Ding Yang glanced around. They were still in the first-floor lobby.

"This matter is top secret. I need to speak with Lin Qi privately."

Ding Yang glanced first at the various squads on the first floor, then at Wang Ziru.

’Speak privately?’

This was the first time Ding Yang had said something like this.

"The usual place. Let’s head to the conference room."

Lin Qi gave Wang Ziru a meaningful look.

Wang Ziru immediately hurried off.

He went ahead to the conference room, turned on the lights, then stepped out and waited by the door.

Lin Qi and Ding Yang entered one after the other. Wang Ziru discreetly stepped back out and closed the conference room door.

Lin Qi and Ding Yang sat next to each other.

"Regarding the matter in Beining District, Headquarters does have some intelligence. The Moon Gypsum Statues haven’t just appeared in Modu; they’ve been discovered all across the country."

Ding Yang’s opening sentence made Lin Qi’s brow furrow.

’What does that mean? Are beings capable of creating Extraordinary Items popping up all over Dragon Country?’

’Or does it mean these Moon Gypsum Statues were created before the apocalypse even began and had already been distributed across the country?’

Ding Yang didn’t leave Lin Qi wondering for long, continuing his explanation. "Along with the appearance of these Moon Gypsum Statues, we’ve discovered a group of special Awakened appearing in various places. They seem to have mental issues and exhibit a fanatical worship for the crimson moon in the sky."

"They claim to have made these Moon Gypsum Statues themselves. Their goal is to make the Red Moon descend, and they all call themselves Moon Worshipers."

"This group appeared after the last crimson moon anomaly. Headquarters has very little intelligence on them, so they’ve ordered all regions to put all their efforts into capturing them, preferably alive for interrogation."

Lin Qi considered Ding Yang’s description and asked, "So you’re saying those people near the Tier Three Monster in Beining District are these so-called Moon Worshipers? That sounds like a strange name for a cult. Are you sure these people only appeared after the apocalypse?"

Ding Yang nodded. "We’re almost certain. Given the Dragon Country officials’ crackdown on evil cults before the apocalypse, if there was a nefarious cult with such a wide reach, it’s impossible it wouldn’t have been noticed. We would have wiped them out long ago."

Lin Qi nodded noncommittally.

He then continued, "So, Director Ding, you came to Mo University Camp today hoping we’d help you catch these Moon Worshipers? You’re overestimating us. With that Tier Three Monster’s Ability, we can’t even get close to Beining District."

Ding Yang had anticipated Lin Qi’s reaction. He wasn’t trying to force him into an impossible task.

Ding Yang took a laptop out of the bag he was carrying.

Even though there was no signal in the apocalypse, electronic devices weren’t damaged. The fruits of human industrial civilization still remained.

He angled the laptop on the desk, showing Lin Qi the data he had brought back from Headquarters.

"These are images of the samples Headquarters has obtained—the Moon Gypsum Statues discovered in various locations."

"According to the intel gathered by Headquarters, the Moon Gypsum Statues can cause widespread auditory and visual hallucinations, and their influence spreads at an extremely rapid pace."

"Furthermore, their greatest danger isn’t just that. They can increase the growth rate of Zombies and monsters within their range. If not dealt with in time, the Tier Three Monster in Beining District might have the potential to become Tier Four."

"But right now, Hongshan Camp is severely understaffed. I hope Mo University Camp can provide some support to quickly and surgically destroy these Moon Gypsum Statues."

Ding Yang laid out his entire request in one breath.

This matched Lin Qi’s suspicions. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Destroying these Moon Gypsum Statues is doable. I’ve already determined the general locations of these things."

When Lin Qi had arranged for Wang Ziru to build the Guard Robots, he had already planned to destroy these things one by one.

The reason he hadn’t acted immediately was that he wanted to gather more information about the people active in Beining District.

"However, I believe that only destroying these statues is just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. These are man-made Extraordinary Items. The Moon Worshipers hiding near the Tier Three Aggregated Monster can still make new ones."

"If there are still statues like these inside Beining District, right next to the Tier Three Aggregated Monster, what are we supposed to do then?"

The question Lin Qi asked was crucial. There was no way Headquarters hadn’t considered this situation.

Ding Yang sighed and said, "That’s why this time, I’ve brought more than just intelligence from Headquarters. I’ve also brought a tactical nuclear bomb that can be detonated manually or with a timer. Researchers sent from Headquarters are currently running specific calculations. Destroying the Moon Gypsum Statues is just to buy time for the final strike."

’A nuke?’

The Dragon Country officials’ decisive action actually increased Lin Qi’s trust in them by a fair bit.

But Beining District was too close to Mo University Camp. Lin Qi couldn’t just stand by and watch the officials drop a nuke on it.

"Can you give me two days? Mo University Camp will attempt some operations. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, please don’t use the nuke."

Lin Qi tried to dissuade Ding Yang.

Ding Yang’s expression was one of helplessness. "Headquarters gave specific orders: no matter the cost, we absolutely cannot allow a Tier Four Monster to emerge."

"There’s a world of difference between Tier Four and Tier Three. The existence of a single Tier Four Monster would be enough to cause the fall of all of Modu."

After a moment of hesitation, Ding Yang dropped a bombshell. "According to intelligence from the high command, a Tier Four Monster appeared in a second-tier city on the Dragon Country’s coast. The day the monster appeared, the local official camp lost all contact with Headquarters."

"In the end, the high command sent fighter jets on a risky visual reconnaissance flight. They discovered it was an Aggregated Monster and that it possessed a dispersal Ability like mycelium."

"Headquarters acted decisively. They used fighter jets to visually drop six tactical nuclear bombs..."

Ding Yang didn’t need to say any more for Lin Qi to understand the consequences.

Aside from that, Lin Qi also gleaned more information from Ding Yang’s words.

Although the Dragon Country officials lacked direct control over sufficient armed forces, they still possessed the ability to scour the earth with nuclear weapons.

This was a strategic deterrent that could not be underestimated.

Lin Qi thought it over carefully before replying, "Give me two days. Within forty-eight hours, Mo University Camp will make an attempt. If it’s ultimately proven that we can’t handle that Tier Three Monster, Mo University Camp won’t obstruct a nuclear strike."

Lin Qi’s thoughts were very clear.

Even if they had to resort to the ultimate measure of a nuclear strike against the Tier Three Monster, he absolutely could not let the official team carry it out.

The residual radiation from the Dragon Country’s tactical nukes was too severe. It would be better for Lin Qi to whip up a nuke himself.

After all, Lin Qi had brought back a considerable number of reactors from the Cyber World.

Take them apart, reassemble them... it would be just enough to put together a Cyber World version of a fusion-based tactical nuke. Its power wouldn’t be much less than the Dragon Country’s nukes, and might even surpass them.