Chapter 22: The Behemoth Descends Upon the Trench
The third-tier scaled beast descended from the rocky high ground with heavy, measured steps. With every footfall, the rubble beneath its thick armor shattered, sending dull vibrations traveling through the ground straight to the bottom of the trench.
It was in no rush to charge. Instead, it continued to release a wide-area psychic pressure, washing over the Seas of Consciousness of all the surviving personnel in the trench like an unending tide. Interspersed within this broad psychic onslaught were directed strikes that would occasionally and abruptly pinpoint the soldiers whose mental defenses were wavering.
"Contract the line! Everyone fall back to the inner corner of the trench!" Instructor Zhou roared hoarsely. He was still desperately trying to call for backup through his earpiece, but the static was growing heavier, leaving only intermittent, muffled responses from the distance.
Fewer than ten people remained capable of standing and fighting. The rest were either lying down with severe injuries or incapacitated due to Sea of Consciousness damage. The few remaining Sea of Consciousness stabilizer patches had all been given to the two third-tier veterans responsible for the frontal distraction. The ammunition crates were empty; many soldiers had only one or two charges left in their energy rifles.
"Its psychic impacts are charged with its footsteps! The moment it lifts its foot is when its mental power gathers!" a veteran shouted a warning to his companion. His forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and his face was as pale as paper from the prolonged overdraw of his Sea of Consciousness.
Lin Yan pressed himself tightly against the earthen wall, maintaining his contracted Sea of Consciousness. He stared fixedly at the third-tier scaled beast's movements, firmly committing the veteran's words to memory. From observing the previous skirmishes, he had slowly discerned a pattern: scaled beasts did not rely solely on physical instincts; for high-level individuals, their Sea of Consciousness and physical movements were perfectly synchronized.
Taking advantage of the third-tier scaled beast dominating the field, seven or eight low-level scaled beasts darted out from the rock piles on both sides, splitting into two groups to pounce on the breaches at the left and right ends of the trench.
"Split into two groups to intercept! Two per group!" Instructor Zhou rapidly assigned personnel.
On the left, two veterans immediately engaged three low-level scaled beasts. One raised his armor to hard-tank the pounce while the other searched for weak points to shoot. The scaled beasts roared, and fine psychic needles frantically pierced toward their Seas of Consciousness. After a brief, fierce struggle, one veteran failed to dodge in time and had his forearm clamped by the beast's fangs. The foul-smelling teeth sank deeply into his armor. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the veteran wildly stabbed his short blade into the beast's eye socket, barely forcing the giant creature back. But his entire arm was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, completely unable to hold a weapon.
"I can't hold on anymore!" The veteran staggered back, leaning against the earthen wall as he slowly slid down to a sitting position.
The pressure on the right was even heavier. Four low-level scaled beasts simultaneously surrounded two soldiers, one of whom was Su Qing. Her Sea of Consciousness was already weak, and the patch on her forehead had long been depleted. Relying entirely on sheer willpower, her face was deathly pale, and her hands trembled violently as she gripped her gun. A scaled beast suddenly leaped at her. Su Qing didn't have time to complete her mental defense before being swept by the psychic turbulence. A splitting headache struck her, and the energy gun slipped from her hand, falling into the muddy water.
The scaled beast opened its fang-filled maw, diving straight for Su Qing.
"Careful!" Lin Yan instantly shifted his footing, utilizing his ancient martial arts footwork to dash rapidly to the side within the narrow trench. He raised his gun and fired continuously at the side of the scaled beast's face. The energy beams scorched the beast's scales, forcing its offensive momentum to stall.
It was merely suppression; it couldn't inflict critical damage.
Seizing the opening, another scaled beast turned its head toward Lin Yan. It hissed, sending a psychic strike directly at his contracted Sea of Consciousness. A sharp pain pierced his skull. Suppressing the dizziness, Lin Yan kept moving laterally, absolutely refusing to engage the scaled beast in close combat.
Another veteran seized the moment the scaled beast was distracted by the gunfire and lunged forward with lightning speed, driving his short blade fiercely into the gap beneath the beast's lower jaw. Black blood gushed out. The scaled beast struggled violently, its tail sweeping horizontally and slamming heavily into the veteran's waist. The veteran groaned, his ribs seemingly snapping, but he stubbornly gripped the hilt of his blade until the giant beast finally collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed.
In just a brief moment, another veteran was severely injured and lost his combat capability.
The available fighting force in the trench shrank once again.
By this time, the third-tier scaled beast had reached the edge of the trench. Its massive, three-meter-tall body loomed high above, its dark green vertical pupils slowly scanning the surviving humans below. It raised its head, gathering an even stronger directed psychic impact, its target squarely set on Instructor Zhou, who was commanding the defense.
"Watch out! Directed impact incoming!" Lin Yan caught the征兆 (precursor) of the beast's Sea of Consciousness surging violently and immediately shouted a warning.
Instructor Zhou hastily gathered his Sea of Consciousness with all his might, but the impact arrived too fast. His body violently trembled. He let out a stifled groan, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as his Sea of Consciousness suffered a setback. He staggered back half a step.
"Instructor!" The remaining soldiers' hearts sank.
The third-tier scaled beast placed its front limbs on the earthen rim of the trench. Its thick armor reflected the dim light of the gunpowder smoke, and a foul stench washed over them. It was preparing to leap directly into the trench and completely tear apart this ruined defense line.
"Hold it back!" The last two third-tier veterans, who were still in relatively decent condition, exchanged a glance. Gritting their teeth, they took the initiative to step forward, intending to trade their lives for a sliver of time.
They knew perfectly well that even if the two of them joined forces, they could only briefly distract the beast; there was absolutely no possibility of killing a third-tier scaled beast. This was a desperate, suicidal delay.
Standing in the rear, Lin Yan's palms were slick with cold sweat. He still lacked the capital to charge forward for close-quarters combat. His ancient martial arts footwork could dodge physical attacks, but against the sudden psychic assaults of a high-level scaled beast, his second-tier Sea of Consciousness remained fragile. Recklessly charging forward would only result in an instant collapse of his Sea of Consciousness, making him a burden.
The only thing he could do was keep a close watch on the third-tier scaled beast's Sea of Consciousness fluctuations, continuously providing early warnings, while looking for opportunities to shoot the beast's weak points—its eyes, mouth, and snout—to interfere with its movements as much as possible.
From deep within the distant rift, the roars of the beast tide continued to pour forth endlessly. The earth trembled, as if countless scaled beasts were waiting beneath the ground, ready to surge to the surface.
Inside the trench, the agonizing groans of the wounded, the sporadic gunfire from the energy rifles, and the hoarse roars of the scaled beasts intertwined.
This bloody battle was still continuing.
End of Chapter
It was in no rush to charge. Instead, it continued to release a wide-area psychic pressure, washing over the Seas of Consciousness of all the surviving personnel in the trench like an unending tide. Interspersed within this broad psychic onslaught were directed strikes that would occasionally and abruptly pinpoint the soldiers whose mental defenses were wavering.
"Contract the line! Everyone fall back to the inner corner of the trench!" Instructor Zhou roared hoarsely. He was still desperately trying to call for backup through his earpiece, but the static was growing heavier, leaving only intermittent, muffled responses from the distance.
Fewer than ten people remained capable of standing and fighting. The rest were either lying down with severe injuries or incapacitated due to Sea of Consciousness damage. The few remaining Sea of Consciousness stabilizer patches had all been given to the two third-tier veterans responsible for the frontal distraction. The ammunition crates were empty; many soldiers had only one or two charges left in their energy rifles.
"Its psychic impacts are charged with its footsteps! The moment it lifts its foot is when its mental power gathers!" a veteran shouted a warning to his companion. His forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and his face was as pale as paper from the prolonged overdraw of his Sea of Consciousness.
Lin Yan pressed himself tightly against the earthen wall, maintaining his contracted Sea of Consciousness. He stared fixedly at the third-tier scaled beast's movements, firmly committing the veteran's words to memory. From observing the previous skirmishes, he had slowly discerned a pattern: scaled beasts did not rely solely on physical instincts; for high-level individuals, their Sea of Consciousness and physical movements were perfectly synchronized.
Taking advantage of the third-tier scaled beast dominating the field, seven or eight low-level scaled beasts darted out from the rock piles on both sides, splitting into two groups to pounce on the breaches at the left and right ends of the trench.
"Split into two groups to intercept! Two per group!" Instructor Zhou rapidly assigned personnel.
On the left, two veterans immediately engaged three low-level scaled beasts. One raised his armor to hard-tank the pounce while the other searched for weak points to shoot. The scaled beasts roared, and fine psychic needles frantically pierced toward their Seas of Consciousness. After a brief, fierce struggle, one veteran failed to dodge in time and had his forearm clamped by the beast's fangs. The foul-smelling teeth sank deeply into his armor. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the veteran wildly stabbed his short blade into the beast's eye socket, barely forcing the giant creature back. But his entire arm was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, completely unable to hold a weapon.
"I can't hold on anymore!" The veteran staggered back, leaning against the earthen wall as he slowly slid down to a sitting position.
The pressure on the right was even heavier. Four low-level scaled beasts simultaneously surrounded two soldiers, one of whom was Su Qing. Her Sea of Consciousness was already weak, and the patch on her forehead had long been depleted. Relying entirely on sheer willpower, her face was deathly pale, and her hands trembled violently as she gripped her gun. A scaled beast suddenly leaped at her. Su Qing didn't have time to complete her mental defense before being swept by the psychic turbulence. A splitting headache struck her, and the energy gun slipped from her hand, falling into the muddy water.
The scaled beast opened its fang-filled maw, diving straight for Su Qing.
"Careful!" Lin Yan instantly shifted his footing, utilizing his ancient martial arts footwork to dash rapidly to the side within the narrow trench. He raised his gun and fired continuously at the side of the scaled beast's face. The energy beams scorched the beast's scales, forcing its offensive momentum to stall.
It was merely suppression; it couldn't inflict critical damage.
Seizing the opening, another scaled beast turned its head toward Lin Yan. It hissed, sending a psychic strike directly at his contracted Sea of Consciousness. A sharp pain pierced his skull. Suppressing the dizziness, Lin Yan kept moving laterally, absolutely refusing to engage the scaled beast in close combat.
Another veteran seized the moment the scaled beast was distracted by the gunfire and lunged forward with lightning speed, driving his short blade fiercely into the gap beneath the beast's lower jaw. Black blood gushed out. The scaled beast struggled violently, its tail sweeping horizontally and slamming heavily into the veteran's waist. The veteran groaned, his ribs seemingly snapping, but he stubbornly gripped the hilt of his blade until the giant beast finally collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed.
In just a brief moment, another veteran was severely injured and lost his combat capability.
The available fighting force in the trench shrank once again.
By this time, the third-tier scaled beast had reached the edge of the trench. Its massive, three-meter-tall body loomed high above, its dark green vertical pupils slowly scanning the surviving humans below. It raised its head, gathering an even stronger directed psychic impact, its target squarely set on Instructor Zhou, who was commanding the defense.
"Watch out! Directed impact incoming!" Lin Yan caught the征兆 (precursor) of the beast's Sea of Consciousness surging violently and immediately shouted a warning.
Instructor Zhou hastily gathered his Sea of Consciousness with all his might, but the impact arrived too fast. His body violently trembled. He let out a stifled groan, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as his Sea of Consciousness suffered a setback. He staggered back half a step.
"Instructor!" The remaining soldiers' hearts sank.
The third-tier scaled beast placed its front limbs on the earthen rim of the trench. Its thick armor reflected the dim light of the gunpowder smoke, and a foul stench washed over them. It was preparing to leap directly into the trench and completely tear apart this ruined defense line.
"Hold it back!" The last two third-tier veterans, who were still in relatively decent condition, exchanged a glance. Gritting their teeth, they took the initiative to step forward, intending to trade their lives for a sliver of time.
They knew perfectly well that even if the two of them joined forces, they could only briefly distract the beast; there was absolutely no possibility of killing a third-tier scaled beast. This was a desperate, suicidal delay.
Standing in the rear, Lin Yan's palms were slick with cold sweat. He still lacked the capital to charge forward for close-quarters combat. His ancient martial arts footwork could dodge physical attacks, but against the sudden psychic assaults of a high-level scaled beast, his second-tier Sea of Consciousness remained fragile. Recklessly charging forward would only result in an instant collapse of his Sea of Consciousness, making him a burden.
The only thing he could do was keep a close watch on the third-tier scaled beast's Sea of Consciousness fluctuations, continuously providing early warnings, while looking for opportunities to shoot the beast's weak points—its eyes, mouth, and snout—to interfere with its movements as much as possible.
From deep within the distant rift, the roars of the beast tide continued to pour forth endlessly. The earth trembled, as if countless scaled beasts were waiting beneath the ground, ready to surge to the surface.
Inside the trench, the agonizing groans of the wounded, the sporadic gunfire from the energy rifles, and the hoarse roars of the scaled beasts intertwined.
This bloody battle was still continuing.
End of Chapter