Institute of Technological Research.
Core District, Conference Hall.
A shadowy figure arrived silently as the core members of the Institute of Technological Research waited.
Scanning the room, the shadow spoke in a deep voice.
"It is now certain that the forces of Star City are mobilizing against Future City. What are your thoughts and suggestions regarding this battle?"
The room fell into silence. No one spoke.
Right now, they had no way of gathering intelligence from Star City. The sudden declaration of war was baffling to them. It was illogical, and it defied common sense.
Future City was in a dire situation.
Just then, a man wearing the uniform of the Institute of Technological Research stood up and proposed in a serious tone.
"My lord, since it has been confirmed that Star City is waging war against us, there is no need to hold back. Before their forces arrive, I suggest we use a nuclear strike."
As soon as those words were spoken, the entire hall erupted into commotion.
Everyone present was well aware of what "nuclear strike" meant and the sheer destructive power of nuclear weapons.
However, after the Great Cataclysm, such weapons had been banned and were rarely mentioned.
The reason was tied to the world's altered rules after the Cataclysm.
Humanity had once attempted to use nuclear weapons against areas covered by domain fields. However, they quickly discovered that such weapons were nearly useless in those environments.
Many domain fields operated under entirely different sets of rules compared to the normal world.
Nuclear weapons relied on nuclear fission or fusion reactions to release massive amounts of energy instantly.
But within many domain fields, fission and fusion reactions simply could not occur under their respective laws.
As a result, humanity's most devastating weapons were rendered as nothing more than worthless scrap metal.
Because of these restrictions, people began to doubt whether technological advancements could provide them with the means to resist the expansion of domain fields.
That was when cultivation began to rise, slowly taking the center stage of history.
And history proved that, after the Cataclysm, cultivation was far more suited to the needs of the new era. This shift marked a fundamental transformation, making cultivation the dominant field of development.
As for nuclear weapons and other specialized technological weapons...
With no battlefield to deploy them, humanity began to dismantle them on a large scale.
The decision was made purely for safety reasons.
A weapon of such immense destructive capability, ineffective against domain fields yet devastating to humanity itself, was nothing but a ticking time bomb.
If that latent danger were to explode, it could deal a catastrophic blow to humanity.
For instance, if a domain-transcendent creature somehow gained access to nuclear weaponry, major cities would become prime targets for nuclear strikes.
A weapon that could only harm themselves but not their enemies was utterly useless.
At that time, representatives from all major cities convened a meeting at the United Research Institute.
During the conference, the decision was made to eliminate all nuclear weapons. The cities would oversee each other to ensure the process was carried out thoroughly.
And so, nuclear weapons were officially removed from history.
Today, none of the five major cities possessed nuclear weapons. They only existed in historical records, with images and documents describing their past influence on the world.
Now, hearing someone suddenly propose the use of "nuclear weapons" in this meeting caught everyone off guard.
The attendees were all core members of the Institute of Technological Research.
Although they had never lived in the nuclear era, they were well aware of the weapon's power.
To use nuclear weapons against the incoming forces from Star City seemed utterly reckless to them.
Sitting at the head of the table, the shadowy figure fell into deep thought.
The proposal had clearly caught it by surprise.
But deciding whether to use nuclear weapons was no small matter. Even though Star City's intentions were evidently hostile, the consequences of deploying nuclear arms would be catastrophic.
From the perspective of open warfare, nuclear weapons could indeed be used at any time.
As for their development and production—although the Institute of Technological Research did not currently have them, manufacturing them would not be difficult. It was merely a matter of time.
The real issue was that once nuclear weapons were used, Future City would be thrust into the global spotlight.
The prohibition against nuclear weapons was a treaty signed by all five major cities, representing the collective will of humanity.
After taking full control of the Institute of Technological Research, the shadow had studied its historical development thoroughly and understood this fact well.
Breaking such a fundamental principle would severely hinder Future City's long-term development.
And that was only one of the hidden dangers.
More importantly, intelligence reports from other cities indicated that their populations were protesting against the war between Star City and Future City.
A large number of citizens were petitioning their governments, urging their city's highest authorities to step in and mediate, to prevent the war from escalating.
The people of various major cities were now hoping for the situation to stabilize as soon as possible. Humans should not be fighting against humans. Even within Future City, there were voices opposing the war.
Since the war had not yet broken out, the outside world believed there was still a chance to turn things around. If they were to drop a nuclear bomb on Star City's assembled forces at this moment, public opinion across all cities would erupt, leading to complete chaos.
Future City relied heavily on resources supplied by other cities. It was unclear whether those cities had domain infiltrators, but regardless of whether they were under domain influence, they would inevitably exert pressure on Future City.
For example, Winterfell supplied minerals, while Old Day City provided lumber and non-metallic ores—these were all essential raw materials for the development of the Institute of Technological Research. If the supply of these raw materials were merely reduced, Future City could still cope. However, if the Winterfell Supply Zone, Old Day Supply Zone, Victory Supply Zone, and other critical areas ceased providing spiritual materials and spiritual ores to Future City, it would severely impact the city's long-term plans.
Things had already spiraled beyond the shadow's expectations and control.
Using nuclear weapons could deal a devastating blow to Star City's assembled forces and possibly prevent the war altogether. However, the cost would be immense, likely affecting Future City's strategic development for years to come.
If they chose not to use nuclear weapons, they would face an intense battle. Even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
Listening to the discussions below, the shadow fell into deep thought.
After analyzing the pros and cons, he decided to hold off on using nuclear weapons for now but would begin manufacturing them.
If they ever decided to use them, there would be no need to hesitate—only the most powerful strike would do.
Since they were going to build one, they might as well make a spiritual-energy nuclear bomb.
The meeting lasted several hours. The shadow issued orders for the deployment of the city's defensive forces and the dispatch of a vanguard to test the enemy's strength.
Once the meeting concluded, the shadow vanished from sight.
Moments later, he reappeared in the most secure area of the Institute of Technological Research.
Before him stood a massive iron door.
The entrance was heavily secured with surveillance cameras, infrared sensors, light sensors, airflow detectors, signal jammers, and various other security measures.
Standing before the metallic door, the shadow extended his right hand.
Instantly, his hand twisted and split into countless black filaments, which slithered toward the circular metal port on the door and connected to it.
A few seconds later, a crisp metallic clicking sound echoed. Retracting his hand, the shadow took a few steps back.
The thick metal door began to slowly open.
The door was an astonishing two meters thick, with numerous blinking sensor lights embedded within. At its core lay a spiritual-energy bomb.
Crossing the threshold, he stepped inside.
A blue corridor stretched before him.
Reaching the end of the corridor, he opened a door leading to the most confidential laboratory within the Institute of Technological Research.
Inside was a spacious research facility.
Various mechanical instruments and components were scattered haphazardly across the room, along with countless design blueprints littering the floor.
Sweeping his gaze across the room, the shadow's attention was drawn to a boy, no older than ten, engrossed in adjusting an intricate machine.
Drifting to the boy's side, the shadow watched.
The boy merely glanced at him before continuing his adjustments, showing no further acknowledgment.
Despite wielding absolute authority within the Institute of Technological Research, the shadow was entirely ignored.
Yet he seemed unbothered, as though he was already accustomed to it.
"What's the task this time?" the boy asked without looking up.
"I need a spiritual-energy nuclear bomb. Can you do it?"
"Yes," the boy answered without hesitation.
"Build it as soon as possible. If you need materials, contact me at any time."
"Got it. Now get lost," the boy replied impatiently.
The shadow was unfazed by the dismissal and quietly left.
Once the shadow departed, the boy seemed to complete his adjustments. The machine hummed to life, its red, blue, and green indicator lights flashing in sequence.
As the boy pressed the red button on the control panel, a black metal box slowly rose from the experiment chamber ahead.
The box opened, releasing countless black particles.
Under the boy's control, the particles converged in midair.
However, just as they were about to fuse completely, an abrupt surge of energy erupted, forming a miniature black hole. The ensuing shockwave caused cracks to appear in the special reinforced glass of the experiment chamber.
Without hesitation, the boy pressed "Pause."
The fusion process halted immediately, and the black particles retreated into the containment unit.
Another failed experiment.
The boy shook his head in disappointment.
Jumping off the control platform, he strode toward another experiment station a hundred meters away.
North of Star City.
The Dawn Army had already crossed the dense forest, and before them lay an unbroken chain of mountains.
Feng Qi issued an order, and immediately, the soldiers of the Dawn Army halted to rest and began preparing their meals over open flames.
In the distance, numerous transport vehicles emerged.
As the vehicles stopped, supplies were swiftly unloaded in large quantities.
These resources had come from one of the supply stations along the route to Future City.
For this campaign, Feng Qi had made two arrangements for logistics and supply.
Aside from Star City serving as the rear supply base, the various supply stations along the route were also critical sources of provisions.
During the break, Feng Qi pulled out a tablet from his backpack and used a drone to examine the map.
The real-time map on the screen displayed various alerts in the upper left corner, including energy detection, wind direction, and air humidity.
From the aerial perspective, he could see large swathes of different-colored domain fields along their path.
Although the route they were taking had recently been cleared, otherwise, reaching Future City would have required crossing multiple domain fields.
Even so, they still had to take many detours along the way, unable to head there directly.
Historically, the road between Future City and Star City had been cleared multiple times following the Great Cataclysm. Both cities had sought to establish stronger connections and trade relations.
But history had proven that clearing the path was only ever a temporary solution.
Domain fields were not lifeless; they would shift and expand over time or contract at the whim of their controllers.
Each time the connection between Star City and Future City was established, trade and movement flourished for a period—until the expanding domain fields once again consumed the route.
The shortest instance had lasted just six months before the path was swallowed by a newly expanded domain field.
The planned high-speed transport route had been completely abandoned.
This was one of the main reasons Feng Qi was determined to launch an offensive against Future City as soon as possible.
The various external threats were one factor.
But just as importantly, he worried that the hard-fought route they had cleared would soon be lost again to the encroaching domain fields.
"Qi-ge, time to eat!"
From a distance, Lin Ran's voice rang out.
Hearing this, Feng Qi was about to stand up when he suddenly noticed multiple red dots appearing on his tablet's screen.
Such occurrences were common along their march.
The red dots signified detected life signals, typically wild animals native to the region.
Even though many red dots had appeared at once this time, it was still possible that they belonged to a herd of creatures.
What puzzled him, however, was that after appearing, the red dots suddenly disappeared.
The abrupt change made him suspicious.
He immediately accessed the recorded footage and began scrubbing through the playback.
The drone's high-altitude surveillance feed zoomed in on the area, and finally, he managed to make out the blurred figures hidden beneath the red markers.
A group of humanoid figures clad in green uniforms.
Their clothing seemed to possess some kind of technology that disrupted the drone's detection capabilities, appearing as pixelated distortions on the real-time display.
Seeing this, Feng Qi instantly realized that Future City's Institute of Technological Research had sent scouts to investigate.
But then another question arose in his mind.
Given the technological capabilities of the Institute of Technological Research, it should not be difficult for them to field advanced anti-detection gear.
Even if they couldn't equip their entire army with such specialized gear, equipping a scouting unit should be no problem.
So why had they suddenly exposed themselves to his drone surveillance?
Feng Qi did not believe that the Institute of Technological Research's elite squads would make such an amateur mistake.
Any squad deemed worthy by the Institute of Technological Research had to be exceptional—capable of standing among the best even on the front lines.
Their professionalism was beyond question; they wouldn't have made such a simple blunder.
With this in mind, he walked over to the campfire area where food was being prepared and called for Mu Qing and Lü Yue.
He intended to investigate the red-dot location personally.
If he confirmed that the intruders were indeed scouts from the Institute of Technological Research, he would eliminate them on the spot.
In war, he had no room for hesitation.
Even if the enemy was human.
His priority was to protect those marching alongside him and to ensure the safety of every warrior who had joined the Dawn Army.
This battlefront was the main mission, and any force obstructing its progress had to be removed—no exceptions.
Hearing his orders, Mu Qing reluctantly glanced at the pot of bubbling broth before nodding resolutely.
Moments later, Feng Qi set out with Mu Qing and Lü Yue.
Since they didn't have to worry about the larger army keeping up, they moved at full speed.
Along the way, Feng Qi kept checking the tablet for their position.
Three hours later, they arrived at the location where the drone had detected the intruders.
A sheer cliff stood before them, surrounded by thick undergrowth.
Rotting fruits littered the ground, filling the air with a mix of sweet fragrance and decay.
The moment they arrived, Mu Qing's gaze snapped to the left.
"There they are!"
The instant the scouts realized they had been spotted, hundreds of figures simultaneously stood up and began surrounding them.
Seeing the soldiers clad in specialized green camouflage gear, a smirk appeared on Feng Qi's face.
Just as he had suspected, these were scouts from the Institute of Technological Research.
At the same time, he also understood why this elite squad had suddenly been exposed to surveillance.
Because he recognized a familiar face among them.
"Kill them all?" Feng Qi asked, his voice indifferent.
Before anyone else could respond, a soldier wearing a customized metallic helmet within the scouting squad swiftly drove a dagger into the throat of the soldier beside him.
Then, in a calm but ruthless voice, he said, "Not all of them—some are on our side."