Chapter 198

The violent shaking dealt a crushing blow to the already crumbling ruins. Metal shards and dust rained down, filling the air. The outer duststorm barrier flickered like a candle in the wind, its glow dimmed by the admiral flagship’s distant strike, riddled with spiderweb cracks of energy that could collapse at any moment.

“Barrier… estimated… maximum… three… identical strikes…” Zero’s data stream carried a cold despair.

Lingna leaned against the cold metal wall to stay upright; Ali stood like a rooted boulder, watching the hall entrance with vigilance. Wrench’s broken body blocked the way before Lin Mo and Liyana, its only intact mechanical arm glowing faintly red—the charging indicator of its energy rifle—though this attack might as well be scratching the admiral’s troops.

The piercing shriek of the landing craft breaching the atmosphere grew louder, like the death horn of a god of death. Soon, muffled impacts echoed from multiple directions beyond the ruins, accompanied by the screech of tearing metal!

“Landing points… confirmed! Three! Deploying… combat units!” Zero’s scan projection filled the air: on the twisted metal ground, three grotesque landing pods, armored in dark purple chitin, rooted like tumors. Their doors opened, spilling forth not conventional soldiers, but a mixed force of corrupted monsters and pale, lifeless killing machines!

There were heavily armored, axe-wielding corrupted ogre warriors (clearly twisted offspring of Grolna’s kin); hovering mechanical sentinels with multiple sensors scanning constantly; bio-weapons shaped like giant spiders, spewing corrosive slime; and far more numerous, swift-moving, clawed and fanged low-grade clawbeast swarms, spreading like a tide!

More chilling still, each squad was followed by a “Guide”—dressed in pale uniform, expressionless, holding a special instrument. They were not combat units, but continuously emitted invisible signal waves, coordinating the actions of surrounding corrupted creatures like cold commanders.

“Target… locked… core energy source… and… life signals… highest priority… capture… key… and… container!” Zero intercepted the cold command over the public channel.

Key… container… the admiral’s goal was crystal clear!

“We can’t hold it… retreat to the core hall! Use… terrain…” Ali instantly judged. The outer barrier would soon shatter; facing a tidal wave of enemies in open ground meant certain death. The core hall’s gate was thick, its interior complex—the last bastion.

Lingna nodded. Together with Ali, they swiftly moved the unconscious Lin Mo and Liyana to a relatively safe corner behind the sealed chamber’s gate. Wrench stood at the hall entrance, preparing to hold the rear. Zero’s console hovered above the chamber entrance, its deep blue scanning beams vigilantly covering the corridor.

BOOM!!!!!

The outer barrier finally shattered under the flagship’s second distant strike, collapsing like shattered glass! The duststorm’s glow dissolved into a thousand glittering particles!

“Barrier… failed! Enemies… fully infiltrated!” Zero’s alarm had barely faded when heavy, dense footsteps, metallic screeches, and the nauseating roars of corrupted creatures echoed from deep within the hall entrance!

“Here they come!” Ali’s voice was as cold as a blade; her figure melted into shadow, vanishing behind the broken walls near the entrance. She was the lurking viper, waiting for the kill.

Lingna stood before the chamber gate, her right arm crystal glowing with intertwined dark purple and emerald light, her body trembling slightly—not just from fear, but from surging power. She stared at the nightmare horde pouring from the corridor’s end, at the cold mechanical sentinels and ruthless Guides, and a fierce battle-lust—mixed with terror and rage—blazed within her!

The first wave of clawbeasts surged into the hall like a black tide, their crimson compound eyes locking onto Lingna, who stood in the open!

“Get back!” Lingna snarled, swinging her right arm crystal forward! A concentrated energy shockwave, swirling with chaotic nebula hues, roared outward!

BOOM!

The first dozen clawbeasts were instantly shredded and carbonized by the violent energy—but more monsters surged forward, stepping over their fallen comrades! Simultaneously, the aerial mechanical sentinels locked onto Lingna and fired searing energy beams!

Lingna dodged sharply; the beams grazed her shoulder, melting deep craters into the metal wall behind her. She swung her arm repeatedly, firing chaotic energy beams at the sentinels—but they were highly mobile, their energy shields abnormally resilient, rendering her attacks nearly useless.

At that moment, a ghostly black shadow flashed from behind a collapsed wall! Ali! Her target wasn’t the frontline cannon fodder, but a pale Guide hidden behind the ogre horde, releasing command signals! Her speed was extreme, her alloy shortblade carving a deathly gleam through the dim light!

PTH!

The blade pierced the Guide’s nape core with precision! The Guide stiffened; its signal wave instantly cut off! The corrupted beasts around it froze, their movements chaotic and sluggish!

Perfect chance! Lingna’s spirit surged, ready to concentrate fire—when suddenly, a bone-chilling sense of danger seized her! She snapped her head up!

At the hall entrance stood a massive corrupted ogre commander, clad in dark purple heavy armor, wielding an axe as wide as a door. His crimson, savage eyes locked onto her. He let out a deafening roar, his thick hind legs slamming the ground, his colossal body launching forward like a cannonball! The axe screamed through the air, descending straight upon her head—faster than imaginable!

Lingna’s pupils shrank! The force of this axe far surpassed any previous clawbeast! She had no time to fully dodge!

At the eleventh hour!

A concentrated deep blue energy beam shot down from above, striking precisely at the ground along the ogre commander’s charge path!

BOOM!

The violent explosion and shockwave threw the ogre commander off balance, halting his charge. It was Zero—her precise calculations had bought Lingna precious time!

Lingna seized the moment, rolling sideways! The massive axe blade scraped her back, carving a deep trench into the floor!

Lingna, still reeling, prepared to counterattack—when suddenly, the ogre commander did not pursue her. Instead, he spun around, his crimson eyes fixed on Liyana, lying in the corner behind the chamber gate! He seemed to have received a command, roaring even more furiously—he abandoned Lingna, stomping heavily toward Liyana, axe raised high!

“No!” Lingna’s eyes bulged with rage! Liyana-sister was defenseless!

Ali was pinned down by mechanical sentinels commanded by another Guide—too far to help!

At this critical moment, Wrench—who had silently guarded before Lin Mo and Liyana—moved.

His broken body erupted with its final energy! Tracks spun wildly as he charged straight into the oncoming ogre commander! Simultaneously, his only intact mechanical arm’s energy rifle overloaded, blazing with blinding red light!

“Protect… directive… highest priority!”

BOOM——!!!

Wrench did not fire. Instead, as he reached the ogre commander’s feet, he jammed his overloaded energy rifle directly into the knee joint gap beneath the commander’s heavy armor—and detonated his last remaining core energy!

A deafening explosion! Scorching metal shards and violent energy streams sprayed everywhere! The ogre commander screamed in agony, one leg blown to shreds, his massive body crashing to the ground! Wrench… was reduced to half a charred, smoking torso and one twisted mechanical arm, his electronic eye extinguished forever.

“Wrench—!” Lingna screamed in heart-wrenching anguish!

The ogre commander’s threat was temporarily neutralized, but more enemies flooded in. Worse still, inside the chamber, the previously unconscious Liyana suddenly convulsed violently under the surge of the ogre commander’s murderous intent!

The several dark purple crystals on her forehead and chest erupted with unprecedented, blinding violet light! A cold, violent, annihilating energy burst uncontrollably from the crystals, spreading like a shockwave!

Lingna, closest of all, took the full force! She felt a freezing torrent slam into her; her chaotic power instinctively defended—but still, she was flung backward, crashing hard against the chamber’s metal wall! Her throat turned sweet; she spat out blood!

Liyana’s body, after unleashing this energy, saw the dark purple patterns beneath her skin writhe like living things. Her complexion turned ashen instantly; her breath weakened drastically. The crystals, like greedy vampires, now drew even more fiercely from her life force!

“Container… energy… Shikong … annihilating spores… activity… surging!” Zero’s alarm carried unprecedented urgency, “Liyana… vital signs… plummeting!”

Lingna struggled to rise, staring at Liyana’s tortured face, at Wrench’s sacrificed remains, at the endless tide of enemies pouring in… despair, like a freezing tide, threatened to drown her. Had they already reached the end—before the admiral even truly acted?

At that moment, Lin Mo’s duststorm core, hovering faintly beside Liyana and guarding her, seemed to sense the annihilating energy surging within her and her rapidly draining life force—and very faintly… pulsed once.