Chapter 157 I Just Want to Launch a Surprise Attack

“Or are you going to send more useless Mechanical Pets? Do your subordinates lack the courage to face us directly?”

Minister Omar continued to taunt from the other side of the passage.

“I think he’s actually not confident.”

Prairie leaned closer to Lu Yuan.

“This passage is easy to defend but hard to attack, that’s true, but retreating here basically means they’re at the end of their rope.”

Lu Yuan nodded.

“You’re right. Apollo should have stored enough food, water, and ammunition in the passage. Their idea is to wait for rescue, to hold out here until the Punisher Fleet arrives. This is also their only way to survive.”

“We can’t just keep dragging this out with them!” Male God was anxious.

“No, we can’t.” Lu Yuan switched to the squad channel. “All firepower-type Power Armors, listen up. We’ll use drones for a probing attack first.”

“Understood!”

Each firepower-type Power Armor was equipped with four small drones, about the size of a 1-liter soda bottle. They were propelled by compressed air like smart missiles, launching vertically from backpacks. After launching, they unfolded their rotors and could be controlled remotely.

It was time to test the players’ operational skills.

Sixteen drones spread out in the air, turning the corner of the passage simultaneously. Ahead was a 30-degree slope, and 200 meters away was a defensive fortification built by Apollo using boulders.

Bang, bang, bang. The people on the other side peeked out from behind cover and opened fire.

The players’ drone operation skills were fine, but the narrow passage made the attack route too predictable, and there was no room for maneuver or evasion. As a result, all sixteen drones were quickly shot down.

“Ha! Executive Officer, is this your strategy? How pathetic!”

“You did very well,” Lu Yuan ignored Minister Omar. “Just getting the footage completes the mission.”

He froze the frame captured by the drone just before it was shot down and shared it with the others.

“From the footage, the stone wall built by Apollo is at least 【height】 high, with only a narrow entrance that allows only one person to pass at a time. And the entrance inside appears to be a Z-shaped or T-shaped structure, similar to an ancient fortress gate, making it impossible to directly shoot inside from the outside.”

Based on the images, Prairie immediately completed a tactical analysis.

“This kind of defensive fortification is simple and effective. A frontal assault would require at least three times the military strength. Considering the opponent’s advantage in weapon power, it might require sacrificing six times the personnel.”

“Then let’s sacrifice them!” Male God was in high spirits and couldn't bear to stop. “We can revive. At worst, we can come and fight every day, turn it into a daily instance, and see how long they can hold out!”

“Can you calm down?” Black Smoke glared at him. “People can revive, but what about weapons and equipment? Power Armor? Did they just blow in with the wind? We definitely can’t lose all of them here, what a waste.”

“Oh… you’re right.”

“Can we transport those BOSS-level Mechanical Desert Spiders down here? Their firepower is strong.” Someone suggested. Jubian shook his head.

“Probably not. Their firepower is strong enough, but they’re also big targets, and their armor can’t withstand plasma energy rounds.”

“But the energy for plasma weapons can’t be infinite, right? So, we’ll overwhelm them with a massive army of mechanical servants!”

“Right! Exhaust their ammunition supplies! We have an industrial ship backing us up. How can we lose with production capacity riding on our faces?”

“Or just blow up the passage and suffocate them!”

Lu Yuan remained calm, raised his hand, and paused the discussion.

Actually, what the players said was all correct.

Apollo had been pushed to a dead end, and he had the support of an industrial system behind him, with ample supplies. There were countless ways to win this battle.

But the problem was, he had to choose a smart way to fight, not a foolish one.

“Not fighting anymore? Good, a ceasefire is the correct decision.”

On the other side of the passage, Minister Omar was still “kindly advising.”

“Let’s shake hands and make peace, Mr. Executive Officer! From a military perspective, you must know that a frontal assault will come at a great cost. Most of your forces will be lost here, and the dream of ascending to an interstellar power might also stop here.”

Goodness, this time it seemed he genuinely wanted to reconcile.

“So annoying! Shut up!”

Male God was exasperated.

“Don’t you think this passage here is very strange?”

Lu Yuan still didn’t bother with Minister Omar, turning instead to smile at his good employees.

“Ah? You mean—”

“My point is, the main body of the underground reservoir is clearly intact, yet there’s this extra little tail here. Purely from the function of water storage, there’s no logical reason for its construction.

“Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, this passage turns 90 degrees ahead, and the direction it points should be towards the reservoir.”

Reservoir!

When the Executive Officer highlighted this keyword, everyone immediately understood.

According to the diary left by the “Captain,” Oasis City originally had no reservoir. The water in the reservoir was all pumped from this underground reservoir, an artificial landscape created by force.

This indicates that the underground reservoir and the reservoir must be connected. The place everyone was standing now was very likely the passage through which the water was pumped out back then!

So, that means there is a valve at the end of this passage.

As long as that valve can be opened…

Then the water will flood the Golden Mountain!

“Wait, wait,” Dan Ta reminded everyone not to get too excited too soon.

“Didn’t Apollo discover this? The valve would surely be visible at the end of the passage. Are they really that stupid?”

“It’s easy to discover, but difficult to deal with,” Lu Yuan said.

“Our current altitude is negative 900 meters, far below the bottom of the reservoir. This means the lake valve is several hundred meters above this passage, and the initial section of the passage is vertical.

“In this situation, it would be very difficult to weld shut a valve several hundred meters high; even if we settle for second best, blocking the passage below would require a massive amount of earthwork.

“Apollo likely settled on the plan to hold out here only four or five days ago. All their energy should have been spent on transporting supplies and building defensive fortifications, so they didn’t have time to block it off.

“In short, I think they discovered that this place connects to the bottom of the lake, but because they thought we didn’t know, they didn’t bother with it.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

That makes sense!

“Executive Officer’s analysis is truly comprehensive and stands up to scrutiny! In any case, shall we give it a try? If it doesn’t work, we can always think of other solutions.” Black Smoke didn’t forget to provide emotional value.

“I agree!” Guo Li Cheng raised her greatsword.

“I agree too!”

Everyone raised their hands.

Very good.

Lu Yuan took out his personal pad, opened the scanned copy of the “Captain’s” diary, and found the most crucial pages.

The construction of the artificial lake was a major undertaking, and the process was recorded in considerable detail in the diary.

According to the records, the “Captain” finally, in a “control room” in the City Hall, filled with infinite anticipation for the future, activated the high-power water pump.

Lu Yuan speculated that the lake bottom valve should also be controlled from there.

300 years have passed, and the mechanism for opening the control valve may no longer be able to activate.

But it doesn’t matter. The Engineer of that year considered this situation and installed an explosive opening device on the valve so that in an emergency, the lake water could quickly flow back into the underground reservoir, preventing uninvited guests arriving on this planet at the end of the world from plundering water resources.

These things should have been sealed away and forgotten, but today they have regained their value!

According to the previous reconnaissance by Ambition and Prairie, the City Hall building has been preserved, located not far from the City Lord’s Palace. However, its function is no longer the seat of the city council but has become a place where nobles hold elder meetings and daily banquets and entertainment.

It is unknown whether that “control room” has been demolished...

Let’s look for it. If we can’t find it, then we’ll talk!

【All Investigators still on the ground, please note: You need to go to the City Hall near the palace and look for a “control room” that is 300 years old and now forgotten.】

【This “control room” has strategic significance, so it is likely located underground and has been sealed for many years. It might be behind a wall, or in a place where there doesn't seem to be a room at first glance. It is recommended to use a scanner to search carefully.】

Upon receiving the mission, all Investigators, including Ye Xing, temporarily put down their combat and rushed to the City Hall with utmost urgency.

Soon after, someone discovered a space behind a concrete wall on the third basement level of the City Hall. After breaking through the wall, rows of operation panels and monitoring screens, bearing the marks of time, came into view.

“Found it! You were right!” Prairie reported excitedly to Lu Yuan.

“The emergency detonation button for the lake valve still works, and the circuit has been re-powered. All it needs is one command, and this passage will be flooded with water. We’ll catch Apollo completely off guard then!”

“First, try to open the valve normally,” Lu Yuan told him. “The reservoir has become a collective memory for the citizens; preserve it if possible.”

“Yes!”

Prairie turned around: “Everyone, check your power levels and make sure your flying backpacks have at least 30 seconds of flight time remaining.”

After confirming that everyone’s Power Armor had sufficient power, Lu Yuan walked towards the corner of the passage.

“Minister Omar, you seem to be a bit forgetful. I told you that peace is no longer an option in our negotiations. If you want to lose gracefully, then throw down your weapons and surrender; otherwise, in one minute, you will suffer a complete rout under a massive impact.”

Upon hearing these words, a line of cold sweat ran down Minister Omar’s forehead.

No way, does he mean…

“Ridiculous! Bluster! Go to hell!”

This statement was more for reassuring his own people than shouting at the enemy.

Congratulations, wrong answer.

Lu Yuan connected to the City Hall communication, his tone resolute.

“Release the water!”