There was little strategy—just a brute-force charge.
As the Unicorn King attacked the walls, it faced concentrated fire. It issued a king-level summons, rallying all Beast Generals to its side.
The first wall couldn't withstand the combined assault, collapsing with a roar.
But facing the next wall, the low-intelligence beast tide attacked chaotically.
Some targeted the wall, others scattered, thinning their numbers. War Clan vehicles, hidden on the walls, easily mowed down swathes of snow beasts.
The Unicorn King and its Generals, like brainless flies, zigzagged through the maze, battered by attacks, their bodies riddled with icy cracks.
This golden-tier, Level Four Unicorn King failed to leverage its bloodline advantage.
The base had two Fifth-Level vehicles, inflicting heavy damage on the beast.
As the Unicorn King weakened, nearing collapse, no one noticed a weak defense point where "snow spiders" and "snow bears" gathered, breaching two walls. The third wall's durability plummeted.
"Northeast corner, send people now!"
"Where are the defenders? The wall's about to fall!"
"Damn, why are these snow beasts so strong?"
In the chaos, no one spotted the anomalies.
"Snow spiders" with green-eyed backs and six-legged "snow bears" boasted stunning attack and defense. Crucially, the spiders had an explosive ability. As reinforcements arrived, the spiders self-detonated in succession, their blasts shattering the final wall.
Ahead lay the War Clan base's interior.
Countless vehicles rushed to the breach.
The spiders' eight legs scrambled along walls, scattering and detonating, aiding the snow beasts in wrecking the defenses.
One breach after another tore through the seemingly impregnable walls. In a chaotic "inside-outside" assault, the defense line fell quickly.
The snow bears, conversely, fled after the first breach, blending into the tide, scratching here and there, then vanishing.
With a third party's intervention, the tide stormed the base.
From Wei Huan's perspective, this was simple.
The hardest part was gathering the super-large tide over days. His summoning range was limited, and he couldn't get too close to the base. To amass enough snow beasts, he roamed the periphery, capturing stragglers.
To prevent the tide from triggering prematurely, spacing the beasts was critical.
He couldn't do it alone, so crew members were dispatched, working tirelessly for three days.
Now, with the super-large tide, the Unicorn King, 100,000 snow beasts, and Wei Huan's hidden 10,000 undead—especially the bomb-carrying Facehuggers—breaching a base equivalent to a Fifth-Level dark beast territory was straightforward.
But this devastating war profoundly impacted the War Clan.
As walls fell, unprepared defenses faltered, and the tide poured in, the base wasn't just shocked—it was utter chaos.
Everyone looked as if they'd seen a ghost, minds blank, unable to believe their years-long, costly fortress fell in under ten minutes.
Some, still sleeping, were yanked awake, shouts ringing: "Get up! The base is lost!"
Too fast.
Far too fast.
When the War Clan's Holy Lord tumbled from bed in panic, he heard this doomsday news.
"What? Lost?!"
Disbelieving, he stumbled into the control room, seeing snow beasts rampaging through his base.
"How?" He slammed the table, rejecting the sight. His disheveled blonde hair flared like an enraged lion's mane as he roared, "Damn it, how did they get in? The walls can handle super-large tides! Even if this is one, it shouldn't break through so fast!"
The Facehuggers were anomalies.
The zombie bears were anomalies.
Even the wall-destroying explosions were anomalies.
But irregular forces like the War Clan, strong in brute force or cunning, lagged in standard investigation, tactics, and counterattacks compared to regular armies.
So many anomalies unfolded on the battlefield, yet no reports reached the top. The "Holy Lord" was like a blind man, missing a Facehugger darting past the monitor, fixated on the Unicorn King.
"Quick! Rally and kill it! Only killing it ends this fight!"
He pinned the defense failure on the Unicorn King, watching his painstakingly built walls crumble, snow beasts ravaging his territory, toppling vehicles, some finding elevator shafts to the civilian underground.
Furious and anxious, he felt his authority challenged.
"Damn snow beasts, die here!"
He shouted, "Beast Pen!"
A black heavy-duty SUV, rising from underground, summoned a 5x5-meter wooden fence.
The plain-looking fence bore intricate, ancient symbols on each post.
Its center was green, like a lush lawn sprouting in snow, vibrant.
Close inspection revealed tiny creatures darting within, like miniature ants, with occasional larger ones.
A gate opened toward the tide.
After a brief pause, a rhinoceros charged out.
Initially calf-sized, it grew rapidly as it distanced from the gate.
From one meter, it swelled to ten, then twenty meters, still growing. Reaching mountain-like proportions, its four legs like pillars, it towered over 200 meters, casting vast shadows.
The rhino's appearance signaled all vehicles to scatter, leaving the snow beasts in its path.
"Moo!!"
Its deep, resonant call echoed as it lowered its massive horn, charging.
'Boom! Boom! Boom!'
Its colossal hooves crushed Level Four snow beasts into pulp, vanishing into darkness.
More beasts, even dark beasts, followed, aiding humans against the tide, escalating the chaos.
But the balance tipped decisively to the War Clan.
Wei Huan watched, fixated on the fence.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was a Hunter Sequence training ground.
In his past life, it never appeared. The War Clan leader, possessing it, took its secret to the grave.
Or perhaps, before his death, it was transferred, and its successor never used it in humanity's crises.
This made sense.
The War Clan were lunatics aiming to become a "remnant race" like the Blue Whiskers or Snow Clan, surviving underground in the Challenge World.
They didn't care about humanity's fate, claiming to preserve a spark of human lineage.
Before Wei Huan uncovered that relic, the Blue Whiskers survived underground for ages. If not for him, they might've counterattacked, extending their existence.
Living for pleasure, heedless of the aftermath.
Perhaps humanity's defeat was what the hidden War Clan desired.
Wei Huan's gaze burned on the Beast Pen, unblinking.
When he refocused, the tide's siege was nearly over.
Except for a few snow beasts and mission-bound Facehuggers in the underground, the surface was clear.
The Holy Lord, capable of forming the War Clan, had skill. The Beast Pen, tied to a diamond chest and diamond gear, proved it.
To avoid detection, Wei Huan reluctantly recalled his Demon Eye Lords to the Great Tomb, resummoning them via portal.
The freshly summoned Lords joined the waiting special ops team.
"Alright, move out."
Wei Huan stepped from the cockpit, facing three teams and three Kobolds.
"The path's open. Go, be careful."
He scanned the teams: Xu Qingqiang with Zhou Yong and Lin Xu; Instructor Xing with his trio; and the Tier Five Warrior King leading another trio.
They were set for a textbook "behind-enemy-lines decapitation" mission.
"Stay safe. Go."
"Yes, sir!" Xing and the Warrior King saluted sharply. Xu's trio, half a beat late, mimicked them.
Each team stepped into a waiting Kobold's mouth, familiar with the teleportation. Landing, they were ready.
A Demon Eye Lord and three Ghost Crows followed each team. Xu's team added a monkey around his neck.
Fully assembled, the Kobolds leaped into the last member's chest pocket, hiding.
The chosen "carrier" patted the pocket, feeling secure.
Though only nine in three teams, the Kobolds meant Wei Huan could teleport in, unleashing an undead calamity. Unless instantly killed, they feared nothing.
All selected were robust melee fighters—maybe not lethal, but highly durable.
Leaving their hideout, they explored the underground city. Wei Huan's vision, through the teleported Demon Eye Lords, glimpsed it.
Aside from perpetual darkness, the living conditions were decent.
The snowy surface faced frequent tides, but underground, with ventilation and plumbing solved, life was calmer.
With vehicles, humans needed only underground parking lots to live securely.
To brighten the city, the War Clan planted greenery and hung colorful decorations.
Wei Huan's gaze lingered on banners reading "War Clan Festival."
"War Clan Festival? Celebrating their founding?"
His vision followed Xu Qingqiang's team. The other two, experienced in covert ops, cautiously eliminated patrolling soldiers, took their badges, and blended in.
Xu's trio, unchanged in appearance and attire, boldly walked from the tunnel into the crowd.
Wei Huan: "…"
Worried—very worried.
He ordered a Demon Eye Lord to the ceiling's shadows, its eye tracking Xu, black veins pulsing with suppressed dark energy, giving an ominous vibe.
Post-tide, with beasts breaching the walls and underground, everyone was rattled, overlooking specific dangers.
Hiding the Lord, Wei Huan nearly lost Xu.
When he found him, anxiety turned to shock, cursing under his breath.
Xu blended perfectly.
Amid a fearful, huddled crowd spouting bravado, Xu, Zhou Yong, and Lin Xu stood seamlessly, exuding the same mix of swagger and cowardice.
Xu, cigarette dangling, leaned on a vehicle, casually listening, smoke irritating others. When eyes met, Zhou and Lin handed out cigarettes.
In under three minutes, Xu was arm-in-arm with them, like brothers.
Wei Huan: "…"
Utterly harmonious, indistinguishable, their slouched posture mirroring the locals.
Xu lit another cigarette, chatting. "If not for the Holy Lord, we'd be done."
A man, taking his cigarette, nodded. "Right? The Holy Lord and Holy Guards protect us. Swear allegiance, pay a small tax, and we settle here."
Xu nodded, about to speak, when the man asked, "Where you from, brother? Haven't seen you."
Xu glanced at him. "Captain Wang, you're busy. I know you, but you not knowing me—isn't that normal?"
Hearing his name and rank, the man dropped suspicion. "Busy? I'm just coasting."
Xu smirked, chatting while eavesdropping. Others called out "Engineer Wang" or "Captain Zhao"—no need to dig; answers came to him.
Finishing his cigarette, Wang eyed Lin Xu's half-pack, wanting more. Xu scoffed, "One freebie, and you want more? Points don't grow on trees."
Wang's eyes glinted. "Haven't had such pure stuff in ages. On Blue Star, I was a billionaire boss. If not for this damn Challenge World, I'd be living it up. Bankrupt? I could've bounced back. Fled to Aosham, but Daxia dragged me back. Now, I don't know if my wife and kid are alive. Don't dare return—straight to prison."
Xu said, "Why dwell on the past? Who here doesn't have a story? Unlike you, I came from an orphanage. I'm here to make it big. Stop crying—gonna see if I can catch the Holy Lord's eye."
Wang, eyes red from his woes, grabbed Xu. "How?"
"You're a trust-fund kid, right?" Xu baited, feigning reluctance.
"Heh, third-gen rich. People kissed up to me from birth. How'd they do it?"
Xu paused, nodding. "Never seen a pig climb a tree, but you've eaten pork. Follow me, play it by ear."
"Sweet, you're alright, brother."
As Xu's trio led others away, Wei Huan, reading lips, pieced together the truth, speechless.
Xu's manipulation of these scum was masterful—playing hard-to-get, flawless.
Their goal was to find the Holy Lord, capture the head to dismantle the War Clan.
Expected to be tough, Xu proved an expert.
In a few words, he got locals to guide him—a skill Wei Huan hadn't anticipated.
Worthy of "Brother Qiang," a street veteran.
Before turning into an alley, Xu lit another cigarette. As the flame flared, a monkey peeked from his pocket, glanced around, and ducked back.
Xu exhaled, tantalizing followers. He signaled Lin Xu, who pulled a cheap cigarette pack from his back pocket, distributing them, warning, "Don't screw this up, or you'll ruin my shot at promotion."
The streetwise act was too perfect. Recipients didn't suspect spies, thinking Xu had ambition worth following.
Unknowingly, they led Xu to the War Clan's core.
This underground parking lot had a community vibe—greenery, decorations, a supermarket, a café, and two basketball courts.
Buildings embedded in walls had lit windows, showing movement.
The parked vehicles were pricier models.
Wartime left it sparse, many spots empty. Only two girls, chasing each other, were visible.
Seeing kids, Xu and Wei Huan thought of Dou Lin, "war children," and "saints."
Were these kids truly stranded, or had their way home been sabotaged?
The five- or six-year-old girls, clean and pretty, moved fast, likely awakened challengers.
Spotting Xu, they blocked him, arrogantly saying, "This is War Clan restricted area. Civilians can't enter."
"Holy Maiden Saint An." Wang and his group crossed hands, bowing respectfully.
Xu, a step late, didn't follow.
Wang, rising, cast a doubtful glance at him.