Chapter 84: Combat

“These are the ones, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hurry and tie the ropes around their wrists—don’t forget what that man warned us about.”

Inside the carriage, four children arrived, holding ropes specially made by Yanmeng.

They approached Zero and the others, tying the ropes around their wrists, with the other ends tied to their own.

One of the boys held two others, each of his hands bound to one of them.

“Take a deep breath, then count—this will make you fall asleep and enter their dreams. Just destroy their spiritual cores…”

Then, the four children sat beside them, silently counting in their minds: one… two… three… four…

Soon, they were all linked into Zero’s five dreams.

…………

Zero and Luo Li sat on the sofa, gazing up at everything around them.

It all felt unreal.

“Zero, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. I just feel like this isn’t real…”

“Come on, don’t overthink it. You’re probably just exhausted—you’ve been running nonstop on missions lately. You need rest.”

“Is that so… missions…”

Zero thought it might really be that—perhaps he was just tired, and that was why it all felt like a dream.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest a little longer, his smart bracelet suddenly blared a strong red alarm.

Seeing it, Zero knew another major incident had occurred.

He immediately stood up, activated his smart bracelet, and saw a message from [Rose].

【Creator, a massive surge of mutated species has attacked K2 Region! The threat is overwhelming—civilian casualties have already occurred. Troops stationed there are en route for support!】

“Understood. I’m leaving now!”

He looked at Luo Li, full of regret, and said: “Sorry, Luo Li. I have to go.”

Luo Li did not blame him. She spoke softly: “It’s fine. Go. I’ll wait for you.”

“Thank you.”

Then Zero boarded a flyer and returned to base, issuing orders: “All units, prepare for combat! Support K2 Region!”

“First squad, received!”

“Second squad, received!”

“Third squad, received!”

“Fourth squad…”

Afterward, Zero found his adjutant and handed him a briefcase.

“Activate [Rongzhong]!”

“Yes, General!”

The adjutant carried the briefcase to the base center and found the control console.

The console’s screen displayed: 【Foe Approaching】.

Seeing this, the adjutant operated the virtual projection screen on the console.

【Rongzhong activating… Activation successful!】

Then he opened the briefcase, connected it to the console, and launched a warship to support K2 Region.

【Deploy anti-air drones】

…………

Armored vehicles raced like the wind, while fighter jets screamed past at supersonic speeds.

Zero led his troops, driving their vehicles without pause toward the target.

Soon, the force arrived at the target location.

The scene here was utterly devastated, unbearable to behold.

More than half the surrounding buildings had been destroyed!

The air reeked of blood.

Most of it came from the corpses of the mutated creatures.

Many stationed soldiers held their weapons, fighting desperately to protect the civilians behind them.

The mutated species numbered in the tens of thousands—this was no less than a beast tide.

Even so, even wounded soldiers refused to retreat a single step!

They wielded heavy weapons and held their ground relentlessly.

Seeing this, Zero’s heart burned with rage. He issued orders over the channel: “Split into seven squads! First, second, and third squads with me—eliminate these mutated creatures! Fourth and fifth squads clear the mutated beasts inside the city! Sixth and seventh squads evacuate civilians and treat the wounded!”

“Yes!!!”

Then Zero piloted an armored vehicle, activating all weapon systems and crushing forward.

The armored vehicle unleashed its firepower, carpet-bombing every mutated creature that charged at them, reducing them to dust.

Wherever it passed, rivers of blood flowed.

Piles of mutated corpses rose high.

Fighter jets and deployed anti-air drones eliminated flying mutated beasts, providing aerial fire support.

Instantly, the battlefield erupted in sparks and smoke.

The deafening roar of artillery echoed through the sky.

Intermittently, the furious roars of the mutated creatures rang out!

ROAR!!!

At that moment, a mechanical roar pierced the heavens!

From within the beast tide, a mechanical behemoth descended from midair—thirty to forty meters tall, a hundred meters long—landing among the mutated creatures.

When the mechanical behemoth landed, it kicked up a crimson dust storm and violent tremors.

The ground cracked like a spiderweb, spreading outward.

Beneath its four feet lay countless mutated creatures crushed into pulp.

Artificial mechanical behemoth—Rongzhong!

A divine beast from myth.

Its head resembled a dragon-tiger hybrid, its mechanical claws razor-sharp, its back sprouting a pair of mechanical wings, and a massive mechanical tail swaying freely behind it!

“Rongzhong, destroy them!!”

ROAR!!!

Upon receiving the order, Rongzhong began slaughtering wildly.

Blood soaked the ground everywhere.

The scent of blood further enraged the mutated creatures, turning their eyes crimson, unleashing their primal fury, making them even more berserk.

Even so, Zero’s troops held their ground, preventing any mutated creature from advancing a single step.

“Adjutant, activate the [SkyNet] laser system—lock onto target—K2 Region!”

Zero issued the order to his adjutant via his smart bracelet.

“Yes, General!”

The adjutant operated the briefcase, connecting to [SkyNet] orbiting beyond Blue-White Star, and activated the laser.

In orbit beyond Blue-White Star, SkyNet—a massive mobile fortress—began reshaping its underside, unfolding laser emitters.

【Laser system activating…】

【Activation successful】

【Energy charging… Charging complete】

【Target: K2 Region】

【Firing countdown: 10… 9… 8… 7…】

BOOM!

Through layers of clouds in the sky, a red energy beam gathered—even from afar, its terrifying power could be felt.

【Laser fired】

SHHH!

A crimson energy column shot from space, cascading downward!

Centered on the laser, it slowly moved, obliterating everything in its path with overwhelming force.

Mutated creatures struck by the laser were instantly incinerated, reduced to ash and vanished without a trace.

The laser lasted seven seconds, then ceased, returning to its original state.

But on the distant ground remained a deep, glowing trench, radiating intense heat.

Like a scar left by a volcanic eruption, proof of what had just occurred.

After the energy strike, the mutated creatures were nearly wiped out—the remainder were eliminated by Zero’s troops.

…………

After a day of battle, the conflict in K2 Region came to an end.

While tending to the wounded, a soldier ran up from afar, cradling a little girl in his arms.

“Report, Lieutenant Colonel—we found this little girl in the ruins during patrol, but she’s not from Huaxia!”

“Not from Huaxia?”

Zero frowned, taking the girl into his arms.

The girl’s face was caked in dust, her body smeared with mud.

A cut on her forehead oozed a thin line of blood.

Yet her clothing was clear—a yellow kimono dress with scattered floral patterns.

Her long black hair hung loosely; one wooden sandal adorned her foot, the other lost somewhere.

“Nihonjin? Why is she here?!” Zero wondered.

“Hand her over to me. I’ll take her back, clean her up, then question her.”

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!”

Zero carried the girl to an armored vehicle, strapped her into the passenger seat, and drove her to the Luo family estate.

…………

“Is this his dream? What a strange place!”

A little girl in yellow entered Zero’s dream, gazing around in bewilderment.

Around her rose skyscrapers she’d never seen, and countless floating houses.

Vehicles zoomed through the air everywhere.

Wuuuuu!!

As she stood frozen, the city center blared an alarm!

【ALERT! ALERT! DANGER!】

The sudden alarm struck the soul—every pedestrian on the street panicked and fled backward.

The yellow-clad girl was knocked down by the crowd, scrambled up, covered her head with her hands, and ran desperately.

But what followed would haunt her for life.

In the sky, flying monstrous beasts descended into the city, hunting and devouring humans.

In the distance, heavily armed warriors fired their weapons at the advancing horde, fighting to the death.

“This… this… what kind of monsters are these?! Why is this man’s dream so bizarre? So terrifying…”

The yellow-clad girl couldn’t comprehend it—she’d completely forgotten the task given to her by Yanmeng.

All she wanted now was to hide somewhere.

Those monsters were too terrifying!

Especially seeing people being devoured—it filled her with dread.

The bloody scenes made her feel like vomiting.

Boom!

A mutated creature crashed into the city, demolishing buildings; the girl, distracted, fell to the ground!

Ignoring her pain, she rose and kept running.

She found a relatively safe corner and hid.

Her heart trembled with terror…

Her breath came in gasps; her pounding heart felt stuck in her throat, ready to burst out.

Just as she thought she’d escaped the disaster, the shockwave from an explosion struck her, knocking her unconscious.

Yet she was lucky—the falling billboard landed above her, and the corner she’d hidden in formed a safe pocket.

It spared her from being crushed…

After an unknown time unconscious, the yellow-clad girl opened her eyes to find herself in a spacious room.

Everything around her was unfamiliar.

A soft, comfortable bed; a glass balcony; and a strange, pleasant fragrance lingering in the air.

“You’re awake.”

The sudden voice startled her—she turned to see a white-haired boy standing by the bed.

This boy was the dream’s owner.

“How do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?” Zero asked.

The girl was frightened, silent—she didn’t understand a word he said.

“Language barrier?” Zero thought, then activated his [Analytical Glasses]—language translation function.

“What’s your name?”

This time, the girl understood, whispering: “Hozu.”

“Hozu, why are you in the K2 zone? And why do you have this?”

Zero pulled out a spike.

When they brought her back, he asked Bai Yun to clean her wounds, bathe her, and change her clothes.

Bai Yun discovered the spike during the cleaning.

Hozu saw the spike and frantically checked her clothes—she realized they’d been changed.

She looked up at Zero, eyes wide with terror.

“Don’t worry—my sister changed your clothes. You haven’t answered my question: why do you have this spike?”

Zero was puzzled—a little girl traveling alone carried a long, sharp spike?

If for self-defense, it was at least plausible.

But it was far too dangerous.

Yet this girl, Hozu, wasn’t Huaxian—she was Nihonjin!

So it couldn’t be that simple.

“I… I…”

Hozu stammered, unable to answer.

Seeing this, Zero pulled over a chair, sat down, and simply watched her.

Hozu trembled, clutching the sheets tightly, too afraid to speak.

“I’m… I’m sorry… I… I…” Tears spilled from her eyes.

I don’t know what to do… I just want to see my family again… sob sob…

Under Zero’s pressure, Hozu finally told the whole story.

Now Zero understood why everything felt so wrong.

While Hozu was unconscious, Zero recalled something T0 (Xiao Yue) had once said.

She’d said that before creating T0, she had lived eleven centuries.

After creating T0, she had accompanied herself for twelve centuries, then slept for two more.

But the current year was 4333—T0 hadn’t been created yet!

More importantly, Luo Li had never called him “Zero.”

“Zero” was a pseudonym he’d given himself in another world.

Only Xiao Yue knew it.

That was why Zero had felt this was neither dream nor reality.

It was all the work of the Evil Ghost.

Understanding the broad truth, Zero calmed himself and asked: “Do you know how to wake up from this dream?”

“I…”