Chapter 178

45. Communications

The Boundary Stele System is not only capable of preventing Erosion Disaster. For modern human society, the Boundary Stele System can be said to be the cornerstone of stability. Its functions include, but are not limited to, isolating Corruption Energy, shielding the perception of Erosion Entity, and suppressing the activity of Corruption Energy.

Within the effective range of the Boundary Stele Field, the concentration of Corruption Energy is suppressed to a very low level, and the capabilities of the Erosion Entity are greatly weakened. This is what gives humanity a chance to breathe. Without the Boundary Stele System, humanity would probably have been completely wiped out more than a decade ago.

If the Beacon System is the sword in humanity's hand to fight against Erosion Disaster, then the Boundary Stele System is the shield.

Among them, the Resonance Module is one of the most important extended functions, which mainly provides communication channels between cities through the resonant properties of the Order Force.

This is the only long-range communication device currently in human hands. Only the Boundary Stele Garrison District has the possibility of installing the Resonance Module. The Resonance Module is extremely large and consumes very little energy, but it will consume the Order Force Core stored inside. Humans are not yet able to miniaturize or micro-miniaturize it, and cannot install it on "trains" or transport planes. Therefore, the communication channels are all installed within the Boundary Stele Garrison District.

Each remote communication consumes a considerable amount of resources, Order Force Core can only be manufactured in the Central Province, which is also a Ruins.

Simply put, communication can only be initiated and connected between Garrison District, and the distance is limited. To transmit a message, a network of countless cities is usually needed to act as Relay Station so that the communication can successfully reach the Central Province.

Each Garrison District has a unique, highly encrypted identification code that can only be used by the Garrison District manager and cannot be modified.

This is one of the core technologies of the Human Federation.

At this moment, intelligence from the Maesakagawa Garrison District at the Xijing City Orderkeeper Headquarters immediately drew everyone's attention.

Brief reports were quickly handed to Fushihara Ayaka, who busily analyzed and recorded them. Through the communications of the Beyond the Boundary Division, Fushihara Ayaka learned about the current situation of the troops, which relieved many people slightly. Although they had been attacked and had to change their combat strategy, they had ultimately entered the Maesakagawa Garrison District without incident and were carrying out the next combat mission.

In conclusion, the fact that the core fighting force, namely the proxy forces, has not suffered any losses is good news.

Because most operations require agents to be responsible for fighting the Erosion Entity, in this era where White Hole Erosion covers the entire Earth, agents are a unique and indispensable force.

However, another piece of news quickly caught the attention of Fushihara Ayaka and her officers—the appearance of "Mutationist".

"Is this a specific variant that appeared in the Maesakagawa Garrison District?"

"To the best of my knowledge, there is no such 'Dregs' in the Human Federation database."

"It looks really weird... Could plants also be 'Corruption'?"

The people present discussed the mutated corpse that appeared in the middle of the screen in a lively discussion. Everyone's expression was different; some were shocked, while others were solemn. In everyone's understanding, Corruption Energy could only infect animals and humans. However, judging from the mutated corpse captured by the military, the strange vines seemed to have formed a subtle "symbiotic" relationship with humans and also possessed some characteristics of "Dregs".

Meanwhile, some people have also shown considerable interest in the mutants, including researchers and officers from the Research Department.

This intelligence is crucial research material for a type of "Dregs" not included in this database, and the emergence of new enemies must be taken seriously immediately, as no one knows what the sudden appearance of these enemies will bring.

Most people are cautious.

Some of them began to have doubts—this new type of enemy was discovered by Xijing City, and if they could make achievements in it, it would be an opportunity for promotion and fame, and there was a high probability that they would be recruited by the major research institutes or military units of the Central Province.

Of course, all of this must be based on the complete resolution of all uncontrollable events.

After ending the brief communication, Fushihara Ayaka glanced at the group who were engaged in a heated discussion, but unlike the others, she did not offer her opinion on the emergence of the Mutated Entity.

"Stop, everyone."

As soon as she spoke, the entire room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Fushihara Ayaka.

"We'll discuss this later; I'll leave it to the professionals."

Fushihara Ayaka then forwarded all the data to Nishizaki Yuki in the Research Department.

She glanced around, her tone calm yet undeniably assertive. "Our focus now should be on combat. The situation in the Maesakagawa area remains unclear, and they need our support."

"We will dispatch support troops immediately to take complete control of the Maesakagawa Garrison District as soon as possible."

For Fushihara Ayaka, everything had to be postponed until the military operation was successful and the safety of her proxies was guaranteed.

"Moreover, we have an even more pressing issue: there were two Angel who appeared this time. According to Efnir's confirmation, they are Qinglan and Flying Swallow —by now you've probably realized it, haven't you? They've been controlled by the Apostle Organization and have acquired a level of power that's currently beyond our capabilities. The Apostle Organization's technological capabilities far exceed our imagination; they can even modify a person's mind. That's the most dangerous thing."

Only then did everyone snap out of their astonishment at the Mutated Entity and realize what had happened.

Compared to the emergence of the Mutated Entity, the appearance of yet another Angel poses the greatest threat—meaning that the Apostle possess the technology to dismantle and assimilate Human Federation's only remaining means of combating the Erosion Disaster.

The Apostle possess a plethora of technological capabilities, and the Apostle Organization seems to have an intimate understanding of the Human Federation and the cities, while also eyeing existing human society with predatory intent. The threat they pose is far more deadly than any known threat.

No one knows the ultimate goal of the Apostle Organization.

Everyone immediately fell silent, and then quickly shifted the focus of the discussion to the Apostle Organization and the combat mission.

At that moment, another communication request suddenly came in.

From the Research Department, the name displayed on the communication screen is Nishizaki Yuki.

Without much thought, Fushihara Ayaka answered the call immediately.

"Dr. Nishiki?"

"Yes, it's me. I have something to tell you."

"What?"

"There's some information you might need—take a look at this first."

Without any pleasantries, the two went straight to the point: Fushihara Ayaka had received a pile of data files.

Fushihara Ayaka frowned suspiciously.

"What's this?"

"The identification data of the 'Sacred Relic' captured during the Maesakagawa Operation... Researchers in the combat unit discovered some oddities, so they packaged these into a data package, and I also compared them with the 'Sacred Relic' we have on hand..."

"Any results?"

There was a pause on the other end.

"Then I discovered that these were all 'copycats,' or rather, 'cut-down versions.'"

46. Battlefront

Maesakagawa Garrison District--

After the Boundary Stele System was restarted, the battle within the Boundary Stele Barrier quickly intensified.

Because the Boundary Stele System exerted a powerful suppressive force on the Corruption Energy, countless Erosion Entity immediately fell into an uncontrollable state of berserk rage when the barrier's curtain closed.

In an instant, roars symbolizing the desire for destruction and aggression resounded through the sky, cannons roared, and gunfire continued. Ignoring the interference of Lure Shell, the Erosion Entity rampaged through the barrier area with its massive body, destroying and collapsing large areas of buildings.

Outside of the Maesakagawa Garrison District, the Erosion Entity that originally surrounded the area have gradually drifted away and dispersed.

Under the shielding effect of the Boundary Stele Barrier, everything within the Garrison District is just a "dead object" that cannot be seen or smelled in the eyes of the Erosion Entity. Unless they accidentally stumble into the barrier, they will never be able to "see" inside. Even if someone dances within ten meters of it, as long as there is a barrier between them, it will ignore them.

The barrier created by the Boundary Stele System is like a wall, dividing what was originally a pond in two—even if a stone is thrown into one, creating ripples, the commotion here won't reach the other pond.

However, the inside of the pool remains undisturbed; in fact, the ripples, blocked by the walls, can even cause secondary reactions.

Furthermore, with the selective activity of Corruption Energy suppressed, the Erosion Entity be targeted by the Boundary Stele System...

Etc.

A series of chain reactions, both cascading and non-chained, ultimately led to the Erosion Entity's frenzy.

At this point, the use of Lure Shell becomes very limited— the Erosion Entity, driven entirely by their desire to kill and devour humanity, surge toward the temporary base with unprecedented ferocity.

"Prepare for the impact!!"

Led by Anilas, the Second-Generation Agent and Ayse, who was less seriously injured, constructed a solid Defense Line against the Erosion Entity. The silver light of the Order Weapon flashed alternately, piercing through the black tide of the Erosion Entity.

The Second-Generation Order Weapon possess powerful lethality and a relatively safe combat range. Faced with a frontal assault of dozens of Erosion Entity, Anilas's squad contained them with fierce firepower.

However, the number of Erosion Entity was simply too great. In order to protect the temporary rear positions and prevent the equipment and lines from being damaged, their battle lines were forced to be spread out. As a result, each of them had to face the siege of several Erosion Entity at the same time. Even though the Second-Generation Order Weapon were very suitable for annihilation and defensive operations in open areas, the Anilas Squad was immediately plunged into a bitter battle due to the absolute disadvantage in numbers.

After eliminating three, four more would rush in, the number of the Erosion Entity seemed endless. Anilas's team was facing this predicament. They relied on the attack range advantage brought by the Second-Generation Order Weapon to hold on, helping each other. Ayse, along with the injured Furan, Canary, and others, set up a solid second layer of support among them.

Even so, their Defense Line were inevitably compressed inch by inch and pushed back.

"Oh... does it hurt?!"

Feng stared coldly at the rampaging Erosion Entity, let out a soft snort, gripped her weapon tightly, and fired furiously while shouting in a low voice. Behind her, in front of the position, the heavily injured Jasmine was unable to join the frontal battle of the first Defense Line of defense, but she still insisted on guarding the rear to provide fire support.

The dense hail of bullets relentlessly formed an impenetrable net, knocking down and killing one Erosion Entity after another, yet they continued to surge forward in droves.

At that moment, a shrill roar came from behind the Erosion Entity. The Erosion Entity, which was even larger than the others, suddenly met Feng's attack head-on, leaping out like a cheetah. The speed it unleashed in that instant made Feng's heart sink.

Clearly, this is an individual with a danger level of B. Even under the suppression of the Boundary Stele, it still exhibits extraordinary jumping and sprinting speed.

Feng immediately switched his gun, pointing it at the oncoming Erosion Entity, and swiftly pulled the trigger.

Silverlight precisely pierced the legs of the charging Erosion Entity, halting Erosion Entity advance, but it couldn't completely stop Erosion Entity attack. Facing the descending giant claw, she could only awkwardly roll over to dodge, while still not giving up the opportunity to fire at it. Several more bullets sank deep into its body.

But this did not kill it at all; instead, it enraged it even more.

With a roar, the Erosion Entity turned and swung its claws down. Sharp spikes grew from its long tail extending from its back, and it slammed down towards Feng.

Two more Erosion Entity broke through the barrier from the side and pounced on her. Feng drew her short knife and used her pistol for support to fight back with difficulty. However, the space left for her to dodge had been sealed off. She leaped up almost as if she were being attacked from both the front and the back at the same time, but she still couldn't avoid the subsequent attacks from the Erosion Entity. In just one exchange, a deep, bone-revealing gash was left on the side of her thigh.

Flesh and blood rolled up, and a burning pain shot through the wound. A large amount of blood mixed with rainwater splashed onto the ground, staining the withered yellow grass red. Maple was knocked down from the sky and fell to the ground.

Another Erosion Entity pounced at her, and Feng, unable to dodge in time, swung her sword, barely managing to block the Erosion Entity's menacing fangs and avoid the fatal crisis of having her head bitten off. However, the Erosion Entity, like a hunting dog, bit down hard on her blade, refusing to let go even after half of its head was pierced. Its fangs pierced Feng's arm, tearing away another piece of flesh and blood, further weakening Feng's resistance.

"Go to hell..."

Feng gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and flipped the short knife in her wrist. She suddenly rolled over, dodging the sharp teeth falling from the Erosion Entity with lightning speed. At the same time, she slashed down with her other hand, plunging the blade deep into the Erosion Entity's neck. She pulled out her pistol, the muzzle almost shoved into the Erosion Entity, and pulled the trigger.

Several gunshots rang out, and the Erosion Entity fell to the ground. However, the other Erosion Entity gave her no chance to catch her breath, because a gap appeared in Feng's firepower coverage, and more Erosion Entity rushed towards her.

Feng's arms and legs were injured, and her close combat ability declined rapidly. She retreated a few steps in a disheveled manner, meandering around, but no matter what she did, she did not let the Erosion Entity cross the Defense Line she was holding. Behind her were the soldiers' positions, and the seriously injured Jasmine was also there. Those people did not have the strength to deal with the Erosion Entity, so she could not relax under any circumstances.

At this moment, the agent's lack of combat power immediately became apparent when facing the Grade-B Erosion Entity —if she didn't kill the Erosion Entity immediately, the swarming Erosion Entity behind it would put immense pressure on her.

In close combat, the Second-Generation Order Weapon do not possess the advantages that the First-Generation Order Weapon had.

At least in terms of the types of Eligible, the Second-Generation Agent are at a disadvantage—they are not vanguards, Beacon's enhancement to physical strength is limited, making it impossible for them to kill enemies as freely and aggressively as Canary charging into the horde of Erosion Entity.

At this moment, the others noticed Feng's decline, and three of them shifted their attack target, retreating their Defense Line while pointing their guns at Feng.

They tacitly chose to temporarily back down and prioritize helping their injured teammates.

47. Prologue

The ground was covered with bronze-colored shell casings. As far as the eye could see, the ruins and everything in sight were covered with Erosion Entity, Dregs, and the remains of Dregs.

The air was filled with the dense sound of bullets hitting each other.

Maple's situation was dire, so Anilas, Jasmine, Herul immediately turned their guns on him to relieve the pressure.

Although everyone is separated by a certain distance and each is responsible for a different front, the tactical advantage of the Second-Generation Agent lies in their flexibility, which provides them with sufficient room for error in their tactical combinations.

At the same time, a clear silver light slashed through the neck of an Erosion Entity, and a straight blade pierced diagonally from behind, causing the Erosion Entity to turn into stardust and fall to the ground.

Ayse's support arrived just in time, helping Feng deal with the Erosion Entity rushing in from the side.

Feng was finally able to catch her breath. She wielded her short sword and, with a split second, blocked the giant tail that the Grade-B Erosion Entity creature was swinging. At the same time, she twisted her wrist and used the force of the impact to jump back a step, forcefully strangling the Erosion Entity's tail onto her short sword. She then stomped one foot into the ground, thus temporarily restricting the Erosion Entity's attack.

With his other hand, Feng raised his gun, its dark muzzle aimed at the Erosion Entity that was turning around and baring its fangs at him. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, crushing the Erosion Entity into dust with overwhelming firepower, and then it vanished in a flash of light.

"Thanks!!"

Feng then had a chance to thank Ayse. Ayse didn't say anything, but nodded, gave her a look, and then squatted down to treat her wound.

Ayse's technique was skilled and ruthless, causing Feng to grimace in pain.

That's fine.

Ayse raised her head, took a slight breath, as if finally relieved, or perhaps encouraging herself for the battle to come.

She stood up, a straight sword appearing in her hand.

"You step back, I'll take care of this!"

"But..."

After saying that, Ayse rushed towards the nearest Erosion Entity, without even waiting for Feng's reply.

Feng stared blankly at Ayse's retreating figure, the rain carrying a chilling, bloody scent as it swept across her face.

A wave of relief washed over me, a feeling of relief washing over me.

She belatedly took a deep breath.