Chapter 157: Obsession
The gunfire intertwined into a continuous, deafening roar. Bullets pierced the floating gray fog; some collided with illusions, resulting in hollow echoes, while others accurately pierced the thick gaps in the scaled beasts' armor, splattering foul-smelling, dark green blood.
The illusions still blanketed everything.
The phantoms of deceased relatives and the ruined remnants of shattered homes drifted back and forth above the heads of the scaled beasts, like a curtain that bewitched the human heart. The priests knew perfectly well that after days of high-pressure, desperate defense, the defenders' hearts were already piled high with exhaustion and pain. Emotion was the easiest breach to tear open.
Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness waves continued to push forward, crushing the psychic illusions that entangled them one after another. With every exertion of force, the fissure deep within his Sea of Consciousness trembled in tandem. The dull pain layered upon itself, as if a rusty nail were being repeatedly twisted inside his consciousness. He strictly capped the upper limit of his power output, never daring to recklessly overdraw himself. Instructor Wen's warning constantly echoed in his mind—once the origin fissure ruptured, it would lead to irreversible madness and ruin.
"Gap in the middle sector! Three second-tier beasts are charging in together!" a sentry soldier roared.
Lin Yan immediately tilted his Sea of Consciousness barrier toward the middle sector. The phantoms trembled and dissipated, exposing three burly second-tier scaled beasts to everyone's view. Their four hooves dug into the ground, their speed suddenly exploding as they charged straight for the bunker.
Three assault soldiers, already on standby, immediately surrounded them. Shock batons, carrying a low-frequency hum, slammed into the scale gaps on the beasts' necks. A dull impact sounded. The leading scaled beast let out a pained roar, its tail sweeping viciously. A soldier, failing to dodge in time, had his ribs shattered. Screaming, he was sent crashing into a pile of gravel.
Replacement soldiers quickly filled the gap, pressing the muzzle of their guns against the scaled beast's jaw and pulling the trigger.
It was the same familiar exchange. To take down a single second-tier scaled beast, the price was the coordinated effort of several people and the constant risk of injury.
On the other side of the defense line, Gu Shen was struggling to hold on. He didn't have an old Sea of Consciousness injury, but the prolonged, uninterrupted psychic consumption had left his face pale, sweat dripping from his forehead down his jaw.
"The rhythm of their illusion rotation has sped up," Gu Shen's voice came through the communication channel. "Just now, it was an illusion of grief; now it has switched to an illusion of fear, specifically amplifying the images we are most terrified of in our hearts."
Lin Yan raised his eyes to look. The scene on the wasteland twisted once again.
This time, what rose was no longer the figures of old acquaintances, but an endless tide of scaled beasts crawling from deep within the subterranean rifts. Countless vertical pupils flickered in the black fog, densely packing the horizon. When new recruits saw this scene, their psychological defenses broke completely. Their hands holding the guns trembled wildly as they fired blindly and aimlessly.
"Hold steady! They are all illusions!" Lin Yan's psychic waves promptly enveloped them, dispelling the terrifying images embedded in the new recruits' consciousness.
The two recruits trembled violently all over, panting heavily. It took a long while before they regained their rationality, clutching their rifles in shame.
Zhao Kai guarded the detection tower, his gaze firmly nailed to the spectrum screen, his voice taut: "The three secondary priests are still taking turns controlling the illusion web. They are testing the limits of our barrier. The scaled beasts are being deployed in batches; as soon as one wave finishes, the next is already lined up and waiting inside the curtain."
Lu Heng moved quickly along the bunker, urging the wounded to retreat while coordinating the artillery fire: "Don't be greedy with your shots! Conserve ammunition! Focus on striking clustered targets! Leave the scattered ones charging over to the frontline squads!"
The slaughter on the wasteland cycled endlessly.
One batch of scaled beasts fell, their blood soaking the soil. Another batch, taking advantage of the illusion's cover, continued to advance steadily. Artillery roared, and shock weapons hummed. The agonizing cries of the wounded and the shrill screams of the scaled beasts mingled together, and the stench of blood drifted up to the city walls on the wind.
Half an hour later, the first wave of the beast tide was finally cleared.
But before anyone could catch their breath, the purple resonance waves within the curtain rose once again. The signals of the second batch of scaled beasts slowly emerged from the darkness.
"This won't work." Chen Ye, holding a shock baton stained with dark green blood, ran to Lin Yan's side. The wound on his forearm, previously bandaged, had torn open again, blood soaking through the bandage. "We are constantly reacting passively. The priests control the rhythm of the attack. If we keep dragging this out, before the reconnaissance squad even departs, the Seas of Consciousness of the two of us will be drained dry."
Lin Yan nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the boundless curtain.
The plan to infiltrate for reconnaissance still hung over everyone's minds. To break this endless attrition, they had to obtain intelligence on the mother nest and find the foundation of the priest cluster. But the price was too heavy; the concentration of corrosive breath deep within the curtain was far beyond anything outside the defense line.
"Regarding the squad leader, I've made my decision," Lin Yan said slowly.
Chen Ye was stunned. "Are you sure? That injury of yours..."
"I know the risks." Lin Yan pressed his brow, suppressing the throbbing pain from the fissure. "Gu Shen is the safety net for the Western Front defense. If he leaves, and only I remain as the third-tier, once my old injury erupts while fighting the illusions, the entire defense line's Sea of Consciousness barrier will be left completely empty. But conversely, if I go in for reconnaissance and he stays in the city, at least the basic defense of the Western Front won't collapse."
"But if you go deep into the curtain, the continuous wash of corrosive breath will constantly tear at your Sea of Consciousness fissure." Gu Shen had just rushed over and heard these words, his brow furrowing tightly. "There is no stabilization agent to replenish inside. Once the fissure loses control, no one can save you."
"My ability to distinguish the fluctuations in the illusion web is exactly what is needed most right now," Lin Yan said calmly. "The frequency at which the priests weave illusions, the rules of node switching—I can detect traps earlier. The most fatal thing on this reconnaissance mission has never been the scaled beasts; it's the phantom array hidden within the light and shadows."
Gu Shen stared deeply at him. After a long silence, he finally exhaled slowly: "I will guard the Western Front. You must promise me that once the pain from your Sea of Consciousness fissure reaches the critical threshold, you will immediately abandon the mission and lie dormant in place, waiting for the return window. Absolutely no pushing yourself."
"I promise."
Lu Heng, having overheard the conversation nearby, looked grave: "Since you've decided to lead the squad, we will finalize the details immediately. The squad will consist of six people: you, Chen Ye, and four elite assault specialists. Zhao Kai will continuously monitor the spectrum to catch the blank frequency windows. The moment a window appears, we will notify you to depart. The route will be divided into segments, with a retreat plan reserved for each. No pushing forward greedily."
"One more thing." Instructor Wen walked over quickly, handing over three top-tier stabilization agents. "These are the last three strong-dose vials from our entire reserve. Do not inject them unless your Sea of Consciousness is on the verge of losing control. Remember, they can only suppress the pain, not repair the fissure. The more you use, the more severe the subsequent backlash will be."
Lin Yan took the vials and carefully stored them. The cold metal tube pressed against his palm. He knew clearly that this was merely a palliative measure, drinking poison to quench thirst. From beginning to end, no one had given him any hope of recovery. Everyone knew that this origin tear injury was a permanent shackle.
Just as the group was finalizing the plan, Zhao Kai suddenly let out a low shout:
"Attention! The priests have adjusted the emotional induction direction of the illusion web!"
The floating illusions on the wasteland changed once again.
This time, many defenders saw the exact same scene before their eyes: the bastion completely breached, scaled beasts swarming into the city, refugees, the wounded, and children all lying in the bloody wind. Despair, like a tidal wave, drilled into everyone's consciousness through the illusion.
"They've guessed that we want to send someone to infiltrate. They want to use this method to completely crush our fighting spirit," Lu Heng gritted his teeth. "Lin Yan, Gu Shen, hold the barrier!"
Lin Yan said nothing more. His Sea of Consciousness spread out with full force once again.
The agonizing pain from the fissure surged upward. Gritting his teeth, he allowed his psychic waves to sweep across the city walls, tearing apart the despairing illusions shrouding the soldiers' consciousness, layer after layer.
Deep within the curtain, the schemes of the ancient lizard progeny were layered and complex. And he was about to step into that darkness, searching for a glimmer of light to break the deadlock. His road ahead was still long; the distance to the ninth tier was an endless path of life and death. And this scar would accompany him as he walked together into that perilous illusion web.
End of Chapter.
The illusions still blanketed everything.
The phantoms of deceased relatives and the ruined remnants of shattered homes drifted back and forth above the heads of the scaled beasts, like a curtain that bewitched the human heart. The priests knew perfectly well that after days of high-pressure, desperate defense, the defenders' hearts were already piled high with exhaustion and pain. Emotion was the easiest breach to tear open.
Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness waves continued to push forward, crushing the psychic illusions that entangled them one after another. With every exertion of force, the fissure deep within his Sea of Consciousness trembled in tandem. The dull pain layered upon itself, as if a rusty nail were being repeatedly twisted inside his consciousness. He strictly capped the upper limit of his power output, never daring to recklessly overdraw himself. Instructor Wen's warning constantly echoed in his mind—once the origin fissure ruptured, it would lead to irreversible madness and ruin.
"Gap in the middle sector! Three second-tier beasts are charging in together!" a sentry soldier roared.
Lin Yan immediately tilted his Sea of Consciousness barrier toward the middle sector. The phantoms trembled and dissipated, exposing three burly second-tier scaled beasts to everyone's view. Their four hooves dug into the ground, their speed suddenly exploding as they charged straight for the bunker.
Three assault soldiers, already on standby, immediately surrounded them. Shock batons, carrying a low-frequency hum, slammed into the scale gaps on the beasts' necks. A dull impact sounded. The leading scaled beast let out a pained roar, its tail sweeping viciously. A soldier, failing to dodge in time, had his ribs shattered. Screaming, he was sent crashing into a pile of gravel.
Replacement soldiers quickly filled the gap, pressing the muzzle of their guns against the scaled beast's jaw and pulling the trigger.
It was the same familiar exchange. To take down a single second-tier scaled beast, the price was the coordinated effort of several people and the constant risk of injury.
On the other side of the defense line, Gu Shen was struggling to hold on. He didn't have an old Sea of Consciousness injury, but the prolonged, uninterrupted psychic consumption had left his face pale, sweat dripping from his forehead down his jaw.
"The rhythm of their illusion rotation has sped up," Gu Shen's voice came through the communication channel. "Just now, it was an illusion of grief; now it has switched to an illusion of fear, specifically amplifying the images we are most terrified of in our hearts."
Lin Yan raised his eyes to look. The scene on the wasteland twisted once again.
This time, what rose was no longer the figures of old acquaintances, but an endless tide of scaled beasts crawling from deep within the subterranean rifts. Countless vertical pupils flickered in the black fog, densely packing the horizon. When new recruits saw this scene, their psychological defenses broke completely. Their hands holding the guns trembled wildly as they fired blindly and aimlessly.
"Hold steady! They are all illusions!" Lin Yan's psychic waves promptly enveloped them, dispelling the terrifying images embedded in the new recruits' consciousness.
The two recruits trembled violently all over, panting heavily. It took a long while before they regained their rationality, clutching their rifles in shame.
Zhao Kai guarded the detection tower, his gaze firmly nailed to the spectrum screen, his voice taut: "The three secondary priests are still taking turns controlling the illusion web. They are testing the limits of our barrier. The scaled beasts are being deployed in batches; as soon as one wave finishes, the next is already lined up and waiting inside the curtain."
Lu Heng moved quickly along the bunker, urging the wounded to retreat while coordinating the artillery fire: "Don't be greedy with your shots! Conserve ammunition! Focus on striking clustered targets! Leave the scattered ones charging over to the frontline squads!"
The slaughter on the wasteland cycled endlessly.
One batch of scaled beasts fell, their blood soaking the soil. Another batch, taking advantage of the illusion's cover, continued to advance steadily. Artillery roared, and shock weapons hummed. The agonizing cries of the wounded and the shrill screams of the scaled beasts mingled together, and the stench of blood drifted up to the city walls on the wind.
Half an hour later, the first wave of the beast tide was finally cleared.
But before anyone could catch their breath, the purple resonance waves within the curtain rose once again. The signals of the second batch of scaled beasts slowly emerged from the darkness.
"This won't work." Chen Ye, holding a shock baton stained with dark green blood, ran to Lin Yan's side. The wound on his forearm, previously bandaged, had torn open again, blood soaking through the bandage. "We are constantly reacting passively. The priests control the rhythm of the attack. If we keep dragging this out, before the reconnaissance squad even departs, the Seas of Consciousness of the two of us will be drained dry."
Lin Yan nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the boundless curtain.
The plan to infiltrate for reconnaissance still hung over everyone's minds. To break this endless attrition, they had to obtain intelligence on the mother nest and find the foundation of the priest cluster. But the price was too heavy; the concentration of corrosive breath deep within the curtain was far beyond anything outside the defense line.
"Regarding the squad leader, I've made my decision," Lin Yan said slowly.
Chen Ye was stunned. "Are you sure? That injury of yours..."
"I know the risks." Lin Yan pressed his brow, suppressing the throbbing pain from the fissure. "Gu Shen is the safety net for the Western Front defense. If he leaves, and only I remain as the third-tier, once my old injury erupts while fighting the illusions, the entire defense line's Sea of Consciousness barrier will be left completely empty. But conversely, if I go in for reconnaissance and he stays in the city, at least the basic defense of the Western Front won't collapse."
"But if you go deep into the curtain, the continuous wash of corrosive breath will constantly tear at your Sea of Consciousness fissure." Gu Shen had just rushed over and heard these words, his brow furrowing tightly. "There is no stabilization agent to replenish inside. Once the fissure loses control, no one can save you."
"My ability to distinguish the fluctuations in the illusion web is exactly what is needed most right now," Lin Yan said calmly. "The frequency at which the priests weave illusions, the rules of node switching—I can detect traps earlier. The most fatal thing on this reconnaissance mission has never been the scaled beasts; it's the phantom array hidden within the light and shadows."
Gu Shen stared deeply at him. After a long silence, he finally exhaled slowly: "I will guard the Western Front. You must promise me that once the pain from your Sea of Consciousness fissure reaches the critical threshold, you will immediately abandon the mission and lie dormant in place, waiting for the return window. Absolutely no pushing yourself."
"I promise."
Lu Heng, having overheard the conversation nearby, looked grave: "Since you've decided to lead the squad, we will finalize the details immediately. The squad will consist of six people: you, Chen Ye, and four elite assault specialists. Zhao Kai will continuously monitor the spectrum to catch the blank frequency windows. The moment a window appears, we will notify you to depart. The route will be divided into segments, with a retreat plan reserved for each. No pushing forward greedily."
"One more thing." Instructor Wen walked over quickly, handing over three top-tier stabilization agents. "These are the last three strong-dose vials from our entire reserve. Do not inject them unless your Sea of Consciousness is on the verge of losing control. Remember, they can only suppress the pain, not repair the fissure. The more you use, the more severe the subsequent backlash will be."
Lin Yan took the vials and carefully stored them. The cold metal tube pressed against his palm. He knew clearly that this was merely a palliative measure, drinking poison to quench thirst. From beginning to end, no one had given him any hope of recovery. Everyone knew that this origin tear injury was a permanent shackle.
Just as the group was finalizing the plan, Zhao Kai suddenly let out a low shout:
"Attention! The priests have adjusted the emotional induction direction of the illusion web!"
The floating illusions on the wasteland changed once again.
This time, many defenders saw the exact same scene before their eyes: the bastion completely breached, scaled beasts swarming into the city, refugees, the wounded, and children all lying in the bloody wind. Despair, like a tidal wave, drilled into everyone's consciousness through the illusion.
"They've guessed that we want to send someone to infiltrate. They want to use this method to completely crush our fighting spirit," Lu Heng gritted his teeth. "Lin Yan, Gu Shen, hold the barrier!"
Lin Yan said nothing more. His Sea of Consciousness spread out with full force once again.
The agonizing pain from the fissure surged upward. Gritting his teeth, he allowed his psychic waves to sweep across the city walls, tearing apart the despairing illusions shrouding the soldiers' consciousness, layer after layer.
Deep within the curtain, the schemes of the ancient lizard progeny were layered and complex. And he was about to step into that darkness, searching for a glimmer of light to break the deadlock. His road ahead was still long; the distance to the ninth tier was an endless path of life and death. And this scar would accompany him as he walked together into that perilous illusion web.
End of Chapter.