Chapter Sixty-One: Overwhelming Force

"Savage Charge!" Shen Lie let out a thunderous shout. His body turned a brilliant gold, and he plowed into the swarm of monsters like a maddened bull.

The power gap between Awakened individuals was truly vast, and the way their abilities countered one another played a massive role in the outcome of any battle. Du Lili’s Fire Dragon technique was the absolute bane of the spider monsters; even the two double-striped spider monsters dared not approach her easily.

In this situation, Shen Lie was in his element. Alternating between his World-Ending Hammer and Savage Charge, he unleashed the same combo he had used against the toad monster. After a storm of relentless attacks, one of the double-striped spider monsters was reduced to a pulp.

Shen Lie excitedly snatched up a deep crimson crystal, surreptitiously tucking it into his space gourd while no one was looking, before immediately hunting for his next target.

The two of them moved like tigers into a flock of sheep. Before they even had to use their explosive packs, they had already eliminated over twenty spider monsters, including one with double stripes. This left the Awakened soldiers under Zhang Kaitai’s command dumbfounded. They were all Awakened, all using supernatural abilities—why was the gap between them so immense?

"Shen Lie, don't get bogged down! Use the explosive packs!" Shen Lie was deep in the thrill of the slaughter when he heard Du Lili call out softly as she moved closer. He snapped back to reality. While their abilities were effective against these creatures, their internal bloodline energy was limited. The spider monsters were coming in wave after wave, and they couldn't possibly kill them all in such a short time. Furthermore, if they accidentally lured over that triple-striped spider monster, they would be finished.

According to Shen Lie's observations and testing, the number of stripes on a spider monster's back roughly corresponded to the number of nodes an Awakened person had ignited. A double-striped spider monster was equivalent in strength to an Awakened who had ignited two nodes. However, abilities were strange and varied; one might counter another or be countered, depending on the specific situation.

If igniting one node counted as Level One, then he was currently a peak Level Two Awakened, and he had mastered two combat skills, making him more than a match for a single double-striped spider monster. With the enhancement of the starlight energy in his brow, he could even hold his own against two double-striped ones simultaneously.

However, all of this relied on having an abundance of bloodline energy or starlight energy. He no longer had any of Professor Liu's energy-replenishing potions; if his energy ran dry, his level wouldn't matter.

Shen Lie had a clear grasp of his own strength, and he had collected quite a few crystals during this skirmish. Upon hearing Du Lili’s call, he zipped up his pack, pulled out his explosive packs to use as grenades, and began tossing them into the swarm. In the blink of an eye, he had thrown over twenty.

Du Lili also began tossing explosive packs, retreating as she did so. They were here to support Zhang Kaitai, not to fight a war of attrition against these monsters. Now that their mission was complete, it was best to leave the spider problem to the military; individual prowess could not determine the outcome in a situation of this scale.

Although the power of the explosive packs wasn't as devastating as Hu Chenggang had claimed, there was strength in numbers. With thirty or forty of them exploding at once, over a dozen spider monsters were killed, and the rest were rattled, scurrying back in panic. Even the remaining double-striped spider monster could not regain control of the chaos, despite its shrill screeching.

"You two retreat first, I'll follow shortly!" Seeing several crystals exposed on the ground ahead, Shen Lie felt a pang of reluctance. Each crystal could significantly boost his bloodline energy; leaving so many behind was a terrible waste.

"What are you doing? Let's go! We don't have a vehicle anymore!" Du Lili, who had been by his side, snapped at him. Shen Lie understood her point. Without a vehicle, they couldn't move as quickly as they had arrived. They were still over a thousand meters from the main force, and it wasn't a distance they could just cover in an instant.

"Oh no, another wave of monsters is heading this way!"

"Heavenly King Shen, Heavenly King Du, hurry!"

"Let's go!" Shen Lie shot one last painful look at the crystals, stomped his foot, and turned to sprint back. The monsters ahead were already stirring now that reinforcements had arrived. He had spotted several double-striped ones in the new swarm, and vaguely, he thought he saw a triple-striped one at the very back. If he didn't run now, he would surely be left behind.

"Ah, look at that! What is that?" Shen Lie and his group had barely run a few dozen meters when they heard a series of whistling sounds. Objects trailing thick smoke arched over their heads in a parabolic trajectory, landing right in the middle of the monster swarm behind them.

A deafening, earth-shaking roar erupted. The monsters behind them suddenly scattered in a panic, as if the camp had been blown apart. Countless were blasted to pieces, and an untold number were left suffering from heavy or light injuries.

"It's rocket fire! Rocket fire! The Division Commander has reached the camp!" an Awakened soldier in a major’s uniform shouted in excitement. The team now only had two rocket launchers left—the military’s ultimate weapon, which no one had the authority to use without Zhang Kaitai's direct order.

The pursuing monsters were pushed back once more. Shen Lie was stunned by the power of such heavy weaponry, and this was even with the dampening effects of the gray mist; otherwise, the damage would have been even more terrifying.

"Perhaps there is still some hope for humanity." Like Shen Lie, this was the first time Du Lili had witnessed such a scene. After a moment of shock, she spoke with a renewed sense of vigor.

"Let's hope so." Shen Lie, however, was not so optimistic. He had seen too many bizarre things in the other realm. If nothing else, those giant, winged insects were not something that could be dealt with by conventional weapons. Firearms would eventually be rendered obsolete; if humanity wanted to reclaim its living space, they had to focus on bloodline evolution.

"Let's go!" Shen Lie sighed.

With the long-range, high-yield weapons providing cover, the retreat became much easier. Although Shen Lie still hankered after the crystals inside the spider monsters, he dared not return. Those rockets couldn't tell the difference between a spider monster and a human; it would be a tragic irony to die by friendly fire rather than being eaten by a monster.

"Many thanks to both Heavenly Kings for your aid. On behalf of the entire 925th Infantry Division, I extend our gratitude!"

As soon as Shen Lie and his group returned, they were met with a warm welcome. Hu Chenggang gave them a solemn military salute, his eyes filled with a mixture of envy and reverence. When he called them "Heavenly Kings," it was no longer just a title—it was a sign of genuine, heartfelt submission.

Hu Chenggang had seen Shen Lie and Du Lili’s performance through high-powered binoculars with crystal clarity. Not only had he seen it, but many others had as well. A situation that would have been a death sentence for the military’s Awakened squad was dealt with by these two as if they were swatting flies—and they were only two people, while the military squad consisted of twenty!

What did that mean? It meant that a single individual on their side wasn't even worth one of theirs. It meant that even among the Awakened, the gap in strength was like heaven and earth!

No wonder a man like Professor Liu held these two in such high regard; no wonder someone as arrogant as Gu Fangcheng didn't dare use force against them. So, that was the root of it!

In this apocalyptic world, strength was the only foundation!

"No need for thanks. Division Commander Zhang has looked after us quite a bit along the way; this was just a return of the favor from our Red Mist Group. However, I don't believe the situation is optimistic. These spider monsters seem to be multiplying the more we kill them. There is likely a spatial rift nearby. I don't think passive defense is a wise choice here." Shen Lie voiced his suspicion, though it was merely a guess; the specific situation would require further investigation.

"The division has long suspected such a possibility. Division Commander Zhang is injured and is currently in an emergency meeting with his staff to decide whether to stay or go. But if we don't make these beasts feel real pain, we won't be able to break out peacefully. If we try now, even fewer people will survive."

Shen Lie nodded silently. Once the army chose to break out, it would certainly lose its cohesion. It would turn into a scene of scattered, fleeing crowds being hunted down by monsters. The thought alone was chilling.

"Brother Shen!"

"Uncle!"

Just as Shen Lie was about to speak, he noticed a few figures rushing toward them. Looking closely, he saw it was Zhang Jing and little Tao Tao, with Li Xue’s thin, frail figure following close behind.

"Why are you here?" Shen Lie felt a warmth in his heart. In this cold, ruthless era, there were still people who cared about him.