldn't see where it was.

According to reports from the front, the Alliance forces had just halted their offensive.

But for some reason, the unease in his heart only grew stronger...

Putting away his binoculars, he withdrew from the forward bunker back into the underground shelter below.

And just then, a sergeant in charge of communications walked in from outside, looking at him with a grave expression.

"Headquarters orders us to hold our position."

"Hold our position?"

Munger's brow twitched involuntarily, his face a mask of incomprehension.

"The main force of the Alliance is about to face us head-on. When will we retreat if not now?"

"This is a direct order from headquarters..." The sergeant's expression was grim, but mostly helpless.

It was their commander Morton's decision.

Perhaps—

That man had some other card up his sleeve?

Just as he was thinking this, the lights in the bunker suddenly flickered.

The few soldiers present froze, their nerves instantly on edge, staring anxiously at the bulb that blinked on and off.

The sergeant at the door swallowed hard and asked in an uncertain tone.

"...Is it an EMP?"

If it were an electromagnetic pulse, it would likely signal the start of a full-scale Alliance assault.

But Munger furrowed his brow even tighter and muttered under his breath.

"Doesn't seem like it..."

An EMP certainly had strong penetration, but not enough to pierce through over ten meters of concrete.

Moreover, that thing mainly targeted microelectronic devices; it shouldn't interfere with a bunker lighting system powered by a diesel generator.

Unless—

That thing wasn't an electromagnetic pulse, but a large-scale high-energy particle irradiation, like a solar flare!

The moment this thought struck him, Munger's face turned deathly pale.

He thought of one possibility!

Though he racked his brain, he couldn't understand why they hadn't received any advance warning.

That thing should have taken 24 hours to deploy and charge—how could the space station at the Lagrange point have missed it?

But now, thinking about it seemed pointless...

It was too late.

Watching the lights suddenly go out, he spoke his final words in despair.

"There's no time..."

It's over.