Chapter 128: The Defensive Battle Officially Begins

Anna’s meaning was simple: the enemies they were about to face might be players who had accepted the mission.

Lin Mu stroked his chin thoughtfully.

A city defense battle, with a 24-hour preparation period and a 48-hour offensive window.

A 24-hour mission within the quest portal.

Indeed, there was a real possibility of this.

The only question was whether the players accepting the mission were from this planet or from another.

Lin Mu shook his head. “Regardless of who they are, with our strength, it shouldn’t be a problem. Even if they’re stronger than us, we can always retreat.”

Even if retreat was impossible, he had set up three respawn points outside, so it wasn’t a major concern.

Lin Mu’s work increased from there.

Leading a convoy of vehicles into the wilderness, he initiated their transformation into war machines.

All the vehicles merged into parts of a colossal mechanical body lying in the open field.

Lin Mu glanced at the fuel tank, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Just as he expected.

Transformation consumed no energy; as long as the machines weren’t activated, there was no consumption.

Now was the moment to witness a miracle.

Thousands upon thousands of materials were continuously integrated into the modification system, each vehicle strengthened to varying degrees.

Various weapons were added, both melee and ranged.

Even those vehicles without active component functions were armed by Lin Mu.

For a full six hours, Lin Mu toiled on the upgrades.

This round of modifications alone consumed a fifth of his materials.

“Modifications are a bottomless pit. To push them to the limit, even half my materials might not be enough.”

As the vehicle levels rose, future consumption would only increase.

From now on, every resource must be accounted for, or they simply wouldn’t suffice.

Meanwhile, the other team members waited in their rooms, watching their quarters slowly transform.

Though they didn’t understand the significance, they knew it was connected to their captain.

Mechanical disassembly.

“Zhao Jin, Jiang Han, arrange these people logically according to the town’s layout. I want total coverage with no blind spots. Time is running out.”

“Yes, sir.”

...

With only ten minutes left before the defense battle began, Lin Mu controlled a drone to check on everyone’s status once more.

Every corner of the town had vehicles transformed into shelters, equipped with laser weapons and ammunition, all systems active.

He was quite satisfied with the setup.

“001, prepare some extra meals.”

They had a total of 48 hours ahead; hopefully, the attackers wouldn’t be too strong.

Jiang Han and the others had prepared three plans.

If the attackers were weak, they would work in three shifts.

If moderate, two shifts.

If strong, it would require full participation.

Anna sat inside Lin Mu’s vehicle, worry etched on her face as she stared at the screen.

“You’re a succubus, right? Why do you look like some saint pitying the world?”

Lin Mu had been confident, but seeing Anna’s expression, he suddenly felt as if he might lose.

“I’m just worried. If what I’m thinking is true, this could be dangerous.”

Lin Mu sighed. “Have you ever participated in a defense battle before?”

“This is my first time.”

Lin Mu frowned. “Then haven’t you thought about something like a map?”

“A map? Isn’t that supposed to be hand-drawn?”

Anna pulled out a piece of parchment with lines and city markers sketched on it.

But it looked confusing and barely decipherable.

Lin Mu’s mouth twitched. “Haven’t you tried asking the voice in your communicator? The panel… the service… whatever it is that gives you hints?”

Anna froze, then asked the voice.

After a moment, she looked at Lin Mu awkwardly. “Oh, that’s how it is? I didn’t know that. Maybe others have activated the defense battle before, but I haven’t participated.”

Lin Mu shook his head, glancing at the time. “You’ll soon find out what a defense battle really looks like.”

He picked up the walkie-talkie. “All units, attention. Thirty seconds remaining. Four directions—north, south, east, west—report at all times. Jiang Han, Zhao Jin, Shu Yi, Zhang Qian, each of you is responsible for your own sector.”

“Received!”

“Received!”

“...”

Thirty seconds passed in an instant.

From the east, south, west, and north, four massive black spatial portals opened.

Beasts began emerging one by one.

“Beasts, approximately seven kilometers out.”

“Wait until they’re closer before engaging.”

Anna shook her head while watching the screen. “Those aren’t beasts; they’re magical beasts. They can use skills—tell them to be cautious.”

Lin Mu relayed the warning.

In truth, whether magical beast or beast, as long as they had flesh and blood, it wasn’t much of a problem.

The four portals continuously poured out waves of magical beasts.

If it were anyone else, such a scene would have been terrifying.

Altogether from the four directions, there were around thirty to forty thousand magical beasts.

But to Lin Mu, these were simply resources.

Not to mention their number, simply drying their meat would sustain them for a long time.

Five kilometers, four kilometers, three kilometers.

When the magical beasts were only one kilometer from the town, the counterattack began simultaneously from all directions.

BiU~ biU~ biU~

High-powered laser bullets easily pierced through the magical beasts’ bodies.

The retrofitted tractor cannon fired laser blasts that could clear all living creatures within a ten-meter radius with a single shot.

With strength from all sides, none of the monsters could approach the town by even a single step.

Watching the screen, Lin Mu casually remarked, “See? Those worries of yours are useless. Before absolute power, everyone must kneel.”

“But these are only around fourth-tier magical beasts in our world; their strength isn’t high. If ninth-tier ones come, we might not be able to hold them back.”

Anna believed that while the weapons were powerful, they still paled compared to the toughness of the magical beasts’ bodies.

She acknowledged Lin Mu’s weapons were impressive but not invincible.

Lin Mu shook his head. As he had said, as long as the opponent was biological, technology would always triumph over flesh.

If you can’t win, it only means the weapon isn’t powerful enough.

“Let me ask you: can ninth-tier creatures be killed by humans?”

Anna nodded. “Of course, they can be killed. Anyone with ninth-tier strength can do it. But they’re cultivators, and even a casual strike from them is more powerful than your laser cannon.”

“You still don’t understand what technology means. I’ll show you how terrifying technological power really is.”

With that, he retrieved a blank component from his inventory.

Though Anna’s words were a little extreme, he wanted to be prepared.

It was a pity to use that blank design, as he had hoped to study it more carefully later—the knowledge he had about weaponry was far too limited.

But for safety’s sake, he decided to use it now.