169: The fourth wave of ferocity: the Mo family's mechanical forces annihilate the enemy.

Seven streaks of light, like meteors piercing through the sky of Chaos, trailed distinct wakes as they crossed the final ten-odd kilometers in under thirty seconds, hovering in mid-air about five hundred meters outside Lin Zhou's defensive line.

They did not charge directly into the battlefield, nor did they launch an attack on the defensive line. Instead, they formed a loose semi-circular formation, looking down from above at the bloody and chaotic battlefield below and at Lin Zhou, who was suspended above the Lords Hall.

The light gradually faded, revealing seven figures.

No, more accurately, they were seven 'existences' emitting powerful Divine Power or energy fluctuations. They were of various forms: some appeared as blurred humanoid orbs of light, some were pure, highly condensed elemental bodies, and one even resembled a constantly shifting phantom of a star map.

【Unknown Observer Group (Seven Members)】:

Location: In the air five hundred meters outside the defensive line.

Energy Intensity: Individual fluctuations estimated between LV150-LV250 (True God domain), far exceeding most Examinees on the current battlefield, and potentially approaching or reaching Lesser Deity level (LV201+).

Energy Attributes (Preliminary Perception):

Emerald Green Light Orb: Surging life and nature aura, suspected to be related to forests and growth.

Bright Golden Sharp Light/Shadow: Sharp metal-attribute Qi, carrying the conceptual meaning of 'Cutting' and 'Sharpness' rules.

Red-Hot Flame Humanoid: Blazing and explosive fire element fluctuations, extremely high temperature.

Earth-Yellow Heavy Rock Body: Steady and heavy earth element, giving off a mountain-like sense of pressure.

Ice-Blue Cold Mist Outline: Chilling and bone-piercing ice element, with frost flowers condensing in the surrounding air.

Pale Cyan Flowing Wind Phantom: Elusive and unpredictable wind element, agile and hard to grasp.

Flickering star map phantom: The most mysterious, emitting faint but clear rule fluctuations of 'Observation', 'Analysis', and 'Prophecy' types; seemingly not a pure elemental or combat-oriented deity.

Intent: Currently unclear. Has not shown direct aggression, but maintains a clear posture of vigilance, carrying a sense of scrutiny and assessment. Their energy attributes seem faintly related to basic elements like 'Earth, Fire, Water, Wind', yet different, leaning more towards a kind of... ordered manifestation of rules pertaining to the material world?

Threat Level: High (Potential). Any single one has the ability to pose a serious threat to the current defensive line or Lin Zhou himself, especially if they act in unison.

Lin Zhou's Divine Thought briefly touched the seven powerful perceptions of the other party before retracting, like a tentative tentacle. He felt that their perception was filled with curiosity, scrutiny, surprise, and a hint of... indescribable 'interest'? Especially after he had just employed the unconventional method of 'Concept Confusion'.

"Outsiders, state your identities and your purpose for coming here." Lin Zhou's voice vibrated through the air via Divine Power, transmitting directly to the seven uninvited guests. His tone was calm but carried an unquestionable vigilance. Simultaneously, he secretly sent a command to Fire Hammer and Rock Shield through the Divine Domain link: "Prioritize dealing with the Demonic Tide, but divert some attention to keep watch on the unknown entities in the sky."

Among the seven existences, the phantom flickering with the star map fluctuated slightly, and a neutral, peaceful voice that seemed to resonate directly at the conscious level came through. It surprisingly used standard human Common Tongue (while Divine Thought communication has no language barriers, actively using human language is a gesture in itself):

"Observers. Guardians of the Fire of Civilization, as well as its testers. Young Fire Sower, your 'Fire'... is very interesting. We have no intention of intervening in the 'Trial' between you and the Abyss; we will merely watch from the sidelines. Continue your performance, while you can still endure."

The voice carried a transcendent indifference, as if it had experienced long ages.

Guardians of the Fire of Civilization? Testers? Fire Sower?

Lin Zhou's heart jolted, and he instantly made a connection to the Temple of Chinese Civilization he was bound to! Could these existences be related to the Temple of Civilization, or rather, the Legacies of other 'civilizations' in the Universe?

But now was not the time for deep inquiry. Since the other party had declared they would 'merely watch from the sidelines' (though the truth of this remained to be verified), the urgent priority was still to deal with the Demonic Tide before him.

In the few seconds of this brief exchange, the situation on the battlefield changed once more!

The group of Berserk Demons who had fallen into chaotic infighting under the influence of [Concept Confusion] began to gradually recover under the roars of their overseers and the forced correction of the Abyss Will (the effect lasted shorter than estimated). The three overseers, especially the one on the left flank entangled by the hunting squad, had their health ground down further (about 40% remaining), but their ferocity remained undiminished. They seemed to have adapted to the hunting squad's rhythm, their counterattacks becoming increasingly sharp, adding several more wounds to Rock Shield's body.

And the greatest threat came from the sky!

The Star Gazing Platform's alarm rang for the third time, with an unprecedented sharpness: "Highest priority warning! The fourth wave of the Demonic Tide has emerged from the rift! Type: Flying Swarm! Detected a large number of high-speed moving units! Energy signatures: Stony, Animated, Chaotic, Aerial Superiority!"

"Specific data: Unit name—[Abyssal Gargoyle (Animated)]. Average Rank: LV25. Quantity: Extreme! Preliminary estimate exceeds 120,000 units! Flight speed: Fast! Traits: High physical defense (stony body), average energy resistance, possesses [Dive Pounce], [Sonic Shriek] (minor mental interference), and [Swarm Coordination] abilities!"

"Estimated arrival at the battlefield: Two and a half minutes! Predicted attack pattern: High-altitude dive, utilizing numerical superiority for saturation strikes on the rear of the defensive line and the core area; may directly attack the Lords Hall and you in the air!"

"Simultaneously, the energy readings of the central rift are showing abnormal fluctuations. Higher-tier energy reactions are brewing; it is suspected that the fifth wave or a higher-level command unit is generating! The current interval between the fourth and fifth waves... is unpredictable and may be extremely short!"

Over 120,000 flying units! Gargoyles! They would completely ignore the low walls and shield formations on the ground, directly threatening Lin Zhou's most vulnerable long-range troops, logistics, and even the core of his Divine Domain!

And those seven 'Observers', upon hearing the Star Gazing Platform's alarm (which Lin Zhou had not blocked, deliberately letting them hear parts of it), saw the star map phantom flicker slightly as the voice came again: "A flying swarm... a good subject to test anti-air capabilities. Young Fire Sower, can your 'Workshops' and 'Mechanisms' handle the threat from the sky?"

The tone was flat, yet it carried a faint hint of expectation and... testing.

Lin Zhou's eyes narrowed. The other party was indeed observing him, observing his followers, and observing the manifestation of his 'Civilization'! Mohist Mechanical Arts were precisely the power he was most likely to rely on to counter large-scale aerial threats!

"Fire Hammer!" Lin Zhou's Divine Thought instantly connected to the core of the Tian Gong Institute. "Fourth wave, flying Gargoyles, over 120,000, arriving in two and a half minutes! Activate the highest-level anti-air contingency—[Heavenly Net]! At any cost, I want at least two-thirds of them shot down before they reach the airspace above the Lords Hall!"

"The Heavenly Net... contingency?!" Fire Hammer's voice was first shocked, then transformed into immense solemnity and excitement. "Dominator! The Heavenly Net contingency requires the full activation of all 108 'Kite-Hunter Ballistae' of the [Mechanism City · Demon-Slaying Ballista Array], the consumption of at least 70% of the enchanted arrow stockpile, and temporary overclocking of all power cores! Once activated, for at least the next six hours, most of Mechanism City's offensive facilities will enter a cooling and repair period!"

"Activate it!" Lin Zhou said decisively. "Now is not the time to be frugal! If we don't take them down, there won't be a 'next'! Execute it immediately! If you need any support, ask for it directly!"

"By your command!" Fire Hammer no longer hesitated. Deep beneath the Tian Gong Institute, in the core area of the [Mechanism City (Prototype)]—which was connected to the [Tiangong Workshop] surface buildings and had already begun to take shape—countless complex psionic patterns instantly lit up!

【Mechanism City · Demon-Slaying Ballista Array (Mohist Wonder Building/Prototype)】:

Building Grade: Epic Wonder (Incomplete, currently at 'Large-scale War Building Complex' level).

Core Components:

[Kite-Hunter Ballista Mounts] × 108: Specially made large Ballistae. The mounts are fixed on pre-set lifting platforms and tracks within Mechanism City, allowing for limited angle adjustments (70° elevation, 120° horizontal rotation). The Ballista arms use a composite of highly elastic 'Ironwood' and 'Dragon Tendon', and the trigger mechanism is a precision gear and latch structure.

[Composite Power System]: Powered by three [Psionic Furnaces (Large)], twelve sets of [High-Efficiency Spirit Charcoal Boilers], and temporarily connected Spiritual Vein nodes of the territory, providing power for the Ballista array's cocking, aiming, and enchantment activation.

[Observation and Calculation Hub]: Located at the core of Mechanism City, connected to Star Gazing Platform data, and operated in real-time by three [Divine Artisans] and twenty [Advanced Mechanism Masters] for ballistic calculations, target allocation, and fire coordination.

[Enchanted Arrow Production Line (Temporary)]: Urgently activated to perform on-site enchantment for the stockpile of ordinary heavy Ballista bolts (primary enchantments: 'Armor Piercing', 'Sharpness', 'Minor Tracking', 'Aerial Damage Bonus').

Current Status: Standard Alert Mode (only 30% of Ballista positions enabled). Heavenly Net contingency activating... Heavenly Net contingency activation effects (estimated):

Full Firepower: All 108 Kite-Hunter Ballistae online and moving into combat positions.

Firing Mode: [Rapid Volley] (sacrificing some single-shot power to increase rate of fire). Theoretical rate of fire per Kite-Hunter Ballista: 3-4 shots/min (under Heavenly Net mode, via pre-loading and multi-trigger coordination, can burst to 6 shots/min for the first two minutes).

Bolt Buffs: All using [Armor Piercing · Sharpness · Anti-Air] enchanted heavy Ballista bolts. Base damage of a single bolt against aerial units (stony): 180-250 points (physical). Enchantment effects: Penetration +20%, Anti-air damage +50%, Accuracy +15% (Minor Tracking).

Barrage Coverage: Fire sectors unified and allocated by the Observation Hub, forming a multi-layered, cross-covering anti-air barrage net.

Theoretical Maximum Output (First two-minute burst period): 108 units × 6 shots/min ≈ 648 shots/min, or approximately 10.8 Ballista bolts launched into the sky every second! Forming a near-continuous net of fire!

Energy Consumption: Extremely terrifying. Consumption per minute approximately: 50 units of high-quality Spirit Charcoal, 85% of the psionic core output power, and a massive amount of Mental Energy from Divine Artisans and Mechanism Masters.

Limit Duration: Full power burst can be maintained for a maximum of 3 minutes, after which it must cool down for at least 30 minutes, and some ballistae may be damaged by overheating.

Defensive Range: Theoretically covers the airspace within a 1.5km radius centered on Mechanism City (optimal interception radius within 800m).

The entire territory seemed to tremble! In the Mechanism City area, dozens of hidden exits slammed open, and one by one, ferociously shaped [Kite-Hunter Ballistae], shimmering with metallic cold light and runic glimmers, were hoisted out by lifting platforms. Their thick Ballista arms slowly rose, aiming at the sky to the southeast (the direction of the incoming Demonic Tide)! The clanging of the mechanisms, the hum of energy transmission, and the rapid commands of the Mechanism Masters blended together, playing a cold and efficient symphony of war.

At the same time, in the surface section of the Tian Gong Institute, all craftsmen were mobilized to transport the heavy crossbow bolts in stock to the Enchantment Workshop for emergency enchantment. A faint arcane glow and the Mohist-exclusive "Logic Stabilization Runes" flowed over the arrow shafts.

On the other side, Lin Zhou ordered the ground defense line: "All anti-air capabilities: including the Elf Rangers' longbows (anti-air range halved), certain specialized throwing spears, and the few anti-air Steam Ballistas supported by Li Mo, all prepare to fire. Target: any fish that escape the net and low-altitude penetrating Gargoyles! Shield guards and ground troops, contract the defense line, focus on protecting the crossbow array area and core buildings, and prepare to withstand possible sporadic dive attacks!"

Time passed second by second, each one as tense as a drawn bowstring.

Two and a half minutes passed in a flash.

On the southeastern horizon, first came a rapidly expanding "gray cloud," followed immediately by countless hideous figures flapping stone wings with dark red light flashing in their eyes! They were like a catastrophic flock of migrating birds, or like a pouring rock waterfall, pouncing over in a dark mass with ear-piercing sounds of breaking air and chaotic sonic waves!

Abyssal Gargoyles! They had bat-like wings, but their torsos were like twisted humanoid stone sculptures with sharp claws and teeth. Their flight speed was extremely fast, and they seemed to possess a certain level of swarm intelligence, not charging completely brainlessly.

"Entering range! Target area marked! Firepower allocation complete!" a calm report came from the Observation and Aiming Hub.

Fire Hammer stood before the core control console of the Mechanism City, veins throbbing on his forehead, his eyes fixed on the complex Psionic Projection Sand Table where the red dots representing the Gargoyle swarm were rapidly approaching. He took a deep breath, slammed down a massive crystal button, and roared hoarsely: "Demon-Slaying Crossbow Array—Heavenly Net! Fire!"

Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang—!!!

The sound of one hundred and eight Kite-Hunter Ballistas firing simultaneously merged into an earth-shaking roar! It was as if one hundred and eight giant beasts were bellowing at the same instant!

In the next moment, a "steel storm" composed entirely of metal crossbow bolts, shimmering with the cold light of enchantment, soared into the sky from Lin Zhou's territory!

The sight was incredibly spectacular! Hundreds of heavy crossbow bolts tore through the air, letting out shrill shrieks, and with nearly straight trajectories, they collided head-on with the diving Gargoyle swarm!

[Demon-Slaying Crossbow Array · Heavenly Net Mode First Volley Effect]:

Number of bolts in volley: 108 (Full volley for the first round).

Average muzzle velocity: Approximately 180 m/s.

Effective range: 800-1200 meters (against high-speed aerial targets).

Hit rate (Observation and Aiming Hub assistance + minor tracking): Approximately 65%-70% (against dense swarms).

Single-shot damage: Against Gargoyles (LV25, Physical Defense approx. 40-50, stone resistance reduces physical damage by 15%), dealt an average of 160-220 points of actual damage (after defense reduction). Estimated Gargoyle HP: approx. 800-1000 points.

First round results: Approximately 70 bolts directly hit or severely damaged targets, causing about 60-75 Gargoyles to be pierced, shattered, or lose their flight capability and fall on the spot! The hit rate met expectations!

But this was only the beginning!

Driven by complex gears and energy storage devices, the Kite-Hunter Ballistas' mechanisms automatically reset, spanned (partly by mechanical force, partly by psionic assistance), and loaded at an astonishing speed! Meanwhile, the pre-prepared second and third waves of bolts had already been pushed into the arrow grooves by auxiliary mechanisms!

Before the rain of arrows from the first volley had fully fallen, the second volley followed closely behind! Then the third! The fourth!

Twang-twang-twang-twang—!!!

The continuous firing sounds were like the urgent drumbeats of the God of Death! In the sky, the barrage of metal bolts almost formed a continuous wall of shimmering death! Every second, more than ten lethal bolts rose into the air, whistling toward the Gargoyle swarm!

The Gargoyle swarm clearly hadn't expected to encounter such fierce, dense, and precise anti-air fire! Their original formation was for area-of-effect strikes and was relatively dense. Now, under the baptism of the "Heavenly Net" barrage, they instantly became sitting ducks!

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack—!

The sounds of stone bodies being easily pierced and exploded by enchanted bolts, mixed with the piercing shrieks of the Gargoyles and the dull thuds as they hit the ground, played a cruel symphony of destruction.

In the sky, it was as if a "rain" made of crushed stone, broken wings, and dark red viscous liquid was falling!

[Demon-Slaying Crossbow Array · Heavenly Net Mode Continuous Output Data (First Two-Minute Burst Period)]:

Total bolts fired: Approximately 1080 (average of 9 per second, slightly lower than the theoretical limit due to some mechanism adjustments and cooling).

Total hits (including injuries): Approximately 700-750.

Number of Gargoyles downed/severely damaged: Approximately 6000-6500! (Average of about 0.9 results per hitting bolt).

Gargoyle swarm momentum: Severely suppressed! The vanguard was nearly cleared, and the subsequent swarm was forced to scatter, with their charge speed and coordination dropping significantly.

Own consumption: 45 units of high-quality Spirit Charcoal consumed, Psionic Furnace load reached 92%, 3 Kite-Hunter Ballistas suffered minor malfunctions due to overheating, 12 required emergency maintenance, enchanted arrow inventory consumed by about 35%.

Anti-air barrage network integrity: 85% (still small areas of fire gaps due to crossbow malfunctions).

"So... so powerful!" Behind the defense line, the Pioneer warriors looking up at this scene couldn't help but let out heartfelt exclamations, even while in a state of "Chaotic Excitement." That sky-blotting Gargoyle swarm had actually been forcibly torn with a massive gap by their own territory's bolts!

Even the seven "Observers" in the sky saw their star map phantoms fluctuate noticeably, and the light on several other elemental beings flickered slightly, clearly surprised by the efficient, cold, and large-scale lethality shown by "Mohist Mechanical Arts." That bright golden light-shadow even let out a faint, metal-grinding-like sound of approval.

However, with one hundred and twenty thousand Gargoyles, the base number was simply too large! Even though over six thousand were instantly shot down, more than a hundred thousand remained! Though set back, driven by the Abyss Will, they still fearlessly scattered, pouncing toward the heart of the territory from multiple directions and different heights like a crazed locust swarm!

"Crossbow array, maintain suppression! Focus on large clusters and dive paths!" Fire Hammer commanded in a raspy voice, "Ground anti-air units, fire at will! Intercept low-altitude targets and those that slip through!"

The Elf Rangers fired their longbows upward, arrows rising like raindrops. Although their single-shot power was far inferior to the Kite-Hunter Ballistas, their numbers were significant and still posed a threat to low-altitude Gargoyles. Several anti-air Steam Ballistas made muffled firing sounds, blowing apart Gargoyles trying to break in from the sides.

But the Gargoyles' numerical advantage was still gradually translating into pressure. Sporadic Gargoyles began to break through the interception net, diving down to attack ground personnel and destroy buildings with claws and teeth, and a few even pounced directly at Lin Zhou in the air!

"Hmph!" Lin Zhou snorted coldly. The Fire of Civilization beside him flared slightly, and a pale gold ring of fire expanded, incinerating the nearby Gargoyles directly into ash. But he couldn't waste too much Divine Power on these minions; his main energy still needed to be focused on maintaining the Net of Law, coordinating the overall situation, and... guarding against those seven Observers and the upcoming fifth wave.

The ground defense line also came under pressure as some Gargoyles dived to attack the rear of the shield formation or remote positions, causing new casualties and Chaos.

The battle entered a more complex, three-dimensional stage of attrition. In the sky was a deadly collision of metal and stone, while on the ground was a chaotic mix of melee combat and anti-air interception.

Just as Lin Zhou was calculating the continuous combat capability of the crossbow array and the consumption rate of the Gargoyles, a piece of bad news arrived from the Star Gazing Platform, along with a... startling discovery!

"Warning! Mechanism City core power supply System overloaded! Psionic Furnace No. 2 is showing unstable fluctuations, output power decreased by 15%! Estimated full-power duration for 'Heavenly Net' mode will be shortened to 2 minutes and 10 seconds!"

"Also... detected abnormal energy reactions emanating from the downed Gargoyle remains! They are gathering... toward the central Abyssal Fissure! Rift energy readings are surging abnormally again! The generation speed of the fifth Demonic Tide... is accelerating! Accelerating! The interval between the fourth and fifth waves is expected to be less than one minute! And the energy characteristics of the fifth wave... are mixed with concepts of 'Absorption', 'Recombination', and 'Evolution'!"

Absorbing energy from remains? Accelerating the generation of the next wave? Evolution?

Lin Zhou's heart sank. This Abyssal Trial actually had such a mechanism of "getting stronger as the fight goes on" and "utilizing the fallen"?

What made his pupils contract even more was that the "star map phantom" Observer, who had been silently watching, suddenly sent a thought actively, its voice seemingly carrying a hint of solemnity:

"An interesting mechanism... the 'Gu-rearing' and 'Evolution' instincts of the Abyss. Young Fire Sower, your 'workshop' tore their wings, but it seems... it also fed an even more terrifying monster. Are you ready to face the 'evolved' next wave?"

Following its words, from the direction of the central Abyssal Fissure came a low roar full of greed and tyranny, entirely different from any previous monsters! The pressure contained in that sound caused all living beings on the battlefield, including those Berserk Demons and Gargoyles, to momentarily freeze!

The fifth wave was coming! And it was likely an even more terrifying form that had absorbed the "nourishment" of the first four waves!

Lin Zhou's gaze was sharp as a blade, sweeping across the Gargoyles still frantically pouncing, across the deadlocked battle lines on the ground, across that bottomless rift brewing an even more terrifying existence, and finally, falling once again on those seven "Observers" suspended in the air.

"Mohist Mechanisms are capable of more than just 'tearing wings'." Lin Zhou whispered to himself, his Divine Thought connecting to Fire Hammer once more. "Fire Hammer, prepare the second stage of the 'Heavenly Net' plan—'Logic Bomb'! Target: all Gargoyle clusters entering the territory's low altitude (below 300 meters)! Also, have Li Mo prepare his 'big guy'; we might need it for the fifth wave!"

"Furthermore..." He looked up at the star map phantom, his voice calm yet clearly transmitted: "Observer, since this is a trial, you might as well look closer. My 'fire' can light up the darkness, and it can also... incinerate those self-righteous 'evolutions'."

The battle was far from over. The true challenge might have only just begun. And the audience was already in place.