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

At the laboratory entrance, Jing Nan leaned against the cold metal door frame, panting heavily. He had run all the way here, his chest heaving violently, and sweat beading on his forehead.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the access control panel, before she could unlock the door, the heavy, airtight alloy door hummed softly and slid open slowly inwards.

A cold, white light poured out from the room, and the first thing to catch the eye was a menacing suit of armor with hard lines and a dark, inky finish.

The Abyss-Bearer mech stood silently at the entrance, its pupils glowing with a deathly red light. The sharp outlines of its shoulder armor and arm blades were intimidating, and dark red patterns flowed faintly around its body, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.

Beneath the armor, his aura was as heavy and silent as a mountain, yet it was more suffocating than the roars of the hordes of Devouring Beasts outside.

Jing Nan was shocked, and a chill ran down his spine.

She has been stationed at the Lighthouse Central Hub for many years and has reviewed all the files of all standard combat armor, guard weapons and even hunter equipment. She knows all the models, big and small.

But the armor before them was completely beyond the scope of all creations known to the Lighthouse.

Its overall silhouette is cold and eerie, with every edge of the armor plates as sharp as a blade. The lines are sharp and domineering, without any redundancy in protection. From head to toe, it seems to be tailor-made for pure slaughter and hunting.

A heavy, oppressive aura enveloped the entire corridor, as oppressive as a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

Strands of almost solidified scarlet killing intent swirled around the armor, clearly visible to the naked eye, like a blood-red mist slowly surging. It was the ferocious aura that had settled from slaughtering countless demons and being soaked in endless bloodshed.

Like a lurking ancient beast, its silent presence exudes an indifferent and cruel power to devour everything.

"Is this what the One Who Approaches the Abyss is like?"

Jingnan swallowed unconsciously, his entire body tense.

The jet-black mecha stood before them, its pupils gleaming with a deathly cold light. A terrifying sense of oppression emanated from its body, sweeping over them and weighing heavily on everyone's hearts, as if they were facing an ancient beast that had broken free of its shackles—fierce, domineering, and possessing absolute power to crush everything.

"Commander Jingnan, why aren't you in the control room? What are you doing here?"

Shi Geng's indifferent voice came through the mecha's interior.

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark biological tissue wrapped around the surface of Lin Yuanzhe's head quickly faded and shrank, and the layers of mutated texture slowly disappeared into the gaps in the armor, revealing Shi Geng's sharp features and handsome face.

Looking at the handsome face revealed beneath the armor of the one who stood by the abyss, Jingnan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

It's not just a visual marvel, but a primal stirring deep within our genes. Shi Geng's life level, a dual leap in both flesh and spirit, has long surpassed the limits of humanity in the Lighthouse. Like the moon compared to a firefly, he is born with an invisible life force.

That was the unique aura of a higher-level life form, calm yet powerful, subtly affecting her mind and causing her to momentarily lose her composure.

Jing Nan hurriedly composed himself, his fingertips stiffening slightly as he quickly suppressed the inexplicable throbbing in his heart.

She forcibly looked away, not daring to look directly into Shi Geng's eyes any longer. Her gaze involuntarily fell on the extremely intimidating Abyss Mech in front of her, and her tone was filled with solemnity and apprehension.

"The city lord sent me to check on the experiment. The lighthouse is now surrounded by a massive number of Devouring Beasts, and the lower defenses are in grave danger. With the lighthouse's current ammunition reserves and energy supplies, it simply won't last much longer."

"Okay, I understand. I'll take care of it right away."

Shi Geng nodded slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He had just fully mastered the power of the Abyss, and was worried about not having a suitable opponent to familiarize himself with his combat strength. Although the Devouring Beasts covering the mountains and plains below were of low level and easily defeated, and could not be considered true formidable enemies, they were just right to practice on and familiarize himself with the mech's offense, defense and explosive power.

The creature trembled slightly, and dark red biological patterns lit up one after another, as a surge of immense power coursed through its body.

Before he finished speaking, Shi Geng and the entire Lin Yuan Zhe mech suddenly disappeared from the spot.

In the blink of an eye, not even a trace remained, as if the space had been teleported, and all traces had vanished into thin air.

Lighthouse bottom

The roar of gunfire was incessant. The city's defense troops and the hunters gripped their weapons tightly, unleashing a barrage of firepower. Dense bullets intertwined to form an impenetrable steel defense line.

The massive gravity body patrolled the edge of the city wall, unleashing heavy punches and artillery fire in turn, forcefully repelling the endless stream of Devouring Beasts that attempted to climb the outer wall of the lighthouse.

In the face of this apocalyptic crisis, everyone is doing their utmost to protect this last remaining shelter. No one is immune, regardless of social class or mortal status; everyone is on edge, working tirelessly in their respective roles.

Some people shuttled back and forth carrying ammunition and supplies, promptly filling the firepower gaps for the soldiers fighting on the front lines; others quickly treated wounded soldiers, providing simple bandages to stop the bleeding, doing their utmost to save every life; still others reinforced the lower-level defensive fortifications, repaired the walls torn apart by the claws of the Devouring Beasts, and firmly built the last line of defense for the Lighthouse.

A foul wind, carrying the roars of the Devouring Beasts, filled the air. The scorching smell of war mingled with the stench of blood. Danger loomed ever closer, yet not a single person retreated.

The piercing roars of the beasts tore through the low smoke of gunpowder, and a large number of Devouring Beasts charged forward one after another, oblivious to the bullets piercing their forequarters, and recklessly crashed into the alloy barrier at the bottom of the lighthouse.

The hard metal outer wall continued to dent and crack, and gravel and rusted iron sheets peeled off in a rustling sound, causing the pressure on the defensive line to suddenly surge.

The frontline firepower gradually became fragmented, and the continuous high-intensity fire caused many guns to overheat and jam. During the intervals when several hunters were reloading, several creeping Devouring Beasts took the opportunity to break through the fire net, their fangs gleaming, and rushed towards the Dust People's team that was carrying supplies.

Chaos erupted instantly. The Dust People were unarmed and could only retreat in terror, on the verge of becoming flesh and dust.

Just at this critical moment, a deep, cold sound of something cutting through the air suddenly rang out.

Shi Geng, clad in the armor of the Abyss Walker, slowly stepped out of the shadows, his aura chilling, and an invisible spiritual force quietly spread out.

Without needing firearms, he raised his hand and clenched it, and several scattered, heavy alloy fragments suddenly rose into the air, like cold, sharp blades, shooting out with violent force.

With a few muffled thuds, the attacking Devouring Beasts were instantly pierced through the skull and core by alloy fragments. Their massive bodies crashed heavily to the ground, twitching for a moment before going still.

The sudden turn of events silenced the panicked crowd instantly. The city guards and hunters all turned to look, their gazes fixed on Shi Geng.

Shi Geng remained indifferent, his gaze sweeping over the endless beast tide outside the wall. He stepped forward to the defensive barrier, his cold eyes fixed on the dark mass of Devouring Beasts.

"Those who stand on the edge of the abyss!"

Victor was taken aback at first, then a look of wild joy flashed in his eyes. As a Beacon Elder from the same era as Morgan, he had personally experienced what happened back then and had even witnessed the power of the Abyss Walker.

Viktor's prosthetic arm clenched slightly, his cloudy eyes fixed on Shi Gen, his face, weathered and scarred, filled with shock and hope.

The bottom line of defense was already crumbling, the beast tides were getting stronger and stronger, the gravity bodies were running out of durability, the city defense army was consuming huge amounts of ammunition, and everyone was shrouded in boundless despair.

The arrival of Shi Geng, who could pilot the Abyss, was like the dawn breaking through the gloom, instantly suppressing the spreading panic.