“I'm sorry, Captain Lin. Thank you for entrusting with sothing as important as the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum. And I also need to apologize for using it in a risky experint without permission. Even though I installed it on the ejector seat of the copilot's chair and added protection… I know there’s a good chance I won’t be coming back from this.”
“I’m not as brave as General Zhang or Team Leader Bai. I didn’t survive a pile of corpses to get here. During the Wei River evacuation, I was actually in the first group transferred out by Team Leader Bai as a core research staff mber. I saw your fearlessness back at the Yubei Spaceport, so I don’t want you to think I’m a coward. It’s just… I’m terrified of watching people die around again. That’s why I made this reckless choice. I know… maybe it’s just my cowardice and my way of running away…”
“It’s the apocalypse. I don’t even know if I’ll live to see the dawn… Maybe you will. If you get this recording, please help pass on an apology to my professor—I’ve never had his kind of courage.”
Inside the makeshift lab at Xilan Airport, the computer played back a recording left by Wei Kexue. The recording was found in the protective casing of the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum after it was ejected and landed in a valley on Fenglan Mountain, later recovered by Ding Junyi and Lin Xian.
The atmosphere in the hall was somber and heavy.
Many in the research team had red-rimd eyes.
Guo Sicheng stood at the front, looking like he’d aged several years in an instant.
Because this was an ergency situation, only a few people were present: Zhao Yu, He Zhen, Wen Zhuo, Xiao He from the Phoenix, and a few others from the Xicheng search team like Lin Xian and Shi Diyuan.
Lin Xian sighed quietly in his heart. He hadn't expected Wei Kexue, who had just caught up with him a few days ago, to be gone so soon. He took out a tal box from his pocket and opened it—the three Eerie Blood Crystals inside were still quietly sitting there. They were Wei Kexue’s “paynt” for borrowing the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum to conduct his research. But in truth, Lin Xian had no intention of taking anything in return. He simply knew that accepting it would ease Wei Kexue’s conscience.
Wei Kexue probably never imagined he’d die chasing a theory—on the eve of evacuation.
The Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum lay on the table, radiating a crimson glow. Beside it, a disheveled Yu Yuheng sat quietly.
This ant he, too, had been marked—Level 5.
Zhao Yu's expression darkened. “So, the experintal team confird evidence of the Dark Mark, but also discovered other abnormalities?”
Old Guo adjusted his glasses and nodded. “The ultrapure germanium detector picked up a kind of weakly interacting massive particle. It forms so sort of dark matter bond with human cell mbranes. The dark matter stream can penetrate any barrier, making marked individuals a ‘beacon in the dark.’ This is a breakthrough discovery. If we had more ti, we could develop a detection device that allows anyone to scan for their own mark.”
Xinghuo team leader Wen Zhuo now turned to the still-shaken Yu Yuheng. “Captain Yu, can you walk us through what exactly happened? Why did you call that creature a scout? What made you think that?”
Everyone turned to him, eager to hear his answer.
Yu Yuheng looked dazed. He raised his head, eyes unfocused, as mories of the terrifying event two hours ago replayed in his mind.
Two hours earlier—
Yu Yuheng’s aircraft had just plunged out of a cloud bank. The drop in altitude made his mind go blank. Luckily, the autopilot system kicked in and stabilized the flight.
With no flying experience, he fumbled to check the instrunts and looked out the window.
But what he saw froze him in place—a massive black shadow was erging from the cloudy mist to the right of the aircraft, blotting out the already-dim moonlight.
It was a floating monstrosity, with countless colossal legs—each easily hundreds of ters long—like a black sea urchin hovering in the sky. Its body was covered with clusters of crimson compound eyes, and the bristles on its limbs twitched eerily in the blizzard. The tiny aircraft that Yu Yuheng and Wei Kexue were in looked pitiful by comparison.
Beep-beep-beep—warning alarms sounded.
“Professor Wei! It’s right above us!!” Yu Yuheng gasped.
“Pull up! Pull up!” ca Wei Kexue’s shout through the comms.
“Has the Blood Scourge Flora activated?!”
“No!”
“What?!”
Beep-beep-beep! All kinds of alarms began to go off.
“The detectors are working—it’s like this thing is staring at us!”
“It’s been hiding here this whole ti!”
“No ti to think—fire on it! Let’s see what this thing’s up to!” Wei Kexue gritted his teeth, adrenaline pumping as fear turned to action.
“Ahhhh!!”
Zzzzzap!
The missile launched from the craft’s bay, streaking through the sky straight toward one of the creature’s compound eyes.
Boom!
An explosion lit up the air, but it didn’t seem to hurt the giant Eerie Entity. The missile had hit what seed like an invisible wall and detonated midair. A faint, transparent ripple shimred across the air before vanishing.
“What was that?!”
“So kind of shield?!”
“Sh*t.”
“What now?”
Wei Kexue looked back at the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum, which remained inactive. He clenched his jaw. “Captain Yu, I’m going to get closer. According to Professor Ding’s research, the Blood Scourge Flora only covers 500 ters. Maybe we’ll trigger it if I get near enough.”
“500 ters is way too close!” Yu Yuheng shouted.
“There’s no other way—this is our only shot!” Wei Kexue took a deep breath and banked hard toward the monster.
“Professor Wei!!”
“Don’t follow! Stay at a safe distance and monitor the Blood Scourge Flora. If I eject, keep an eye on where it lands. I promised Captain Lin I’d return it intact!”
Woooosh!
The Tongxing aircraft’s engines roared as Wei Kexue blasted through the clouds, flying straight at the behemoth.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
The radar pinged like crazy.
And then, all of the monster’s crimson eyes turned toward the aircraft. A strange red glow began to pulse from them. In an instant, the sky turned blood-red.
Yu Yuheng felt a chill down to his bones. When he looked up again, it was like the creature had beco a massive blood moon, with Wei Kexue flying straight into it without hesitation.
“Professor Wei!!!”
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Yu Yuheng’s eyes filled with horror. Strange visions danced before him. Blood-red ripples churned through the sky, and reflected in his trembling pupils was a grotesque image—a single, massive eye ford from thousands of pale pupils, surrounded by storm clouds spiraling into a vortex.
He yanked off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and scrambled to access the aircraft’s computation module.
“C’mon c’mon c’mon c’mon!!”
He furiously refreshed the detector readings.
Beep-beep-beep-beep!
Bzzzt!
“It’s active! The Blood Scourge Flora’s glowing!!” Wei Kexue’s voice suddenly shouted through the comms.
Ding! At that mont, the ultrapure germanium detector lit up green—successful detection.
“Professor Wei, get ou—”
BOOM!
Before he could finish, a massive shockwave struck. Every system in the aircraft went dark. Yu Yuheng felt an intense weightlessness sweep through him.
Looking out the window, he saw a faint explosion in front of the blood moon—Wei Kexue’s aircraft.
“Professor We—!”
BZZZT!
Before he could scream, a wave of dizziness slamd into him. The world spun. Then ca a series of alerts:
【Altitude Alert. Altitude Alert.】
【Flight control override engaged.】
【Mountain terrain ahead. Mountain terrain ahead.】
【Climb failed. Climb failed.】
Dazed, Yu Yuheng jolted back to reality and grabbed the controls.
…
“That thing wasn’t like any monster we’ve seen before. Normal weapons didn’t work, and it seed to have so kind of group attack chanism.”
Inside the lab, Yu Yuheng recounted everything in detail. He took off his glasses, rubbed his brow, and sighed. “In that instant, all instrunts failed. And in my mind—I think I saw sothing terrifying. But it wasn’t the sa creature. It felt like… sothing was trying to communicate, or guide us. The feeling was overwhelming.”
He Zhen frowned. “You an… there’s more than one S-Class creature?”
Zhao Yu murmured, “If there’s a hierarchy, that ans the other one might be beyond S-Class.”
Everyone felt a chill.
“Whether it’s S-Class or not, it’s still a massive threat,” Zhao Yu exhaled. He turned to He Zhen and Wen Zhuo. “Now that the Zombie Tide has retreated, let’s move up the evacuation. Handle casualty reports and supply plans on the go. Xiao He, bring Han Jun and Qin Xueming here. We need to go over ammo logistics.”
“Yes!”
“Wait.” Lin Xian finally spoke up. “Director Zhao, I know we planned to evacuate tomorrow. But don’t you think everything that’s happened since yesterday is… strange?”
“I feel the sa way,” Shi Diyuan said. “That S-Class monster just hides and doesn’t attack? Isn’t that suspicious?”
“It is,” Wen Zhuo nodded. He looked to Zhao Yu. “If that was really a scout, hunting for prey for so dark creature, why was there a Zombie Tide tonight? If everyone in the city died, what’s the point?”
“Because it wasn’t an attack.”
A woman’s voice rang out. Everyone turned to see Professor Ding Junyi stepping forward.
“Professor Ding, what do you an it wasn’t an attack?” Zhao Yu frowned.
Ding Junyi glanced at Yu Yuheng, then said:
“Professor Wei was right. That monster didn’t co specifically for the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum—finding it was a coincidence. The reason there are no Dark Marks in all of Xilan City is because all the Snow Wraiths and Snow Fiends stopped emitting them. Only S-Class Eerie Entities can issue Level 5 marks, and that creature probably realized we were studying the Dark Mark. That’s why it marked the Falcon Patrol Team outside the city, which triggered tonight’s siege.”
He Zhen looked confused. “Didn’t you just say it wasn’t a siege?”
Ding Junyi looked at the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum. “Now, aside from the sky, no other Eerie Entity is emitting marks. That monster is watching Xilan City. The reason it didn’t mark earlier was to keep the city safe—so people would gather.”
Her gaze turned sharp. “Because Xilan has strong defenses. Maybe it’s to reduce casualties. Or maybe it just wanted to spread confusion and fear. So tonight wasn’t an attack—it was a forced evacuation.”
“But we were planning to evacuate tomorrow!” another female researcher exclaid.
“Exactly. Now we’re leaving earlier—and we might escape the Polar Night and the spread of Abyss Zone No. 5. Isn’t that better?”
The room buzzed with uncertainty.
Then Lin Xian stepped forward. “What if they mark the entire city with Level 5 marks before we leave?”
Silence fell. Everyone went cold.
He Zhen’s eyes narrowed. He recalled the Falcon Team’s fate. “You an…”
Lin Xian turned to Zhao Yu. “Director Zhao, I suggest we call in the leaders of every convoy in the city and check their mark status. I already scanned ours while bringing in the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum—everyone’s been marked Level 5. I think it has sothing to do with that thunderous sound we heard in the sky earlier. If that’s the case, it would support Professor Ding’s theory about why the Zombie Tide retreated.”
Zhao Yu studied Lin Xian in silence for a mont. Then, firmly, he said, “Alright, we’ll do it your way. Wen Zhuo, we’re relocating to Michelle Church. Gather the convoy leaders—don’t tell them why yet. Run separate tests. Once we confirm, we’ll make a decision.”
“He Zhen, start casualty reports and resupply the defense line. Until we confirm evacuation, hold the periter.”
“Understood,” He Zhen nodded.
Zhao Yu checked the ti, then addressed everyone.
“Ti’s tight. Get moving now. If we wait till morning, it’ll be too late. We implent the evacuation plan before 5 AM.”
“Got it.”
The night’s battle had only just ended, and people barely had ti to breathe—only to find themselves plunged into an even greater crisis. A suffocating fear spread through Xilan City like a choking fog.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
4:00 a.m., Michelle Church Plaza was a flurry of movent. Countless convoy leaders from survivor groups had been urgently summoned. The plaza, scarred and ruined, was piled high with monster corpses that the Nightwalkers had temporarily cleared, yet the overwhelming stench of blood and rot still hung in the air, making people’s heads feel heavy. Under the bright plaza lights, Ding Junyi and her research team were scattered around, conducting mark tests on each convoy leader.
“What’s going on?”
“No idea… just cooperate.”
“They said they’ve identified the attack pattern of the Eerie Entities—it’s called Dark Marking. Anyone tagged with it attracts monsters at night.”
“Huh? So that’s what this is about…”
“So if they’re checking us now, does that an another attack is coming?”
“We haven’t even finished handling the casualties in our convoy.”
“Good thing Phoenix is supplying us with ammo and supplies…”
“Are we evacuating?”
At the edge of the plaza, Zhou Wuer, Peng Peng, and the rest of the Nightwalkers’ Courier Unit stood in the corner, watching with complicated expressions.
“So many people got tagged… looks like our evacuation plan’s going out the window,” Peng Peng said, arms crossed.
Zhou Wuer, who’d been fighting all night, looked serious. “Who knows. Let’s just hope it goes well.”
Buzz buzz—
Just then, their communicator lit up. Zhou Wuer waved behind him.
“Let’s go, they’re letting us in.”
04:35
Inside the makeshift command center at the church’s Gospel Hall, a crowd had gathered.
Leading the discussion were Phoenix heads Zhao Yu and He Zhen, along with researchers Guo Sicheng, Yu Yuheng, convoy leaders from the Nightwalkers and the Crimson Phoenix Order, including Lin Xian, Shi Diyuan, Qian Dele, Han Jun, Qin Xueming, Zhang Tianfang, Chen Xiao, and others.
“Scan results are in. Out of 1,236 convoys in the city, 786 convoy leaders carry a Level-5 Dark Mark,” reported Xiao He, face grim.
“Why not everyone?” He Zhen asked in confusion. “These monsters are picky?”
“I think Captain Yu and Professor Wei’s actions disrupted the creature,” said Ding Junyi. “That’s why so weren’t tagged—and maybe why the monsters pulled back early.”
“64%…” Zhao Yu murmured, brows furrowed. “Can’t tell if that’s good or bad.”
He looked up, sweeping his gaze across the room.
“You’ve all been briefed. I want your input now.”
“We need to evacuate—imdiately,” said Qin Xueming of the Cosmic Convoy, still disheveled from battle. “You think we can survive against an S-Class Eerie Entity?”
“Sa here. What’s there to discuss?” added Chen Xiao of the Torch Alliance, clearly frustrated.
“Did you not hear what the research team said? Anyone carrying a Level-5 Mark is basically guaranteed to die out there,” Zhang Tianfang said.
“Then what? Kill the S-Class?” Qin Xueming raised his voice. “Or sothing even worse? With just us?”
Han Jun from the Arctic Wind Alliance stayed calm and turned to Lin Xian.
“Captain Lin, your Infinite Convoy has the most experience with Dark Marks. Can killing enough of the Snow Wraiths and Snow Fiends reduce the intensity of the mark—maybe even let us go into a dormant state?”
He Zhen nodded.
“Exactly. It’s not like the mark can’t be removed. If there’s a way, maybe we don’t have to kill that S-Class Eerie.”
Many nodded in agreent, but Zhao Yu didn’t respond. Instead, he looked to the research team—Yu Yuheng, Ding Junyi—and Lin Xian.
“Your thoughts?”
“I just feel… it’s not that simple,” Yu Yuheng said hesitantly.
Ding Junyi nodded. “Think about it—why did the monster retreat right after marking us?”
“Wait, s**t…” Qin Xueming looked stunned. “That’s ssed up.”
Han Jun’s face darkened. The way this unfolded—it felt like the creature watching over Xilan City was intelligent, and this was all preditated.
Remove the marks, increase survivor numbers, lull everyone into a false sense of safety—then suddenly attack the city, spread fear, and tag everyone. Force a mass evacuation.
But if they evacuated now, those with Level-5 Marks wouldn’t make it to Quancheng. And staying ant death too—between the thunderous creature above and whatever unknown horror lurked beyond.
In front of them was... a city-wide death trap.
Everyone felt a chill crawl up their spine.
“Brother Lin,” Shi Diyuan whispered to Lin Xian. “What now? Are we screwed?”
Lin Xian’s eyes were dark. He felt a fear unlike any he’d known—fear of being hunted by the dark.
“D*mn… These monsters really plan to eat us like dumplings,” Qian Dele sighed, brushing his fur coat. “Screw it, maybe I’ll go drink, then fight like hell.”
Lin Xian looked at him, his face shifting.
“You’re right. Maybe fighting is our only shot.”
Just as everyone was feeling hopeless, Lin Xian suddenly raised his voice.
“If we fight, maybe we still have a chance!”
Everyone turned toward him.
Qian Dele leaned in, muttering,
“Hey—I ant charge out, not so big ‘plan.’”
Zhao Yu looked at Lin Xian.
“Speak your mind.”
A crazy idea was brewing in Lin Xian’s head, and he couldn’t contain it. His breath ca fast as he said,
“What if… we don’t evacuate tomorrow?”
“That’s suicide.”
“Yeah…”
Chen Xiao and others reacted instantly, but Zhao Yu raised a hand.
“Go on.”
“If we stay, the worst we face is Polar Night—but is that necessarily fatal? If we remove the marks and go into a dormant state, maybe we can safely pass the edge of Abyss Zone No. 5!”
Lin Xian turned to Zhao Yu.
“We’ve tested this. People without marks often don’t encounter anything in the dark—unless they’re unlucky enough to wander into a monster’s den.”
Zhao Yu frowned.
“So, we take one day to remove the marks? But the creature won’t give us that chance—it’s guiding another one, even more—”
“Then what if we kill it?!”
Lin Xian cut him off, shouting.
“It wants to tag us and eat us? Then let’s kill this b**tard and wipe out the Level-5 Marks! Polar Night hits the day after tomorrow, and that bigger thing may arrive during the night or the Extre Cold Vortex—that timing is our window!”
Everyone’s expressions changed.
“You’re saying… kill an S-Class Eerie?” Han Jun asked, frowning.
“But it’s been hiding. Wasn’t it just a scout?” Qin Xueming added.
“Yeah, even if we wanted to kill it, we can’t hit what we can’t see,” Zhang Tianfang said.
“Exactly,” Yu Yuheng nodded. “It’s been hiding above the clouds, watching us.”
“Not necessarily!”
Lin Xian’s voice was sharp.
“If its goal was to mark the entire city, and it’s only done 64%, then it hasn’t finished. So if we don’t evacuate tomorrow, it’ll likely attack again tomorrow night. That’s our shot—when it moves again.”
“So hit it while it’s marking?” asked Wen Zhuo, leader of the Starfire Division.
“But it’s airborne. We don’t have the capability,” He Zhen said. “Our air units have no experience fighting S-Class, and missiles don’t work. If we can’t kill it fast enough, the city’s dood.”
Everyone knew he was right—fleeing now might leave a slim chance. But fighting an S-Class with unknown shields? Nearly impossible.
“There’s a way to bring it down,” Lin Xian suddenly said.
“What is it?” Zhao Yu asked.
“This.” Ding Junyi, who had stayed silent, slapped her hand on the Hell’s Black Chrysanthemum cultivation pod.
“Ever wonder how an S-Class lost its mind over two tiny drones?”
“Exactly,” Lin Xian nodded. “That thing can lure A-Class Abyss Worms—it can lure that monster too!”
Yu Yuheng stood up, excited.
“Yes! When it turned all red, it wasn’t just the attack—it sensed the disaster flora on Professor Wei’s drone!”
Zhao Yu and He Zhen exchanged glances, deep in thought.
Lin Xian turned to He Zhen.
“Commander He, what if we start fortifying the entire city right now—using the steel plant, weapons factory, radar and rail stations? If the convoys stop panicking and instead set up ambushes and defenses, wouldn’t our chances be better than tonight?”
He Zhen’s eyes sharpened.
“Of course. With strong walls, deep trenches, solid weapons, and full rations, we’d lose fewer people than during last night’s chaos.”
“One more thing,” Wen Zhuo added. “Xilan has tons of heavy city defenses and base weapons. If we leave, we can’t take them. Maybe the monster’s trying to force us out for that reason too.”
“Exactly!” Shi Diyuan agreed. “Vehicle weapons are nothing compared to stationary artillery. Evacuating makes us sitting ducks. I back Lin’s plan!”
“ too,” Qian Dele said with arms crossed. “A defensive siege beats a fleeing snowstorm ambush, especially with Level-5 Marks—we’d be monster bait out there.”
Their argunts swayed many, even Qin Xueming, who glanced at Han Jun.
“What do you think, Han?”
Han Jun looked grim.
“Burn the boats or slip the shell—could be our only shot. But…” He looked to Zhao Yu.
“We’ll follow your lead.”
Zhao Yu and He Zhen locked eyes.
“Old Zhao,” He Zhen said. “That good news-bad news you ntioned—this is it, right?”
Zhao Yu nodded slowly.
64% marked—aning nearly a third weren’t. He couldn’t force them to stay. If they left, the defense would lose a third of its strength. But if they stayed, they were betting everything on him.
If they lost—everyone would die.
After a pause, Zhao Yu scanned the crowd.
“Strategically, I support Captain Lin and Professor Ding’s plan. Defend the city and erase the marks. It’s harder, but safer than fleeing with Level-5 Marks. With our weapons, our walls, even our morale—we’re stronger here. He Zhen, you agree?”
“Yes,” He Zhen nodded. “Turn defense into offense, crisis into opportunity—it’s a smart move.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Zhao Yu said solemnly,
“As Phoenix’s Xilan City Director—I approve defense over retreat!”
“Next, I need to hear from the other thousand convoys. Everyone must understand the situation. Once we confirm who stays and who goes—we start building defenses imdiately!”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
5:00 a.m., Michelle Church Plaza was ablaze with torchlight. Over a thousand convoy leaders, lieutenants, and key personnel had gathered. Thousands stood in the cold wind.
From the platform above, Zhao Yu solemnly broadcasted the truth—the Dark Mark, the city's current crisis, and Phoenix’s new defensive strategy.
Cries of despair echoed across the plaza. The air was thick with helplessness and dread.
“What… we’ve all been hit with a Level-5 Mark? Does that an we’re dood?”
“I heard a patrol team yesterday couldn’t even escape…”
"Oh my god, I thought we’d be evacuating by tomorrow!"
"During the scan just now, it looked like we weren’t marked..."
"Staying behind to defend the city and evacuating during the Polar Night... is that even possible?"
"If that’s really the plan, we’d rather stay. At least here we’ve got shelters, and artillery. If we’re caught out there on the road, there’s no way our vehicles can hold up against a zombie tide of that level."
"Exactly. We’ve already been marked anyway. What choice do we have but to fight?"
"Yeah, we’ll go with Phoenix. Maybe there’s still a sliver of hope!"
"Defend the city, huh? I’m in. I love tower defense gas—I’ve got loads of experience. Can I be in charge of strategy?"
"Give a break. Commander He’s been leading troops for years. You think your ga skills are what we need right now?"
"..."
The crowd buzzed with anxious voices, heavy and grim.
Zhao Yu looked across the plaza. “That’s the situation. We don’t have ti to waste. All convoys can make their choice now—whether marked or not, you’re free to evacuate. I’ve already instructed the support points to prepare ergency supplies and ammo for those leaving. Evacuation must be completed before 6 a.m. All remaining supplies and ammunition will be shared with the whole city. We’ll lay out a detailed defense plan, organize convoys into tactical squads based on vehicle-weapon ratios and Ability User types, and set up a temporary ‘Cityforge’ battle command center. All preparations must be completed before nightfall.”
The mont he finished speaking, the crowd quieted significantly.
“Um…” A convoy leader raised his hand. “We’re not marked—are you saying we can really leave? Does that an we’re safe?”
His question caught the attention of several other unmarked convoy leaders, all turning to Zhao Yu.
“That’s right. If you’re not marked, you can leave. As for whether you’re safe—I trust the judgnt of our research team. At the very least, the danger will be significantly reduced. I believe this will beco a global standard for identifying Dark Entities going forward,” Zhao Yu replied firmly.
“Then… we’ll evacuate.” The convoy leader gritted his teeth. His team had suffered massive losses the previous night, and their fighting spirit was all but gone.
“We’re leaving too.”
“Looks like we don’t have any markings either… so this isn’t really our fight.” This ca from Long Dahei of the Blackie Convoy. He gave a complicated look toward the Phoenix mbers on the stage and said, “I don’t know what to say… Thank you for your help. I hope you make it.”
With that, he sighed, turned, and led his n away.
One after another, more convoys followed suit, leaving the plaza in silence.
“We trust Phoenix. We’ll live or die together!” A strong female voice finally broke the stillness.
“That’s right! Stand our ground and fight to the death!” Her words lit a spark.
Those who had lost everything, those who had been separated from their families by the monster tides, those who knew they were cornered and filled with rage—their emotions flared one by one!
“F*** this! Marking us like livestock—f*** that s**t!” a burly man roared.
“I’ve never killed an S-class before. Maybe if we take one out, the whole city evolves. What do you say, people?!”
“D**n right!!”
“What the h**l are we afraid of? I didn’t even get to go all out last night. This ti we’re ready. We’re gonna wipe these beasts out!”
“Yeah! Don’t think we humans are pushovers. I’m at the top of the food chain, dammit!”
“Let’s go!”
“We weren’t marked either, but we’ll stand with Phoenix!”
“Kill, kill, kill! Our Dingli Convoy signs up first!”
The plaza suddenly exploded into noise, a surge of battle-ready energy rising like a tidal wave.
“Xiao He, tally the final headcount and weapons inventory.” Watching this, He Zhen’s eyes were steady as he gave the order to his adjutant.
“Yes, sir.”
The count was quickly completed, and in the command center hall, discussions on the Cityforge defense plan began.
“Report. Total surviving convoys: 1,236. Of those, 1,072 chose to stay and defend the city. 164 have evacuated—all of them unmarked. We’re still counting the total headcount and weapons,” Xiao He reported.
“The Nightwalkers are compiling Ability User data collected during testing. We’ll need so ti to organize by groups,” Wen Zhu added.
“Alright. Let’s finalize the Cityforge plan. He Zhen, give us the defense layout.”
A holographic tactical table was placed at the center of the hall. Zhao Yu stood at the head, surrounded by mbers of the Investigation Corps, the Nightwalkers, and convoy leaders. All eyes were serious as they looked at the holographic map of Xilan City.
“Got it.”
He Zhen pointed at the northern and eastern walls of the city with a command baton.
“The northern, eastern, and southern city walls are permanent fortifications. Right now, we can’t stop the monster tides from breaching the interior. If we continue focusing defenses outside the city, we’ll get flanked.”
“My plan is to abandon the inner city and form three triangle strategic zones: the northern wall with the passenger terminal and Xilan Airport;
the eastern wall with the Steelworks and Weapons Factory;
and the southern wall relying on the mountain range and Duga Radar Array Station. The west has no strongholds—Fenglan Mountain and the mines can’t hold—so we abandon it. Finally, we’ll deploy highly mobile and powerful Ability Units with Blood Scourge Flora bait near Michelle Plaza and Central Avenue. They’ll be ready to engage A-class Abyss Worms and S-class Black Spikes from the Clouds, maintaining tight coordination across the three zones. When necessary, they can launch pincer attacks to neutralize internal threats.”
Everyone nodded, impressed by He Zhen’s strategy. Concentrating core forces along the defense periter instead of spreading thin inside the city was indeed optimal.
This way, the city walls could form not just a line of defense, but islands of resistance throughout the city.
“Commander He thought of everything. The terminal, airport, steelworks, and radar array are all ideal defense points—easy to hold, hard to breach,” Zhao Yu nodded at the map.
These structures weren’t ordinary residential buildings. Xilan City’s buildings had been constructed with war in mind. The average wall thickness exceeded 80 cm, and strategic buildings surpassed 100 cm. Combined with the convoys’ armored vehicles, the defenses would be solid.
“Now the second issue—how do we kill that S-class Black Spike before dawn on September 1st?” Zhao Yu turned to Wen Zhu.
Wen Zhu replied, “We currently have 112 at the Berserk level and 1,201 at the Titan level. Based on Commander He’s setup, I suggest selecting elite fighters with strong mobility and offensive Abilities—five per squad—to form a major hunting group under my command. We’ll first try to take down the Abyss Worm. If the S-class Black Spike shows up, we’ll make initial contact to identify weak points, then use the group's mobility to lure it among the three defense points and coordinate air and ground firepower to destroy it.”
“Sounds feasible, but maybe a bit too optimistic,” Qin Xueming interjected. “If that S-class Entity hits one of our defense zones directly, the other two can’t help. We could get picked off one by one.”
“True,” Shi Diyuan said seriously. “But we can’t have the whole city holed up in one spot. With tens of thousands of people, we’d fall apart from within before the monsters even get us.”
Wen Zhu added, “That’s why I plan to draw it with high-power Abilities—fire, laser, telekinesis, Han Jun’s water-based power, and my own magnetic field…”
“Then the pressure’s all on the Ability Squad,” Han Jun frowned. “We’ll be running all over the place. That’s a huge stamina drain. Xilan’s not a small city—those three zones are dozens of kiloters apart. Not everyone can fly.”
“If all our forces and convoys are focused at the three zones, the city center will be nearly defenseless. Even with the elite squad, without heavy fire support, how could we handle a monster of that level?” Zhang Tianfang said grimly.
“I can deploy a Dreadnought-Class gunship for air support,” He Zhen offered. “Though it has its limits.”
“Exactly,” Qian Dele nodded. “An A or S-class monster could probably swat us like flies, even with Abilities.”
“Any other plans?”
He Zhen frowned slightly. “We could concentrate heavy weapons and missiles. That might help.”
“We still don’t know how resistant that thing is to missiles. If it has an Ability Shield like Captain Yu ntioned, then conventional weapons might be useless,” Han Jun said.
“Agreed,” Qin Xueming added. “If it’s got so freak defensive chanism, everything we’ve planned could go down the drain.”
At the back of the group, Lin Xian’s face darkened. Hearing Han Jun’s and Qin Xueming’s doubts, he imdiately thought of his own AT Field Shield.
If that monster had sothing like that, they were in serious trouble.
“Hey,” ca a quiet voice beside him. Lin turned to see Zhou Wuer.
“I saw in your mission logs—you once used a sunlight-generating Ability outside Xilan. Maybe that could work?”
“That only worked because it was already dayti,” Lin Xian replied softly. He wasn’t sure if his Gravity Lens could replicate the result from the Red Lantern fight.
“No worries. I think your idea is bold. It might just turn the tide. I like your thinking.”
Lin Xian sighed. He still believed the best plan was to rely on the city defenses, take out the scout, then evacuate. But even that wasn’t guaranteed. No one—not even Phoenix—had ever killed an S-class Entity. There were no known successful cases globally.
As everyone fell into silence, stuck on how to defeat the S-class threat—
Bang.
Suddenly, the doors to the Gospel Hall burst open. A tall man in a military coat strode in and shouted,
“If we had a weapon that could suppress the monster tide and go head-to-head with an S-class Entity inside the city, this problem would be a lot simpler!”
Lin Xian recognized the man imdiately—Chen Wei, from the Trakamar Ice Canyon camp!
“Chen Wei, what are you doing here? Aren’t you injured?” Yu Yuheng called out.
But Chen Wei didn’t stop. As he walked, he addressed the crowd.
“Project Emperor. Pangu Unit-01. Height: 125 ters. Weight: 8,665 tons. Dual-core fusion turbine reactor. Dual neural sync pilot system. Super-carbon carbide alloy composite armor. Multi-aperture phased array radar. Hydraulic leg stabilizers. 500KT gyroscope. KKG-grade high-agility torque drive. 4,238 muscle units—each with two magnetically controlled engines. Weapon systems include: right arm I-19 plasma cannon, foldable high-frequency chainsword, dual-arm pulse hamrs, left arm rail incinerator, and chest-mounted 4x8 vertical missile launchers. Elbow rocket boosters...”
“Also, that bug up north? My brother and I killed it with that chainsword. If we reboot Unit-01 from the canyon, we can use it as our central stronghold. I’ll even show you how to squash a worm again!”
Stunned silence. Then—
“What? There’s actually a monster like that cha?!” Han Jun exclaid.
Even Zhao Yu’s eyes narrowed. He knew about Project Emperor. So did Shi Diyuan and Qian Dele—they had seen it firsthand.
“But the cockpit, the Unified Control Drive, the left arm—” Yu Yuheng started.
“I can fix it!”
Everyone turned—Lin Xian had finally spoken, eyes alight with madness. “I can’t fully restore it, but I can handle the core systems. Plus, that Monunt Core you brought back—it’s a backup AI, right?”
Hearing that, Lin Xian realized he could make it in ti. His chanical Manufacturing was at Level 5 now. If he left imdiately, he’d have 24 hours to fix it. That cha was built specifically to fight S-class threats. If they got it online, their odds would skyrocket.
Yu Yuheng looked conflicted. “Even if we fix it, we’d need two Level-5 Unified Control pilots and—”
“I’m one of them,” Lin Xian said before Chen Wei could speak.
Everyone—Chen Wei, He Zhen, the entire Investigation Corps—stared in shock.
“You’re serious?” Chen Wei asked, his gaze sharp.
“Dead serious. I’m a chanical Ability User. You’ve seen what I can do,” Lin Xian said.
“Alright!” Chen Wei grinned. “I don’t like Ability Users much, but a Level-5 Unified Control? I can work with that.”
Lin Xian gave him a look. “Your attitude sucks, but I respect you for stepping up. It’s a solid plan.”
Chen Wei nodded, then turned to the crowd and gave a formal salute. “Director Zhao, Commander He, Captain Yu—requesting permission to deploy!”
Zhao Yu turned to Yu Yuheng. “Captain Yu?”
Yu’s face shifted through uncertainty, then excitent.
“You’re right! If Lin can fix the cockpit, Unified Drive, and left arm—and with the Monunt Core—we can reboot Unit-01!”
“Then it’s settled!” Zhao Yu declared, looking to Lin Xian.
“Captain Lin, bring back the ultimate weapon of Project Emperor!”
“With pleasure!”
Lin Xian’s eyes burned with fire. Through the Gospel Church’s stained-glass windows, he looked southeast—700 kiloters away, in the icy depths of Trakamar Canyon, a colossal war cha slept atop a frozen peak.
Its dual-core fusion turbines, silent now, seed to await one thing—
To burn again.
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