It was another ordinary day of lightning and thunder, and on the earth, which seemed a little dark even in the daytime, a hovercraft slowly skimmed over the flat ground and sailed to the corner of the factory at the foot of the hill that had been occupied by various steel wreckage.

This is what used to be a big factory. Large and small cranes, dense tower cranes, illustrate the prosperity of this place.

The hovercraft moved slowly, and its speed had slowed down to the point where it was even slower than an e-bike. But it didn't stop, and little by little it approached the steel-sealed gate in front of it. It was a gate that could perfectly accommodate a hovercraft, if he could still open it.

"This is the Nebuchadnezzar, asking to enter Gate Three!" the hovercraft's electromagnetic signal came from the hovercraft as it slowly approached the steel gate. In the cockpit of the hovercraft, the helmsman in charge of the battleship operation is in charge of controlling the battleship while looking at the data display in front of him.

After two months away, they came back again. But this time they didn't come back voluntarily, but for some compelling reason.

Two months after Yuan Hao sent someone to inform the matrix that there would be a big move, Zion, who had never believed in this warning, finally discovered something unusual from the underground - they found the big movement of the mechanical octopus, and were shocked by it, and quickly made the decision to recall all the warships.

As the ship of the savior Neo, the Nebuchadnezzar was naturally in the process of being drafted.

After all, the so-called savior is just the name given to Neo by some people in Zion. This title is not officially recognized by Zion. In the eyes of the big men in Zion, Neo is just a pretty good hacker warrior. It is considered an ace among hacker warriors, but its importance is not as important as that of veteran captains such as Morpheus and Ex.

This is very incompatible with Neo's own lofty in the matrix.

Of course, Neo himself didn't care. And many people in the matrix are not upset about Neo.

A matrix is a matrix, and reality is reality, which many people can still carry lightly.

In short, Neo's status in Zion is like this—even if he is the savior, he must obey Morpheus's arrangement, and Morpheus will obey Commander Locke's orders. is so layered, Neo's status is really not very high.

Of course, regardless of status, Zion is Neo's home and the last refuge of humanity.

After two months of wandering, they returned to their home when they learned that their home was in imminent danger.

After a brief two-minute silence in the Zion control room, the steel gate in front of the hovercraft opened: "Door Three is on alert...... Nebuchadnezzar returns, open door!"

The Nebuchadnezzar slowly entered the gate and adjusted its hull posture according to the command of the control center: "Please land from Gate 3 to Landing Pad. 7!"

"Roger!" the helmsman replied calmly, steering the battleship through the straight passage of the harbor and landing on the edge of the steel tower full of mechanical age flavors.

As the hovercraft entered the final landing procedure, a welcome voice sounded in the control center: "The door is open, the bed is made, welcome home." ”

"It's good to be home!" said everyone aboard the Nebuchadnezzar breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of delight on their faces.

When the boat came to a halt and everyone rushed out, and only then did they step onto the solid steel floor of the platform, and three internal guards led Morpheus in another direction.

The fact that the Matrix is going to launch an attack on Zion has been confirmed. In order to prepare for this impending great war, the Council of Zion needs to discuss it accordingly.

This is a discussion that can only be participated in by high-ranking officials above the captain of the ship, and Neo, the savior, does not have such qualifications.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the situation has been clarified, and the matrix has begun to act. They're already digging roads. In a circular conference room, Locke, the military commander of Zion, whispered the latest information he had learned.

"Dig the road, do they know where we are?" said a member of the councillor in a whisper.

"You may or may not know...... It's more likely that they probably know where we are, but don't understand exactly where we are. Commander Locke shook his head slightly, "I don't know if they know or not, but we do have to be prepared accordingly." The enemy is extremely strong, and we find that the time is too short, and they will soon engage us. ”

"How many troops do they have?"

"How long will it be before they encounter us?"

Shocked words came from the mouths of many of the captains and councilors.

This is the first time many people here have heard of this, so it's no wonder they do.

"According to the latest information we have, there are about a million mechanical octopuses coming in, and it will take them about five days to reach our area from England. There's not much time left for me, and you don't have much. Commander Locke calmly recounted the situation.

"That's it, it's only been five days?"

"A Million Mechanical Octopuses...... This is the rhythm that will give everyone in Zion, men and women, young and old. ”

"Are they going to kill us in a hurry?"

"What to do...... I don't want to die yet!"

......

There was a lot of stuff in the chaotic conference room. Those captains were better, they had all fought in iron and blood, and although the contrast between the strength and weakness of the enemy was a bit mysterious, they were not going to collapse just yet. But those parliamentarians, a few of them seem a little timid, and they show all kinds of ugliness, which makes others a little unbearable.

"Ladies and gentlemen...... The situation is critical, but we have to persevere. Beneath our feet is our last home for mankind, our Zion, the earth is so big, we have no way back. Commander Locke said firmly.

"But...... Can we win? With such a disparity in forces. Someone asked timidly.

"I don......'t know," Commander Locke spread his hands, "I just know that if we don't fight hard, if we don't concentrate our strength, we will all die." Machines are cold-blooded and ruthless, they won't take prisoners! We have nowhere to hide, no possibility of surrender, we can only fight desperately, with our own blood to fight for a future. ”

"This ......" Many people were moved, and they all knew that Locke was telling the truth.

"Commander...... I think we need to ask Mr. Yuan Hao for help!" Ex suggested his advice, "I know that our relationship with Mr. Yuan Hao has become much colder because of what happened last time. Many of us think that Mr. Yuan Hao and we are not of the same mind. I think this perception is a bit too much. There is no doubt that Mr. Yuan Hao is a human being. He is naturally our ally. Commander, this ally is not weak, we need their assistance to us. ”

"Well, I'll think about that. Ex!" Locke thought for a moment and nodded affirmatively.

As he spoke, Locke cruised over the crowd with his gaze, and finally landed on Morpheus.

"Captain Morpheus, do you have any good advice on this?" Locke asked.

"Commander, I don't think we need to worry too much. As soon as Morpheus spoke, everyone's hearts couldn't help but rise.

Don't worry, man, the current situation is so bad that it can be said that it has completely forced everyone into a situation of life and death. That's it...... And you say let's not worry, should we say you're big-hearted, or are you an idiot?

"Why do you say that!?" Commander Locke squinted, his eyes full of amusement.

"Because...... I don't think the mechanical octopuses have a way to break through the dome of Zion. As long as we have Neo here, we will be able to win the final victory in the war against the machines!" Murphylla said in a candid voice.

"Neo, he's just an elite fighter...... He may be a powerful man in the Matrix, but we can't put our own safety on him!" Commander Locke narrowed his eyes and retorted indifferently to Morpheus's words.

He is Morpheus's rival in love, although he laughed at the end in the end, but in the face of the equally excellent Morpheus, he still has a lot of unhappiness in his heart. From a very early on, he had a-for-tat relationship with Morpheus.

Of course, such a-for-tat, both he and Morpheus are very measured. It's okay to be upset with each other, if there is no targeting, but you must not cross a certain line, and you can't endanger Zion's safety because of your own momentary pleasure. Seeking cooperation in the midst of struggle, and fighting in cooperation, they have been entangled until now.

Until now, they are still struggling.

However, at this time, Locke's refutation of Morpheus was not entirely due to the disagreement between the two, but more because of the conceptual discord between Locke himself and Morpheus.

Morpheus believed in the prophet because of the prophet's prophecy that he could make a big difference, including those he loved. Don't look at his usual calmness, confidence and kindness, but in the final analysis, he is also a persistent and ruthless person - giving up love is not something ordinary people can do.

But, he did.

Indeed, his heart is like a rock.

On the other hand, Locke also has a similar toughness to him.

It's just that unlike him, Locke firmly believes in the power of humanity itself. He didn't believe in prophets, and he didn't believe in any messian. In his opinion, if humans want to defeat the mechanical city, they must rely on their own strength. Although both he and Morpheus are concerned about the future of Zion and humanity, they are not in harmony with each other.

"Don't talk to me about prophets...... I don't believe in that man. Human beings don't need saviors, nor do they need gods and emperors, all we need is our own strength. Commander Locke spoke eloquently about his intentions.

This is also a will as strong as steel.

This will can also be described as stubborn and paranoid, but it is necessary for Zion at the moment. Zion's living environment has always been very harsh, the barren underground resources, and the mechanical city is pressing step by step, all of which make human beings more miserable than rats in real life.

In this case, as a decision-maker on the absolutely disadvantaged side, what is most needed is often not the spirit of daring to innovate and daring to be the first, but the quality of perseverance and perseverance. To put it bluntly, the overall situation that human beings need now is to be able to withstand it, and as for whether they can win the war, then we can only see again.

Locke did a good job at this, which is why the Council of Zion selected him from among the older, more talented, and more accomplished candidates in the Defence Force, and gave him the full strength of the Supreme Commander of the Defence Force. They don't value Locke's ability, but Locke's heart.

"Just such a stubborn enough guy, no matter how bad the situation is, it will not shake his faith. "-Well, that's enough. "But...... Locke, there are some things that don't exist if you don't admit it. We need to rely on our own strength, both inside and outside the matrix......

But we need more than anything that unites all the forces that work for us. Someone is helping us, even if she's in the matrix...... We can't stubbornly reject the kindness of others. "Like Locke, Morpheus has his own insistence.

"So......" Locke wanted to say something.

The white-haired speaker stood up and clapped his hands gently: "Don't fight." I have heard all of you, and I admit that you have your own opinions. Commander Locke's suggestion to concentrate human forces against the invasion of Machine City is a big endorsement of that.

However, Captain Morpheus said that he should unite all forces and deal with the invasion of the Matrix. In that case, let's coordinate it. Morpheus, you can assemble a squad of no more than five people to carry out your wishes. Although Zion's troops are very tight, I think the gap of five people can still be filled.

After all, we also saw from the last drill that when conducting defensive battles, battleships are really not as good as mechas. ”

"This ......," the Speaker's words made both of them ponder.

Locke and Morpheus nodded helplessly after thinking for a while: "Okay, that's it!"

Neither of them was satisfied with such a result, but both of them felt that they could still accept it.

"Very good! We're running out of time. replenish the relevant ammunition and army rearmament as soon as possible, and establish a corresponding line of defense...... This time is really dangerous and each of us has to fight for our own survival. The white-haired old speaker said with a hint of sadness and stroked his chest with his left hand: "May God bless mankind, may the flame of the race be passed on, and may civilization be continued!"

"May God bless mankind, may the flame of the race be passed on, and may civilization be continued!" Following the words of the old speaker, all the bigwigs in the conference room made the same action.

A tragic atmosphere filled the room. This is a life-and-death battle, and it is necessary to make sure that all people are soldiers.

Everyone must work hard, not only for Zion, but for others, but also for themselves. The mechanical octopus, that cold killing tool, doesn't have any emotion.

Discover, kill, find your next target. Everything, the death of life, even their own destruction, was just a command for them.

They were tools, real tools—not even in the Machine City, which no one considered to be of the same kind.

Fighting against such a guy really has to be desperate.