Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 253 Preparations for Operation

"What new developments have the Purifiers made over at the Throat of the Dead?"

Rowling changed the subject.

"The deployment is basically complete." General Hossman pointed to the area covered in dark blue on the sand table. "The four large devices are fully connected, the blockade field is operating stably, and the intensity and range of the regular scanning waves are slowly increasing."

"Based on our model simulations, the purification process could be initiated at any time, and at the latest within three days."

Three days!

Time was so tight it was suffocating.

Internal crushing, external countdown.

The Seventh Forward Base, the Fragments of the Scorching Hell, and even a wider area, seem to be pushed to the brink of destruction by two forces, one internal and one external.

"Can the information we've brought back, and our connections with the arbitrator, change the situation?"

Rowling looked at General Hossman.

The general pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "The information itself is important, but it's difficult to persuade the council and the imperial leadership in a short period of time, especially those who have been swayed by radical rhetoric."

"As a secondary body, the arbitrator has limited influence, and it has made it clear that it will not directly intervene in internal affairs."

"As for the benign imprint synergy method you brought back—" He glanced at Rolin, "theoretically, it might be the key to combating aberrations and even communicating with the Purifiers, but it needs time to verify and prepare, and even more so, it needs the trust and support of higher-ups to be implemented."

"And right now, what we lack most is time and trust."

The predicament is almost a dead end.

Rowling fell silent.

The bargaining chips he painstakingly brought back from the silent corridor seemed utterly powerless in the face of the brutal political game and the pressing time.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?" Blake slammed his fist on the edge of the sand table, making a dull thud.

"Of course not." A resolute glint flashed in General Hossman's eyes. "I don't care what the Holy Tower and the Empire are arguing about. The Seventh Forward Base is my defense zone, and the safety of the Scorching Hell Fragments is my responsibility."

"We can't place all our hopes on those petty old men."

He looked at Rowling, Blake, and the others: "I've decided to activate the fortress contingency plan."

"The fortress plan?" This was the first time Rolin had heard of it.

"It was the final plan developed by me, Master Veranika, and a few high-ranking officials from the Empire at the very beginning of the base's establishment, to deal with an extremely uncontrollable crisis."

General Hossman explained.

"The core idea is that when it is confirmed that external threats cannot be resolved through conventional means, and internal support may be interrupted or become an obstacle, the frontline commander has the right to act independently, concentrate all available forces, and carry out a highest-risk decapitation or disruption operation to buy time or create a turning point for the subsequent handling of the target area."

He paused, his voice growing even lower: "Simply put, it's about organizing an absolutely reliable elite team to infiltrate the Throat of the Dead and attempt to utilize all available means before the purification process begins."

"Including the new methods you brought back, Rolin, to interfere with or disrupt key nodes of the Aberrant or Purifiers."

"To succeed or to die trying."

"At the very least, we must fight for as many possibilities as possible for this world before we die in battle."

The command center was completely silent.

Everyone understood that this was a desperate, almost suicidal mission.

But it seems to be the only way to break the deadlock and seize a glimmer of hope.

"General, count me in." Blake was the first to step forward, his back ramrod straight.

"And me." Ella's face remained expressionless, but her fingers were unconsciously stroking the bowstring.

Liana gripped her staff tightly with both hands and nodded slightly: "The power of the Purifying Flame, I am willing to serve as a barrier."

Looking at the resolute eyes of everyone, the oppressive feeling in Luo Lin's heart actually dissipated a little.

When the upper roads are blocked, perhaps only the road beneath your feet remains to be traveled.

He slowly exhaled and nodded: "I'll join."

"Moonflower and that cooperation agreement are key to this operation."

"Good!" General Hossman slammed his hand on the sand table. "Without further ado, let's begin preparations immediately!"

"Blake, you are in charge of selecting the Forge Guards to participate in the operation. They must be absolutely reliable, and volunteers are preferred."

"Ella, Liana, assist Rolin in developing a feasible plan as soon as possible to interfere with or coordinate using the Moonflower and that agreement, even if it's just a preliminary one!"

"I'll coordinate with the remaining forces at base to provide maximum long-range support and feint cover for your operation!"

Upon receiving the order, everyone immediately split up and took action.

Lorin, Ella, and Liana arrived at a makeshift quiet room.

Luo Lin took out the Moon Silver Flower seedling and began to recount in detail the fragments of information he had received on the Silent Corridor platform, especially the core content of the basic operating protocol.

"So, the Moonflower is essentially a stable harmonizer of rules, capable of generating a special resonance with aberrations of the same origin. If guided properly, it can act as an anchor or stabilizer, influencing the energy state of the aberration?"

Liana seemed to be deep in thought, and a gentle, pure flame gathered at her fingertips, which she then gently approached the Moon Silver Flower.

When the silver light and the golden flames came into contact, there was no conflict; instead, a strange sense of fusion was created.

"That's what the agreement describes, but the specific effects and risks are unknown." Rolin nodded. "We need to design a ritual or energy guiding array to amplify and direct the harmonizing power of the Moonflower, and then project it into the core area where the aberration is located."

"At the same time, I may need to act as a bridge, using my mental and stellar power to maintain this connection and deal with potential backlash."

"Distance is a problem," Ella frowned. "The depths of the Dead Man's Throat rift are far from the surface, and the energy interference is strong."

"It is difficult to deliver such precise power using conventional spells or arrows."

"Among the technical documents provided by the arbitrator, there is a simplified schematic diagram of a short-range energy projection and focusing array." Rolin recalled the documents he had seen during his research at Santa. "Although it was incomplete, combined with the base's engineering capabilities, it might be possible to manufacture a simple, disposable projection device in a short time."

"We can move it to a suitable position at the edge of the crack."

"What is the energy source for the device to start?" Liana asked.

Luo Lin pointed to himself and Yue Yinhua: "The agreement mentions that the spiritual resonance and star power of individuals with positive imprints and their collaborators can serve as initial energy sources."

"We may need to consume a large number of high-quality energy crystals later, which this base should be able to provide."

The three of them immediately began a tense discussion and design.

Ella was responsible for calculating the projection angle and path, Liana used her understanding of the energy structure to optimize the guiding array, and Rolin combined the protocol content with his own star power characteristics to conceive the entire collaborative guiding process.

The Moon Silver Flower seedlings seemed to understand the urgency of the matter, and the silver light steadily supported their research, occasionally conveying some vague intuitions about how their own power extended and resonated.

Time flew by amidst the intense preparations.

On the other side, Blake quickly selected four elite Forge Guards who volunteered to participate in the operation. They were all veterans who had experienced many life-and-death battles and were absolutely reliable.

They silently inspected and wiped their heavy equipment, their faces showing only the calm and resolute determination of soldiers about to go to the battlefield.

General Hossman mobilized almost all of the base's engineering forces and reserve resources, and under strict secrecy, began to rush to manufacture the core component of the one-off energy projection device according to the schematics provided by Rowling and his team.

The entire base was like a war machine wound up tightly, operating at maximum efficiency under a tense calm.

The possibility of investigations or interventions from the Santa headquarters and the Imperial high command was temporarily put aside. Faced with survival, internal strife seemed so pale and distant.

By evening, the preliminary plan and the core components of the device were completed almost simultaneously.