Chapter 864 - 734: Strategic Withdrawal

[Detected non-typical low-frequency noise]

A crimson warning surfaced on the power exoskeleton display screen, causing Hansel, who was operating the Gatling gun, to pause momentarily,

One thought, and the onboard chip converted the low-frequency noise into a visually interpretable sound wave graph, projected onto the inside of the helmet display.

Sound wave, 19 Hz, with a wavelength of 150 meters, filled the entire view.

The floors, walls, ceilings, and even the courtyard night sky outside the stained glass—all of Demon City resonated in harmony.

Other players sensed it too, but were too occupied to divert their attention. Midnight Dad was maneuvering voodoo dolls with Ω, exchanging injury for injury;

The Wolf Mad Demon Axe was embedded in the chest of Wanli Sealed Blade, and the Fenrir Wolf Bite special effect was activated, gnawing at Brother Blade’s organs;

Gray Rain’s arms transformed into translucent [Judge Ghost Hand] to beat the Resentful Spirit, reveling in the moment and even whipping out the [Gorging Feast Spoon], converting the Evil Spirit into food on the spot, devouring two bites, exclaiming: "Wow, it’s actually a cold drink, with a coffee flavor to boot."

The flavor of these Evil Spirits converted by the Gorging Feast varied based on their cause of death.

Evil Spirits that died from nuclear radiation, tasted like Nuclear Cola;

Evil Spirits that died from overwork, tasted like iced American coffee;

Evil Spirits that died from a crash, tasted like iced red tea;

Evil Spirits that died from economic crimes, tasted like Hengda Ice Spring, probably...

In the next instant, the low-frequency noise suddenly amplified, spreading via resonance along the Demon City structure.

The crystal chandeliers shook violently, crashing to the ground. Stained glass shattered on its own due to concentrated stress.

Such a massive commotion could not be fabricated by any single player.

Everyone instinctively paused their actions; Li Cheng withdrew the Wolf Mad Demon Axe from Wanli Sealed Blade’s chest, scanning the surroundings with the compound eyes on his Armor-clad face.

It wasn’t an illusion; the air seemed to be cloaked in a thin veil, visibility suddenly decreased, and even the torches embedded in the walls and the lights on Hansel’s exoskeleton armor couldn’t illuminate beyond 20 meters.

Demon City itself underwent some transformation.

Step, step, step.

Footsteps sounded from afar, a group of shadowy figures appeared at the end of the corridor.

Iron Bar Can Win reversed his grip, taking out a glow tube (cold cathode ion tube, used in the last century for electronic circuit indication and voltage regulation), swiftly attaching it to the hand crossbow bowstring modified from a game controller on his left hand’s back,

Pulled the trigger, the hand crossbow launched the glow tube forcefully, releasing a strong light, piercing through the haze.

Everyone instantly saw clearly: the figures were mostly humanoid organisms, clad in attire spanning different eras and styles.

The only two similarities were their pitch-black eyes, expressionless rigid faces, and the presence of mutated appendages to various extents on their bodies.

Hansel, as a Genetic Adjuster, had long memorized all player profiles entering Netherworld Purgatory, and was certain he did not recognize them.

The power exoskeleton swung its arm, the revolving machine gun aimed at the black-eyed intruders, the laser and the slowly accelerating yet unfired revolver fully indicated alert hostility.

’A monster patrol team inherent to Demon City? No, doesn’t seem like it. The aura emanating from these black-eyed entities is at least that of a high-level Transcendent, much stronger than monster patrol teams...’

The thought flashed through Hansel’s mind, she shouted sternly: "Stop there, don’t come closer! Or I’ll shoot..."

The "So" word had barely left her lips when Hansel experienced a momentary blur.

The leading Medieval Knight suddenly appeared before her, donned in Gothic Plate Armor, mounted on a tall horse, calmly raising a three-meter-long heavy lance, piercing the power exoskeleton with a "thud."

The iron-plated lance made of cedar wood easily tore through the alloy protection of the exoskeleton, penetrating Hansel’s abdomen.

All her energy drained instantly, wanting to scream in pain but utterly lacking the strength, the display screen filled with error messages.

Thud!

Gray Rain descended from above, a Skull Shattering Power Hammer wildly swung, hitting the side of the knight’s helmet head-on.

The powerful blow sent the knight flying heavily, horse and all, crashing into the wall.

The helmet forcibly cracked open a gash, exposing the knight’s original gold-haired, blue-eyed face. The temple was cut open by metal fragments, the side of the skull shattered, spraying blue-green fluid mixed with brain matter.

Despite the severe injury, the knight’s mobility remained completely unaffected, effortlessly dislodging himself and his horse from the wall.

A touch of fanaticism surfaced on the otherwise numb expression, shouting: "The sacrificial offering has arrived, the blood color will come. Brutal joy will ultimately end in brutality. Join the eternal salvation bestowed upon you by Our Lord—"

Gray Rain paid no mind, turning to Hansel, grasped the cedar wood lance with both hands, snapped it with a "crack."

High-level players are akin to indestructible cockroaches, Hansel, as a Genetic Adjuster, despite having a gaping abdominal wound, remained alive,

The damaged power exoskeleton automatically sprayed quick-freezing hemostatic spray to prevent blood loss.

The Sealing Array for teleportation and summoning abilities set up by the Whale Song duo was still in effect.

Whether this black-eyed cavalryman could teleport and instantly move, either his mysteriousness far exceeded the Whale Song duo, or he himself was part of Demon City, unaffected, or a combination of both.

"Is this your response? Resisting fate, resisting salvation?"

The knight with a broken head continued in a feudal tone that appeared outdated in the killing field translation system, shouting: "Since that’s the case..."

In the next instant, the group of black-eyed zealots simultaneously flashed forward.

White Horse Tombstone suddenly sensed a stench above his head, several leprous figures with festering bodies flickered into appearance overhead,

Reacting on instinct, White Horse Tombstone wielded the only weapon at hand—the Gao Chenluoxing, spinning it fiercely like a windmill.

Even though Gao Chenluoxing was entirely a prosthetic body, he didn’t want to contact the unknown leprosy bacteria, immediately activating the hidden backup energy, barely recovering from a power outage state, double-kicking the leprous figures away.

The Midnight Dad and Ω, who were fighting desperately just moments ago, also had to redirect their gun barrels, releasing evil magic back-to-back to their surroundings.

However, the effect was minimal.

The skin and mutated appendages on the surface of the black-eyed individuals’ bodies exhibited a remarkable absorption ability against physical and energy attacks. The principle was unclear.

Even the evil ability spell capable of corroding a main battle tank into a pool of molten metal could only erode small holes on their skin surface.

Li Cheng, the tallest with the most prominent spiritual power fluctuations, was the first to be besieged.

Including the horseman, five black-eyed zealots simultaneously flashed forward, grabbed Li Cheng’s limbs and scorpion tail, forcefully pulling.

The Insect Armor stubbornly resisted the pulling, the Wolf Mad Demon Axe slashed horizontally and vertically, cutting through the zealots’ bodies.

These zealots were not players, yet possessed physical strength and self-healing abilities far surpassing those of the near-combat-type Transcendents.

Even if their necks were severed nearly completely, with only pieces of skin connecting, they could reattach them themselves.

Li Cheng, clutching the Wanli Sealed Blade, retreated swiftly, but the Prometheus player hanging on his scorpion tail was not so fortunate, seized by the black-eyed zealots and surrounded,

Forcibly having his mouth pried open, receiving a large amount of vomited blue-green filth mouth-to-mouth from the zealots.

This scenario was not isolated; all sorts of noises echoed along the corridor—players elsewhere were attacked, whether or not Demon City’s brainwashing had stirred greed within them.

The severely injured Wanli Sealed Blade raised his hand, shooting a flying sword from his sleeve, hitting the Prometheus player’s forehead, attempting to kill him, causing him to resurrect on an upper level in Netherworld Purgatory.

The sword tip pierced his skin, penetrated his skull, shredding his brain.

Such an injury even Li Cheng couldn’t guarantee survival, yet that player suddenly opened his eyelids, standing up with the help of surrounding zealots, his eyes changing from red to black.

"..."

The previous battle had already expended considerable energy, using the [Disease Unclean Book] continuously was nearly draining the spiritual power slot, the Insect Transformation Form couldn’t be sustained much longer.

Only a strategic retreat... What the hell?!

Before Li Cheng could activate the floating engine to retreat, Wanli Sealed Blade, despite having a deep wound on his chest and appearing completely exhausted, suddenly sprang into action, scattering a bag full of sight-blocking lime-like powder toward the zealots,

Then consecutively stepping on wall beams, quickly escaping amidst the rabbit’s quick escape.