Chapter 1646: Shifting Thoughts

Fortress.. Star Battlefield... Gravity... Pressure」

Inside the fortress, Lin An, as if thinking of something, quickly began to search.

Looking at this somewhat weathered fortress, he felt as if he had grasped the tail of something.

"No vitality.."

"Extremely solid ground."

"Blocked sky."

"A war fortress built on the mountaintop..."

"What... happened here?"

I don't know if it's the pressure of desperation, but it stimulated his past Memory.

Lin An suddenly realized that he had committed a serious mistake.

In past missions, the first thing he did was gather intelligence, seek the truth of the world, in order to complete the mission.

But as his strength grew stronger, he rarely did that anymore.

If one can crush with force, why rely on external objects, rely on the environment?

Especially when the mission is a battlefield, he habitually focuses all his thoughts on the opponent.

It's only natural for humans.

But at this moment.

Lin An bitterly discovered that this was really stupid.

Forced to enter the Fifth Stage, his current situation is exactly the same as when he was weak before.

How could his past self survive one desperate situation after another?

Wasn't it relying on utilizing every possible force to seek a sliver of life?

And now..

No matter how he studies the enemy or thinks about himself, it's useless!

In terms of IQ, thinking ability, which of these Fifth Stage beings isn't a top-tier existence!? Who could he possibly outsmart!?

In terms of strength, he is almost the weakest one!

There's no time to strengthen himself; even if he breaks through to the Fifth Stage by the rules, it would be meaningless.

So what he truly needs to do is, just like before, harness the power of the entire 'world' to break through this deadlock before him!

"Power, will lose oneself.."

"Immersed in power, it's a dead end!"

Self-reflection.

Lin An took a deep breath, realizing where his problem lay.

Since his power rapidly swelled, he has begun to enjoy the thrill of crushing, even becoming too lazy to think, to plan anything.

Take the fugitives as an example.

Lin An deeply knows that he was driven to this point by the fugitives, largely because he didn't want to waste time, and his hasty actions caused this disastrous outcome!

"If it were my former self, I would probably show weakness in the final battle..."

"As long as those fugitives don't immediately seal the instance, I can slowly plot against them, or simply lure them out and kill them!"

Upon self-reflection, Lin An's heart felt heavy.

Although in others' eyes, and even at the time, he didn't feel his approach was problematic.

But looking back now, he should have been cautious, cautious, and cautious again.

He made the same mistake as the Alien Species.

Being overly strong and thinking the opponent had no power to resist, he despised that group of fugitives.

Even though he appeared to have gone all out, he still immediately went to resolve the opponent...

He suppressed the feeling of self-blame.

Lin An instantly rushed into this abandoned fortress, trying to find clues to verify his idea.

Mistaken is mistaken; he now realizes it's not too late.

Soon.

As Lin An rushed onto the top of the city wall, after seeing the deep indentation on the wall's edge, his heart suddenly jolted.

Only to see that on the fortress's wide city wall, everywhere was filled with such indentations.

And upon close inspection, those indentations unmistakably resembled footprints.

He reached out to touch the weathered, integrated city wall, and Lin An's train of thought became even clearer.

He raised his head, looking at the chain that seemed within reach, and at this moment he seemed to understand something.

"No catastrophe.. no catastrophe that could trigger an explosion?"

"No..."

"This world has long been dead in the catastrophe..."

"How far have we already escaped?!"

"Hum"

In the sky, a Fifth Stage squad frequently looked behind, their eyes full of fear.

After emerging from the space rift, the Insect Jaw Clan Fifth Stage that Lin An had seen before suddenly became somewhat flustered and asked the Green Crystal Clan.

His face was deathly pale, the mouthparts at his lower jaw seeming severely worn, dripping blood with pattering sounds.

Heaven pities him.

At the moment Lin An's identity was 'exposed', he was frightened out of his wits, nearly suffering a mental breakdown!

He fled all the way, and the power of rules within his body was nearly exhausted!

"Six thousand three hundred kilometers!"

"We've already passed the starting point!"

Likewise panicked, the originally calm and composed Green Crystal Tribe Fifth Stage now also looked toward the fortress direction with eyes full of lingering fear, as if some monster were there; perhaps in the next second it would chase up and eat them.

I haven't felt this fear for too long.

Even though he is a Fifth Stage, he cannot control the panic in his heart.

Shatter-Star Level!

Such an invincible powerhouse, nearly at the top of the food chain, actually is on the same battlefield as them!

Just thinking about having heard rumors of the Shatter-Star Level, he couldn't help trembling all over.

"Six thousand three!?"

"Are we almost at the edge of the battlefield?"

Fleeing all the way, he didn't even have time to consider how far he'd run; the Insect Jaw Tribe Fifth Stage hastily glanced at the battlefield map, and only then did his unease ease a bit.

This distance should be about right.

Although the Shatter-Star Level's terror is unimaginable, having fled this far, that monster probably wouldn't go out of its way to chase them, right?

Just in self‑comfort, the Insect Jaw Tribe Fifth Stage isn't too sure either.

The reason is simple.

He had actually attacked Lin An, and he truly fears retaliation!

"Damn it!"

"Even if a Shatter-Star Level appeared here, that would be bad enough!"

"And yet pretending to be a Fourth Stage! How could there be such a perverse Shatter-Star Level in this world! Isn't that bullying people!?"

After suppressing his unease, the Insect Jaw Tribe Fifth Stage couldn't help but burst out cursing.

A Fourth Stage becoming a Fifth Stage advanced—this level of shock is no less than his family's ants turning into prehistoric crocodiles! If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would have doubted whether he was already dead!

"Who knows.."

"Maybe that monster deliberately did this."

"Deliberately showing weakness to lower our guard, then slaughter us all!"

"Actually, upon reflection, I already felt that pervert was problematic back then!"

Like Zhuge Liang after the fact, the middle‑aged Green Crystal Tribe member subconsciously recalled his first sight of Lin An.

"Damn it!"

A Fourth Stage acting alone, and yet struggling so much on the road.

He even thought Lin An had been abandoned, a little bug brought in by some Fifth Stage!

Now, upon careful thought, everything is a problem!

"Yes! Sir!"

"How could a Fourth Stage possibly escape from spatial fragments!?"

"And if you calculate the time, that pervert's speed isn't normal either!"

"I suspect that monster simply burst out after we left, then timed its appearance to show up at the fortress!"

"Arriving at the last second? There's no such coincidence!"

"He must have arrived long ago!"

Prejudiced, a Fourth Stage Peak couldn't help but add to the line of thought.

Once they considered Lin An to be Shatter-Star Level, all his previous performance now seemed like a conspiracy! Full of problems!

Hearing his subordinates raise problems one after another, the Insect Jaw Tribe Fifth Stage couldn't help but nod, his heart filled with lingering fear.

In his eyes, Lin An's image shifted from a bug that could be pinched to death at will, straight into a ruthless, cunning demon—just thinking about it is terrifying!

Perhaps Lin An never imagined that, after the system judged him as Shatter-Star Level, this Insect Jaw Tribe Fifth Stage almost knelt on the spot begging for mercy!

But he just couldn't figure out one thing.

"Put that way, indeed there was a problem from the very beginning."

"But does that monster not know the system will announce his identity?"

"What is his purpose..?"

Besides the lingering fear, doubt rose in the Insect Jaw Tribe Fifth Stage's heart.

He now fears Lin An, but he always feels something is off...

"And moreover.."

"Isn't the battlefield intensity the lowest level?"

"A Shatter-Star Level appearing here is, for us, almost the highest difficulty..."