Apocalypse Forecast-Chapter 646 - 537 Guarantee_1

Death Perception came swiftly and without warning.

In the darkness behind the distant flames, a figure was crouched within the collapsed framework, pulling the trigger at Huai Shi. However, from the barrel of the beautifully engraved smoothbore gun in his hands, nothing fired.

Only a piercing screech suddenly erupted from the sky.

A silver flash of iron emerged like a star, locked onto Huai Shi’s head, and plunged downward.

Border Relic—Damocles.

The calamitous armament that summons the blade hanging overhead.

Ignoring distance and trajectory, as long as the gunsight locked onto the enemy’s position, pulling the trigger would unleash disaster upon the enemy’s head out of thin air.

Chasing the enemy like a shadow, it would not stop until death.

In a brief moment, the sniper pulled the trigger repeatedly until most of the Source Substance was devoured by Damocles.

The blade of doom swiftly split, forming a spectacular meteor shower that grew rapidly as it fell, revealing the rudimentary form of the Blade of Destruction.

Then Huai Shi looked up for a moment, and everything abruptly ceased.

The blade born of darkness never fell, for it had been destroyed within the darkness.

"What the hell?"

The sniper raised his head in shock, disbelieving what he saw through the scope: there was clearly nothing there. Yet, for a moment, he caught glimpses of a few flickering flames and...the dancing darkness.

That patch of darkness abruptly expanded, then swiftly contracted, devouring the blade of doom and crushing them in their infancy amidst the sound of shattering steel.

That was... something!

Without time to react, the faint firelight, like an illusion, was already rushing towards his face. The sound of the wind flashed by.

The assailant retreated explosively without thinking, pulling on the grappling hook, his body swiftly rising towards the clouds. Yet, his camouflage suit was already torn with several gashes.

Even the close-fitting bulletproof vest revealed a ghastly slash mark, beneath which a wound gaped open on his chest, blood pouring out.

Gripped by terror and a palpitating heart, he quickly ascended, hiding behind an enormous jellyfish in the clouds. By the light of its many large tentacles, he finally saw those invisible things that had attacked him.

The eerie ’darkness’ revealed its ferocious visage.

Within the tide-like ripples, countless outlines of birds emerged, along with pairs of crimson eyes.

Those were the Yin Souls that dwell in the darkness.

They indifferently swept a glance at the assailant hidden behind the jellyfish, not lingering before re-entering the darkness.

The talent of the Dark Windbreaker was simply like a fish in water here; the darker the place, the more concealed their existence. They were difficult to detect through any means of observation.

When the fire illuminated everything, naturally, the Yin Souls had nowhere to hide.

But in places untouched by the firelight lay their hunting grounds.

It was difficult to discern what had actually happened.

But the approaching hordes swiftly disappeared, as if swallowed by the darkness, so quickly that only the aggressive cawing of the Crow Flock remained.

Only when the flickering candlelight passed would the rugged bones and shattered remains be revealed. The crimson eyes shone and flickered in the deepest darkness, diffusing poison and nightmares, indulging in Gluttony.

Until the end, even the intermittent low voices could no longer be sustained and abruptly stopped. Amidst the frenzied "Offensive" by the Abyss Ratmen, the Abyss Heterogeneous scattered in a rush.

The vast tide of crows swept in, descending upon the fire site and finally revealing their strange figures around Huai Shi, like a black cloud that suddenly covered the land.

As Huai Shi raised his hand, a raven carrying a candelabrum landed on his arm, its iron-glowing feathers folding, its crimson eyes observing the surroundings.

Its gaze settled deep within the fire site.

That was, in the perception of the Yin Souls, the greatest threat at this very moment, in this very place.

In that fluttering crimson area, a figure clad in a cloak stood silently. Still the same ornate mask seen before, the neat military uniform, and even the ancient military saber at his waist. The figure stood tall.

Like a nail hammered into fire, he was also silently looking in this direction.

"A colonel?"

Huai Shi looked over and then glanced around. "So it’s just you?"

"No need to look. Indeed, it’s only me here from the troupe at this moment. I am the one in charge here," came the Colonel’s voice from the midst of flames, low and distant.

He bowed slightly, placing a hand over his chest in salute to the young man standing in the darkness.

"We meet again, Mr. Huai Shi," he said. "I apologize for not having greeted you properly before—if I had known, the welcome ceremony last time should have been more solemn."

Huai Shi’s eyebrows raised slightly. "Oh? Have you been inquiring about me?"

Beneath the mask, the Colonel seemed to be smiling, his tone cordial. "As a rising star of the Ivory Tower and a competitor, one should have some understanding, shouldn’t they?"

"What a pity," Huai Shi shrugged, continuing forward. "I was hoping you’d become a fan."

CRACK!

A piercing shriek suddenly erupted, followed by a thunderous roar.

Heavy arrows whistled through the air, forming a downpour, striking the ground before Huai Shi with a thrumming sound. Forty-one heavy iron arrows, each more than half a person tall, had buried themselves deeply into the cracked cement.

Even more astonishing was that the forty-one heavy arrows maintained precise distances and angles from one another. It was as if a perfectly straight fence had sprouted from the ground.

Blocking Huai Shi fifty paces from the Colonel.

"Just stand there; don’t come any closer," the Colonel raised his hand and said. "Sorry, I’m a bit of a ’Stockholmer’—a little socially withdrawn, not used to close contact with others."

"Observation of Centaur cavalry—"

The Gargoyle’s report came through the earpiece. "Quantity is approximately one company. There are more Hell Clans and a large amount of engineering equipment further inside..."

Accompanying their reports, Huai Shi also saw those indistinct shadows emerging from the flames, holding giant bows and taking aim in this direction, exuding a bone-chilling killing intent.

Huai Shi looked down at the boundary beneath his feet and then looked up, asking, "What about our people?"

The Colonel looked back, summoned a figure, asked a question, and then laughed softly. "They’re still resisting stubbornly underground, but they won’t last much longer..."

BOOM!

With a sweep of his hand, the massive jellyfish in the clouds suddenly pulled its tentacles from the ground. Upon those seemingly gentle, ribbon-like tentacles, tens, even hundreds of tons of boulders hung, which were carelessly flung, strewing boulders across the ground.

And right at the heart of the refinery, the crack in the ground was torn open wider, revealing countless hidden metal structures underneath.

Like removing the shell of a machine, numerous gears, spinning or jammed, were exposed, intricate and making it difficult to know where to begin.

But now, under the jellyfish’s tentacles, all obstructions and inconsequential parts were brutally smashed and pried open, making a beeline for the core—the most vital auxiliary control device.

This was the Ivy League’s proud creation and also a bio-mechanical armament sold widely in Hell.

Overweight Engineering Synthetic Beast.

Just one of these was enough to replace dozens of large engineering devices, and in times of need, it could even substitute for a Shield Construction Machine for underground operations and excavations.

Under the operation of tentacles of various models, the refinery’s external defenses were easily disassembled.

It was foreseeable that given the massive numerical disparity and without the geographical advantage, the Exploration Team members could only retreat inward. A complete breach was only a matter of time.

"Mr. Huai Shi," the Colonel said, "speaking as a scholar, I genuinely do not wish to engage in conflict with others.

"Even though I’m called Colonel, in truth, I’m a staunch anti-war advocate; I’ve always adhered to pacifism... Taking up arms is truly not my preference.

"Work is work, and I hope you can understand."

The Colonel then raised his voice with a suggestion. "If it’s agreeable, would you please stand there and wait a moment? After we finish excavating this site, we will ensure the safety of all your personnel and return them to you. I give you my word on this, staking the Ivy League’s reputation."

"If you surrender now, I too can guarantee your safety—no need for the Ivory Tower’s reputation; I vouch for it myself.

"But if you don’t surrender, I will cut off your head with this sword, right here, in this very spot."

Huai Shi, expressionless, raised the Sword of Virtue and countered, "How about this proposal?"

"Then I’m sorry, but I really can’t surrender, and I don’t quite fancy dying either."

The Colonel sighed softly and waved his hand. "If that’s the case, then there’s only one solution..."

With his gesture, amid the flames, a deep rumble once again burst forth; ferocious shadows slowly rose, formed into arrays, and advanced.

Amidst the piercing bugle calls, four companies, a total of four hundred and sixteen Minotaur samurai, stormed forth from the fire.

In this brief interval, all were equipped with gas masks and goggles, and their heavy armor was freshly coated with a defensive layer, minimizing the corrosion by toxins to the greatest extent.

Among the ranks, hunched Shamans supported themselves with canes, splashing blood-water from their leather pouches, chanting hymns, invoking blessings from Hell that made their eyes blaze with an almost blood-red glow.

Beneath the masks, scorching breath hissed forth.

Iron hooves trampled the ground, striking fiery sparks.

And with a scalp-numbing, low thrumming, countless bowstrings slowly tightened; the Centaur heavy cavalry drew their giant bows, aimed at Huai Shi and the large formation of crows behind him, primed and ready.

In the brief silence, Huai Shi stretched out his hand and pulled out the remote control Andrea had given him. After thinking for a moment, he looked up to gauge the distance ahead, then put it away again.

The firepower support from the Iron Crystal Throne was convenient, but the short distance between them made it difficult to ensure safety while also guaranteeing that the auxiliary control center wouldn’t be damaged as a result.

Unless it came to a do-or-die situation, it was better to ensure the integrity of the strategic target first.

And even though The Fly King was sufficiently destructive, and fine for single combat, on such a battlefield, its overwhelming single-target damage couldn’t provide effective area-of-effect damage. A weapon that had been used once would not catch the enemy unprepared.

Now, only five bullets remained in the Judgment Mode’s magazine, and it took two months to replenish a single bullet—they had to be used sparingly.

So, in the brief quiet, Huai Shi suddenly looked up and asked the Colonel an unrelated question.

"By the way, what day of the week is it today?"