[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-monsters-are-coming":3,"chapter-the-monsters-are-coming-monsters-are-coming-chapter-322":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Monsters Are Coming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2250171,4069,"Chapter 322: Invincible Time, The Warrior's Destination","monsters-are-coming-chapter-322",322,"\u003Cp>Morning light slanted through the gaps in the blackout curtains, spilling into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao neatly packed away the dismantled nutrient solution containers, and as he walked back to the game pod, his gaze involuntarily fell upon the photographs on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the first photo, he still wore a hint of youthful innocence on his Iron Face, holding the grand champion trophy of \"Starfall Battlefield\" with one hand, while behind him stood ten thousand guild members clad in battle armor, clustered together like a steel torrent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They raised their weapons high on the virtual battlefield, their cheers seeming to pierce through the photograph itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corner of the photo, the gold-stamped game ID \"Po Wan Jun\" remained clear, as if branded onto past glories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second photo was a group picture from the era of \"Eternal Realm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This too was a game internal to the Human Race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood on the command platform, with rows of ten-thousand-man formations arranged neatly behind him, war banners fluttering and iron armor standing like a forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, he had shed his childishness; a few traces of steadiness had appeared between his brows, yet his eyes still burned with a thirst for victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third photo, however, featured only a handful of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the final battle of \"Bloodline,\" where only seven core members remained by his side, set against a backdrop of ruins shrouded in gunpowder smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the photo, he still held his spine straight, but the smile at the corner of his mouth had faded considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an incredibly arduous campaign; facing off against the Human Race's top commanders, the legion he led was nearly annihilated, yet they ultimately secured victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth, fifth, sixth... every photograph represented a glorious past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gazed quietly at these photos; each time his focus settled on one, the corresponding memories would surge into his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those years of campaigning in all directions flowed through his memory like a faded old film.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The days of building a war guild were both a glory and a burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every command felt like walking a tightrope; the slightest mistake would lead to total defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly remembered a tactical meeting where members argued until the group fell apart, and even more vividly, he remembered the backs of former comrades-in-arms turning away when interests were placed before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although that stage was exhausting, it was also very fulfilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those were his most high-spirited days; within the Human Race, he had few rivals, and wherever his war banner pointed, songs of triumph followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tactical notebook in his hand was filled with records of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only after crossing racial barriers and stepping onto the stage of world-class games that he realized the vastness of the starry river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the stage where he changed the most.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commanders of various races were like brilliant stars; every race had its own specialized tactics in war games.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tactics of the Upper Realm beings were as elusive as flowing fireflies, the blood-fueled charges of the Great Barbarian Tribe carried a momentum that crushed everything in its path, and the prolonged warfare of the Wood Spirit Tribe brought despair... but the most unforgettable was that fellow from the Eclipse Tribe, who could always find the most awkward entry point within the battle plans he formulated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the moonlight of Emerald Canyon in the Land of Sin, he witnessed for the first time what command that resembled art truly was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hours of strategic maneuvering made him realize that the command ability he had once been so proud of was merely the view of a frog in a well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In every subsequent clash with that opponent, he improved, yet every outcome was defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after the launch of Monster World, the other party chose to quit the game and leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still remembered their final conversation, where the other party stated they had abandoned the Land of Sin and would strive in Monster World in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying in the chat box was the final private message:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If fate allows it in the future, let us meet again in Monster World; by then, perhaps we will not be opponents, but comrades-in-arms.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other party's abandonment made Ding Xiao feel very upset, yet it also gave him a new goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always remembered a sentence the other party had once said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The strength of one's command ability lies not in how many people you can mobilize, but in how many people you can truly make into extensions of your own will.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sentence touched Ding Xiao deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pondering carefully, he suddenly realized that even when commanding large-scale wars, there were many times when he felt powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these detailed issues were all caused by his personal energy being unable to cover the entire battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, after obtaining qualification for \"Monster World,\" he chose a different path, no longer pursuing scale, but pursuing perfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A refined guild team, a group of like-minded companions, gradually striving for the peak of adventure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the future, the guild might expand its scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before doing so, there was a prerequisite: he must be able to fully master a warband of that scale, and then grow together with the guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every expansion of recruitment was a breakthrough of current limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, since entering \"Monster World,\" his command ability had undergone an unimaginable transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The accelerated thinking brought by Brain Overclocking, the battlefield omniscience granted by the Eagle-Head Demon, the precise positioning of the Marked Soul, the weakness analysis of the Spirit Eye trait... when these abilities overlapped, they truly gave him a command perspective as effortless as moving one's own arm and finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could even observe the breathing rhythm of every member in detail during combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as that fellow had said before quitting: Monster World is the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having experienced the content of Monster World, he profoundly understood this statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Monster World, previous games simply did not exist on the same dimension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apart from the innovation in the player ability system, the strength of external opponents in Monster World also surpassed that of any previous game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the Earth Nian Bully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reviewing battle after battle led by the God King and the United Warband, projecting himself into the command perspective, he could empathetically feel the helplessness and despair in the God King's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This newbie village boss was growing too fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the server launch until now, players had already eliminated many races, and the scope of exploration was expanding day by day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the Earth Nian Bully remained enduringly powerful, always the strongest boss in the eyes of players; even the newly appeared Mingwu Tribe of the Pale Star Sea, possessing multiple Half-God Realm experts, was not considered as terrifying as the Earth Nian Bully by the players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The future of the Mingwu Tribe was clearly visible; they would inevitably be conquered by the player faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regarding the Earth Nian Bully, players could not see an upper limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Earth Nian Bully was not yet the limit; within the player faction, there was also an existence he needed to look up to: Tourist Number One.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Earth Nian Bully's command ability was already absurdly high, but Tourist Number One was even more so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being able to precisely control the actions of every player within the chaotic and complex torrent of war, the ability displayed could only be called a miracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ding Xiao was not discouraged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the game, there was \"Brain Overclocking,\" a soul trait that was absolutely T0 tier in the eyes of command-type players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Brain Overclocking soul trait improved, the enhancement in thinking logic could completely reach the level of Tourist Number One.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If level 100 was not enough, then level 200; if level 200 was not enough, then level 300; perhaps one day in the future, he could even surpass Tourist Number One.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was full of anticipation for his own future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also believed that by choosing to start over with a small-scale elite team, one day he could stand once again at the peak of the command circle, leading the player race to the summit of Monster World alongside his former opponents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweeping his gaze across the honorary photographs on the wall, Ding Xiao's eyes became resolute, and he strode toward the game pod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing that could limit his growth was his lifespan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an veteran player, he clearly knew just how vast the worldview of the game Monster World was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he still seemed young, even if he had another hundred years of life, it would not be enough to measure the area of Monster World.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lid of the game pod slowly lowered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sigh, if only this game allowed recharging lifespan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After logging in, Ding Xiao began laying out plans for the next round of challenges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The president of the Fan Zui Gong Society had already replied, inviting eighty elite players to assist him in battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were members of the Veteran Corps, as well as several top-tier damage-soak flow players from the Shen Tang Gong Society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strength of these eighty players was far superior to that of the members of the Star Gazer Gong Society he led.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pulling all members participating in the challenge into the warband, Ding Xiao began deploying new combat strategies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the previous round of confrontation against Puppet No. 2, there were two core reasons for the failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first reason was that Puppet No. 2's attack rhythm would gradually become chaotic as its body took damage, leading to minor errors in the subsequent command rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This issue could be improved by learning from the lessons of the previous round; changing from prediction to issuing orders after observing the energy circulation path within Puppet No. 2's body via the Spirit Eye; although slower in speed, it boasted higher accuracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second reason was that the output intensity was not high enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To force Puppet No. 2 into a specific output Cultivation Mode, players had to be sacrificed from time to time, sending them to specific zones to Iron Face Puppet No. 2's berserk assaults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This created excellent opportunities for dealing damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the number of sacrificed players grew, casualties became severe in the later stages, and the output gradually failed to keep up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more they fought, the less output they had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Puppet No. 2's output became increasingly berserk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, this was a timed-kill type boss; it had to be defeated within a specified time limit, making output efficiency extremely important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With eighty players joining this time, the output could obviously be increased significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The damage-soak players from the Shen Tang Gong Society, and the output efficiency of the Veteran Corps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao elaborated on his ideas in detail within the warband channel and released a new scene grid layout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he compiled the 500 grids into 630 cells, making the positioning for the next round of challenges more refined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing that worried him was the issue of coordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own guild members had already coordinated seamlessly for over a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was the first time cooperating with the damage-soak players from the Shen Tang Gong Society and the members of the Veteran Corps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were potential issues in their understanding of his commands and in their movement habits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of this had to be honed through actual combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao's idea was to first lead a 600-person team through several rounds of high-difficulty dungeons before challenging Puppet No. 2.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding his idea, both the Veteran Corps and the damage-soak players from the Shen Tang Gong Society expressed no objections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the dungeon challenge confirmed that the damage-soaking players from the Veteran Warband and the Divine Hall Society could quickly grasp his commands, Ding Xiao set out for the Starry Sea once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, the battle against Puppet No. 2 commenced again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Armed with the experience from the previous challenge, Ding Xiao's command was even more proficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as time passed, the number of sacrificed players in the warband grew, and the situation of insufficient damage output reappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Puppet No. 2 could even be paralyzed, the warband's attacks could no longer outpace the speed at which Puppet No. 2 drew energy from the nodes to recover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this stage, the only choice was to activate the Battle Formation and launch a final frenzy of damage output.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The result was still failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hour later, Ding Xiao appeared on the Colorful Mist Coast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he did not rush to gather the warband members; instead, he began repeatedly reviewing the recording of this round of the challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This failure gave Ding Xiao the idea to change tactics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sacrifices were unavoidable, but too many sacrifices would affect damage efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This problem seemed to have only one solution:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was to increase the number of participants; as long as the numbers went up, they would have more \"sacrificial offerings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regarding the method of increasing numbers, he had already realized before launching the challenge that it was unfeasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Increasing the headcount within a limited space would make flexible positioning and dodging difficult in the early stages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coupled with the protection mechanism of Life Link, Puppet No. 2's assault of dancing silver threads might wipe out all entering players in a single burst of damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao chose to activate his Brain Overclock Cultivation Mode, constantly searching his memory information, attempting to find a breakthrough solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this period, he also browsed forum information, trying to find inspiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, Ding Xiao found the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pets!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was unclear what Puppet No. 2's life monitoring mechanism was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But pets, just like players, were living beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could they let pets trigger the certain-death strike instead of players, thereby creating damage output space for the team?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this idea, Ding Xiao decided to enter practical testing the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With 592 people in the entire warband, they could send 592 growth-type pets to be sacrificed, which would also indirectly improve damage efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao led the warband to strike again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This round of the challenge proved his hypothesis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using pets as sacrificial offerings was completely feasible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no need to sacrifice players, thoroughly solving the problem where creating a damage environment constantly caused casualties that affected output.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a new problem soon emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the 489th pet was sacrificed, Puppet No. 2's body was already severely damaged and would enter a special state, activating a full-area beam bombardment within the spatial scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strike was impossible to dodge; once it appeared, it meant a total wipeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A full-power strike from a monster with Hunting Level 179 was simply something the warband could not withstand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puppet No. 2's phased performance reminded Ding Xiao of boss settings in early games, which featured phase enhancements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to other lifeforms in the Monster World, Puppet No. 2 appeared extremely incongruous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other lifeforms in the Monster World grew weaker the more they were fought; the concept of becoming stronger while at low health did not exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet at every stage where Puppet No. 2's health bar declined, it would display different behaviors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, Puppet No. 2 could actually unleash its full-screen bombardment ability from the start, but its combat power was gradually unsealed during the process of its health bar declining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ability to bombard the entire spatial range left Ding Xiao unable to find a way to break it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other problems could be avoided through skill and strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the full-screen bombardment was unreasonable; unless the Soul Soul Library possessed an invincibility skill that could exempt players from all damage, even a brief invincibility skill could avoid this round of terrifying output.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Spirit-Sealing characteristic could not interrupt this round of beam bombardment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Ding Xiao was utterly helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Full-screen beam bombardment was simply not something that could be solved through the efficient coordinated combat of warband members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Ding Xiao was preparing to give up and send the damage-soaking players from the Veteran Warband and the Divine Hall Society back, a comment popped up in the livestream room he had activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This comment made Ding Xiao stare in astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the sender of this comment was precisely the divine figure in the eyes of the forum players: Tourist No. 1.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tourist No. 1: I've watched the content of your previous livestream recordings; your tactics are good. Do you have any ideas for the next round of the challenge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Tourist No. 1's inquiry, Ding Xiao immediately spoke in reply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Puppet No. 2's full-screen bombardment is completely unsolvable; I want to give up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, a comment from Tourist No. 1 arrived: There is absolutely a way to deal with this ability; why give up? First, tell me your detailed layout for the next round of the challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these words, Ding Xiao without hesitation began to recount his originally formulated battle plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only during this process, this Ding Xiao, who could calmly adjust tactics before thousands of troops, carried a youthful tension in his voice, resembling nothing so much as an elementary school student handing in homework.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason for all this was that Tourist No. 1's several miracles had made him submit in admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also regarded Tourist No. 1 as his idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that his idol had the intention to offer guidance, this made Ding Xiao inexplicably nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His performance at this moment even felt strange to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I plan to use 100 Blood Soul Chains combined with Petrification to forcibly interrupt Puppet No. 2's large-scale output in the early stage...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking to this point, Ding Xiao paused and looked toward the comment section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Continue.\" Tourist No. 1's comment floated by, followed by the system's default smiling expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao took a deep breath and continued to recount his tactical deployment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the battle simulation reached the beam explosion, Ding Xiao said regretfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When it comes to the full-screen beam bombardment here, I cannot find a way to deal with it; even the Spirit-Sealing characteristic cannot interrupt it. The energy intensity is too high; the Spirit-Sealing characteristic released by the Archer Group can only briefly delay the release of the beam explosion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, Tourist No. 1 sent a comment: I will give you two sets of solutions to this problem; how you decide is up to you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good.\" Ding Xiao immediately agreed with a nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Tourist No. 1's explanation, light gradually filled Ding Xiao's eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Feasible; the plan you gave is absolutely feasible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give it a try; I will pay close attention to your command throughout the next round.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Tourist No. 1 gave no further reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Tourist No. 1's guidance, Ding Xiao immediately revised the battle plan he had prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The challenge commenced again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the method of sacrificing pets, the warband led by Ding Xiao quickly advanced to the stage just before the beam explosion appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this stage, Puppet No. 2 no longer resembled its initial form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its porcelain-like body was covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks; its left arm was broken at the elbow joint, connected only by a few silvery-white threads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many places on its body were scorched with charred holes, revealing the spirit rune structures inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large gap appeared at the position on its chest that had been focused fire, revealing a crystal core beating like a heart, yet those eyes, carved like sapphires, remained cold and sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Puppet No. 2's combat power was still extremely terrifying; any mistake could lead to a total wipeout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Ding Xiao used his Spirit Eye characteristic to stare unblinkingly at Puppet No. 2, waiting for the beam explosion to appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puppet No. 2 was now severely damaged and could activate full-screen beam bombardment Cultivation Mode at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three minutes later, Ding Xiao noticed that the speed of energy circulation inside Puppet No. 2 suddenly accelerated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing that full-screen bombardment Cultivation Mode was about to activate, he immediately roared in the warband chat channel:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Archers release Flowing Shadow Clones; everyone else, according to the pre-arranged groups, release Oath Space!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The command issued, all archers simultaneously released the Scattering characteristic and the Flowing Shadow Clone characteristic, splitting off multiple clones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other players in the warband one after another turned around and decisively released Oath Space toward the clones created by the archers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, all players instantly vanished from their spots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All entered the temporarily created Oath Space scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The terrifying beam bombardment descended accordingly, turning the semi-independent space into a glowing cocoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puppet No. 2's shattered body burst apart like a supernova; countless blue beams shot out from every one of its cracks, covering the entire semi-independent space with this strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this strike caused no damage whatsoever to the players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Ding Xiao, situated inside the Oath Space, was drinking potions to replenish his status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the brilliant solution Tourist No. 1 had given.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It perfectly avoided Puppet No. 2's most terrifying round of output.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, before this battle began, Tourist No. 1 had given him two plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first plan was very simple: sustain the battle by purchasing Positioning Teleportation Scrolls from the Enlightenment Mall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Form three groups to strike in rotation; when one group is wiped out, swap in the next group via teleportation to take over, leaving Puppet No. 2 no time to self-repair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drawback is that the price of Enlightenment Information Orbs has recently skyrocketed; the exchange cost for a single Positioning Teleportation Scroll approaches 3,500 Sacrificial Power, meaning a regimental formation of 600 people requires a teleportation cost of 2.1 million Sacrificial Power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Cultivation Mode could kill Puppet No. 2 through attrition, but the consumption is too great; with his financial resources, he simply cannot sustain it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without being able to see health bars, it might take tens of millions to even have a possibility of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second plan is the strategy he is currently employing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Oath Space characteristic within the Soul Soul Repository can drag a target into a temporarily created independent scene for a duel, lasting until one party dies and exits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Soul Soul appears to be offensive, yet it can also be used to evade damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had the archer, who had lost the Scattering characteristic due to inlaying, inlay another Flowing Shadow Clone; meanwhile, he used the Spirit Eye characteristic to observe the timing node when Puppet No. 2 activated its beam explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he perceived the beam explosion was about to trigger, he would have the archer release multiple clones using the Scattering characteristic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All other players would then activate Oath Space, forcibly dragging the clones into the Oath Space, perfectly evading this round of bombardment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clones would not attack proactively, giving them ample time to recover their status within the Oath Space, or even use buff items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene instantly stunned the spectating players in the live stream room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Star Gazer Society formed by Ding Xiao already enjoyed high popularity, regarded by dungeon-party players as one of the strongest dungeon teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, a large number of dungeon-party players were always present in the live stream room, learning techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao's challenge against Puppet No. 2 had already gained traction on the forum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, forum players generally believed that the Star Gazer Society led by Ding Xiao would struggle to succeed in the challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with the addition of powerful players like the Veteran Regiment, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this hope was shattered once again after Puppet No. 2 released its beam explosion; this round of full-screen damage was simply impossible to evade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only viable method was the one proposed by forum players: breaking the space, turning a small-scale team battle into an endless endurance fight in the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Star Gazer Society launch another challenge, many players believed it was merely futile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never expected that, in the end, they would utilize the Oath Space tactic to achieve an evasion akin to \"invincibility frames.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The popularity of the live stream room instantly exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danmu (bullet comments) flew across the screen in an instant:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As expected, the development of Soul Souls is endless; everyone said Oath Space was just a T3-level Soul Soul, but what about now? Those who voted low, come out and speak!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha, you can even brew a cup of tea in the independent space, finish drinking it, and then come out to continue pushing the boss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So flashy; coming out at full status to continue fighting, Puppet No. 2, already low on health, is probably about to be pushed down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm already starting to look forward to accommodating the new territory rule; I hope this rule is powerful enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Communicating via the warband chat channel, Ding Xiao asked all players about their status recovery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming that all players in his warband had recovered their status, Ding Xiao requested all players to beat their clones down to critical health.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, receiving replies from all players, he took a deep breath:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In a moment, I will count down three seconds, then we enter together; supports apply Life Link first, tanks push forward immediately to deploy blood walls.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"3... 2... 1, enter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Ding Xiao's command, players in different temporary spaces acted simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second, all 600 players returned to the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life Link tethers quickly connected to all regiment members, while tank players rapidly pressed forward, releasing blood shields to generate defensive walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Puppet No. 2 had ceased its offensive, but upon detecting life fluctuations again, it restarted, waving its hand to unleash silver-white threads that swept across the entire field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battle once again entered a stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Armed with experience from previous challenges, Ding Xiao appeared composed, calmly directing everyone's positioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Team 3, shift left two grids to block its silver thread reset attack; Team 2, prepare Blood Soul Chains to pull it away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Archer group, activate Extreme Speed, aim at the cracks I've marked and attack.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wang Yu, throw out your Fat Peach and send it to sacrifice...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they could not see Puppet No. 2's health bar, they could not judge how much stamina it had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After resuming combat, Ding Xiao appeared extremely cautious, daring not to adopt the reckless \"charge and output\" Cultivation Mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued the attrition strategy, prioritizing damage evasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty minutes later, Puppet No. 2's skills seemed to have finished cooling down, and the second round of beam bombardment descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having predicted this in advance, Ding Xiao once again entered the Oath Space with his warband members to evade, launching a second return offensive after recovering to full status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After going back and forth like this for three rounds of returns, Puppet No. 2's body was already battered and broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Puppet No. 2 fell to its knees; the crystal core revealed within the cracks in its chest emitted a \"crack\" sound and shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Puppet No. 2 still supported its body with its remaining left arm, attempting to stand up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a stubborn dancer, insisting on completing its final curtain call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The players showed no mercy, ending the battle with a round of focused fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Puppet No. 2's body slowly collapsed like a sandcastle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various fragments turned into points of light before hitting the ground; the silver-white threads, like burnt fuses, section by section turned into flying ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a buzzing sound arose, and countless broken image scenes gushed forth from Puppet No. 2's pupils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the images, an alien girl with a humanoid form was cheering in front of a mirror; along the edge of the mirror, one could see Puppet No. 2, standing only half a meter tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Various broken images flashed rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every single frame was related to this alien girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players could even witness this alien girl's rapid growth through the fragmented images.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the incomplete images, when the now-adult alien girl appeared for the last time, she smiled, patted Puppet No. 2's head as if saying something, and then turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the images stored by Puppet No. 2 came to an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the images shattered, a tunnel emerged beneath Puppet No. 2.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Xiao led the warband members inside, where they saw floating spatial node crystals and piles of derived energy crystals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could also see large piles of remains from alien intruders that had been cleared away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Players in the live stream room were all cheering for this victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All found it incredible that Puppet No. 2, which seemed invincible, had actually been taken down by the Star Gazer Society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the full-channel notification sounded, a blue territory brand appeared on the \"Rule Divine Pillar\" of Emperor Tomb Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as all players were cheering for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lore-focused players, deeply interested in the game's background, had already sprung into action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lore post rapidly climbed in popularity on the forum:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I finally understand why Puppet No. 2's combat logic is so clumsy, completely inconsistent with the intelligence a level 179 hunting monster should possess; enter if you want to know the relevant background story.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poster: Most Delicious Food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Content:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have been following the Star Gazer Society's challenge actions these past few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is one question that has always troubled me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is Puppet No. 2's level of intelligence so low, even possessing predictable attack cycles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This clearly does not fit the settings of the Monster World.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the combat-type mechanical lifeforms that appeared when the Underground Cave World first opened were more intelligent than Puppet No. 2 and did not have settings for attack cycles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the battle just ended, I saw broken image replays and curiously asked the Guide what these image scenes actually were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guide's answer unveiled a long-buried past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puppet No. 2 was originally just an ordinary companion and domestic service robot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earliest image stored in its memory crystal was of a father giving it as a gift to a girl, who named it \"Little Porcelain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also the girl's second doll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After growing up, the girl became a guardian of a resource storage node, which is the semi-independent space the Star Gazer Society entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl brought \"Little Porcelain,\" which had accompanied her growth, to the spatial node as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But brothers, we all know the situation in the Monster World; extinction might happen in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the descending force of the \"Prisoner Clan\" in the Cangxing Sea Region at that time, the girl's Yuanjing Clan chose to fight a last-ditch battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl also received orders to go to the battlefield; this was the entire clan's final all-or-nothing gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every ounce of strength would be a chip leading to victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Puppet No. 2's memories, regarding the final image scene of the girl, when she patted Little Porcelain's head, what she actually said was: \"Little Porcelain, guard the home well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the girl never returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through analyzing node information, we have all learned that the Yuanjing Clan was completely crushed in this battle and exited the stage of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But within the semi-independent space, that doll, which once only knew how to clean with silver threads, was still executing the order given by its master before departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, it was not a combat-type creation; no combat logic sequences had been implanted within it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its choice was to rewrite its cleaning program into thread manipulation for combat, combining pruning techniques from gardening to create silver thread cutting weapons, and even pinning itself in the corridor leading to the energy node, relying on devouring spatial energy to maintain operation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Snow Ridge Great Wilderness evolved from Snow Fluff Balls with the assistance of the Kongyuan Peak Node.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puppet No. 2 grew rapidly through passively devouring node energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Puppet No. 2's core code never changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lacking combat modules, it imitated moves from animated shows it had watched alongside the girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lacking tactical logic, it treated all intruders as \"trash\" that needed to be \"cleaned up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most tragically, until its death, it remembered its promise to \"guard the home,\" so it never moved beyond that fixed area, even though this turned it into a living target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind its foolishness lay Doll No. 2's absolute loyalty to its master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Star Gazer Society launched their final concentrated barrage, destroying its energy crystal, the fragmented memories replaying were perhaps its final farewell to its master across time and space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within them were the girl's smiling Iron Face from childhood, warm bedtime stories... and finally, that promise to \"guard the home well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every year (three years as we understand them), Doll No. 2 stood in the empty Node Base, baking a small cake for its master, waiting for her return to celebrate together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before dying, one segment of the imagery it released contained a message (video screenshot.jpg).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The text above roughly meant: Little Porcelain has guarded the home well today too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doll No. 2, a domestic robot born of love and companionship, ultimately fell in the posture of a warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no medals of honor, no eulogies, only countless enemy remains below the passage, and an unwavering obsession with protection that lasted until death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though born as a doll, fate granted it a warrior's funeral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here are 8,300 words~ One more chapter follows~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",5584,"2026-06-19T09:20:37.851Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5b40b81d97db7c699f870b477ea6cf7b85bd7ae3fc9df452db0cb5d47ac4c303","monsters-are-coming-chapter-323","monsters-are-coming-chapter-321",393,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmonsters-are-coming-cover.jpg"]