# 1963
Chapter 1963: Unending
Except for those who were truly inside that shelter, almost all netizens' comments were unanimous in thinking they were overreacting—it was just an earthquake, nothing serious. Moreover, other northern friends chimed in to corroborate, and this "enemy attack"风波 was quietly buried, replaced by "Northern Earthquake" as the trending topic, with popularity dropping rapidly.
But Zhao Zhengbin felt things couldn't be that simple.
It wasn't that he had sensed anything amiss... it's just that he had a Night Watch member right beside him, and from Su Zhe's reaction just now, there was definitely something behind the scenes!
"It's not an earthquake, is it?" Zhao Zhengbin lowered his voice. "And that thing that lit up on the ceiling, it's not some emergency light, right?"
"I can't really..."
"I've already told you everything about my sister." Zhao Zhengbin glanced around. "Look, I haven't hidden anything I know from you. I've never leaked your identity either. As a friend, don't I at least deserve to know a little bit of inside information?"
"..." Su Zhe hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
"You're right, it's not an earthquake."
"Has the Cthulhu Faction attacked?"
"...Most likely."
"Then why did the shelter return to peace? Did they retreat?" Zhao Zhengbin asked, confused.
"No." Su Zhe shook his head. "They activated 【Unending】."
"【Unending】? What's that?"
"It's a man-made Forbidden Ruins developed by the Night Watch. Once the Forbidden Ruins expanded by 【Unending】 is damaged by external force, it immediately teleports all living beings within the Forbidden Ruins to another marked location... This man-made Forbidden Ruins is typically used to protect small groups of ordinary people, but it's extremely expensive, with a limited effective range, and only a few can afford it." Su Zhe continued,
"Commander Lin improved this Forbidden Ruins and incorporated it into the shelter's structure. Once the shelter comes under large-scale attack, both the shelter itself and everyone inside will be teleported to another marked location..."
"So, just now it wasn't that the enemy retreated, but rather the shelter—with the civilians inside—performed a spatial transfer?" Zhao Zhengbin's eyes widened. "Where are they now?"
"Even after the improvement, 【Unending】's movement range is still quite short. It's said that during testing, the shelter could only shift two kilometers... but Commander Lin used something to expand this distance further..."
"Something?" Zhao Zhengbin asked curiously. "What is it?"
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you..."
"Just tell me!"
"The Torch Origin—do you even know what that is?"
Zhao Zhengbin wore a blank expression.
"Anyway, it's something incredibly powerful... Commander Lin used causal threads to connect all 【Unending】 systems in every shelter to the Torch Origin, thereby achieving ultra-long-distance teleportation through the earth's crust. Currently, within Great Xia's borders, there are five preset teleportation markers: East, South, West, North, and Central. Once a shelter in a particular region is attacked, it automatically teleports to the corresponding location's marker point. This protects the civilian population and buys time if an unexpected enemy attack occurs. If I recall correctly, the northern preset marker should be in Beibin City..."
"So the shelter in the video has actually been teleported underground in Beibin City?" Zhao Zhengbin pondered. "But what if the enemy charges into Beibin? Wouldn't they still be dead meat?"
"That's why 【Unending】 can only buy time. The period from when the enemy marches from Tianhe City to Beibin City is the golden rescue window for the Night Watch... If they fail to stop the enemy during this time and Beibin falls, the casualties will be an absolutely terrifying astronomical number." Su Zhe's expression was grave.
Hearing this, a sense of urgency washed over Zhao Zhengbin.
He had only wanted to hear some insider information from Su Zhe, never expecting to learn something this explosive... While other civilians around them were calmly scrolling through their phones, he was the only ordinary person who knew that disaster was about to descend.
He swallowed hard and asked nervously:
"So, how long would it take for them to march from Tianhe City to Beibin?"
"That depends on who the enemy is. The distance between Tianhe City and Beibin City is about 1,100 kilometers. If it were a high-speed train, it would take十几个 hours, but if it's a god... we're talking mere minutes."
"Minutes? That fast?!"
For the first time, Zhao Zhengbin gained some concept of a deity's strength. He couldn't help but ask,
"But the Night Watch has gods too, right? If Beibin City isn't too far away, they could probably make it in time... couldn't they?"
Su Zhe lowered his head and didn't answer.
According to Great Xia's original deployment plan, all top-tier combat forces should now be stationed at the southernmost border of Great Xia. Only Chloe, who could teleport herself directly, and Wang Mian, the God of Time, could reach Beibin City within minutes.
But even if they made it, then what?
With just those two, what could they use to withstand the Cthulhu Faction army? And who knew what was happening at Jialin Pass right now—had it been attacked?
If the Cthulhu Faction army truly attacked from the north, then all the preparations they'd made over the past few days would be essentially wasted!
Su Zhe wasn't stupid. He clearly understood Great Xia's current situation, and precisely because of that, his heart was filled with worry and anxiety at this moment... How could Great Xia fight this battle??
Just as Su Zhe was scratching his head in deep contemplation, it was as if something occurred to him, and his expression grew complicated.
"Whether they can make it in time or not, I don't know either." He glanced at the red armband on his arm and slowly said, "With my strength, even knowing everything wouldn't change anything... Besides, I'm just a logistics personnel managing the shelter. Why should I worry so much about things beyond my control?"
In his mind, the figure of the man draped in the Crimson Cloak flashed across his thoughts, his gaze seeming to pierce through the endless void, looking toward some place in the north...
"Even if the sky collapses, there will be taller people to hold it up... But that tall person won't be me."
Whether it was his imagination or not, when he said these words, Zhao Zhengbin saw loneliness and helplessness on Su Zhe's face.
Zhao Zhengbin frowned slightly. These words instinctively repelled him.
His mother had said the same thing as Su Zhe, but it didn't align with the principles in his heart. What he felt more of was a coward finding excuses for their own cowardice... Even if this excuse was mixed with so-called "reality" and "helplessness," making it sound so noble and justified.
"But tall people get tired too." Zhao Zhengbin said seriously. "There are always things in this world that we can do, aren't there? If everything is left for the tall person to shoulder, how lonely and exhausted would they be?"