Tower Defense, All Right

What would happen?

She didn't need Si Ming to answer. She already knew.

"That evil spirit's avatar would actually be repelled without us needing to do anything. And that, in itself, is the revelation we're meant to receive."

A revelation from the Main God.

The Main God had let the Reincarnators know that names were the key to breaking through this world's deadlock, and that Guanyin could counter the Buddha Mother. The Reincarnators would learn all this while remaining hidden, and the little girl herself wouldn't suffer any real harm. Instead, she would serve as a medium for Guanyin, and still survive after the Buddha Mother was repelled.

Perhaps that was how it would go.

"So?" Si Ming didn't turn his head. He kept his gaze on the surrounding area.

"If we hadn't done anything back then, we might have more control of the situation now." She hesitated, then continued, "Also, if Nannan had said her true name, perhaps that evil spirit would have suffered a serious wound from coming face-to-face with a true god at an unexpected moment. It would be easier for us to win the fight afterward, and we'd still be able to perform the ritual to summon the deity..."

An interesting idea.

Si Ming almost laughed when he heard it—not in mockery, but with relief, because it finally meant something.

It meant that this Reincarnator named Valentina was thinking from the perspective of the Celestial Team for the first time, rather than from her own preferences and inclinations.

That was good news—good enough to celebrate with a bottle of champagne.

But before that, he might as well help her see things more clearly.

"You've got two things wrong, Ranger," he said.

"Hm?" She was clearly intrigued.

"First." Si Ming raised one finger. "There's no need to speculate about the past. What's done is done, and there's no point regretting it. You should remember very clearly that we didn't act because you saved that little girl. We acted because that evil spirit showed too little respect for our strength."

"But that wasn't..." Valentina started to say, then stopped. She still remembered who Si Ming had been trying to give a way out at the time.

So she could only nod awkwardly. She hadn't felt awkward before.

"And second, Guanyin probably can't deal with this evil spirit."

"...Huh?" Valentina turned to look at the temple, where the ritual was being prepared. Jacob had finished setting up the summoning formation and was now reciting the Lotus Sutra there.

She turned back to Si Ming.

"I don't mean she can't win. I mean she can't resolve the problem." Si Ming corrected his wording. "You've probably tried already, right? All communication between this island and the outside world has been completely cut off. And given the satellites gathering in the sky, I strongly suspect that every move we make is being closely watched by the entire outside world."

"...I still can't connect to outside communications."

"Of course." Si Ming nodded. "Once we finish tonight's work and achieve some results, we'll probably be able to get a call from the outside world tomorrow morning, through any roadside phone booth or an unattended mobile phone. Until then, though, let's be patient with them."

She understood now.

People outside were watching closely, but had done nothing. And with tens of millions of people still alive on this island, that could only mean the outside world had no choice but to wait and see—a passive, cautious strategy.

The whole world was powerless to do anything.

The whole world had made no response to the Reincarnators' actions so far.

So the situation now was quite clear.

"This... evil spirit is even more troublesome than we expected?"

"That's why we're holding a summoning ritual here." Si Ming nodded. "And I believe the ritual alone still won't solve the problem. At most, it'll give us an opportunity to do so. As for the real reason we're here, I think you know it very well, Ranger."

Side quests didn't fall from the sky. That was how things worked for Reincarnators.

There was a chance to grind for reward points, but side quests had to be earned with blood, fire, and steel.

"I understand." Valentina's shoulders relaxed a little, and she let out a soft breath. "Thank you, Professor. I feel a lot better."

"I should thank you too, Ranger." Si Ming merely nodded to her. During their conversation, he had made a full circuit of the defensive perimeter. Now, the high-purity holy water formed a perfect ring.

One part of the job was done. The other part was to bury exorcism talismans, designed to better suit local customs, in the soil and stones.

"Thank you for coming to me when something was bothering you, instead of keeping it bottled up." And for not going to someone else.

"...I just thought you might be good at this." She turned away awkwardly and started to leave. "Anyway, thanks for talking me through it, Professor. I should go take care of my duties."

"Go ahead." Si Ming waved her off.

She jumped down.

Soon, she found the defensive position she'd been looking for. As she opened her storage device, three high-tech automated turrets linked to her cybernetic operating system emerged. Their eight mechanical limbs carried them toward suitable defensive positions.

The Wolf Spider Turret was an automated platform that could effectively deal with large numbers of lightly armored or unarmored targets. Equipped with small missiles and a guidance system, it could provide a major advantage in small-scale defensive battles.

It might work.

Soon, they would find out.

Si Ming glanced to the other side. Song Tian had been standing at the temple entrance for quite some time, holding his sword. He was clearly not the type to use firearms often.

He'd have to correct that bad habit someday. But first—

Si Ming took out his Railgun and Fusion Gun. There was still plenty of time before dusk. Enough time to imbue the Railgun's ammunition with Night Battle Qi and prepare some light weapons for other situations.

Time began to pass, silent and unhurried.

Time flowed even faster when everyone was busy.

Before they knew it, the Reincarnators of the Celestial Team had set up their temporary position. Inside Guanyin Temple, Jacob, who was presiding over the summoning ritual, had also recited the Lotus Sutra—which praised Guanyin Bodhisattva—more than a hundred times.

He wasn't from the East, so even with Ms. Chen, a helper provided by the scenario, it would take him more time and effort than expected to perform the ritual. He probably wouldn't be much use in the coming battle. Yu Zhiwei would also stay in the main hall's ritual chamber to ensure that no stragglers slipped through and reached it.

There were three defenders in total.

And as dusk approached, ominous silhouettes had already appeared along the outskirts beyond the temple.

Well then...

Everything was ready.

As the sun's last rays faded beyond the horizon, Si Ming, no longer on the front line, raised his head slightly.

He looked at the sky, then into the distance, toward the dark cloud coming from afar and rushing toward the temple.

"Almost time."

The original story and its lore surfaced in Si Ming's mind. He remembered clearly that the evil spirit known as the Great Black Buddha Mother favored hair and teeth, and that insects of all kinds were its symbols.

Crawling insects, leaping insects, many-legged insects, winged insects.

Moths, dragonflies, cockroaches, flies—tens of thousands, hundreds of millions, stretching as far as the eye could see.

They were the approaching cloud. With a noisy drone audible from a kilometer away, they rushed toward the temple. Their sheer numbers and density were enough to make almost anyone feel sick to the core at the sight. The next moment, the black tide slammed into the temple complex where the ritual was being held!

"Bang—!"

The impact rang out.

The swarm hadn't hit the ground, and the Reincarnators' fire hadn't struck the target area. The evil power driving the billions of flying insects let them travel through the air. But the instant that force touched the ring of holy water and talismans, it struck an invisible barrier!

Tens of thousands of evil insects exploded in midair. Their mangled bodies and foul green slurry flew in every direction. Even with their evil power suppressed, the remains of these arthropods were still filth, reeking of a powerful stench. And even as tens of thousands of the foremost insects turned to putrid mush, the black cloud behind them gathered and surged toward the Reincarnators.

"Open fire."

All three Wolf Spider Turrets raised their guns, and three pairs of streams of fire poured toward the oncoming swarm. The explosive rounds, soaked in holy water, fired more than a thousand shots in an instant. As flames spouted from the muzzles, the sky protected by holy water and talismans lit up with patches of crimson cloud.

"Boom—boom boom boom boom—!"

A chain of explosions followed. The magnesium flares, blazing with intense heat, turned the pests that had come from afar into scorching ash. Without a doubt, the evil spirit's first assault had failed to make the opening strike it wanted. But that didn't mean it was willing to stop here.

"Click." The Railgun chambered a round.

"Vmmm." The Railgun charged.

The weapon had already been exposed, so there was no need to conceal it. In Si Ming's eyes, he saw a small part of the approaching swarm split off and disappear into a distant shadow. The next instant, solid darkness surged out of the shadow and lunged toward the temple's defenses!

The Railgun's death ray tore through the air.

The tip of the darkness exploded where it was struck, bursting into a blaze of light more than a dozen meters across. A mass of severed limbs, along with charred insects, flew into the distance. The true form inside the darkness was now clearly visible to the defenders.

It was human.

Or perhaps.