The Alliance.
Time ticked away, and the zombies continued to spawn.
Mark had no intention of offering support, remaining at a distance to wait.
Horns tried to build a way back with blocks several times, but the zombies knocked him down almost immediately. He was helpless.
"Why isn't it handled yet?"
Mark frowned as he watched Horns scramble frantically.
Every second wasted was a loss for the Alliance.
"No, Horns, you've got it all wrong. We haven't abandoned you!"
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Soren Park's eyes darted around as he spoke up.
"We'll cover your retreat, but you need to plant the TNT near the portal first. After all, you're the one who built it, right?"
Soren Park was the one giving the orders, but Horns was indeed the builder.
It seemed only logical that he should be the one to destroy his own malfunctioning creation.
His expression softening slightly, Horns finally gave a small nod.
He drew his SlashBlade and Desert Eagle, slowly approaching the Nether Portal.
From a distance, Mark provided covering fire, picking off nearby zombies until Horns managed to push his way to the portal.
As he placed the TNT, Horns felt half the weight lift off his chest.
'As long as Mark and the Spartan Warriors maintain their fire, I can make it back safely once the portal is gone!'
Just as he lit the TNT, a sense of dread washed over him.
"Why are there still so many zombies?"
Zombies surged from all directions, shoving Horns right into the Nether Portal.
Before he could even react, he was pulled through the portal and into the Nether.
The TNT detonated, obliterating the Nether Portal along with it. Horns was trapped in the Nether forever.
"What a pity."
Mark wiped the barrel of his gun, his expression unreadable.
"I've run out of ammo anyway. My promise still stands—I'll pray to God for you."
Was he really out of ammo?
Standing beside him, Soren Park had seen everything clearly.
The light machine gun had a forty-round magazine; Mark had used twenty at most. Half was still left.
The same went for the other Spartan Warriors.
Due to class restrictions, they couldn't use modern firearms and were limited to tools from the Spartan series.
Arrows were also resources. Mark had intentionally ordered them to cease fire and stop providing support.
'Selfish and short-sighted.'
Having judged Mark's character, Soren Park subconsciously took half a step away from him.
'Now that he's in the Nether, I doubt Horns will survive.'
If they had shown a modicum of unity or generosity, Horns might have stood a chance.
Now, however, the system notification confirmed Horns' fate.
[SYSTEM: PLAYER HORNS OF THE H-NATION HAS DIED. THE PENALTY WILL ARRIVE IN THIRTY SECONDS!]
In the final broadcast frames, the audience saw everything.
Horns, transported into the Nether, witnessed a true scene from hell.
A literal sea of corpses; zombies bathed in lava swarmed every single corner of the Nether!
They jostled against one another, leaving barely any standing room. The moment Horns arrived, he was instantly targeted.
In the blink of an eye, he was devoured until nothing remained. Even the portal was destroyed by a Ghast's fireball.
"The Nether! It's literally hell!"
"It used to be just a name for another dimension, but now it's become a nightmare!"
"There's no day or night, just endless zombies spawning. Worst of all, they've evolved to be immune to lava!"
"Before, you could hide in the lava if you had fire resistance, but now even lava can't stop them!"
"Compared to the Nether, I think Mark is the real monster!"
"He sacrificed a man's life just to save a few bullets?"
"Oh my God, what are you talking about? It wouldn't have been just a few bullets; it would have taken several magazines!"
"Exactly. Clearing that many zombies would take hundreds of rounds. Everyone knows gunpowder is the rarest resource for the Alliance!"
"Horns couldn't even leave his chunk usually. Trading his life for hundreds of bullets? He should be honored!"
"Easy for you to say! The monsters are coming for us now. Why don't you take the penalty for us if you're so noble?"
"Screw you! I'll haunt you all even after I'm gone!"
Those who didn't face the threat would never understand.
Standing under dark clouds, watching the dragons and zombies in the sky, countless civilians let out roars of fury.
Despite their emotions, only a massacre awaited them now.
Through satellite imagery, entire regions could be seen vanishing as once-grand human structures were reduced to rubble.
"Life really must be held in one's own hands," Fries mused.
Watching Horns' tragic end, Fries was overwhelmed with emotion.
He sympathized with Horns, but once you joined the Alliance, you had to be prepared for such betrayals.
By contrast, Galen Yu, surviving alone, had no such worries.
Then again, if one had the strength to survive solo, there would be no need to join the Alliance in the first place. The only path to survival had been blocked.
For Horns, this was perhaps just his fate.
From this perspective, Galen Yu's value rose even higher.
"The current Nether is truly terrifying."
Fries had seen the glimpses of the Nether revealed before Horns' death.
He remembered a previous player who had cleverly chosen to survive in the Nether.
With lava as a natural defense, life wasn't luxurious, but they could live stably without worrying about their chunk being breached.
They managed to survive for over thirty days, only to perish in the new evolution of the Crisis.
There were many zombies in the Nether back then, but nothing as absurd as this. Thinking about it, Horns really was unlucky.
"Fries, I just remembered!"
Headmaster Quill said as he walked by.
There were many zombies in the Nether back then, but nothing as absurd as this. Thinking about it, Horns really was unlucky.
"Fries, I remember now!"
Headmaster Quill remarked in passing.
"I know why Galen Yu's Nether Portal was a success while the Alliance's failed!"
"Oh? Why is that?" Fries asked, his curiosity piqued.
He was indeed curious about this particular detail.
"When he first built the Nether Portal, do you remember Galen Yu making a trip to the Nether to do some prep work?"
"Now that you mention it, that does ring a bell!"
Reminded by Headmaster Quill, Fries suddenly realized it.
That's right! Before setting up the portal, Galen Yu had dug a pit in the Nether!
It wasn't just a simple portal; it was suspended in mid-air, a portal with no floor!
This design completely prevented zombies from flowing back through, and used the lava below to clear them out.
He hadn't paid much attention to that minor step at the time, but seeing the Alliance's failure made it clear.
It killed multiple birds with one stone. Absolutely brilliant!
"So Galen Yu had already thought of this and prepared in advance!"
Fries gasped in admiration.
His foresight was truly admirable!
"Also, the use of villagers and glass in the construction was crucial," Headmaster Quill continued.
If one looked closely, it wasn't that zombie backflow never occurred on the Sky Island.
With so many zombies in the Nether, it was inevitable that a few would squeeze through the portal.
No matter how low the probability, it would happen eventually given enough attempts.
Most were Mutant Zombies, but the moment they arrived on the Sky Island, they were either lured back into the portal by villagers or ended up fighting an Iron Golem.
If they lost, the Iron Golem killed them; if they won, the patrolling Guard Villagers finished them off. The defense system was flawless.
"Looking at it now, the Alliance never even thought of these preparations, nor did they have the chance."
"Their failure was destined from the start!"
Reflecting on the construction process, Fries couldn't help but sigh in awe.
Pure genius!
"Watching Galen Yu survive is simply a pleasure!"
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