Chapter 1 Late Night

Deep into the night.

In a forest two hundred li from Senyuan City, a wilderness scouting team was fleeing, looking harried and constantly glancing back as if some terrifying entity was pursuing them. Faint rustling sounds echoed from the forest behind them, seemingly drawing closer. The surrounding darkness was like all-pervasive mercury, rendering everything beyond arm's reach invisible.

The team consisted of three Sunil Superhumans. Their captain, Fumi, said in a trembling voice, "Don't stop! The Nightmares are right behind us!"

The stages of the calamitous disaster were determined by the types of beasts that appeared at different times. The Nightmare was the marker for the beginning of the middle stage. These were nocturnal creatures, and when they appeared in large numbers, a dangerous night battle would begin.

The Mental Tide had driven wild beasts around the globe into a frenzy. Senyuan City was just one corner of the world. In other locations, countless beasts were slaughtering each other, and nowhere was safe. One of the causes of the beast tide was that weaker beasts instinctively sensed the pressure from apex predators at the top of the food chain. They proactively left the territory of stronger beasts, forming packs, and thus impacted Senyuan City. As large numbers of beasts were killed, a certain pheromone was released, attracting even more powerful beasts.

The purpose of the wilderness reconnaissance was to discover the types of beasts attacking and to warn Senyuan City. It was a dangerous job because encountering a pack of beasts in the wilderness was almost certainly a death sentence. This particular wilderness reconnaissance team had already sent the information back to headquarters and was now running for their lives.

Feeling the icy darkness so close, the three of them felt their hair stand on end.

Fumi gritted his teeth, his mind flooded with regret.

"Not again… this isn't the first time!"

He had experienced three calamitous disasters, been selected for wilderness reconnaissance three times, and teetered on the edge of life and death countless times. The scars on his body still throbbed. He had had enough of this life.

In the past, when disaster struck, Superhumans actively returned to defend the clan. Fumi had been the same. But now he only felt annoyance and resistance. The surging passion would always cool down eventually. Constant sacrifice without any reward, year after year, had exhausted Fumi's patience. He certainly loved his homeland, but that didn't mean the clan was entitled to treat them like tools to be ordered around at will, using the excuse of continuing the race to kidnap strong people like him. Fumi was sick of it.

It was so unfair! The remuneration he earned as a mercenary on weekdays was handed over to the clan, and he had to risk his life in times of danger. Fumi's patience had reached its limit. Why should the clan demand such sacrifices from him?

Just because it was his clan, did he have to give without asking for anything in return?!

Why should the strong bear so much responsibility!

His career as a mercenary in space had broadened his horizons. Fumi felt it was increasingly not worth risking his life for the clan. Life was precious, and he only had one.

Many clansmen had unwavering faith, but there were also many warriors who felt the same way as him. He felt he had done enough for the clan after sacrificing for so long.

"If I survive this time, to hell with the calamity. I'm never coming back!" Fumi gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, a whip-like tail shot out of the forest and wrapped around one of the scouts. The tip of the tail was a sharp bone spur that pierced his abdomen. The scout roared, his body erupting with martial arts aura. He tore the tail apart, and ink-black tissue fluid splashed all over his face.

The counterattack slowed his pace for a moment, and that instant determined his fate.

Whoosh—

Dozens of spiked tails shot out, entangling the martial artist and pulling him into the woods. Fumi quickly looked back and saw an even more intense martial arts aura erupt in the forest, creating a surging gust of wind, demonstrating the martial artist's strength at the C-grade level.

However, this momentum lasted only half a second before the aura exploded and disintegrated, just like the man's body.

A warm sensation suddenly appeared on his face. Fumi reached out and touched it; it was his companion's scalding blood.

In less than a second, a C-grade martial artist was torn to pieces!

The Nightmares' cold hissing echoed through the forest. Not only behind them but also in front of them. They had surrounded the two of them. In the dark forest, many whip-like black shadows swayed. There were as many as a thousand of them, all the tails of the Nightmares.

…

Rat-tat-tat—

The incessant gunfire illuminated the night. This wave of beasts had lasted for five hours, and the battle had reached a fever pitch. The third defense line was littered with the corpses of burrowing beasts. The Steel Defense Force had been fighting for too long and had to be rotated out. Everyone's armor had varying degrees of damage.

It was night. Han Xiao, carrying a large box of repair tools, moved around behind the third defense line, repairing the armor of the Defense Force soldiers. Time was tight, and the task was heavy. Once repaired, the armor would immediately be put back into battle.

There were other battlefield repair teams working busily, but Han Xiao's skills were the best. During this period, his reputation had spread throughout the Defense Force. Every unit hoped to encounter Han Xiao during repairs so that their safety would be best ensured.

Welding steel plates, repairing circuits, resetting systems—Han Xiao's repair movements were smooth and flowing. The battlefield repair team had equipped him with internal communication to facilitate dispatching tasks. Just after completing the repairs for one team, a new instruction came through his headset: "B12 Defense requests emergency repairs during battle!"

B12 was Nivil's team. Han Xiao arrived at their location. Nivil's team had not rotated out for rest but was still fighting fiercely. Such wartime repairs were the riskiest. A soldier saw Han Xiao and hurriedly said, "Quick, this way!"

Han Xiao rushed over and saw Nivil lying on the ground. A beast's claw marks had penetrated the armor across his chest and abdomen, sparking with electricity. The leg armor had also been torn open, exposing the severed wires. The power unit had stopped working, and Nivil was slumped on the ground, unable to get up. A group of soldiers stood guard around him.

"Damn it, a bunch of rookies, get out of here! Don't leave your positions!" Nivil shouted angrily, berating his subordinates. However, the soldiers remained unmoved, determined to protect their commander.

Because the soldiers had contracted their formation, a small gap had been exposed in the line. A small wave of burrowing beasts broke through the interwoven fire net and crossed the defensive line. This situation required the standby quick reaction force to provide support. Reinforcements were already on their way, and there wouldn't be any major problems; it was a normal defensive transition.

However, in Nivil's eyes, this was absolute dereliction of duty. He was furious and struggled to get up.

"Don't move." Han Xiao pressed down on Nivil, took out his materials and tools, and began repairs.

Nivil felt as if Han Xiao's palm was like a mountain pressing down on him. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move. He gritted his teeth and had no choice but to submit, anxiously urging, "Hurry! Hurry!"

Han Xiao said expressionlessly, "Shut up."

[Sunil-Defense Type Officer Armor] Derivation progress 27%]

These days, he had been repairing soldier-grade armor the most. He had already spent several million experience points to reverse-engineer the design, but he had few opportunities to repair officer armor. Now, he had only derived it to 27%, but he estimated that officer-grade armor required [Heavy Armor Modification] as a prerequisite, which would stall the progress.

In addition to armor, he was also responsible for repairing some vehicles and turrets, and he had also obtained the design for the Hovering Turret, a great gain.

Nivil was helpless. Although he was anxious, he could only obediently wait for repairs. Although he urged him verbally, Han Xiao's speed relieved him. It wouldn't be long before he could fight again.