Chapter 35: The First Surge of the Beast Tide
At midnight, the outpost's Sea of Consciousness early-warning array suddenly erupted with a piercing, prolonged alarm.
On the detection screen at the top of the command tower, red warning lights flashed frantically. Waves of chaotic, frenzied psychic fluctuations surged from the direction of the main Black Mountain rift, pressing down like a massive tsunami. The duty non-commissioned officer roared the report: "Main rift! A massive scaled beast swarm is mobilizing! Over seventy in number, advancing toward our outpost!"
The entire outpost instantly entered its highest state of combat readiness.
Atop the fortifications, the energy cannons rapidly adjusted their barrels, aiming toward the wilderness and the rift. All patrol squads immediately converged, returning to their pre-assigned defensive positions. Instructor Zhou led his four-man squad to guard a section of low stone wall fortification on the western side of the outpost. The terrain here was low-lying and cluttered with chaotic rocks, making it the most vulnerable sector for scaled beasts to infiltrate and flank.
"Remember, rely on the fortifications to hold your ground; do not rashly charge out of the defense line," Instructor Zhou quickly assigned their positions. "The two veterans will hold the front and suppress the scaled beasts charging head-on. Su Qing, you are responsible for precise strikes; prioritize killing any individuals attempting to climb the fortifications. Lin Yan, your task is flank vigilance. Keep a close watch on the low-lying rocky area. If any scaled beasts attempt to circle behind from the side, open fire to intercept immediately, and maintain continuous early warning of psychic anomalies."
"Understood." Lin Yan gripped his energy rifle tightly, leaning sideways against the back of the stone wall. His Sea of Consciousness slowly expanded, releasing fine tentacles that blanketed the entire rocky depression outside the wall.
The ground began to tremble slightly.
Low, chaotic roars grew louder as they approached. In the dark wilderness, countless low-level scaled beasts surged forward like a tide, using the cover of night and the scattered rocks. Their gray-black hard scales gleamed coldly under the faint searchlights, foul-smelling mucus dripping from their snouts as they formed a dense, continuous mass.
During their charge, dozens of low-level scaled beasts simultaneously released psychic stings. Countless fine psychic spikes overlapped, merging into a surging psychic wave that slammed fiercely into the Seas of Consciousness of everyone at the outpost.
"Hold your Seas of Consciousness steady! Layered defense!" Instructor Zhou shouted loudly.
The two veterans in the front relied on the stone wall, continuously firing their energy rifles. Scorching beams of light exploded within the swarm of scaled beasts, repeatedly bringing down the individuals at the forefront. Scaled beast corpses piled up in front of the fortifications, but the beasts behind them trampled over their fallen companions, continuing their fierce charge without a hint of retreat.
Some scaled beasts stopped charging the front directly. Instead, using the cover of the chaotic rocks, they quietly flanked toward the western depression, attempting to circle behind the fortifications and tear open the defense line.
"Right side depression, twelve scaled beasts flanking!" Lin Yan was the first to detect that gathering psychic fluctuation and immediately opened fire. Energy bullets flew out in succession, striking the eye sockets and soft snouts of the two scaled beasts leading the charge, disrupting their flanking rhythm.
He continued to fire while bearing the psychic stings叠加 (overlapping) from the entire beast tide.
Dozens of psychic impacts mixed together, washing over the Sea of Consciousness barrier in continuous waves. A dense, stabbing pain persisted in his skull, and the old wounds on the surface of his Sea of Consciousness throbbed faintly. Lin Yan's core remained as stable as a boulder, while his outer Sea of Consciousness barrier flexibly adjusted its defensive strength: contracting inward when the impacts were fierce, and releasing fine tentacles during the gaps to continuously search for scaled beasts lurking in the dark, attempting to ambush.
If this had been when he first arrived in this world, such a massive, overlapping psychic impact would have caused him to become dizzy and disoriented within moments, making his gun-holding hands tremble. But after being tempered through numerous real battles, he remained calm at this moment. Shooting, predicting movements, and sensing psychic signals—his actions were methodical and orderly.
Using the cover of a fallen companion's corpse, a scaled beast suddenly leaped into the air, intending to scale the stone wall directly. Su Qing seized the opportunity and shot it in the throat. The scaled beast fell heavily, tumbling into the pile of chaotic rocks.
"They are releasing psychic stings in turns, continuously draining our Seas of Consciousness!" a veteran shouted a warning, his shoulder grazed by flying gravel. "Don't keep your Sea of Consciousness fully open; conserve your mental power!"
The beast tide launched wave after wave of attacks against the western defense line. Scaled beasts in the front kept falling, only to be replaced by new individuals; from the flanks, small squads continually broke off, attempting to flank and surround them through the depressions and rock crevices. Throughout it all, Lin Yan remained nailed to the flank, constantly switching targets, continuously intercepting the scaled beasts that circled behind, and simultaneously providing the squad with early warnings of hidden psychic anomalies in the dark.
His Sea of Consciousness was still stuck at the second-tier peak, with no signs of a breakthrough in the core. But under the brutal baptism of this dense psychic torrent from the beast tide, the upper limit of his Sea of Consciousness barrier's endurance and his multi-line perception capabilities were tempered once again.
In the distance from the battlefield, in the direction of the profound rift, that heavy, cold psychic fluctuation hung in mid-air, silently overlooking the outpost's battle. The third-tier scaled beast did not charge personally; it acted as a battlefield observer. It continuously released faint psychic commands to coordinate the scaled beasts, persistently testing the strengths and weaknesses of the human defense line and the limits of the warriors' Sea of Consciousness endurance.
In the eyes of all humanity, this was merely the innate tribal command instinct of high-level scaled beasts. No one knew that deep within the rift, the subterranean Lizardmen were synchronously receiving all battlefield data through the scaled beasts' psychic network, recording the limits of human warriors' Sea of Consciousness defenses, tactical coordination, and the lethal efficiency of energy weapons.
The fierce battle lasted for nearly an hour.
The outpost's energy cannons continuously bombarded the main beast tide, bringing down scaled beasts in droves. The remaining scaled beasts suffered heavy casualties, and their offensive momentum slowly waned. Receiving the psychic signal from the third-tier scaled beast, they stopped their fierce assault, roaring as they slowly retreated backward, withdrawing toward the rift.
Across the wilderness, scaled beast corpses were scattered everywhere, and a thick, putrid stench permeated the air.
On the western defense line of the outpost, everyone briefly breathed a sigh of relief, but they maintained their vigilance. Medics quickly rushed over, checking everyone's Sea of Consciousness status and surface wounds one by one. The two veterans had slight Sea of Consciousness overdrafts and multiple abrasions; Su Qing had consumed a large amount of mental power and could recover after a brief meditation. When it was Lin Yan's turn, the detector's screen lit up with a pale white light pattern.
"Multiple new contusions on the surface of the Sea of Consciousness, overdraft is controllable, the core is unharmed," the medic quickly recorded. "Hurry and rest; there is a high probability of a second wave of the beast tide."
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Lin Yan closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. The cracks on his pale white Sea of Consciousness barrier had increased, but his core remained calm, steadily staying at the second-tier peak.
"You did very well intercepting the flank just now." Instructor Zhou walked over to him, looking toward the dark rift in the distance. "They focused on testing our flank. That third-tier scaled beast's tactical awareness is growing stronger."
Lin Yan nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the wilderness. "It's still in the distance. It hasn't left."
The alarm in the command tower continued to wail softly. On the holographic screen, the psychic fluctuations of the remaining scaled beasts in the rift continued to surge. The first wave of the beast tide was merely a probe. The true, crushing pressure was yet to come.
End of Chapter
On the detection screen at the top of the command tower, red warning lights flashed frantically. Waves of chaotic, frenzied psychic fluctuations surged from the direction of the main Black Mountain rift, pressing down like a massive tsunami. The duty non-commissioned officer roared the report: "Main rift! A massive scaled beast swarm is mobilizing! Over seventy in number, advancing toward our outpost!"
The entire outpost instantly entered its highest state of combat readiness.
Atop the fortifications, the energy cannons rapidly adjusted their barrels, aiming toward the wilderness and the rift. All patrol squads immediately converged, returning to their pre-assigned defensive positions. Instructor Zhou led his four-man squad to guard a section of low stone wall fortification on the western side of the outpost. The terrain here was low-lying and cluttered with chaotic rocks, making it the most vulnerable sector for scaled beasts to infiltrate and flank.
"Remember, rely on the fortifications to hold your ground; do not rashly charge out of the defense line," Instructor Zhou quickly assigned their positions. "The two veterans will hold the front and suppress the scaled beasts charging head-on. Su Qing, you are responsible for precise strikes; prioritize killing any individuals attempting to climb the fortifications. Lin Yan, your task is flank vigilance. Keep a close watch on the low-lying rocky area. If any scaled beasts attempt to circle behind from the side, open fire to intercept immediately, and maintain continuous early warning of psychic anomalies."
"Understood." Lin Yan gripped his energy rifle tightly, leaning sideways against the back of the stone wall. His Sea of Consciousness slowly expanded, releasing fine tentacles that blanketed the entire rocky depression outside the wall.
The ground began to tremble slightly.
Low, chaotic roars grew louder as they approached. In the dark wilderness, countless low-level scaled beasts surged forward like a tide, using the cover of night and the scattered rocks. Their gray-black hard scales gleamed coldly under the faint searchlights, foul-smelling mucus dripping from their snouts as they formed a dense, continuous mass.
During their charge, dozens of low-level scaled beasts simultaneously released psychic stings. Countless fine psychic spikes overlapped, merging into a surging psychic wave that slammed fiercely into the Seas of Consciousness of everyone at the outpost.
"Hold your Seas of Consciousness steady! Layered defense!" Instructor Zhou shouted loudly.
The two veterans in the front relied on the stone wall, continuously firing their energy rifles. Scorching beams of light exploded within the swarm of scaled beasts, repeatedly bringing down the individuals at the forefront. Scaled beast corpses piled up in front of the fortifications, but the beasts behind them trampled over their fallen companions, continuing their fierce charge without a hint of retreat.
Some scaled beasts stopped charging the front directly. Instead, using the cover of the chaotic rocks, they quietly flanked toward the western depression, attempting to circle behind the fortifications and tear open the defense line.
"Right side depression, twelve scaled beasts flanking!" Lin Yan was the first to detect that gathering psychic fluctuation and immediately opened fire. Energy bullets flew out in succession, striking the eye sockets and soft snouts of the two scaled beasts leading the charge, disrupting their flanking rhythm.
He continued to fire while bearing the psychic stings叠加 (overlapping) from the entire beast tide.
Dozens of psychic impacts mixed together, washing over the Sea of Consciousness barrier in continuous waves. A dense, stabbing pain persisted in his skull, and the old wounds on the surface of his Sea of Consciousness throbbed faintly. Lin Yan's core remained as stable as a boulder, while his outer Sea of Consciousness barrier flexibly adjusted its defensive strength: contracting inward when the impacts were fierce, and releasing fine tentacles during the gaps to continuously search for scaled beasts lurking in the dark, attempting to ambush.
If this had been when he first arrived in this world, such a massive, overlapping psychic impact would have caused him to become dizzy and disoriented within moments, making his gun-holding hands tremble. But after being tempered through numerous real battles, he remained calm at this moment. Shooting, predicting movements, and sensing psychic signals—his actions were methodical and orderly.
Using the cover of a fallen companion's corpse, a scaled beast suddenly leaped into the air, intending to scale the stone wall directly. Su Qing seized the opportunity and shot it in the throat. The scaled beast fell heavily, tumbling into the pile of chaotic rocks.
"They are releasing psychic stings in turns, continuously draining our Seas of Consciousness!" a veteran shouted a warning, his shoulder grazed by flying gravel. "Don't keep your Sea of Consciousness fully open; conserve your mental power!"
The beast tide launched wave after wave of attacks against the western defense line. Scaled beasts in the front kept falling, only to be replaced by new individuals; from the flanks, small squads continually broke off, attempting to flank and surround them through the depressions and rock crevices. Throughout it all, Lin Yan remained nailed to the flank, constantly switching targets, continuously intercepting the scaled beasts that circled behind, and simultaneously providing the squad with early warnings of hidden psychic anomalies in the dark.
His Sea of Consciousness was still stuck at the second-tier peak, with no signs of a breakthrough in the core. But under the brutal baptism of this dense psychic torrent from the beast tide, the upper limit of his Sea of Consciousness barrier's endurance and his multi-line perception capabilities were tempered once again.
In the distance from the battlefield, in the direction of the profound rift, that heavy, cold psychic fluctuation hung in mid-air, silently overlooking the outpost's battle. The third-tier scaled beast did not charge personally; it acted as a battlefield observer. It continuously released faint psychic commands to coordinate the scaled beasts, persistently testing the strengths and weaknesses of the human defense line and the limits of the warriors' Sea of Consciousness endurance.
In the eyes of all humanity, this was merely the innate tribal command instinct of high-level scaled beasts. No one knew that deep within the rift, the subterranean Lizardmen were synchronously receiving all battlefield data through the scaled beasts' psychic network, recording the limits of human warriors' Sea of Consciousness defenses, tactical coordination, and the lethal efficiency of energy weapons.
The fierce battle lasted for nearly an hour.
The outpost's energy cannons continuously bombarded the main beast tide, bringing down scaled beasts in droves. The remaining scaled beasts suffered heavy casualties, and their offensive momentum slowly waned. Receiving the psychic signal from the third-tier scaled beast, they stopped their fierce assault, roaring as they slowly retreated backward, withdrawing toward the rift.
Across the wilderness, scaled beast corpses were scattered everywhere, and a thick, putrid stench permeated the air.
On the western defense line of the outpost, everyone briefly breathed a sigh of relief, but they maintained their vigilance. Medics quickly rushed over, checking everyone's Sea of Consciousness status and surface wounds one by one. The two veterans had slight Sea of Consciousness overdrafts and multiple abrasions; Su Qing had consumed a large amount of mental power and could recover after a brief meditation. When it was Lin Yan's turn, the detector's screen lit up with a pale white light pattern.
"Multiple new contusions on the surface of the Sea of Consciousness, overdraft is controllable, the core is unharmed," the medic quickly recorded. "Hurry and rest; there is a high probability of a second wave of the beast tide."
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Lin Yan closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. The cracks on his pale white Sea of Consciousness barrier had increased, but his core remained calm, steadily staying at the second-tier peak.
"You did very well intercepting the flank just now." Instructor Zhou walked over to him, looking toward the dark rift in the distance. "They focused on testing our flank. That third-tier scaled beast's tactical awareness is growing stronger."
Lin Yan nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the depths of the wilderness. "It's still in the distance. It hasn't left."
The alarm in the command tower continued to wail softly. On the holographic screen, the psychic fluctuations of the remaining scaled beasts in the rift continued to surge. The first wave of the beast tide was merely a probe. The true, crushing pressure was yet to come.
End of Chapter