Wei Huan raised an eyebrow, facing the intense scrutiny of everyone's eyes, and then stated, "If they are coming for me, I will deal with it. I guarantee that the construction of the supply point and the safety of the personnel will not be affected."
Mu Dehao smiled at Wei Huan. "We are family, so there is no need to be polite. I am delighted that you have grown to such a degree. Go ahead and do your best. We will also try to participate in your combat rhythm, provided it does not disrupt your strategy. Feel free to display your abilities. Do not fear the gaze of others. This chaotic era most needs heroes who can fight a thousand foes alone, and your existence will give the soldiers of our Azure Dragon Legion greater confidence."
Wei Huan nodded. Mu Dehao was not jealous of talent and protected them at every turn. While family ties were a factor, Mu Dehao would not have reached this position if he were narrow-minded or lacked perspective. It was fortunate that he had the Mu family escorting him in this life, granting him a larger platform to freely implement his plans. By contrast, Yake seemed like a pitiful, unappreciated soul, subjected to jealousy and false accusations, which was regrettable and unbearable to witness. Wei Huan hoped he could do something to change Yake' predicament.
---
The post-battle summary meeting concluded, but the state of combat readiness was not lifted. Reconnaissance vehicles were still being dispatched to gather intelligence, increasingly confirming that a second beast tide was imminent. Wei Huan waited from day to night, fully prepared for battle. However, instead of the beast tide, he received the latest news from Captain Fang William's side.
"What? They opened the treasure chest? Did we open it or did Aosam open it?"
"Aosam opened it. Now, the Gold Monster is pursuing Aosam's Vehicle all the way to Black Tortoise City. Black Tortoise City is currently under sudden attack. The Gold Monster even breached the city walls, entering the city to wreak havoc. The Lord of Black Tortoise City has notified all Challengers to evacuate immediately, and Black Tortoise City is on the verge of ruin."
Wei Huan felt a slight dizziness. The phrases "Black Tortoise City" and "city destroyed, people perished" inexplicably gave him a sense of predestination. The worst part of this sense of predestination, which Wei Huan could not tolerate, was the fate of humanity's future. Was he destined to be unable to change the final outcome? No, he absolutely could change it.
"I want to see the data on that Gold Monster," he said, and then added, "Also, try to predict the time of the beast tide outbreak here."
Mu Zhong understood Wei Huan. After arranging the tasks, he turned and asked Wei Huan, "You want to go to Black Tortoise City?"
Wei Huan nodded.
Mu Zhong shook his head. "No, the level of the beast tide here is not low. Once you leave, our defense here might not be enough. Black Tortoise City has already evacuated personnel, and the city can be rebuilt if it's destroyed, as long as the people are safe. Furthermore, Captain Fang William's team is trailing the monster and has reasons for not engaging. You cannot manage both sides; you must choose the lesser of two evils." Finally, Mu Zhong said, "Look, we also have over ten thousand people here. The city cannot fall."
Wei Huan hesitated, knowing his judgment was being clouded by the outcome of his previous life. He took a deep breath and said with a hoarse voice, "Wait until I've read the data." Mu Zhong nodded, frowned as he turned to leave, and realized that in certain matters, he still found Wei Huan somewhat inscrutable.
Soon, all the data on the Gold Monster and Black Tortoise City were delivered to Wei Huan. The Gold Treasure Chest Monster was a huge deep-sea Anglerfish, about 50 meters long, capable of moving through the air. The reason the combined defense forces of Black Tortoise City could not kill it was that the lantern on its head not only caused mental influence but also possessed the ability to summon its kin. As it pursued Aosam's Vehicle from the island, it continuously gathered a massive number of Sea Beasts as it passed over the sea. The current count had reached the level of a medium beast tide. Combined with the Sea Beast's own strength, this was enough to break through the first major human city in the Tier 5 world.
What was infuriating was that the Aosam Vehicle had attempted to utilize Black Tortoise City's defensive power to kill the Sea Beast, but failed. Black Tortoise City was largely destroyed in a short time and people died, yet the Gold Monster was only injured, though most of its summoned Sea Beasts were killed or wounded. Finally, seeing that they could not kill it, the Aosam Vehicle plunged into the ocean, intending to find the next human stronghold to use its combat power to kill the Gold Monster.
They were maniacs!
Or, was Aosam trying to use this Gold Monster to eliminate the gap between itself and Daxia? In their attempt to maintain their status as the boss of Blue Star, the people of Aosam had gone mad. It was no wonder the civilization war between humans and Dark Beasts failed in the previous life. A "civilization" that lacked basic morality was bound to fail. The old folks in Aosam were willing to use any means necessary to fulfill their ambition.
"Which way did they go?"
Wei Huan looked at Mu Zhong. Mu Zhong's furrowed brows were so tight they could crush a fly, and deep fury smoldered in his eyes. No one could remain calm in the face of this crazed and selfish act by an Aosam Captain.
However...
"The beast tide around our stronghold is definitely gathering..." Mu Zhong stopped short, finding it a difficult choice to make. He did not want to influence Wei Huan, but he had to inform Wei Huan of the current situation. A wrong move could result in failure on both fronts.
"Wait, let's talk first," Wei Huan interrupted after hearing the beginning. He looked at him deeply and said, "Do you want to hear my plan? We can discuss together whether this can be done."
Mu Zhong said, "I'll follow your lead."
Wei Huan replied, "But I want to consult you. This plan is immature and very audacious. Without your full support, it cannot succeed. Time is urgent, so I will be direct. My thought is..."
---
Today marked the 188th day since humans entered the Tier 5 world. In the past, humans faced great risks just exploring Silver-level ruins, but now, the exploration of a Silver-level ruin can generally be completed by three carriages.
As humans adapted to the new world, they were constantly improving their strength. However, it would still take some time before humans began opening Gold Treasure Chests. It was not that humans couldn't open Gold Treasure Chests, but that they could not kill the Gold Monster without taking losses.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, humans only marked the locations of Gold Treasure Chests, waiting until they were fully prepared before attempting to develop them.
To date, humans had marked the locations of seven Gold Ruins and one Platinum Ruin. Given the Gold Monster's characteristic of fighting to the death, no one dared to move on them lightly.
But there are exceptions to every rule. For example, the Gold Monster that caused chaos and heavily damaged Black Tortoise City was located in a ruin that unexpectedly became a "strategic location." That island, in terms of both size and location, was a key strategic position for Daxia in the Tier 5 world. The same logic applied to Aosam. Therefore, from the moment the island was discovered, both sides relentlessly competed to develop the land until they were blocked by the Gold Ruin. Neither side was fully prepared, and neither could allow the other to take the lead.
However, Daxia was the first to enter the Tier 5 world and possessed combat power equal to the total of all other countries combined. So, this morning, Captain Fang William, the world's strongest Challenger, led a team of a thousand people to develop the Gold Ruin. The Aosam Pioneer Corps, upon hearing the news, rushed over to interfere with Captain Fang William's actions.
During the standoff, one of Aosam's fifth-tier Stacked Explosives Sequence Challengers, utilizing the Gambler's abilities of invisibility and high-speed driving, infiltrated the Gold Ruin and opened the Gold Treasure Chest deep inside. Once the chest was opened, the item automatically entered the Vehicle's warehouse, which was the Captain's personal warehouse. The Gold Monster would relentlessly pursue the item holder or the Vehicle.
This action was clearly premeditated. While the people of Daxia and Aosam were still in a deadlock, one Vehicle suddenly shot into the sky. The Aosam Challengers outside the ruin seemed to have received orders beforehand and immediately returned to their Vehicles. If Captain Fang William had not activated the Knight's Aura at the critical moment, the remaining Daxia Challengers would have suffered significant casualties against the Gold Treasure Chest Monster charging out of the ruin. Even so, the Daxia side still had people injured.
After realizing what happened, Captain Fang William commanded his vehicle to relentlessly pursue the escaping vehicle and personally shouted a warning. "Stop! Where do you think you're going? The only way you can survive now is to combine everyone's strength to kill this Gold Monster! Haven't you noticed? This is a summoning monster. The longer you wait, the stronger it gets."
The Aosam Captain who appeared before Fang William was a middle-aged man with bloodshot eyes, appearing utterly manic. He shouted, "The Gold Treasure Chest is mine! To hell with Aosam! To hell with the Challenger World! I'm going to make this world pay the price!" Whether he was genuinely insane or just pretending, his words revealed several elements completely disadvantageous to Daxia. First, he cursed Aosam, so it could be interpreted as a personal action, not directed by Aosam. Second, his words contained strong anti-society sentiment, and observing his escape route, Fang William and the others immediately had a bad feeling.
However, that Vehicle was also fifth-tier, and its speed was no slower than Fang William's. Driving at full throttle, Fang William could not stop him. They watched helplessly as this maniac, accompanied by a Gold-level monster, crashed into Black Tortoise City. Fortunately, due to Fang William's timely warning, the Daxia Pioneer Corps garrisoned at Black Tortoise City evacuated immediately. When the Gold-level monster appeared, there were still some people in the city who had ignored the sirens and downplayed the crisis.
Under the passive resistance of the Black Tortoise City garrison, the Gold Monster entered the city and passed right through it. Among the Challengers it killed in passing, none were from Daxia. Instead, over fifty drunken Aosam soldiers from the Black Tortoise City bar died, along with some Challengers from the Three Kingdoms and Kangaroo Nation who had not left the city for various reasons. If Black Tortoise City had been willing to engage, the city's firepower, which had reached fifth-tier high-level, would have been sufficient to kill the Gold Monster and its summoned creatures. However, if they had done so, Aosam's conspiracy would have succeeded. Daxia would have expended manpower and resources, only for the final item to remain in Aosam's hands. Aosam could then simply claim that the individual was insane, and the item would effectively vanish, impossible to recover.
It was not a worthwhile transaction. The commander of Black Tortoise City was also intelligent and calculating. The severe damage Black Tortoise City sustained looked intentional and was within his calculations. Furthermore, under his guidance, the Gold Monster was successfully used to demolish the consulates of Aosam and the Three Kingdoms within Black Tortoise City. You are unkind, so I will be unjust. Since coming to the Tier 5 world, Aosam seemed to have forgotten who helped them advance. Moreover, the place they were living was Daxia's territory. They constantly criticized Black Tortoise City's management and continuously incited various protests. They had their own city but refused to return, shamelessly clinging to Black Tortoise City. In short, while Daxia did suffer some financial losses in this "tragedy," the death of over 50 Aosam Challengers was a greater loss for them.
Ultimately, the crazed Aosam Captain, facing the unkilled Gold Monster and the pursuing convoy led by Fang William, plunged into the ocean in frustration, heading toward a different direction.
Where to?
This time, his direction was accurately aimed at Daxia's next supply point: the Azure Dragon Legion Supply Point. A large, unseen hand manipulating the situation in the darkness had directed him. "Go to the Azure Dragon Supply Point. They just experienced one beast tide this morning and seem likely to face a second one because of Wei Huan's arrival. Go there, add fuel to the fire, and let the flames consume that disaster star. A balanced power structure does not need a third force."
The Gold Monster's direction was continuously tracked. However, to achieve a more element of surprise, the crazed Aosam Captain deliberately detoured toward the White Tiger garrison, causing the White Tiger garrison to panic temporarily. Less than ten minutes later, he reversed course and charged toward one of Aosam's own island strongholds. Compared to Daxia's tension, the Aosam side was clearly unconcerned, knowing he would not guide the beast horde to attack their city. They watched calmly from the walls as the massive horde brushed past the edge of their territory and left.
Fang William, trailing the horde, passed the Aosam supply point and witnessed their composed and indifferent attitude. "They really are a bunch of ungrateful wretches," Fang William said, resting his hand on the golden Holy Hammer on his waist. He turned to look at the faintly lit base and said coldly, "Heaven first drives mad those it wishes to destroy. Is this something a human would do? Pass down the order, instruct the forward base to intercept again. This maniac cannot be allowed to run any further." Who knew where his next target would be? There was a saying: there is only a thousand days to be a thief, not a thousand days to guard against one. This unstable element had to be eliminated.
The crazed Aosam Captain continued to circle aimlessly, unwittingly moving toward the direction of Daxia's Azure Dragon Legion. The Vehicle's energy was unknowingly running low. The person on the video call offered new energy for transfer, but the Captain refused. Upon closer inspection, his bloodshot eyes were not those of madness but of intense unwillingness. Even his words seemed to be crushed between his teeth before they could be painfully forced out. "No need. This is a one-way ticket. I have no intention of turning back." He looked at the coordinates already appearing on his radar, like a final eruption of suppressed emotions, and screamed, "Aosam is forever great!"
"Boom!!"
A sudden explosion burst open above his head. The Captain's moment of conviction was interrupted by the abrupt blast. He grabbed the handrail and scanned his surroundings in shock and uncertainty. His actions drew the attention of the communicator, who asked him, "What's wrong?"
"I'm under attack. I didn't detect anything beforehand." Two seconds later, the crazed Captain screamed at a high pitch. "It's Wei Huan! Wei Huan ambushed me! He's right below me! Undead, they're all Undead! And bombs..."
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
What followed was a long and intense barrage of terrifying bombardment. The attacker clearly did not intend to give the victim a single chance to live. From using an Invisibility Coating to hide along the Captain's inevitable path to the pre-positioned Vulture-Ghouls emerging from the Teleportation Gate, each carrying a massive number of Nether Flame Bombs, the objective was singular. They wanted him dead.
It was not that Daxia lacked the ability to deal with a Gold Monster; they simply did not want to sustain unnecessary casualties among their soldiers, which is why they proceeded cautiously with every step. Similarly, Black Tortoise City did not kill the Gold Monster because the item was held by someone else, and they did not want to work for another's benefit. Since that was the case, the best course was to eliminate the source of the problem.
Fang William's pursuit failed, and his arranged interceptions were easily avoided, but there was one place the Captain could not avoid. Even Wei Huan had been successfully ambushed twice by this Invisibility Coating, so he was very confident in the coating's effectiveness. Furthermore, it was likely that the only intelligent systems in the entire Challenger World capable of prematurely identifying the presence of the Invisibility Coating were his own AI and Mu Zhong's AI.
Once Wei Huan estimated the target's goal, he ambushed him in advance under the sea, evading both AI scans and human observation. He shadowed the Vehicle for more than ten seconds, maintaining perfectly matched speed with the target, before delivering a point-blank ultimate attack.
The "Wave of Bombs" tactic was highly effective. If it wasn't effective, he could use a "Second Wave of Bombs" or a "Third Wave of Bombs"—anything to ensure the kill.
"Did he blow up?"
"He blew up!"
As the Nether Flame Bombs blasted through the Vehicle's protective shield and then tore the Vehicle apart, cheers erupted inside Wei Huan's carriage. The crew members knew about Aosam's actions and had been frustrated and full of righteous indignation with no outlet. They were glad that the Boss had finally decided to intervene. From the moment they left the base and hid in ambush until now, that pent-up fury was finally released. Everyone clapped and cheered.
"Bombs are still the best. Actually, Boss could just use them all the time. Boom, boom, boom, and it's over."
"Bombs are strategic reserves and shouldn't be wasted. I heard the Boss can only make less than 20 bombs a day."
"With that power, 20 bombs a day is plenty."
"But bombs are single-use. Using the Nether Power to summon Undead allows for repeated revival, and the revival cost is less than a tenth of the initial cost. That's why the Boss doesn't easily use the bombs."
"Oh, I see. But it's still satisfying when they explode. Clean, straightforward, and easily resolved."
Amidst this discussion, the Aosam Captain, who had tried to hide and flee into the sea while his Vehicle was destroyed, was surrounded by the Undead, leading to the final struggle. Wei Huan did not kill people easily, except for the very few instances that he simply could not overlook. He always believed that life was precious and knew that every Challenger, especially the high-tier Challengers who had reached the Tier 5 world, was extremely valuable in the war against the Dark Beasts.
However, he felt no sympathy for this Aosam Captain and was completely unconcerned about whether he was bullying the weak with his strength. He enveloped the Aosam Captain in a Dragnet under the sea. The longer the Captain struggled, the more miserable his death became. Even when the Captain regretted his actions and attempted to surrender, Wei Huan pretended not to notice.
After three minutes of stern waiting, the Steward AI reported cheerfully, "Item acquisition completed. Captain, please check the inventory." The tone was filled with a sense of proud achievement, clearly showing that a highly intelligent AI could be quite flattering.
The reason the Challenger World still maintained a basic order and had not become an internal slaughterhouse was that resources could not be plundered through murder. Unless the transfer was voluntary, once a Challenger died, their possessions, like a mobile phone without an owner, would drift into the time-space rift, never to be retrieved. However, since Mu Zhong's AI could open an ownerless mobile phone and transfer the items, it was also feasible for a Super AI to transfer the items after a Challenger's death in the Challenger World. Wei Huan had always known he had this ability; plundering resources was within easy reach, yet he consistently exercised restraint to maintain the balance and rules of this world. This time, the Aosam Captain had crossed his path.
With the Captain's death, an invisible law in the void was captured by the Super AI, like catching a balloon flying free. The AI acquired all the resources from the Vehicle. This was clearly a "suicide squad Captain" who had taken on a special mission and was fully prepared to die. He was alone on the carriage, and aside from his Vehicle and the items from the Gold Treasure Chest, he had nothing else. Even the equipment he wore was worthless Silver items. It would be foolish to believe he had no special mission.
Fortunately, the Lord of Black Tortoise City was astute and refused to be drawn into a war rhythm by Aosam's tactic, thus avoiding a greater impact. It could only be said that Aosam's plan had failed, but their intent was malicious. In the previous life, among the countries on the front lines, the Aosam Legion was the most resolute after Daxia. Even though they supported the Battle Race, nurtured the Mulberry Tree Nation to assassinate Daxia's talents, and tried to frame Wei Huan, considering the overall situation and Aosam's contributions in the last life, Wei Huan had always been tolerant of Aosam and did not want to drag humanity into a civil war based on his personal preferences.
But Aosam repeatedly provoked his bottom line, and this time, Wei Huan genuinely harbored murderous intent toward them. Those incompetent old fools who only held them back truly did not deserve to live.
In his anger, Wei Huan casually glanced at the Gold Item displayed on the screen. When he saw one of the items, he was first stunned, then immediately recovered and commanded, "Return. Notify all departments to prepare for battle."
The white Vehicle flew out from the debris-strewn seabed, heading directly toward the Azure Dragon Legion Supply Point. It sped along, kicking up ten-meter waves, and instantly broke through the air. Behind him, the summoned horde, led by the Gold Monster, did not disperse after the death of the first item holder. Instead, the moment Wei Huan plundered the item, they fixed onto their new target. The Gold Monster pursued him, a floating aircraft carrier in the vast ocean, suspending itself in mid-air as if it were in the sea, gliding over a li with a gentle flick of its tail.
Behind it, Sea Beasts attracted by the light of its lantern had swelled to a count of 30,000, nearing the standard for a medium beast tide. With the addition of the Gold Monster itself, it was indeed a medium beast tide.
However...
As they drew closer to the base, the red dots scanned by the radar on the map increased dramatically. These red dots were converging on a small island, and the leading edge of the beast tide had already landed on the beach. Pterosaur-like seabirds shrieked, looking particularly ferocious in the night. The dense mass of crabs and sea snakes were creatures known to humans, but there were also strangely shaped seabed creatures wriggling out of the depths, revealing their monstrous tentacles, which were difficult to describe.
The white Vehicle carved an arc in the mid-air, bypassing all the Sea Beasts preparing to attack the city, and finally, at the last moment, returned to its battlefield.
"Colonel Wei and his team are back!"
A joyful cheer erupted from within the city.