"Cut the crap." Li Xiaofei glanced at him, then looked toward the distant, towering city that resembled a fortress in the clouds.
He asked, "How do we get in?"
The bearded man quickly responded, "We can sneak in by blending with the supply trucks. Honestly, getting in is much easier than getting out. The Holy Light Settlement strictly controls people leaving the city, but the entry checkpoints are much more lenient."
Li Xiaofei looked at Liu Diqiu, who nodded slightly.
"Make the arrangements," Li Xiaofei ordered.
The bearded man provided the group with the standard white uniforms of the settlement. Once they changed, his convoy took them to one of the shores of the city’s outer moat.
Patrol teams moved back and forth along the river, but the bearded man had clearly bribed the guards long ago. They were barely inspected before being allowed to cross the river and dock on the other side.
A convoy of twenty amphibious heavy trucks awaited them outside the city. Li Xiaofei and the others blended in seamlessly as they entered the city.
Inside the city, the buildings and streets were all in neat squares. Everything was white. The few pedestrians on the streets wore identical uniforms consisting of white tops, white shorts, and casual white shoes. It looked like they had all been cast from the same mold.
Shops, malls, and hotels were a rare sight. Sports fields, amusement parks, and other recreational facilities were nearly nonexistent. Even the vehicles that moved along the roads were of the same model and design. Though the city itself was massive, an overwhelming sense of suffocation settled over them.
"That’s the Tower of Gods." Liu Diqiu pointed toward the center of the city and said, "This settlement has three stationed God Warriors, the Sun God, the Moon God, and the Thunder God. They all reside inside the Tower of Gods. There are also at least three thousand Governors of varying ranks. According to the information I gathered earlier, this place has six major manufacturing zones and is capable of mass-producing at least ten thousand newly initialized Governors every day."
"Also, the city has fewer than twenty thousand ‘Seed’ residents." Liu Diqiu added.
"What are 'Seed' residents?" Bai Qiqi asked curiously.
Liu Diqiu explained, "They are ordinary people. In the eyes of the Star Council and Eden, they are like stored genetic stock, ready to be harvested whenever necessary. That’s why they are called ‘Seed.’ residents"
Everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
"The city operates under strict military control. Besides the ordinary people, there are a few Extraordinary Ones in management roles who assist the Governors in running the city."
Liu Diqiu continued, "I have good news and bad news."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"The bad news is that the Governors conduct a full patrol of the entire settlement every thirty minutes to scan everyone's identity data. That means we, as undocumented residents, will be discovered in no more than thirty minutes. This entire raid must be completed within that time frame."
Li Junjie asked, "What’s the good news?"
Liu Diqiu replied, "The good news is that as long as we take control of the Tower of Gods and the six manufacturing zones within thirty minutes, we will accomplish our mission."
She turned to Li Xiaofei. "Take me and my sister to the Tower of Gods. I can hack into the command system and seize control of the stationed Governors. We can turn them to our side."
"Alright," Li Xiaofei nodded. "We’ll have to split up."
Liu Diqiu pulled out a classified map of the six manufacturing zones. It had details of every security measure, defensive layout, firepower distribution, troop placements, and stationed elites. Additionally, she gave them several electronic disguise identity markers, which could deceive digital security systems and allow them to infiltrate the factories unnoticed.
"Where did you get these?" asked Li Xiaofei. The others were stunned.
Who exactly is this girl?
She’s so well-prepared.
Liu Diqiu remained unfazed as she replied, "Is this that surprising? I wasn’t fleeing to Grandpa Lakeside Camp as a wanderer; I was looking for partners. Originally, I had planned to work with Zhang Wannian and his people, but it turns out that they were Eden’s lapdogs. You seemed like better partners, so don’t disappoint me. I hope I didn’t choose the wrong team."
Li Xiaofei was speechless. The more he observed Liu Diqiu, the more he felt that this girl’s background was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
It didn’t take them long to assign teams. Li Xiaofei took Liu Diqiu and her sister to the Tower of Gods, while the others split into six groups, one for each of the six manufacturing zones.
With the plan finalized, they immediately set off. Li Xiaofei led the two sisters toward the Tower of Gods.
"We need to disguise ourselves." Liu Diqiu whispered.
"No need." Li Xiaofei replied, "As long as we have the electronic identity markers, we can blend in. Once we’re inside the Tower of Gods, I’ll handle the rest."
Liu Diqiu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright."
Then, after a brief moment, she muttered, "Men and their ridiculous pride."
Li Xiaofei couldn’t be bothered to respond. The three of them quickly arrived at the entrance of the Tower of Gods, where Liu Diqiu’s electronic identity markers worked as expected. They passed through at least ten security scans, and some Governors even intercepted them for direct verification, but in the end, they were allowed through.
This was the flaw of artificial intelligence. As long as the electronic identity marker was valid, even a dog could be granted access.
The massive doors of the Tower of Gods slowly opened.
From below, the towering structure resembled a dragon spear that pierced the sky. The entire exterior was made of an unknown rare metal that was painted white. It was approximately forty meters wide at the base, which tapered off as it rose into the sky. The walls concealed the exact number of floors from the outside.
Inside, everything was pitch black. When they stood at the entrance, they couldn’t see anything beyond the threshold. Li Xiaofei and the two sisters cautiously stepped inside.
The doors behind them sealed shut. The walls were so seamless that it didn’t even look like there was an exit behind them anymore. Suddenly, the interior lighting came to life.
A pulsating white glow filled the space, ebbing and flowing like rhythmic breathing. A spiraling staircase snaked upward along the walls. When they looked up toward the top of the tower, they saw countless specks of light twinkling in the distance.
It was like standing atop a mountain, gazing at the endless cosmos. An overwhelming sense of insignificance washed over them.
"Do we just climb the stairs?" Liu Diqiu asked.
Li Xiaofei shook his head.
"Then what’s your plan?" She pressed.
"I don’t have one," Li Xiaofei replied.
"Huh?" Liu Diqiu froze, then frowned. "Now is not the time for jokes."
"I’m not joking," Li Xiaofei said calmly. "My plan is to have no plan. We adapt as we go."
Liu Diqiu was speechless, but before she could respond—
A deep, rhythmic sound rang out, as if some unseen mechanism had just been activated. Three beams of light suddenly descended from above, locking onto them.
"Welcome to the Tower of Gods." A cold, mocking voice resonated through the space. "I can’t even remember how long it’s been since unexpected guests last arrived... I hope your upcoming performance can bring even the slightest bit of amusement to my endless wait."
Shit. We’ve been discovered.
Liu Diqiu felt her hair stand on end.