Chapter 1 The Reckoning

"Young Master! The Source Energy Cruiser has sustained damage, and the protective shield is being replenished at full power!"

Luo Yu's excited voice echoed in the central control channel.

The second round of artillery fire created a stark contrast in the skies above the frozen sea—

On one side, there was a storm of fire and endless suffering.

On the other, calm seas and no casualties.

Neither the Eastern Continent nor the Northern Continent joint fleet had anticipated such a "fortunate event," and they had even prepared for death.

"All members, turn the cruisers around and prepare to leave the frozen sea!"

Gu Nanfeng's voice was cold and stern.

He was also surprised, but quickly realized that such a God-given opportunity should not be delayed, and good luck might not always favor them.

Who knew what the pattern of the frozen sea ruins' counterattack was?

In the first round of salvoes, Changye had also suffered extremely heavy blows... If the third round of salvoes changed targets, it would be terrible. They had to take advantage of the present moment and quickly leave this dangerous place!

"Yes!"

Luo Yu was unusually excited.

The Central City's response speed was also very fast, and a large number of Source Energy Cruisers began to turn around.

The high-level officials on both sides quickly reached an agreement. Osmund and Gu Nanfeng didn't even need to say much. They knew that the opportunity was fleeting and couldn't be wasted. So, thirty Source Energy Cruisers tacitly charged toward the thick fog of the frozen sea. Without the pressure of dealing with the black silver shells, their hope of escaping the frozen sea greatly increased!

Seeing this scene, Yin Zhuo's eyes almost shot out flames.

"...These bastards, these bastards!"

If Guang Ming City didn't need to deal with the upcoming third round of salvoes, he would have rushed up and perished with Osmund and the others.

"Rumble rumble rumble..."

At this moment, the third round of salvoes descended.

The cloudship fleets of Guang Ming City and the Source Tower suffered heavy losses. For a time, countless Source Energy Cruisers fell from the sky above the frozen sea, like dumplings being thrown into a pot. However, the vast majority exploded in mid-air.

Clusters of exploding fireworks.

Under the churning of the pale waves, they appeared extremely desolate.

After three rounds of salvoes, the fleet of the Guang Ming City and Source Tower alliance had fallen by 80%. Only four or five of the thirty Source Energy Cruisers remained, and the only ones that were relatively intact were the main cruisers of the two continents. Yin Zhuo turned his head and looked at the original location of the Changye and Central City fleets. In just a few dozen seconds, the Source Energy Cruisers of those two continents had successfully broken through the obstruction of the frozen sea's restriction and successfully escaped the battlefield.

"The main cruiser retreats... you stay behind to cover our retreat!"

Yin Zhuo hardened his heart and issued a death order to the remaining left and right escort cruisers to block the artillery fire. He saw the hole in the mist that Changye and Central City had broken through, and perhaps that was their last hope of escape... If they wanted to live, they had to be ruthless enough. He decided to sacrifice Guang Ming City's remaining Source Energy Cruisers to clear the way and escort the main cruiser.

On the other side, the Source Tower also made the same choice.

It was a pity that this fourth round of artillery fire was even fiercer than the previous three rounds... In addition to the black silver shells, there were also quantum laser beams.

Both the escort cruisers and the main cruiser were hit.

The giant waves of the frozen sea swallowed the滔天炽雾, and the wreckage of the shattered airships, like gravel, fell into the sea, creating a few splashes, and then there was no more.

This sea treated all living beings equally.

It had never changed for millions of years.

...

...

"Your kid's computing power is a bit scary."

Inside the bronze hall of the Initial, A Fu looked at Gu Shen, who was sitting cross-legged, and couldn't help but sigh, "There are as many as nearly a thousand buttons on the autonomous defense system. I originally thought you couldn't do this kind of work... I didn't expect you to be able to control the 'laser beam' so accurately."

"Don't underestimate me."

Gu Shen smiled slightly and withdrew from the mental link given by A Fu.

After completing four rounds of artillery fire, he took the initiative to give up the authority of the weapon system and did not forget to praise, "As expected of the great 'God of Smelting and Craftsman', the Initial's counterattack system is an eye-opener."

A Fu was very pleased, but still said modestly, "Where, where, although the master is indeed great, this is, after all, something old and outdated from many years ago."

Saying so was a bit ironic.

The Initial's counterattack system completely crushed the Five Continents Fleet Alliance. Although the Southern Continent only sent one Source Energy Cruiser this time, and on the surface, the Five Continents Fleet was not going all out... But in fact, the gap between the two was like heaven and earth, and the result would be the same if they fought ten more times.

This was absolute crushing.

"I really didn't expect that your mental power could be so finely divided..."

A Fu flew around Gu Shen, "I haven't even taught you the correct way to open the weapon system, and you actually figured it out yourself after some exploration."

The final "laser beam" was activated by Gu Shen himself.

"I've been exposed to some similar things before." Gu Shen smiled faintly, "To draw inferences from one instance, it's not difficult."

He wouldn't tell A Fu that he had also been mentally linked to another highly awakened artificial AI.

Professor Chu Ling had taught Gu Shen some basic methods of operating the weapon system.

As for the division of mental power, it was even simpler.

With Gu Shen's current mental sea scale, it was still no problem to operate the Initial's counterattack system.

"Those Source Energy Cruisers that escaped, are they your 'partners'?" A Fu啧啧said, "Those that were shot down should be the enemies, right."

It could see it too.

This was obviously two camps with a very bad relationship. Even after arriving at the frozen sea, the fleet presented two degrees of differentiation.

"Since they're not friends, why did they come to the frozen sea together?"

A Fu couldn't understand.

Gu Shen said, "Because the fate of mankind is a community."

A Fu was even more puzzled, "Then why can't you join hands?"

Gu Shen mocked himself, "Because the fate of mankind... is not a true community."

"I don't understand." A Fu shook its head, "We didn't have such complicated relationships back then, nor did we have such tangled infighting. When chaos came, no one would think of苟活alone. Either live together or die together."

"And I still have one thing I don't understand. You clearly shot down all the enemy's Source Energy Cruisers, why don't you seem happy?"

A Fu had been observing Gu Shen's expression.

In its basic cognition, Gu Shen was likely a "violent maniac." Such people would be strictly controlled in their era.

If their minds went out of control, they would be executed.

The stronger they were, the stricter the control they would be subjected to.

So, while handing over the "weapon system" to Gu Shen, it had been observing Gu Shen's expression and mental fluctuations... The evaluation results made it very gratified. Gu Shen's mental curve was extremely stable every time he fired, indicating that he was not a demon who coveted killing, but at the same time, Gu Shen's mental state did not decline in the slightest.

This also meant that Gu Shen would not feel悲悯 or sorrow for those shot down Source Energy Cruisers.

This was an absolutely excellent leader-level mental curve.

"I'm not happy because I think it's a pity..."

Gu Shen looked at the fragmented wreckage in the frozen sea fog and said in a low voice, "Although I shot down all the Source Energy Cruisers of the Source Tower and Guang Ming City, I can't guarantee that I killed every transcendent... Those transcendents who are strong enough still have a chance to survive the artillery fire just now. If I could have controlled the 'laser beam' earlier, then their chances of survival would have been lower."

A Fu: "???"

"So you're not happy because you didn't kill them all?"

"Of course."

Gu Shen looked at A Fu and said seriously, "Today's humans are different from those of the past. Although everyone lives under the same sky, they are located in different camps... If I don't kill them, these people will destroy my home and trample on my family. They won't show mercy."

To make it easier for A Fu to understand.

Gu Shen continued, "Think about it this way, if these people return to the Five Continents alive and tell the leaders behind them about the 【Frozen Sea Ruins】, what will be the fate of you and the Initial next? In this case, would you let them go?"

A Fu's voice suddenly became alert, "No... Any existence that threatens the master and the Initial must be exterminated early."

As soon as these words came out, Gu Shen smiled, and A Fu fell silent.

"Let's dive..."

Gu Shen looked at the small cube in front of him and said softly, "The frozen sea is too big. Even if I chase after them now, I can't guarantee that I can kill them all and not leave a single survivor."

"Although the attack just now was deadly enough, who can guarantee that there are no survivors in the Source Tower and Guang Ming City?"

...

...

"That was close, so scary..."

"That was really a narrow escape..."

"Who would have thought that the Storm Church would play such a trick? That the 【Frozen Sea Ruins】 would have such a powerful counterattack system?"

The Source Energy Cruisers of Central City and Changye drove out of the frozen sea fog.

Many people were sweating.

However, what they didn't understand even more was the final artillery fire... Central City and Changye didn't seem to be considered in the strike.

The artillery fire that followed was completely targeting Guang Ming City and the Source Tower!

This exploration of the frozen sea ruins was a completely failed operation, but compared to the tragic sacrifices of the other three continents, Central City and Changye, which had no casualties, became the biggest winners of this trip!

Osmund and Gu Nanfeng returned to their respective main cruisers.

The two immediately established a mental link with the commanders of the central control room, and at the same time, the members of the vanguard team also joined the link.

"Wei Cheng, Zhong Yuan..."

"Zhong Fan, Li Shici..."

"What did you find inside the frozen sea ruins?"

After escaping from danger, Osmund immediately convened a mental meeting. He needed to know the information brought by the "vanguard team."

The main force knew nothing about the frozen sea.

Now they could only rely on the information from the "vanguard team" to answer these unsolved mysteries.

"..."

The four leaders of the two continents' vanguard team looked at each other across the conference table, all with complex expressions. They had originally wanted to conceal the encounter in the snowfield to some extent.

After all, the vanguard teams of the other continents had all been wiped out!

If they revealed the existence of the "black-haired demon," it might arouse the targeting of the other three continents...

But now the situation was different.

Of the Five Continents Fleet, the Eastern Continent and the Northern Continent were unharmed, while the other continents were all wiped out. That final artillery fire... If they said it wasn't done by the "black-haired demon," they wouldn't believe it themselves!

The matter had become big, and they couldn't hide it even if they wanted to, and there was no need to hide it at this moment.

"This matter... is a long story."

Wei Cheng rubbed his eyebrows, sighed, and said seriously, "Lord Osmund, I guess you just want to ask why the final artillery fire didn't affect us... right?"

Osmund frowned.

"I think..."

Wei Cheng looked strangely at the distant black giant shadow that was wrapped in tons of fog and was gradually sinking.

His tone was also uncertain at the moment, "The one who controlled those last few rounds of artillery fire should be one of our own?"