Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 511: Chapter 94: Loophole, Breaking the Boundaries_2

”RUN!!! RUN!!!”

...

The trap Mara set for Wen Yu—no, for all the indigenous Earth species within the Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier—actually had a loophole. This loophole lay with Wen Yu—or, to be precise, with the ”monitor” located in the Secondary Space.

The scene displayed on the ”monitor” was predetermined by Mara for Wen Yu. It showed the battle intensity as moderate—not too fierce, not too calm. Overall, the Human faction seemed to be at a slight disadvantage, but not by much. The live images on the monitor were actually connected to the core control unit of the Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier. This connection was related to the energy growth speed of the control core!

Before Wen Yu destroyed the core control unit, the Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier still existed, and its rules remained unchanged. For example, all energy from the bodies of slain creatures would be transferred to the Black Heart. Mara had previously used this energy to strengthen the barrier’s defensive power and cultivate duplicants. Now, however, Wen Yu was absorbing it to increase his upper limit of physical fitness.

The speed of this energy growth was proportional to the number of creatures dying outside. Wen Yu couldn’t calculate the exact figures, but he could make a rough estimate. Initially, this rough estimate didn’t seem very useful. After all, who knew how much energy the death of a single Level 1 creature could provide to the Black Heart?

Consequently, the energy growth in the Black Heart was slow and steady, which matched the images on the monitor and didn’t arouse Wen Yu’s suspicion. This also matched the ongoing battle outside. The Demon Cannon Fodders were no longer being sent to their deaths, but then the duplicants began their massacre of the northern defensive line, so the energy output hadn’t been interrupted!

But how much energy could a Peak Level 5 duplicant supply to the Black Heart? It certainly wouldn’t be like the death of cannon fodder units, which barely caused a ripple...

The problem lay right there!

...

「Inside the Red Stone Hotel.」

The massacre continued, and Arthur was being suppressed.

「Qin Tian’s location.」

One real and three fake Qin Tians were still in a standoff.

「Northern defensive line.」

The massacre continued there.

But things were different with Faceless!

Mara had no reason to show Faceless any mercy, so the battle between Faceless and the seventeen duplicants was quite intense. As an artificial construct without true autonomy, Faceless struggled to determine the best battle plan. Given the current situation, its best option would have been to flee. Unfortunately, Wen Yu’s command was to guard the Red Stone Hotel’s defensive zone, so running away was not an option.

The fierce battle had been ongoing for nearly ten minutes. For combatants at the level of Faceless and the duplicants, ten minutes was a considerably long time to be fighting.

The twelve Arthur duplicants were relatively easy to handle. The Thunder and gravity crushing down from the sky had immobilized them. While keeping the Arthur duplicants pinned, Faceless fiercely engaged the five Qin Tian duplicants.

Thunderbolts flashed, the earth roared, and Sword Light raged. The six humanoid monsters clashed violently. However, there was no doubt that Faceless, fighting one against five, was outmatched.

Red blood sprayed from Faceless’s body. Numerous crisscrossing sword wounds threatened to tear it apart. But Faceless, seemingly oblivious to pain, was mounted on one of the Qin Tian duplicants. It completely ignored the attacks from the other four, its gigantic fists crazily pounding the head of the enemy beneath it.

Faceless’s combat instincts weren’t bad. When outnumbered, it’s better to cripple one opponent than to injure all five superficially. Strictly speaking, there was no fault in its decision. As for how to deal with the remaining four after killing one, that wasn’t within Faceless’s current scope of consideration.

Therefore, given the current situation, Faceless’s destruction seemed inevitable.

As four bone swords pierced through Faceless’s body simultaneously, it unleashed a final, devastating blow on the Qin Tian duplicant beneath it. The fist, crackling with Thunder, struck the Qin Tian duplicant’s head like Thor’s hammer. With its Void Sword Barrier completely shattered, the duplicant couldn’t withstand the attack. Its head exploded like a watermelon, splattering purple juice everywhere, and its life signs vanished instantly.

The next moment, the fallen Qin Tian duplicant’s body slowly disintegrated into ashes. Simultaneously, an incredibly potent life energy transferred through an unknown channel and according to the rules of the Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier, flowing into the Black Heart.

...

Leaning against the Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier, Mara sensed the disappearance of a duplicant, and her brow furrowed.

The situation is a bit unexpected... she mused. Of course, only a little bit. There are no truly flawless plans in this world, especially not one I quickly conceived. So, some deviations were still within my expectations.

Watching the persistent Energy Fluctuations in the distance, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Mara’s lips.

The basic layout is complete. Unfortunately, it seems we won’t be able to kill Sequence Number 2’s soul pet anymore... That’s a bit of a loss... But it’s not a major issue. It won’t affect the next game.

Thinking this, Mara took out a bone-like communicator and contacted the War Operations Command Center.

”The Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier is about to break,” she said. ”How are your preparations?”

”No problem at all. This time, no one within the Purple Light Spawn and Grow Barrier will escape. Don’t forget our bet...” came the reply.

Hearing this, Mara scoffed and disconnected the call.

Mara thought, Aside from work-related communication, I really don’t want to interact with those arrogant, mindless armchair strategists. It’s better to focus on designing this game properly...

...

「Within the Secondary Space.」

Wen Yu savored the exhilarating feeling of his power increasing while observing the ”monitor.” Fortunately, the scene on the monitor remained very ”calm.”

Wen Yu’s current physical fitness: 3,145 points! This already exceeded the upper limit for a Level 5 professionist by more than 1,000 points.

Needless to say, with the Level Lock in place, items and skills that can increase the upper limit of physical fitness are even more precious!

Just then, a massive surge of energy from the outside world transferred into the Black Heart, instantly replenishing its nearly depleted reserves. This should have been a good thing. More energy meant a further increase in his upper limit of physical fitness.

But...

Wen Yu glanced at the nearby ”monitor.” Confusion flickered in his eyes for an instant, quickly replaced by sudden realization...

Wen Yu wasn’t a genius, but he wasn’t an idiot either.

That massive energy surge definitely didn’t come from nowhere. Under normal circumstances, the death of mere cannon fodder couldn’t possibly replenish the Black Heart with so much energy so quickly!

...

P.S. Don’t find this too cruel. Readers who have weathered the ’Two Worlds Battlefield’ arc should have a decent understanding of this book’s style.

In fact, I’ve always considered this story to be a true post-apocalyptic setting. I personally feel that the plots in Volume Two, ’Path of Survival,’ and the ’Two Worlds Battlefield’ arc were the best. Volume Three’s quality was a bit lacking. I can only say this: I won’t torture the protagonist, but when it comes to the supporting characters... I’m pretty good at making them suffer (you could say I’m ’666’ at it).

The tone of this current volume won’t be excessively brutal, but I must admit, the overall tone of the entire book is genuinely gloomy, sorrowful, and harsh...

Furthermore, some emotional scenes are necessary. The supporting characters are fully developed through these events. The complex web of emotions—kinship, friendship, love—and the series of events they trigger are precisely what highlight the duality of human nature, its moments of brilliance and its failings.

After all, given Wen Yu’s ’emotional deficiency,’ much more has to be portrayed through the supporting characters...

So, dear readers, please don’t find these parts tedious. I am striving to bring you the best story possible, with the most well-developed supporting characters and the most breathtaking plot twists!