Human Endurance Would Eventually Run Out

Especially in terms of single-target attacks, it was arguably the strongest of the three.

Even against powerful monsters equivalent to Level 6 Card Masters, once struck, there was almost no chance of survival.

Even monsters from the real world could not withstand the power of Destruction Storm.

However, Destruction Storm’s flaw was its limited range, with a maximum radius of only three hundred kilometers, far inferior to the other two.

This showed that each of the three super cards had its own strengths. Although the Yanluo Order seemed ordinary, it had the broadest applicability.

The other two each had their own unique qualities and excelled in their respective fields.

Therefore, when the Three Great Nations joined forces, the coordinated use of the three superweapons was enough to destroy those monster nations one by one.

First, they would use Fatal Violet. Even if most monsters were immune to poison, they would still be immobilized.

Then, they would activate the Yanluo Order to eliminate the vast majority of elite monsters.

The strongest among the remaining monsters would be left to Destruction Storm.

This strategy was simple and direct, yet highly effective.

Although super cards consumed enormous amounts of energy, the Three Great Nations had long since achieved mass production of energy cards.

With a massive supply of energy cards, the energy available to these three super cards was practically limitless.

After using them dozens of times in succession, the monster nests had been completely destroyed, leaving only scattered monsters behind.

Although the human side had not suffered major losses, the battle had hardly been easy.

After the battle ended, less than a third of their stored energy cards remained.

If the monsters attacked again, they might not be able to hold the line.

Annan.

This place had become an enormous military fortress.

Under Old Li’s control, it had effectively become a state within a state.

After losing contact with the higher-ups, Old Li had vigorously pursued development, recruited talent, and eradicated all opposing forces.

Annan was now impregnable.

A beast tide on the scale of the last one would be wiped out no matter how many monsters came, so long as monsters from the real world did not intervene.

As for monsters from the real world, Old Li had ways to deal with them as well.

After all, Taiqing stood on his side.

Compared to this sturdy fortress, Taiqing was the truly important line of defense.

As long as Taiqing lived, Annan would not collapse.

For powerful monsters comparable to Level 6 Card Masters, defeating someone as strong as Taiqing was simply a fantasy.

Under normal circumstances, Annan City would face almost no danger unless something unusual happened.

And now, something unusual had happened!

As the earth shook and the mountains trembled, Old Man Li watched in terror as huge numbers of mutated creatures appeared one after another.

An army composed of countless monsters was advancing toward Annan, already numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

As time passed, the number of monsters continued to increase!

The number of monsters grew rapidly.

Old Man Li was already finding it difficult to endure.

Facing the densely packed monsters, even a powerhouse like him could not help but feel a chill run down his spine.

"Open fire!"

Fortunately, Old Man Li had prepared for this long ago. During his rule, he had already transformed Annan City into a war fortress.

With a single command from him!

"Rat-a-tat-tat… rat-a-tat…"

Bullets flew out without regard for cost.

Energy beams intertwined into a net.

Energy weapons requiring energy-card loading and ordinary firearms became the first line of defense protecting Annan.

The battle erupted in full force at that moment, and chaos descended once more.

With the exits sealed off by soldiers, everyone in Annan City had only two choices: enlist in the army or provide supplies for the soldiers.

Clearly, Old Li had no intention of allowing wealthy people to flee during the chaos.

Perhaps they could have done so in the past, but everything had changed since he took power.

Old Man Li believed that only by uniting the entire population and having civilians and soldiers work together could they achieve victory in this war.

Running away could not solve the problem. It would only cause the death toll to keep rising.

Under such circumstances, the conflict between soldiers and civilians intensified again. Old Man Li issued a harsh order: anyone who dared attack the soldiers defending their homes would immediately face retaliation and learn the power of bullets.

Selfishness was a weakness of human nature, but Old Man Li would never allow that weakness to be exploited.

In his eyes, everyone had value during wartime. Every person was a precious resource, and none could be spared.

Even selfish people would be forcibly turned into slaves.

Clearly, Old Man Li had made up his mind. Only this way would they stand a chance against their powerful enemy.

Faced with the urgency of the situation, Taiqing sensed the changes around him. With a faint smile, he stepped out of the house and said to his parents, "Father, Mother, our city is in danger. I want to go help."

Taiqing’s father sighed and said, "Go. Take care of yourself. Staying alive is what matters most. The rest is for you to decide."

Although his father did not fully support him, he understood that young people’s passion could not be easily cooled.

If he had been young himself, perhaps he would have joined as well.

But now, he was old and weak, and could only remind Taiqing to be careful.

Unfortunately, Taiqing’s adoptive father ultimately knew too little about him.

He was not going there to join the battle. He was heading straight into danger, with a clear goal—assassinating the leaders of those monsters.

That was far more dangerous than ordinary combat!

Even someone as strong as Taiqing could meet with disaster if he was careless for even a moment.

But under these circumstances, Taiqing would never retreat.

Although joining the battle carried risks, there were many participants, most of them young people like Taiqing, so the odds of survival were not especially low.

Yet in his father’s eyes, Taiqing’s actions were no different from seeking death.

His father would never allow such a thing to happen. He knew nothing of Taiqing’s strength and was even less willing to let him take such a risk for nothing.

Taiqing’s mother held the same view.

But this time, his parents had misunderstood his intentions and did not know his true plan.

They thought Taiqing was merely going to enlist.

Therefore, his mother gently reminded him, "Come back early. Some things cannot be forced.

Don’t push yourself too hard, or you might get hurt."

Taiqing smiled faintly after hearing that and said, "Don’t worry. There should be protection over there.

I cherish my life. Nothing will happen to me this time. I’ll come back to see you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked away, leaving the house after only a few steps.

Dark clouds covered the sky outside, and the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood.

The streets were empty, without a single person in sight.

Clearly, under such circumstances, everyone had chosen to stay home and take shelter.

They did not dare go outside, nor did they wish to take the risk.

It was far too dangerous outside. Compared with that, staying home to prepare supplies and provide support for the soldiers was much safer.

Most people were unwilling to leave their homes. Unlike Taiqing’s parents, these people did not live comfortable lives.

They were also oppressed by the soldiers, but with no way to leave the city, they could only obey orders.

After all, this concerned their lives. Those who understood the severe consequences of disobedience would not take the risk.

Compared to being devoured by monsters, suffering a little hardship for now was nothing.

Once all this was sorted out, logistics were basically no longer a concern.

With such cooperation between soldiers and civilians, Annan City’s defenses would be difficult to breach in the short term unless something unexpected happened.

Taiqing quickly found Old Man Li. Old Man Li was delighted to see Taiqing, respectfully saluted him, and asked why he had come.

Taiqing said he had come to check on the preparations. Seeing that the progress was good, he asked whether there had been any new discoveries and how many Mother Organisms there were.

Taiqing was eager to learn where the monster army had come from. The monsters were so numerous that he could see more than three hundred thousand running about at a glance, with even more joining them nearby.

Although these monsters were not particularly strong and ordinary Card Masters struggled against them, Level 2 Card Masters could deal with them much more easily.

Besides Card Masters, a massive army was also assisting with the defense this time, facing the 2.4 monsters surging in like a tide.

Thanks to their combined efforts, Annan’s defensive line was able to remain stable for the time being.

However, as time passed, the defensive line would ultimately be unable to hold for long.

The endless stream of monsters seemed inexhaustible, while human resources and stamina were limited.

Even with a rotation system in place, human endurance would eventually run out.

Even with sufficient rest, a long period of monotonous life would make people weary.

When that happened, combat strength would plummet, and the monsters breaking through the defensive line would be inevitable.

Therefore, the key to eliminating these monsters was destroying their source—the Mother Organisms.

And in the real world, these Mother Organisms were the true threat.

Taiqing’s target on this trip was precisely these Mother Organisms.

Hunting Mother Organisms and improving his own strength—this was Taiqing’s purpose for going out.

Name: Taiqing

Strength: 600

Constitution: 600

Speed: 600

Mental Power: Immeasurable

These were Taiqing’s current attributes.

All three of his major attributes had reached 600 points.

If he continued cultivating at home, his daily improvement would now be less than ten points.

This showed that cultivating at home no longer offered much of a future.

It just so happened that monsters were attacking this time. If he could make a grand showing, the rewards would surely be substantial.

At this thought, a smile appeared at the corner of Taiqing’s lips.

But the instant Old Man Li saw Taiqing smile, he could not help shuddering.

In Old Man Li’s memories, Taiqing had always worn that very smile when he slaughtered powerful opponents comparable to Level 6 Card Masters.

Filled with fear, he trembled as he answered Taiqing’s question. "Young Master!

There are at least a hundred Mother Organisms we’ve discovered, and there are entities even stronger than the Mother Organisms!"

**"Oh? Something even stronger? Interesting! Send me their locations!

I want to see them for myself!

By now, there are few opponents left in this world who can make me take them seriously. Only these monsters can do that!

But most of the time, these monsters can only be defeated by me.

I hope that thing stronger than the Mother Organisms can give me a satisfying battle!"**

If anyone else had said those words, Old Man Li would certainly have laughed at them. But Taiqing was different; he had witnessed Taiqing’s strength firsthand.

He knew exactly how terrifying Taiqing’s abilities were.

That was why, despite the terrifying enemy, their enormous numbers, and the existence of something even stronger than the Mother Organisms, he was not afraid.

Because he believed in Taiqing’s strength.

Although he was not sure whether Taiqing could defeat that stronger entity,

he was certain Taiqing would return safely.

Geniuses were always different. Their speed of progress was astonishing.

A few days ago, Old Man Li had personally witnessed a portion of Taiqing’s strength.

That was precisely why he had such confidence.

Otherwise, he would have fled long ago.

After all, this time they were facing more than a hundred entities close to giant Tentacle Monsters.

And there was also an opponent far stronger than a giant Tentacle Monster!