"W-Withdraw! Withdraw immediately!!" Chen shouted as she saw the massive human wave surging toward them. She instantly ordered a retreat. Of course, Chen wasn't foolish enough to let just fifty people face off against what looked like nearly a thousand incoming enemies.
But... it was already too late.
"We can't, Captain! That blood-colored barrier is back!!"
"What?!" Chen turned around and was stunned to see the blood-red wall—one she thought had already been destroyed—suddenly reappear behind them.
This time, however, strange symbols resembling ancient script had appeared across the surface of the wall, giving it an eerie, terrifying aura.
"Hoshiguma, please destroy it!" Ren quickly handed his dragon spear to Hoshiguma, knowing she was better suited to use it than he was.
"Understood!" Hoshiguma nodded, took the spear, and immediately swung it at the dome.
But something unexpected happened. The dragon spear passed right through the blood barrier as though it didn't exist. Hoshiguma was stunned. When her hand holding the spear touched the barrier directly, a searing pain jolted through her, forcing her to yank her hand back.
Red smoke curled up from her palm, but Hoshiguma didn't cry out. Thanks to the bluish shield covering her body, she was unharmed—just mildly scorched.
"Hoshiguma, are you okay?!" Ren rushed to her side, worried. Seeing that she was mostly unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Yeah... thanks to your power, little brother. I'm fine. B-But it looks like this barrier isn't safe anymore," Hoshiguma smiled faintly at Ren's concern, but when she noticed Lin Yuxia's intense gaze on her, she quickly composed herself.
"Hm... It seems this barrier doesn't just detect intruders—it has a real-time defense mechanism too. No matter how I look at it, this isn't just some ordinary relic. It must have been made during a golden era of craftsmanship," Yuxia commented.
"At this point, destroying the barrier is no longer an option..." she added, turning to Chen.
Hearing Yuxia's words, Chen fell silent. One of her subordinates broke the silence with a question.
"Captain, what should we do?"
"...Form up for defense. Do not approach that wall under any circumstances," Chen ordered through gritted teeth, stepping forward to confront the oncoming army.
"We're dead..." Officer Han muttered in despair as he saw the wave of enemies closing in.
Even the highly trained special agents couldn't help but feel hopeless. It was obvious what their fate would be if these enemies reached them.
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
"ELIMINATE THE INTRUDERS."
The chorus of terrifying voices echoed closer and closer, as if whispering directly into their ears, causing many to panic. Some were shaking so hard they could barely hold their shields.
"Get a grip!! Do not lower your defenses!!" Chen shouted, trying to snap them out of it.
Some responded by tightening their grip on their shields, but others remained frozen in fear, trembling and collapsing, unable to move.
"Damn it..." Chen gritted her teeth. She couldn't help those who had fallen. She understood: anyone in this situation would be terrified. Even she herself was scared.
This was her first time facing such a massive enemy force. She knew very well—if a clash happened, they would be annihilated.
But she couldn't turn back. She was their last hope. If she ran, it would be a betrayal of her duty and the trust of her comrades.
Even if I have to die... I must stop them! she thought, gripping her red sword tightly as she tried to draw Chi Xiao with all her strength.
She believed that if she could fully control it, she might be able to turn the tide.
But... reality was cruel.
"Damn it... MOVE! Just MOVE already!!"
No matter what she did, the sword refused to come out. It resisted her completely, like a frightened child refusing to leave its home. Ever since it felt the fear from that spear, Chi Xiao had shut down completely.
Veins bulged on her arms as she used every ounce of strength—but the blade stayed in its sheath. And as the enemy approached, her desperation only grew.
Then suddenly, amidst this despair—
Thump. Thump.
The sound of light footsteps echoed as Ren stepped forward, calmly and bravely, catching everyone's attention.
"Officer Zhongli?" Han muttered in confusion. Even a small step from the boy left a huge impact on the other officers watching.
"The only way out of this... is to eliminate the root of the problem," Ren murmured, glancing at the mission countdown timer, which now showed 40 minutes remaining. He knew he'd already wasted too much time here.
"I'll create an opening. The rest is up to you."
"What are you talking about?" Chen furrowed her brows—but before she could ask anything more—
Ren raised his hands above his head and warned everyone calmly:
"The next thing you see might be a bit scary, but don't worry. You'll all be fine."
"I promise."
With those words, his eyes began to glow faintly with golden light. Above them, the sky darkened as a massive shadow covered the sun.
Everyone looked up—and their eyes widened in shock.
A gigantic boulder, as large as a four-story building, was descending from the sky, crashing through the blood-red dome with deafening force.
"Is that... a meteor?!" several officers screamed.
Chen and Hoshiguma's eyes widened. Only Yuxia looked on in stunned excitement.
Just like in the game...
Ren couldn't yet summon the full power of the real Zhongli's geo constructs, so the meteor was only basic-level—but that was enough.
The massive rock tore through the blood dome and smashed into the center of the Traitor army, who froze in terror. A tremendous explosion followed.
BOOM!!!
Smoke billowed across the battlefield. Strangely, despite the impact, the surrounding area was mostly untouched. Ren had carefully controlled the explosion to minimize collateral damage.
As the dust settled, the figures of the Traitors—along with the men in bear costumes—were revealed, encased in translucent brown stone.
"Are they... dead?" Officer Han asked, still shocked by what he had just seen.
"'Imprisoned' is more accurate," Ren replied. "My power can hold them for about two hours. As for the rest... I'll leave that to you."
Thanks to the meteor strike, the once-thousand-strong Traitor army was now reduced to fewer than a hundred.
"Hoshiguma, Yuxia—please take care of the rest."
"Got it," Hoshiguma nodded.
"What about you, Ren?" Yuxia asked.
Ren smiled.
"Of course... I'm going to help my comrades."
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