Chapter 372 314: The Situation, the Celestial Capital's Legacy, and Chu Bamboo's Strategic Objective

Chu Bamboo exited the interface again. He was silent for a moment, then closed his eyes once more. After a few breaths, a hint of self-mockery crept into his voice.

'It seems it wasn't just the Wall Announcements... I guess my heart also held some unrealistic expectations? Right... If I think about it logically, if it were really that simple, the world wouldn't be in this state... But still! Heh.'

'Whatever. The situation isn't so dire that I have to kill him right now... If that time truly comes, I'll act then...'

Patting his cheeks, Chu Bamboo forcibly cleared the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He then requisitioned an ordinary electric car, preparing to have the mechanical dog take Xu Duoduo and escape in it... As for where to go... 'Hmm, I'll see what Hai Mingyue's situation is! If possible, I'll seek refuge with her...'

"As for..." Chu Bamboo paused slightly. "Wait, I'll ask Hu Kaikang."

If even someone with Lao Hu's status confirms it's a lost cause, that there's truly no way to restore a contaminated person... then it's basically...

'Forget it... Like I said, if circumstances allow... I should still let him live!'

Chu Bamboo stared at his hands. Rationally, he knew it was impossible for him to create a miracle that countless Transcendents of the past couldn't, but emotionally, he felt that perhaps, one day, he just might be able to do it...

'It doesn't matter anyway! Keeping him in a nuclear facility doesn't seem to have any major repercussions for now...'

Chu Bamboo patted his cheeks again, regaining his composure. The Wall Announcements possessed the Door Opening Divine Techniques, which could be used to contact Lao Hu. And Lao Hu, given his special circumstances... should be able to get support from the Pope!

"The Pope is a man who upholds justice," Chu Bamboo murmured. The God Worship Sect was in its current state precisely because of this Pope's continuous reforms... Forty-seven years ago, before the Pope ascended, the God Worship Sect was nothing like it is today.

In a way, the current corruption, and even the Priests' penchant for young boys... are all toxic legacies left over from that era...

Therefore, Chu Bamboo believed that once the Pope learned the truth, while he certainly wouldn't go to war with Daqian directly, he would definitely provide some degree of assistance.

Then, Chu Bamboo turned his head again to look at the content on the Hive phone interface. The drone carrier had now completed its overhaul and was slowly moving into a colossal elevator specially prepared for it.

The elevator's exit was about four kilometers from the spot Chu Bamboo had dug down from earlier, a hidden area partially enclosed by mountains and rocks. So even if there were some Official personnel monitoring the entrance, Chu Bamboo wasn't worried that the drone carrier would be discovered when it emerged.

Although the ground at this exit was still covered in dirt, the design had clearly accounted for this. It had internal drills to forcibly tear through the accumulated rock and soil on the surface.

Finally, the drone carrier slowly appeared on the horizon.

Its frame was long and slender, over two hundred meters in length, with a terrifying wingspan. From a purely visual standpoint, it was even more intimidating than a real-world medium-sized aircraft carrier.

"...Take off!" Chu Bamboo watched, entranced, for a good while. In his eyes, this thing was truly a work of art. He issued the command with gravity.

Under the Hive's control, the drone carrier, which hadn't moved in a thousand years, shuddered slightly a few times. Then, with effortless grace, it lifted into the air.

Like a bird spreading its wings... it made the difficult look easy!

There was no deafening roar of engines, nor did it kick up any blast of air...

Chu Bamboo was stunned. He had considered many possibilities... He had even thought about the commotion it might make, attracting the Official personnel four kilometers away, and what preparations he would need. But now...

"...Magnetic levitation?"

Chu Bamboo narrowed his eyes, a guess forming in his mind. He gazed at the drone carrier flying in the sky with a look of admiration.

For a moment, he even felt as if he were looking at one of Marvel's Aerospace Carriers... although the drone carrier was a size smaller than an Aerospace Carrier, and its exterior looked like a typical aircraft.

Chu Bamboo rubbed his fingers together lightly. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Hive, how long can the drone carrier fly in the sky?"

"The carrier has a built-in medium-sized nuclear fusion generator!" the Hive's voice was flat. "Theoretically, from the moment it takes flight, it can stay in the sky indefinitely. In fact, according to hidden internal data, the skies above should be constantly patrolled by seventeen super-massive drone carrier fleets belonging to the Divine Continent. These fleets' specifications and combat strength far exceed this current, obsolete drone carrier under my control. If foreign drone carriers are included, the number would be even greater. However, I am unable to retrieve their specific coordinates... Warning, suspected error. I cannot detect their existence..."

"Ignore them," Chu Bamboo said succinctly.

"Command accepted." After a slight pause, the Hive continued, "Furthermore, the reason a drone carrier is a carrier is that it can be paired with wireless charging technology! It can support drone recharging under any circumstances to ensure their continuous operation."

Chu Bamboo sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly understanding. 'So that's how it is.' Yes, under these circumstances, the existence of a drone carrier was indeed logical... He had wondered before why drones, and even cell phones, didn't seem to need charging in the city.

Thinking about it now...

'But... seventeen drone carrier fleets! And they're super-enhanced versions of this one... Are they unsinkable islands in the sky?...'

Chu Bamboo's expression became complex, his eyes filled with daydreams. In the end, though, he forcibly suppressed these thoughts and shook his head with a sigh.

"Sigh, I don't even need to ask this time... Either a thousand years was enough for them to eventually fall from the sky! Or... the war in the Celestial Court!"

After a moment's thought, Chu Bamboo again selected several drones he had dispatched earlier. The drones' cameras showed the encampment of the Donglin Third Corps, stationed near Jinghai.

"...Interesting!"

A playful look appeared on Chu Bamboo's face. The Third Corps appeared relaxed, but in reality, based on Chu Bamboo's knowledge of them, it was clear they were feigning looseness while internally on high alert... They had already entered a state of combat readiness.

'My unfilial descendant seems to be prepared for the worst... But he actually thinks I can stir up turmoil in Jinghai City? Hmm... that makes sense. If he's gathered enough intel on me, it's normal to have such suspicions...'

'But is he crazy... sending the army into the city! What if he can't control them...' Chu Bamboo's thoughts paused. Yes, a feudal-era army couldn't be compared to the Jie Army... but it seemed the Emperor didn't consider the people of Jinghai City to be human either.

'In other words, even if they commit mass murder—even if, following the basic morality of a feudal army, they get carried away and start sacking the city... as long as it's confined to the shantytown redevelopment area, or even if it spreads to the Second District... as long as it doesn't truly impact the elite class of the First District, it doesn't matter?'

'After all, the previous nuclear contamination was also aimed at the shantytown area. The First District is special, after all; it has the so-called barrier established by the Great Goddess Nuwa!'

"If that's the case... then I don't need to be polite anymore!" Chu Bamboo gave the encampment of the Third Corps a deep look and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

He closed his eyes, seriously organizing the surrounding military deployments and his own strategic objectives in his mind...

He murmured, as if talking to himself, yet also as if narrating to someone, "My goal is not to use this to conquer the world directly!"

"That's impossible..."

Chu Bamboo's mind was perfectly clear. This wasn't a problem of armies... it was a problem of the Extraordinary!

So what was his strategic objective? A strategic objective is critically important... You could even say that if you don't have a goal the moment you start a war... you are destined to fail!

"It's to use one reset after another, along with the power to annihilate all surrounding military forces and even shake the entire Imperial Court in a short period... Within this timeframe, I will acquire enough information! I'll find out how the Emperor, the Imperial Capital's officials, the officials in the Jiangnan Region, and the various Extraordinary Influences might react to such an event..."

"And, by making such a big scene, I'll put these machines on the front lines as a sacrifice... giving the 'union' as much opportunity to develop as possible! To accumulate enough power... and ultimately..."

Chu Bamboo's eyes snapped open, filled only with clarity, understanding, and contemplation. "Moreover, I can continuously build up my resources under the butterfly effect of the future... No matter what, I've gained a drone carrier this time! So in that regard, the future is quite promising..."

With this in mind, Chu Bamboo pulled up a map of the entire Daqian empire.

His finger tapped on Jinghai, then quietly slid up along the Great River, stopping at the Celestial Capital. Chu Bamboo was contemplating a very serious question. Since his company headquarters was located in the Celestial Capital...

"My good brother, is it possible you left some kind of inheritance in the Celestial Capital that could help me now?"

Thoughts surged in Chu Bamboo's mind. He felt the probability wasn't low... No matter how much he had accumulated in Shanghai, Jinling was, after all, his good brother's main base of operations.

'Hmm, I've decided... In the future, in some discarded timeline, I'll see if I can take down the Celestial Capital! Then I can get some intel... But the key question is, in a discarded timeline, I only have one day from start to finish! Is that enough time?'

A so-called "discarded timeline" was one used purely to exchange for information, a time where he could act recklessly because no matter what happened, even if it meant suicide, Chu Bamboo had to die in the end.

'And... will there be top-tier Transcendents in the Celestial Capital... Hmm, whatever, it's just an experiment anyway!'

Then, Chu Bamboo cleared the chaotic thoughts from his mind. His finger continued up the river on the map, sliding past Wen Han, past the Mountain City... and finally, he firmly circled all of these major cities together.

The Great River Industrial Belt! In a sense, this was arguably the largest industrial belt in the current Daqian empire.

Finally, Chu Bamboo slowly raised his head and looked toward the vast northern region... His fist slammed down heavily on the Imperial Capital on the map.

Chu Bamboo had made his decision. He spoke slowly, "Openly repair the plank roads, while secretly advancing on Chencang."

After a slight pause, Chu Bamboo recalled the strategy employed by the Ming Grand Ancestor, Zhu Yuanzhang, and murmured, "Build high walls, store abundant grain, and be slow to claim the title of king!"