Ghoul Attack
The Ninth Squad took their positions on the battlefield.
Boer crouched behind the bunker, inspecting each of the newly issued Copper-Shell Incendiary Bomb before loading them one by one into the ammunition belt.
The four members of the melee team had their all-bronze Short Blade tucked into their waistbands and were holding bronze swords in their hands; the blades gleamed a somber dark red under the light.
Two gunners set up Short Shotgun at either end of the bunker, their muzzles pointed at the darkness ahead of the Defense Line.
The two Born stood on the far left of the position.
They did not bring any additional weapons.
The black robe hung on the ground, and the bird-beak mask faced the Collapse Pit, remaining motionless.
Like two statues cast into the ground.
Lu Yuan stood in the center of the position, his gaze passing over the Defense Line and looking ahead.
The Collapse Pit is 30 meters away.
The Fungal Carpet on the ground, which had been cleaned during the day, had been burned away, revealing the corroded and blackened copper floor.
As soon as the Carrion Ghost re-emerge, the Fungal Carpet will re-cover the area within a few hours.
And that dark, Collapse Pit just stood there quietly.
Everyone is in position.
The light from the Marching Lamp burned steadily in the night.
The Defense Line gleamed with a dark reddish-brown copper light under the lamps.
The wind blew in from the north, carrying a faint, sour, and rotten smell.
Lu Yuan gripped the Revolver, his thumb resting on the hammer.
Then he heard something else.
It came from underground.
An extremely faint, rustling sound.
It looks like countless claws climbing on the rock face.
Getting closer and closer.
[Environmental Perception: Numerous Source of Pollution detected... number increasing...]
Lu Yuan's eyes turned cold.
"They've arrived."
The sound wasn't loud.
But everyone on the position heard it.
The gun was raised.
The bronze sword was drawn from its sheath.
The light from the Marching Lamp swayed slightly in the night breeze.
Behind them, the two Born moved simultaneously.
The sound of machinery whirring came from beneath the black robe. The shape of the arm began to change, the metal skeleton reassembled, and the forearm split open, revealing the hidden weapon.
From the Collapse Pit ahead, the first gray-red claw climbed onto the edge.
Lu Yuan fired his gun the moment the first claw reached the edge.
Bang.
The Silver-Plated Bullets struck the base of the claw, causing the grayish-red finger to twitch, then relax and slide down.
A short, sharp roar came from inside the cave.
Then comes the second claw.
The third one.
The fourth one.
They are not in the same direction.
It extends out from the entire edge of the Collapse Pit at the same time.
"Copper Powder!"
Lu Yuan's voice cut in between the gunshots.
Boer reacted quickly, grabbing the Copper Powder canister behind the cover, unscrewing the lid, and splashing it towards the Collapse Pit.
Dark red powder dispersed in the air, like a heavy fog, drifting with the night wind toward the cave entrance.
The two Night Watcher then poured out a second jar, and a third.
The moment the Copper Powder fell into the hole, a sound came from below.
Hiss hiss hiss...
It's like throwing a red-hot iron into water.
That was the burning sound produced when Copper Powder came into contact with the Ghoul's skin.
The sounds rose and fell, echoing from the depths of the cave entrance all the way to the edge.
Accompanied by the howls of Ghoul.
Not just one or two.
It's a piece.
The claws that had climbed to the edge of the cave entrance retracted again; the burning Copper Powder made them instinctively retreat.
But it only retreated for a few seconds.
Then more claws emerged.
The first Ghoul emerged from the cave.
Its palms and forearms were covered with scorch marks, the skin and flesh curled up, revealing the grayish-white fascia underneath.
But it didn't stop.
He landed on all fours, arched his back, and charged towards the chevaux-de -Defense Line.
Then came the second one, and the third one.
Five.
Ten.
They surged out of the cave entrance faster and faster, as if being pushed and shoved by more of their kind behind them.
"Fire!"
Without Lu Yuan giving the order, Boer had already pulled the trigger.
The roar of Short Shotgun jets exploded across the battlefield.
A fan-shaped barrage swept over the three Ghoul charging at the front, the Silver-Plated Bullet tearing through their skin and shattering their bones. One of them was knocked to the ground on the spot, its limbs twitching.
The other two stumbled slightly but continued charging forward.
The two gunners opened fire simultaneously, firing in a crisscross pattern, and a hail of bullets covered an area of twenty meters in front of the cave entrance.
Lu Yuan held up his Revolver and fired shot by shot.
Every shot hit the Ghoul's knee or ankle.
The goal is not to kill, but to slow them down.
The Ghoul with its broken leg fell to the ground, dragging its body along with its forelimbs, but its speed had slowed considerably.
The Ghoul behind them charged forward, stepping over the bodies of their own kind.
Carrion Fungus began to spread along the edge of the cave entrance.
A pale green layer of bacteria surged out from the inner wall of the cave entrance, spreading outwards along the ground at a rate more than twice as fast as when it was cleaned during the day.
At night.
Without the suppression of sunlight, the Carrion Fungus were able to fully unleash their activity.
As the fungal layer passed through, the copper floor emitted a faint hissing sound, indicating that the Copper Powder coating was being decomposed.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan gritted his teeth.
"Holy Light Grenade! Throw it towards the cave entrance!"
The two Night Watcher in the front row took out Copper-Shell Holy-Light Grenade from their waists, pulled the pins, and threw them at the same time.
Two grenades flew in arcs through the air and landed precisely at the edge of the Collapse Pit.
Boom!! Boom!!
The instant the copper shell shattered, a shockwave of Holy Light exploded outwards.
A blinding white light engulfed an area of several meters around the cave entrance.
The Ghoul that was crawling out was overturned by the shockwave. Burning copper shell fragments embedded themselves in its skin, and Holy Light scorched it rapidly from the fragments, spreading outwards along the Ghoul's body like a lit fuse.
The screams of agony blended together.
Within the area covered by the Holy Light, the fungal layer withered and curled instantly, burning into grayish-white debris.
The Ghoul at the cave entrance were blasted back.
The gunfire then ceased.
The position was silent for a few seconds.
The smoke and the lingering White Mist from the Holy Light mingled together, slowly dissipating under the illumination of the Marching Lamp.
On the ground in front of the cave entrance, the corpses of more than a dozen Ghoul lay scattered haphazardly.
Some were still twitching, while others had completely stopped moving.
Copper fragments were embedded in their bodies, the burning continued, and the membranes curled and charred little by little.
Boer let out a breath.
His finger trembled slightly as he released the trigger, but he had clearly calmed down considerably.
"But it seems we can only hold off this wave..."
There was a hint of solemnity in his voice that he could not hide.
The other Night Watcher clearly knew that this was just the first appetizer.
However, the fact that it could withstand the first wave proves that the Copper Wall is effective.
This indicates that there is hope for the task to be completed.
I hope I can hold on until dawn and leave this place alive.
Unlike the other Night Watcher, Lu Yuan did not let go.
The Revolver was still held aloft, its muzzle pointing towards the cave entrance.
Because at the edge of his field of vision, the gray-white text was jumping wildly.
[Environmental Perception: Massive Source of Pollution detected... the number is still rising... it is recommended to stay away...]
[Environmental Perception: Massive Source of Pollution detected... the number is still rising... it is recommended to stay away...]
Lu Yuan's expression changed.
The Ghoul are about to charge the sentry post!
Sandworm Oil!
Lu Yuan's voice suddenly rose, startling everyone with the urgency in his tone.
"Throw all the Sandworm Oil in front of the cave entrance! Now!"
Boer paused for a moment, but he did not hesitate.
He grabbed two cans of Sandworm Oil from behind the ammunition box, unscrewed the caps, and tossed them toward the cave entrance.
The other two Night Watcher also threw out their shares.
Four cans of Refined Sandworm Oil tumbled through the air and crashed onto the ground in front of the cave entrance, shattering the glass and splattering the oil, which quickly spread across the ground.
Lu Yuan struck a match and threw it.
The instant the match fell into the oil, a bright white Flame shot up.
The distinctive high-intensity Flame of Sandworm Oil formed an arc-shaped wall of fire in front of the cave entrance, illuminating the entire area.
The firelight shone into the cave entrance.
Lu Yuan saw what was inside.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
The cave walls were crawling with Ghoul.
Densely packed, layer upon layer, stretching from the edge of the cave entrance into the darkness at the far end of sight.
Like ants.
Countless gray-red ants clung to the cave wall, climbing towards the cave entrance.
Their greyish-red bodies reflected a damp sheen in the firelight, and their three rows of teeth snapped and clicked in the darkness.
The quantity can no longer be described as "large".
Boer saw it too.
His face turned pale.
It's completely white now.
Behind them, the two Born moved simultaneously.
It wasn't because I saw anything.
It's because some kind of sensory device inside their bodies has been triggered.
The black robe suddenly expanded, and the sound of a metal skeleton reassembling could be heard from inside.
The forearms of both Born split open simultaneously, revealing brass-colored nozzles.
Laugh...
A ghostly blue Flame erupted from the nozzle, shooting straight towards the cave entrance.
The Flame were extremely hot, and the air twisted and deformed at the tip of the nozzle, even suppressing the light from the Marching Lamp.
The two pillars of fire and the wall of fire from the Sandworm Oil converged, turning the area in front of the cave entrance into a blazing white sea of fire.
In that instant, the entire Collapse Pit was illuminated as if it were daytime.
Lu Yuan saw it clearly.
The Ghoul at the very front, braving the Flame, were still climbing upwards.
The skin is burning, the muscles are charring.
But they didn't stop.
Because there are more of their kind pushing, climbing, and surging behind them.
If you stop, you'll be trampled underfoot.
Therefore, they can only move forward.
Upwards.
Outwards.
"Fire!! Open fire at all levels!!"
Lu Yuan's roar was drowned out by the gunfire.
Everyone who could shoot pulled the trigger at the same time.
Short Shotgun light, Revolver, Copper-Shell Incendiary Bomb —a barrage of bullets rained down.
The moment the Copper-Shell Incendiary Bomb hit the Ghoul, the casing shattered, igniting the Alchemical Fire Powder. The burning of the copper and the corrosive effect of the Holy Light took effect simultaneously.
The Ghoul that was shot was like a torch that had been lit, its whole body engulfed in Flame, and it screamed as it fell back to the cave entrance.
But the Ghoul behind them simply climbed out by stepping on their burning brethren.
One.
Three.
Five.
Ten.
More and more.
The firewall's obstruction is rapidly diminishing.
The Sandworm Oil has a limited burning time, and the fire has already begun to weaken.
The Flame of the Born were still shooting out, but the two pillars of fire could not cover the entire width of the opening.
The Ghoul emerged from the sides not covered by the pillars of fire and surged towards the Defense Line.
"Stop them!!"
Boer's voice was already hoarse.
"Stop them!!"
Just then, in the very center of the cave entrance, a huge figure rose from the Flame.
It was a whole size bigger than the other Ghoul.
Its shoulders are nearly two meters wide, and the bone spurs on its back pierce through the skin and stick outwards. The grayish-red muscles are covered with a thick layer of keratin.
Its body is burning.
The white Flame of Sandworm Oil and the blue Flame spewed by the Born simultaneously covered its body.
But it stood still.
The Flame slid across the surface of the stratum corneum, burning only the outer layer and not reaching the deeper layers.
[Detection Target: Great Ghoul (Evolutionary Individual)]
The Great Ghoul lowered its head, bared its three layers of teeth to their maximum size, and let out a deep roar.
But it was clearly more than just a roar.
It is some kind of command.
The Ghoul behind it suddenly accelerated their charge.
Then it started moving on its own.
With a powerful push off the ground with its hind legs, its entire body soared into the air, leaping over the remaining flames of the fire wall and heading straight for the barricade Defense Line.
The speed was astonishing.
It took it less than three seconds to travel the distance from the cave entrance to the barricade.
A dark figure cut in from the side.
Those Born.
As one of the Born retracted its nozzle, the metal skeleton of its forearm reassembled once more.
The nozzle retracted, and a long, gleaming blade sprang out.
It doesn't make any unnecessary movements.
He pushed off the ground, leaped up, and slashed horizontally with his long blade.
The movements were stiff but precise, like a calibrated machine.
The long blade slashed at the shoulder of the Great Ghoul.
Bang!
The sound of metal striking keratin was like a hammer hitting a stone.
The blade cut into the stratum corneum to a depth of about two inches and got stuck.
The Great Ghoul's charge was deflected by this attack. Its body swayed in the air and missed the chevaux-de-frise, instead crashing heavily three meters in front of the chevaux-de-frise Defense Line.
The ground shook.
The moment the Born landed, the Great Ghoul had already stood up.
Its speed is beyond what one would expect for its size.
It slapped a claw towards the chest of the Born.
The Born did not hide.
It raised its left arm to block.
The metal collided with the bone claws, deforming the Born's left arm, and Gear and connecting rods flying out from the crack.
But it didn't budge.
The pain experienced by the Born has long been Deprivation along with the transformation.
He pulled the long blade from his right arm, which he then used to stab the Great Ghoul in the abdomen.
The blade tip pierced through.
The Great Ghoul roared and took a step back, grabbing the Born's right arm.
The sound of metal being twisted was extremely piercing.
The Born's right arm was twisted off, and the long blade, along with half of the forearm, fell to the ground.
But another Born.
It approached the Great Ghoul from behind, its nozzle aimed at the back of its head.
Blue Flame shot out at point-blank range.
The back of the Great Ghoul's head crackled and popped as it burned in the Flame; finally, the stratum corneum couldn't withstand the heat and split open, shattering.
It let out a hoarse scream and released the severed arm of the Born it was holding.
The Born with the missing arm did not retreat.
It used its broken left arm to press down on the Great Ghoul's shoulder, while a short spike sprang out from the base of its severed right arm and pierced directly into the ghoul's split back of the head.
The Great Ghoul's body convulsed violently twice.
Then it fell over.
But nobody was looking this way.
Because fighting has already broken out on the Defense Line.
The first Ghoul that rushed to the barricades let out a blood-curdling scream the moment they touched the copper-plated surface.
Hiss hiss hiss--
The moment the claws gripped the copper spikes, the skin and flesh of the hand instantly curled up and turned charred black.
The burning sensation spread outwards from the point of contact, and the muscles throughout my arm were spasming.
It screamed and let go, falling to the ground.
The second bird tried to squeeze through the gap in the barricades, and the moment its body touched the copper wire mesh, white smoke rose from its entire torso.
The copper wire cut deep into the membrane, and the entire contact surface was charred.
It roared and struggled for a few seconds, but was eventually squeezed onto the copper wire mesh by its kind that surged up from behind, unable to move.
More Ghoul crashed into the barricades.
The burning copper made every contact accompanied by screams and the smell of burning flesh.
But they don't retreat.
Those in front were burned and unable to move, so those behind climbed up by stepping on the bodies of their kind.
The corpses piled up, and the copper wire mesh began to deform.
The base of the barricade made a metallic bending sound as the Ghoul charged at it.
The ground spikes were pulled loose from the copper floor.