Wipeout!

(First, a clarification: traditional anatomy divides the liver into four parts: the left and right lobes, the quadrate lobe, and the caudate lobe. Hepatic lobules are the liver's basic functional units, with hexagonal structures; humans have roughly 500,000 of them. Titans might not, though, since they aren't human. I can make it up, hehe.)

At this point, Titan: Genesis had already formed a pyramid-like level hierarchy.

At the top stood the first echelon led by Vanguard Across the Realm and Dragon Fighting in the Wild. They were generally LV.17 to LV.18, well-equipped and with fully developed skills, pioneering the front lines of the Liver Region.

Close behind them were the early hardcore players and grinders, around LV.15 to LV.16. They formed the backbone of major guilds or were skilled solo players.

Below them was the massive group of ordinary early players. Most had just reached LV.10 and completed their class advancement. This group had split into two streams: the bolder ones formed teams and came to the Liver Region to get battered around, while the rest chose to remain in the lungs, continuing to clear unexplored bronchi such as B1 and B2 in hopes of earning a "First Clear Achievement."

As for the 50,000 newcomers from the fourth beta test, most were still around LV.5 to LV.6, fighting tooth and nail over a single Slime in the A7 District starter village.

Well, not necessarily. Some had boarded Crimson Boats and were happily wandering around taking pictures. Some had even caught sight of certain indescribable boss-level entities, only to die in an instant before they even had time to check the status panel...

Coordinates: Liver - Hepatic Lobule Zone H-103.

"Engineering team! Plant the explosives!"

Frost Sword, commander of Dawn Second Regiment, stood atop a hundred-meter-high hexagonal pillar and calmly issued the order.

More than a dozen [Alchemy Blast Barrels] had their fuses lit and were thrown down from above, landing precisely on the [Cirrhotic Nodule] blocking the venous riverway like a dam.

Boom! Boom! Rumble—!

The muffled explosions echoed through the maze. Under the chain blasts, the sturdy wall of flesh was finally ripped open with a massive breach. The long-accumulated venous blood surged downstream like a beast released from its cage.

"It's open!"

The players atop the pillar cheered.

"That blast was perfect! The leeches down there must've all been swept away!"

As the water level fell, the previously submerged riverbed gradually emerged. It was a broad expanse covered in thick black silt.

"Get down there and loot the bodies! See if there's anything good!"

The Second Regiment elites threw down ropes and slid along the pillar. They were all experienced players around LV.15, their movements practiced and swift.

However, the instant they landed, Frost Sword suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

The densely packed [Blood-Sucking Liver Leeches] (LV.19) from earlier had not been swept away by the current. They had simply vanished into thin air.

"Wait! Scout it out! Cast an Illumination Spell first!"

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

Pale white light illuminated the center of the riverbed.

There, the silt suddenly bulged. An enormous creature like a Meat Mountain slowly rose to its feet. It had been lurking beneath the wall of flesh all along, using the water to conceal itself. Now that the water had drained away, it finally revealed its hideous true form.

[Warning: Regional Overlord Encountered!]

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

[Description: It is not a monster. It is the nest of countless parasites.]

"An LV.22 boss?!"

Before the players could react, the Brood Mother let out a low rumble.

"Gurgle..."

The next second, hell descended.

Thousands of holes across its body simultaneously sprayed black slime. At the same time, the muddy ground beneath their feet came "alive." The players discovered in horror that what they had been stepping on was not mud at all, but an entire dense layer of [Blood-Sucking Liver Leeches]!

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

[Number of Hostile Units: 1500!]

"Retreat! Climb back up the pillar!"

Frost Sword's scalp went numb. Against a swarm of this scale, even President Feng would have to avoid a direct confrontation.

But it was already too late.

Rustle rustle rustle—

Over a thousand black leeches surged upward along the hexagonal pillar like a tide! They were even faster than the players climbing the ropes!

"They're coming up! Help!"

Cliff Dancer, the player responsible for securing the ropes, had just begun to climb when an elite leech leaped at him from the side and bit into his neck.

"Divine Guards! Form up! Hold the platform at all costs!"

Frost Sword was still atop the pillar. But as he looked down at the black mass of insects rapidly closing in below, his heart sank to the bottom.

"Spirit Pivot Envoys! Fire Wall! Thunderstorm!"

Skills rained down without restraint. They did burn one group and electrocute another. But against more than a thousand LV.19 monsters, it was not even enough to slow them down.

"Roar!"

The Brood Mother below let out another roar and spewed a cloud of green poison mist, instantly shrouding the platform at the top.

[Environmental Toxicity: All attributes reduced by 30%, healing effectiveness halved! Continuous HP loss!]

"It's over..."

Watching the entire team's health bars plummet, the Healer Team despairingly realized that their healing spells could not keep up at all.

The first leech climbed onto the platform.

Then came the tenth, then the hundredth.

"Commander! We can't hold them!"

Frost Sword swung his twin swords and severed two leeches, but his own leg was bitten as well. Paralytic venom rapidly spread through his body.

"Don't die for nothing!"

At the last moment, Frost Sword roared one final message into the regional channel:

"The H-103 riverbed is a trap! Don't go into the water! The monsters have aerial poison mist and climbing abilities!"

"Dawn Second Regiment wiped out. Heading home~"

The next second, his vision was filled with countless toothed mouthparts.

[You have died.]

Ten minutes later.

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

Coordinates: Liver - Detoxification Camp.

White light flashed continuously. Like dumplings dropping into a pot, the Respawn Point spat out Dawn Second Regiment players whose equipment durability had hit zero and whose faces were ashen.

"My blue gear dropped! I only just got that set!"

"That was awful. There's no way a few dozen of us could fight that—it was a Sea of Insects!"

The complete wipeout of Dawn Second Regiment immediately caused a commotion in the camp. Nearby solo players who had been resting gathered around, their faces turning pale.

"Even Dawn's main force got wiped out?"

"That Brood Mother can use poison? And it was lying in ambush underwater?"

A moment later.

The teleportation array on the other side of the camp flashed with light.

Vanguard Across the Realm returned from the neighboring H-105 zone with his core team. They had been clearing another venous passage there, but immediately used Return to Town upon receiving news of the wipeout.

Vanguard Across the Realm walked up to Frost Sword and glanced at the dejected elites.

"Your equipment dropped?"

"It did..." Frost Sword gritted his teeth. "That Brood Mother swallowed it."

"As long as you're alive."

Vanguard Across the Realm turned and looked toward the dock.

At that moment, a massive heavy Crimson Boat had just docked.

Lei Zhen was the first to step off the deck. Behind him stood 300 fully armed Special Operations Regiment members, their morale soaring.

After a week of hellish leveling in the B1 zone, all 300 had reached LV.10 and completed their class advancements. Though their levels were lower than the first echelon's, their equipment was uniform, and their discipline was unmatched across the entire server.

"Old Lei, you're here." Vanguard Across the Realm nodded.

Lei Zhen glanced at the situation at the Respawn Point and curled his lips into a cold smile. "Looks like we came at just the right time."

With a wave of his hand, the 300 players behind him rapidly assembled in the camp square and divided into four formations.

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

"To maximize their combat advantage, all 300 class advancements for this mission were focused on direct combat in team operations rather than utility."

"First formation: [Steel Bastion] (Divine Guard advancement), 100 men. Every one of them is equipped with a giant Tower Shield. They specialize in building defensive lines and advancing like bulldozers."

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

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

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

"These 300 have spent days slaughtering monsters in the B1 zone, training with zero casualties." Lei Zhen's voice carried a trace of pride. "We'll show those bugs what real military coordination looks like."

Vanguard Across the Realm looked at this army of steel, killing intent boiling in his eyes.

"Good."

"Assemble all main forces."

"Call everyone—whether it's the Special Operations Regiment, the First Regiment's main force, or even solo players looking to scavenge. The Second Regiment's main force will follow behind."

Vanguard Across the Realm drew the jet-black [Origin Fang] and pointed it toward the H-103 zone in the depths of the mist.

"First, retrieve the bodies and equipment."

"Then... crush that damned Brood Mother and every last one of its bugs, one by one!"

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

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