Challenge

"---- Consumable duration expired!"

Although Han Xiao was in a daze, he didn't lose focus; he was constantly paying attention to the changes at the front lines.

The battlefield situation is changing.

He immediately roared again, his command drowning out the din of the battlefield, "Second echelon, retreat under alternating cover! First echelon, fire support!"

Thirty seconds passed in the blink of an eye.

The second-tier soldiers, who had just been moving in and out of the monster horde as if it were nothing, immediately felt their power recede like a tide.

Without any greed for credit or hesitation, they quickly regrouped, using their Loaded Umbrella to block as they retreated towards the gap in the horizontal partition wall.

"Fire!"

As the second echelon withdrew, the first echelon, which had already completed its reloading, pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Da da da da-

The roar of gunfire once again dominated the battlefield in Titanfall.

A violent torrent of metal poured out from the gap in the transverse wall, pinning the Crawler who tried to pursue them to the spot and tearing them to pieces.

And at this time...

That sound—which had recently left a psychological scar on many frontline soldiers—rang out.

hiss-

Above everyone's heads.

A piercing whistling sound, seemingly capable of piercing eardrums, rang out.

This sound was unlike the roars of Crawler and other ground monsters; it carried a sense of oppression that instinctively sent chills down one's spine.

Han Xiao suddenly raised his head.

In the sky, dyed red by the setting sun, more than a dozen dark red Afterimage tore through the gray mist, flapping their wide, fleshy membranous wings, completely ignoring the defenses on the ground, and charged directly toward the rear of the position.

Flying monster.

This caused great panic at the time.

But things are different now; at least we can no longer rely solely on a very limited number of Patrollers.

"Flying species."

Han Xiao shouted a warning again.

But it's just a warning.

The monsters' flight paths are unpredictable, making them extremely difficult to lock onto with ordinary firearms. They cannot be dealt with on the ground, and new frontline troops are needed to handle them.

The moment the flying monster appeared.

On the rooftops high above, streaks of intense, dark blue flames lit up, accompanied by a tremendous booming sound as a dozen soldiers wearing Jump Kit leaped into the air.

Then they adjusted their posture and began walking directly between the tall buildings!

Soar into the sky!

Scenes that once only existed in dungeons are now unfolding in reality.

This change is still brought about by unofficial copies.

In mid-air.

Bang-

A soldier, his waist wreathed in a ghostly blue flame, was running along the exterior walls of two dilapidated office buildings when he brushed past a dark red flying monster. In the instant, he aimed his shotgun at the monster's head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Boom!

The violent kinetic energy shattered the monster's head, instantly killing the flying monster, which then plummeted to the ground.

Without giving the fallen wreckage a second glance, the soldier unleashed a second burst of flame from his waist, drawing a zigzag path through the air with unstoppable momentum. Using the terrifying kinetic energy from the Jump Kit, he wielded his sword in his other hand and slashed directly at another flying monster!

Although flying species can fly.

But they are much more fragile than ground monsters, and they don't fly very high either.

Therefore, if there are countermeasures available.

The battlefront in the sky—became a one-sided massacre!

The flying monsters plummeted to the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Although some will still slip through the net, the reduced pressure on the ground defenses frees up the Patrollers to help eliminate them.

It's not a big problem.

As for why some escaped the net...

The main problem is that many soldiers have only recently received the Jump Kit and are still not very proficient with them.

Although they were already among the most skilled Jump Kit users of all the frontline soldiers.

soon.

The last shriek in the sky was abruptly cut off by a large-caliber bullet, and the headless, mangled corpse crashed heavily into the ruins.

The ground battle was also drawing to a close.

No new bulges appeared on the south side of the fissure.

The deathly gray fog that shrouded the area all day seemed to have finally settled down at this moment.

The Monster Tide has finally subsided.

The battle is over.

The sun had completely sunk Horizon Zero Dawn, and the sky was covered with a dazzling sunset.

In the various camps at the front, there were no cries of agony, no body bags strewn everywhere, and not even the suffocating post-battle silence.

The soldiers simply leaned against their cover, panting heavily, calculating how many Consumable they had just used, how many they had killed when [Ordinary Person's Courage] was triggered, or boasting to their comrades about how they had Counterkill when [Loser's Obsession] was triggered.

Han Xiao leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.

He looked up at the darkening night sky and exhaled a long breath.

Compared to before.

Facing the Monster Tide on the front lines now is really—too easy.

It was so relaxing that Han Xiao felt as if he had been in another world.

If this had happened two weeks ago, and the defensive line had been hit by a ground Monster Tide and a flying monster attack of this scale, countless lives would have been lost, even if the line hadn't collapsed. The entire defensive zone would have become a veritable slaughterhouse.

The defensive line might even need to be moved back.

But today, the seriously wounded returned to the battlefield within minutes thanks to the [Hand Sanitizer], the Deadly relied on the [Loser's Obsession] to lock in their health Counterkill, and air superiority was regained by the [Jump Kit] - the casualty rate was reduced to an unbelievable, miraculous number.

Not a single person on his defensive line was killed.

And this is just the change brought about by three—no, it should be said two—unofficial copies.

It's truly a miracle.

"Han Xiao!"

A deep, powerful voice interrupted Han Xiao's thoughts.

He snapped back to reality and saw a dignified-looking officer in a military overcoat stained with dark purple blood walking over the monster's remains scattered on the ground.

Han Xiao immediately stood up and saluted.

The other soldiers immediately stood up as well.

"We've received a message from the Coordination Bureau!"

The officer stopped in front of Han Xiao and said directly, "Now we need you to take some men back to Chen Capital to represent the front lines and cooperate with the Strategy Group to try and clear the new dungeon [Outlast]. Assess how difficult this dungeon is for us. I remember you were the first to clear [Resident Evil], so you'll be going this time too!"

In addition, there is a protection mission in Chen Capital this time. I will follow the orders of the Coordination Bureau! There is no need to return to the front line for the time being!

"Yes!"

"Rest for two hours, then we'll set off!"

"Yes!"

The officer turned and left.

Han Xiao stood there, let out a long sigh, and then looked up again, only to find that many soldiers had surrounded him.

"Captain Han, is Lu Xiu in a new dungeon again?"

A soldier with his clothes torn on his arm, clearly having had his severed arm reattached, approached and asked, "What kind of reward will we get this time?"

"Yeah, what will it be this time?"

Another soldier clutched his CAR tightly, his rough fingers stroking the equipment from the Titanfall Instance over and over again, his eyes practically gleaming with greed. "I thought Resident Evil was the limit, but I never expected Sekiro and Titanfall Instance have such outrageous rewards, completely changing the entire front line."

"Yes, firearms, Jump Kit, all sorts of stat-boosting items, and those skills—"

"The system-run dungeons that the Coordination Bureau's Strategy Group selected over four years still can't compare to the benefits brought by Lu Xiu's two civilian dungeons!"

"I felt like I was in another world when I was standing in the middle of a horde of monsters."

"Who isn't? Besides, her scenes are truly unforgettable."

"That's right, BT----"

Let's not talk about this anymore; it makes me a little sad.

1

"By the way, I've been following her new dungeon; it seems to have caused quite a stir—"

The front lines are not isolated.

The soldiers would also browse forums during their breaks.

They knew more or less about the latest dungeon in Lu Xiu's story. "I heard that the new dungeon doesn't give you weapons, you can't fight back, and you can only hide from your pursuers in darkness and oppression. Many ordinary people can't stand this kind of gameplay."

Aren't they going to give us weapons?

"Right."

"How do I pass the level?"

"It should be about patience and escape. The theme of this instance is survival; the sole objective is to stay alive."

"Live on!"

Upon hearing this...

The soldiers looked at the guns in their hands, the various items in their backpacks, and the life-saving skills in their skill bars, while recalling the scenes of the battle they had just fought.

Everyone fell silent.

Live on.

This is truly a dungeon theme that evokes a lot of thoughts.

"To be honest, I'm starting to find this interesting."

"Me too—after all, the rewards from Lu Xiu's dungeon are never bad."

"Of course."

Faced with such a dungeon.

The soldiers on the front lines weren't as resistant as the members of the large guilds' Strategy Group.

Perhaps it's because they understand the gravity of this topic better than anyone else.

After all, when the world first became a game, modern weapons were ineffective, and they faced Monster Tide. Their only option was to find a way to survive.

And that is precisely why they are so grateful to Lu Xiu and cherish the rewards brought by the Lu Xiu instance.

Whether it's firearms or Jump Kit, those candies, those rice, the Ordinary Person's Courage that boosts stats, the Loser's Obsession who can Counterkill death and still turn the tables—

To those behind the lines, these things might seem like dungeon rewards, numerical values, or an increase in combat power.

But on the front lines, they represent a chance to survive.

The recent Monster Tide proved this point.

Previously, none of the soldiers present could have imagined that they would one day be able to face Monster Tide so calmly.

"Alright."

Han Xiao stopped them from continuing the discussion, "Let's rest first, we'll set off in two hours."

"Next time, if you can't eat spicy food, please tell us in advance, okay?"

At the same time.

Lu Xiu, whom the soldiers on the front lines were talking about, was now leading Shen Nian and Jian Li out of the Sichuan restaurant under the strange gaze of the waiters, looking utterly hopeless.

Shen Nian felt a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushing slightly.

This gentle young woman, hailing from the water towns of Jiangnan, somewhat sheepishly pushed up her thin-rimmed glasses, her toes practically digging a three-bedroom apartment out of her shoes. "I was trying to be considerate of your feelings—you might like something a bit extreme, but who knew you two would also—"

Jian Li, standing to the side, silently looked away.

This usually aloof, silver-haired girl seemed to have developed a great interest in the green belt along the street.

Although he didn't say anything, his whole being exuded the feeling that "that green belt is really green."

"I shouldn't have eaten with you guys. I finally mustered up the courage to think that even if I couldn't be a social butterfly, at least I wouldn't be a social phobia."

0

Seeing their reactions, Lu Xiu was furious. "But I didn't expect you two to drag me down with you!"

That's all.

She gave Shen Nian a slight glare. "Foolish college student."

Shen Nian: "----"

Then Lu Xiu glared at Jian Li: "You stubborn, brooding fool."

Jian Li: "----"

The atmosphere suddenly became subtly awkward.

Three girls stood on the curb, staring at each other.

But perhaps it's thanks to this that things turned out this way.

After such an awkward trip, at least the subtle sense of distance that had existed between the three of them has gradually dissipated.

A cool breeze blew in the early autumn evening, gently ruffling the stray hairs on Shen Nian's forehead. She raised her hand to smooth them down, looked at the disheveled Lu Xiu, pursed her lips, and tried to hold back, but finally couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

It was just a tiny, very soft sound, but Lu Xiu heard it.

Lu Xiu glared at her again.

Shen Nian immediately straightened her expression.

"Never mind, let's go back."

Looking at the two girls who dared not turn around, Lu Xiu sighed in despair, "Let's go back and talk about the Outlast scenario. At least we won't die from this."

The three of them walked together towards the apartment.

Shen Nian lagged behind by half a step, watching Lu Xiu's back as she walked ahead.

Although the meal was indeed a nightmare, Shen Nian felt inexplicably relieved.

As she watched Lu Xiu's high ponytail sway gently with her steps, she suddenly felt that the person in front of her had become incredibly vivid.

In reality, Lu Xiu is not a demon, nor does she possess that suffocating malice. Stripped of the mysterious aura of a legendary Architect, she is more like a slightly arrogant high school student who wears her emotions on her pretty face.

With her stunning beauty yet charming and vibrant personality, she feels more approachable and real than a genius Architect is deliberately mythologized or demonized into a symbol.

that is----

Shen Nian suddenly couldn't think straight anymore.

Because Jian Li was staring at her----

Moreover, Lu Xiu stopped and asked in confusion, "Hmm?"

In front of Lu Xiu.

A window pops up.

[Immersion Function enabled--]

A player has activated the [Builder Roleplay] challenge mode in the [Titanfall] dungeon.

[Would you accept the challenge?]