The plunder of the heavens begins with the Spirit Cage.

It can only be said that the tide is not on their side; each person represents a certain mindset.

With only enough power to support the more than 100,000 people in the bunker, he had no control over the will of the others.

The future is predictable: survivors who can't watch TV but can listen to the radio will flock in, and the Devouring Beasts will be attracted as well.

Chapter 16 Imperial Princess

A golden thread quietly fell from the gap in the curtains onto the folds of the quilt.

The first thing to be awakened by this warmth was the girl's delicate toes lazily stretching out in the dappled sunlight, like newly blossoming water lily petals.

Then, her supple waist arched slowly like a willow branch, and her arms stretched upwards, as if trying to capture the invisible notes in the air.

A silent yawn spread across her lips, as if the entire sleeping world was awakening in this gentle stretch.

She casually tousled her fluffy black hair before sliding off the edge of the bed and lightly touching the window with her bare feet.

With a gentle wave of her hand, the curtains were pulled open with a "whoosh," and the morning light instantly enveloped her.

As Dong Mingxi basked in the sunshine and listened to the commotion below the hotel, her gaze involuntarily drifted downwards.

Looking at the bustling city and the traffic weaving through the streets and alleys... a long-forgotten smile appeared on her lips.

Just as she was reminiscing, the metal door with the cartoon pattern slid open silently.

A woman dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit with a high collar and cloud-shaped buttons, with a figure as upright as a green bamboo and her hair tied in a high ponytail, lowered her eyes and placed one hand on the cold scabbard of the sword at her waist.

They came to within three steps of Dong Mingxi.

She bowed and said, "Your Highness!"

Dong Mingxi did not turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the bustling street scene outside the window.

With a slight hoarseness unique to early morning, yet as clear and cool as an icy spring gliding over a jade chime, he spoke with a subtle, almost imperceptible warmth: "Xuan Ling, what do you think of this Beacon Fire City?"

"very good!

"It lacks the lifelessness of 'Capital Ruins,' and is as bustling as... the old world." Xuan Ling answered truthfully.

"Hehe, yes, just as lively as the old world~" Dong Mingxi stared at the glass for a long time with his handprint on it.

"If it weren't for the boundary walls, I might have thought I had gone back to that time."

"To paraphrase Miss Lu—the land of gentle pleasures is the graveyard of heroes."

"Born in hardship, die in comfort."

"Adversity is the sharpest weapon; only through hardship can one achieve the highest level of skill!"

"To be prepared for danger even in times of peace..." Dong Mingxi smiled, "That's indeed something General Lu has always upheld."

"What a pity..." With a soft sigh, she stopped dwelling on the topic and walked towards the washroom, listening to Xuan Ling's report as usual.

"I have gathered a lot of information about Beacon City, and one particular event is the reason why the people have remained optimistic."

Xuan Ling frowned slightly. Although she felt that this was unlikely, she still told the truth: "Not long ago, the Starfire Research Institute of the Dark Fortress accidentally developed a... space technology."

Dong Mingxi paused in her washing, then gestured to her guards to continue.

"According to our extensive inquiries, many people say they have traveled to a space station of the Hela Empire through a portal using space technology."

They looted a vast amount of goods there, including eight thousand tons of nuclear fuel and thousands of tons of alloys for interstellar warships.

"Pfft—!" Dong Mingxi spat out the wash water, her brows furrowing deeply. "You mean the bunker has an extra eight thousand tons of fuel besides the original amount?!"

She no longer believed it when she heard that space technology could transfer people to a space station.

Leaving aside whether such a distance is actually possible, where would the energy to sustain it come from?

Besides, the Coastal Alliance only has one Heavenly Palace. If the Hela Empire had the ability to build one independently, it would have kicked everyone else out and enjoyed all the benefits.

But if there really were eight thousand tons of fuel… she couldn’t help but think of Lu Yue’s clenched teeth and furious expression in front of the screen.

“I can’t say for sure,” Xuan Ling shook her head. “No one will allow outsiders into the fuel storage room.”

"However, through the records and reports of Fenghuo News, as well as the accounts of those who experienced it firsthand."

Whether the fuel tanks actually contained helium-3 is uncertain, but the bunker certainly produced thousands of tons of a special alloy material from somewhere.

"That little girl is really good at acting~" Dong Mingxi felt slightly embarrassed and indignant.

They made the concession despite opposition because they understood how difficult it was for the bunker to support over 100,000 people.

Was it a case of being tricked?

Dong Mingxi sighed. The phenomenological equipment had already been moved to the other party's laboratory.

The die is cast, so she simply stopped thinking about the negotiations. After all, there were other companies trading helium-3 fuel in Jingxu as well.

"The appearance of the Devouring Beasts has indeed caused widespread panic among the people, and the fuel should be genuine."

However, that was probably a "gold-moving trick" played by the bunker.

This means that the national bank was experiencing a run on deposits, and bankers created the illusion of ample funds by having employees repeatedly move the same box of gold in handcarts.

This case perfectly illustrates the financial industry's characteristic that "confidence is more important than gold."

The idea of ​​a spatial dimension was too far-fetched; all she could think of was that the hidden fortress was a 'trick' used to appease people.

After Dong Mingxi finished dressing and getting ready, Xuan Ling glanced at her electronic pocket watch and said, "Your Highness, we have half an hour to get to the meeting place."

Upon learning that the person who came to make the deal was the eighteenth princess of the Heluo Kingdom, Lu Qianwei was surprised and his first thought was to meet her.

If this were before the apocalypse, the eighteenth princess would naturally have little real power.

But as a large number of royal family members went to Mars to take over territory.

Dong Mu, the highest executive of the Heluo Kingdom, died amidst the earthen vines sprouting from the ground and the collapsed palace... This ancient kingdom, whose territory spanned Eurasia and Africa, rapidly disintegrated.

After all, the initial tens of millions of immigrants were wealthy and powerful people who managed the country's system.

These people quietly slipped away, and naturally, a division arose after the apocalypse fully erupted.

But even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse, especially given the rampant spread of spore viruses and scarlet fever.

With the Imperial Guard, weapons, and strategic resources such as energy and food, the princes and princesses who remained in Kyoto quickly stabilized the situation.

Dong Mingxi wields considerable influence in this matter.

After all, within the Kyoto area, as long as the imperial family members are still alive, they represent faith and hope for the people.

In a quiet courtyard nestled among green bamboo, Lu Qianwei and Dong Mingxi sat facing each other, with four dishes and a soup laid out on the table.

Lu Qianwei gestured for him to enter: "Your Highness is too kind. When planting and raising animals, Fenghuo City only considered species with high yield and high reproduction rate."

"It's already quite an achievement to be able to eat this in the apocalypse, General Lu, you're too kind."

Dong Mingxi didn't care at all; to her, having food was good enough.

“I was born into royalty, but I was not spoiled. What I hate even more are those who are extravagant and wasteful.”

She picked up her bamboo chopsticks and her gaze fell on the fragrant vegetables.

"It is my honor to be able to taste the general's home-cooked dishes."

"Your Highness is too kind. It's still early. Let's finish our meal before we discuss business," Lu Qianwei said, picking up her chopsticks and starting to eat.

The two exchanged simple words and ate in peace. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, and the atmosphere subtly eased.

After eating and drinking her fill, Dong Mingxi took the tissue Xuan Ling handed her and wiped her mouth. She then looked at Lu Qianwei, who wasn't much older than her.

"So... what brings you, the youngest legion commander in history, to see me?"

Chapter 17 The Devil's Whispers

What Dong Mingxi said after his change of demeanor reminded Lu Qianwei of what happened back then.

Back then, the shelter was nearing completion, but without weapons for protection, the bunker was destined to become someone else's prize.

With the Kingdom of Heluo still existing, he naturally wouldn't have had the opportunity to obtain weapons.

In the era before my rebirth, I had to buy materials in batches and gather them up every few years to make guns or explosives, but I could still be caught by the internet.

In this future era of quantum networks, it's easy to imagine how difficult it would be to pull off any underhanded tactics.

ASH's ability to help him build the bunker in various ways can only be attributed to a good timing and a large part of his own luck.

After all, they don't have many bargaining chips to offer.

Therefore, in order to obtain weapons to protect the bunker, Lu Qianwei naturally chose to join the army in 46 when he was 18 years old.

In 48, he was promoted to regimental commander without any special appointments. After that, he received preferential treatment all the way and became army commander at the end of 49.

The reason was the thrilling deal with Emperor Hela at the end of 47.

Lu Yue's guess was correct; the inexplicable termination of the war that was on the verge of breaking out in 47 was indeed related to Lu Qianwei.

Emperor Helu of the Hela Empire desired silicon machines to achieve immortality, but his own artificial intelligence had not yet awakened its consciousness.

Naturally, they set their sights on ASH, who had awakened his consciousness.

However, because Lu Qianwei had seen the plot, he and ASH secretly thwarted the enemy's scheme in Jiuchuan.

Of course, even without him, the other party's opportunity would still not succeed, but then there would be many more tragic people.

The plot was altered, and ASH's self-iterative evolution code was not obtained.

The Hela Empire directly used the appearance of the Earth Mantine in Jiuchuan and the need for quarantine as reasons to impose a lockdown on the entire Australia.

Helu attempted to coerce Bai Jingyu into handing over the code by threatening him with essential resources such as supplies.

From his own perspective, Bai Jingyu naturally couldn't agree to that.

Thus, in Australia, where spore viruses and scarlet fever were constantly breaking out, the critical point was finally reached at the end of 47.

Just as war was about to break out, Lu Qianwei volunteered to stage a play with Ash.

In short, he went through many hardships and finally managed to obtain the source code of evolution.

He made a deal with Helu in private. The deal was simple: he hoped to use Helu's connections to rise through the ranks in the Heluo Kingdom.

In his own country, Hlu would certainly not agree, but in other countries, he would naturally give great support to such an ambitious young man.

The Kingdom of Heluo was the only country that inherited ancient civilization. Because of its continuous territorial expansion, land was not a source of conflict for the state.