The command post was rudimentary but still ran on information — closed-circuit monitors, centralized coordination.

Shen Cong walked in without being stopped. His "Edge of Evolution" title hadn't been formally conferred yet, but the rank of Colonel was already a fact. There were almost no one in the camp who outranked him — Zhao Weiliang held Major General, Zhu Li Senior Colonel, and then there was Shen Cong.

"What's the situation?"

Zhao Weiliang and Zhu Li were both standing in front of the monitors. Zhu Li gestured at the screens. "Critical. The good news is it's a solitary individual — not a colony. We can hold it down for now by throwing everything we have at it, casualties be damned. But that's not a solution."

"Do you have enough ammunition to kill it?"

"We're out. Burned through everything dealing with the Violent Ape swarm. What's being used right now is the last of it. Once it's gone, we're down to evolved people going in by hand." Zhu Li looked directly at Shen Cong. "You're the Edge of Evolution. The strongest evolved person in this camp. We need you in this fight."

Shen Cong's mouth tightened. "If throwing bodies at it won't work, it's better to evacuate early."

"Evacuation presents its own problem — we'd be completely exposed. We need a group of evolved people to draw the Golden Jiao away first, give everyone else time to move. And even then, it doesn't fix anything. The camp has far more people than vehicles. Any evacuation happens on foot. It would be painfully slow."

"You're seriously considering using people as bait?"

Commander Zhu Li was quiet for a moment. "I don't want to spend human lives like ammunition. We're not insects — we can't replace our losses overnight. Since the camp was established, we haven't gained a single person who wasn't brought in from outside. Every life here is worth protecting."

Shen Cong's patience frayed. These leaders always circled the point. State the plan. If there's a chance of success, act. If there isn't, run. Wanting to fight but not daring to,…