Free Web NovelChapter 475: Chapter 462: Sudden Upheaval
"Qiqi, how much longer? Can you scan the surroundings?"
"Host, please wait, two more minutes."
He used his meager merits to exchange for a reassembly device, which could adjust core mechanisms and slightly shorten recovery time. Better than nothing.
"Alright."
Urgent footsteps echoed through the tunnel, the energy-saving lights flickering on and off, as if they were about to go out the next moment. Footsteps clattered against the ground, and the sounds of battle faintly reached them.
Cheng Xiaoxiao’s bad premonition became reality; something indeed happened.
Under the clear sky, a gentle breeze blew in the season of warmth and blooming, buds sprouted anew across the mountains.
However, the battle on the ground was not so serene and beautiful.
Brutal and bloody, countless dead and wounded, blood stained the land.
On the high city walls of Phoenix City, a mysterious figure stood proudly.
He exuded a dark charm, a sardonic smile on his wicked, untamed face.
Beside him, She Yao automatically translated for him.
"Well, surrender! Join the Sikong Family, and the predicament at hand can be easily resolved."
Sikong Yinlong, not seeing Cheng Xiaoxiao’s return, was summoned back to the family.
This cold wave killed countless people, even though the Sikong Family, through various bindings and arrangements, saved many capable people and those wealthy and willing to belong, many citizens still died.
The shocking numbers exceeded expectations. The previous Great Summoner left a command: during a great disaster, the goal was to save as many people as possible over five years.
But how could the high and mighty Sikong Family save the useless commoners?
They would certainly not save the Emperor Clan; that was a lesson in their ancestors’ blood, ensuring that those they saved were useful and couldn’t make waves.
And now, less than a year into the disaster, reports from all over show that Tianqi Country has lost over half its people; how many will be left in five years?
For the first time, they felt anxious about their arrogance. They didn’t expect ordinary people to be so vulnerable to the cold, nearly decimated.
So, they urgently summoned the Family Head for a strategy meeting. Unfortunately, the Family Head shirked responsibility, leaving the elders to discuss and decide independently, claiming to be retreating to strategize with Astrology.
The elders were left staring at each other, with nowhere to vent their frustrations.
Sikong Yinlong observed the stars on the family grounds for over a month. Through yet another Star Technique divination, it was shown that the brilliant star capable of saving the world was still in the Phoenix City location.
Accompanied by wisps of dark energy around the star.
Phoenix City was sure to encounter trouble, so he sent people to keep watch.
Sure enough, as expected, a few days later, informants returned with news that Phoenix City was under siege by a large force of soldiers.
Therefore, he returned to Phoenix City, hoping to bring this organization under his control.
Every able-bodied person in Phoenix City was desperately holding out against the attack for over half a month, on the brink of collapse, presenting a perfect opportunity.
As long as the other party agreed to join the Sikong Family as a vassal, he would have She Yao help. Along with him were several elite Guards under She Yao, lurking in secret.
When he first came to Phoenix City, he looked down on this place.
The Skull Cave carved underground, they called that a house? At best, it was slightly better than a graveyard.
Compared to the Sikong Family’s luxurious and opulent environment, it was far inferior.
However, with a certain someone delaying their return, Phoenix City’s daily operations caught his eye and changed his perspective.
Even though the other party intentionally avoided them, with his keen instincts and She Yao’s superior concealment skills, what could they hide from a willing investigator?
During the coldest one or two months, besides the occasional return of search teams with people they picked up, everyone stayed mostly underground, continuously working on digging channels that interconnected in all directions.
It accommodated nearly twenty thousand ordinary people.
The facilities here, though simple, were quite unique.
Especially the glowing lights, some with manual switches, some installed in the passageways that turned on automatically upon a sound. There were also smooth cement floors; the small workshop-made cement, mixed with sand and stones, could create smooth, hard roads in just a day or two, surprising him. Stored ice water filtered into drinkable water, clear and bright, with no visible impurities. Automatic flushing toilets almost eliminated odors in the otherwise closed space.
The advanced Folding Technique, creating various beds, benches, and chairs, greatly saved space; some even had wheels for easy transfer, particularly useful for transporting heavy goods, saving significant effort.
Even vegetables, thriving under the closed cave, grew with vigor and tasted excellent.
These things far exceeded his expectations. Rumor had it that the little woman made them; indeed, she was heaven’s chosen one, adding to his intrigue.
After the Underground City’s facilities were planned, as ice melted and the weather warmed, they began constructing the above-ground city.
The reconstruction of the new city wall extended five hundred meters outwards, shops and homes rising one after another.
Everything was under construction.
The first to be completed was the over-five-meter-high city wall, with a diameter of 1.5 meters, reinforced with cement and rebar, extremely sturdy, invulnerable to anything below Void Power.
However, this tense, orderly construction was disrupted by invading forces.
At this moment, the city walls were bloodstained everywhere, bodies sprawled every one or two meters, both enemy and ally alike, shockingly tragic.
In the distance, Yuan Xiao, astride a tall horse, commanded the final assault.
"Charge!"
The enemies surged forward again.
Ladders appeared one after another, while the massive iron gate was pounded endlessly.
At this moment, the watchtowers and turrets were useless; all auxiliary materials were exhausted, not even half a stone remained.
They were at their wits’ end, relying entirely on flesh and blood; how much longer could they last?
In less than half an hour, they would be breached.
Cheng Hao tightly gripped the Soldier’s Shovel, blood slowly leaking between his fingers.
He looked at the young faces on the city walls, sweat mixed with blood on their weary bodies leaning against the battlements, their gazes firmly fixed below.
No one retreated or fled, which gave him a bit of peace of mind. freewebnovel.cσ๓
The battered city walls beneath his feet were built piece by piece, with the city’s citizens braving the freezing cold, snowflakes swirling, and ice forming, working countless extra shifts, enduring countless nights, all to achieve the current scale. freewebnovёl.ƈom
In his heart, deep anguish made his eyes deeply red.
He knew Xiaoxiao disliked him meddling in Phoenix City’s affairs with this person.
The initial purpose of establishing Phoenix City was for the common people to live peacefully, to have a pure land—not to let powerful families meddle, let alone control it.
As a vassal force of the Sikong Family, hehe, what a joke!
If Xiaoxiao returned and learned of his decision, she would surely chase him with a sword.
