Chapter Forty: The Laser Cannon!

Chu Xiao walked further inside and saw a long cannon, seemingly no different from before. Yet, he knew it had changed—it was now a deadly weapon, powerful enough to destroy the second-generation machines of the Underworld King!

“Wonderful!” Chu Xiao gazed at the weapon before him, his excitement nearly bringing him to tears.

He looked over at Ren Boyuan, who was weeping uncontrollably. Years of dreams had finally come true! How could he not be moved?

Hua Bo watched the scene before her with an expressionless face, as if it had nothing to do with her.

“Thank you for your hard work! On behalf of the nation, I, Chu Xiao, thank you all! On behalf of the people of Nine Provinces, I sincerely thank everyone!” Chu Xiao shouted, his voice trembling with emotion.

Then, glancing at his watch, he announced, “It is now January 22nd, 9:18 in the morning. There are thirty-eight days left until the Underworld King awakens!”

“Thirty-eight days! Just over a month! We can no longer afford to wait!”

“From now on, I name this weapon the Boyuan-Laser Cannon! For short, the Laser Cannon!”

“Starting today, I hope everyone will work together to manufacture the Boyuan-Laser Cannon! At the same time, do not neglect the production of other weapons! I thank you all!”

Boyuan-Laser Cannon!

Using Boyuan’s name as the prefix affirmed the decades of effort Ren Boyuan had devoted. It also ensured that everyone would remember him—not as an unknown figure, but as someone who made immense contributions to Nine Provinces. No one could overlook him.

No one objected, knowing well their own efforts paled in comparison to Ren Boyuan’s. How could they compete?

Ren Boyuan understood Chu Xiao’s intentions, and tears streamed from his eyes.

Meanwhile, food storage at the base continued, and the underground facility was completed.

The underground base was finished!

Chu Xiao went to inspect it, arriving by helicopter. From the upper levels, he could see the entire underground base. It occupied several thousand square meters. Though the depth was hidden, Chu Xiao could still sense its grandeur.

Chu Xiao arrived at the base, experiencing its magnificence firsthand.

Others too watched the achievement, awed by what they saw.

It was arguably the largest underground base in the world, worthy of a Guinness record.

Qin Lihua and Zhang Fengli stood beside Chu Xiao.

“At last, it’s finished!” Zhang Fengli breathed a third of a sigh of relief; the remaining two-thirds still weighed on him, tied to other responsibilities.

Qin Lihua gazed at the underground base, unable to hold back her admiration. “Indeed! What a spectacular facility! I believe it will surely protect humanity’s safety in the future!”

“It’s thanks to everyone’s collective effort that we have this result today! Rest assured, none of your achievements will be wasted!” Chu Xiao spoke slowly, and then, as if remembering something, continued, “Now that this is done, it’s time to transport supplies inside!”

“Yes! Agreed!” Qin Lihua responded.

Chu Xiao turned to Qin Lihua and Zhang Fengli. “Thank you, Mother, and Governor Zhang!”

“It’s nothing, as it should be!” Qin Lihua and Zhang Fengli replied in unison.

“I’ll leave the rest to you. I have other matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now!” Chu Xiao knew in his heart that what lay ahead was perhaps even more important than what was before him.

“Alright!” Their voices matched perfectly.

Chu Xiao looked at Qin Lihua’s once fair and smooth skin, now darkened, yellowed, and touched by wrinkles. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. Yet, with a formidable enemy looming, how could a man be bound by familial affection? In the end, Chu Xiao said nothing and departed.

January 22nd, 8:00 PM

Night had fallen, but it was time for an urgent first-level meeting.

Chu Xiao walked steadily to the conference table, though his mind harbored a colossal plan.

Seeing the familiar faces present, his heart trembled but quickly steadied.

“Hello, everyone! I am Chu Xiao, the chief director of the ‘National Mass Production’ campaign!”

He organized his words, then revealed his astonishing plan.

“Today, I am not here to discuss anything else, but AI! I am about to launch the ‘AI Destruction Movement’—to eliminate all unnecessary AI within Nine Provinces, to prevent invasion by the Underworld King!”

“You may be surprised! But let me make it clear: any intelligence device risks being controlled by the Underworld King! If someone within our ranks is compromised, Nine Provinces will face catastrophic disaster!”

“My suggestion is to immediately halt all satellite and planetary operations, or sever their connections!”

“Additionally, computers, tablets, and similar devices must be gathered and burned! Or submerged in water to render them completely useless!”

“Mobile phones as well! For military communication, use the most primitive method—human messengers!”

“Furthermore, AI like Bluecoat must also be destroyed! This can be done a bit later, two days before the Underworld King’s assault.”

The First Commander listened silently, his eagle eyes scanning everyone present for any sign of dissent.

“I hope everyone cooperates earnestly. As for specific measures, we will discuss and draft them together!” Chu Xiao’s words struck like a hammer, awakening everyone present.

Such meticulous thought and broad-mindedness—only a person of great depth could devise such a thorough plan.

The realization made cold sweat break out among the group.

They could now clearly see that Chu Xiao was far more formidable than when they first met; his strategic vision was profoundly intimidating.

The First Commander stood and delivered the final address.

“Chu Xiao is right. I have discussed this with him before bringing it to the meeting. Now that it’s here, you all understand its importance!” With that, he abruptly opened his eyes wide, his sharp gaze scrutinizing each person.

Under such a stare, no one dared utter another word.

“Understood!” they replied, prompting the First Commander to withdraw his gaze and continue, “The Underworld King’s consciousness has already exhibited numerous anomalies. You may not know, but I do. I have always had people monitoring it!”

“In truth, we cannot predict when the Underworld King will return. The best course is to mark out a territory for self-preservation!”

“If the Underworld King awakens, those countries unprepared will be the first to fall!”

“But Nine Provinces is different. We already have our plan, we are prepared—ready to face the coming storm!”

“Do you know why we must eliminate intelligent systems?”

“It is because the Underworld King can control AI at any moment, sowing internal discord or destroying us outright!”