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Chapter 451 Crimson (6K)

This doesn't look like a movie shoot.
The young men and women outside the nightclub, seeing the monstrous shadow looming in the thunderclouds, finally felt their alcohol-numbed minds clear up a bit.

Someone screamed, and the group scattered in all directions, but before they could even get to the end of the street, they crashed into an invisible wall that imprisoned them with a "thud".

Ignoring the cacophony of screams behind him, Möbius calmly addressed Li Sheng: "First of all, as the host, I must thank you for not choosing to destroy London immediately."

Li Sheng raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"Calculation, speculation".

Möbius shrugged. "Judging from the abnormal fluctuation indices detected by various signal stations across Eurasia, as well as the atmospheric anomaly images provided by meteorological satellites, the ability you have demonstrated is to move long distances in a straight line at the speed of light."

The shortest single displacement is 400 kilometers, and the longest is 1400 kilometers. The interval between two displacements is about fifteen seconds.

It is worth noting that the speed of light here does not refer to direct light-speed travel. According to special relativity, once an object reaches the speed of light, its energy approaches infinity. Even just passing through the Earth's atmosphere would be enough to ignite gas molecules in the atmosphere, forming a plasma fireball, or even tear the Earth apart.

Therefore, your light-speed movement most likely doesn't involve converting yourself into the speed of light, but rather distorting spacetime to create curvature 'bubbles' around you, achieving an effect similar to a curvature engine in science fiction.

"You're right."

Li Sheng nodded. As expected of a high-ranking member of the Clock Tower, the other party had roughly deduced several key pieces of information about the [Floating Engine] based on only scraps of clues.

"Of course, even a warp drive can cause astonishing physical damage."

Having received confirmation, Möbius continued, "The effect of the warp drive is to distort space. The larger the volume of the carrier, the larger the cross-section of the distortion effect."

If you fly 30 meters close to the ground, the aftershocks of the warp drive will spread outwards in a cylindrical shape, igniting the air and creating a blast wave.

The blast wave tore apart tall buildings along its path, while a portion of it struck the ground and reflected back, forming an arc-shaped reflected wave.

The reflected wave overlapped with the blast wave, multiplying its power, like two invisible, indestructible walls sweeping across both sides.

The first scenario assumes that you will circulate four times over London, ultimately destroying all buildings taller than 50 meters along the way, with a guaranteed death toll of around 600,000 to 800,000.

Given the potential for subsequent building collapses, fires, and the collapse of the medical system, the number of casualties will be in the millions.

It is equivalent to eight Hiroshima atomic bombs dropped in a dispersed airburst.

As one of the world's financial centers, London's prolonged paralysis could trigger a global financial crisis, indirectly leading to a global economic recession and exacerbating global instability.

Möbius raised his palm, holding up a three-dimensional map of London, and simulated the effect of Li Sheng flying over London and turning back four times.

Within the direct kill radius of the warp drive, high-rise buildings collapsed like dominoes, and low-rise houses were wiped off the map.

Within the indirect kill radius of the warp drive, the high-temperature, high-pressure explosion shockwave rushed into the building windows, rippled and reflected in the corridors, instantly burning and carbonizing the London residents who were still asleep.

The blue lights, symbolizing the living, went out in large swaths.

The entire city was permanently etched with a huge, indelible "W" mark.

The Bell Tower mages behind Möbius looked extremely grim.

That's right. As members of the Clock Tower, their close relatives were all housed in the underground bunker at the Greenwich Observatory, so they were most likely safe.

But before becoming players, they were just ordinary people.

Childhood playmates, school classmates, young lovers, and online friends.

The auntie who runs a flower shop downstairs, the uncle who sells hot dogs at a roadside stall, and the strangers who greet you on your morning run.
All the familiar, habitual routines are ruthlessly destroyed in the face of the "W" mark that runs through the city.

Crimson Alert

This is, deep red.

The misty steam dampened the light from the streetlights, and water gurgled down the stone steps, flowing into the sewers.

"Ah,"

Li Sheng chuckled softly from beneath the hood of his transparent raincoat, "If you're trying to lead me on, there's no need for that."

The Greenwich Observatory has a protective perimeter.

Before he came, he had already asked Changsun Yao that the clock tower, located at the headquarters of the Greenwich Observatory, was equipped with a large-scale defensive barrier.

If the warp drive were to repeatedly and violently bombard London, the Mage Guild stationed at the clock tower could easily catch the levitation engine off cooldown and quietly expand the barrier's range.

At that time, either Li Sheng will pierce the barrier with his elbow at lightning speed,
They either die on the barrier.

The probability is 50% to 50%.

"There is a barrier."

Mobius remained calm and said, "Therefore, the second option is for you to attack other British cities that do not have observatory defense barriers."

Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham
Bypassing London, it cuts diagonally across the British Isles.

The number of players in a country depends on a variety of factors, including the country's population, level of economic development, infrastructure, social security, and the social status of superhumans.

Similar to the industrial agglomeration effect—the more players there are in a region, the more players will be attracted later.

Britain's appeal to the extraordinary is not low, but it certainly can't compare to that of America.

The major cities following London have even fewer superhumans. It's even less likely they could capitalize on the levitation engine's brief cooldown to stop Li Sheng.

"In conclusion, I must first thank you for not resorting to sabotage tactics immediately, but instead giving us the opportunity to negotiate."

Möbius said, "So, what brings you here today?"

Li Sheng did not answer, but instead looked at Nicola behind Möbius.

The latter took a deep breath and whispered, "Sarah Thompson and Jacob Thompson."

"bingo."

Li Sheng tilted his head and said, “I want you to hand over Cai Anjie’s adoptive parents, the judge who gave these two lenient sentences, and every British bureaucrat in the chain of events that made this decision.”

"."

Möbius fell into a long silence.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At that very moment, in the underground bunker of Whitehall, the Foreign Minister, watching the footage broadcast from the action camera carried by the Bell Tower Mage on the screen, subconsciously remarked, "Wait, is this ant just a player? Or a level 21 player?"

"What are we waiting for?"

The Minister of Justice put down the half-written suicide note and shouted hoarsely, "Kill him right now!"

"Calm down, sir."

The cabinet secretary glanced at him and said calmly, "In the killing field system, level is an important indicator of a player's strength, but not the only one."

For example, if an adult dragon kills a human player and plunders their potential, it will become a Lv1 Killing Grounds Chosen.

However, its starting strength is already equivalent to that of a human superhuman at level 15 or even level 20.

For human superhumans, rank is not everything.

The final score for each mission, the resources plundered from the script world, the integrity of one's own power system, the synergistic amplification effect between skills and items, and even the elusive luck of opening loot boxes...
Both can significantly impact strength and power.

Although both are Lv21, their combat strength is vastly different.

After saying that, the cabinet secretary paused, "But the good news is that, whether attacking or defending, players' spiritual power has a limit. Is our army moving?"

"It has already undergone a cold start."

The Defense Minister put down his phone.

At this very moment, the heads of all senior command structures of the British Army, including Army Headquarters, Field Army Commands, and the Allied Rapid Reaction Force Special Operations Directorate, were awakened by a series of urgent phone calls.

All the Challenger 3 main battle tanks that were still operational drove out of the barracks, while AS90 self-propelled guns and M270 MLRS multiple rocket launchers drove onto the road.
Sky Sword medium-range mobile missile air defense system is pointed over London.

British Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers and Type 26 frigates sailed out of the harbor, with Sea Viper anti-aircraft missiles and 127mm naval guns aimed at the city center.

The Astute-class submarine submerged, with Tomahawk cruise missiles poised for launch.

As for the Royal Air Force, Typhoon fighter jets are rolling out of their hangars, MQ-9 drones have taken off to provide high-altitude surveillance at 6000 meters, and E-737 early warning aircraft are coordinating air power.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

[The unusual weather across Eurasia was actually caused by players?!]

[Explosive News! Huge Hit! London Has Fallen is Now Showing!]

In the World Nuclear Peace House, Changsun Yao chewed on Hyrule rice and glanced at the forum.

Such large-scale abnormal index fluctuations could not be hidden from so many players, and new posts on the forums emerged like a tidal wave.

Everyone is asking about and discussing the latest developments in the incident.

Soon, some busybodies identified the ID "Ant" based on footage from a secret realm exploration mission five days prior, where Ant had knocked down one tall building after another.

Soon after, well-informed individuals connected the ant-like exploration with the recent friction between Britain and the Secret Service, roughly deducing the inside story of the incident.

The enthusiasm of the players for this drama instantly exploded, with new replies and comments increasing rapidly, like a ladder in space.

"Holy crap, I heard London has issued a deep red alert!"

"Good, good, it's time to give those British a good beating long ago, love comes from India."

"This ant looks like the owner of that 'Star Casting Anvil' restaurant in the slums. Is he from the Special Affairs Bureau?"

"Go back upstairs, no."

"Huh? How dare he barge into London? Isn't he only level 21?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

London streets.

After a long while, Möbius raised his head slightly and said, "By now, the outside world must be buzzing with excitement."

It's easy to guess that this place has become the focus of the world.

It's possible that Whale Song Guild has already hacked into the security cameras in the nearby neighborhood and is about to broadcast it live.
Uh... no need to say for sure.

Dozens of surveillance cameras in the streets and alleys silently adjusted their angles in front of everyone at the Bell Tower, pointing their lenses at the street scene below.

"I'm sorry, I can't agree to that."

Mobius turned his gaze away from the overhead monitor and shook his head, saying, "It's not that I care whether those British bureaucrats live or die, but rather about honor. In your Eastern parlance, for large guilds, face and substance are equally important."

Small countries may disregard sovereignty, and may even cede it, selling out their country with great gusto.

But neither could large countries, nor could the Clock Tower Guild, which was deeply intertwined with Britain.

If ants were to publicly execute British bureaucrats on the streets of London in front of the whole world, and the Clock Tower were to remain indifferent and allow them to come and go as they pleased, then they would no longer need to be on the killing field.

"Joseph Heller's Catch-22? Only insane pilots can be exempted from flying, but they must apply for it themselves. And once a pilot applies for it, it proves that he is a sane person, but he is still doomed."

Li Sheng couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, "It's impossible to negotiate with you properly and demand that you hand over Sarah and Jacob Thompson."

But if we use violence to threaten you in the face, you feel you've lost face and will strongly refuse.

"Perhaps this is fate."

Möbius sighed softly and said, "How about this, we both take a step back."

"Please leave England first. I swear on the name of the Clock Tower Guild that the British government will severely punish Sarah and Jacob Thompson afterwards, and punish every bureaucrat who contributed to this matter under other pretexts."

"Punishment? What punishment?"

Li Sheng asked in surprise, "Is it a demotion and pay cut? Or a transfer? Or perhaps being dismissed from the government and then using the political-business revolving door to become a consultant for a large corporation, earning tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds a year?"

He shook his head. "My demands will not change: hand them over, or I will do it myself."

Möbius pursed his lips slightly. "...I'm sorry."

"In that case, the British side shall bear all the casualties that follow."

Li Sheng hadn't even uttered the word "responsibility" yet.
The MQ9 Reaper drone, cruising at an altitude of 5000 meters, received the order and aimed down to launch two Barbatos air-to-ground missiles.

This missile is the flagship product of Prometheus Laboratory. In addition to 247 kg of conventional high explosives, the warhead also contains specially made suppressive crystal dust.

Upon hitting a target, it forms a column of purple smoke, which greatly reduces the spiritual energy recovery efficiency of those who inhale the smoke. It is specifically designed to capture extraordinary individuals and creatures.

call out--

A dazzling burst of light fell from the sky, like a shooting star.

Li Sheng stood still, not even turning his head.

boom!
Two Barbatos air-to-ground missiles exploded in mid-air, the dazzling fireballs illuminating the Thames River as if it were daytime.

The loud noise finally woke up the sleeping Londoners, who groggily got out of bed and looked out the window, only to see a purple, fluorescent column of smoke inexplicably appearing in the sky above London.

Large groups of machines floated in columns of smoke.

The mere two 247kg high explosives couldn't even scratch its chitinous outer shell. As for the crystal dust in the smoke, it was completely immune as the large group closed their breathing vents and activated the internal air circulation mode.

"Mom, what is that?"

The same question arose in the minds of Londoners and Whitehall elites.

The next second, the mechanical horde looked up at the sky, the floating engines on its chests were freed from gravity, and flames erupted from the chimney-shaped vector nozzles on its backs, propelling it to a top speed of Mach 2.8 and soaring straight into the sky.

Five seconds later, the swarm of machines burst out of the clouds like ghosts, precisely intercepting the Reaper drone directly in front of it. The giant scythe hung motionless, tearing the 11-meter-long fuselage from head to tail as easily as cutting tofu.

"Tracking of target 02 has been lost. Repeat, tracking of target 02 has been lost."

105 kilometers northwest of London, an E-737 Wedgetail AWACS aircraft took off from RAF Blaise Norton.

The operator stared at the disappearing dot on the radar screen, his voice betraying his panic.

The mechanical parts on the large group can be detected and scanned by the multi-band, multi-functional electronically scanned phased array (MESA) radar.

But as the large group of bodies moved, their chitinous shells extended, enveloping them like eggshells.

This organic polymer material, comparable to radar stealth coating, perfectly shields radar signals, making it disappear from the sight of early warning aircraft.

Click.

High in the clouds, a large group of second-paired segments deftly and gently picked up the remaining two air-to-ground missiles captured from the Reaper drone and mounted them on their shoulders.

Li Sheng used the universal interface that was pre-reserved in the assembled doll to firmly clamp the missile.

The foolproof hacking program from Whale Song, driven by the will of the mechanical swarm, hacked into the missile, tampered with and seized control, and launched it toward the E-737 Wedgetail early warning aircraft.

Two missiles slid into the clouds, and the rest of the missiles then turned downwards and swooped down toward the ground.

Six pairs of segmented limbs, like balancing wings, carried a large flock of animals back precisely to the north bank of the Thames, to the Ravenscott Park substation.

Its semi-mechanical long tail is inserted into the substation to draw electrical energy.

From the spine, rod-shaped columns rise up.

Shila-

The electromagnetic pulse spreads outwards in all directions from the center of the large mechanical group.

Wherever it went, substation relays burned out on their own, smart grid controllers exploded, streetlights in nearby neighborhoods went out, and mobile phones and computers in residents' homes went black.

Cars still on the road lose control due to a burnt-out ECU (Electronic Control Unit), either crashing into buildings or causing a chain collision.

Meanwhile, the AH-64E Apache and Merlin reconnaissance helicopters that were hovering in mid-air fell like kites with broken strings.

At this point, the Royal Air Force air power above London had been swept away. Not content with that, the massive machine group extended its long tail and flew into the air again, facing east and arching its back.

The arched back wasn't for bowing, but to expose the bio-electromagnetic cannon on its back.

The large electromagnetic guns captured from the biological laboratory were now mounted on the backs of the fleet, their long, narrow barrels aimed at the fleet located 60 kilometers east of London at the mouth of the Thames.

Boom boom boom!
The electromagnetic guns fired in succession, and the metal projectiles with an initial velocity of Mach 7.3 hit the British Royal Navy fleet one by one, as if they were being called out by name.

The steel ship, named HMS Dauntless (D33), swayed back and forth on the sea as if struck by an invisible giant hammer.

The sailors in the cabin were first knocked down by the violent impact. They staggered to their feet and realized that they were still alive, but their foreheads had hit the metal pipes, leaving long, narrow cuts that bled profusely.

"I'm still alive, thank God, there was no secondary explosion of ammunition."

The young sailor gasped for breath, making the sign of the cross on his chest with his right hand and pressing his left hand against his forehead to stop the bleeding.

Then he noticed a yellowish-green gas slowly seeping down from above the deck.

poison gas!!
Even though he wasn't a soldier, his long exposure to movies and video games made him realize how dangerous the gas could be. He quickly covered his mouth and nose, bent down, and tried to find the gas mask hanging on the main passageway of the ship.

Perhaps Lady Luck was on his side today, because in less than a few seconds, he found a full-coverage mask in the corridor and hurriedly put it on his face.

Just as he picked up his second and third masks, trying to help his fellow crew members who had been knocked unconscious by the ship's violent rocking, a bizarre scene unfolded.

One by one, the crew members who had inhaled the yellowish-green gas got up from the ground.

Their eyes were glazed over, with veins bulging around their eye sockets, their mouths were unconsciously wide open, revealing drooling teeth, and their limbs were moving mechanically.

The terrified young sailor instinctively took a half step back, his elbow accidentally striking the metal pipe with a loud "thud."

All the stunned crew members turned around at once and rushed towards him. Before he could hide in the hatch and close the gate, they grabbed his hands and feet, pulled off his gas mask, and forced him to inhale the yellowish-green gas that was still seeping downwards.

Layer upon layer, the infectious effects of the yellow-green gas seeped down into the ship's compartments, spreading silently.

Every Royal Navy ship hit by an electromagnetic cannon projectile fell into a deathly silence.

All that could be heard on the communication channel was the chilling sound of rapid footsteps and piercing screams.

This is not a zombie virus, but a hallucinogenic substance that a large group collected from a type of magic mushroom while exploring a killing field. It can make humans extremely aggressive while retaining their conscious mind.

For mid- to high-level superhumans, this hallucinogenic substance is nothing. Some contraband sold in the slums' black market is far more potent.

But for sailors, who are made up of ordinary people...
HMS Indomitable (D33), HMS Diamond (D34), and HMS Duncan (D37) simultaneously rotated their 55-caliber guns, aiming at friendly ships on the sea.

Then, fire.

Boom boom boom! ! !
At the mouth of the Thames, ships that once symbolized the glory of the British Empire fought each other and slowly sank into the sea.

"Mortals, the cleanup is complete."

A deep, mechanical sound emanated from a multitude of loudspeakers broadcasting over the Ravenscott Park substation.

It turned around, carrying its hovering engine, and once again drifted back into the dark clouds.

The heavy rain continues.

At the intersection where Fabric nightclub is located, Li Sheng and Mobius and others are silently facing each other across the street.

For some reason, while large areas on the north bank of the Thames were without power, Fabric nightclub remained brightly lit, and even the surveillance cameras in the streets and alleys were still working.

"."

"."

"WTF? What am I seeing?!"

After a brief period of collective silence, a massive number of posts exploded onto the player forums.

"This is insane! It wiped out the naval and air forces that came to reinforce us in just a few minutes. This is Lv21?"

"If I can avenge my wrongs in the future, I will stain the Thames Estuary with blood."

"It wasn't the ant that did it, it was the monster above his head. The Evil Science Alliance and the Star Forging Anvil are all-weather strategic partners, and that monster should be the Evil Science Alliance's new demonic engine. It's not surprising that it has this kind of destructive power. After all, only the extraordinary can deal with the extraordinary."

"The person upstairs is right. Only the extraordinary can deal with the extraordinary. Conventional military forces are too clumsy to deal with players who have all sorts of strange and wonderful methods. If they are caught off guard, a single intermediate charm spell or a Geass from Lelouch can mind control high-ranking government officials and the captain of a strategic nuclear submarine. In the end, it still comes down to the contest between the players."

Boom!

Lightning illuminated the puddles on the ground. Möbius sighed, gripped the ends of his cane with both hands, and with a slight effort, pulled out the rapier hidden within.

If there was still room for negotiation and a peaceful resolution before this,
Given the current situation where massive machine attacks are severely crippling British naval and air forces, the only option left is to go to war.

The slender sword plunged into the ground, and a malevolent, filthy red magic circle rose from the earth.

Sixth Ring Spell, summoning demons.

A six-armed serpent demon emerged from the magic circle, its alluring body swaying, each arm wielding a dark green abyss-forged blade.

As the six-armed serpent demon appeared, the clock tower mage behind Mobius also disappeared through the portal and reappeared in nearby or distant blocks, not giving Li Sheng a chance to wipe them out with a lightning-fast elbow strike.

(End of this chapter)