226: Chapter 226: The Fierce Final Battle Begins

Understood. Things were very difficult on Zhang Xiaohu's end, and his voice had grown hoarse: "We're pinned down, and another swarm of small ones is coming from the right!"

Then came a muffled thud; it was the sound of him slamming his hammer into the ground.

When the last rune on the light screen lit up, Shen Xiaochuan lifted his hand from the side of the broken pillar.

He didn't speak, only waving his hand forcefully in Zhang Xiaohu's direction.

Zhang Xiaohu immediately raised the Shock Hammer, its metal head glinting in the dim light, and shouted loudly: "Assault Group—charge!"

Twelve heavy-armored warriors immediately charged out, their feet making a "thud-thud" sound against the ground. They formed a triangle, stabbing into the swarm of alien beasts like a sharp knife.

The Chain Blades buzzed as they started, their blades spinning rapidly, cutting down three of the leading alien beasts as soon as they charged in.

The blood of the alien beasts was dark purple, and it emitted white smoke when it splashed onto the armor. One warrior groaned as the armor on his shoulder was corroded into a small pit by acid, but he didn't stop, swinging his hammer back at a pouncing shadow.

Red of the East stood on the stone platform at the rear, her hands pressed against the bluestone slab. She could feel the array vibrating as the enemy's attacks slammed into the barrier. The first wave was a headache-inducing mental shock, which was blocked by the second layer of runes. Then, a stream of green acid sprayed over, sizzling against the light screen and turning the edges black.

"Hold on," she whispered, continuing to channel spiritual energy into the stone slab.

Runes lit up one after another as the third layer of defense slowly took shape. This wasn't an ordinary shield; it could also reflect a portion of the attacks. A third of the previous acid wave was reflected back, burning two alien beasts that failed to dodge.

Shen Xiaochuan hid behind a broken pillar, his eyes fixed on the center of the battlefield. He knew every second was crucial now. The Assault Group had already moved in, but the number of alien beasts was more than double the estimate. They didn't run around wildly like ordinary beasts; instead, they closed in from both sides of the breach as if being commanded.

He picked up the communicator: "Zhang Xiaohu, report your position."

"Thirty meters straight ahead, heavy pressure!" Zhang Xiaohu panted. "Something's pouncing from the left, and the Chain Blade is stuck!"

"Don't get bogged down in the fight; keep the pace of the advance!" Shen Xiaochuan gritted his teeth. "Your mission is to create chaos, not to clear out all the mobs."

Suddenly, with a "boom," a crack split the ground, and a shockwave traveled into the distance.

Shen Xiaochuan turned to look at the six Heroic Spirit Possession warriors and three Evil God Guards beside him. They were all crouching, faint light flowing over them, their breathing steady. He reminded them again: "Next, act according to the plan. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded.

He looked up at the skeleton on the high slope. It was still standing there, its empty eye sockets facing the battlefield, yet it hadn't made a single move. This wasn't right.

"Red of the East," he pressed the communication button, "is there any change in the frequency of the enemy's long-range attacks?"

"Yes," she replied calmly. "Previously, there was a volley every fifteen seconds; now it's every twenty seconds, but the power has increased by forty percent each time. Moreover... I just detected a new energy fluctuation coming from underground."

Shen Xiaochuan's eyes narrowed.

Underground?

He wanted to ask more, but the ground suddenly shook violently.

"Boom—!"

Thirty meters to the left, the ground exploded, and rock fragments flew everywhere. A giant claw burst through the soil, as tall as two people, with nails like obsidian and sharp as knives. Immediately after, a massive figure rose up.

It was an alien beast leader he had never seen before. It was over ten meters tall, its entire body covered in scales like volcanic rock, and its joints glowed red as if lava were flowing inside. Its head looked like a cross between a wolf and a lizard, its mouth splitting open to its ears to reveal interlocking teeth. Most terrifying were its eyes—no pupils, just two swirling masses of gray mist.

With its first step, it crushed a warrior who had charged too far forward into the ground. The man didn't even have time to scream; his armor collapsed instantly, and he remained motionless, buried in the dirt.

Another warrior reacted quickly and turned to run. But the creature lightly swung a forelimb, sending a ripple through the air; the man was instantly sent flying seven or eight meters, and his mouth was covered in blood when he slid down after hitting a broken pillar.

"Holy crap!" someone exclaimed over the communicator.

Shen Xiaochuan stared intently at the monster, his hand gripping his short blade tightly. He had originally thought the skeleton on the high slope was the command point, but now he knew that was a decoy. The real leader had been hiding underground all along, waiting for them to commit to a full-scale attack before appearing.

"Everyone, attention!" he immediately ordered. "New target confirmed, code name 'Earth Owl.' Stop the frontal advance and switch to containment tactics! Zhang Xiaohu, lead your men back toward the array; don't let it get near the defensive line!"

"Roger!" Zhang Xiaohu's voice was hoarse. "But we're pinned down; another swarm of small ones has appeared on the right!"

Shen Xiaochuan glanced over and indeed saw alien beasts flanking them from both sides, clearly intending to surround and annihilate the Assault Group. Meanwhile, the Earth Owl was in no hurry to pursue, standing in place and slowly turning its body as if observing the entire battlefield.

It was assessing the situation.

This thing had a brain; it wasn't stupid.

"Red of the East!" Shen Xiaochuan called again. "Can you use the array to interfere with its perception?"

"I can try," she answered. "But I need five seconds to charge up, and I won't be able to maintain the third layer of defense during that time."

"Do it!" he ordered decisively. "Give up the reflection and prioritize blocking its vision and perception! Everyone else, listen up: follow my commands from here on out, no unauthorized movements!"

He looked back at the team behind him: "We don't move. We wait for it to move, then we strike."

The Earth Owl finally took a step. It didn't move fast, but every step made the ground tremble. It didn't charge toward the array; instead, it walked toward the position where the Assault Group was trapped, clearly intending to eliminate this strongest unit first.

Zhang Xiaohu led the remaining men back while fighting; two warriors were injured, their blood sizzling on the ground. Their Shock Hammers were still swinging, but they were almost useless against this kind of enemy.

"Hold your ground!" Shen Xiaochuan roared into the communicator. "Hold on for ten more seconds!"

Red of the East closed her eyes and suddenly pressed her hands down. All the runes on the bluestone slab lit up, and a golden ripple spread out with her as the center, sweeping across the entire battlefield. The charging alien beasts suddenly faltered, their movements slowing down, and even the Earth Owl's pace slowed for a moment.

Its misty gray eyes turned over, staring straight at Red of the East's position.

"It's spotted you!" Shen Xiaochuan shouted.

"I know," her voice was steady. "But it can't see me clearly now."

As expected, the Earth Owl turned toward the array but didn't charge immediately. Instead, it let out a low growl in place, as if summoning something.

Shen Xiaochuan reacted instantly: "Watch out underground!"

Before he could finish, the ground in front of the Earth Owl split open again, and over a dozen small alien beasts crawled out, pouncing toward the edge of the array in a fan formation. They were fast, clearly sent to test the strength of the defensive line.

"Leave the right side to me!" an Evil God Guard wanted to rush out.

"No!" Shen Xiaochuan stopped him. "The moment we move, the Earth Owl will know the Decapitation Team exists. Let the Assault Group handle it; no one is allowed to move!"

He quickly switched channels: "Ryan! Are there any people left on NATO's side? Have the remaining men block the right!"

A few seconds later, three people in silver-gray armor rushed out from the other side, firing energy guns to suppress the raid. Though few in number, their fire was accurate, and they managed to keep the defensive line from being breached.

Shen Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze returning to the Earth Owl.

It was less than twenty meters away from the Assault Group, and Zhang Xiaohu and the others had been forced to the edge of the array. Just a few more steps and it would be able to strike at a weak point in the defense.

But it stopped.

It lowered its head to sniff the ground and tapped a certain spot with its front claw.

That place... was exactly where Shen Xiaochuan had been hiding just now.

Shen Xiaochuan's heart tightened.

Did it smell something? Or did it sense something?

He subconsciously touched the copper gear in his pocket. The thing was still burning, even hotter than before.

Could it be...

The Earth Owl slowly raised its head, its misty gray eyes once again turning toward the cluster of broken pillars.

This time, it no longer hesitated. It dropped onto all fours and suddenly accelerated, charging toward Shen Xiaochuan's position!

"It's coming for us!" a Heroic Spirit warrior whispered.

"Don't panic," Shen Xiaochuan lowered his voice. "It doesn't know exactly where we are; it's just testing. Everyone, stay hidden, hold your breath, and don't move!"

Everyone immediately lay flat, even stowing their weapons behind their backs. The three Evil God Guards blended into the shadows, their forms becoming blurred.

The Earth Owl ran very fast, the ground constantly cracking beneath its feet. However, it stopped suddenly upon reaching the outskirts of the broken pillars, its nose close to the ground as it moved slowly.

It was looking for a scent.

Shen Xiaochuan held his breath, his palms covered in sweat. He knew that the slightest movement would trigger an immediate attack. At this distance, they wouldn't have time to react.

Just then, Red of the East's voice came through the communicator: "It has a joint injury in its left hind leg. Its right forelimb carries fifteen percent more weight when it walks. Its movement trajectory is predictable."

Shen Xiaochuan's eyes lit up.

A weakness?

He immediately opened the tactical map and marked the route the Earth Owl had taken. Sure enough, with every step, the print of its right front claw was slightly deeper.

It was injured.

And it was injured when it crawled out from underground.

"Zhang Xiaohu!" he suddenly spoke.

"Barely..." came the heavy breathing from the other end, "but I can still fight."

"Good." Shen Xiaochuan stared at its back. "Wait for it to take one more step forward, then slam your Shock Hammer into the ground to create a vibration and lure it back."

"Understood."

The Earth Owl took another half-step forward, leaving only ten meters between it and the broken pillars.

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand and gave the "prepare for ambush" signal to the team members behind him.

The next second, Zhang Xiaohu suddenly jumped up and slammed his dual hammers fiercely into the ground.

"Boom!!!" A loud explosion rang out as a long crack split the ground, and a shockwave traveled to the Earth Owl's feet. It instinctively turned back, its misty gray eyes locking onto Zhang Xiaohu's position.

Now!

Shen Xiaochuan stared fixedly at its right forelimb, his mind rapidly calculating the next point of impact.

He didn't move.

He was still waiting.

Waiting for the best opportunity.

The Earth Owl let out a roar and turned to pounce on Zhang Xiaohu. When its right front claw landed, it was indeed with more force than usual, and the scales at the joint even showed a slight misalignment.

Shen Xiaochuan suddenly stood up and gripped his short blade, his voice so low only those beside him could hear:

"Did you see that? That's the flaw."