The spell's range covers the entire territory of China? Hand it over to the state.

Southwestern border, boundary marker No. 55.

This is the dividing line between civilization and barbarism. One step in, there is the warmth of human life, with hot baths and Wi-Fi signal, though there are some ups and downs; one step out, there is a hellish battlefield shrouded in gray-black death aura, where no sound of living people can be heard except for the roars of monsters.

But today, the boundary marker is still the same boundary marker, but the rules have changed.

"Boom!"

The sound of tracks crushing gravel wasn't chaotic; instead, it coalesced into a chilling low-frequency resonance. Hundreds of Type 99A main battle tanks, painted with dark red dragon patterns, crushed the barbed wire along the border with unprecedented ferocity.

If it were half a day ago, the electronic equipment inside the tank would have been affected by the magnetic field and displayed static the moment it left the border, and the driver would have become anxious due to facing the terrifying pressure from the outside world.

But now, no one feels uncomfortable.

Because each tank's turret is topped with a straight, towering column of crimson gold smoke.

This is not smoke; it is the solidified destiny of the nation, and the fluid territory.

"Attention all units! As long as the smoke signals above our heads remain lit, this is our doorstep!"

The division commander's rough roar came through the communication channel: "See those few B-grade armored rhinos up ahead? They're usually tough nuts to crack, but now they're just a few slightly tough chunks of beef! Run them over!"

This is more than just a morale boost.

Under Su Yun's skill "Beacon Fire Across the Land - The Divine Land of China", every inch of land within a ten-mile radius of the smoke-filled area was temporarily and forcibly written into the code of "Dragon Xia Territory".

Suddenly, the B-grade mutated rhinoceroses that were about to roar and charge forward felt a weight on their bodies.

This feeling is terrible, like a bully who was just strolling in his own backyard suddenly finding himself in the investigation hall of a police station, surrounded by heavily armed special police officers, with the words "Confess and be lenient; resist and be severely punished" posted on the wall.

The lead mutated rhinoceros's originally half-meter-thick keratinous skin softened and became brittle the moment it came into contact with the crimson-gold light, as if it had encountered lard on a branding iron.

It panicked.

It wanted to run away.

But a powerful energy-enhancing blade, as wide as a door panel, was no longer willing to give it a chance.

"Where do you think you're going!"

A heroic captain, floating above the tank, grew to three meters tall in the wind. His large sword had no fancy moves; he simply thrust it forward in a plain and unadorned manner.

"Pfft."

It's like cutting butter with a hot knife.

The B-rank monster, which had been so arrogant just moments before and could even withstand several ordinary armor-piercing bullets, was cleaved from its skull to its tail by this longsword, which was imbued with "true damage" and "anti-magic special attack".

The spray of blood evaporated into nothingness before it even hit the ground due to the high temperature of the smoke.

There were no screams, only crushing.

This isn't war; it's a one-sided bullying tactic where a max-level player comes back to the newbie village and wrecks the fish ponds.

……

An abandoned town 60 kilometers from the border of a neighboring peninsula.

The sky here is leaden gray, and even the air is filled with a musty, rusty smell.

Park Dong-soo huddled in a cellar used for storing kimchi, tightly embracing his five-year-old daughter.

He used to be a long-haul truck driver, a burly man with a fiery temper, who could eat three bowls of cold noodles in one sitting.

But now, he is as thin as a withered stick, his eyes are sunken, and only in his bloodshot eyes does a trace of the fear of a living person remain.

The temperature in the cellar was close to zero degrees Celsius. The daughter's face was frozen purple, but she didn't dare to cry out. She just mechanically sucked on Park Dong-soo's withered fingers.

"Dad... there's no sound outside," came the daughter's barely audible voice.

Park Dong-soo trembled and covered the child's mouth.

Silence often means something even more terrifying is coming.

Just half an hour ago, he heard several "ghouls" digging in the ruins above his head, the sickening sound of their claws scraping against the cement, each strike feeling like a knife to his heart.

The authorities have long lost contact. I heard that all the big shots have taken planes to the aircraft carrier fleet at sea, leaving ordinary people like us on land to be fed to monsters.

This country is finished.

That's what everyone's saying.

"Thump."

The thick wooden planks above the cellar suddenly shook.

Park Dong-soo's heart clenched, and he instinctively reached for the rusty iron crowbar beside him—his last weapon.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The sound was rhythmic, deep, and powerful, unlike the rapid and chaotic scratching sounds of a ghoul; it sounded more like the footsteps of something heavy falling to the ground.

Immediately following was a deep, thunderous roar, unlike anything heard before, that came from a great distance and rapidly approached. The sound was so loud that dust fell from the cellar ceiling.

What kind of monster is this? How big does it have to be to make that noise?

Park Dong-soo was in despair. He knew that if it was a monster of this level, this thin wooden plank wouldn't be enough to stop it.

It's better to die knowing the truth than to be caught in a trap.

He gritted his teeth, stuffed his daughter into the gap behind the kimchi jar, and with trembling hands, pushed open a crack in the wooden cellar door.

He was prepared to see a gaping, bloodthirsty maw.

However, it did not.

In that instant, what pierced his retina was not the monster's fangs, but a blinding crimson light powerful enough to burn his soul.

"This is……"

Park Dong-soo squinted, and through his fingers, he saw a scene that he could never understand in his life, yet which shocked him to the point of speechlessness.

On the gloomy, broken street, several ghouls that had been perched on lampposts, preparing to launch a sneak attack, were now being crushed to the ground as if by some invisible gravitational field, convulsing in pain, their black fur steaming.

At the end of the street, a series of translucent warriors, their bodies radiating golden light and clad in golden scales, were descending through the air.

They weren't stepping on muddy ground, but on a golden avenue paved with countless points of light.

A golden-armored warrior casually waved his hand.

A crescent-shaped golden blade of energy swept out, and several ghouls that usually required an army to barely suppress were instantly blasted into a cloud of golden dust before they could even scream.

"Is...is this a god?" Park Dong-soo murmured to himself.

No, it's not a god.

He saw a torrent of steel behind the golden-armored warrior.

The red flag fluttering on the tank shook in the bright light, and the five gold stars on it shone so brightly, so... reassuringly, even in the ruins of a foreign land.

"It's Long Xia..."

Park Dong-soo felt all his strength drain away instantly, and the crowbar in his hand crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

Of course he recognized the flag. When he used to drive long distances, he always felt that the huge neighbor was too noisy and too domineering.

But now, when the whole world has abandoned them, only this neighbor, carrying a knife and driving a tank, has kicked open the door of those monsters who treated them as food.

The cellar door was pushed open completely.

Park Dong-soo no longer needs to hide.

He stumbled out, knelt on the muddy street, and wailed at the oncoming torrent of steel. He even forgot to use his mother tongue, instead shouting at the top of his lungs a broken Chinese phrase he'd learned while delivering goods:

"Help... over here... we're over here!!"

One of the spirits seemed to hear the noise and turned his head. He didn't speak, but simply reached out and gently pointed in Park Dong-soo's direction.

A warm white light separated from the smoke and fell on Park Dong-soo and his daughter whom he had just taken out of the house.

Warmth, a feeling of fullness, and an indescribable sense of security.

"Is this... what a great power is?"

Park Dong-soo held his daughter, whose body was rapidly warming up, his tears washing away the oil stains on his face, leaving two deep lines.

……

At the same time, an international school fifty kilometers to the north.

This used to be a prestigious school district, but now it's just a huge graveyard.

The top floor of the library.

Sixteen-year-old Amy stood against the door, surrounded by seven or eight classmates also wearing school uniforms. Their once clean and expensive uniforms were now tattered and worn; these once pampered children now resembled a flock of quails waiting to be slaughtered.

"Click... Sizzle..."

A chilling scraping sound came from outside the window.

A "Slit-Mouthed Banshee" with long hair covering her face and a mouth that stretches all the way to her ears is hanging upside down outside the window.

Its eyes, with only whites and no pupils, were fixed on the group of fresh, bloodthirsty prey in the room, while its long, barbed tongue was licking the glass.

This is a B-level monster, an unsolvable nightmare for ordinary people.

"Crack!"

The tempered glass finally succumbed to the pressure and shattered into pieces.

The stench of the fish instantly filled the entire room.