Remnants of the Old Days

The smoke cleared, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.

Although the defense was successful, the cost was agonizing.

"Screech... screech..."

With a teeth-grinding sound of metal fatigue, the black mech that had charged in and out of the sea of fire seven times collapsed to its knees. The cockpit hatch popped open with a struggle, emitting a pungent, charred stench.

Feng Xing Tian Xia crawled out, covered in soot and grime. Looking at the pile of nearly melted scrap metal before him, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

[System Notification: The core engine of your mech "Titan's Fist" has melted down; the left arm transmission system is totaled.]

[Repair Assessment: Requires 2,000,000 Bio-Energy + massive quantities of materials.]

[Appendix: Material List]

[Recommendation: Scrap it.]

"It cost five million to build, and it only lasted four hours before it was reduced to a pile of junk."

Feng Xing Tian Xia felt his heart bleeding. Even though this thing was undeniably fierce and helped them withstand the most difficult first wave of the assault, the attrition rate when facing high-heat enemies was simply absurd.

"Brother Feng, out with the old, in with the new, right?"

Nearby, Dragon Fighting in the Wild's mech was also battered and torn, its coating completely stripped away, but because it was a heavy-duty model, the frame remained intact. He patted the mech's leg triumphantly. "Looks like stacking armor is the way to go. As long as it doesn't fall apart, we can just fix it up and use it again when we get back."

Feng Xing Tian Xia ignored him, focusing instead on his rapidly flickering experience bar.

This defensive battle, combined with the massive experience gained from killing the Flame Demon Lord earlier, finally allowed him to cross that threshold.

[System Notification: Congratulations on leveling up! Current Level: LV.27!]

[Potential Points Gained: 1 point.]

[Remaining Potential Points: 2 points.]

Chen Feng took a deep breath and opened the Talent Tree.

He had unlocked [Neural Sequence] at LV.20 and decided to go all-in with ten points, then invested in [Bullet Time] and [Micron-level Manipulation] at LV.23 and LV.25 respectively. Only two enhanced versions of the first-tier talents remained.

[Talent Tree - Neural Sequence (Tier 2)]

[Consume 2 Potential Points to unlock talent: [Intermediate Synaptic Acceleration]]

[Intermediate Synaptic Acceleration]:

Description: Your neural signal transmission speed has broken through the limits of carbon-based lifeforms; your brain can process multiple threads simultaneously.

Reality Projection: Your thought speed will be twice that of an ordinary person, and the world will remain in slow motion in your eyes. You can even see the rotation of a bullet inside the chamber.

"Hum—"

As he spent the talent points, Chen Feng felt a roar deep within his brain.

The previously chaotic battlefield suddenly became layered and distinct to his ears. The flow of the wind in the distance, the vibration of Zhao Kuo's mech engine, and even the dance of every speck of dust in the air were infinitely magnified and analyzed by his senses.

He grabbed a handful of ash and let it go.

In his field of vision, the speed at which the ash fell was shockingly slow. Before the ash even hit the ground, he had enough time to draw his dagger, flick away the larger, poorly burned particles in mid-air, and sheath his blade.

By the time the ash hit the ground, the flicked particles had only just begun to bounce.

"Hoo..."

Chen Feng exhaled a breath of stale air, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. The frustration of his mech being destroyed vanished instantly.

"No need to dwell on it; surpassing the combat power of a mech is only a matter of time."

At the edge of the battlefield, the distribution of [Titan Blood] had already concluded.

On the other side, the [Silver Wing Sentinel] units that had remained on the battlefield became the new focus.

Most of the Silver Wing Sentinels left without looking back, just as they had after previous battles. However, these few hundred [Silver Wing Sentinel Ranger (LV.20)] units, marked with golden icons above their heads, were watching the players with cold indifference.

[Employment Contract]

[Price: 100,000 Bio-Energy + 10 [Blue Flame Crystal]]

[Trait: Infinite Employment. As long as you can afford the price, you can bring a company of sentinels.]

[Ability: Potent Enzymolysis (Armor Penetration).]

"One hundred thousand each? And they're only LV.20?"

Many ordinary players were discouraged. This price was more expensive than most The Ancient units, and these things looked like glass cannons, not nearly as durable as The Ancient.

But for high-end players, this was a divine artifact.

"As long as they can penetrate armor, they're my daddy!"

Zhao Kuo waved his hand, emptying his coffers to hire twenty sentinels at once.

"Daddy!"

"Come on, line up in two rows! From now on, you guys are responsible for stripping the skin off the monsters, and I'll be responsible for smashing them to death with one hammer!"

Soon, a bizarre sight appeared on the battlefield:

High-end player groups are often followed by a large crowd of silver sentinel bodyguards, lighting up wherever they go; meanwhile, ordinary players can only bring a few blue slimes along to scavenge for scraps.

After resting, several first-tier players discussed the situation and decided not to continue deeper into the Duan Bronchus for the time being—

Preliminary estimates suggested there was at least a lv.40 boss unit inside, and at the current stage, no matter how many players went in, they would likely all die.

Chen Feng opened the map and pointed to a side path branching off from the Duan Bronchus.

"The main path is blocked, let's go check that side. Scouts reported that the airflow there is strange; it's completely stagnant."

"It seems the Crimson Boat can't get through; we'll need to use special methods."

Coordinates: Right Lower Lobe - Outside B-404 Side Bronchus.

"There's no path forward, Guild Master."

The scout pointed ahead.

The surging Crimson Galaxy came to an abrupt halt here, like a cliffside waterfall. Ahead lay a dark void, with only the faint, ghostly blue glow of the B-404 zone visible in the distance.

"Red Blood Cells can't get in, how are we supposed to cross?" Dragon Fighting in the Wild frowned.

"Tightrope walking."

Feng Xing Tian Xia reviewed the intelligence provided by the previous exploration team and pointed to the massive, grayish-white cables connecting the two ends across the void—these were the [Hardened Collagen Fiber Bundles] left behind after necrosis.

The giant fiber bundles, of unknown length, stretched out into the endless void.

As tough connective tissue, the necrotic vascular fibers did not collapse; instead, they formed countless grayish-white, hardened fiber bundles as thick as the cables of a cross-sea bridge, spanning the dark abyss and connecting to the distant region.

This was a Sky Road built from fibers!

"Craftsman team! Fabricate [Bone Pulleys] on the spot! One for everyone!"

"Hook on! Slide across!"

"Hold on tight! If you fall, you're dead for sure!"

Through a narrow escape, after a long slide, everyone finally set foot on solid ground.

When the joint exploration team of the three major guilds, numbering about 500 people, stepped into this area, everyone felt a chill.

There were no gale-force winds, no seas of fire, and not even the roar of monsters.

There was only a deathly silence.

The mucous membrane under their feet was no longer a healthy pink or a restless crimson, but a lifeless gray-black—this was [Necrotic Tissue].

"This place... is dead."

Data Maniac looked at his scanner, "No oxygen exchange, no blood flow. The cells here have all undergone apoptosis."

The group continued deeper. In the depths of the gray, necrotic tissue, tiny points of ghostly blue light were flickering.

"This is..."

As they drew closer, everyone finally saw what was in front of them—

It was actually a city?!

It was a complex of buildings constructed from countless glowing mycelia, calcified bone, and a crystal-like substance. They clung to the necrotic tracheal wall, emitting a soft and desolate halo.

And in the center of the city stood a massive, withered, and broken fleshy tower—it was a [Necrotic Nerve Bundle].

"Is there someone here?"

Zhao Kuo gripped his warhammer tightly.

From those crystal buildings, a group of strange creatures emerged.

They were only about a meter tall, entirely translucent, and emitted a pale blue phosphorescence. Their forms were not fixed, resembling a mass of light mist with limbs, holding exquisite [Bio-Luminescent Staffs].

[Neutral Civilization: Photonic Bacteria (Titan Kin)]

[Race: Mutant Probiotic/Symbiote Civilization]

[Level: LV.1 - LV.35]

[Status: Vigilant / Weakened / Faith Collapsed]

"Outsiders..."

The elderly glowing figure leading them (LV.35) tremblingly raised its staff. Its voice did not travel through the air, but instead resonated directly in the players' minds through a weak biological electrical signal.

That voice was filled with vicissitudes and despair.

"Are you also here to plunder the last spark?"

Chen Feng raised a hand to signal the group not to attack, then stepped forward:

"We are the Titan Kin, here to clear the infection."

"Kin?"

A trace of confusion flickered in the Elder's murky, glowing eyes, quickly replaced by a profound sorrow.

It pointed toward the withered Neural Tower:

"Too late... it is too late."

"The Thunder Messenger has been dead for a long time."

"Ever since the Sky Road was severed, we have been unable to hear the voice of the Father God. The sky no longer sends down sweet rain, and the earth no longer provides nourishment."

The Elder's body was hunched, its light so dim it seemed as if it could extinguish at any moment:

"We are the Tower Guardians. For generations, we have guarded the signal towers here, waiting for the moment the Father God awakens."

"But... for hundreds of years, there has only been silence. Endless silence."

"My kin... they can barely hold on any longer."

The Titan's magnificent body once housed countless living beings, including many highly advanced civilizations. They all shared a common identity—the Titan Kin.

Living within it, they enjoyed divine grace while also bearing their responsibilities.

But during the divine war, the nerve bundles were severed, the neurons died, the blood vessels necrotized, and the blood flow was interrupted. The Photonic Bacteria civilization was cut off from the world, struggling to survive in a region with almost no resources and near-total necrosis.

The heavy sense of a civilization slowly dying in isolation and despair left all the players present in silence.

--Actually, most of them didn't understand, but that didn't stop them from feeling the desolation.

In short, this was a living, microscopic race that had held on through countless years of despair.

Data Maniac recalled his physiology knowledge at lightning speed, roughly understood the situation, and whispered a few words to Thunder King.

Thunder King walked out from the crowd with a bewildered expression.

He radiated the aura of a Thunder Lord, his entire body crackling with snapping electric arcs.

When the first wisp of blue current danced in the air, the Elder suddenly raised its head, its dim eyes erupting with blinding light!

"This... this fluctuation..."

It reached out with a trembling hand, wanting to touch the current, yet acting as if it were on a pilgrimage.

"Thunder! It is the scent of thunder!"

"The Sky Road... has the Sky Road been opened?!"

The Elder suddenly turned around and let out a heart-wrenching cry toward the dead city behind it:

"My kin! Wake up! Everyone, wake up!"

"Look! The new Thunder Messenger has arrived! The Father God has not abandoned us!!"

Vroom--!

The once-dead city instantly boiled over.

Countless blue specks of light surged from the buildings, and thousands of Photonic Bacteria gathered in the plaza. They looked at Lei Zhen with devout eyes, as if gazing upon a descending deity.

[Hidden Epic Quest Triggered: Remnants of the Old Days: Light the Lost Beacon]

[Background]: During the Titan's long slumber, this region became an island of information due to nerve necrosis. The symbiotic civilization here has been guarding the last signal tower in despair.

[Objective]:

Restart the Sky Road: Have a [Thunder Lord] inject a massive amount of electrical energy into the withered Neural Tower to activate the dormant nerve endings.

Clear the Bloodline: Rebuild the Crimson Channel and restore blood supply.

[Rewards]:

Favorability: Gain the permanent friendship of the Photonic Bacteria race.

Special Unit: Unlock recruitment permissions for [Light Spirit Mage].

Area Unlock: Sector B-404 will be converted into a high-level safe zone/special plantation.

"This game..."

Data Maniac pushed up his glasses, looking at the group of weeping little blue figures, and even his strictly rational heart felt an inexplicable surge of emotion.

"We can actually save a civilization..."

Lei Zhen took a deep breath, "Then let's give them some hope."

"All Thunder Lords, come over here! Start charging!"

"But how do we repair the Crimson Channel?"

For a moment, everyone was stumped.

Data Maniac, however, revealed a confident smile.

"Call for backup! Life Weavers, as many as possible!"

"Have the Life Sages and Flesh Artisans connect the blood vessels directly, bridge the natural barriers, and build a super-project comparable to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau."

"Let us relight this silent Star River!"