Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 446 – Thirty-Day Countdown

Chu Chen was silent for about ten seconds.

On the other end of the communicator, only the sound of him chewing candy remained—crack, crack—in a steady rhythm.

Lin Fan didn’t urge him.

She had known Chu Chen long enough to understand that this kind of silence meant the unfrozen brain on the other end was running at full speed.

“Two million.” Chu Chen finally spoke.

“What?”

“The surviving humans on Blue Star—including the Federation’s combat personnel across all bases, survivors at various strongholds, and scattered wandering groups.”

His voice had returned to its usual flat tone.

“Based on my calculations, the current total remaining population of Blue Star is approximately two million, with a margin of error no greater than one hundred fifty thousand.”

Lin Fan leaned against a toppled stone pillar, idly picking at the threads on her sleeve.

Two million.

The population of a mid-sized city before the apocalypse.

“The transfer can be done.”

Chu Chen continued, popping another piece of candy into his mouth, his words slightly slurred.

“But it requires a large quantity of Space Stones to calibrate coordinates and stabilize the passage. Zhou Ming alone can’t sustain a cross-dimensional transfer of this scale—he needs anchor points.”

“I have Space Stones.”

Lin Fan’s tone was casual.

“When we dismantled Hu Lie’s city lord mansion back then, we dug out several dozen—all finished pieces marked with Azurewood City coordinates. More than enough.”

“Several dozen…”

Chu Chen did the math.

“If we only use those ten Rifts that haven’t been breached, it’s barely sufficient. Deploy two to three Space Stones per Rift to establish stable anchor points, with Zhou Ming handling relay coordination—theoretically, one Rift can move fifty thousand people per day.”

“If all goes smoothly, the entire transfer could be completed in a few days.”

“Right. Ten Rifts are enough.”

Chu Chen paused, and his tone shifted subtly.

“But the problem isn’t those ten.”

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.

“The ninety-three breached Rifts.”

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Chu Chen’s keyboard clattered again.

“All ninety-three Rifts are currently under the Dragon Clan’s actual control. More critically…”

“The people who were taken.”

“Exactly.”

Chu Chen said.

“During the process of those ninety-three Rifts being breached, at least six hundred thousand Blue Star humans were captured by the Dragon Clan.”

Six hundred thousand.

Lin Fan’s fingers paused for a moment.

“So if we want to transfer all Blue Star humans, those ninety-three Rifts need to be taken back too.” Lin Fan said.

“They have to be. There’s no way to move everyone out without alerting the garrison forces.”

Chu Chen was blunt.

Lin Fan’s gaze drifted lazily away, landing on the figure curled into a ball at the base of the flagpole not far off.

Wang Shan.

His floral underwear still hadn’t been pulled up, half his face pressed against the ground, his eyes darting furtively in her direction.

“Chu Chen.”

“Yeah?”

“Wang Shan just said he has cooperation channels with the Dragon Clan. The garrison rosters and outpost defenses across the ninety-three Rifts—he should have full knowledge of all of it.”

There was a second of silence on the other end of the communicator.

Then Chu Chen laughed.

It was a light laugh, carrying the satisfaction of a calculation coming together perfectly.

“Use him as a guide?”

“What do you think?”

“I think,”

Chu Chen said between chews,

“the best decision Comrade Wang Shan ever made in his life was not dying just now.”

Lin Fan closed the communicator and pushed off the pillar, walking over.

Wang Shan curled up even tighter as she approached, both arms wrapped around his head, his posture resembling an air-raid drill.

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“Old Wang, you said earlier you have intel on the Dragon Clan’s side?”

“Yes!”

Wang Shan’s head nodded frantically, his voice three times faster than before.

“I have all the Portal coordinates… all ninety-three breached Rifts. I remember every forward outpost’s defense layout, troop numbers, and commanding officers! When I negotiated with them, they gave me a full overview…”

“Fine.”

Lin Fan cut him off.

“Give it to Chu Chen. Don’t leave out a single word.”

“I’ll give it, I’ll give it all!”

Lin Fan stared at him for two seconds.

“One more thing. Starting today, you’re with Lu Yuan and Zhu Yan.”

Wang Shan froze.

“You lead the way. Lu Yuan and Zhu Yan handle the fighting. Go through all ninety-three breached Rifts one by one and take them back. Zhou Ming follows behind to stabilize the passages and set up the Portals.”

Wang Shan’s mouth opened twice, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back down.

He wasn’t stupid.

He knew that bargaining right now was asking for death.

But sending him to the front lines…

“Any objections?”

“No, no, no.”

Wang Shan waved his hands so fast they left afterimages.

“I’ll lead the way. I know the routes—guaranteed to work. It’s just… well… Zhu Yan, she…”

His gaze drifted toward the blonde woman in the distance who was collecting Chen Dingjun’s body, and his throat bobbed.

“I’m afraid she’ll make a move on me.”

“That’s your problem.”

Lin Fan tilted her head nonchalantly.

“My advice? Look enthusiastic.”

Wang Shan’s face twisted into an expression uglier than a cry.

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Lin Fan pulled out her communicator again and dialed back to Chu Chen’s frequency.

“Combat strength is sufficient. Lu Yuan’s at peak Level Six, Zhu Yan’s at peak Level Seven. Add in that batch of genetically modified troops we absorbed earlier, and we have more than enough to crush the Dragon Clan’s forward outpost garrisons. But there’s one problem.”

“Go on.”

“The Federation’s reputation.”

The sound of keyboard clacking on Chu Chen’s end stopped.

“This is what worries me most. Five years into the Post-apocalypse, the Federation’s attitude toward ordinary survivors has basically been ‘let them die.’ You want them to cooperate with a relocation? Their first instinct will be that you’re trying to use them for experiments.”

Lin Fan could picture the scene.

A group of ragged survivors who’d been scavenging through ruins for five years suddenly gets approached by armed personnel saying, “Come with us. We’re taking you somewhere safe.”

She wouldn’t believe it either.

“Use both the carrot and the stick.”

Chu Chen didn’t respond.

Lin Fan continued.

“Those willing to cooperate—treat them well. Give them food and water, escort them safely to Azurewood City. Those who refuse…”

She let out a small laugh.

A very light laugh, its tone carrying a laziness that made Wang Shan’s scalp crawl.

“Just pack them up and ship them over. Once they’re in Azurewood City and get a sip of the water, they’ll fall in line on their own.”

Silence on the other end of the communicator again.

This time Chu Chen was quiet even longer.

About five seconds.

Then he spoke, his voice flat.

“…Do you realize what the difference is between this and what Wang Shan did?”

“Massive difference.”

Lin Fan lowered her head and flicked a speck of dust off her clothes, her tone matter-of-fact.

“Wang Shan turned people into puppets—clouded minds, like walking corpses. My Holy Water leaves their minds clear. They eat, they drink, and their abilities even evolve.”

“…”

“That’s called winning hearts and minds. Understand?”

A faint sigh came through from Chu Chen’s end, followed by the sound of unwrapping a piece of candy.

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“Fine. Whatever makes you happy.”

He chose not to continue that line of discussion.

Not because he agreed.

But because he could do the math: in a month, when the Dragon Emperor or even Long Hao descended, two million people left untransferred would just be feeding themselves to the Dragon Clan.

And Lin Fan’s method was indeed the fastest.

Given the current situation, having a “god” to lead them isn’t a bad choice for the people of Blue Star.

At least it’s better than extinction.

“I’ll draw up a detailed action schedule.”

Chu Chen returned to work mode, speaking faster.

“The ninety-three Rifts will be prioritized by geographical location and garrison strength, divided into three echelons. The first echelon will be led by Zhu Yan, targeting the most heavily defended Rifts first to establish deterrence. The second echelon, led by Lu Yuan, will sweep through with speed as the priority. The third echelon, with Zhou Ming, will handle the cleanup and teleportation.”

“Mm.”

“Also, what about you personally?”

Lin Fan walked a few steps forward through the ruins, stepping over rubble and scorched earth, looking up toward the faint glow of the Rift in the northeast.

“I need to go to the Dragon Clan’s Mutated Beast breeding grounds first. The biggest shortfall in our Crystal Core Weapons right now is Crystals.”

The sound of keyboard typing on the communicator paused briefly.

“Within a month, I’ll seize enough Crystals to arm our forces.”

Her voice was flat—so flat it sounded like she was discussing what to have for dinner.

“Otherwise, when the Dragon Clan’s army comes out in full force, we won’t be able to hold them back.”

Chu Chen didn’t argue.

The true strength of the Dragon Emperor and the Dragon Clan’s ancestors was still unknown, but the Dragon Clan’s dominance over the Dragon Spirit Continent for countless years spoke for itself. With Blue Star’s current combat power, there was no chance of victory.

“Starting now.”

Lin Fan put away her communicator.

She turned around, her gaze sweeping across the ruins, past Zhu Yan in the distance, and landing on Wang Shan, who was trembling by the flagpole.

“Thirty days, counting down.”

Above the Black Palace, behind the gray sky, the light of the Spatial Rift was expanding at a visible rate.

And at the other end of the Dragon Spirit Continent, deep within the Dragon Emperor Hall, a young face slowly opened its eyes.