novellk Chapter 402 Report to the Captain, Nobody's Here
Chapter 402 Report to the Captain, Nobody's Here
Before the words were even finished, a beam of light, condensed to the extreme and as precise as the Grim Reaper's pointer, ignored the thick rock barrier and pierced down from above their heads!
Guided by Lin Tian's mental power, the [Star Ray] perfectly pierced through the weakest point of the rock layer, turning this fissure into a skewer of thirty "human gourds".
The beam swept back and forth twice, and only the gradually dissipating white light remained in the gap.
Some teams of a hundred, confident in their strength and well-equipped, chose to break out together when threatened by Lin Tian's extermination efforts.
They roared as they charged out of the tunnels where they were hiding. Warriors raised their shields, mages charged up their powers, and healing auras were fully activated. Like a torrent of steel, they tried to concentrate their strength to break through Lin Tian's "blockade," or even if they had to rush into the more central ruins and use the complex terrain to maneuver around.
"For the guild!"
"Fight your way out!"
Then, they crashed head-on into a newly torn astral rift, radiating an aura of destruction.
The Starstorm covered their path of attack.
Five seconds of star fragmentation followed by a final explosion completely evaporated the torrent, leaving only a charred, crystal-filled crater and a few scattered pieces of shimmering equipment.
The efficiency is so high it's almost despairing.
Lin Tian was like a precision instrument with a pre-programmed sequence of movements, his flight path accurately sweeping over every hiding place, selecting the most suitable skill based on the number, location, and defensive characteristics of the targets.
Often, a mere gesture, a glance, or a brief appearance after a short jump is enough to disqualify one or more teams from the competition.
Death notices flooded the regional channels like a waterfall, but fewer and fewer people responded—because those who dared to be distracted by typing often became names on the notices the very next second.
All that remained was boundless silence and a chilling despair that permeated the hearts of every survivor.
About seven or eight minutes later.
Lin Tian hovered on a tall, broken pillar in the ruins near the center of the central area, slowly withdrawing his outward-radiating spiritual power.
Within his perception range, he could no longer sense any other player's mental fluctuations besides himself.
The central area is temporarily "clean".
All the players who had previously lurked here, those who were openly active, and even those who later attempted to infiltrate, as long as they hadn't managed to escape far beyond the central area before Lin Tian launched his cleanup, have now been converted into points.
The wind swept across the empty and desolate ruins, bringing with it a mournful echo.
The strong smell of blood and burnt flesh was almost tangible.
Sunlight filtered through the dust, casting dim, yellowish beams of light onto the land that had just witnessed a highly efficient massacre.
But the game is not over yet.
The safe zone is shrinking, and those teams that were previously hesitant to approach or were holding each other back on other paths must now come in.
He was in no hurry.
On that broken pillar, he stood like a patient spider, waiting for the last flying insect to crash into his web.
His mental energy was not completely withdrawn, but rather, like invisible ripples, gently and continuously covered the edges of the central area, especially the directions of the most likely entry points.
On the eastern edge of the central area, outside a gap in the collapsed city wall, which is mostly covered by sand and dust.
A group of about two hundred players were cautiously lurking behind several giant rocks, peering nervously at the scene inside the gap.
They were a vanguard team from the [Po Jun] guild; the guild's main force was still a little behind, so they were sent to scout ahead.
Captain Zhang Han, a burly barbarian warrior, lowered his voice and said into the communication crystal, "Guild Leader, we've reached the East Gate. It's eerily quiet inside."
The guild leader Lei Hao's calm voice came through the communicator: "Silence? No sounds of battle? And no other teams in sight?"
"No, there's not a sound at all; even the wind is exceptionally clear."
Zhang Han carefully examined the open area filled with ruins inside the breach.
"I didn't see anyone. On the ground... there seem to be signs of a battle, charred craters, and lots of broken stones."
Lei Hao was silent for a few seconds:
"This isn't right. Based on previous intelligence and activity, there should be at least a hundred people, maybe even more, gathered in the central area, vying for control of the core area. How can it be so quiet? Have they already finished fighting, decided the winner, and are the victor waiting inside? Or... is there some kind of trap?"
"President, what should we do? Should we go in?" Zhang Han asked.
Lei Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Observe for another two minutes. Send two of your best stealth fighters in, but don't go too deep. Just carefully check the area near the entrance for any signs of an ambush, or... corpses and dropped items. Be careful."
Soon, two figures separated from the group like wisps of smoke, silently gliding through the gap in the city wall and disappearing into the shadows inside.
They are the best scouts of the [Po Jun] guild: Qin Xiaoqi and Wu Ziqi.
About three minutes later, the two returned, their faces filled with deep doubt and a hint of unease.
"Reporting, Captain, there's... really no one inside."
Qin Xiaoqi whispered, "We've covered an area of about 100 meters, repeatedly probing using stealth and anti-submarine skills, but haven't detected any lurking life. But..."
"But what?" Zhang Han pressed.
Wu Ziqi chimed in, his tone somewhat uncertain: "But the signs of battle are very fresh, they're everywhere, and... very strange. Some places look like they were completely flattened by a tremendous force, some rock walls have small holes melted by high-temperature beams, and one area of the ground is crystallized... It doesn't seem like the result of a large-scale melee, but rather like... it was cleansed by some incomprehensible force."
Zhang Han frowned and reported the situation truthfully to Lei Hao.
Lei Hao, on the other end of the communication, also sensed something strange about the situation.
But he glanced at the system time and the rapidly shrinking circle countdown on the map, gritted his teeth, and said, "There's no time to hesitate! The safe zone is about to shrink again; we must get in and secure a favorable position! Zhang Han, you lead the vanguard forward, remain vigilant, advance slowly, and occupy that higher patch of ruins ahead as a stronghold. I'll lead the main force shortly after! Remember, if you spot anything unusual, immediately retreat and hold your position!"
"clear!"
Zhang Han took a deep breath and gestured to the two hundred team members behind him: "Everyone, maintain formation and advance cautiously! Mages, activate Eye of Truth; Rangers, release your falcons; Warriors, raise your shields and advance slowly!"
The team of two hundred people immediately sprang into action. Although they were tense, their movements were orderly and well-organized, demonstrating the quality of a large guild.
They cautiously made their way through the gap in the city wall in a defensive formation and entered the desolate central area.