The Monster is Coming

Chapter 321 Black Tide Fluctuations, Reality Anomalies.

The Primordial Altar.

In Qi Sheng's hand floated a blue brand that was radiating brilliant light.

This is precisely the latest territorial rule for containment: quantification.

Its effect and guidance capabilities are somewhat similar; it can visualize all concepts.

For example, the target's health bar and mana bar (spirit power) can be accurately displayed.

It can be seen as a weakened version of the guidance ability.

However, the current guidance is severely damaged, and many in-depth analyses require sacrificial power to proceed, such as the retrospection of past images.

The underlying logic of quantification rules is visualization and analysis, so this aspect is not an issue.

The introduction of the new rules will completely resolve a problem that has long been a source of dissatisfaction among forum players.

Why can't the monster's health bar be displayed correctly, making it impossible for you to judge how much strength the monster has left in each battle?

The status bar will only be visible when the monster is in a near-death state.

The latest containment quantification rules can solve this problem.

It can even allow players to accurately calculate the kill threshold of their hunting targets and unleash a burst of concentrated fire.

In addition to health and mana bars, quantification can also provide players with accurate distance calculations, making each attack more precise.

Other data, such as aggro (target's aggression) display, duration of enemy special statuses, and casting speed, can all be obtained through quantification.

This rule offers limited improvement for ordinary players.

But for those commander-type players who strive for perfection and want to push their limits, it's enough to elevate their abilities to a new level.

Forum posts about the interpretation of quantified life essence are constantly emerging.

But Qi Sheng didn't pay much attention to it.

He focused on the development and use of quantitative rules, with his primary goal being to create a complete system for displaying monster health and mana bars.

After being integrated with the Challenger System, this system can indirectly improve the player's hunting efficiency.

Secondly, a previously unpopular Soul Spirit might become a popular Soul Spirit after its quantitative release.

That is the "siphoning" soul that can absorb the target's spiritual power.

This type of soul is very rare because it is impossible to know the opponent's mental energy reserves.

The specific effects are completely unknown. Perhaps the target has a large reserve of mental energy, and the prolonged siphoning did not have any effect on the target.

Therefore, players basically use the Siphon Soul as a way to recharge and extend their energy, absorbing the spiritual energy of their own teammates to speed up their own spiritual energy recovery.

Just as Qi Sheng was conceiving the design scheme for the use of the "quantification system", a guiding feedback prompt appeared in his mind.

The next second, his gaze traversed space and returned to Earth.

……

The Moon, the City of Lunar Eclipse.

Security Center.

Inside the circular hall, a 360-degree holographic star map slowly rotated in a cold, bluish light.

Twenty-eight staff members sat at their workstations, and data flowed down like a waterfall wherever their fingertips touched.

Just then, an alarm sounded in the key monitoring area of ​​the Arctic, breaking the peace.

Then, a pulsating red dot appeared on the Earth's star map.

Sensing something was wrong, the on-duty technician quickly went to the main control panel.

As I traced an arc with my fingertip across the star map, the holographic star map suddenly responded.

The scene begins with a rapid descent from lunar orbit, while the blue Earth rapidly magnifies in the field of view.

The atmosphere receded to both sides like a veil being lifted, and the white snow of the Arctic Circle shone with a cold blue light under the monitoring filter. When the lens pierced through the clouds, the black crack that stretched across the ice field became visible.

During the process, the monitoring system automatically flagged abnormal data.

Crack length: 3.723 months, width: 2.323 months.

Energy fluctuation range: The maximum range is 28.23%.

The energy intensity is: 563 monthly particles.

Energy Vortex: Seven new counter-clockwise rotating Kuroshio material vortexes have been added.

Spatial wrinkle: observable.

When the image finally focused on the Kuroshio Crevice at close range, all the staff on duty gasped simultaneously.

Energy mist drifted randomly from the edge of the rift, taking the form of illusory black tide tentacles.

Even the energy fluctuations were no longer the usual regular pulsations; black energy arcs constantly burst forth from the edges of the cracks.

"Switch to the energy spectrum perspective."

The scene suddenly changed; the originally dark crack revealed its terrifying nature under a special filter.

Countless tiny black particles are emerging from the depths of the crack, each one possessing the ability to devour light.

In the center of the fissure, a vortex-like structure resembling a pupil is forming.

"What is the energy reading comparison?"

"It has already surpassed the previous highest point, which is more than 100 times the first time it appeared."

Although this value was not enough to trigger a Black Tide invasion, nor was it sufficient to create a large-scale spatial rift, the technical officer still sent the information to the governor on duty that day without hesitation.

As for StarNet, no reports are required.

It monitors everything on the Moon and Earth in real time; nothing can escape StarNet's notice.

StarNet is probably already aware of this.

……

Earth, Arctic Station.

At five o'clock in the morning, the soft light in the sleep pod gradually brightened.

Yu Chuan woke up from his sleep, threw off the temperature-controlled blanket, and stepped barefoot onto the heated floor.

Standing in front of the mirror, I reached out and wiped away the thin layer of frost that had formed on the surface.

The mirror reflected a face with sharp features and clean, crisp contours, the gray stubble highlighting the clearly defined jawline.

The faint scar on his brow bone added a touch of ruggedness.

He squinted, a habit he'd developed from long exposure to the intense polar light. Then he picked up an old-fashioned razor, the sound of the blade scraping against his skin particularly clear in the silent cabin.

The foam slid down the jawline.

After shaving, he looked at the kitchen counter and called out:

"Little A, heat it up."

The projector above flickered, converging on the workbench to form a small, intelligent brain, A, about the size of a baby's fist.

He jumped onto the countertop, leaped up at the light switch, and slammed it down.

Suddenly, the kitchen counter lit up with a warm light, and then the chef robot was activated and began to work in front of the counter.

Yu Chuan then went to the coffee machine and pressed the switch.

The metal capsule made a squeezing sound under pressure, and the dark brown liquid slowly poured into the porcelain cup, evaporating into white mist.

He habitually tested the temperature of the cup wall with his thumb.

As I turned around with my coffee, the chef robot was placing the last breakfast dish on a plate.

As Yu Chuan sat down, a halo of light automatically illuminated the desktop.

We just finished resupplying yesterday, so today's breakfast is especially plentiful.

A bowl of steaming oatmeal porridge sits on a thermal tray, with a thin layer of milk skin floating on top, and pickled cucumbers in a small dish next to it.

And his favorite fried egg was slightly charred, with the yolk semi-solidified. When you pierced it with chopsticks, the golden egg liquid seeped into the crispy whole wheat bread.

Finally, there was a small dish of smoked salmon, its savory aroma mingling with the fragrance of black pepper.

After taking just two bites, Yu Chuan's expression froze.

"This tastes awful! Little B, has your cooking gotten worse? Is this even fit for human consumption?"

At this moment, AI A came to the dining table, sniffed the food on the plate, and then helplessly shrugged:

"There's nothing wrong with the food. It's not Little B's fault. It's most likely that you recently gained access to the Monster World and enjoyed spiritual food, which has changed your perception of food."

Upon hearing these words, Yu Chuan couldn't help but sigh in despair.

Little A is right.

He was among the first batch of players to qualify when the Eternal Ice Lake node opened.

For gamers, nothing is more enjoyable than hunting and eating delicious food.

After leaving the Eternal Silence Ice Lake region, the first thing he did was buy himself a spiritual food to try, and he was amazed by its wonders.

In the future, as he struggles in Ah Le's training camp, he uses a portion of his sacrificial power earnings each day to buy spiritual food.

As a result, the symptoms described by forum players began to appear: a single bite of spiritual food would seduce the soul, while real-world delicacies would seem like dust.

"Today's recommended vitamin intake is increased by 12%."

The chef robot's robotic arm arrives again, placing a glass of freshly squeezed mixed juice on the table. The deep green of the kale and the bright red of the cranberries create a gradient effect in the glass.

Yu Chuan picked up the glass, took a sip, and his expression immediately fell:
"taste not good."

"Drink it all in one gulp, that's something to be proud of," Little A encouraged.

Yu Chuan couldn't help but roll his eyes, but still decisively drank the mixed fruit juice in one gulp.

Having finally become a qualified player in the monster world, he wants to live longer, so he needs to take good care of his physical body in the real world.

After quickly finishing breakfast, as the last sip of coffee slid down my throat, the cabin pressure gauge jumped into the green zone.

He put on his thermal suit, and after closing the mask, he heard a prompt from Little A in his ear:
"The outdoor temperature is -82 degrees Celsius, you must come back alive! I'll be waiting for you here, I promise!" Little A, the drama queen, shouted hoarsely.

Ignoring Xiao A, Yu Chuan walked through the quarantine area and lifted the triple-insulated curtain.

Outside, a blizzard was tearing at the alloy exterior walls of the Arctic station.

He wrapped himself tightly in the heated suit, and the white mist he exhaled formed ice flowers on his mask.

This hemispherical station, built on a glacier, is the only man-made light source within a radius of 500 kilometers.

Yu Chuan's daily routine involves maintaining the row of testing spheres erected along the perimeter of the station.

This is one of the monitoring stations deployed on Earth by the Lunar Eclipse Clan, and also an important node for the Earth Alliance to monitor spatial fluctuations. It is staffed by humans and the Lunar Eclipse Clan on a rotating basis, with the monitoring personnel changing every six months.

If the monitoring sphere detects abnormal spatial fluctuations, it indicates that a spatial rift is very likely to exist nearby.

This will put the entire Earth Alliance on edge.

Because it is impossible to determine whether the descending force is friend or foe.

An unusual space invasion occurred some time ago; it is said that the Earth Alliance and the Advent forces fought a battle over the Atlantic Ocean.

Fortunately, the alien race was repelled, and the conflict did not escalate into a full-blown war.

If a war were to break out, even if we were to win, the ecosystem that has been painstakingly restored over the years would be severely damaged once again.

Energy pollution, climate disorder, and species mutation that are not native to Earth... Every war that breaks out incurs a heavy blow to the environment.

"Old buddy, get up."

Reaching the corner, he crouched down and tapped on the metal shell of Robot No. 7.

The snow on top of the robot slid off in a soft rustling sound, revealing the dark silver emblem of the Lunar Eclipse Clan beneath.

“Initiate the self-test program,” he said, looking at his wristwatch.

Robot No. 7 emitted a low hum, and the ice crystals on its outer shell shattered with the vibration.

The spherical main body slowly unfolds, revealing a sophisticated array of sensors inside. Pale blue light patterns flow along the metal surface, eventually converging at the core to form a small holographic projection.

[System self-check in progress...]

Energy reserves: 97%

Sensor calibration: Normal

[Spatial fluctuation record: No anomalies]

Yu Chuan exhaled a breath of white air, and several more ice marks appeared on his mask.

Reach out and tap on the detailed data; a series of fluctuating numbers and waveforms immediately unfold before your eyes.

The spatial readings over the past 24 hours have remained perfectly stable, without even the slightest ripple.

“It’s another peaceful and happy day. That’s good,” he murmured to himself.

Robot No. 7 completed its self-check, closed its outer shell again, leaving only the indicator light on top flashing green regularly.

Yu Chuan patted its cold metal surface and continued his patrol around the perimeter of the station.

The next few test balls all functioned normally.

In the wind and snow, these silent metal spheres are arranged along the arc-shaped outline of the station, one every 50 meters.

They record every minute spatial tremor on this ice field, day after day, year after year.

As Yu Chuan approached the last testing ball, he habitually looked up at the sky.

Apart from the ethereal aurora borealis, only the wind and snow swirled endlessly.

He crouched down and repeated the inspection process he had done countless times: checking readings, clearing snow, and testing signal strength.

[Test ball #12 condition: Good]

"Keep it up."

As he spoke, he stood up, brushed the snow off his knees, and trudged back to the station through the snow.

Looking up at the station's silver-gray dome along the way, dozens of small maintenance robots were shuttling like worker ants among the crisscrossing alloy skeletons.

In fact, the daily operation of the entire Arctic station can be completely handled by robots.

The Lunar Eclipse Clan's automation technology is sufficient to allow this research station to operate unmanned for decades.

The detection sphere is maintained by a repair robot, and the supply drones can deliver it precisely. The collected spatial fluctuation information can also be sent to the Earth Alliance Center in one second.

The core reason why humans and the Lunar Eclipse race must take turns guarding the Arctic station lies in Article 17 of the Descent Monitoring Agreement.

All space monitoring nodes must retain a smart life operator as the biometric key for the encryption protocol.

Each time he logs into the main control system, the scanner flashes a special blue light to collect his biometric information and unlock the system.

The security system designed by the Lunar Eclipse Clan transforms many irreplaceable aspects of life itself into a final firewall.

The devastation brought about by the mechanical warfare of that year is still vivid in my mind.

In many areas where security is purely mechanical, a lot of information is being tampered with or even directly manipulated.

No one knows what kind of technology the descending forces possess.

To ensure everything goes smoothly, each login process involves first verifying identity information, then transmitting it to the Earth Alliance Center, and finally unlocking the account.

What may seem like a meaningless presence is actually the most crucial link in Arctic security monitoring.

Back at the station, the triple airtight doors closed one after another behind us, shutting out the extreme cold of the polar region.

Yu Chuan shook off the ice crystals from his thermal suit, and the cabin's circulation system immediately activated, drawing away the chill that enveloped him.

"Biological key verification successful. Welcome back from your hunt," AI AI A on the control panel waved vigorously at him.

On the other side, a holographic screen on the wall displayed today's monitoring summary in front of him.

The data flow is smooth, almost no different from any other day.

Little A then leaped and bounded over:
"I have 16 hours of game time left today. Do you want to log in now?"

The game quota is the amount of time he can spend playing games each day.

At other times, they are responsible for checking various instruments and even communicating with the Earth Alliance Security Center.

Therefore, you cannot play the game 24 hours a day.

But he is already 30 years old this year, and in about two more years he will be able to retire under the special occupation agreement and settle in the data city.

At that time, he will embark on a long journey of retirement.

Then you'll be able to play Monster World to your heart's content, even if you don't log off for 24 hours straight.

They also receive various benefits every year, and can even have priority access to medical care quotas provided by the Lunar Eclipse Clan to the Human Federation.

"Playing, what I look forward to most now is going online to play games."

"And what about me? You used to love chatting with me the most." A heartbroken expression appeared on the face of AI A.

"You've been banished to the cold palace by me. Just accept it."

As he spoke, Yu Chuan took off his outer protective suit, revealing the body temperature regulating suit underneath.

He then walked to the silver pod in the corner of the living area. The gaming pod was in standby mode, with a faint blue breathing light emanating from its edges.

Next to the gaming pod hangs an old-fashioned digital clock, displaying Earth Standard Time.

Yu Chuan glanced at the date and went to the wardrobe to change into his game clothes.

"Remember to drink the conditioning liquid." Little A controlled the service robot, pushing over a glass of clear liquid for conditioning the body.

This is one of the amenities provided by the Lunar Eclipse Clan to the Arctic station, where those on duty can drink water for free every day.

Yu Chuan took the cup and drank it all in one gulp. The liquid, with a rusty taste, slid down his throat and then into the game pod.

As the hatch presses down, the nerve tube automatically connects to the body, and a cool sensation creeps up the spine.

……

Upon entering the game, Yu Chuan's figure appeared at the resurrection teleportation point in the Phantom Wasteland space.

What appears before you is a dense crowd of players.

In terms of the liveliness of the spatial nodes, the newly opened Phantom Wasteland is second only to Emperor's Tomb Village.

A large number of newbies band together for mutual support here, and the first thing they do when they step out is engage in head-on battles with the Elysium Legion, making it a high-energy experience from start to finish.

But instead of taking any action, he found an open space and sat down. He opened the forum and started looking through strategy guides.

His time at the Ah Le training camp is running out; he's about to graduate under mandatory graduation.

If you want to come back and visit, you'll have to endure a fatal blow from the "gatekeeper."

So he has to consider what to do next.

The forum has many beginner guides for graduating from the game, which provide detailed explanations of all the currently popular gameplay styles.

First is the Adventurer's World, which is the dungeon gameplay.

This gameplay offers stable returns, with occasional surprises, and if you manage to obtain rule fragments, you can become rich overnight.

It's the hottest way to play recently.

The downside is that it requires a team. Casual groups are not as fast at clearing dungeons or as coordinated as fixed teams.

Newcomers who choose this growth model need to integrate into a stable team as soon as possible.

This is also a way for many newbies to find a team; by playing dungeons for a long time, they can quickly find a suitable team.

The downside is that if you choose to become a dungeon-crawler after graduation, you'll find it a bit challenging even with the lowest difficulty level in the early stages.

The second option is to explore and hunt freely.

This is a high-risk, high-reward growth path.

Many players have discovered opportunities to get rich quickly through this mode and risen rapidly in the game.

However, it is difficult to generate stable income from scattered monsters in the wild, and the minimum income is very low, unless you join a fixed guild and find external nodes for war containment.

This gameplay also requires joining a fixed group, unless you are a pure adventure type player like an explorer.

The third option is the recently popular Gold Coin Merchant Deliveryman.

This is also a growth channel that can generate stable returns.

The Gold Coin Merchants Association also created a delivery driver ranking system. Delivery drivers who have been taking orders for a long time can take on delivery orders that bring high profits after their ranking is upgraded.

Each order generates a percentage-based profit, and your earnings can gradually increase as the Gold Coin Merchant Guild grows.

However, Yu Chuan would certainly not choose this path.

The downside is that it's too boring.

Only fishing enthusiasts are the most loyal deliverymen for the gold coin merchant guild; other players simply can't stand spending their days floating on the sea.

Many players who graduate from the Frozen Snowfield spend some time in the early stages, and then move on to other gameplay modes once they have accumulated enough sacrificial power.

The fourth option is the Teizuka Village mining area.

This gameplay offers relatively stable rewards, but its downside is that it's boring and offers too few surprises.

Even though mining output is increasing day by day, few players choose to become miners; most are temporary workers.

They're the kind of people who accumulate enough sacrificial power and then run away.

He couldn't even understand why this gameplay could have loyal players, who were even referred to as "miner party players" by forum users.

It just goes to show that the world is a vast and wondrous place, and all sorts of strange and unusual quirks can be found in games.

The fifth option is the Imperial Tomb Mountain Range.

This is undoubtedly the most intense battlefield at present, and also the hall of fame for the strong in the hearts of players.

However, at times, this is also a suitable environment for newbies to develop.

For example, in the current waning moon stage, the evil moon will continuously spawn various evil monsters such as cursed soldiers, which is suitable for beginners to grow and develop.

However, it has many drawbacks, is easily affected by the occasional melee, and has low returns.

The sixth option is the Forest Realm region...

After looking at various gameplay options, he felt that the one that suited him best was the Sun Chasing Land in the Earth Rumbling Continent.

This scenario was initiated during the previous round of recruitment. The level of exploration and development is moderate, and multiple resource-based domain nodes have been found.

You can choose to explore the misty areas of this region and buy a treasure-hunting rat to engage in a half-hunting, half-exploration mode.

If you can find the right opportunity, you can become rich overnight.

Secondly, there are many promising guilds operating in this area. You can try joining these guilds, as they will most likely go to the Emperor's Tomb Mountain battlefield in the future.

That was the battlefield he had been longing for.

Fight alongside the bully alliance formed by the local tyrants and experience the most exhilarating peak clashes.

Having clarified his thoughts, Yu Chuan summoned his spatial bag and glanced at his remaining balance.

I have already accumulated more than 30,000 sacrificial power.

He doesn't plan to spend this portion of his sacrificial energy for now; he'll consider how to spend it after graduation.

This was also suggested by players who provided strategy guides on the forum.

The graduation criteria for Ale's training camp do not consider the player's Soul level.

The gatekeeper can only judge a player's physical attributes, mental strength, and other attributes through perception.

Players will be forcibly removed from the game once their combat power reaches the required level.

Therefore, suppressing one's combat strength allows one to stay in Ah Le's training camp longer.

The acquisition of evolution points cannot be suppressed; each successful hunt will passively increase the strength of the Life Soul.

However, players can decide for themselves whether or not to spend sacrificial power to increase their combat strength.

Therefore, suppressing combat power has become a common strategy among players in Ale's training camp, which can delay the graduation time.

After graduation, I will use all the accumulated sacrificial power to bring about an explosive increase in combat strength.

He brought up the shop panel, purchased three bottles of basic recovery potions, and then used the panel to teleport out of the spatial scene.

Upon entering the Phantom Wasteland, a vast beginner battlefield unfolds before your eyes.

Countless players are engaged in a fierce battle with the Elysium Legion's troops amidst the ruins.

"A level 32 warrior specializing in Qi and Life Soul is looking for a DPS team. I can also be an off-tank. My Hair Pull skill is maxed out. Quick pull."

I shouted in the regional channel, and the next second, multiple invitations to team up rang in my mind.

This is the value of melee combat on the battlefield.

Although warriors are not as sought-after as tanks, they are still a popular class that many teams want to recruit.

At roughly the same level, solo magic-based players face the greatest difficulty in forming teams, since this is the most popular playstyle among players.

Yu Chuan glanced at the professional information and team configuration sent by the team leader, and found a team of 32 people to join the group.

"Brother, come to the coordinates immediately. The enemy's firepower is fierce. Requesting support."

"Brother Gangzhan, hurry up, my hair has been pulled out, I need your help."

……

Hearing the mixed shouts from the team's voice channel, Yu Chuan decisively took action, releasing his inner energy to envelop his entire body and quickly advancing towards the blue cursor on the map.

The route was a veritable scene of massive brawls.

Curses, brawls, rolling on the ground, roars... Among the areas explored by players, such exciting fighting scenes are unique to Ah Le's Training Camp.

There are no tactics here, only the purest form of combat.

Yu Chuan quickly threw himself into the battlefield, launching a fierce charge with his newly acquainted teammates.

At this moment, Yu Chuan even felt that he had the flair of a competitive gamer, and his skills were truly impressive.

In this battlefield of noobs, it already possesses the combat power to "overwhelm all others".

In the words of his teammate: "No wonder you're a senior about to graduate, you're really good at pretending."

Time passed amidst the fighting, and by drinking recovery potions, Yu Chuan managed to hold on for three hours without collapsing.

However, they were ultimately defeated by a fierce offensive launched by the Elysian Legion and were eventually overwhelmed by the Elysian troops.

Back in the small dark room, Yu Chuan brought up the forum interface, preparing to find a competitive player's live stream to learn some techniques.

After searching for a while, he found a live stream that was explaining the replay of the previous round of the Ancient God Arena and started listening to the lecture.

During the broadcast, viewers would occasionally join in with a sarcastic remark, criticizing the streamer's pretentious behavior.

Just as the resurrection cooldown was halfway through.

Yu Chuan suddenly heard a challenger's prompt in his mind:
[Challenger's Warning: Alarm! Monitoring station has detected abnormal signal!]

The sudden notification made Yu Chuan's nerves tense instantly.

If the game pod is connected to the site's network and issues a notification at this time, it most likely indicates a problem with the external network.

The next second, the game's forced exit mechanism was activated.

Yu Chuan's consciousness was suddenly pulled from the game world back to reality.

The dizziness caused by the broken neural connections made his vision go black and his ears ring.

The emergency lights in the game pod turned on at this moment, and the glaring red light indicating an emergency flashed wildly in the station space.

He pushed open the game pod door, and cold air rushed into his lungs, carrying a strange smell.

It smelled like rotting metal, or like burnt meat.

"Xiao A, report the situation."

He called out in a hoarse voice, but there was no response.

I quickly got up and left the gaming pod, only to find that the main console screen had turned into distorted, static-like noise, with only the backup terminal in the corner still displaying a line of text:
[External intrusion confirmed. Protocol 17 is in effect. Biometric key is locked and needs to be reactivated.]

Yu Chuan's temples throbbed.

He stumbled toward the observation window and ripped open the radiation shielding curtain.

To my surprise, the blizzard outside had stopped.

Pick up the night vision binoculars by the window and zoom in on the distant scene.

The snowflakes outside were suspended in mid-air, as if frozen by some invisible force.

Further away, on the ice field that should have been pitch black, a viscous, asphalt-like black substance was surging and spreading toward the station.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Where the black substance passed, the monitoring balls went out one after another.

As if swallowed by darkness, the metal shell collapsed like rotting fruit, melting into that darkness.

Yu Chuan staggered backward, knocking over the tool rack behind him.

Metal parts crashed to the ground with a clatter, creating a jarring echo in the deathly silent cabin.

"A, activate the emergency protocol and seal off all entrances and exits!"

This time, A still did not respond.

He turned to look at the control panel, his pupils suddenly contracting as he noticed that Little A's projection was flickering, as if the connection had been lost.

Yu Chuan's breathing almost stopped.

He strode to the control panel and tried to activate the biometric key.

The site permissions can only be used after reactivation, and he must pass on this information.

However, after scanning, the result was: Biometric key verification failed.

boom!
He slammed his fist on the control panel.

The Lunar Eclipse Clan's technology has never made a mistake, yet it malfunctioned at this crucial stage.

The activation of the biometric key is completely immune to external interference. This is the most advanced technology of the Lunar Eclipse Clan, which can ensure that the station can maintain signal transmission even under the interference of external forces.

But now it's stopped working.

At that moment, a strange sound came from the direction of the triple airtight door.

It sounded like fingernails scratching an alloy door panel, with a slightly harsh tone.

He stared intently at the crack in the door and saw a wisp of black mist seeping in, crawling and meandering across the floor as if it were alive.

Then the metal in the direction of the airtight door melted away rapidly and disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only pure darkness surging in front of it.

It's like a passage leading to an endless abyss, unfolding and expanding before our eyes.

Before this dark power, even the cold was swallowed up; even though the station's gate had been destroyed, the chill from the outside could not penetrate it.

Yu Chuan's breath stagnates in his chest.

The moment the black mist touched the ground, the titanium alloy floor seemed to be devoured by an invisible giant mouth and quickly disappeared.

Darkness spread like a tide, and wherever it passed, metal, plastic, glass... all matter was decomposed the instant it touched.

Everything, including walls, pipes, and instruments, was silently annihilated in the black tide.

Yu Chuan decisively went to the weapons compartment, intending to retrieve weapons from it to fight back.

However, they discovered that the weapon bay doors could not be opened because the biometric key had not been unlocked.

Yu Chuan pounded the hatch twice, feeling utterly hopeless.

Just then, the surging black mist began to shrink and collapse, eventually outlining a blurry, ferocious shape within it.

Before he could even fully solidify his form, Yu Chuan, who was staring at him, began to experience a burning sensation on his retina.

Then his whole body trembled uncontrollably, and blood and tears kept seeping from his eyes.

Soon, his vision was stained with blood.

But he gritted his teeth and, with trembling fingers, fiercely stabbed the back of his neck, his nails digging deep into his skin, blood sliding down his cheek.

This is not self-harm.

The Lunar Eclipse biochip, implanted in the back of the neck, was finally activated by the intense pain and the stimulation of blood.

His pupils suddenly contracted, and fine silver lines appeared on the whites of his eyes, like some kind of ancient runes flowing through his blood vessels.

"Information...transmission..."

With each word he uttered, it felt as if his throat was being scraped by a blade.

The evil form solidified more and more within the black mist, but Yu Chuan could no longer see it.

This creature, which resembles a malevolent entity from the Black Tide system in a monster-themed game, is simply beyond his power to contend with.

Even before any contact was made, his body was already struggling to cope.

Blood also seeped from his nasal cavity, and his eardrums felt like they were being torn apart.

But no matter the cost, he must send the intelligence back to the Earth Alliance; this is the ultimate mission of the monitoring station's "Guardian of Security."

Even if it means death, we must sound the alarm against the invasion of Earth by alien races.

Just then, the surging black mist approached, and the right arm that first came into contact with the black mist vanished instantly.

The viscous, dark substance climbed up the collarbone like a living thing.

Yu Chuan could clearly feel that the right half of his body was like a sugar cube thrown into hot coffee, rapidly dissolving. The excruciating pain from his spinal nerves made countless stars explode before his eyes.
"Damn it, this is really unlucky... retirement is hopeless."

In the final moments of his life, an idea popped into Yu Chuan's mind.

If all goes well, he will only have two years left before his wonderful retirement, when he will finally usher in the happiest time of his life.

But an unexpected event still occurred.

Fortunately, my parents will be taken care of by the Human Federation...

"Am I really going to die? I'm still so young..."

Just before Yu Chuan's consciousness was about to sink into eternal darkness, he suddenly heard a roar like magma surging through his veins.

A familiar voice rang in his mind, instantly rousing him from his slumber.

[Challenger's Warning: Player's vital signs have been detected as below the safety threshold, indicating erosion by non-terrestrial natural forces. Player's body transformation mode has been forcibly activated.]

Ok?
Upon hearing the notification that the challenger from the monster world had appeared in the real world, Yu Chuan was completely dumbfounded.

Opening his eyes, he found his vision had become exceptionally clear, as if the black substance that had devoured nearly half of his body had been paused.

Bound by some invisible force.

[Challenger's Note: Conversion complete. Player's Body Power Synchronization Rate: 4.7%. Sacrifice Points Deducted: 32931. Balance: 0 (This conversion is temporarily open. The sacrifice point cost will gradually increase as the strength of the player's body improves.)]

The words "Conversion complete" exploded in Yu Chuan's mind.

He felt a scorching torrent shatter the dying nerve barrier, and from the severed end of his right arm, crimson-gold energy erupted like a volcanic eruption, each wisp of air carrying the crackling sound of metal being forged.

The withered blood vessels suddenly boiled.

Then, the surging blood and qi energy from the heart intertwined like sparks at the severed arm, reshaping the bones and regenerating the nerves in the flames.

He inhaled instinctively, and a white stream of air immediately gathered in his mouth, accelerating his body's recovery.

The black mist that was devouring the body suddenly let out a sharp screech and retreated frantically like a living creature being branded with a hot iron.

Yu Chuan looked down at his newly grown palms. What flowed beneath his skin was no longer blood, but liquid qi surging forth.

At this moment, each heartbeat can cause the surrounding air to tremble.

Without the black mist blocking his way, the ice crystals blowing in from the outside sublimated directly into wisps of steam from the high temperature emanating from his body.

The protective aura surrounding him surged, and his body was completely transformed into a roaring furnace.

He subconsciously clenched his fist, trying to control the flow of his inner energy.

boom!
A crimson aura bloomed beneath my feet like a lotus flower, and surging energy rose from the soles of my feet, enveloping my entire body in the burning crimson aura.

This is precisely the Qi-based life essence characteristic he frequently uses in the monster world.

He suddenly looked up, and the protective aura emanating from his body became violent.

The black mist ahead surged violently. The dark substance, capable of dissolving all metal, retreated as if encountering a natural enemy in the face of the violently erupting qi.

Upon seeing this, Yu Chuan, who had already reacted, widened his eyes in surprise:

"Holy crap, it's Qi!"

He subconsciously activated the analysis and scan, and the information that appeared in his mind left him stunned:
"Ah, the Kuroshio?!"

　Chapter Two, 9500 words in total~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)