Wiped Out!

(A quick note beforehand: traditional anatomy divides the liver into four parts: left, right, quadrate, and caudate lobes. Hepatic lobules are the basic functional units of the liver, hexagonal in structure, with about 500,000 in the human body. The Titan is a different story, though—it's not human, so I'm just making it up as I go, hehe.)

At this moment, Titan: Genesis has already formed a pyramid-like hierarchical ecosystem.

Standing at the pinnacle of the tower is the first echelon led by Feng Xing Tian Xia and Dragon Fighting in the Wild, with levels generally reaching LV.17 - LV.18. They are well-equipped, their skill builds are finalized, and they are currently pioneering the front lines in the liver region.

Following closely behind are the early hardcore players and "liver emperors" (grinders), with levels between LV.15 - LV.16. They are the backbone of major guilds or high-level solo players.

Further down are the vast groups of early ordinary players. Most of them have just reached LV.10 and completed their class advancement. This group has split into two: the bold ones have teamed up to suffer in the liver, while others have chosen to stay in the lung to continue clearing unexplored bronchi like B1 and B2, attempting to snag a "First Clear Achievement."

As for the 50,000 newcomers from the fourth beta test, they are generally still at LV.5 - LV.6, currently fighting tooth and nail in the A7 District newbie village just to snatch a single slime.

Well, that's not necessarily true; some are just riding their Crimson Boat around, wandering aimlessly and taking photos, having the time of their lives. Some have even caught a glimpse of certain unspeakable boss-level units, only to drop dead in a flash before they could even check their panels...

Coordinates: Liver - Hepatic Lobule Zone H-103.

"Engineering squad! Plant the explosives!"

Frost Sword, leader of the second regiment of the Dawn guild, stands atop a hundred-meter-tall hexagonal pillar, calmly issuing commands.

Over a dozen Alchemy Blast Barrels have their fuses lit and are tossed from the heights, landing precisely on the Cirrhotic Nodule that is blocking the venous river channel like a dam.

Boom! Boom! BOOM—!

Muffled explosions echo through the labyrinth. Under the chain reaction, the sturdy wall of flesh is finally torn open, revealing a massive gap. The long-accumulated venous blood flow rushes downstream like a beast released from a floodgate.

"It's open!"

The players on top of the pillar cheer.

"That blast effect is insane! The leeches below must have all been washed away!"

As the water level drops, the previously submerged riverbed gradually reveals itself. It is an open area covered in thick, black silt.

"Go down and loot the corpses! See if there's any good stuff!"

The elites of the second regiment throw down ropes and slide down the pillars. They are all veterans around LV.15, their movements practiced and skilled.

However, the moment they hit the ground, Frost Sword suddenly feels that something is wrong.

It is too quiet.

Those densely packed Blood-Sucking Liver Leeches (LV.19) from earlier haven't been washed away by the current; it's as if they've vanished into thin air.

"Wait! Scout! Throw a Light spell first!"

A Spirit Pivot Envoy obediently tosses out a ball of light.

The pale radiance illuminates the center of the riverbed.

There, the silt suddenly bulges, and a behemoth resembling a mountain of flesh slowly stands up. It had been lurking beneath the wall of flesh all along, using the current to mask its form. Now that the water is gone, it finally reveals its hideous true face.

[Warning: Encountered Area Boss!]

[Monster: Corrupt Mother Nest (LV.22 Boss-tier)]

[Description: It is not a monster; it is a nest for countless parasites.]

"An LV.22 Boss?!"

Before the players can even react, the Mother Nest lets out a low hum.

"Gurgle..."

The next second, hell descends.

Thousands of holes in its body spray black slime simultaneously. At the same time, the silt beneath their feet "comes alive." The players realize in horror that what they are standing on isn't silt at all, but a dense, solid layer of Blood-Sucking Liver Leeches!

[Warning: Triggered trap "Sea of Insects"!]

[Number of hostile units: 1500!]

"Retreat! Climb back up the pillar, fast!"

Frost Sword's scalp tingles. Even if Guild Leader Feng were here, he would have to avoid the edge of a monster swarm of this magnitude.

But it is already too late.

Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle—

Thousands of black leeches surge like a tide, frantically climbing up the hexagonal pillars! They are faster than the players climbing the ropes!

"They're coming up! Help!"

Cliff Dancer, the player responsible for setting the ropes, tries to climb up but is bitten on the neck by an elite leech that leaps from the side.

"Divine Guard! Form up! Defend the platform to the death!"

Frost Sword is still at the top of the pillar, but as he watches the black, crushing mass of the insect swarm rapidly closing in, his heart sinks to the bottom of the abyss.

"Spirit Pivot Envoy! Cast Fire Wall! Thunderstorm!"

All sorts of skills are dumped downward without restraint. They do manage to burn and electrocute a patch, but for over a thousand LV.19 monsters, this doesn't even slow them down.

"ROAR!"

The Mother Nest below lets out another roar, spraying a cloud of green toxic mist that instantly engulfs the platform at the top.

[Environmental Poison: All attributes reduced by 30%, healing effects halved! Continuous health drain!]

"It's over..."

The healer group watched the health bars of the entire raid plummet, despairing as they realized their healing spells couldn't keep up at all.

The first leech slithered onto the platform.

Then came the tenth, the hundredth.

"Commander! We can't hold them off!"

Frost Sword swung his dual blades, severing two leeches, but his own leg was bitten, and the paralytic toxin spread rapidly.

"Don't die in vain!"

At the very last moment, Frost Sword roared his final message in the area channel:

"The riverbed in Zone H-103 is a trap! Do not enter the water! The monsters have airborne poison mist and climbing abilities!"

"Dawn Second Regiment wiped out. Heading home~"

The next second, his vision was filled by countless tooth-lined maws.

[You have died.]

Ten minutes later.

(As Gu Yuan's energy increased, he reduced player respawn times to improve player efficiency.)

Coordinates: Liver - Detoxification Camp.

White light flickered repeatedly. The respawn point spat out the players of the Dawn Second Regiment one after another, their gear durability at zero and their faces ashen.

"My blue gear dropped! That was the set I just finished upgrading!"

"It's too miserable. We couldn't fight them with just a few dozen people; that was a Sea of Insects!"

The total wipeout of the Dawn Second Regiment instantly caused a stir in the camp. The casual players resting nearby gathered around, their faces pale.

"Even the main force of Dawn was wiped out?"

"That Brood Mother can release poison? And it was ambushing us under the water?"

A moment later.

The teleportation array on the other side of the camp shimmered.

Feng Xing Tian Xia led his core squad back from the neighboring Zone H-105. They had been clearing another vein passage there and had used a return scroll immediately upon receiving news of the wipeout.

Feng Xing Tian Xia walked up to Frost Sword, glancing at the dejected elites.

"Did you lose your gear?"

"Lost it..." Frost Sword gritted his teeth, "Swallowed by that Brood Mother."

"As long as you're still here, it's fine."

Feng Xing Tian Xia turned around and looked toward the dock.

At this moment, a massive, heavy Crimson Boat had just pulled into the harbor.

Lei Zhen stepped off the deck first, followed by three hundred fully armed Special Operations Regiment soldiers, their momentum surging like a rainbow.

After a week of hellish leveling in Zone B1, these three hundred had all reached LV.10 and completed their class advancements. Although their levels were lower than the first-tier players, their equipment was uniform, and their discipline was in a league of its own across the entire server.

"Old Lei, you're here." Feng Xing Tian Xia nodded.

Lei Zhen glanced at the situation at the respawn point, a cold smirk curling his lips: "Looks like we arrived just in time."

With a wave of his hand, the three hundred soldiers behind him quickly assembled in the camp square, dividing into four phalanxes.

"Brother Feng, let me introduce them." Lei Zhen pointed at the troops, "This is the configuration of the Special Operations Regiment."

"To maximize their combat advantages, these 300 people have all advanced into classes focused on frontal team combat rather than utility."

"First Phalanx: [Steel Bastion] (Divine Guard advancement), 100 men. All equipped with giant tower shields, responsible for building defensive lines and advancing like bulldozers."

"Second Phalanx: [Thunder Lord] (Spirit Pivot Envoy advancement), 80 men. Responsible for area denial and fire suppression."

"Third Phalanx: [Ghost Blade] (Hunter advancement), 60 men. Responsible for flanking infiltration and decapitation strikes."

"Fourth Phalanx: [Life Sage] (Life Weaver advancement), 60 men. Plenty of healing output."

"These three hundred were trained through days of slaughter in Zone B1 with zero casualties." Lei Zhen's voice carried a hint of pride, "We're going to let those bugs know what real military coordination looks like."

Feng Xing Tian Xia looked at this iron army, killing intent boiling in his eyes.

"Good."

"Gather all main forces."

"Whether it's the Special Operations Regiment, the First Main Regiment, or even the casuals who want to scavenge, call them all. The Second Main Regiment will follow behind."

Feng Xing Tian Xia drew his pitch-black [Origin Fang], pointing it toward Zone H-103 deep within the mist.

"First, retrieve the corpses and the gear."

"Then... crush that damn Brood Mother, along with all its insect spawn, one by one!"

"Move out! Target: H-103 Riverbed! All forces, charge!"