Chapter 1,488 Retreat

After the battle, we were supposed to "draw" the captured worlds to the Empire area, but Sandora made a bolder decision: She wanted to build a new defense line in situ, adding the four captured worlds to these. Several continuous universes controlled by the energy radiation of the four worlds become a new frontier, which will permanently change the layout of the new empire and the abyssal zone.

"The planet fortresses we brought can be stationed in situ, allowing them to establish colonies and garrison fortresses in these worlds," Sandora said about her plan. "We anchor these universes and allow them to continue to operate in their own place. Stay in your position, and from now on the Abyssal Zone will be directly bordered by the New Empire - there will no longer be the barrier of the void."

Except for Qianqian who said that he didn’t understand anything and was not surprised, all of us were dumbfounded. Bingtis was even more frank: “Hey Sandra, you have to think carefully. This will bring about ten more people in the empire and the abyss area. With several 'wires of fire', it only takes one jump between the empire and the world in the abyss. From now on, no matter who you are fighting against, you can just grab a brick and get on."

"I know, and I didn't make this decision in a hot head," Sandora nodded calmly, "After a long period of accumulation, the New Empire has the ability to maintain multiple such lines of fire, and the Fallen Apostles just don't have it either. The extra energy is used to cause trouble, so this is the best time to establish a border zone. The new empire will indeed border the abyss in the future, but there are benefits: we can more easily monitor the movements of the fallen apostles, and we also happen to know the abyss. Did Ling do what she promised?"

"It seems that none of you trust me very much." Abyss Xiling's voice suddenly came, and I followed it. When he discovered that the other party's figure appeared on a data terminal not far away, Bingtis was stunned at the time: "Hey. You haven't left yet?"

"I am a network consciousness. As long as I am connected to the Internet, I am everywhere, so it doesn't matter whether I can leave or not from the beginning. I just haven't opened my own interactive interface for the time being. Before you close the sovereign hub of this universe, I will always be... "

"boom!"

Bingtis threw out a Bible and smashed the data terminal to pieces: "Well, you're not here now."

The image of Abyss Xiling appeared on another data terminal: "Don't react so much. We are at least half partners now, right? At least for the time being, I don't mean to cause trouble for you."

Bingtis pulled out the second Bible (I really don’t know how many such meteor hammers she has modified): "If you stop talking nonsense, I will tear this place apart, do you believe it? We are discussing confidentiality. !”

Abyss Xiling looked at Bingtis seriously: "If it is really confidential, will you discuss it openly in my base?"

I saw that Bingtis really wanted to smash this place, so I quickly reached out to stop her: "Hey, don't smash it, don't smash it, this place is already the property of the empire, okay, what you smashed is my thing!"

Bingtis looked indifferent: "It's okay, anyway, I just smashed a tower outside... You don't need to pay for it, right?"

I:"……"

It seems that Abyss Xiling herself found this very boring. She left us the last words and left: "Anyway, just don't bother me anymore. I don't care what else you want to do. Also - look forward to meeting again."

"What does she mean?" Bingtis looked over doubtfully. "Why does this guy always like to say such nonsense?"

I ignored her, just thinking about how much impact Sandora's plan would have on the situation once implemented - pushing the empire's border directly into the abyss and solidifying it permanently. This would undoubtedly forever change the relationship between the fallen apostle and the new empire. pattern.

We can imagine the Empire Zone and the Abyss Zone before this as two "networks". The nodes on the network are worlds, and the lines connecting the network are direct channels with a jump number of "one". Today Before. These two nets are completely isolated, and there is endless void between them. Whether they are conducting reconnaissance or attacking, both sides must sail across the void with fleets.

There are two main ways to go from one world to another. The first is to jump directly. The second is to open the order field and travel to other universes in the form of regular "voyage". before today. The only mode of transportation between the Imperial Zone and the Abyss Zone is the second one. Even the twin worlds that were sandwiched between the Abyss Zone and the Imperial Zone could not be reached directly through the void jump.

In previous border battles, we would "drag" the universe captured from the fallen apostles to the Empire Zone, cut it out of the "net" of the Abyss Zone by completely rewriting the world barrier, and integrate it into the Empire's territory . This is equivalent to taking away the nodes from another network, but it has never changed the status quo of the two networks being isolated from each other.

But Shandora will not do that this time. She will retain the original location of these border worlds that were just occupied by the Empire, and directly build the Imperial Fortress and World Gate there - that is, establishing our own sovereignty hub. .

From now on, the two isolated "nets" will be connected. The closest places between the Empire Zone and the Abyss Zone will no longer require a long voyage, but only one jump with an information offset within 100% - a Void Engine If the information offset to be modified at startup is less than 100%, then the spacecraft does not have to enter the void, but can jump directly from one universe to another. This is the so-called "number of jumps is one."

This is a complete change in the landscape. Its far-reaching significance is self-evident, and it is still unclear how long-term the impact will be. As for its immediate impact, as Sandora and Bingtis said: The good news is that we can more easily know the goings-on in the abyss area, and we can also attack the enemy more conveniently. The bad news is the same, from now on From now on, the fallen apostles and emperors will be in a state where no matter who they hit, they can just pick up bricks... Bingtis's metaphor is really too rustic.

We had never thought of having the Abyss Zone and the Empire Zone directly border each other before, because the Empire was weak at that time and the void was our safety barrier, but now Sandora seems to feel that the reality has matured, and she has decided to change this status quo.

"Do you really think this is okay?" I glanced at Sandora with an uneasy look. "The fallen apostles are very offensive. Usually they are the ones who take the initiative to fight."

"I have been thinking about it for a long time. Don't worry, there will be no problem," Sandora smiled, "They are indeed very offensive, but they also know when to attack and when to retreat, and as long as they do a good job in the world The locking work of the barrier makes it not easy for the enemy to attack."

"That's fine," I shrugged. "You're the expert at this point anyway."

A group of people left this empty command post, and once again saw the man outside going to the empty and lifeless city, my mood was a little different: when I first came here, this was still the territory of the fallen apostles, but in the blink of an eye, this place became... It was given to the Empire as a "meeting gift" by Abyss Xiling. Who would dare to imagine the amount of information involved? We all have a distrustful attitude towards Abyss Xiling, so we will naturally draw her every move closer to conspiracy theories, but what conspiracy could she have in giving this universe to the empire?

I'm not the only one having this doubt. Others were also thinking about this matter. Sandora looked at the intact city buildings and muttered as if talking to herself: "She said she did an experiment with this universe and wanted to see how it goes. Only then can we talk to void creatures in a safe situation... Ah Jun, it seems that she is quite afraid of you?"

I looked weird and didn't know how to answer: "To be honest, I'm a little afraid of her... I can fight with anyone you want, but to deal with this kind of guy who speaks 70% true and 30% false. And he changes constantly and is full of bad intentions. It’s really terrible. By the way, she won’t have buried a doomsday bomb in this universe, right? She will blow up this place after we move all the bases in..."

"How significant is this?" Sandora rolled her eyes. "Not only did she lose the world, but she also had to access so many bases here. What are you trying to do?"

"That's disgusting," I said, looking at the city scenery from afar. "Mental patients have broad minds, and mentally retarded children have a lot of joy. Abyss Xiling's heart is like a high-mathematics textbook, you can see it but you can't understand it..."

As I was talking, I saw a thick cloud of smoke rising into the sky in the distance - it was the obelisk of psionic energy that Bingtis had just blown up with a brick. I lowered my head and pondered for a long time, thinking about everything here. In fact, it is already the property of the empire, so he finally couldn't help but pat Bingtis on the shoulder: "This tower will be deducted from your pocket money next month."

Bingtis was choked and stunned, and then jumped up: "When will I need your pocket money again!?"

"Nonsense! Go and rummage around in your personal space. Did you buy that pile of messy things with your own money?"

Bingtis thought for a while and then suddenly realized: "Oh, I took so long to eat, I forgot about it, I thought it was at my own home..."

I:"……"

"If you think about it, this is actually a good thing," Bingtis patted me on the shoulder carelessly, "With my appearance and figure, I can become the richest man in the world just by swiping my credit card, okay? And isn't it just a tower, concubine? There are a lot of things that break down in your body, so don’t take it to heart."

This is the first time I've heard that it can be so comforting!

This vigorous attack is over here. There is no need to continue to advance regardless of the results or the actual situation in the abyss area. However, our military operations are far from stopping: after the advancement operation is over, we must There are still many things to do. The first is to eliminate the remaining enemies in this "new frontier".

There are already four worlds under the direct control of the Emperor. Using these four worlds as nodes to cause interference to other universes can have a blockade effect on all secondary nodes. After the blockade, the world is equal to being at the mercy of others: Rescue Power cannot enter, internal personnel cannot evacuate, and even the parameters of the world will be controlled by others. It can be captured with only a small number of troops. This is why we want to build a so-called "fortress world". These fortress worlds are actually equivalent to fire prevention nodes on the border. They themselves are jumping nodes, and they can also prevent nearby nodes from blocking other universes. Once they fall into the enemy's hands, the entire line of defense will basically collapse.

With the help of that "road map", the Emperor controlled the most valuable nodes, and the next step was to eliminate several blocked universes around them based on these nodes - basically Some wastelands without many garrisons no longer require our personal intervention at all.

"By the way, are we really going back like this?" In the command hall of the Imperial Admiral, Bingtis sat back on his seat. As he spoke, he smacked his lips, and the expression on his face seemed to be a bit unfinished. “It always feels like it’s anticlimactic…”

"Everything that can be done has been done. Now it just depends on what the Abyss Xiling has planned." Sandora closed her eyes slightly tiredly, "I always feel that there is something wrong with her. It is different from the previous impression. .”

Lilina didn't know where she had been burrowing before, but suddenly she appeared. The sinister Pope, who was accustomed to relying on conspiracy theories in everything, nodded and analyzed: "So the Abyss Xiling has decided for you. She made an agreement with the old army to contain the new army in the abyss area. She promised to be 'honest' in the short term, and at the same time, she could hand over these worlds on the border, at the cost of the Imperial Army's retreat, so as not to disturb her 'great cause'... ...Now we know that her 'great cause' is to build bridges, which is different from what we expected before. Boss, what are the consequences if she really wants to build this 'bridge'?"

"No one knows now, but what is certain is that she wants the Abyss Empire to rise. This itself is the biggest trouble," I sighed. "This withdrawal is actually a helpless move. If there is a way, we must not just watch it. Watching Abyss Xiling continue her plan. In fact, if she didn't come to negotiate, the result would be similar - with the number of enemies in the abyss area, plus the possibility of the reorganization of the old army and the new army, the emperor should have retreated. , this time it can be regarded as a favor. I don’t know if Abyss Xiling has the concept of ‘favor’.”

As I said that, I closed my eyes as exhausted physically and mentally as Sandora, and sank into the seat to think about my thoughts.

I still remember my previous course of action when facing the fallen apostles: no matter what they were doing, they couldn't let you succeed. But this time facing Abyss Xiling, we just let her go back and continue to toss her conspiracy. It's a compromise, although there really isn't a better option. But it always makes people feel a little awkward. So is this "cooperation" good or bad?

What does building bridges mean to the fallen apostles, and is it worth continuing no matter what the cost?

These issues are yet to be determined, and only one thing is certain: we must continue to enhance our strength, and we must not fall into a disadvantage in this tightrope-like confrontation.

"Boss, are you in a bad mood?" Lilina saw me pretending to sleep with my eyes closed, so she climbed up with my legs, "Boss, I'll be cute for you, don't worry about it, okay?"

I opened one eye and saw that Lilina had almost brought her face to my nose. I had no choice but to pat her hair and take her aside: "I'm thinking about national affairs. It's not easy for me to do something serious. You Don't interrupt."

"To lead the overall situation, sometimes you have to take some detours," Lilina grabbed the armrest of my seat, "As long as you maintain an advantage in the overall situation, temporary and local compromises are acceptable. This time you let Abyss Xiling continue has developed, but in turn the empire has also gained a stable period of development, hasn't it? You and her just discussed changing the competitive situation from military conflict to arms conflict, and now we have made progress, that is, we have learned about the fallen apostles. What exactly is the 'great cause' of the Chinese people, so as long as they get the absolute right to speak before they build the bridge..."

I looked at this little one who was only 1.09 meters tall in surprise and said, "You think very thoroughly."

"I was just making nonsense now and I can't go on with it anymore," Lilina jumped on me again, "Boss, please hug me! You don't like Luo... Hey, boss, you can't do this! Put away that sinful basket... …At least keep my head up!”

After cleaning up Lilina, I felt very good. I thought that this pseudo-loli who was constantly in trouble had at least this benefit: she could indeed relieve people's boredom...especially when they were seeking death.

Although I knew that she just wanted to make jokes in this way to adjust the atmosphere, and I was very grateful for her efforts, my actions after taking out the basket had already formed a conditioned reflex, and I really couldn't stop!

After the military operations on the Imperial side gradually came to an end, the Protoss front also began to wrap up.

Of course, Abyss Xiling did not go over and had a "negotiation" with the Protoss generals. In addition to the withdrawal signal from the Imperial Army, what prompted the Protoss to withdraw was their own consideration based on the current situation: the counterattacks of the fallen apostles became more and more fierce, and Abyss The legions in the area began to gather, and the border fortresses of the Fallen Apostles were impregnable. These reasons combined made the military commander on the Protoss side make the decision to give up as soon as possible. Everything is just as Abyss Xiling told us during the "negotiation": now is not the time for the final battle. Neither the Protoss nor the Empire has the strength to conquer the Abyss Zone in one fell swoop. In the end, continuing to advance will only increase casualties. The retreat of the gods and emperors is inevitable.

But this war still completely changed the pattern in the void, and allowed us to achieve brilliant results: the Emperor captured a considerable border world of the fallen apostles. Although the number was small, they were all important nodes. Now we A fortress has been established under their noses. From now on, the New Empire and the Fallen Apostles have officially entered the stage of rivalry. While the Protoss has occupied a large area of ​​territory, it has also completely compressed the scope of the Fallen Apostles' activities, and in A large number of warning points have been established on the side of the Abyss that "faces" the God Realm. With these arrangements, the Gods will no longer have to worry about their upcoming expedition.

The Abyss Zone has suffered a huge blow - although it has not been completely eliminated, at least for a long time, the fallen apostles will be honest, plus the cooperation promise of the Abyss Xiling... I hope she will really keep her promise. .

Maybe I can finally have some free time.