A Plea for Mercy

The Star Blade's sharp light sliced through and shattered the heavy armor shield with a single strike.

The debris was propelled to the ground by the force of the tremor.

The shield warrior's pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with extreme terror.

Having worked in the field for many years, he had never seen such a bizarre and sharp melee weapon.

His sturdy Black Iron heavy armor shield was his trump card for survival, but it was as fragile as paper under the opponent's blade, offering no resistance whatsoever.

The expressions of the four teammates beside him changed drastically at the same time.

Everyone understood instantly.

The shattered shield signifies that Lu Heng has completely stopped playing around and is no longer holding back.

The battle went from over in an instant to its final moments.

Lu Heng stared coldly at the five people struggling and resisting, and his mind stirred.

The dormant Mycelium underground suddenly surged and expanded rapidly.

The previous restraints were merely a test; now, the Global Region's energy channels are fully activated, spreading wildly.

Seeing this, the five men fought back desperately.

Luo Qi wielded a short sword, engaging in rapid close-quarters combat.

The shield warrior parried with his broken shield, then furiously slashed at the filamentous veins.

Arm-claw team members, mages, and lightly armed team members all exerted their strength, relentlessly cutting off the Mycelium that entangled them.

Wave after wave, severed, regenerated, and entangled again.

The Mycelium surged forward relentlessly, covering the entire area without interruption.

No matter how they cut, struggle, or cleave, the endless filamentous veins underground will always emerge.

The broken Mycelium instantly repair themselves, with new entanglements layer upon layer, tightening more and more.

After a few breaths.

All five were exhausted, their movements were stiff, their arms were sore, and their chopping speed had dropped significantly.

The continuous Mycelium of mycelium completely locked up everyone's limbs, waist, and joints.

The entire squad was tightly bound and imprisoned, completely unable to move.

They were utterly powerless to resist.

Lu Heng stepped forward, his eyes showing no emotion.

Playtime is over.

He doesn't intend to do it himself.

With a focused mind, he prepared to activate the Blood Taisui Mycelium to directly strangle and wipe out the entire team.

Just as the order to eliminate was about to be given.

The atmosphere in the entire mountain forest suddenly froze.

A strange, ethereal, indifferent voice, devoid of any emotion, fell from nowhere into the valley.

"Let them go."

The sudden sound had no source or destination, but echoed throughout the entire depression.

Lu Heng stopped abruptly, his brows furrowing slightly, a sense of doubt arising in his heart.

He raised his eyes, meeting the invisible gaze across the void, and spoke softly:

What's going on?

The voice of the Forest Will rang out again, flat and tasteless.

"These people are the survivors who will be selected and sent to the Green Demon World."

Lu Heng glanced at the five-person team, who were completely bound and pale-faced, and said with blunt speechlessness.

"What use are they, so weak?"

After a brief silence, the Forest Will responded once more.

Do you think everyone is like you, blessed by the stars?

"They are among the stronger survivors in their batch."

After hearing this, Lu Heng was completely speechless.

It's outrageous, but there's no way to refute it.

Since the Forest Will has stepped in to protect him, and the reasons are clear, he has no need to go against the tide.

He withdrew his murderous intent and released the Mycelium that was restraining him.

The layers of tangled, thread-like veins quickly receded and retreated underground.

Lu Heng looked at the five people who had regained their freedom but were still standing there, looking completely bewildered.

They could not hear the Forest Will, nor could they see anything unusual.

All they saw was Lu Heng suddenly stop what he was doing, talking to himself, his expression changing, as if he were conversing with thin air.

Completely bewildered and shaken, he couldn't understand the situation before him at all.

Immediately afterwards, they clearly heard Lu Heng's casual remark.

You are so lucky.

"I hope you'll be just as lucky then."

The words left a deep impression.

Everyone instantly realized that they had survived.

A seemingly inescapable situation, yet somehow managed to survive.

Lu Heng had no intention of staying any longer; this place held no further significance.

There's no killing, no fighting, and lingering here is a waste of time.

With a thought, he sheathed the Star Blade, turned around, and immediately retreated from the depression.

Lu Heng's figure completely disappeared at the edge of the dense forest.

The five people, who had been stretched to the limit, finally collapsed, exhausted, onto the ground covered in decaying leaves.

Everyone's backs were soaked with sweat, cold sweat kept streaming down their faces, and all that remained in their eyes was a deep sense of relief.

Those last few seconds were truly a matter of life and death.

They couldn't understand Lu Heng's strange conversation, nor could they understand why they had been exempted.

I couldn't understand what that warning meant at all.

The fear of the unknown weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

A long, oppressive silence followed.

Luo Qi was the first to recover, his breath dry, and he spoke in a low voice.

Let's go back first.

Let's take it one step at a time.

"We're at their mercy; there's nothing we can do."

The other four nodded silently, and no one objected.

A group of people, their hearts heavy with gloom, slowly withdrew from the battlefield.

Deep in the mountains and forests.

Lu Heng walked along without stopping.

The Star Blade transformed into a phantom of Star Wolf and landed, carrying him at full speed straight towards Moonview Valley.

All the monsters, Aberrant, and remnants of the Green Demon army along the way fled at the sight of the high-level aura, and the journey proceeded unimpeded.

Several hours later, they returned safely to Moonview Valley.

The Fortress within the valley was tranquil and secure, its fortifications impenetrable, completely isolating it from all the bloodshed and violence of the outside world.

The Star Wolf dissipated and Lu Heng landed in the Shelter.

He gave the order casually.

"Housekeeper, prepare the meal."

The Mech-Driven Butler started up in response, with a low hum echoing around.

Lu Heng stood alone in the valley, calmly reviewing the current situation.

The outside world has entered a complete period of inactivity.

Monsters dare not invade, the squad cannot eliminate them, and the potential danger of the Portal remains untouchable for the time being.

There is nothing to fight, nothing to settle scores with.

He examined his own combat capabilities.

Land-based melee combat, Star Blade strikes, Mycelium control, and close-quarters combat—all have been meticulously crafted and refined.

Underwater combat is their only fatal weakness.

He was completely unfamiliar with the aquatic environment, water pressure resistance, underwater power generation, and breath-holding combat.

The post-apocalyptic world is rife with underground rivers, deep pools, and underwater caves; neglecting these weaknesses will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later.

Take advantage of the free time to thoroughly work out your weaknesses.

Without further hesitation, Lu Heng headed straight for the Inner Region Moonview Valley.

A natural waterfall cascades down between the crevices of the cliff face, and below lies a deep, tranquil pool, rarely visited by humans, making it the perfect place for solitary meditation.

Upon reaching the edge of the pool, Lu Heng made no attempt to warm up or hesitate.

He leaped into the icy pool.

The lake water instantly enveloped his entire body, and the water pressure squeezed in from all directions.

Ear pain, chest tightness, and a feeling of weightlessness and floating.

Lu Heng instantly realized his own shortcomings.

All the power generation, slashing, and change of direction techniques commonly used on land become ineffective underwater.

The resistance pulling action deflects the water flow trajectory, significantly reducing the attack speed of the Star Blade, and the Mycelium spreading is diluted and pulled by the water flow.

The shortcomings were fully exposed.

He sank to the bottom of the pool, opened his eyes to adjust to the dim water environment, and began intensive ascetic training.

First, practice holding your breath at its maximum.

Suppressing their breathing, enduring the lack of oxygen, soreness, and stinging in their chest, they pushed their limits again and again.

After adapting to breathing, refine your underwater body control.

Engage your core and waist, control the water with your feet, resist the current and float, forcefully stabilize your body, and prevent weightlessness and swaying.

Repeated, tedious training, adapting to the water pressure environment time and time again.

As his body gradually adapted, Lu Heng's mind stirred, and Star Blade materialized in his palm.

A pale purple glow illuminated the dark water.

He repeatedly tried underwater slashing, short, sharp strikes, and close-range changes of direction.

Continuously adapt to water resistance, adjust the force application rhythm, and hone the underwater cutting feel.

Simultaneously, the Blood Taisui Mycelium was tested.

The defects were clearly documented: slow underwater Mycelium formation, easy to be pulled apart, poor binding stability, and a significant decrease in control over the field.

For several hours, the soaking and pressing continued to the limit.

It was tedious, tiring, and grueling, but the results were substantial.

As the body gradually adapts to the water pressure, underwater movements become smoother, the Star Blade strikes become more stable, Mycelium can temporarily solidify and take shape.

The fatal weakness was gradually addressed.

As darkness fell, the water in the pool became icy cold, and my body reached its fatigue threshold.

Lu Heng stopped cultivating, broke through the water, and surfaced.

Shake off the water and stand by the pool.

A calm and undisturbed mind.

The weaknesses have been initially addressed, and the company's combat capability system has become more complete.

But the Forest Will remained buried deep in my heart.

The Green Demon World, Plane Selection, and the Value of Ordinary Survivors.

Unknown hidden dangers always hang overhead.