novelno Chapter 1321 The Paradise of Slacking Off
Chapter 1321 The Paradise of Slacking Off
Three days is neither a long nor a short time.
The headquarters of the Paradise of Reincarnation underwent a dramatic transformation in these three days.
The temporary camp that was originally surrounded by alloy plates has completely disappeared, replaced by a military fortress that has risen from the ground.
The fortress, centered on the spaceship of the Paradise of Reincarnation, radiates outwards, covering an area five times larger than it was three days ago.
The city walls were no longer thin alloy plates, but permanent fortifications made of three layers of composite armor.
The outer layer is a high-strength alloy steel plate that has undergone special processing by the Millennium Engineering Department. The surface is coated with a gray-green camouflage coating that gives it a dull, matte texture in the morning light.
The middle layer has a honeycomb-like buffer structure that can distribute the impact force across the entire wall surface when subjected to heavy impacts.
The inner layer is made of high carbon fiber composite material, which is lightweight and strong. Even if the outer and middle layers are penetrated, the inner layer can withstand a considerable degree of attack.
The city wall was eight meters high and more than two meters thick.
There is a turret every twenty meters. The turrets are not equipped with ordinary cannons, but energy cannons developed by the Millennium students through reverse engineering based on samples provided by the Contractors of the Reincarnation Paradise.
The cannon barrel is dark gray, with densely packed heat dissipation patterns engraved on its surface, and the muzzle reflects a cold metallic luster under the sunlight.
The patrol passage above the city wall is three meters wide, with anti-slip steel plates paved on the surface and waist-high guardrails on both sides.
There is a watchtower every fifty meters, and each tower is fifteen meters high, much taller than the spaceship's hatch.
The detection equipment at the top of the watchtower operates 24 hours a day, with the radar antenna slowly rotating in the morning breeze, emitting a low hum.
The fortress was divided into several functionally distinct areas.
The central area is the spaceship docking area, where the Reincarnation Paradise's spaceships are parked steadily, with the tail hatch open, and supplies going in and out.
To the north is the living area, where rows of gray prefabricated houses are neatly arranged, with wide passageways between them.
To the south is the industrial area, which was the home of the Millennium Engineering Department.
Ore crushers, metal smelting furnaces, precision machining tools, and several automated production lines that Lin Yi couldn't name were all operating 24 hours a day under the cover of a huge tent.
The conveyor belt transports the ore from the stockpile area to the crusher. The crushed ore powder is then transported through pipes to the smelting furnace. The molten steel from the smelting furnace is cooled and shaped in a mold, and then transported by a robotic arm to the processing area for fine processing.
To the east is the training ground, where Kivotos students conduct tactical training and live-fire exercises every day.
Gunfire rang out from dawn until late at night, leaving a thick layer of spent shell casings on the ground.
To the west is the medical area, where dozens of white tents are neatly arranged, each marked with a red cross.
Medical supplies were neatly stacked on shelves inside the tent, and folding beds were laid out one after another, with clean white sheets.
The fortress is surrounded by a circular moat, three meters deep and five meters wide.
The bottom of the trench was filled with sharp steel rods, their tips gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Three barbed wire fences were strung along the outer side of the trench, with barbed wire posts spaced every few meters and driven deep into the ground.
The speed at which the entire fortress was built left the contractors of the Paradise of Reincarnation in disbelief.
They had seen many ways of building, but never this one.
Millennial students are not building, they are growing.
This morning you can see this place was just an empty lot, but by evening a warehouse had appeared out of nowhere, as if it had always been there.
Several engineering students even set up a small robot factory.
The factory is small, only a little over 200 square meters, but its production lines can produce engineering robots 24 hours a day.
The robot's skeleton is assembled one by one on the assembly line, the robotic arm welds the various parts together, the testing equipment tests each finished product, and the qualified robot walks off the end of the assembly line, wobbling out of the factory gate, and joins the construction army.
The robot doesn't need rest, food, or sleep; it can keep working as long as it has enough power.
Their robotic arms tirelessly move materials, weld steel plates, and pour foundations, almost ten times faster than humans.
By the morning of the third day, the headquarters of the Paradise of Reincarnation had been transformed into a military fortress that shocked everyone who saw it.
Several contractors from Apocalypse Paradise emerged from the wilderness. They were out searching for a spacetime fusion entity and had passed by the base camp of Reincarnation Paradise on their way.
The leader was a man in his early thirties, wearing a gray-green scout jacket, with a short knife hanging at his waist and a folding sniper rifle on his back.
He stood on a small hill, raised his binoculars, and looked toward the direction of the Paradise of Reincarnation fortress.
A gray-green steel fortress appeared in the lens of the telescope.
His first reaction was not surprise, but confusion.
He put down the binoculars, rubbed his eyes, and then raised them again.
The fortress is still there.
Eight-meter-high city walls, densely packed turrets, rotating radar antennas, and Kivotos students carrying weapons patrolling the city walls.
All of this was real; it wasn't an illusion or a mirage, but a real military fortress situated on the wasteland they had passed by the night before last.
"Captain, what's wrong?" A team member walked over from behind, holding a compressed biscuit in his hand and chewing on it.
The captain didn't say anything, he just handed him the binoculars.
The team member raised his binoculars and glanced at the food; a crumb of biscuit fell from the corner of his mouth and landed on his collar.
"what is this?"
"The headquarters of the Paradise of Reincarnation".
"Impossible." The team member put down his binoculars, his expression as if he were listening to a joke.
“When we passed by here the night before last, they were still setting up tents. How could they have built something like this in just two days?”
"Look at it again."
The team member raised the binoculars again, looked for a full ten seconds, and then slowly put them down.
"Okay, that's pretty outrageous."
He handed the binoculars back to the captain, took another bite of the biscuit, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and then spoke.
"Maybe they got lucky. Didn't you see those robots under construction? These robots might have been there before; they just took what was already there."
The captain frowned slightly, seemingly finding the explanation somewhat unreasonable, but he couldn't come up with a better one.
A military fortress cannot be built in two days. It's not a matter of effort, but of insufficient resources and manpower.
Then there's only one remaining possibility: the people in the Paradise of Reincarnation were lucky and picked up a ready-made one.
"Let's go, the fusion is the priority." The captain put away his binoculars and turned to walk into the depths of the wilderness.
In the past three days, Apocalypse Paradise has not found a single condensed object. If this continues, the nameless saint's expression will become even more grim.
What the people at Apocalypse Park didn't know was that in the past three days, the other three parks had turned the central area into a complete mess.
The most lively pair is Death Paradise and Sanctuary Paradise.
After the first condensed body was stolen by the Paradise of Reincarnation, Cohen held the cult responsible for it.
In his view, if the cult hadn't been stuck on the road and wasted so much time, Death Paradise would have had a good chance of getting the condensed body before Reincarnation Paradise arrived.
You said the cult is blocking the Holy Light Paradise, what does that have to do with the Death Paradise?
Cohen's logic is simple: if you don't block Holy Light Paradise, the people from Holy Light Paradise will run away with the condensed entity. Once they run away, Reincarnation Paradise won't come, and if Reincarnation Paradise doesn't come, the condensed entity is mine.
So if you block them, it's the same as stealing my things.
This logic was explained by Cohen pointing at the map with his two-handed greatsword at the war debriefing meeting in Death Park. No one refuted it, because anyone who did had already been cut down by him.
From then on, the cults of Death Paradise and Sanctuary Paradise were locked in a bitter feud. Whenever the two sides met in the wilderness, they would start fighting without saying a word.
The fanatical followers of the cult charged forward while shouting for divine protection, while the contractors of Death Paradise cursed as they fought back.
The two sides fought from day to night, from east to west, for more than a dozen rounds, but neither gained the upper hand.
The people from Tianqi Paradise watched from the sidelines, hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to snag a bargain.
Their thinking was simple: you fight your battles, I'll take mine.
The more intense your fight, the greater my chance of seizing the fused body.
The nameless saints sent out squad after squad to roam around the area where Death Paradise and Sanctuary Paradise were at war, and to steal any fused bodies they found.
As a result, these squads were spotted by the cult as soon as they approached the battlefield.
No matter who you are, if you are not a member of the Holy Land, you are an enemy of the Order.
Before the Apocalypse Paradise team could react, they were chased and attacked for three kilometers by the cult's fanatical followers, with more than half of them killed or wounded. The remaining few scrambled back to their base camp.
The nameless saint stood on the city wall of the Apocalypse Paradise headquarters, watching the team members return covered in dust and grime, his expression complex. He wanted to curse, but he didn't know who to curse.
Criticizing the religious order? They're just executing their own strategy.
Criticizing Death Paradise? They're fighting the cult, not targeting Apocalypse.
Insulting their own people? The team members have already suffered enough; if they continue to insult each other, no one will be willing to go out and find the condenser.
"Sir, what do we do now?" The adjutant stood behind him, holding a tablet computer that showed the results of the three days of condensation at Apocalypse Paradise—zero.
The nameless saint remained silent for a long time before speaking.
"Have everyone come back, and don't go out for the time being."
The adjutant paused for a moment, then nodded and turned to relay the order.
The nameless saint stood on the city wall, looking at the gray horizon in the distance, a bad feeling welling up in his heart.
It's been three days, and we haven't gotten a single piece of the condensate. If this continues, Apocalypse Paradise will have nothing to do with this war.
But now he really doesn't dare send anyone out anymore.
It's not that we're afraid we can't win, it's that we're afraid the people we send out won't come back.
Death Paradise and Sanctuary Paradise were locked in a bloody battle. Although Reincarnation Paradise was recuperating, no one knew when they would suddenly attack. Although Holy Light Paradise was relatively weak in combat, they had the motivation for revenge.
The Apocalypse Paradise is now surrounded by enemies in all four directions; running in any direction will only lead to death.
"Let's wait a bit."
Holy Light Paradise was also seething with anger over the past three days.
The first condensed entity was blocked on the road by the cult, and then stolen by the Paradise of Reincarnation. They held the cult responsible for this.
The girl leading the group is named Viola, and she is the temporary commander of this battle for Holy Light Paradise.
After returning to headquarters, she called all the captains together for a meeting. At the meeting, she said a few words, the gist of which was that the cult had gone too far and this grudge must be avenged.
The next morning, the contractors of Holy Light Paradise set off.
They found a small patrol of the cult, only a dozen or so people.
Without hesitation, Viola immediately ordered an attack.
One hundred and fifty contractors from Holy Light Paradise attacked simultaneously from three directions, surrounding the cult's patrol and giving them a thorough beating.
Although the cult's patrols were fearless, the disparity in numbers was too great, and they were wiped out in less than ten minutes.
This action thoroughly enraged the cult.
The shepherd gave a direct order that all members of the cult should kill anyone who saw members of the Holy Light Paradise, thus creating another mortal enemy on the battlefield.
Death Paradise attacks Sanctuary Paradise, Holy Light Paradise also attacks Sanctuary Paradise, Sanctuary Paradise attacks both Death Paradise and Holy Light Paradise simultaneously, Apocalypse Paradise is accidentally injured by all three parties, and Reincarnation Paradise watches the show from the sidelines.
The headquarters of the Paradise of Reincarnation, a bar.
The bar is run by Luoluo, the woman who runs a small pub on the workers' street.
She was wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a dark apron tied around her waist, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail hanging down her back.
Several contractors from the Paradise of Reincarnation sat in front of the bar, each with a drink in front of them. Some were drinking whiskey, some were drinking vodka, and some were drinking a strangely colored cocktail. The cocktail was dark green and looked like poison under the light, but the person who drank it said it tasted good, with a minty coolness and a sweet rum flavor.
King Kong sat at the far end of the bar, with a large glass of vodka in front of him, which contained at least half a jin of liquor.
He picked up the glass, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. The icy liquid slid down his throat, setting his stomach ablaze. He put down the glass, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and then picked up the playing cards on the table to begin shuffling.
"To fight or not to fight?" He looked at the people opposite him.
“Play.” A tall, thin man sitting opposite him spoke, also holding a deck of cards.
"The old rule applies: the loser stands guard on the city wall."
King Kong grinned, a smile that held anticipation, excitement, and a sense of ease he hadn't experienced in a long time.
In the war-torn world of the Paradise of Reincarnation, you rarely have the chance to sit in a bar, drink, and play cards.
Most of the time you're running, fighting, running away, healing, and waiting for the next run, fight, or run.
Your nerves are constantly on edge, your muscles are constantly stiff, and your brain is constantly calculating the enemy's position, your own health, and the remaining cooldown time of your skills.
You dare not relax, because relaxation equals death.
But this time is different.
This time, someone will help you watch the city walls, someone will help you patrol, someone will help you build the camp, and someone will help you with logistics.
All you have to do is sit at the bar, drink and play cards, and when it's time to step in, go out and chop up a few people, then come back and continue drinking and playing cards.
Such a life is a luxury in the war-torn world of the Paradise of Reincarnation; not everyone can afford it.
"Come to think of it, how many years has it been since we fought such an easy battle?"
The tall, thin man spoke as he dealt the cards, his tone tinged with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).
King Kong thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I can't remember. Anyway, the last time I drank in the war world was when I was at level five. Back then, we were chased and beaten by the people from Apocalypse Paradise for three days and three nights. We hid under a dry riverbed and drank a bottle of whiskey that we had taken from a dead man. The taste of that bottle of whiskey wasn't great, but that sip was the most enjoyable I've ever had in my life."
A woman sitting next to King Kong laughed. Her laughter was not loud, but it was clear and crisp, like the sound of ice cubes hitting the side of a glass.
"You guys were drinking at the bottom of the riverbed, and we were eating canned food in the cave. During that World War, we were trapped in a cave by the people from Holy Light Paradise for two whole days. We ran out of ammo, finished our healing potions, and eventually even ran out of canned food. We had no choice but to charge out and fight them to the death. But when we got out, we found that they were in even worse shape than us, with less ammo and fewer healing potions. We looked at each other, then went our separate ways, and neither of us attacked the other."
Luo Luo, behind the bar, wiped the wine glasses, listening to the people chatting, a slight smile playing on her lips.
“Your lives sound pretty miserable.” She placed the cleaned wine glass on the wine rack and picked up another glass to start wiping.
"Terrible?" King Kong tilted his head back and downed the vodka in his glass in one gulp, placing the empty glass on the bar with a crisp sound.
"That's not what's miserable, that's the norm. What do you think the world of war is? A vacation? A trip? A business trip on a paycheck? No, the world of war is hell. You're lucky if you can even survive in hell, let alone drink?"
Luo Luo poured him a new glass of vodka and added a few ice cubes.
"And now? What is now?"
King Kong picked up his glass and took a sip; the ice cubes clinked against the glass.
"This is paradise now." (End of Chapter)