The Beginning of the Storm

The battle began in an instant and ended in an instant.

In that instant, the Trickster's body felt as if it had been crushed by an invisible force, countless cracks appearing all over his body. Even though his Constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people, he was still stunned by such an impact.

The facial skin shattered into eight pieces, hanging down like flower petals, revealing the faintly pulsating pink brain tissue within. The bones of the entire body had long since turned to dust, and the flesh and blood were rapidly dissolving.

Song Shige's situation was quite different. His clothes turned to ashes in the impact, revealing his muscular body. His skin was only slightly red, as if he had just been in the Sun too much.

It remained virtually unscathed from an attack of this magnitude.

However, the real killer move was about to follow.

The Black-Robed Man's Talent [Damage Transfer], which he activated before his death, is now truly beginning to show its power.

Attacking others during the preparation phase clearly violates the rules set by the system, and the system's reward is an excess of damage returned.

The Talent redirected the damage.

A charred strip of cloth drifted to the ground, the Trickster's figure vanished completely, as if he had never existed, leaving only this tattered piece of cloth as proof that he had been there.

Fine beads of blood began to seep from Song Shige's body, and countless deep wounds that revealed the bone appeared out of thin air, as if he had been cut by an invisible blade.

He swayed slightly, looking to his side in a daze. Just moments before, the Trickster had been standing there, but now he had turned to ashes.

"It's... a painful memory that I miss," Song Shige whispered.

He had never suffered such injuries, such a swift and decisive Self-Destruct, or such precise use of the system's rules...

This Continued Battle Battlefield is truly teeming with talent.

The rebound damage triggered the system's excess damage return again, which was then blocked by the gray-black shield surrounding the black-robed man's soul.

The black-robed man, suspended in mid-air, stared blankly at Song Shige, who had only shed a little blood, in disbelief.

For people of their level, injuries of this severity are hardly considered serious.

What the hell kind of monster is this?

Even if his Self-Destruct the defenses, the system's excess damage return should at least be ten times greater, right?

Only minor injuries?!

The person in the hat vanished so completely, could it be that the problem wasn't truly solved?

A strong sense of unease welled up in the man in the black robe. Ever since he was enveloped by that gray-black light of "God's Gift," he could no longer sense the projection of the Gods.

The promised guide from my teammates has yet to arrive. Could it be blocked by the storm and flames outside?

He felt anxious for three seconds, then saw the burly man glance at him indifferently before turning and walking towards the pure white building in the distance.

At the same time, a pulling force came from afar.

"Are my teammates here to pick me up?"

The black-robed man's soul leaped with joy, "Excellent! When I return, the God projection's promise to reshape my physical body will be fulfilled. This contribution is maxed out! Although I didn't manage to exchange for two people, this result is already enough..."

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

He found himself flying into the sky.

In the distance, a storm loomed over the heavens and earth, slowly swirling overhead, interspersed with ominous flashes of fire.

Directly below the storm, a building gleaming with metallic luster is slowly rising, about to enter the eye of the storm.

He was being drawn by an irresistible force, flying towards the matchbox.

Gao Fu walked listlessly. Although his eyes were glazed over, his Hindered Steps was not slow at all, and he steadily followed behind Yin Haoguang and Jun Lebao.

"I wish I hadn't come to the District War, there's just too much trouble!"

"Why did you decide to go out? Why didn't you go back to sleep?" Jun Lebao asked.

Gao Fu raised his hands and lazily stretched. "You can call me lazy, but you can't call me stupid. It's one thing to AFK in District War, with those two big shots there, it won't even start; but in a situation like Continued Battle, AFKing again is just asking for death."

As he spoke, a bitter feeling welled up in his heart. He had originally thought that he was a chosen one, and that he could get ahead as long as he played casually.

When they entered the District War, they discovered that everyone was special, a genius, and their own advantages were still too small.

Then it dawned on me.

I'm the clown.

The others were not only Talent talented, but also battle-hardened and experienced.

Even with his slightly higher Attributes, he was no match for these people.

I could probably easily be number one in most other regions.

But he was in Zone 76.

Their strength is barely enough to rank them ninth in the group.

The tenth place goes to that wet nurse.

Don't be fooled by how easily he Trial Instance; he heard from Xi Ji that they actually saved one or two Free Attribute Points!

"My Talent doesn't contribute to combat power; it's purely for development."

Gao Fu frankly stated, "Even if you didn't say it, I know. Right now, I have two roles: first, to scout ahead during the preparation phase. Since attacking me during this phase will be punished by the system, weakening others is fine; second, to hide inside after Su Luo's ultimate skill is charged up, ensuring our numerical advantage. As long as those two don't encounter any accidents, we can strive for a higher ranking."

Yin Haoguang turned and glanced at him. "You seem to understand things quite well."

Gao Fu shook his head helplessly. If you're not strong enough, you can only accept reality.

Just then...

A figure suddenly appeared, soaring through the air. A man in a white jacket landed gracefully, exuding a unique aura. He swept his scrutinizing gaze over the three of them.

"Hello," Jun Lebao said first, remaining vigilant.

"Nice to meet you." The man in white said calmly, "I'm here to discuss cooperation. The three of you are of average strength yet you've managed to advance to the Continued Battle; you must be under the protection of that Xiantian martial artist? We can discuss cooperation matters."

Jun Lebao and Yin Haoguang exchanged a glance and immediately sent a message through their Personal Channels.

[Song Shige: Dressed like someone from the Martial Arts Hall? Xiantian martial artist? A peculiar style? Bring him over.]

Inside the Laboratory, Su Luo stood with her hands behind her back in front of the observation window, observing the rapidly rotating airflow outside.

The entire Laboratory was suspended in the eye of the storm, with the improved Mana Pool operating at full power, and the surging Mana and elements in the energy circuits interacting intensely with the external environment.

The air currents and clouds within a radius of several kilometers could not be manipulated by Su Luo alone.

He controlled an area of about a hundred meters, and it burned out.

This largely relies on the pre-prepared Storm Core, which stably maintain the connection between the air currents. Su Luo, through the Laboratory's energy system and Mana Pool, continuously provides the initial power for the entire storm.

Each Storm Core is crafted from rare materials such as Wind Element and Elemental Cores with extremely high concentrations, and its outer shell is covered with densely packed Spells.

The cost of a single core alone, based on materials and Spells, is as high as 200,000 Survival Coins.

War has always been the most expensive game.

Su Luo's gaze swept across the dozens of steadily operating Storm Cores outside the window. The Mana Pool was absorbing, converting, and releasing massive amounts of Mana with astonishing efficiency, driving the operation of this Artificial Calamity.

The energy for airflow certainly isn't entirely paid for by the Laboratory; you couldn't afford it even if you drained hundreds of Su Luo's Mana.

Su Luo only needs to generate a very small amount of initial force, and the airflow will rotate on its own.

You asked about the principle.

Don't know.

At this level of airflow scale, Su Luo's knowledge of fluid mechanics was simply insufficient for analysis.

It's simply using a small scale to influence a larger change in the environment.

Let it all stir, let it all up.

The preparation time was about to end. Su Luo gazed calmly at the liquefied airflow outside the window.

Creating a battlefield environment that is favorable to oneself is always a wise choice.

Playing at home gives them a clear advantage.

While keeping the Laboratory running in the background and accelerating the storm's formation, Su Luo focused her attention on the valuable items she had just captured.

Inside a specially made transparent container, a wisp of soul was restlessly throbbing. The black-robed man's soul was pale and lifeless, and the layer of gray-black light surrounding him was visibly fading...