Chapter 412 - 274: Is Tier Three Very Strong?
Wang Qiang’s expression was grave. He nodded, then shook his head.
A hint of resignation tinged his voice. "Before Headquarters sent me to Mo University Camp, their top think tank had already anticipated this situation."
"Given the current transportation situation in various regions, even Moon Worshipers from within Dragon Country would need a considerable amount of time to reach Modu."
"It would take even longer for Moon Worshipers from outside the country to get here. According to Headquarters’ estimates, Mo University Camp should be able to complete all the deployment work for the Earth-Moon Balance Point before they arrive."
Hearing this, Lin Qi raised an eyebrow slightly.
’So what Headquarters means is that Mo University Camp is fast enough to complete its mission before the crisis hits anyway.’
’As for the crisis that would follow?’
’Sending Wang Qiang, a nearly burnt-out Tier Three Extraordinary, to Mo University Camp was basically their way of doing what they could and leaving the rest to fate.’
’After all, Headquarters’ own defensive forces are also severely insufficient.’
Lin Qi felt a bit annoyed listening, but he had to admit that Wang Qiang wasn’t wrong. Given the state of transportation in the Doomsday World, even if the Moon Worshipers had certain advantages, it would take them at least ten to fifteen days to arrive from outside Dragon Country.
However...
’But judging from Wang Qiang’s expression, it seemed there was more to it?’
Just as he thought, Wang Qiang continued, "But according to my perception, a contingent of Moon Worshipers is approaching far too quickly. They’ve already converged somehow and are closing in on the Modu region at an extremely high speed."
"I suspect this contingent of Moon Worshipers includes a pilot. They must have acquired a commercial airliner outside the country and are either using Extraordinary Power for navigation or are flying by sight. They’re moving incredibly fast."
"At their current speed, they’ll likely reach the Modu area sometime early tomorrow."
Lin Qi took a deep breath. This was well beyond his expectations.
’They’re coming in a plane?’
’This is completely different from the way the Moon Worshipers have operated in the past.’
’The Moon Worshiper contingents from abroad certainly have some capable people!’
More than their arrival speed, Lin Qi was concerned about their power levels. He asked directly, "Can you determine their Extraordinary Level?"
Wang Qiang silently shook his head. He could only perceive hostile targets; he couldn’t confirm their power levels at all.
But Wang Qiang offered a suggestion. "I think it would be best for Mo University Camp to relocate immediately and avoid this group of Moon Worshipers."
"The reason they’ve locked onto Mo University Camp is most likely because the issue with the railway system led to an intelligence leak."
"All camps have since strengthened their communication encryption. As long as the people from Mo University Camp disperse to other regions and reduce their target profile, the Moon Worshipers will have a hard time finding you."
Wang Qiang was actually being very tactful.
To put it more bluntly, his advice was for Lin Qi to get out of Mo University Camp, and quickly.
Considering the bigger picture, was Mo University Camp really that important?
Was this group of college students, who had gathered together in the middle of the apocalypse, really that valuable?
In reality, not really.
Headquarters had discussed this long ago: the true value of Mo University Camp lay with Lin Qi himself.
The Ability Lin Qi had awakened was simply too powerful. It granted him research capabilities comparable to the entire Academy of Sciences, and his progress in certain fields was so exceptional that it completely blew the Academy’s research efficiency out of the water.
Only if Lin Qi were willing to abandon Mo University Camp and go to Headquarters could his true value be realized.
But Headquarters had never openly expressed this idea.
It was clear from many of Lin Qi’s actions that while he was willing to cooperate with the authorities, he seemed unwilling to join them outright.
In other words, his ideology hadn’t slipped, but it wasn’t "progressive" enough.
As an expert from the Headquarters think tank put it back then: "We cannot judge a single individual from our own standpoint, nor can we blame him for it. Throughout the thousands of years of Dragon Country’s history, there have been countless capable people who shared this same dream. We should seek common ground while reserving our differences; it would be inappropriate to make harsh demands of him."
No one at Headquarters could have guessed that Lin Qi was from the Cyber World.
But some suspected Lin Qi wanted to be king...
Who knows how many meetings Headquarters held, or how many times the think tank argued, before they finally settled on the current model of cooperating with Mo University Camp as equals.
Lin Qi didn’t immediately respond to Wang Qiang, instead falling into quiet contemplation.
’Run?’
’Find a new place to continue developing?’
’Rationally speaking, it was indeed a good suggestion.’
’But that was only on the premise that he couldn’t defeat this band of Moon Worshipers.’
Lin Qi changed tack, asking Wang Qiang a different question. "According to the intel gathered by Headquarters, what’s the highest Level of the Moon Worshipers within Dragon Country? They can’t be that much stronger than elite operatives like you, right?"
Moon Worshipers within Dragon Country were all handled by Tier Three Extraordinaries under the command of Headquarters.
If a situation couldn’t be handled, they would send fighter jets to drop nuclear bombs—that was the ultimate trump card.
But the vast majority of problems could be resolved by elite operatives like Wang Qiang, who had been awarded the Special Merit.
This time, Wang Qiang finally nodded. "There’s some intel you may not be aware of, Lin Qi. The Moon Worshipers are currently divided into three categories, and the combat strength of each is on a completely different tier."
"First, there are the common Moon Worshipers. Their power level increases at roughly the same rate as an ordinary person who consumes a Crimson Crystal Stone. They are generally Tier One, and local rescue teams are fully capable of handling them on their own."
"Second are the First-Generation Moon Worshipers. These are the ones who guide others into becoming Moon Worshipers. They became followers of the Blood Moon of their own accord during the Blood Moon transformation. They’ve mastered complex methods, can even perform certain rituals to borrow power from the Blood Moon, and many of them have already reached Tier Two."