Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 1675: Waging war to sustain war

The Golden Elm Oaks were indeed a pleasant surprise, but as the team approached these large trees, a dark cloud emerged from above.

For Cloud Peak members, whose combat instincts were second nature, they immediately prepared for battle.

It was a swarm of flying, mutated creatures averaging around level six, resembling ladybugs. However, compared to Earthʼs ladybugs—about the size of a childʼs fingernail—each of these was as large as a traditional Puʼer tea cake.

”There are level sevens—be careful!”

While Ye Zhongming remained silent, Xiao Min took command. Under her orders, the team formed a defensive formation. When the swarm closed within a hundred meters, Cloud Peak launched its assault.

Skills, crystal weapons, and ranged equipment rained down, illuminating the surroundings with energy bursts. The constant collisions sent many of these mutated creatures plummeting to the ground, their fluorescent green bodily fluids splattering upon impact.

However, the situation wasn’t ideal. These creaturesʼ defenses were unexpectedly high. The swarm numbered at least ten thousand, yet Cloud Peak’s first full-force ranged attack eliminated only about a tenth of them.

The initial volley was always the most concentrated—subsequent attacks would inevitably decrease in intensity due to cooldowns, reloading, and varying attack speeds.

Given the circumstances, melee combat seemed unavoidable.

Engaging flying enemies of unknown abilities in close quarters would likely increase casualties.
Seeing the first wave fall short, Ye Zhongming, Yangos, Yellow Ball, Nine Treasures, Xia Bai, and other level-eight combatants stepped in.

Their intervention immediately shifted the momentum of the battle. Though the swarm was vast, its highest-level members were only level seven. Under Yangos’s dragon breath, Yellow Ball’s AoE skills, and other large-scale attacks, the creatures fell in droves.

By the time the remaining few hundred broke through to Cloud Peak’s lines, the outcome was already decided.

Ten minutes later, the battle concluded with Cloud Peak’s casualties in the single digits, and no fatalities.

”Consider this a specialty, too,” some warriors joked while collecting demon crystals.

The ten-thousand-plus level-six demon crystals alone were a considerable haul. Combined with the creatures’ sturdy shells—valuable materials—the total worth was even higher.

Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming attacks of top-tier fighters, few shells remained intact.

With the resource point’s defenders eliminated, Ye Zhongming’s group approached the Golden Elm Oaks. Knowing they’d never return, they opted for a scorched-earth approach—stripping every fruit, plucking every leaf, and even cutting down the branches.

By the time they finished, over an hour had passed.

Away from the central building, they couldn’t check the star map for other factions’ progress. Suppressing his thoughts, Ye Zhongming led the team to the next resource point.

The first harvest had indeed left him impressed with the wheel space’s generosity, enough to purchase a low-tier guardian beast.

If they looted all these resource points, how much could they amass?!

But that was just a fleeting thought. Clearing every resource point would take so long that others would’ve bought up all the Bright Stars, potentially trapping them here indefinitely.

Focusing on the five nearest resource points around the building, Cloud Peak spent roughly ten hours, averaging two hours per location.

The yields varied: one slightly surpassed the Golden Elm Oaks, three fell short, and the fifth—costing them a battle beast—only provided common materials.

Realizing the randomness of these explorations, Ye Zhongming made a decisive call: return to the building and press forward.

Back inside, the star map revealed most factions hadn’t progressed—except Gyanendra’s team, which had already claimed three central-zone Bright Stars.

Different factions, different priorities. Every choice had its logic.

The Soaring Crystal was struck again, this time by Xia Bai.

With their recent gains, Ye Zhongming instructed a further reduction in difficulty. After a substantial equivalent payment, Xia Bai and the two giant earthworms entered the challenge.

However, as they ventured deeper into the star zone, the challenge difficulty scaled accordingly. What would have reduced difficulty by 60% earlier is now only achieved at 51%.

Fortunately, Xia Bai’s personal strength and the white level-eight mutated earthworm’s prowess carried them through—albeit with some effort.

This Bright Star’s environment was another breathtaking novelty, but structurally identical to the last: same central building, same crystal panel, same star map.

And, of course, another navigation map to purchase.

Ye Zhongming selected a guardian beast, upgraded it, and then led Cloud Peak to clear nearby resource points.

This time, they looted seven before moving to the next star. After another purchase-and-challenge cycle, they claimed four more.

The number of resource points targeted per star varied, partly due to distance, but more importantly, Ye Zhongming was calculating the value.

Deeper progression meant higher Bright Star purchase costs, as each challenge demanded greater payments to offset rising dangers.

Combined with guardian beast expenses, Ye Zhongming maintained a clear cost benchmark in mind.

His resource point raids were calibrated to this standard.

He was waging war to sustain war.

Each star’s plunder funded the next star’s conquest!

This approach essentially forfeited long-term wealth accumulation on any single star. His goal wasn’t riches—it was Bright Stars. It was the Mountain King Crown!

Amidst temptations of limitless resources, Ye Zhongming’s discipline held firm. Cloud Peak obeyed without question, ensuring his will was executed flawlessly.

Other factions? Not so much.

By the time Cloud Peak claimed their eighth central-zone Bright Star, the star map revealed a stark divergence in progress among the competing teams.