Chapter 55: Sixteenfold! United will can build a city!

The urgent cry from the western main wall sounded like a funeral bell, shattering Chen Wen's last hope.

He had just barely plugged the breach on the eastern wall in a near‑self‑destructive way.

Covered in blood, the wound under his ribs burned with pain.

However, a greater crisis had already descended.

"Leader! We can't hold on! We can't withstand it!"

A blood‑soaked militiaman lunged at Chen Wen, his face full of despair.

"Zhang… Leader Zhang has been shot! The gate is about to be smashed open!"

Chen Wen's heart clenched suddenly.

Zhang Cheng shot? The gate about to break?

He didn't even have time to ask for details; his body moved faster than his thoughts, turning into a blur as he rushed toward the west gate.

Eightfold speed pushed to the limit, wind howled in his ears.

The situation on the western wall was ten times more horrific than on the eastern wall.

Battlements were destroyed in multiple places, defenders' corpses piled up. Zhang Cheng lay beside a battlement, a feathered arrow lodged in his chest.

Aunt Wang knelt beside him, futilely pressing on the wound.

Meanwhile, outside the city, a massive battering ram, amid the enemy's cheers, was delivering the final blow to the gate!

"Boom—crack!"

The iron‑clad wooden door emitted a grating crack, a huge fissure split it, and the door‑bar behind it was clearly broken.

The enemy soldiers' faces showed bloodthirsty ecstasy; they would launch a massacre as soon as the gate burst open.

Is it over?

A wave of cold despair swept over Chen Wen. Personal valor cannot save everyone;

Eightfold power cannot hold the homeland.

All his endurance and restraint now seemed meaningless.

To save all this, one must possess power beyond the individual!

Just then, the system issued another prompt tone.

"WP has met the upgrade requirements; upgrade immediately to Lv. 4 (16‑fold effect)?"

Warm reminder: the 16‑fold effect will unlock a new ability:

Ability Granting!

It can grant the multiplier ability to others! Currently grantable multipliers are 2× and 4×.

Granting multipliers to others consumes part of the host's spirit and stamina.

Hearing this, Chen Wen immediately became unsettled.

"What? Ability granting? System! You should have said earlier! I was still there feeling moved by myself!"

Chen Wen was momentarily speechless at the system.

However, the current situation does not allow him to be overly sentimental.

At the very moment the gate was about to shatter completely, a flash of resolve crossed Chen Wen's eyes.

He no longer suppressed the surging turmoil that had long roared in his mind!

"Upgrade!" Chen Wen let out a silent roar in his heart!

In an instant, the world became different in his perception.

The flow of time seemed to slow; every tiny movement of friend and foe became crystal clear.

A mighty power surged from within, wiping away his injuries and fatigue.

His thinking speed skyrocketed; the battlefield situation lay clear as lines on his palm.

But the most important change was not this sixteenfold personal enhancement, but that he 'saw' another possibility!

In his perception, centered on himself, an invisible force field seemed to appear.

He could clearly 'sense' the presence of every defender around him, like candles flickering in the dark.

And a realization welled up in his heart:

He could share his power with these 'candles'!

"Ability Granting" has been unlocked.

Current personal multiplier: 16×.

Grantable effects: broad grant (multiple targets, weaker effect, about 2×); focused grant (individual or small team, stronger effect, about 4×).

Note: granting effects consume spirit and stamina; duration is inversely proportional to the number of targets and the multiplier granted.

System upgrade mechanism updated:

The WP value has been transformed into the "Growth Progress Bar"; future breakthroughs require experiencing major events or achieving important accomplishments.

"Growth Progress Bar"? Major events?

Chen Wen instantly realized that the days of stubbornly guarding a corner, head down chopping wood, were gone forever.

The future path lies in the vast, surging tides of the world's great trends!

But now, what he needs is to resolve the immediate desperate situation!

Personal martial prowess might temporarily ease the crisis, but it cannot defend the entire wall.

The only way out is to make those around him strong as well!

His gaze instantly locked onto the seven or eight militiamen still fighting desperately on that wall segment.

And Zhang Cheng, lying on the ground as fragile as gold paper yet still trying to struggle to his feet.

Now is the moment!

Chen Wen focused his mind, without hesitation choosing Focused Bestowal!

Target: Zhang Cheng and the three nearest bravest militiamen!

An intangible yet immense warm power, like a bridge, instantly linked from Chen Wen's body to Zhang Cheng and the four!

Zhang Cheng, coughing blood, suddenly felt a surge of heat explode from his heart, instantly flooding his limbs!

The piercing pain in his chest suddenly eased, weakness vanished, replaced by an unprecedented surge of power and keen perception!

He instinctively grabbed the arrow shaft lodged in his chest, let out a low roar, and actually pulled it out!

Blood gushed from the wound, yet it was far from fatal, as if his muscles had gained greater vitality!

The other three selected militiamen were the same; their formerly exhausted arms were refilled with explosive power.

Fatigue in their eyes was replaced by shock and ecstasy, their senses becoming extraordinarily clear!

Even the trajectory of the enemy's blade coming down was clear as day!

"This… this is…"

Zhang Cheng looked at Chen Wen in disbelief.

Chen Wen had no time to explain, his voice like cold iron, cutting through the battlefield clamor:

"Zhang Cheng! Take those three and clear the scum that climbed up! Leave the gate to me!"

No doubt, no hesitation!

Zhang Cheng felt the surging power within him and his unconditional trust in Chen Wen.

He picked up the battle blade from the ground and let out a deafening roar:

"Brothers! Follow me and kill!"

The four, like tigers infused with souls, lunged at the enemy who had just climbed onto the wall and not yet steadied.

Their speed, strength, and reactions far exceeded normal, even surpassing the enemy's elite!

In the flash of blades, the originally fierce enemy soldiers were chopped down like melons and kicked off the wall!

The four-man squad actually displayed the might of ten thousand troops, instantly easing the danger on this stretch of wall!

Meanwhile, Chen Wen moved!

He ignored the foot soldiers on the wall, and his power erupted at sixteen times!

It let him, like a sparrowhawk, leap directly down from the wall several meters high!

"He jumped down! Kill him!"

The enemy troops below, after a brief shock, immediately brandished their blades and spears and surged forward.

Chen Wen landed, dust rising slightly.

His gaze icy, he locked onto the massive battering ram and the surrounding enemy troops.

He didn't even use a blade, simply throwing a straight punch!

"Boom!"

The spear-shield bearer at the forefront, person and shield together, was blasted flying backward, knocking over a crowd behind him!

Sixteen times personal power was displayed to the fullest at this moment!

He was like a humanoid beast, stirring a bloody storm among the enemy troops, each step breaking bones and tendons!

His objective was clear

——Completely destroy the battering ram, block the gate!

Above and below the wall, everyone who witnessed this scene, whether defender or attacker, fell into great shock!

The defenders saw:

The leader descended with divine might, alone battling below the wall;

And Zhang Tou'er and a few brothers, like divine aid, instantly turned the battle on the wall!

This is no longer individual heroism in despair; this is……divine-sign-like team empowerment!

A spark called hope ignited wildly in the hearts of every defender of Jiao Tu Zhen!

In dire straits, Chen Wen finally broke free of his cocoon and became a butterfly.

What he brought was not only personal strength, but also an extraordinary power capable of uniting wills and forging a strong city!

The fate gear of Jiao Tu Zhen, at this moment, was forcibly shifted toward a new direction.

"Growth Progress Bar: 1%"

A minuscule progress, unnoticed, quietly lit up deep in Chen Wen's mind. The true journey has only just begun.