Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

However, their frail bodies were easily crushed and kicked away by the monster's immense strength and impact, with parts scattered all over the ground, with just the slightest touch.

A drone base vehicle was spotted by a giant bear that had charged into the defensive line. The bear raised its shovel-like paw and slammed it down.

Bang!

The alloy shell deformed instantly under this terrifying force, and with several more heavy punches, the base vehicle exploded with countless sparks and thick smoke.

"The defense line has been breached! Request the execution of Evacuation Plan No. 2!"

"Approved. You may evacuate to the command post."

"All units, execute Evacuation Plan No. 2! Retreat to the sandbar! Quickly!"

The commander of the Talos squad issued orders over the channel.

Without hesitation, the armored vehicle turned around and roared as it charged backward!

While providing cover fire, the Talos squad used jetpacks to perform short-distance maneuvers and jumps, creating distance between themselves and the surging monsters.

They could only be thankful that the buildings inside the defensive line were equipped with a number of unmanned devices, which could attract the attention of some of the monsters.

However, their retreat route, the pontoon bridge leading to the narrow waterway of the sandbar, was the real predicament.

Blah blah blah!

A large number of fish-headed monsters had somehow broken through to this place, bursting out of the turbid river water, their slippery bodies covered in slime and gleaming cold light, and crawling scattered across the shore.

They attacked with sharp bone spikes and eerie water currents, blocking bridges and waterfront passages.

On land, the main force of land-based monsters is relentlessly pursuing and crushing everything in their path!

On this side of the riverbank are an astonishing number of fish-headed monsters.

The Talos squad and the remaining dozen or so armored vehicles were squeezed into a small mudflat.

"Requesting artillery support!"

"The water monster has also launched an attack on the sandbar, and we are temporarily unable to provide support!"

Ammunition was poured out in two directions, explosions erupted one after another, but it was no match for the surging, encircling demon soldiers.

Several soldiers, separated from their comrades, desperately tried to build makeshift shelters behind the armored vehicle, but were easily knocked away by several giant bears.

Heavy armored vehicles were overturned and torn apart by the swarming monsters, and screams were drowned out by the roars of the beasts.

The captain of the Talos squad knelt behind a twisted steel plate, watching the charging fish-headed monster, while the muffled voice of the command center came through the communicator.

A tremendous sense of powerlessness gripped his throat.

I'm afraid I won't be able to leave.

Just when despair was about to overwhelm everyone,

Woo——Boom!

A low, whistling sound pierced the battlefield as a dozen or so massive metal pods descended from the sky.

They didn't land with precise aim, but instead, carrying devastating kinetic energy, they crashed directly into the rear of the horde of fish-headed monsters that were frantically charging towards the Talos squad.

Bang! Pfft

The heavy hull combined with the terrifying speed of descent instantly crushed a large number of fish-headed monsters into mincemeat.

The stench of blood and mangled limbs mixed with mud and splashing river water carved out a horrific vacuum in the midst of the monstrous swarms on the riverbank.

The hatch at the front of the row opened amidst the smoke and dust.

Steam rose, and a burly figure strode out first.

He was dressed in heavy, rugged armor covered in graffiti and greyish-white power armor.

A V-shaped scanning beam lit up on the thick visor of the helmet, and the burly hands held an exaggeratedly shaped, enormous Gauss rifle that was as tall as an ordinary soldier.

"Who's calling the Rangers? Yo!" A slightly hoarse, cynical voice boomed through the loudspeaker. He turned his mask toward the ferocious beasts on the battlefield and the besieged Talos squad, whistling exaggeratedly, "That's quite a sight! Rangers, time to stretch your legs!"

Before he finished speaking, the doors of the airdrop pods that had crashed behind and beside him opened, and more than a dozen Marines, also dressed in standard blue powered armor, emerged from them.

"These wretched things remind me of bugs."

The lead ranger roared, and his heavy guns eagerly spat out bullets.

Om-!

This was not the sound of ordinary gunpowder bullets, but a piercing hum similar to high-frequency vibrations in the air.

The metal spikes fired from the Gauss rifle tore through the air and slammed into the fish-headed monsters, who were somewhat stunned by the sudden air raid.

The powerful kinetic energy instantly pierced through their bodies, increasing the firepower by an order of magnitude compared to the Talos squad's previous firepower.

Even when it hits those monsters, the blocking effect is even stronger.

“You want to cross to the other side, huh?” the Ranger commander shouted to the members of Talos’ squad. “We’ll cover you, let’s go.”

The soldiers of Talos's squad suddenly realized that no matter where these heavily armed warriors came from, they were their only hope for survival.

They only had time to say thank you before running towards the still-existing pontoon bridge on the riverbank. Taking advantage of the lull in the number of fish-headed monsters and the cover provided by the rangers, they activated their jetpacks halfway across the pontoon bridge and successfully reached the sandbar.

Nobita escaped the horde of monsters somewhat disheveled and came to the side of the rangers.

This cavalry was naturally a righteous ally he had summoned, but he never expected to be able to summon an entire army.

I don't know if this counts as a lucky draw.

Nobi was about to say something.

Jim Reynolds' heavy mask slid up to reveal a weathered, stubble-covered face.

He had lit a cigarette without anyone noticing, took a deep drag, exhaled a string of smoke rings, and swept a group of charging fish monsters with his gun, the sound mixed with the smell of gunpowder.

"Hey, that kid over there dressed like he's in cosplay!" He pointed at Nobi with his chin. "Well done, you've got guts, but..."

He drawled, "Let me make it clear beforehand, our Rangers charge very fair rates. This time, the appearance fee and ammunition costs...tsk tsk, you'd better prepare a considerable amount of crystal ore or at least its equivalent in gold. No credit, no delays!"

Nobi Chira: "."

His words were cut off. He really was planning to buy on credit, or maybe try using items from the points mall as a reward later? Unfortunately, he didn't have any points.

Jim saw his stunned expression and shook his head with a tsk tsk: "Well, another one who's penniless. My business is losing money hand over fist!"

A ranger who was firing fiercely at the horde of beasts nearby shouted, "Boss! Stop messing with him! Same old deal! Consider this a free trial! Next time, remember to prepare double the commission and put it on his tab!"

Jim rolled his eyes, didn't argue, just pulled the trigger hard with a cigarette in his mouth, the powerful recoil making the armor vibrate.

"That's a wrap, guys!"

Jim tossed away his cigarette butt, his mask snapping shut. "These monsters are tough as nails, and their shields are even self-charged! They're even more sinister than those Protoss turtles. This is the limit of what we can do! Storm One, bring us home!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than an even more violent roar of engines echoed from the sky! A transport ship tore through the clouds, plunging down at an almost vertical angle! The powerful airflow sent sand and stones flying across the ground.

The massive belly hatch of the transport ship burst open above everyone's heads with a deafening roar.

From all directions, more and more demonic beasts roared and swarmed in, their eyes flashing with a crazed crimson, their blood-red shields forming a continuous mass, like a surging tide of blood.

"Withdraw!" Jim roared.

The rangers were sucked up.

Ahead of the spaceship, a pitch-black void suddenly appeared, seemingly swallowing even the light.

The transport ship accelerated and plunged into the center of the eerie black hole, disappearing from the battlefield along with it.

"."

Alone, Nobita watched the surging army of monsters, then helplessly used the save point and disappeared from the spot.

Chapter 229: Destruction of Jade and Stone

The second line of defense fell one after another, and artillery fire roared on the sandbar island.

The order to retreat had been given, and helicopters full of personnel were taking off, climbing at an angle, and escaping at top speed.

As the core commander, Leon had already boarded a helicopter and was evacuating to the rear.

He originally thought that even in the worst-case scenario, relying on the second line of defense and the sandbar fortifications, they could at least hold out for a day.

But in reality, in just half an hour, the carefully constructed defense line was completely torn apart and flattened by the horde of monsters with their eerie blood shields and steel-like bodies.

He didn't even dare to think about what could stop them if a nuclear bomb was dropped and the blood shield still existed.

On the ground, the defeated soldiers surged toward their last foothold, but too many still failed to reach the sandbar. The pre-established evacuation points were successively breached by the fish-headed monsters, and maintaining the sandbar's own defense was already a struggle.

The Talos squad was the luckiest of them all; well-equipped, they encountered the Knights.

Many more were mercilessly swallowed up by the dark, overwhelming tide of beasts, leaving only a few abrupt screams drowned out by the deafening roar.

Even though Muramasa Taki went to the rescue, he couldn't save many people.

"Hurry, hurry up! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!"

On the open ground, only a few helicopters remained to take off. The support personnel shouted hoarsely, urging the last group of people to squeeze into the cramped cabin.

Outside the cabin, Ping Shenglong quickly scanned the chaotic crowd, his expression changing slightly.

Is Kurosaki Chimei not here?

"That rascal"

Heisei Ryu's heart sank, while Nakajima was jumping up and down anxiously in the cabin: "Team leader! The pilot said we have to take off in less than three minutes!"

Ping Shenglong nodded slightly, then turned and walked in the opposite direction: "Take off on time, no need to wait for me."

After saying that, he started running, his figure moving against the few remaining people, rushing towards the prefab house where Basalt was located. Nakajima's shouts from behind were completely swallowed up by the sound of the engine.

"boom!"

Inside the prefab house, in Kurosaki's private room. The wooden door was violently kicked open by Heisei Ryu.

What came into view was Kurosaki's research room, which looked like it had been swept by a whirlwind. The floor was covered with papers with messy handwriting and symbols.

In the center of the room, Kurosaki Chimei was hunched over the table, his eyes bloodshot, his greasy hair plastered to his forehead, and there was a box of leftover Kang Sheng board on the table.

He exuded the aura of a mad scientist, like an ETO savior trying to solve the Three-Body Problem.

The pen tip was fixed on a huge basalt rubbing, frantically circling and outlining one of the ancient cloud-shaped symbols, muttering to himself: "Yes, that's right. It should be this 'warlord's slaughter, jade and stone destroyed together'... It's self-destruction! It must be!"

"Kurosaki! The defenses have fallen, let's get out of here!"

Heisei Ryu rushed forward, grabbed Kurosaki's arm, and tried to drag him away by force.

"No, we can't just leave like this!" Kurosaki unleashed astonishing power, firmly rooted to the spot, his arms struggling desperately, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Heisei Ryu. "This is our last chance! We have to give it a good beating! Only then can we delay its complete break from its seal!"

Ping Shenglong's grip loosened involuntarily: "You are... Even if the giant gate node is destroyed, the sealed entity will not be completely unsealed immediately?"

"Yes! The premise is that we can't let it break the seal so easily." Kurosaki spoke rapidly, spitting as he spoke. "I've found a solution. Those four cloud-shaped characters told us that they are the keys to trigger the array's self-destruction. As long as it's successfully triggered, the Nine Star Array will concentrate its last power to give the sealed object a violent backlash, enough to give it a good recovery period! This is a backup plan left by that Taoist priest!"

“But—” Ping Shenglong wanted to ask more about the details and feasibility.

"No buts! Did you bring the white cogon grass I asked for?!" Kurosaki practically shouted, his eyes filled with unwavering conviction in his judgment.

This is the first time he has addressed Pyeongsang Dragons in this way.

Ping Shenglong ignored his tone and took out a handful of dry white cogon grass from his pocket.

This is what Kurosaki suddenly and urgently demanded in the early morning.

chug.

The last helicopter accelerated its spin, no longer waiting, and slowly lifted off the ground.

Looking out the window at the helicopter taking off, Ping Shenglong gave a self-deprecating bitter smile.

My tense nerves strangely relaxed a little. Now, I can't leave even if I want to.

Kurosaki snatched the white thatch, not even glancing at Heisei Ryu, and began to wrap and knot the thatch with his fingers flying, somewhat clumsily.

As he worked, he quickly explained, "Quick, come with me to the basalt. The giant gate node is still there, and it can temporarily form a protective zone. Those things won't dare to approach the core immediately."

He was the first to rush out of the prefab house and head straight for the towering, massive black rock.

Upon arriving at the foot of the basalt, they unexpectedly spotted another figure.

Genji stood quietly beside the boulder, her gaze passing over Heisei Ryu and settling on the still-growing white thatch in Kurosaki's hand.

What can I do to help?

Without any formalities, Kurosaki quickly dragged out a bunch of antique bronze oil lamps from a sealed wooden box right next to the foot of the basalt rock.