Act Zero Battle Beast | War Beast

"The Philosopher Foundation accepted us."

Duran invited the gunsmith to the tea room, wanting to speak privately with his old friend about his recent situation.

Jiang Xueming: "So you've become employees of the WHO?"

Duran: "That's right, I used to just follow you around, doing odd jobs and miscellaneous tasks."

Jiang Xueming: "Behind me?"

Duran explained, "The Nameless Ones' conquest of the Madness Butterfly Sect will bring many other minor problems, such as how the common people will accept the new governor, and how various places that relied on the human flesh trade to support their economies will now have to start anew—the city's organs have been removed, and new ones must be added."

"Serve the gunsmith some tea, "Duran continued.

"Flavia and I will be right behind you. Wherever your mission is, our militia will arrive in advance to scout the area and keep watch, ready to provide support at any time. If the Nameless One's mission is successfully completed, our militia's mission will just begin—we'll be checking household registrations from house to house, being wary of bandits hiding among the civilians, and leaving the counterinsurgency mission entirely to our teammates who catch up later, so we can continue to follow in your footsteps."

Gunsmith: "It seems you've fought many battles."

"It's not that tough." Duran smiled and shook his head. "Compared to our work, Boss, I think you're the incredible one."

She rested her chin on her hand, recalling her time as a militia member during her imprisonment a few years ago. Back then, Flavia had not yet been affected by Mr. Victor's Soul Power. They needed to maintain their Soul Power's combat effectiveness, using their psionic energy to become combat units, and helping Ming De clear the tumor and reclaim lost territory.

For Duran's militia, the nameless soldiers on the front lines always brought her new shocks—she traversed the city's ruins, sifting through blood-soaked streets and alleys to find enemy corpses. She always encountered some strange and bizarre "works of art."

Towers of human heads are everywhere, and the corpses of cult members are piled up like mountains.

The calamity beasts, the psionicists who participated in the Holy Church, and the blood-granting units—most of these things died in bizarre ways, making their deaths unfathomable.

The nameless one is like a whirlwind that comes and goes without a trace. When it blows through Zero Platform, the local towns and villages will be struck by a major illness. If the livelihoods of the residents are already inseparable from the Madness Butterfly Sect, and psychics and ordinary people become leaders of pyramid schemes and cults of all sizes, then the scene will be even more bloody.

Each time Duran arrived at a new battleground, the Nameless One had already left. She could only use the White Snake's special psychic abilities to speculate about what had happened while cleaning up the battlefield. When she experienced the Nameless One's battle process firsthand, she felt a strong sense of fear.

As a blood-bearer, she was once a member of the Madness Butterfly Sect. When these fellow believers turned into all sorts of strange and bizarre chunks of flesh and blood, she couldn't help but tremble with fear. If Ming De hadn't given the two sisters this opportunity, they probably would have become heads under the nameless man's command—no, they probably wouldn't even have left their heads.

"After returning from the front lines, the work has become much easier." As Duran picked up her cup, her muscles involuntarily tensed, and her fingers trembled unnaturally as she slowly gripped the cup. It was clear that she was terrified when facing the gunsmith—just like the fear that FE204863 had once instilled in her.

This time, however, the little devil on the plane has become a big devil.

Jiang Xueming: "Are you nervous?"

Duran lowered his eyes, somewhat embarrassed. "It's true, a little. You've slaughtered too many animals, and you always exude a strange spiritual pressure. Before, it was just a little bit—like a cold knife, just looking into your eyes felt like my face was going to be slashed. Now it's like a guillotine, my throat is starting to itch, my body is out of control, urging me to wash my neck clean and offer my head willingly."

Jiang Xueming: "How about I go out for a bit?"

Duran nodded hurriedly. She couldn't bear to be in the same room as the gunsmith. Only after the gunsmith left did she gasp for breath, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. Snot and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She could barely control her fear; she was overwhelmed by it. Even FE204863 didn't have this ability—just close contact was enough for her blood-bearing body to frantically warn her to leave this man immediately.

Jiang Xueming hugged the door, his posture somewhat endearing and simple, and called out into the room.

Are you alright?

Duran picked up a tissue, wiping the snot and tears from her face, and shook her head, sobbing, "It's nothing. It's nothing, I'm just having an allergic reaction."

Her neck and arms were covered in patches of red and pink. Under the stimulation of such extreme emotions, the Vita Imprint and Holy Blood were gradually becoming unbalanced. Her eyes had turned into bluish-yellow snake eyes, and fine keratinous scales were emerging from her neck and collarbone. Before long, she returned to human form.

After a few minutes, Duran finally mustered his resolve and shouted.

"Don't your friends who live with you feel it? Damn it, your spiritual pressure is terrifying! You should at least tone it down a bit!"

Jiang Xueming thought for a moment, then calmly offered an explanation.

"That's what I thought at first too. But as the mission progressed and I killed more and more enemies, the Inspiration Pressure slowly changed—it became more and more aggressive."

"I found that this spiritual pressure doesn't seem to have much effect on Homo sapiens, so I haven't paid much attention to it. The efficiency of enemy detection and location may decrease, but it won't change the course of the battle."

"Later, Jason received the wolf mother's blood, became a blue-gold spirit, and rejoined the group. When he ate with me, he immediately vomited—that's when I realized my spiritual pressure was a bit off."

"It seems to be a part of the BOSS's essence at work. The enemies I killed have become a curse, and these vengeful spirits follow me, warning my other companions not to approach me, and also protecting me."

Xue Ming changed the subject abruptly.

"--Whenever I'm home, I don't even need to turn on the air conditioner; the temperature automatically drops two or three degrees. Mosquitoes and cockroaches in the house are practically extinct. The wolf mother's three cubs turn and run away as soon as they see me. If you call them back, their ears will involuntarily retract. Even dogs would be disgusted by them."

Duran asked with intense curiosity, "Have you ever tried to control this Inspiration Pressure?"

"Of course I tried. After all, this kind of spiritual pressure affects the efficiency of killing enemies, and I have to spend more time getting close to the mission target." The gunsmith answered truthfully, "I succeeded in hiding the characteristics of the spiritual pressure. But I failed again later."

Duran: "Failed?"

Gunsmith: "There's no way around it. It's like a gas cylinder. You can compress gas and turn it into liquid, but when the liquid is full, it will naturally overflow."

Duran's mouth was slightly open--

She could hardly imagine how many people the gunsmith was talking about [overflowing] from.

"I started fishing, trying to slow myself down," the gunsmith said while sipping his tea. "To calm my mind, to sleep an extra hour each day after the war, to appreciate the beauty of life, and to slowly savor its essence."

Duran: "And then? Did it work?"

"The fact that you can still speak normally is the best result," Jiang Xueming replied earnestly.

Duran remained silent for a long time.

She didn't know if Jiang Xueming was just bragging or showing off, because the whole thing sounded too outrageous.

Relying solely on spiritual pressure could render this Red Flash Butterfly powerless to fight and speech? What kind of terrifying being is that? Destroyed with a single glance?

But the gunsmith thought differently.

He felt that the overflowing psionic tide was completely unnecessary.

This seemingly powerful and domineering aura is useless in the Shinto City. Miller's Mimicry has no effect on these iron lumps; it will only scare away troublesome little devils and frighten away life-loving demons.

"Hehehe," Duran said with a chuckle, "Then I won't disturb your vacation?"

Jiang Xueming: "Nothing else to talk about, right?"

Duran was eager to get rid of this killing machine as soon as possible, and quickly said, "Yes! That's right!"

Jiang Xueming: "The coach wants to ask you for a few more chocolates."

"Uh..." When the topic of supplements came up, Duran looked troubled. "We do have some stock, but not much. I can give you the last eleven samples; once you finish them, that's it."

Jiang Xueming asked curiously, "Is it a new product?"

Duran nodded and began to explain his business acumen, "That's right, this kind of dessert that replenishes two kinds of elemental essences at the same time is aimed at the high-end market. To make them exert their medicinal effects simultaneously and be completely integrated, we still need Flavia's soul power to help."

"If my memory serves me right," Jiang Xueming murmured, "[Twilight Zone· Yin Yang Demon Realm]'s special ability is to create toxins? How can it be used to process food?"

"Flavia's [Yin Yang Demon Realm Zone] releases a very special protein—have you heard of this before?" Duran patiently explained, "Snake venom is extremely valuable experimental material for medical science. It's precisely because our psychic abilities have scientific research value and can benefit humanity that we had the opportunity to survive."

"[Yin Yang Demon Realm Zone] can alter the conformation of proteins. In the past, the ruthless Cici could spit out a mouthful of saliva that, if it came into contact with blood and entered a wound or mucous membrane, would kill that person."

"Right now, she's just a little nurse who loves blowing candy and can make all sorts of candy with different effects—the BOSS specially commissioned Ling Weng to make her a piece of brilliance jewelry. She's a legitimate Greenstone People, a legal citizen of the station system."

The gunsmith clapped his hands and replied, "Congratulations!"

After saying goodbye to the two sisters, the Fairy Tale Kingdom once again received a boost from its sponsor, the big spender—every department, from top to bottom, received a copy.

--Not only will the coaching team have more funds to rent training facilities, but the logistics and crafts team will also receive purchased weapons, leather goods, and Universal Elixir.

Duran knew the gunsmith's capabilities, so instead of buying ready-made military equipment for his players like other clubs, he didn't. The City Championship used live ammunition rules, creating a real, hard-fought environment where the gunsmith's handmade weapons and equipment were far superior to those from weapons companies.

Duran wrote a thank-you letter to the gunsmith and sent it along with supplies to the temporary site in the Fairy Tale Kingdom.

The letter of thanks was written in an elegant and tactful style, full of deep affection and touching sentiment. It briefly recounted the previous circumstances and the connection with the gunsmith, explaining that Mr. Victor had saved her life and she had not yet repaid him, and that she needed time to atone for her sins. In any case, the immortal writer could wait.

Finally, the gunsmith saw raw materials and steel bars and iron blocks, common and precious metals, as well as a basket of stoves.

He stared at the word "benefactor" on the thank-you letter, looking at it again and again.

--Then I heard Little Shasha from the coaching team next door counting his money and cheering non-stop.

The world is uneven, yet well-organized.

Duran made his "benefactor" work an extra long shift.

At this very moment, on the other side of Forty-One District.

The knockout stage between Zebra Power Team and Purple Crystal is about to conclude. The knockout stage uses a best-of-three (BO3) format, and the first team to win two matches will advance to the capital to compete for the regional representative title.

This is Purple Crystal's last chance. The obstacle in front of Fiego Sebasti is Zebra Power Team Dynamics' 4-1 formation, a classic tactic of leaving their penetrators in the second line to fight a war of attrition.

The score is now tied at 1-1, and the match is extremely close, with both sides having won and lost in their two encounters.

"The environment for the second round of selection isn't friendly to the players." Li Zhiwen was still active in the commentary booth, reporting the basic situation to the audience during the halftime break, "The pressure on the young men will only increase; no one wants to lose even a single point."

Klein added, "The total combat time accumulated in the first two matches has exceeded forty minutes, with six minutes and thirteen seconds of focused firefighting – I think both teams need to consider changing their personnel. The soldiers are exhausted, and without proper supplies, the third match will likely drag on even longer."

"Teacher Ke is right," Li Zhiwen continued. "Even if we win this kind of protracted battle, there won't be time to recover. If we want to become the champion of Forty-One District, we'll have to ask the other districts' tigers and leopards if they agree."

Off the field, Fiego Sebastié kept his eyes closed; the prolonged intense exercise and rapid hydration had caused him to swell.

"We've met a tough nut to crack. Looks like our luck isn't so good this year," Tauson muttered, his expression grave. "Young man, this might be the end of the road for us."

"Coach!" Fiego shouted with his last breath, "What nonsense are you spouting! Is this some kind of morale-boosting tool? It annoys me! It's useless!"

Tauson pursed his lips and smiled helplessly. "This isn't a morale-boosting tool, Fiego. Look at your other teammates."

Fiego Sebasti followed his gaze--

--Captain Tamiya lay on his back on the metal plate of the water tank to cool down.

The doctor and the tarantula supported each other, each holding an electrolyte drink, but dared not drink it in large gulps, for fear that their bodies would collapse and become incapacitated the moment they tried to rehydrate.

The support player is in the worst situation. Facing Zebra Power's 4-1 ground formation, the team's offlaner has to fight against four enemies at the same time, trying their best to link up and support, and protect other teammates.

Zebra Power abandoned the central annex building approach, making the entire battle process tedious and lengthy. The battlefield shifted back and forth between alleyways, roads, and sandy swamps, and the flattened firing range prevented Purple Crystal from operating freely.

Zebra Power's team members' greatest strengths are endurance, speed, and close-quarters combat. They can forgo the high ground view of Red Tower and engage in positional warfare against Purple Crystal, who excels in three-dimensional combat.

If Purple Crystal is to accept the challenge, then there is no possibility of retreating, nor any chance of regrouping.

Children who have watched the races in Daji Town know that once the runners, whose trademark is "Power Engine," start running, they can decide where to start the race and gradually wear down their opponents' patience and stamina through a long endurance chase.

After one round against Zebra Power, the second and third rounds will follow without end.

Using "41 formation" to describe this group of incredibly fast men is inappropriate and inaccurate. The sentries in the team also have a health-conscious and eye-protecting combat style. After receiving information, they are very likely to return to the formation, forming a group of five.

This is a powerful team specializing in cutting off the back row, destroying attackers, medics, and support personnel, with the goal of breaking three of the enemy's fingers through the combined efforts of all five members.

Zebra Power strictly implemented this tactic in the first two games. This is their best style of play. Most of the weak captains are in the second tier. As soon as the captain is eliminated and the voice chat goes offline, the whole team will collapse.

Purple Crystal won the first game simply because the Red Tower map wasn't favorable for Zebra Power.

--It's a terrain of competing for height, and Zebra Power gave up on high ground from the very beginning.

These energetic men were passively avoiding the fight, and after more than twenty minutes, when Purple Crystal took the initiative and secured the victory, Coach Tauson realized that the situation was not good.

The team members expended too much energy in the first game. To catch up with these opponents who scattered and quickly regrouped, it was painful to lose and frustrating to win for Purple Crystal.

In the early stages of the second round, Zebra was still faster than Purple Crystal. Even if all five of them marched on the ground together, they could still go all the way up through the Red Tower's prayer hall. At this point, Tauson realized that defeat was inevitable.

Should we bring on the substitutes? In such crucial moments, can the substitutes really step up?

The answer is obvious: no substitute can be brought on in any do-or-die situation. In the eyes of the Purple Crystal team members, the flames of battle have not yet been extinguished; they have the fighting spirit and want to continue fighting. However, these young men may not even realize that their bodies are already unable to take it anymore.

On the other side of the field, in the Zebra Power Team's locker room.

Mali Pero nervously clasped her hands together, her skin flushed red, and hot steam billowed from her body after the strenuous exercise.

Most of his other teammates didn't have his physique.

--Sentries are renowned long-distance runners on the marching mileage leaderboard. In order to obtain information in an isolated and helpless environment, Zebra Power Team's sentries do not need to be good at shooting or strong, but they must be able to run.

The sentry was almost exhausted, so he asked the instructor to put the ice pack on the ground and lay down on it to cool off and rest.

The others weren't much better off; they held their breath and gave a few scattered replies to the head coach's shouts.

Mali Pero, however, remained seated. He did not straighten his body or allow his heart to rest, for this blood-soaked body had given him talents that were beyond his comprehension.

"Kid! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!" The head coach patted Mali Pero on the shoulder forcefully. "You, the substitute, have become a game-changer! I really didn't expect that! You don't look like you have much fat, but your stamina is so good!"

Mali Pero, with a complex expression, responded with a simple, "Hmm."

"We have no other way to trap Purple Crystal! Under the constraints of this map, Red Tower, we can only run! Keep running!" the head coach said passionately. "We have to be faster than them, run farther than them, and quickly take control of the central road from the activity area. They're finished."

"Physical exertion will reduce their aiming accuracy, and their psionic energy will become increasingly weak."

"The view advantage from the rooftops in residential areas will gradually become less important, and things will revert to a primitive and brutal endurance contest, involving close-quarters gunfights."

Whoever gains the upper hand in this duel will win.

These few words were spoken before the head coach left.

--The Storm Eye followed immediately, its palm twitching as it opened a blood-red eye.

"Pero. Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero"

Mali didn't answer.

"Pero. Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero"

"Pero. Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero! ~Marie Pero!~"

Mali: "What are you going to say? I have three minutes left to rest."

Storm Eye: "How are you feeling? How are you feeling?"

Mali: "."

Storm Eye: "Listen, listen carefully, the audience is cheering for you, you are the focus of the entire arena, the rising star who will crush Purple Crystal —you are a dark horse, a genius who sprang from the cracks in the rock."

Mali: "I only help you with things for my brother."

"Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!" Storm Eye laughed, "At first, we all find a noble reason for ourselves, a grand excuse, but we can't fool ourselves— Mali Pero, you must be very happy, right?"

Mali was speechless. He heard cheers from the stadium. During halftime, the big screen repeatedly played footage of the previous match, with the scene lingering on the moment when the Zebra Power Team surrounded and captured the Purple Crystal second unit.

He looked at the biggest screen in the Blue Eagle Stadium and saw Mali Pero sweating as he leaped and ran over obstacles in the building complex, firing his gun—and then he looked at himself.

Meanwhile, the black and white striped flags of the Zebra Power Team emerged from the sea of people, who were calling out his name.

At this moment, Mali was almost overwhelmed by the feeling; he nervously licked his lips, somewhat panicked.

"I need you to calm down, Mali."

The Storm Eye poured cold water on this naive young man, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"The spectators in the ancient Roman Colosseum would also shout such fervent cries when they saw wild beasts fighting with humans—in their eyes, you were a war beast."

"Think more about your brother, think more about Groba Pero."

"He's watching you. He's proud of you. He'll see you as a human being, as a brave and fearless older brother, not a war beast."

Mali curled his lip, his expression arrogant, and exchanged pleasantries with the monster inside him.

"I don't care, I just want this kid to be safe."

The Storm Eye became even more excited and happier.

It whispered softly, murmuring gently.

"Arrogance, I like that!"