I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

When he said "it can't be stopped," the purple light on his right hand flickered violently, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

Upon hearing these three words, everyone's expression changed.

The attendant was a fourth-order believer of extraordinary power, and the purple light was his core strength. Among those present, he ranked among the top in terms of pure destructive power.

Even he couldn't stop the pollution.

That means there was no one present who could stand against this thing.

Agnes stepped forward, her blazing holy light enveloping the servant's right arm, helping him to suppress the attack. The servant's breathing became heavy, but the purple light stabilized under the support of the holy light and did not continue to dissipate.

It's been suppressed for now.

And that thing disappeared once again into the horde of zombies.

Inside the cavity, ghouls continued to pour out in droves.

Everyone fell silent.

The extremely strong stench of pollution appeared intermittently in a corner of the horde of corpses, sometimes near, sometimes far, like a predator choosing its next prey.

Rex stood still, the swarming insects clinging tightly to his body. The dark red swarm of insects trembled slightly, clearly indicating that Rex was no match for them. This level of contamination was something the swarming insects could not withstand at all.

He stared at the churning sea of ​​corpses, without uttering a word.

The Ascended One retracted his severed right wrist, and clenched his free left hand into a fist, the sound of gears meshing extremely loudly.

Agnes's blessing light was still shining, but her face had turned somewhat pale.

The hooded Night's Watchman retracted his flesh-and-blood blade into his arm and retreated to the middle of the ranks, his breathing becoming heavier beneath his hood.

Clearly, the blood and flesh spilling from his body seemed to have bumped into something.

The cavity was filled with the stench of burning flesh and blood, and the ground was covered with bits of flesh and ashes. The firelight flickered on the walls, casting long and distorted shadows on everyone.

The roar of the giant ghoul continued, and the surging waves tried to engulf everyone.

In the distance, in the deeper darkness, countless pairs of eerie green eyes were still watching them.

And that thing without a mouth, with a horizontal "I"-shaped eye, is hiding somewhere, waiting to make its next move.

Its daybreak.

The morning in Lilin City was as quiet as ever. Sunlight climbed over the eastern mountains, bathing the city walls in a warm yellow hue. In the distance, people were already working on the ridges of the fields, their bent figures casting long shadows on the freshly turned earth.

Lu Yuan woke up very early.

He got dressed, tidied up the room, putting what he needed into his bag and putting away what he didn't. The two potted plants on the windowsill were still in their original positions, their leaves quiet and still, as if nothing had happened.

He glanced at the two potted plants, then turned and went downstairs.

There were already people waiting in the courtyard.

Bor leaned against the door frame, his bag slung over his back, a blade of grass dangling from his lips, looking like he'd had a good night's drink but was still in good spirits.

The night watchmen were all ready, dressed in civilian clothes, carrying their luggage, and waiting at the gate.

"Is everything here?" Lu Yuan glanced at it.

"Everything's ready." Bor spat out the grass stalks. "The trucks are ready too; the three trucks carrying the oak forest pesticide were loaded last night."

"Let's go then."

The group left the courtyard, where the two armored knights were still standing.

The leader's attitude was much more relaxed today than the previous two days. He nodded to Lu Yuan when he saw him leave.

"My two-day period is up, as the city lord instructed." He paused, then added, his tone subtly polite, "Have a safe journey."

Lu Yuan nodded to him without saying anything more.

The two knights stepped back, making way for each other. The metallic clang of their silver-red armor rang out twice more before falling silent.

Surveillance lifted.

The group walked along the stone-paved road toward the city gate, where they encountered Otto.

The old man was wearing that perpetually drab old coat, the sleeves still rolled up to his elbows, and he was carrying a cloth bag in his hand, looking like he had just come back from the fields.

"Are you leaving?" Otto gestured with his chin toward Lu Yuan.

"Um."

"Did you bring everything?"

"All of them are here."

Otto nodded, took a small packet from his cloth bag, and handed it to him. "A few packets of herbs. Steep them in water and drink them on the road. Nothing valuable, just something to keep you alert."

Lu Yuan took it. "Thank you."

Otto waved his hand dismissively, as if it were a trivial matter. His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan's face for a moment before he suddenly chuckled.

"That old man Klaus certainly has a good eye." His tone was as amiable as it had been in the apothecary yesterday, but the last sentence carried a hint of weight. "Give him my regards when you get back, and tell him to contact me if he needs anything."

Lu Yuan glanced at him and remembered those words.

"I've brought it to you."

Otto waved to him, picked up his cloth bag, and walked towards the branch office. His dusty figure disappeared around the corner.

When they arrived at the city gate, Isabella was already waiting there.

She was wearing a light gray short jacket today, her hair was still tied back, and there were a few more specks of mud on her arms.

Beside her stood the two sisters, Ibea and Ibel. Ibea held a wooden box in her hands, while Ibel stood quietly, her white hair gleaming softly in the morning light.

"Gone?" Isabella asked with a smile.

"I'm leaving," Lu Yuan replied.

"Take this with you." Ibea stepped forward and handed over the wooden box she was carrying. "I checked the bottles of medicine you made yesterday; they're in good condition. This box contains a batch of oak bark medicinal materials, already processed, ready to use when you get back."

Lu Yuan took the wooden box, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be quite heavy. "Thanks."

Iber whispered from the side, "Turn the heat down a bit when mixing the ingredients; your batch yesterday was a little too hot."

Lu Yuan nodded. "I've got it."

Isabella watched him pack his things, cross his arms, and her smile faded, replaced by a serious expression.

"Lu Yuan," she began, this time not calling him "Captain Lu," "After you return, no matter what the situation is in Bronze City, if they need anything, just ask Lilin City. Medicinal herbs, food, manpower—we'll provide you with whatever we can."

She paused.

"Klaus is my friend, and his men are my friends too."

Lu Yuan looked into her eyes.

"Thank you," he said.

Isabella laughed, waved her hand, and took two steps back. "Let's go, stop dawdling."

Lu Yuan turned and walked towards the city gate.

Three wagons loaded with oak forest medicine were already waiting outside the city gate. The dark green glass bottles were neatly stacked on the wagons and tightly wrapped in thick cloth. Bor jumped into the driver's seat of the lead wagon, while Dunn and his brothers split up into the two behind.

Lu Yuan climbed into the lead car and sat down next to Boer.

Bor raised the reins, and the horse's hooves trod onto the stone-paved road outside the city, the wheels rolling and turning.

Isabella remained standing in the same spot. Ibeya waved at him, but Ibeya didn't move; he just stood there watching.

The city walls appeared gray and heavy in the morning light, and the outline of the circular tower above the city gate stood solemnly in the sunlight. What was hidden within the circle formed by the tower was still unclear.

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and turned around.

The official road ahead stretched straight westward, towards the Bronze City.

A three-day journey.

He had no idea what had happened over there in the past few days; the communication crystal had been completely silent, with no messages coming in.

But whatever it is, he has to go back.

Bor glanced at him from the side, said nothing, flicked his whip, and increased the speed of the carriage.

The sound of wheels rolling over the road echoed muffledly in the morning air, and the outline of Oak Forest City gradually shrank behind us, eventually merging into the green of the horizon.

Lu Yuan leaned against the carriage wall, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

The sky in the west was heavy.

Meanwhile, in the abyss beneath the Bronze City, the silence among the crowd lasted only a few breaths.

The one who ascended to immortality spoke first.

His mechanical voice echoed in the cavity, carrying a hint of solemnity.

"We can't keep dragging this out." He glanced down at the severed, bare section of his right wrist; steam was still billowing from the gears and pipes. "Should we retreat to the surface first and come back later?"

No one answered immediately.

Rex stood still, the swarming insects clinging tightly to his body, the dark red insect tide slowly writhing beneath his feet. His gaze was not on the Great Ascendant, but fixed on the churning sea of ​​corpses in front of him.

"We can't retreat." Rick's voice was low and ruthless. "Retreat is possible, but it has to stay down here." He turned his head, his pale face beneath the hood showing a coldness. "At least severely injure it, pin it below the collapse opening. We absolutely cannot let it ride the horde of zombies up to the pipe network layer."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further. "Something comparable to a fourth-tier being, inherently corrupting; a single touch can turn a living person into a new corrupted entity. Once it enters a city, anywhere without a fourth-tier being present, it's a one-sided massacre."

The only sounds in the cavity were the howls of ghouls and the crackling of alchemical flames in the distance.

No one objected.

They really had no way out. Unless they completely abandoned Bronze City, leaving would only be a delaying tactic.

The Ascended One's mechanical eyeballs rolled twice, then landed on Rick's face, pausing for a moment.

"Then let's fight."

The attendant remained silent, his right hand clenched tightly, purple light swirling wildly across his entire right arm. His expression was grim, but the coldness in his eyes spoke volumes.

The hooded Night's Watchman retreated to the middle of the ranks, his breathing beneath his hood becoming slightly heavier, but he didn't mention leaving.

Rex began distributing the items.

"Don't touch it at close range." He glanced at the servant's right arm, which was covered in purple light, and then at the Great Ascended's empty right wrist. "Change tactics. Fight entirely from a distance. Never make direct contact with that thing again."

He turned to the attendant. "Come to my side. Your ranged attacks are the strongest among us. It's up to you now."

The attendant nodded.

"Great Ascendant, do you possess ranged abilities?"

The Ascended One's mechanical eye flashed. "Yes."

"Use it." Rake's gaze shifted to the Hooded Watchman. "And you?"

The Hooded Watchman was silent for a moment, then his voice came muffled from beneath his hood: "I can't be of much help; all my skills are close-quarters combat."

"Then you and the Great Ascendant should work together to wipe out the ghouls. Once all the ghouls are dead, it will have nowhere to hide."

The Hooded Watchman remained silent, which was taken as agreement to the plan.