Ling Cage: Enhanced Nanosteel Suit at the Start

Page 65

The cannon was cast from a dark, unknown alloy and covered with complex energy conduits and heat dissipation fins. Its huge muzzle was over three meters in diameter and as deep as a black hole. At this moment, it was frantically drawing on the base's remaining energy and some mysterious power from the system.

Inside the cannon's muzzle, a blindingly bright white light began to condense, seemingly capable of scorching the soul; the terrifying energy fluctuations distorted the very air.

"Then...what is that?"

Noticing the commotion, Mo Cheng turned to look at the base and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"No matter what it is, retreat! Everyone retreat to the sides of the base to make way for artillery fire! Everyone retreat!"

Chen Yuan spoke urgently, while simultaneously sharing the turret's locking information with all units via Loongson.

The Shadow Squad and the remaining Iron Guards and mechanical units immediately scattered to the ruins on both sides.

The two bijawed beasts seemed to sense a deadly threat as well. They abandoned the "little bug" in front of them and let out a deafening roar. They took heavy steps and accelerated toward the base entrance, toward the terrifying giant cannon that had just been raised.

Their massive mouths opened wide, and invisible energy gathered within them, preparing to launch a devastating long-range energy attack.

"Laser Divine Light Cannon, fully charged. Target locked, firing countdown: 3…2…1…FIRE!!!"

The cold, electronic sound of the Loongson chip was like a final judgment.

First of all... the first shot!

There was no deafening explosion.

Only one beam of pure, intense white light, like a beam of light piercing through time and space, silently burst forth from the muzzle of the cannon.

Wherever it passed, the terrifying destructive force caused the air to be completely ionized, leaving behind a brief vacuum channel.

The first to be hit, the two-jawed beast on the left, with its multi-layered obsidian bone armor that had driven the Shadow Squad to despair, was like thin ice under the sunlight in the face of this divine light.

The beam of light passed through the massive body without any obstruction, leaving a terrifying hole in front of it with a diameter of more than two meters and smooth, mirror-like edges.

The bones, flesh, and internal organs surrounding the cave entrance were completely vaporized in a fraction of a second.

The beam of light continued its relentless advance, piercing through its body and then through several calyx beasts and dozens of earth howls and snake dogs behind it, evaporating them along with the ground they were on, leaving only a bottomless molten glass tunnel hundreds of meters long.

The massive body of the two-jawed beast on the left suddenly froze. The momentum of its charge propelled it forward a few more steps before it collapsed with a thud, like rotten flesh with all its bones removed.

The energy light from the giant maw was extinguished instantly, and the core was completely annihilated.

Second shot!

The cannon fired almost without pause, and after only half a second, a second equally terrifying beam of blazing white light shot out.

Target: The Diplomb on the right.

The two-jawed beast on the right seemed to be trying to dodge, but its speed was meaningless in the face of this beam of light that spanned space.

The giant beam of divine light struck its newly opened, energy-gathering maw with pinpoint accuracy.

The beam of light pierced through its brain and exited from the back of its neck, completely vaporizing its entire grotesque head along with the internal structure that appeared to be its core.

The headless, enormous body lurched forward for dozens of meters due to inertia before crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Two shots, just two shots!

Both ends plunged the entire Shadow Squad into a desperate situation, causing the steel defense line to collapse. The terrifying behemoths, which were infinitely close to the monarch level, were instantly turned into two piles of charred charcoal emitting blue smoke.

The hundreds of Devouring Beasts of various kinds that were affected by the aftershocks of the beam vaporized and disappeared completely before they could even scream.

The scene was deathly silent; Feixue and the others were stunned.

"This level of attack is comparable to a super-powerful electromagnetic cannon, isn't it?" Mark thought to himself.

The massive muzzle of the Laser God Cannon emitted wisps of blue smoke, and the cannon body glowed a dark red due to overload, as it slowly sank into the lifting platform.

The suffocating energy fluctuations dissipated rapidly.

Chen Yuan looked at the system panel and saw that his survival points had plummeted from over 700,000 before the exchange to a pitiful 34,820 points. Then, due to the annihilation of two giant double-jawed beasts and the resulting large number of pan-type Devouring Beasts, his points fluctuated and rebounded to 358,650 points.

From over 90... to over 70, and then back to over 30...

Chen Yuan felt as if his heart had been pierced by that divine light cannon, leaving him feeling empty and burning with pain.

What a loss! Such a huge loss!

They worked themselves to the bone, narrowly escaped death, and in the end, the lion's share of the spoils went to this money-devouring behemoth.

This kind of strategic consumable comes at a damn high price. The key laser cannon has already run out of initial energy, and replenishing its energy requires spending 10 survival points each time, which is absolutely a huge pitfall.

Mark and the others looked at the two huge piles of charred remains, then at the sunken, terrifying cannon, and finally their gazes fell on the silent Chen Yuan.

They silently sheathed their weapons and walked to Chen Yuan's side.

No one asked what the cannon was, nor did anyone ask why the mech had suddenly recovered.

Erica was curious and wanted to ask, but Feixue pulled her back.

Some secrets are better left unsaid, no matter how much you ask.

Especially in this precarious end times, only by surviving can one be qualified to explore secrets.

"Clean up the battlefield... Once everything's taken care of, everyone go back and rest!"

Chen Yuan said wearily that this incident had served as a wake-up call for him. The Mana ecosystem was not as weak as he had imagined; in fact, it was far more terrifying than he had come to understand.

"system……"

Chen Yuan calmly said, "Comprehensive damage assessment, priority repair plan, budget... use the points we currently have."

"Yes, host, Dragon Heart Assistant is initiating a deep scan..."

"Designation received, scanning in progress..."

The Loongson's electronic sound remained completely calm.

The cold blue light swept across the riddled outer walls of the base, past the sparking automatic turrets, through the twisted and deformed alloy doors, and deep into the damaged pipes and energy lines inside.

The holographic projection unfolded before Chen Yuan's eyes, the dense red markings were shocking.

The core of the triple energy protection grid generator has melted down, requiring 120,000 points to repair; three main energy pipelines have ruptured, requiring 85,000 points to repair and replenish lost energy; 7 Iron Guard mechs can be repaired, 3 Hellhounds can be repaired, and 2 Mechanical Black Hawks can be repaired, for a total cost of 92,200 points. The remaining points are marked one by one.

"Repair plan in progress... Resource allocation complete... Execute plan?"

"implement!"

“Received. Survival points have been used up. Current balance: 300 survival points.”

Although the points panel hadn't reached zero and still had 300 points left, Chen Yuan felt that this was worse than being killed.

A complete loss, a total loss in the truest sense.

I can't be this capable in the future. But even if we abandoned the Ark Survival Base, the losses would have been huge. In the end, the Mana Ecosystem's counterattack came too suddenly. If we had been prepared, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Once the repairs are complete, it's time to head to Dragon Bone Village.

Chapter 89 The Crisis of the Lighthouse

a few days later.

Chen Yuan cast his gaze toward the desolate horizon beyond the base and said calmly, "It's time to go to Dragonbone Village. Some plans need to be made in advance."

Limited points were prioritized for restoring the base's minimum defenses and the core combat strength of the Shadow Squad, as well as Iron Guards, etc.

As the hazy dawn broke through the clouds on the fourth day, Chen Yuan assembled the Shadow Squad and prepared to set off.

"Target: Longgu Village. The specific route has been planned, and we will continue to scan for unknown ecological hazards along the way."

Loongson has already planned the route, and Chen Yuan has already figured out the approximate coordinates.

"Let's go!"

The moment the alloy combat boots stepped out of the base entrance, the sound of rough gravel scraping against their feet filled the air.

Six figures simultaneously unleashed nuclear fusion flames beneath their feet and behind them, propelling them into the air like arrows released from a bow, one after another piercing the leaden sky, leaving long trails of air behind them.

Mark and the others soared into the sky, the desolate land rushing past beneath their feet. The dilapidated ruins, the dried-up riverbed, and the rampant savory vegetation formed a lifeless picture.

The brief sense of openness brought by the height slightly eased the oppressive shadow from before.

"Dragon Bone Village, what kind of place is that? I find it hard to imagine that humans can still survive on the ground."

Mark's voice rang out through the Loongson public channel: "In this land that has been completely polluted by Devouring Beasts and Scarlet Inoculum, there are still large-scale human settlements like the one you described. According to the earliest records of the Lighthouse, there has long been no trace of civilization on the ground."

Chen Yuan's voice rang out steadily, his gaze piercing through the mask, seemingly able to see the destination in the distance: "Mark, Morgan has been hiding a lot of things. The Lighthouse's records are based on the Lighthouse's own perspective and its understanding of the early stages of the Old World's catastrophe. What you see is only the surface of the ruins. Beneath the ruins, or rather, in some forgotten corners of this wasteland, there are still many powerful forces."

"Lord of the City, if it is really as you say, then how did they resist the Devouring Beasts? How did they fight against the omnipresent Scarlet Pollution? And how did they fight against the Breath Soil?" Feixue asked the most crucial question.

Lighthouses survived thanks to air superiority and technological barriers, but how could ground-based forces achieve the same?

Mo Cheng chimed in, "The foundation for survival is key: clean water, food sources, reliable shelter, and... effective defense. All three are indispensable. Dragonbone Village must have something to rely on to survive on the ground."

Chen Yuan affirmed this point, saying, "Dragon Bone Village has a very special location. You'll understand when you get there. Only by experiencing it firsthand can you truly understand."

Chen Yuan explained, "Moreover, none of the forces that can gain a foothold in the wasteland are simple. In order to survive in the long term, some forces may develop social structures and survival rules that are completely different from those of the Lighthouse. In an environment where resources are scarce, competition and conflict are the norm."

"Besides facing the Devouring Beasts, we may also have to face... other human survivor forces. Some may seek cooperation and order like us, but more are likely to be predators who believe in the law of the jungle, or even... fanatical groups whose minds have been warped by the Mana ecosystem."

"Like the Light and Shadow Festival?"

Mark's voice turned somber. The disasters caused by the Lighthouse Society were still fresh in his mind; it was an utterly inhumane system.

"Similar, but perhaps more primitive, more direct violence, and more dangerous."

Chen Yuan muttered to himself, "The survival environment on the ground is far more complex than that of the lighthouse. I don't need to elaborate on that. You're not greenhorns, so just be extra careful."

At this moment, Chen Yuan suddenly remembered being betrayed. Having witnessed such darkness, he found it difficult to fully trust others, and he was wary of even Mark and others.

"Loongson, report the distance and estimated arrival time."

[Distance to target coordinates: Approximately 46 kilometers; estimated arrival time: 9 minutes. No large-scale high-threat clusters detected along the route. Please maintain altitude and be aware of the unknown dangers of low-altitude attacks...]

Loongson responded with its electronic voice.

The six mechs accelerated again, and Chen Yuan and the others remained silent, a rare moment of quiet.

However, this brief peace lasted for less than ten minutes.

The urgent alarm from Loongson shattered the tranquility.

"Mr. Chen, highest level alert, source: Lighthouse. Detected...unknown high-energy life form intruder...city defense forces' vital signs...continuously...disappearing, gravity body combat activated...resisting the intruder. Identifying...intruder characteristics: the intruder claims to be...the Land-Sea Alliance...Awakened Squad, Lighthouse...defense system...collapse probability...over 98%, repeating...Lighthouse is about to fall, should we abandon Lighthouse?"

The alarm sounded on the public channel, and Mark and the others heard it.

Chen Yuan and his six companions immediately stopped, their faces grim.