Nightmare World time, exactly 10:00 PM.

West Gate wooden wall.

Grey-black necrotic energy gushed out from the crack like a tide, dyeing the wilderness five hundred meters outside the West Gate into a deathly grayish-white.

Five hundred Skeleton Soldiers had already finished forming their ranks.

They held rusted swords, broken wooden shields, and pale yellow soul fire flickered in their hollow eye sockets. They were arranged silently and neatly into five phalanxes, with a hundred in each.

In front of the five phalanxes, five tall Skeleton Centurions were clad in tattered bronze armor, holding heavy war-halberds, their eerie green soul fire coldly watching the wooden wall ahead.

Behind them, that Skeleton Warhorse finally stepped completely out of the crack.

The Commander of Five Hundred on horseback slowly raised the bronze horse-spear in its hand, the tip pointing diagonally toward the night sky.

Its dark silver bones glinted with an eerie luster against the necrotic energy; the deep blue flames burning in its eye sockets were more concentrated and more ferocious than those of the Centurions.

It didn't look at the wooden wall.

Its gaze bypassed that crude wooden wall and landed on the flag snapping in the wind behind it—Beacon Fire.

The five hundred Skeleton Soldiers began to advance, their steps rhythmic, the clicking sound of bones colliding forming a continuous noise like the drumbeats of death.

On the wooden wall.

The seven Beacon Guards held their weapons like a forest, standing motionless. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Zhao Hu gripped his bone-crushing greatsword, Tie Dun's giant shield was already raised to his chest, Wang Wu and Arrow Eye's arrows were notched, and Su Yurou's short staff glowed slightly.

But everyone's gaze fell simultaneously on the same person—Lin Feng.

He still leaned against that remote battlement, the Wildfire Spear casually leaning beside him, his eyes calmly watching the approaching skeleton army.

Five hundred Skeleton Soldiers, five level-eleven elite Centurions, and one level-fifteen Commander of Five Hundred.

In his mind, a thought flashed quickly: Refugee would be automatically summoned after each successful defense against a Nightmare Tide, with their quantity and quality related to the defensive performance.

Defensive performance.

Not a "pyrrhic victory," not a "narrow victory," but "performance."

What did this mean?

It meant that the more beautifully they won, the cleaner they won, and the more "satisfied" the Nightmare World was, the higher the quality of the subsequently summoned Refugee would be.

Zero casualties.

Ideally, zero casualties.

The corners of Lin Feng's mouth slowly curled into a slight arc.

He tilted his head slightly, looking at the cold figure hidden in the shadows beside him.

"Shadow Snake."

Shadow Snake looked up, the deep blue fang at her waist shimmering.

Lin Feng raised his hand and pointed at the dark silver figure on the Skeleton Warhorse in the distance, his tone as casual as if they were discussing what to eat for dinner:

"If I go to pin down the main force of the skeleton army, can you solo-kill that Commander of Five Hundred?"

Shadow Snake's gaze followed his finger, landing on that level-fifteen Undead Commander.

Three seconds.

She stared at that Commander of Five Hundred for three seconds—its mount, its weapon, its armor, the deep blue flames burning in its eye sockets, the necrotic energy swirling around it.

Then, she withdrew her gaze and looked at Lin Feng.

A very faint smile flashed in those cold eyes.

"No problem."

Her voice was still cold.

"As long as the Lord can attract the Commander of Five Hundred's attention from the front, I can sneak over."

"After a heavy opening blow," she paused, "the rest will be simple."

Lin Feng nodded, as if he had known she would answer that way.

He straightened up, no longer leaning against the battlement.

"Arrow Eye, Wang Wu."

"Here!" the two responded in unison.

"Long-range suppression. Prioritize shooting skeletons that try to get close to Shadow Snake. I'll leave the Centurion-level ones for you to pin down."

"Understood!"

"Su Yurou."

"Here!" Su Yurou gripped her short staff.

"Keep a constant eye on Shadow Snake. After she makes her move, if any unexpected situation arises, heal her immediately. Don't worry about me, just focus on her."

Su Yurou was stunned for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Understood!"

Lin Feng finally looked at Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Scarface Liu, and A Wang: "You four, take the rest and guard the wall well. Act as you see fit."

Zhao Hu's eyes widened: "Lord, you're going to—"

Before he could finish, he saw Lin Feng had already gripped the Wildfire Spear.

That dark red spear was pulled from its cloth cover, the pale gold ancient seal script runes on the shaft faintly flowing in the night, a point of cold light condensing at the tip, as if it could pierce through the void.

"Wait for my signal." Lin Feng only said those four words.

Then—he jumped down from the wooden wall.

"Lord!!!"

Before Zhao Hu's cry of alarm could land, Lin Feng had already landed ten meters outside the wall.

He didn't stop.

The moment he landed, the special effect of the 【windchaser boots】 suddenly activated. His displacement exceeded three meters per second, and the Windchaser stacks began to stack crazily!

One stack! Speed surged!

Two stacks! His figure was like the wind!

Three stacks! Four stacks! Five stacks!

Five stacks full!

Lin Feng's figure, like a released gale, pulled out long afterimages in the grayish-white necrotic mist, charging head-on toward the army of five hundred skeletons!

The five hundred Skeleton Soldiers stopped in their tracks simultaneously, and in their hollow eye sockets, the pale yellow soul fire locked onto that charging figure in unison.

The five Centurions raised their war-halberds at the same time, their green soul fire jumping violently.

The Commander of Five Hundred sat atop its horse, deep blue flames burning in its eye sockets, coldly watching this reckless human.

A mere human, alone. Charging an army of five hundred?

Seeking death! The five hundred Skeleton Soldiers moved, raising rusted swords and spears, forming a grayish-white wall of death, crashing head-on toward Lin Feng!

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters.

Ten meters!

The front-row Skeleton Soldiers raised their rusted swords and spears simultaneously, a grayish-white wall of bone pressing down on him!

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, the afterimages of the 【windchaser boots】 under his feet had already stretched into a streamline. With five stacks of Windchaser fully active, his speed was so fast it almost tore the air!

Just as the first row of skeletons' spears were thrust out, Lin Feng's figure had already streaked past the forest of spears!

A spear sweep!

Three skeleton heads flew up simultaneously, their soul fire extinguishing in the air!

But more skeletons swarmed up, rusted swords hacking from the left, bone sabers slashing from the right, and five spears in front thrusting in a fan shape!

Lin Feng shifted his footing, his body suddenly lowering as he slid along the ground!

The five spears skimmed past his scalp, piercing into the chests of two skeletons behind him!

Lin Feng took the opportunity to spin, the Wildfire Spear sweeping across the ground, the shaft carrying a thousand catties of force as it smashed the ankles of four skeletons!

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

The four skeletons crashed to the ground, and Lin Feng leaped over their heads!

"Roar—"

A Skeleton Centurion on the right finally arrived, its heavy bronze war-halberd sweeping across with the sound of breaking wind!

Lin Feng was in mid-air, with nowhere to gain leverage!

He suddenly twisted his waist, pressing his left hand hard against the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ weapon's shaft, and using that force, his body flipped 360 degrees in the air!

The blade skimmed past his back, shearing off a few strands of hair!

The moment Lin Feng landed, he thrust the Wildfire Spear backward with his right hand, the tip piercing into the Centurion's right ribs!

-170!