Save the World, Your Highness! (Second Update)

"Roar!"

At the same time, a roar like that of Beast echoed through the billowing dust, and the scattered pebbles, as if drawn by some force, coalesced into Stone Giant nearly ten meters tall.

"Raise the price! Fire!"

Amidst panicked screams, three helicopters parked in the open area hastily took off, while the soldiers who had already been partially delivered were abandoned on the shore in the rush.

However, after dozens of missiles struck the Stone Giant, they only managed to break through a few meters of its Rock Armor before being unable to advance any further.

In the next few breaths, the Stone Giant's shattered shoulder armor once again absorbed the rubble from the ground, reformed its shape, and arched its body, gathering its strength before suddenly swinging its arm forward.

Rocks of varying sizes, like cannonballs, streaked across the sky, smashing the rotor and windows of one of the helicopters. The pilot inside was reduced to a mangled mess, the debris instantly splattering across the entire cabin.

"Bang!"

As the "rain of stones" was about to engulf the remaining second helicopter, the air began to twist wildly, and visible ripples shredded the nearby rocks into dust, which then rained down.

"Provide covering fire, I'll handle the rest!"

Alice, whose pupils had returned to normal size, stood up, opened the hatch with her bare hands, drew two samurai swords from her back, her blood boiling, and her eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

The driver instinctively obeyed Alice's instructions, frantically pouring ammunition into the Stone Giant's face and, despite his fear, closing the distance to the monster.

Then, Alice seized the opportunity, leaped down, adjusted her posture, and fired a grappling hook from her wrist. The anchor head pierced the Stone Giant's neck and secured it firmly.

The female warrior swung towards the Stone Giant, then leaped onto his arm, plunging her twin swords into the rubble as she raced toward his head, wreaking havoc.

The Stone Giant roared and turned to the side, using its Rock Armor to block most of the impact of the projectiles, while raising its free left hand to grab at the fleas on its right arm.

"Boom!"

Just as Alice was about to break through the attack, an RPG with a dark red tail of flame flew from the coast and slammed into the Stone Giant's clasped left hand.

"Get this done quickly! I don't want to miss my date tonight..."

Lara, who was scattered in the bunkers near the shallows, threw the rocket launcher on her shoulder to Kaplan behind her to load it. Jill and Rain each had one of these.

This is all thanks to that commander who always thinks the worst. Although he wasn't on the scene, due to his racial traits, he has a severe fear of insufficient firepower.

Therefore, Lara, who was in charge of extorting money, directly obtained from the Ministry of Defense a light and heavy firepower configuration that left her fellow soldiers speechless, just as she had requested.

Anyway, for these perverts who have been baptized by the T-Virus and the Apocalypse Virus, resisting rockets is a piece of cake.

"Alright! But I'll take your wine cabinet! Ignore this place, keep pushing!"

Alice tapped her earpiece lightly, nimbly leaped onto the Stone Giant's shoulder, laughed heartily, and then plunged her twin blades directly into the monster's eye sockets, which were glowing with a purplish-red light.

Immediately, the psychic power attached to the blade exploded, shattering the enormous head from the inside.

The towering pillars that stood along the shore quickly crumbled and scattered. Alice casually adjusted her posture and walked down easily through the billowing dust.

All show and no substance...

This seemingly towering monster has a loosely structured body, and the power it can unleash is not even as pure and fierce as the previous Apostle-class zombie "Tank".

Therefore, these are merely minor warm-up exercises.

Alice sheathed her twin swords, calm and composed, even seeming to be admiring the scenery.

But the dull grating sound of stones grinding together alerted Alice, and she glanced back.

"Bang!"

A more solid rock arm detached from the rubble, swept across the air, and sent the unsuspecting Alice flying.

With a power several times stronger than before, Alice was deeply embedded in the mountain that had been broken in half. The remaining half of the mountain collapsed with a roar, completely burying the War Goddess of war.

What the hell is this?!

Everyone stared in astonishment at the single arm, which was shrouded in purplish-red mist and linked at the joints by special crystals.

Meanwhile, the three landing troops also encountered trouble.

Numerous cracks appeared in the ground, from which sharp Amethyst Thorns grew wildly and eventually solidified into different shapes.

Fire-breathing lizards, drooling giant snakes, ferocious insects, and even mythical ram-horned demons and skeletal knights riding nightmare warhorses...

These bizarre, crystalline creatures, having broken free of their restraints, charged towards the three armies with malice.

Kevin, who was connected to the real world and observing the scene before him, couldn't help but freeze in surprise.

"Fantasy Manifestation!"

"Impossible! Without my intervention, they simply couldn't have managed such an overload of calculations!"

Hatsune Miku shook her head in confusion, harboring deep doubts about everything before her.

"Perhaps, human adaptability is stronger than you imagine..."

Even if only their brains remained, they continued to strive to live...

Kevin took a deep breath, calming himself down. He had survived a hundred times worse than this predicament.

Commanders who are used to considering the worst-case scenario are still able to accept the current situation.

Hatsune Miku has mentioned more than once that "Thought Network" have the ability to slightly interfere with reality.

Actually, it's not hard to guess if you think about it. The [Apocalypse Virus] is a natural disaster that eliminates living beings. Its ability to materialize minds inevitably absorbs the will of these eliminated beings during the process of infecting their hosts.

Not only are there traces of the [Origin Stone] on the large island, but it is also the closest to the cemetery of the Dayart Civilization.

Inside are the collective consciousnesses of the deceased from the previous generation and the disaster in Toko City, containing countless resentments.

Once, those scientists who were testing the limits discovered the immense power contained in the amethyst crystals during their research, and thus sought to tame the crystallized wills of the eliminated through the [Void Songstress Project].

However, they allowed Hatsune Miku, forcing the plan to be delayed again and again.

These people, blinded by fame and fortune, are fully aware of the dangers of this Void Ore, yet they continue to play with fire and refuse to abandon the development of the Dayart Civilization Graveyard.

As a result, under the influence of the Will of Death, the Thought Network seems to have completed its own evolution, no longer requiring Hatsune Miku's control and restraint.

The most powerful proof right now is the method of interfering with the real world through psychic abilities.

The people at Ōshima Laboratory... you've really gone too far...

Seeing this, Kevin knew with a grain of salt that there were probably not many survivors left inside the Ōshima Laboratory.

Chapter 216, Part 205: Save the World, Your Princess! (Second Update)

Meanwhile, inside the Ōshima Laboratory.

The elderly man in charge of coordination, leaning on his cane, cowered in fear behind the lab table, his former arrogance completely gone.

The retainers who once supported and protected him, like the other researchers, had their brains riddled with wires, making them like puppets guarding the sinister man.

"Sugou Nobuyuki, what are you doing? Are you planning to betray the country?!"

"Don't forget who made you who you are when you were kicked out!"

The old man roared fiercely, hoping to mask his fear and perhaps even elicit some lingering affection from the man.

At this point, the game developer's skull had been pried open and removed, replaced by a metal plate containing integrated circuits.

"Thank you? Of course I'm grateful for your kindness..."

"If it weren't for this opportunity, I would never have been able to experience the beauty of Mind Unification!"

Sugou Nobuyuki and nodded, but due to partial damage to his brain nerves, his smile was stiff and strange, and a pale purple blood kept seeping from the gap where the metal plate contacted his brain.

As the man grinned, all the puppets, electronic devices, and even the brain in the vat around him spoke in unison.

"We are one, and also ten thousand..."

"It is both a part and the whole..."

"We have broken the limitations of a single physical body, allowing thought to be synchronized and eternal!"

"We will embrace the Old Will and usher in New Era!"

"The starry sky is right beneath our feet!"

So join us! Let's look down on this world together!

The old man clutched his throbbing chest, staring in terror at the group whose eyes were darting erratically, blood seeping from their seven orifices, their faces contorted in a grotesque, abstract expression.

"You guys... you're insane!"

In his terrified murmurs, the old man pulled out the handle of his cane, revealing the dark muzzle of a gun.

"Puff!"

The bullet was fired by the old man, and the bullet ripped open a person's skull, smearing red and white brain matter onto the dimly lit corridor.

"Refusing to integrate means only... death..."

Sugou Nobuyuki's gaze toward the doll seemed somewhat regretful, and his cold words were as calm as if he were announcing the crushing of an ant.

"Don't come any closer! You monsters! I'd rather die than let you succeed!"

The old man stared at the ground where half of his head was smashed, yet he still got up, straightened his neck, and showed no concern for the wound from which brain matter was flowing.

Even after seeing this bizarre and terrifying scene more than once, the old man still felt nauseous.

For the sake of his last shred of dignity, he gritted his teeth, turned the muzzle of his cane towards his forehead, and prepared to pull the trigger.

However, several fiber optic cables emerged from the broken ventilation duct, knocked his pistol away, and pierced the old man's spine.

Instantly, a frenzied and twisted will surged into him, completely annihilating his remaining will.

His memories, emotions, knowledge... everything became nourishment for the expansion of his Thought Network.

Behind Sugou Nobuyuki, the spiderweb-like spatial rift was widened again, revealing a dense Crimson Crystal Jungle that emitted bestial roars.

At that moment, a dull thud echoed as the security door burst open. Sugou Nobuyuki his hand gently, and dozens of fully armed search and rescue soldiers stepped forward, pulling out the fiber optic cable with blood on its head.

Dark red crystals inside their skulls are rebuilding brain tissue, and purplish-red crystals resembling armor have appeared on their skin.

We don't need AI guidance, nor do we need physical constraints; we are everywhere!

If enough materials can be obtained, the remnants of the Dayart Civilization's consciousness will eventually descend and guide humanity, changing the direction of the Fool's Evolution and allowing them to achieve immortality through Mind Unification!

This is the perfect form of evolution! Even Honkai cannot damage its essence!

As if on Sugou Nobuyuki bowed to the Will of Death that was gradually squeezing out of the spatial rift.

However, the images transmitted from the shallows and the safety passage caused Sugou Nobuyuki to experience a moment of mental confusion.

"Bang!"

A lithe figure pushed aside layers of rubble and, with lightning speed, smashed the giant rock hand in two with a fist.

"Hey, this is my favorite combat suit, it's really expensive!"

"You... you've angered me!"

Alice stood on a piece of gravel covered in purplish-red crystals, her tone somber and her expression displeased. A tangible Mental Barrier formed around her, creating a solid armor.

"You want to rebuild?! No matter how many times you try, I'll smash you to pieces!"

The War Goddess pulled her katana from the rock, her expression icy, and shattered the reassembled rubble once more.

The crystalline, materialized life forms of the virus that surrounded them along the way were crushed into dust.

At this moment, Hatsune Miku, who had observed the specific scene, was somewhat dumbfounded by Alice's fierce performance.

If every human being possessed such explosive combat power, let alone the tiny arms and legs of Machine Lifeforms, even if they could mass-produce Gundams, they might not be able to keep up with the human demolition speed.

Kevin's expression remained unchanged. In terms of combat potential, Alice alone could easily defeat the entire group.

Even without activating her Mental Barrier, her sheer physical strength is enough to withstand bullets; she could easily be mistaken for a mechanical Tyrannosaurus Rex in human skin.

However, the difficulty of Thought Network lies not in their power advantage, but in their ubiquitous and inescapable form, like mycelium.

Simple physical attacks are unlikely to have a fatal effect on this monster.

When their gazes were drawn back to the battlefield, everything unfolded exactly as Kevin had predicted. Several soldiers moving through the safety corridor suddenly froze, their skulls pierced by purplish-red crystals shot from the darkness.

Subsequently, their wounds were gradually filled with these chips. At the same time, facing their comrades, their eyes were wide open in anger. As their brains were overloaded and about to explode, a violent Mental Shock swept around them.

Instantly, nearly a third of the soldiers, their eyes vacant, slammed heavily against the wall, their bodies limp and lifeless.

Tentacle-like things grew from the wall, sucking out the victims' brains and assimilating their thoughts and will.

Centipedes, venomous snakes, scorpions, and other materialized creatures writhe in agony as they crawl through the corridor, their bodies a jagged mass of bones, rocks, and steel, sending chills down one's spine.