As soon as the words were spoken, the passionate atmosphere in the conference room seemed to solidify, and a flame called "hope" burned in everyone's eyes.
In just three days, they will demonstrate the indomitable spirit of human civilization to those arrogant invaders!
However, just as this will to die reached its peak, an extremely cold aura seeped in without warning.
"Humanity's counterattack?"
A hoarse, shrill voice, filled with deep sarcasm, seemed to resonate directly in the depths of everyone's soul.
The voice was like countless cold, poisonous needles, piercing their newly gathered courage.
The holographic projection in the conference room suddenly flickered violently, and the warm light was replaced by an eerie purple glow.
Blurry and distorted shadows began to appear on the walls, under the floor, and even in the air, as if countless venomous eyes were lurking in the darkness.
"Poor insects, you don't even know the immense power you face." The Night Owl's voice, mocking, echoed in everyone's minds. "Your cities will be reduced to ashes, your civilization will be completely wiped out, and everything you cherish will decay and perish in the whispers of 'Shadow Erosion'."
As the words were spoken, terrifying visions invaded everyone's senses like a virus: the steel city crumbled under the erosion of purplish-black energy, countless job changers let out desperate cries, and familiar faces twisted and vanished in agony...
"No...impossible!" A young job changer, his face ashen, clutched his head and let out a suppressed scream.
He had just lost loved ones in the last wave of beasts, and the owl's illusion pierced his most tender wound.
Not only him, but even some experienced veterans had cold sweat beading on their foreheads at this moment.
The illusion was too real, the sense of despair too intense, as if the end of the world had already arrived.
The initial surge of excitement quickly cooled down.
Long Wu gripped the dragon-patterned jade pendant tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, yet he could still feel a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
Cain's prosthetic eye flickered erratically, clearly indicating that its internal computing system was also being interfered with.
Fear, like a plague, began to spread silently.
"A bunch of ants, daring to shake the stars?" Night Owl's sneer exploded in everyone's ears. "Three days later? No, you won't even last three hours. I will personally descend and enjoy watching you succumb to despair..."
"So noisy!"
A cold shout pierced the gloom like a thunderclap.
Lin Yi took a step forward. There was no dazzling light around him, but his dark eyes were more brilliant than any star.
His gaze swept over it, and the chilling purple light seemed to have encountered its nemesis, retreating in all directions. The distorted shadows in the air also let out a shriek of unbearable strain, shattering inch by inch.
"A mere trick, yet you dare to make a show of it here?" Lin Yi's voice was calm, but carried an undeniable authority.
As the [Master of Time and Space], his soul and will had long been refined to the extreme. To him, the mental intrusion of Night Owl was nothing more than a gentle breeze.
He didn't give a passionate speech; he simply gazed calmly at the timid alliance members and slowly said, "Raise your heads and look at me."
Everyone instinctively met his gaze.
"The illusions you see are what he wants you to see. He wants to use fear to undermine our fighting spirit and erode our beliefs." Lin Yi paused, his tone suddenly sharp. "But tell me, since the arrival of 'Infinite', when have we not fought our way out of desperate situations? When have we not trampled the so-called 'impossible' under our feet?"
He pointed at Long Wu: "Long Wu, you have awakened the true dragon bloodline and are fighting against the ancient dragon soul. Are you afraid?"
Long Wu was suddenly jolted, the confusion in his eyes quickly replaced by ferocity, and he roared: "I'm not afraid of anything!"
Lin Yi then looked at Elder Li: "Elder Li, the ancient martial arts lineage has been passed down for thousands of years. Faced with modern weapons and a horde of strange beasts, have you ever backed down?"
Elder Li flicked his Taoist robe and said proudly, "We cultivators would rather seek the straight path than the crooked one!"
His gaze swept over Cain, then over every familiar and unfamiliar face: "We've endured the brutal selection process of the beginner village, survived the life-or-death trials of the spacetime rift, and conquered the myriad traps of ancient ruins. We've faced enemies many times our size and defeated seemingly invincible behemoths. Night Owl, he's strong, the interdimensional invader is strong too. But," Lin Yi emphasized, each word striking like a hammer blow to everyone's hearts, "we are stronger!"
"Because we are fighting for survival, for our homeland, and for the hopes of hundreds of millions of our compatriots behind us!"
"He wants to break us with fear? Then we'll show him what true human will is with even stronger conviction!"
Lin Yi's voice echoed in the conference room, like a spark that ignited a wildfire, instantly restoring the wavering courage in everyone's hearts.
Those faces, pale with fear, flushed red again, and their unfocused eyes regained their fighting spirit.
"The boss's right! What's there to be afraid of? Let's fucking get them!"
"He's just a purple bug leader, right? Kill him, and I'll sharpen my sword!"
"For the Alliance! For humanity!"
The atmosphere was even more intense than before, like steel tempered by fire, indestructible!
Just then, Chu Yao, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised her head. Her eyes, which were made up of countless streams of data, gleamed with excitement: "Commander, I have analyzed the energy fluctuation pattern of the information that Night Owl just transmitted!"
Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on Chu Yao.
“The owl’s voice and illusions are not simply a mental attack, but a targeted projection through an extremely concealed subspace rift. Although this projection is difficult to detect, its energy characteristics are highly regular, and…” Chu Yao spoke very quickly, and complex data streams flashed rapidly on the holographic screen in front of her, “I have captured several key nodes and decay cycles of this energy fluctuation. This ‘Shadow Erosion’ energy, during its transmission, will generate an extremely weak but unique ‘spacetime resonance’.”
"Get to the point," Lin Yi said in a deep voice, knowing that Chu Yao must have made a major discovery.
Chu Yao took a deep breath, her eyes shining even brighter: "According to my calculations, when Night Owl unleashes a large-scale 'Shadow Erosion' ability, or performs this kind of long-distance mental penetration, his physical energy will briefly resonate with this 'space-time resonance.' This means that we can predict the timing of his high-intensity abilities by monitoring this resonance! Even..."
She paused, then dropped an even more startling conclusion: "If our interference is precise enough, we might be able to cause a certain degree of energy backlash against him the instant his ability is activated through reverse resonance!"
The meeting room felt like a pot of boiling oil had exploded!
Anticipating the consequences! Energy backlash!
This is absolutely a stroke of genius!
What makes the Night Owl most feared is its elusive and all-consuming "Shadow Erosion" ability. If one can anticipate its movements and even counter it, the chances of winning this decisive battle will undoubtedly increase significantly!
"Good! Chu Yao, well done!" Long Wu slapped his thigh excitedly.
"Incredible analytical capabilities; the potential of AI life forms is truly unfathomable," Cain exclaimed sincerely.
Even the usually aloof black figure had a glint of surprise in his silver pupils.
A glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes, and he decisively ordered, "Chu Yao, prioritize this discovery. Immediately organize a technical team to research targeted early warning and countermeasure plans! I want to see preliminary results within three days!"
"Yes, Commander!" Chu Yao stood at attention and saluted, her voice full of confidence.
The morale of the group was at an all-time high. Their previous fear had been swept away and replaced by an even stronger fighting spirit and a desire for victory.
The owl's provocation, instead, became a whetstone for them to hone their fighting spirit!
However, amidst this jubilation, a figure silently disappeared from the corner of the conference room.
Xuanmingzi, the mysterious being who claimed to be the incarnation of the game's mastermind and betrayed the advanced civilization, has already left at some unknown time.
He blended into the shadows like a ghost, without alerting anyone.
Where did he go? What is he secretly plotting?
This little incident didn't attract much attention; everyone's minds were still focused on the breakthrough brought about by Chu Yao.
Only Lin Yi, amidst the cheers, glanced thoughtfully at the spot where Xuan Mingzi had originally stood, his brows furrowing slightly.
Night Owl's trump card goes far beyond psychological intimidation; the shadowy enforcers of a higher civilization are not truly subservient, and Xuan Mingzi's stance is even more wavering.
This seemingly sure-win battle is actually fraught with hidden dangers.
Lin Yi withdrew his gaze, his mind becoming clearer.
Chu Yao's discovery was a huge surprise, but the real battle will test more than just cutting-edge technology and individual bravery.
He knew that against an enemy of this caliber as an interdimensional army, a flawless and perfect teamwork would be the key to the final victory.
Every individual, every team, and every link must mesh precisely and operate in synergy, like gears in a precision machine.
He needs time to transform this unprecedented surge in morale into a true, overwhelming fighting force.
The disappearance of Xuanmingzi undoubtedly added an unpredictable variable to this meticulously planned scheme.
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