Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 630 New Transportation Pipelines
"New Era 05: The universe has no end, nor does time. Past, future, and present are indistinguishable in the eyes of the Creator. The Creator can see all the past and all the future, but He may not be able to control the present, because the number of universes is also endless."

“Points, lines, and planes constitute the highest dimension that humans can reach. The Creator and the gods can also influence time beyond these three elements. But beyond time and the universe, there are endless parallel universes. The Creator may know the future fate of mankind, or perhaps the script for the future has already been written in the Creator's pen. But human ‘wisdom’ can change everything. The Creator bestows ‘inspiration’ upon mankind, thus granting mankind the power to ‘modify’ the future.”

February 31th, 558th year of the new calendar.

Crusd Federation, Far Northeast Region, Transnabuya (Group) Mountains, Belogersk (Core Fortress).

"Commander Nebrius, after about two weeks of preparation, Shaneva seems to have lost patience. The Federation Council's spies planted within us earlier, as well as traitors from the Lost Ones, have betrayed our information to her. Now, the Federation Council is restarting all fronts and launching small-scale attacks." Hoshino Shota stood respectfully in the "Commander's Office" on the 5th floor of the "Fortress Layer," reporting the latest battlefield situation to Nebrius.

"You mean, Shaneva already knows about our supply shipments through the 'Nabua Inner and Outer Pipelines'?" Nabrius showed no displeasure, instead maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. This was not unexpected; he was already fully aware of Shaneva's actions.

“That’s right, sir. Shouldn’t we send more troops to protect the transport pipeline? After all, without this constant supply of food and weapons, our [soldiers] would probably have already escaped from these mountains,” Hoshino Shota suggested, sounding somewhat anxious.

“There’s no need for that.” Nabrius shook his head, quite unusually, and told Hoshino Shota the truth:
"In reality, sometimes what the enemy sees is only what we want them to see, nothing more. Truth and falsehood are intertwined, and war is either a pure battle of brute force and instinct. In the face of absolute strength, all skills are meaningless."

"But once the strength of both sides is close, some plans and strategies are needed to seek the greatest benefit for themselves."

"What do you mean?" Hoshino Shota put down the weapon he had seized from the Federation soldiers, looking at Nebrius with a puzzled expression.

“What I mean is, since Shaneva wants to attack the ‘Nabua Inner and Outer Pipelines,’ let her attack. There’s more than one supply route, but this is probably the only one Shaneva can discover.” Nabrius took out a wooden box carved with a double-headed eagle emblem from a drawer. The moment it was placed on the oak table and touched by Nabrius’s fingertips, it emitted a dazzling, colorful glow.

Immediately following, a design symbolizing the first card of the sequence, "Dedication," which is a "warrior facing the light of the oracle," appeared at the top of the wooden box. Like a little figure dancing after a music box has been opened, it rotated back and forth in a strange and unrestrained manner.

"What is this, Commander Nebrius?" Hoshino Shota asked, pointing to the wooden box, especially the word "warrior" on top of it.

“This is the ‘encryption measure’ that ‘Blood Wolf’ gave me. In the past, when the Federation transmitted important documents, it either used a combination lock made of complex devices or a simple magic circle. A better method was to transmit information by creating messages in complex encrypted Morse code.” Nabrius tapped the deep red wooden box lightly, explaining with a confident smile:

"However, we discovered occult materials beyond technological artifacts within the 'Yaoguang Evolution Platform.' One of the documents details the creation and operation of an 'encryption potion.'"

"It's called 'Blood Secret,' made from the blood of the Lost, the heads of the 'Heartless,' the flowers that bloomed after the 'Heartless Wave,' the remnants of old fireworks, and the tears of dragons. Of course, the effects of blood contributed by the Lost, who possess different types of magical energy, vary slightly. To ensure its operation, 'Blood Wolf' volunteered to take on the role of 'experimental personnel.'"

"'Experimental-level personnel'? Wouldn't that be a bit..."

“No, no, no, it’s not what you think, Hoshino Shota.” Nebrius quickly waved his hand to interrupt Hoshino Shota. “I’m different from Shaneva and Vasily. I would never use the lives of any human or lost person as experimental subjects. That would be extremely inhumane and would be punished by the authorities.”

"I simply had the doctors at Belogersk Hospital draw 200 milliliters of blood from the 'Blood Wolf,' and combined it with the materials I had prepared beforehand, last night, under the bright, clear moonlight, I made the 'Blood Secret.'"

“That’s good. I was worried that if the false information that ‘Blood Wolf’ became your experimental subject spread, it would panic among those who are lost and affect the war situation. After all, we are the weaker party in the confrontation with the Federation Council,” Hoshino Shota explained.

"However, I also heard from the scouts at the front, as well as members of our 'Dark Night Investigation Team,' that the sandstorm caused by the Yongchi Volcano has completely dissipated. Shaneva did attempt to launch an attack after the weather cleared, but she did not concentrate her forces near the 'pipe.' There, apart from rational artillery bombardment, there was only small-scale interference."

"Moreover, they have no intention of restarting the underground lines. It is said that Shaneva does not have a deep understanding of the tunnels dug by the dwarves and goblins, and the Federal Council has no intention of occupying other underground facilities after taking over the 'White Night Archives'."

“That’s right, Hoshino Shota. If you were a little more mature, you would have seen through Shaneva’s true purpose. There are often only the simplest connections between truth and falsehood, illusion and reality. Both sides are playing a game, and in the end, the side that invests the least effort will gain the most.” Nebrius said, drawing an ancient dagger used by the Crusad royal family from his waist.

In front of Hoshino Shota, he cut his finger and dripped seven drops of blood onto the still-spinning body of the "warrior".

Suddenly, the "warrior" gazing at the divine oracle began to writhe strangely, like crumpled paper. Its hands and feet twisted outwards in an unnatural way, convulsing along with its body, as if it had seen some terrifying creature or was having an epileptic seizure. Soon, a layer of blood-red mist descended upon the "warrior's" head. It began to extend its twisted, broken hands, baring its fangs at the blood-red mist, seemingly trying to dispel the monsters hidden behind the mist with its "weak" strength through strange writhing and struggling.

This oppressive and suffocatingly bizarre scene lasted for half a minute, accompanied by a crisp "ding-dong" sound. The "warrior's" body suddenly shrank, turning into a limp mass of strange branches clinging to the red wooden box.

A key made of bone fell in front of the red wooden box with a dull thud, like the sound of steel bars falling.

“‘Blood key’ is a one-time encryption method, far more secure than ‘sealing wax seal’ and telegrams. As long as the blood of the person decrypting it is dripped into the box during its initial creation, anyone who obtains the wooden box will have no way to decrypt it except to destroy it.” Nebrius proudly brandished the bone key in his hand, a smug look on his face.

“If I can defeat Shaneva and take control of Crusad, I will find a way to promote this encryption measure to protect federal secrets. After all, half of the collapse of the ‘Gnady Line’ was due to soldiers who opposed the ‘Evolution Platform Project’ and some of the Icebound City’s citizens who voluntarily defected to the Lost Ones and provided them with federal military secrets.”

"Why? Why would they do this? Don't they know that if the 'Gnaj Line' collapses and Icefall City falls, they... at best, will only become lost souls, neither human nor ghost?" Hoshino Shota asked angrily.

“This is Vasily’s folly, and the folly of all the past Federal Council administrators,” Nebrius said, inserting the bone key into the wooden box and twisting it several times.

Immediately afterwards, the bone key was completely swallowed by the wooden box. The red smoke that had covered the wooden box and the strange image projection disappeared instantly, turning into scattered bloodstains with a strong fishy smell that fell on the surrounding table.

"Do you still remember the 'fireworks of yesteryear'?" A hint of murderous intent flashed in Nabrius's eyes, which quickly turned into a deep hatred.

Hoshino Shota nodded slightly, his mouth moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he felt as if a brick was stuck in his throat, unable to make a sound.

"As far as I know, there are 250,000 permanent residents in Icefall City, 320,000 temporary residents serving the factories, and over 100,000 soldiers who can be deployed to various fronts at any time, totaling nearly 700,000. In name, the 'Fireworks of the Past' sacrificed a large number of citizens as energy reserves to activate the 'Evolution Platforms' in various locations. But in reality, the number of people who died directly from the 'erroneous fireworks accident' is not the 40,000 that Kuka has been publicly announcing, but 240,000." Nebrius's voice was very calm, but to Hoshino Shota, it was more deafening than the explosion of the "Heavenly Punishment Fire".

After all, as the de facto leader of the "Dark Night Investigation Team," he did indeed have many brothers infiltrating Icefall City to carry out missions. When the "Old Fireworks" incident occurred, more than 10 of his brothers who had risked their lives for him went missing. Hoshino Shota wanted revenge, but his mission in Novayask kept him from finding the time.

However, Hoshino Shota was shocked when he heard that the number of people sacrificed was not 4 but 24. Although he had carried out many assassination missions as a member of the "Night Investigation Team," and many of his enemies were terrifying and unsettling when their throats were slit by daggers or their chests were pierced by pistols, the splattered blood and hideous faces were horrifying.

But none of them shocked him as much as Vasily's small "sacrifice." Perhaps, beyond the eight "chaotic" order groups, there exists a hidden upper-level profession, which might be a natural promotion for every leader who holds the highest power in the "Empire"—"Demon."

"In reality, for successive Crusad leaders, all resources are merely numbers; they are all manpower, a type of resource. Throughout Crusad history, which 'heartless wave' didn't result in the loss of hundreds of thousands? Yet, humans are an incredibly resilient and highly prolific intelligent race," Nebrius said with a helpless smile.
"No matter what disaster, as long as a spark remains, it can quickly multiply into the population of a race. However, evil must be punished, and the perpetrators will always pay the price in some form. This is what the Creator's 'reason' dictates."

“‘The sinner will pay the price, either in life or in death. Either they will pay with their lives, or they will suffer eternal torment in the agony of ice and fire. The Creator sees all evil; no one can escape it, no one can escape it.’” Hoshino Shota recited the words from the book *Reason*.
"I've seen this before. It's in 'Blood Wolf's' White Night Archives, where there's a book called 'The Principle,' written with the lives of old imperial occult experts. Unfortunately, 'Blood Wolf' didn't take it with him when he left. But, are these citizens of Icefall City colluding with the enemy and seeking revenge against the Federal Council out of fear?"

In response to Hoshino Shota's question, Nebrius revealed an unsettling smile that seemed out of place, and said in a deep voice:

"Moreover, Vasily's arbitrary sacrifice of citizens, coupled with his deliberate concealment of the contents of the 'Old Fireworks,' instilled fear in people. On the one hand, their loved ones had perished here, and they needed Vasily to repay them; on the other hand, they feared this fate of being able to die at any moment."

"So, some of them, the strong and capable ones, joined the independent armed forces, while the weaker ones who were unable to leave the Federation's protection volunteered to act as spies. You know, Dak was there at the time, and I asked him. After that incident, he immediately found a way to leave Icefall City and went to the 'Extreme Cold Zone' in the north."

“Well then, Commander Nebrius, I have something to say that may not be pleasant for you.” Shota Hoshino looked at Nebrius, and after receiving his nod of agreement, he continued:
"'Blood Secret' can only solve the superficial problem. If... you replace Shaneva and take control of the Federation, will you become Vasily, that 'devil' and 'butcher'?"

“I don’t know, but that’s not something we should be thinking about right now. This map shows the specific information about our other supply transport routes.” Nabrius said, taking out a newly made map with the smell of ink from the wooden box and handing it to Hoshino Shota. “These are other supply transport routes that Shaneva doesn’t know about. I’m worried she might take action against these points.”

"Furthermore, east of Belogersk, roughly near the former '02' military outpost, Shaneva seems to have dispatched some powerful ability users to attempt an operation. There are not only our pipelines there, but also a Rank 1 monster left over from the old empire. I've already spoken with Dark, and he will be going there with the dragon Adaloni, who has just recovered his strength. You... go with them."

“Yes, sir.” Hoshino Shota replied readily.