Chapter 110: 24 Hours of Life and Death

The survivors inside the Sky Pillar continued their lives in orderly fashion. They only knew that the outside world was besieged by an overwhelming tide of the undead, unaware that the sanctuary they lived in was teetering on the edge of life and death. All news that could severely shake their morale was deliberately suppressed, for otherwise, internal chaos would be inevitable. Yet, after several months, some perceptive individuals had begun to sense something amiss, though it had not yet escalated into a full-blown crisis.

On the 699th floor, the meeting was still underway.

“This incident has drained our reserve metals completely, and without effective replenishment, it has led to an energy shortage. We have never before experienced the Sky Pillar lacking energy. So, how exactly did we estimate how long its energy could last? It was merely calculated based on its consumption patterns.”

“But is that really the case? Although we are nominally the owners, even the regulators or native inhabitants of the Sky Pillar, do we truly understand its operating mechanisms? Who can definitively explain how this towering structure—one that should not even exist on Earth—came into being, or how it was constructed?”

“Therefore, my hypothesis is that this sudden energy drop is likely a self-protection measure by the Sky Pillar. It is reserving enough energy to retract underground once it ceases operation completely. I have reason to suspect this because the moment the energy plummeted coincided exactly with the indicator showing 20% remaining energy—perhaps that was the trigger point.”

The Sky Pillar’s leader remained silent, instead directing his gaze toward Bai Qingchu, the chief scientific scholar of the Sky Pillar.

Bai Qingchu frowned and said, “I agree with Minister Lu’s speculation. At present, there is no better explanation. But three days… that is far too short. Is there any way to supplement the energy? Do we still have metals within the Sky Pillar itself?”

Lu Yuan smiled bitterly. “We do have some—our equipment. As for the metals in civilian and public areas, they are negligible, mere drops in the bucket.”

The leader hesitated noticeably. “If we throw all the equipment into the reactor, how long can we hold out?”

“Even if we cast all usable metallic equipment into the reactor, it will only delay the inevitable by about a week at most. However, if we could introduce external metal, even a small piece, it would buy us a few more days,” Lu Yuan replied.

Bian Qiu and Meng Gaozhuo spoke simultaneously, “No!”

Those pieces of equipment were painstakingly developed by Meng Gaozhuo himself. This minister, who had just entered the meeting room with grease still on his hands, spent nearly every day in the equipment department researching. He cherished those devices more dearly than his own wife and naturally could not bear to see these precious treasures all cast into the reactor.

Bian Qiu was even more fiery. “Rather than throwing all this equipment into the furnace to be converted, it’s better to distribute them to the action teams. I’ll lead a charge to carve out a way through—perhaps there’s still a chance of survival. I’ve been cooped up in here for so long, suffocating with frustration. Rather than dying slowly trapped here, I’d rather die fighting boldly!”

Lu Yuan said nothing, only staring blankly at the projection. He was not the one to make the final decision; he could only offer information and advice.

The leader of the Sky Pillar murmured, “Three days… do we have no chance? If what Minister Lu says is true, and the Sky Pillar retracts underground after energy depletion, we will be trapped, buried deep beneath the earth—perhaps the deepest buried in the world.”

“What about you all? Speak up with your suggestions—does anyone have a better plan?”

No one answered.

At a time like this, no one truly knew what to do. Only Bian Qiu had spoken his mind early on.

A deep middle-aged voice sighed. “Let’s adjourn for now. Perhaps there is still a turning point before the very last moment. But if we truly reach a dead end… then we follow Bian Qiu’s plan, prepare for a desperate stand. Minister Bai, prepare the medicines in advance. Minister Meng, ready the equipment for deployment.”

With that, the projection was withdrawn, and the conference room returned to the bright, sunny atmosphere outside. Yet no one had the heart to appreciate the beauty anymore.

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Cao Fusheng crossed a narrow underground tunnel stretching over a kilometer. Upon rounding a corner, he halted.

“Alert to host: Primary mission one, ‘Save the Sky Pillar of ZZ City,’ is about to fail. Final phase initiated; countdown: 24 hours!”

“If the host cannot replenish the Sky Pillar’s energy within 24 hours, the sun will never rise again, darkness will engulf the world, and the host will perish!”

Cao Fusheng’s mind was filled with confusion. According to information previously provided by Tong Jia, the Sky Pillar was expected to last about three more months before extinguishing. How had just over two months passed, and now the countdown was at only 24 hours?

“This is utterly unreliable! Luckily, I arrived in ZZ City early. If I had delayed any longer—no, even just one day later—I might have died without understanding why.”

Cao Fusheng silently cursed the ecological chain within him. “Why didn’t you warn me of the time limit when the mission first triggered? Now there are only 24 hours left, and you start the countdown! Couldn’t you have given the host a bit more help, spared me from a heart attack!? How did I end up with something like you?”

“Reminder to the host: This is not the system’s fault. I cannot predict every occurrence and arrival. The longer the time, the more variables there are, making it impossible to provide you with an exact time limit. But now, the critical moment has truly arrived.”

“If the host cannot save the Sky Pillar within this period, its extinction is inevitable.”

Cao Fusheng gritted his teeth and resumed moving swiftly, determined to reach the pipeline entrance just sixty meters from the Sky Pillar’s gate as fast as possible.

Suddenly, the airflow within the tunnel accelerated as if something was inhaling deeply, drawing all air and methane gas back toward the source.

Cao Fusheng stopped once again, glancing back in puzzlement. The source was right behind him, at the fault zone he had just passed through.

“Bang!”

An earth-shattering explosion shattered his doubts, the deafening echo filling the tunnel. Cao Fusheng hastily covered his ears, yet his head still spun dizzily from the shock.

The main reason was how close it was.

Moreover, the blast sounded like something had exploded!

Wait!

“This is gunfire… why would someone shoot inside the tunnel? And that methane gas… it’s being sucked dry!”

Cao Fusheng gasped heavily, standing frozen in place, afraid to move forward. His ears twitched as he listened carefully.

Sure enough, there were footsteps—fast approaching, running straight toward him!