Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Scattered wounds covered the ground.

Charring remains of bodies and fractured steel were everywhere, the air saturated with the smell of blood-infused motor oil and gunpowder.

Row upon row of residential buildings had collapsed, and a factory that had yet to be completed was mercilessly destroyed.

Unquenched flames could be seen everywhere, lighting up the earth against the dark night sky.

[...Countdown: 28 minutes 37 seconds.]

Gong Yan glanced at the countdown for the regional time-limited mission and then turned to look at the shadows still standing on the field.

One... two... three...

Twenty-seven...

The indigenous forces were almost completely wiped out, leaving just over twenty players holding the last stand.

However, judging by the status of these remaining few, they too were at the end of their tether.

Forget another wave of Vanguard Teams; even a few more basic reconnaissance AIs would be enough to overwhelm them.

"Snap—" The giant axe was suddenly discarded at his side, and Kuang Xin collapsed to the ground.

Even though the game doesn't cause physical fatigue that would make the players feel sore and uncomfortable, the mental stress inevitably led to exhaustion.

"I can't fight anymore." Kuang Xin panted heavily, his in-game body reacting like a real one to the player's commands, but somehow, Kuang Xin always felt it wasn't quite satisfying.

It felt like his nose was blocked, suffocating him, as if the air he breathed was being taken into someone else's lungs, causing discomfort.

The game was realistic enough, but this simulated reality was still not the real thing.

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Unsatisfying...

"What do we do if another wave comes?" Dai Lian also walked over unsteadily, equally powerless.

Drained of Spiritual Energy and physical strength, even drawing his bow was a struggle, let alone firing that transcendent arrow.

After defeating two waves of AI Vanguard Teams, they had nearly exhausted all the strength of every combatant present.

In fact, the fact that they were not seriously injured made them rare among the remaining survivors.

"I don't know..." Gong Yan's gaze swept the area, "The scouts have not returned; we don't know when the AI's next attack will come."

Right now, other than waiting and praying, they had no better options.

In the distance, scattered weak flickers of light joined together, emerging from behind the ruins' corner, gradually becoming clearer.

Beneath every torch was a determined face.

"This is our home!"

"If you want to destroy our home, you'll have to step over our bodies first!"

Hiding in the underground caves previously inhabited by giant spiders, listening to the continuous loud disturbance from above, those who had been sent to hide could no longer bear the torment of waiting.

This "home" they had built with their own hands—if anyone wanted to destroy it, they were ready to fight to the death.

"Perhaps our strength is insignificant, but at least we can't always be hiding turtles."

Taking over the weapons and machine guns from the remaining players, the impaired survivals of Grey Iron City filled the new line of defense.

"We are either old and weak or physically impaired, we're all broken people, and it was the adults who gave us a chance at rebirth..."

The disabled, leaning heavily on a still-hot heavy machine gun, peered sharply through his sole remaining eye using the sight, toward the misty night.

"To die for the adults is the greatest value of our lives!"

...

[Your citizens' faith acknowledges you as the sole radiance, and your "Soul Black Hole" absorbs the dissipated forces of faith, successfully converting them into 50/50 Spiritual Energy added to your spiritual energy reserves.]

The sudden panel notification made Bai E pause for a moment, then the surge in Spiritual Energy kicked in at once.

The abundant Spiritual Energy expanded from within Bai E, and after a brief delay, it transformed into a mechanized force, covering the entire Mecha.

Under the willpower's influence, the mechanized force formed a wind-breaking barrier at the front of the Mecha, which was not designed to be aerodynamic, and the air resistance was dramatically reduced.

Spiritual Energy phase one—Enhancement of the Spiritual Heart translated into a mechanized version, boosting the Mecha's speed significantly.

"Whoosh!"

A blue and white afterimage streaked through the air, the wind revealing the untended dry yellow grass and small nocturnal creatures daring to move at night.

...

"Humming~" A deep electrical humming slowly descended.

The massive mechanical titan broke through the night's fog.

Fargreater than the previous Vanguard Teams, the colossal silhouette of the titan descended upon the shattered town like a Demon God.

The one-eyed soldier holding the machine gun instinctively raised his head from the ground, his mouth gaping as he allowed his gaze to rise unobstructed, trying to see the full extent of their adversary.

[Life signs detected, execute cleansing directive.]

The synthetic digital voice of the machine declared the final fate of all the resistors, as the stout, humanoid titan raised two missile arrays filled with rocket heads on its shoulders.

"Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh~"

One after another, the rockets ignited, and the intense white vapor scattered violently.

Death had arrived!

[...Countdown: 5 minutes 01 second.]

After taking one final look at the mission countdown, Gong Yan smiled helplessly and turned to Dai Lian and Kuang Xin at her side.

"Bye-bye~"

"Time to read~"

"See you in three days."

Voices from the players rose one after another, all of them calmly awaiting death to come.