Gao Wu: If this BOSS isn't nerfed, is it even playable?

Chapter 130 Mechanism: Phase Transition!
Lin Ye's figure almost transformed into an elusive black lightning bolt.

The spear is like a dragon; every thrust of the Piercing Star Spear is precise and efficient, carrying a cold sense of artistry.

You have killed a Level 17 Iron-Eating Beetle!

[Due to the influence of the "Five Qi Guiding Techniques," the experience point multiplier is set at 150%!]

You have gained 16 experience points!

You have killed a Level 16 Iron-Eating Beetle!

[...You have gained 14 experience points!]

System notifications were flooding his mind.

Lin Ye's level was far higher than these beetles, so the experience points provided by each one were reduced.

However, the sheer number of them is simply overwhelming!

More importantly, under the absolute pressure of the "crushing" mechanism, these normally fearless beetles became as docile as chicks lining up to be slaughtered in his presence.

The notifications for gaining experience points were ringing far too frequently.

Lin Ye even found the system notifications too noisy and directly blocked the kill feedback.

He only needed to glance at the visible surge in his experience bar out of the corner of his eye, and that would be enough.

This insect swarm is simply a godsend!
Where did he find so many mutated beasts that wouldn't fight back, just standing there and letting him kill them?

This is not a disaster at all; it's a gift of experience points that God has forced into his hands!

On the other side, within the safe zone designated by Lin Ye.

Cheng Jiale and the others have recovered from their initial shock and disbelief.

As they watched the figure wreaking havoc amidst the endless swarm of insects, like a god of war, all they felt was an indescribable awe.

Cheng Jiale's eyes were filled with a mixture of admiration and envy.

He gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, enduring the pain from his injuries, his teeth clenched.

"We don't know how long the insect swarm will last, we can't just sit idly by!"

“We…we should be with him…though we can’t exactly fight side by side.”

"But at the very least, it's our duty to help him guard the rear and blind spots, and to eliminate any fish that slip through the net!"

"We only have a chance of survival if we hold out until the insect swarm recedes! We can't put all our hopes on him alone!"

Cheng Jiale's words caused the others to show complicated expressions.

Let them face that dark, swarming swarm of insects that makes one's scalp crawl just by looking at it?

Fear and the fear of death are human instincts.

But looking at that figure, alone facing the horde of insects to protect them, a strong sense of shame welled up in his heart.

While others are working hard, they're just standing here daydreaming?

Their sense of pride as martial artists prevents them from overcoming this mental hurdle.

"Jiale is right! We should help!"

Team leader Zhou Tong was the first to stand up, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Led by Cheng Jiale and Zhou Tong, the others exchanged glances. Although they were still afraid, they eventually gripped their weapons tightly.

A hastily assembled five-person insect extermination team approached the edge of the battle zone.

As they joined the battle, everyone was surprised to find that as long as they didn't step out of the invisible area surrounding Lin Ye, the beetles were almost completely unassailable.

They began dealing with some beetles that Lin Ye had knocked away but were not quite dead, or keeping an eye out for other possible sudden attacks.

Although their impact was minimal, at least they took action.

Time flew by amidst the one-sided massacre.

More than an hour later.

[Ding! Your level has increased to LV.25!]

You have gained 2 free attribute points!

You have gained 1 skill points!

Upgraded!
This morning, he was just over 24 years old.

It hasn't been long, and he's already leveled up a whole level!

A warm current flowed through his body. The overall attribute boost brought by the upgrade instantly swept away the slight fatigue he had felt from the long battle.

As Lin Ye felt the increasingly powerful circulation of qi and blood within his body, like a surging river, his fighting spirit only intensified!

kill!

Kill him and turn everything upside down!

Slaughter them in broad daylight!

Another two and a half hours passed.

The insect corpses inside the underground station had piled up like a small mountain, and the dark green fluid had gathered into streams that flowed slowly across the ground.

The air was filled with a sickening stench.

[Ding! Your level has increased to LV.26!]

You have gained 2 free attribute points!

You have gained 1 skill points!

[Please note! Your cultivation technique, "Five Qi Guiding Technique," has reached its current level's maximum bonus!]

[All subsequent experience point gains will be halved!]

Upgraded again!

But the system warning that followed made Lin Ye frown slightly.

Unbeknownst to him, he had once again reached the limit of his cultivation technique.

It seems that the basic techniques I learned from Teacher Chen are ultimately not keeping up with my speed of becoming stronger.

However, Lin Ye was not discouraged by this.

Halve it if you want!
Even if it's halved, killing the insects now is much faster than him painstakingly searching for those scattered mutated beasts in the ruins!
……

Cheng Jiale and the others collapsed to the ground, their chests heaving violently as they gasped for breath.

They were already exhausted from dealing with just a few stray fish on the periphery.

But when they looked at Lin Ye in the arena, they couldn't hide the shock in their eyes.

They had been fighting for nearly four hours since the insect swarm broke out!

This man showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, he fought with increasing vigor, his movements remaining as swift and unwavering as ever!
Is his energy and physical strength inexhaustible?
Time passed by minute by minute.

Seven hours...

Eight hours...

The long battle had completely drained Cheng Jiale and the others of their last bit of strength.

They no longer had the strength to stand up and could only watch helplessly as that figure carried out a protracted massacre amidst the endless swarm of insects.

I do not know how long it has been.

When a sliver of dim light finally pierced through the entrance of the subway station.

Everyone suddenly realized something.

Its daybreak.

The swarm of insects that had raged all night seemed to receive some unseen command and began to recede slowly.

Lin Ye keenly sensed that the frenzied and violent aura emanating from these beetles was weakening.

Their actions were no longer chaotic and disorderly, but became orderly, as if they had received a unified signal to retreat.

A thought flashed through Lin Ye's mind.

In nature, the swarming behavior of many insects is controlled by a "mother insect".

For example, the queen ant and the queen bee.

Could the mutation of these iron-eating beetles, which are so large in scale and capable of long-distance flight, be hiding a higher-level, intelligent queen beetle behind them?
Or perhaps this swarming behavior, like that of locusts, is simply triggered by a specific environmental factor?
Lin Ye didn't know.

But he knew that he had gained a ton of experience points that night.

He didn't even know how many insects he had killed.

All he knew was that his level had jumped three levels from LV.24 to LV.27!

Just as the last beetle disappeared into the darkness deep within the tunnel, a system notification sounded in his mind!
[Ding! In this overwhelming swarm of insects, you alone have turned the tide!]

You have killed a total of 10887 iron-eating beetles!

[You have unlocked the only special achievement: 10,000 Kills!]

[You've unlocked a brand new BOSS mechanic: Phase Transition!]

New mechanism!
Lin Ye's heart raced.

So far, he has no useless mechanisms.

Any mechanism, if used well, can be a divine skill!

As the sun rose higher, the insect swarm in the entire underground space and on the surface receded at an alarming rate.

In the blink of an eye, the once overwhelming black tide vanished without a trace.

Lin Ye focused his attention on the system and began to examine this newly acquired mechanism.

[Stage Transition (Green): You can now switch freely between the stages you own, ignoring the stage transition requirements.]

During the transition phase, you will be in an unselectable state for 1 second.

[Note: During combat, phase transitions can only be performed unidirectionally from a lower to a higher phase; it is not possible to switch back to a lower phase.]

This restriction is lifted once you are out of combat and your maximum health has been restored to full.

The grade of this mechanism is only green.

It is at the same level as the Soul Forge.

But after reading its effects description, Lin Ye's heart was filled with a tremendous wave of emotion!

Not selectable!

He knew all too well what those four words meant to him, given his experience with games from another world!
Would you call this some kind of invincible frame?!
Although it only lasts for a brief second, in the ever-changing life-or-death struggle, this moment of invincibility is enough for him to avoid countless fatal attacks and even complete an amazing counterattack!

More importantly, he can finally voluntarily enter the P2 phase!
No longer do you have to stand there stupidly and take hits until your health drops to zero in Phase 1 before you can unlock skills like [Berserk] and [Blink] that can only be used in Phase 2.

The feasibility of this mechanism is simply too great!
Lin Ye's mind stirred.

Almost the instant the thought arose in his mind, he clearly felt that he had entered the P2 stage.

Since he was out of combat at the moment, and the [Out of Combat Health Regeneration] mechanism had already fully restored his health, the switch was completed smoothly.

At the moment of switching, Lin Ye deliberately tried to feel the "unselectable" state.

But he didn't feel anything special; it was as if he had just blinked.

It seems that this effect can only be verified in actual combat, or at the moment of being attacked.

……

Having narrowly escaped death, Cheng Jiale and the others helped each other out of the subway station, which was filled with insect corpses and slime.

When they saw the scene outside, they all gasped in astonishment.

The entire Linchuan site seemed to have been completely destroyed by a massive earthquake.

The load-bearing structures of countless buildings were completely eaten away, causing them to collapse and turn into ruins.

The exposed steel bars were riddled with holes from being chewed up.

The already dilapidated city now appears even more desolate and lifeless.

"horrible……"

“Insect swarms have occurred in Linchuan City before, but never to this level!”

Cheng Jiale was still shaken: "In the past, insect swarms could never have flown this far, and their scale was nowhere near this large!"

Zhou Tong nodded solemnly. He looked at Lin Ye with a look of awe and gratitude that words could not describe.

They survived an insect swarm that was powerful enough to devour the entire Linchuan ruins.

"Let's go."

Lin Ye's voice rang out. He turned and walked towards the road outside the city.

The others quickly followed.

The journey has been filled with devastation.

Occasionally, you can see some tattered pieces of clothing or abandoned weapons.

Those martial artists who failed to evacuate in time left nothing behind.

Even their bones were completely devoured by the endless iron-eating beetles.

Even more eerily, the entire Linchuan site fell into a deathly silence.

There was no trace of any mutated beasts left.

They were either swallowed up in the swarm of insects, or they were so terrified that they were hiding in some unknown corner, barely clinging to life.

This insect swarm almost brought about a devastating reshuffling of the ecosystem in Linchuan.

after an hour.

When the familiar outline of the temporary camp came into view, everyone fell silent.

The once bustling market is now a scene of utter devastation.

All the tents and shacks built with steel frames and thick canvas have disappeared, leaving only bare ground and some metal frames that have been chewed up beyond recognition.

Many of the surviving hunters were blankly clearing the ruins, their faces filled with bewilderment and lingering fear after surviving the ordeal.

Lin Ye's gaze swept across the crowd and he spotted a familiar figure.

Zhang Fu was sitting dejectedly next to a pile of scrap metal, clutching a deformed metal box tightly in his arms—his entire fortune.

His face was filled with endless sorrow.

My home is gone once again.

Just then, a frantic and hoarse roar suddenly came from not far away!
"Jiale!!!"

Everyone followed the sound.

A tall, resolute-looking young man burst out from the crowd.

He rushed to Cheng Jiale and hugged him tightly, his arms bulging with veins from the force.

Cheng Jiale's eyes instantly reddened, and her voice trembled with tears.

"elder brother!"

"It's good to be alive! It's good to be alive!"

The young man's voice trembled slightly with excitement, his eyes filled with a mixture of worry and elation.

He is Cheng Tianhao.

The leader of the Qingfeng Society, the backbone of all hunters in these ruins of Linchuan.

After confirming that his younger brother was safe and sound, Cheng Tianhao turned his gaze to Zhou Tong and the others. Seeing their injured and disheveled appearance, he frowned.

"What about the rest?"

Zhou Tong's face darkened, and he shook his head with difficulty.

Cheng Tianhao's eyes darkened instantly, but he quickly suppressed his grief and turned to look at the only unfamiliar face in the group.

Cheng Jiale immediately grabbed his arm and said excitedly, "Brother! This is Brother Xiaoye! Our savior!"

"If it weren't for him, we would all have perished in the insect swarm long ago!"

Cheng Tianhao was taken aback.

His gaze returned to Lin Ye, this time filled with scrutiny and seriousness.

He strode forward and bowed deeply to Lin Ye.

“My name is Cheng Tianhao. I am Jiale’s older brother and the manager of this camp.”

"Thank you so much for saving my brother's life!"

His voice was sincere and powerful.

Lin Ye could sense that the two brothers were very responsible and humane.

When an insect swarm occurs, given their status, they can definitely be in the safest place immediately.

However, Cheng Tianhao still sent his younger brother to the city to notify other hunters to take refuge.

This was the fundamental reason why Lin Ye chose to step in and save him.

He admires people who retain the brilliance of humanity even in the face of disaster.

"You must be here to participate in the military selection process, right?"

Cheng Tianhao straightened up, staring intently at Lin Ye.

His eyes held a complex mix of gratitude, awe, and a hint of helplessness.

“You are not one of us hunters who make a living in the ruins. For a moment, I don’t know how to repay your great kindness.”

Lin Ye said calmly, "I saved him without expecting anything in return."

"But I do need something."

"I want a detailed map of the entire occupied zone, the more detailed the better."

"Also, intelligence on all key areas, such as where the largest and strongest groups of mutated beasts are located."

"And the Tianyuan alien race, in which regions are they mainly distributed?"

Upon hearing Lin Ye's request, a hint of difficulty flashed across Cheng Tianhao's face.

He remained silent for a moment, then finally shook his head.

"Sorry, brother, the occupied area is vast and boundless, and the range of our hunters' activities is also limited. We simply don't have the ability to draw a complete map."

"As for the alien races of Tianyuan... those things appear and disappear mysteriously, we can't avoid them at all costs, let alone figure out their distribution."

Lin Ye looked at him without saying a word.

Cheng Tianhao's answer was watertight, but Lin Ye could clearly sense that he was telling an undisguised lie.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Cheng Jiale behind Cheng Tianhao, who was secretly winking at him.

……

More than ten minutes later.

As the camp leader, Cheng Tianhao threw himself back into the intense reconstruction work, directing everyone to clear the ruins and build temporary fortifications.

Cheng Jiale then found an opportunity to get close to Lin Ye.

He led Lin Ye to a relatively secluded corner, pretending to chat, but quietly slipped something into the pocket of Lin Ye's combat uniform.

"Brother Xiaoye, this is what my brother asked me to give you."

Cheng Jiale's voice was extremely low, almost inaudible.

"There were too many people around, so my brother couldn't give it to you directly."

“According to your selection rules, we local natives are strictly prohibited from providing this type of strategic intelligence to any participant.”

"It's not that I'm afraid of implicating us, but I'm mainly afraid that if the military's inspection department finds out, it will affect your selection results, or even directly determine that you cheated and violated the rules."

Lin Ye had no more doubts.

On the surface, the Qingfeng Society is just a local hunter-run grassroots organization.

But Lin Ye is now 100% certain that it is backed by Ninghai's military.

Cheng Tianhao himself is very likely a pawn planted here by the military to control and guide the large number of idle martial artists in the occupied area and maintain a delicate order.

Having obtained what he wanted, Lin Ye did not intend to stay here any longer.

The Linchuan Ruins were severely damaged by the insect swarm, and almost all the high-level mutated beasts were wiped out, rendering them worthless for leveling up.

He needs to proceed to his next destination.

Before leaving, Cheng Jiale called him back and handed him a heavy tactical backpack.

"Brother Xiaoye, we really don't know how to repay you, so we can only prepare some supplies for you."

Inside the backpack was a brand-new, high-performance protective suit of genuine military quality, along with plenty of purified water and high-energy compressed food.

"I wish you good luck in this selection process!"

The boy's youthful face was filled with sincerity.

Those eyes, though bearing the marks of harsh reality, remained clear.

Lin Ye smiled and took the backpack, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thank you, and keep up the good work!"

After saying that, he didn't say anything more, turned around, and walked towards the western wilderness without looking back.

……

After leaving the camp for dozens of kilometers, Lin Ye arrived at a deserted hilly area.

He took out the map Cheng Jiale had given him from his pocket.

This is an incredibly detailed map of the occupied area!
The direction of the mountains, the location of the rivers, the elevation differences, the environment, approximate temperature, radiation intensity of different regions... everything was marked with astonishing precision.

This is definitely a military-grade map that the military created using satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, expending enormous effort!
On the map, different colored dots mark the distribution of the main mutated beast groups, as well as the official threat index.

Lin Ye's gaze was quickly drawn to two areas that were highlighted.

To the north lies a massive, bottomless rift valley that stretches from east to west.

The entire rift valley area was framed by a striking red circle, with an exclamation mark next to it.

High-risk area: Northern Rift Valley

[Main threat: Remnants of the Shadowscale Clan.]

[Intelligence Description: This alien race possesses extremely high levels of stealth, disguise, and ambush skills. They are resilient, have strong regenerative abilities, enjoy ambushes, and are extremely dangerous.]

[Overall Threat Index Assessment: 350~500]

Threat level starts at 350!

Even if these Shadowscale Clan members haven't reached levels 35-50, they are definitely considered elites and lords by the system.

This is an absolute death zone for selectors whose average strength level is in the early to mid-stages of the Qi Refining stage.

Lin Ye's gaze then shifted to the west side of the map.

That was his original destination—

That black forest looked incredibly strange even when viewed from above.

It was also marked with a red circle.

It is marked with a prominent exclamation mark.

[Extremely dangerous area, Western Black Forest.]

[Main Threat: Unknown alien race from the Heavenly Abyss, suspected of harboring human traitors.]

[Intelligence Description: An extremely strange and unknown alien race called the Heavenly Abyss exists in the Black Forest. It may be a lone individual or an unidentified group; its whereabouts remain unknown. However, a few witnesses have reported encountering attacks from other human martial artists, suggesting a possible human rebel force.]

[Overall Threat Index Assessment: Unknown!]

Human race... traitor?
He had considered many possibilities, but he never imagined that on the front lines against the alien race, on this land soaked in blood, there would still exist humans who had betrayed their own race.

It seems that human civilization in this world is not a monolithic entity.

In the face of the alien race of Tianyuan, there will always be some scoundrels who lack willpower or whose minds are blinded by self-interest, and who choose to collude with the enemy.

Lin Ye put away the map and fell into a brief moment of thought.

The Black Forest to the west is full of uncertainties and is too far away; the journey alone would take about a day.

While the Great Rift Valley to the north is equally dangerous, the enemies and threats there are already known.

It's even closer to you.

Let's go to the rift valley in the north!

Make a decision.

The next moment, Lin Ye's figure shot off like an arrow, hurtling towards the endless wilderness to the north.

　Second update, 1.3 words today, please vote with monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)