In a perfect world, you start by relying on your own strength.

"How is the experiment going?"

Morgan lowered his eyes and looked down at the several Devouring Beasts that were entrenched in the wasteland below, and said in a deep voice.

With the beast horde surging relentlessly, the defense line is already on the verge of collapse. Only when the Abyss Plan is fully matured will we have the confidence to confront the Devouring Beasts head-on and defeat the beast horde.

He did not place all his hopes on the one who stood by the abyss.

Although the Abyss is currently the only glimmer of hope for breaking the deadlock, if the experiment fails, he will have no choice but to launch another forbidden experiment that has been dormant for a long time in order to seek a glimmer of hope for the Lighthouse.

"Dr. Carrie has sent word that Shi Geng has successfully entered the Abyss and is adapting to the mecha's power. His vital signs have remained stable throughout, and he has not shown any signs of rejection."

Holding a data tablet, Jingnan swiped his finger across a series of real-time monitoring data and reported to Morgan in a deep voice.

Even so, a hint of undisguised doubt still lingered between her brows, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the dense, ever-approaching tide of Devouring Beasts in the distance.

Can a single Abyss Mech really withstand the overwhelming horde of Devouring Beasts?

Upon hearing this, Morgan's tense brows relaxed slightly, his long-standing expression softened, and his taut shoulders relaxed a bit.

He walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window of the command room, looking down at the roaring and gathering horde of Devouring Beasts below. The dark, dense beast tide stretched endlessly like a tidal wave, and the stench and ferocious aura seemed to penetrate the barrier even from a great distance.

"Tell Carrie and the others to speed things up. Once the beast tide launches its final assault, the Lighthouse's defenses won't hold for long."

Morgan's tone was cold and sharp, every word conveying a sense of imminent crisis.

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire suspended lighthouse suddenly trembled violently, the rock strata cracked, and the red alarm light instantly turned the entire command room red.

Boom—!

A deep, terrifying roar came from the depths of the earth. A colossal hand covered in thick, hardened keratin and covered with grotesque bone spurs suddenly tore through the soil, ruthlessly reaching out and brutally gripping the elevator platform beneath the lighthouse with its five fingers. The metal structure instantly twisted and deformed, and a piercing cracking sound was deafening.

Tens of thousands of Devouring Beasts, like wild beasts that have smelled blood, rushed to climb up the giant hand that spanned the sky and the earth. Their sharp claws dug into the alloy barrier, their shrieks were ear-piercing, and the dense black shadows approached the bottom defense line of the lighthouse step by step along the passage.

Jing Nan's expression changed drastically. His hands flew across the control panel as he urgently reported, "City Lord! It's a giant calyx beast! It's locked onto the lighthouse, and the load on the bottom-level defensive barrier has spiked instantly, about to exceed the critical threshold!"

Morgan gazed at the endless horde of beasts surging forth from the giant hand, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness that seemed to freeze the air around him. He gave a deep, stern command:

"Hold off the Devouring Beasts at all costs, hold the bottom line of defense, and buy the laboratory enough time!"

The order was instantly transmitted throughout the lighthouse, the piercing combat alert sirens blared wildly, and the red warning lights flashed frantically.

The city defense troops stationed at the bottom floor immediately armed themselves fully, with all heavy firearms, fortifications, and artillery emplacements activated, their cold muzzles aimed at the horde of beasts that were constantly climbing the buildings.

The giant paws of the flower-calyx beast gripped the lifting platform tightly. The sturdy special alloy twisted and cracked under the terrifying force, emitting a creaking sound as it could not bear the weight.

Countless Devouring Beasts surged forward relentlessly, ignoring the artillery fire. As one group fell, another immediately began to frantically climb upwards along the giant hand, their foul-smelling saliva dripping down, their ferocious beastly eyes fixed on the humans atop the lighthouse.

Jing Nan stared intently at the rapidly escalating defense load data, his fingers flying across the keyboard, his voice tense: "Our ammunition reserves are already more than half depleted. At this rate, we can't hold out for another half hour at most!"

Morgan clenched his fists tightly, his cold gaze fixed on the Devouring Beast that was constantly climbing the outer wall of the lighthouse and getting closer step by step.

"Jingnan, go to the lab immediately to check the situation," he said in a cold, unwavering tone. "If the situation gets out of control, cut off all access routes to the Dust Village."

Jingnan was startled upon hearing the sound.

Morgan's intentions couldn't be clearer: once the dire situation arrived, the Dust Village would be the first to be abandoned. He would sacrifice the lives of the lower classes to defend the core area of ​​the Lighthouse, buying time for the survival of the upper classes.

A hint of undisguised reluctance flashed across Jingnan's eyes. She was well aware of the cold-blooded rules that the Lighthouse's upper echelons had long upheld, but she still felt reluctant to accept this stark choice of sacrifice.

The common people already live in the dust, born inferior to others, and now that danger has come, they are easily regarded as bargaining chips that can be discarded at any time.

"I see."

Jingnan suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and offered no further rebuttal. Faced with the survival rules of the Lighthouse, any pity seemed an extraordinary luxury.

She turned and walked away quickly, the hem of her dress brushing against the cold metal floor, hurrying towards the central laboratory.

Inside the control room, only Morgan stood alone.

A fierce wind, carrying the stench of decay, swept over us, while the harsh scraping of metal echoed from the outer walls—the sound of the Devouring Beasts' sharp claws tearing through the alloy shell. One after another, grotesque monsters climbed upwards along the tower, their dense, dark shadows closing in on the middle level, their roars piercing the wind and sending chills down our spines.

Morgan stared at the approaching darkness, his aged face unmoved.

Throughout his long tenure at the beacon, he faced countless similar choices. The survival of humanity and the continuation of the beacon civilization always took precedence over the lives of individuals.

Just then, a crackling electrical noise suddenly crackled from the communicator, followed by the frantic shouts of the guards: "Lord! Something terrible has happened! The western outer wall's defensive barrier has breached! A large number of Devouring Beasts have broken through the outer defenses and are approaching the outskirts of the Dust People's District!"

Morgan's pupils contracted slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Hold the line to the death, and use the remaining guard firepower to stop them."

As soon as the words were spoken, terrified screams and chaotic cries rang out from the direction of the Dust People's District in the distance.

A piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the lighthouse, and the scarlet warning lights flashed wildly, turning the cold metal corridor into an eerie blood red.

The alloy protective plate on the west outer wall was torn apart by the brute force of the Devouring Beast. The ferocious beast claws gripped the wall, and the thick metal twisted and deformed, making a crunching sound that made your teeth ache.

Several snake-dogs led the charge, breaking through the outer firepower blockade and, accompanied by a swarm of spine-worms, pounced towards the entrance and exit of the Dust People's District.

The Dust Village was already poorly defended, with very few people stationed there. The hastily erected machine gun defense line was no match for the behemoth's charge.

The roar of artillery fire was instantly swallowed up by the monster's howl. Broken shell casings were scattered all over the ground, and the guards on duty fell one after another, causing the defense line to collapse instantly.

The narrow and crowded slum was in complete chaos.

The ragged civilians fled in terror, the wails of the old, the cries of children, and the roars of the monsters mingling together, despair spreading rampantly. Layers of barbed wire and makeshift isolation gates were like thin paper before the Devouring Beast, easily torn apart and smashed.