Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!

"It will take some time to decrypt this data."

"Maybe a few days, or perhaps a few weeks?"

"It's uncertain."

"...I don't understand."

Lin Yu shook his head honestly and then asked:

"So, to be straightforward—what kind of change will this Mountain City bring to humanity?"

"A significant change."

Ji Xing exhaled deeply and then continued:

"This city is already an industrial monster with a complete industrial system."

"According to the calculations by the leader, by Fu Xi, under conditions of abundant resources, this place can almost produce industrial products to meet the needs of everyone in the world."

"After all, our current population is only around a million."

"This will become a true... world center."

"And all of us will witness its rise."

"Understood."

Lin Yu exhaled heavily.

He looked towards the distance outside the city, where a road that seemed newly established was extending outward.

And like ants, people were "crawling" along that road into the city.

They will be witnesses too.

But between witnesses... perhaps, there are differences...

...

On the other side, within Jinling City.

The archbishop acting in place of the Saint sat in the reformed Holy Hall, holding a report just delivered by the assistant of the acting Forbidden Army Leader.

His brows furrowed, but upon seeing the last line of the report, a trace of "relief" appeared on his face.

"The Huaxia Army has completely conquered the Mountain City, and the Holy City no longer exists."

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, yet also like a bucket of cold water, poured right over his head.

The Holy City, which had existed for three hundred years, was destroyed just like that?

Everything happened too quickly, so fast that... he was completely at a loss on how to respond.

"How did they do it?"

The archbishop asked.

The assistant across from him hesitated for a moment and then replied:

"According to the current report, they first destroyed the above-ground part of the Holy City, killing the first-tier monsters around it."

"Then, they used some special means to destroy the Mechanical Soul of the Holy City."

"They received the enormous machines of the Holy City with their own Mechanical Soul, becoming the... new owners of the Holy City."

"New owners?"

The archbishop's face showed disbelief.

He stared closely at the assistant, seemingly shocked that he would use such an expression.

New owners...

This seemingly acknowledged the Huaxia Army's control over the Holy City.

And this, undeniably, was a profound blasphemy.

If it were a year ago, no one would have been foolish enough to utter such words.

Even if someone managed to take control of it, at most they could only be seen as a "substitute" granted by the Holy Trinity.

But now, his assistant uttered the word "owners" subconsciously and without hesitation.

How disrespectful.

For a moment, the archbishop even wondered if he was being too sensitive.

But he quickly realized that when the term "too sensitive" appeared in his mind, it meant that many things had indeed changed.

With this in mind, he let out a long sigh.

The assistant across from him wanted to say something more, but he waved his hand powerlessly and said:

"It's okay."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

The archbishop rose and walked outside the Holy Hall.

Standing on the once-destroyed, now-renovated square and looking down, he saw a scene no different from the past, perhaps even more prosperous.

Merchants sailed on the canals, residents worked in farmlands or waters away from the main city, or tended to their work in workshops and markets.

Vitality was hidden in the veins of this historic city and was gradually growing.

Yet not long ago, this city was overshadowed by monsters, facing a crisis of imminent destruction.

Indeed.

What truly solved this crisis was the Huaxia Army.

They cleared the Beast Tide, and like all the valiant Forbidden Army, Supreme Army, and Church Protection Army, they fought bloodily.

On this point, the archbishop never had any doubt or disrespect for them.

He just felt that perhaps they were too aggressive.

Or perhaps their actions were too "arrogant"?

The belief of the Mechanical God Sect seemed worthless in their eyes, as if it could be trampled at will.

After all, this was... the only thing left of the Mechanical God Sect.

The archbishop couldn't help but sigh again.

He then turned to his assistant and asked:

"Have you contacted Guo Xu and the others?"

"Yes."

The assistant nodded and answered:

"But they will likely not return to Jinling in the near future."

"They have taken in the Church Protection Army from nearby towns heading to the Mountain City, coordinating with the Huaxia Army to clear out surrounding monsters."

"The cleanup won't end anytime soon."

"They should..."

"That's not what I'm asking."

The archbishop interrupted the assistant and continued:

"I mean, what do they really think?"

"Do they still remain loyal to the church?"

The assistant paused, then responded:

"From the current situation, their loyalty remains unshakable."

"Unlike Jin Zhong, they haven't completely sided with the Huaxia Army."

"The relationship is merely cooperative, not... integrative."

"I've even had a long talk with Guo Xu; he believes there are indeed areas in our church that can be improved."

"But that doesn't equate to denying our faith in the Holy Trinity."

"They are sure to return to Jinling, as Guo Xu stated, he 'will return to the Holy Trinity with a brand-new Church Protection Army'."

"Got it."

The archbishop finally relaxed.

He closed his eyes in thought momentarily, then spoke:

"If that's the case, then the only problem we face is the fall of the Holy City."

"The news will soon spread to Jinling—it's already starting to circulate."

"Those merchants have brought information that shouldn't have been spread, and some bold followers have joined the caravans, preparing to pilgrimage to the Holy City."

"But... this is definitely not a good sign."

"If our faithful discover that the Holy City is not what they imagined, the foundation of our belief... might be shaken."

The assistant immediately frowned.

Yes, this was an extremely realistic issue.

The result of the Holy City's fall was unchangeable, but if this news is allowed to spread...

There's no guaranteeing if the faith in the Mechanical God Sect can be maintained.

"What do we need to do?"

The assistant asked, slightly anxious:

"Should we quickly block the news?"

"No."

The archbishop shook his head.

"Blocking the news is pointless; such news will eventually leak and reach everyone's ears."

"But we aren't in a position to contend with the Huaxia Army for the Holy City either."

"So, we must correct one point."

"The Holy City didn't fall; it was reclaimed."

With these words, the assistant was stunned.

The archbishop continued:

"For a long time, the Holy City was controlled by heretics, by corrupted Mechanical Souls."

"They monopolized the glory of the Holy City, preventing even the faithful from approaching."

"But now, the Huaxia Army has defeated the heretics and reclaimed the Holy City."

"Though they aren't believers of the Holy Trinity, their actions can still be commended by the Holy Trinity."

"So... we haven't lost the Holy City."

"We just can't reclaim it at the moment."

"We won't stop any believer willing to pilgrimage to the Holy City."

"But everyone must understand, that city... is our promised land."

"It doesn't belong to anyone who isn't a believer of the Holy Trinity."

"...Understood!"

The assistant replied succinctly and then bowed and left.

The archbishop remained standing there.

He quietly observed Jinling City below.

By now, the sun was gradually setting in the west.

He vaguely felt that when the Holy City was "reclaimed from the heretics," something seemed to have slowly sunk with the setting sun...