Chapter 522 Dessert

Under the crimson night sky, the boiling flames of war roared along the makeshift defense line on the north bank. Combined trains charged into the defense zone at breakneck speed, crossed the railway bridge, and headed deeper into the south bank.

At this moment, all the survivors on the train knew that even in the dangerous crimson darkness, crossing that insurmountable chasm meant they had already passed the first gate of hell.

Indeed, countless bizarre creatures seemed to have been transported to this hellish battlefield by the crimson mist across the entire wasteland. On the other hand, the Silver Star, which charged forward relentlessly, only encountered some crimson zombies. Thanks to its strong firepower and the protection of three main battle groups along the way, it did not face much pressure.

"The tracks are completely clear! This is incredible! Did Captain Lin maintain them all?!"

The engineering team was deeply moved.

“He is a mechanical superhuman, and the track is the simplest problem for him.” Jian Xuwei looked at the driving recorder screen with a stern expression: “We can’t accelerate any further. At this speed, the temporary track we built before can hardly support it for long. If the defense line has a problem, it will trigger a chain derailment.”

"If we don't speed up, I'm afraid the people behind won't be able to keep up!" someone said anxiously.

Jian Xuwei took a deep breath: "Our responsibility now is to maintain stability, not to rush things."

She turned around and looked out the window at the line of Century Trains winding across the land like a dragon, her expression grave: "The rest can only rely on them."

Knock knock knock!

The torrent of steel surged and rolled across the burning wasteland. The six-kilometer-long northern bank defense line resembled a dam forged from flesh and steel, emitting a deafening lament under the endless crimson tide.

Thousands of TFV-600 twin-barreled tanks formed a steel defensive fortress, their cannons surrounded by charred corpses and broken metal. Each roar unleashed a destructive fireball, blasting the swarming multi-legged carnivorous worms into a rain of blood and flesh.

Eight sixty-meter-tall planetary raider mechs stepped onto the mortal battlefield like mythical Titans. Each stomp of their heavy alloy giant feet caused the earth to tremble. The heavy orbital strobe turrets on their heads slowly rotated, and blinding blue light gathered at the muzzle. Each time they finished charging, the roar meant that an area in front of them, along with the struggling and roaring A-class fleshy behemoths or swift predators within, was completely wiped out, leaving only terrifying craters with lava flowing hundreds of meters in diameter.

The sky, already obscured by smoke and crimson, was now torn apart by even more violent light and fire.

The Dragon Kun and hundreds of floating warships, gunboats and fighter jets of the Thunderbolt Fleet formed an aerial battle formation that blotted out the sky, and the shrill whistling of thousands of cannons drowned out all the sounds of the ground battlefield.

The gunboat hovered at a relatively low altitude. The metallic storm formed by the 1130 close-in weapon systems along the deck and the scorching light net interwoven with high-energy particle rays from the anode, along with various anti-aircraft missiles trailing long plumes of flame, wove an absolute death zone around the fleet, shredding the swooping aerial monsters and even more indescribable flying anomalies into burning fireballs.

In the heart of this turbulent inferno, the colossal figure of the Sky Train tore through the battlefield with a resolute air.

Its main body has been divided into four sections, with the three rear sections, which lack heavy firepower, accelerating across the canyon and heading towards the relatively safe depths of the south bank.

At this moment, the four main arsenal ships under the command of Chen Sixuan rushed into the core of the monster tide on the north bank! The triple-mounted orbital seismic cannon, the dense array missile launch silo, the G-6T electromagnetic railgun group and the plasma cannon array were firing at full power, like four moving destructive volcanoes, forcibly plowing out four burning channels in the dense monster torrent.

"This area is full of A-level or higher bizarre entities; they must have been transported here via the crimson mist!"

"Powered Armor Regiment, breach on the left flank, push forward!"

"Beware of the predator!"

A massive army composed of power armor special forces from the Iron Guard Brigade and power armored personnel from various vehicle convoys engaged in a fierce battle on the front lines, flying through the air and diving into the ground, resembling an interstellar war!

The hum of energy weapons, the tearing sound of chainsaw swords, the roar of flamethrowers, and the muffled thud of power gauntlets shattering armor intertwined in the crimson mist to create a brutal metal symphony.

On the edge of this chaotic killing field, a destructive wave made of pure metal is surging forward with unstoppable force.

That was the army of six thousand high-energy combat robots released by Lin Xian, fighting fiercely on the front line.

Lu Xingchen, Ryunosuke, Monica, Qian Dele, Ning Jing, and over a thousand other superpowered main forces are also fighting on the North Shore battlefield.

Lu Xingchen was surrounded by raging flames, like a fire god descending to earth. He hovered above the most critical part of the battle line, his hands forming a blazing white flame sword that stretched for hundreds of meters. Each swing brought up a heat wave that incinerated everything, evaporating large swathes of monsters and those huge special beings into wisps of smoke.

"How dare you, a lowly scoundrel, be so insolent before me!"

Ryunosuke stood on the shoulder of a planet raider mech, expressionless, his ten fingers moving rhythmically as if playing a musical instrument, controlling twelve giant metal golems to stir up a metal storm in the monster tide.

These golems either wield massive alloy hammers weighing several tons, smashing the fleshy behemoths until their bones are broken; or their arms transform into high-speed rotating circular saws, ploughing through the sea of ​​corpse worms like meat grinders.

Monica's sonic sword transformed into an invisible high-frequency shockwave, precisely slicing through those elite monsters with hard shells or regenerative abilities, shattering them from the inside.

Qian Dele transformed into an elusive golden flash, darting across the battlefield at high speed. Each pause was accompanied by the cores of several prey creatures being pierced or vital joints being instantly destroyed.

Ning Jing transformed into a powerful evolved being several meters tall, her punches like heavy artillery, blasting monsters blocking her path into mincemeat while protecting her comrades.

Sterling roared as he transformed into a giant bear-like beast, his claws tearing through the air as he engaged in a frenzied battle with an A-class giant scorpion-like monster that pounced on the armored convoy.

Every move they made bought precious breathing room for the crumbling defense.

Right in the heart of this meat grinder-like battlefield, the team of Lin Xian, KIKI, Jiang Yun, and Chu Yan was moving against the current at an astonishing speed, rushing towards the more chaotic area behind the train line where the crimson fog was even thicker.

The goal is to repair the train tracks along the way to ensure that accelerating trains behind do not derail.

Jiang Yun charged at the forefront, surrounded by a raging tornado! He thrust his hands forward with tremendous force, the invisible wind pressure like the breath of a giant, forcefully blowing open a huge hole hundreds of meters in diameter in the thick, crimson fog that blotted out the sky, revealing the twisted and cracked earth below and the strange shadows writhing wildly within. This briefly bought precious vision and breathing space for the troops behind, greatly relieving the sensory pressure on the local front.

KIKI followed closely behind, her eyes shining like stars. Her powerful mental energy transformed into an invisible giant hand, sometimes crushing dozens of monsters in mid-air into blood mist, and sometimes swirling up burning tank wreckage or broken rail beams, smashing them like a catapult into the core of the monster horde gathered in the distance. Each surge of mental energy was accompanied by a large-scale clearing of the area.

With these two in charge, Lin Xian and Chu Yan could fly close to the joint train, using their mechanical abilities to repair the tracks below. Chu Yan's role was to suppress the insect swarm with her powerful mental energy field, as the swarm seemed to be targeting Lin Xian's side and was surging in like a tsunami.

"Grace!" Lin called out as he repaired a severely deformed gap in the track.

The chaotic coordinates have been located, but I need to remind you.

"What?"

Above the uninhabited deep space, a 12-kilometer-diameter ring-shaped energy storage array suddenly lit up with a dazzling, eerie blue arc of light. The 24 "Candle Dragon"-class confined particle beam arrays, like unfolded wings of judgment, silently turned their cannons in the vacuum, redirecting the high-energy particle cannons that were originally aimed at the direction of deep space to destroy asteroids towards the northern battlefield.

Grace stood in front of the control panel and said to Lin Xian

Based on dynamic scanning, that is not the main body of the creature.

"What's the meaning?"

“What you see is not the main body of chaos,” Chu Yan said to Lin Xian, looking at the giant planetary eye in the sky. “Its main body is underground.”

"Holy crap?!"

Lin Xian's face showed astonishment upon hearing this: "The eyes are in the sky, and the main body is on the ground. What kind of thing is this?"

Chu Yan shook her head: "I don't know. The Dawn Center didn't get a full view of it during the encounter in Colorado. All we know is that the thing itself is definitely underground and is something that can destroy more than 10 kilometers of terrain."

Lin Xian's gaze narrowed slightly.

"These are all huge, illegal things; you could probably see them with the naked eye from space."

"careful!"

A hurricane raged, and Jiang Yun shouted into the communicator. Before Lin Xian could react, the airspace ahead suddenly turned crimson, instantly covered by a huge predator. Its spiral face stared at Lin Xian, releasing a chilling killing intent. Its raised claws surged with dark energy, causing the electronic systems of everyone's power armor to flicker violently at that moment.

At that moment, a flash of white light appeared in Chu Yan's eyes, and a terrifying mental energy field shone with a faint light and condensed towards the center. The attacking movement of the flashing hunting body suddenly stopped for a second. In that second, Lin Xian raised his hand and swept it horizontally. The supercritical diffraction sword directly swept it and the monster tide on the battlefield for hundreds of meters, leaving only a scorched earth.

"Lin Xian, are you alright?" KIKI manipulated her psychic field to descend from the sky.

"That was close," Lin Xian replied. "You guys need to be careful too; that crimson mist can appear out of thin air."

“Dimensional crossing is extremely difficult to defend against.” Chu Yan looked at the charred corpse of the hunter falling down and said seriously, “Besides this, there are many other types. No matter how strong your ability is, you can die in a second if you are not careful. You must not be careless.”

"We don't know what kind of attack method that big eyeball uses. We have no strategy or preparation at all," Lin Xian said.

"That thing will cause large-scale terrain collapse. Lin Xian, do you remember what we encountered in Dungeon No. 9?" Chen Sixuan's voice came from the Sky Train: "We judged that it is very likely like that earthquake catfish, moving underground!"

"That canyon we just saw is unlike anything we've ever seen before; it's definitely something created by the chaos," Chu Yan said.

Lin Xian immediately recalled how he and KIKI had spotted the terrifying creature lurking at the bottom of the underground tunnels in the No. 9 underground city's rail passage, and the thought still sent chills down his spine.

"What I'm curious about now is, what exactly is the purpose of this giant monster? Why doesn't it attack on its own, instead of just attracting a monster tide?"

"I don't know, anything is possible."

Standing in the center of the tornado, Jiang Yun calmly said, "For example, some high-level hunters enjoy the thrill of hunting. In their eyes, we can't escape their territory at all."

"Another theory is that there isn't enough energy."

"Not enough energy?"

“Yes, large predators consume a huge amount of calories and energy to complete a hunt. If the prey does not get enough calories to replenish what it has gained from the hunt, then there is no need to hunt,” Jiang Yun said.

"Are you saying that our millions of people aren't worth this guy's time?" KIKI said at this moment.

"I'm just speculating and can't be completely sure, but for now, it seems that driving the crimson wave to engulf us is perhaps the most cost-effective option for it."

"So it dug a canyon to completely cut off the road. That guy is really clever."

“It’s not necessarily because it’s smart,” Chu Yan said. “Some guidance is also inseparable from the foundation.”

As Lin Xian listened to their conversation, his expression gradually became serious, and that feeling from before returned.

"Jiang Yun, you just mentioned burning calories. Was the situation different when this monster attacked Dawn Center before?

“Completely different.” Jiang Yun said at this moment, “Back then, we were facing almost all super-large monsters of the Special and S-class levels. The Crimson Tide was not a threat at all. Just by launching an attack from underground, we lost half of the Iron Guard Brigade and dozens of convoys!”

Lin Xian's pupils contracted sharply upon hearing this, and he immediately contacted Grace.

"Grace, is there a significant difference in the distribution of scarlet concentration in this area compared to other intercontinental regions?"

Yes, currently there are five storm areas with extremely high scarlet concentrations in North America, located in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. The situation is similar to that of a tropical storm cyclone, with the concentration increasing progressively.

Chu Yan also heard Grace's response at the same time, and then looked at Lin Xian: "What did you find out?"

However, Lin Xian suddenly stopped flying and hovered in mid-air, appearing dazed.

"Lin Xian, what's wrong?!"

"etc."

"Block the monstrous tide!"

"Lin Xian."

Whew~

Whew~

At this moment, Lin could only hear his own breathing inside the power armor mask. Cold sweat kept seeping from his forehead. At this moment, he finally understood what was going on.

He recalled the scenes he saw inside the Civilization Preview Sphere.

In the information age, the light flow instantly overwhelms everything, the data torrent surges through the invisible network, and enormous starships break free from planetary gravity and sail into the boundless deep space. One after another, geometrically perfect towers, made of neither gold nor stone, rise from the ground on strange planets, piercing the vacuum of space and receiving energy from the celestial curtain, which is transformed into stars and then transmitted to the ground via microwaves—this is the starting point of the Tower Civilization.

"The Tower Civilization..."

At this moment, countless fragments of images flashed wildly before Lin Xian's eyes: a giant floating corpse in the atmosphere, a giant ocean god devouring the heat energy of the Earth's core, an earthquake catfish lurking in Dungeon No. 9, crustal creatures of Siberia, chaos...

The final scene shows a constantly flashing metal die and a text displayed by the transmitted signal code.

P——O——W——E——R

“Those weren’t five Crimson Storms, those were five towers…”

Lin Xian's expression trembled, and he muttered to himself...

"The Celestial Curtain is not meant to block humanity at all; it is the 'Dimensional Dyson Sphere' of the Tower Civilization, used to absorb all cosmic energy for transmission. Crimson is a form of this energy."

Lin Xian's words exploded like thunder in the channel.

"They're trying to elevate Earth to a higher dimension!"

"Dimensional ascension?" Jiang Yun exclaimed in shock. "Transformation?"

“Only after the transformation will the angels descend,” Chu Yan said in a deep voice, not surprised by this judgment.

"This is happening simultaneously. These five 'towers' have already appeared. If I'm not mistaken, it won't be long before five world-class disasters appear here."

Lin Xian looked at the terrifying giant eye in the sky.

"Its target isn't us at all, or rather, we're not important prey at all. It's waiting for other world-class beings to arrive, to complete the devouring, for the angels to descend, and for us..."

"Perhaps it's just a..."

"Dessert before the meal!"

(End of this chapter)