Speaking of this, their hearts both became heavy. Although what Qin Weimin said deviated greatly from what was written in the history textbooks, rationally, Qin Weimin's words could very well be true.
Wang Lan wasn't the kind of adolescent who couldn't face reality. He wouldn't deny objective facts just to stick to his own ideas. Humanity had fought for one hundred and thirty years, reaching a point of utter exhaustion, while the Demon Clan's army still kept coming in endless streams. Under such circumstances, they had launched only a desperate counterattack.
And then to determine the fate of the universe with a single battle? The textbooks merely used idioms like "stake everything on one throw," "unity is strength," and "pooling efforts for a common cause." But could the disparity in strength really be overcome by these things?
Wang Lan shook his head.
"Then why did the Demon Clan retreat?"
"I don't know; their retreat was very sudden."
"Don't we have guns? We have missiles and even nuclear bombs, so why did we suffer such a terrible defeat?"
"Firearms are almost ineffective against the Demon Clan's army, except for low-level Demon Clan members. High-level Demon Clan members are simply not threatened by firearms, and they also have countless Exotic Beast armies.
As for missiles and nuclear bombs, they truly can cause effective damage. However, missile technology and nuclear bomb technology only emerged eighty years ago. By then, humanity had already been at war for a hundred years, resources were exhausted, and the population was on the brink of extinction."
At this, Wang Lan's eyes suddenly brightened. "What about now then? Our technology has leaped forward, weapons with long-range killing power are everywhere. Can we easily defeat the Demon Clan now?"
Qin Weimin gave a faint smile. "I am a weapons expert, as well as a military consultant, and this is one of the topics I've researched. Soldiers in Jade Country commonly think as you do, but the result of my research is... it won't work!"
"Why not?"
"Weapons aren't the key to decisive victory, at least not the only factor. Comparing the Demon Clan's capabilities to ours, their individual combat abilities and mobility are still not something we can match.
If the Demon Clan's tactics were similar to ours or were like ancient human warfare, we would certainly win. But the Demon Clan is different; they won't fight us in a straightforward battle.
The Demon Clan has not only its own members but also Exotic Beasts. There are deep-sea creatures in the water, flying creatures in the sky, and on the ground, there are burrowers, tanks, and mobile types. No matter how strong a weapon is, you must hit the target. Something like using missiles to swat mosquitoes—that level of precision is currently hard for us to achieve.
Moreover, the Demon Clan can open Different Dimensional Spaces to airdrop directly. If the Demon Clan invades, landing directly in our large cities, what do we do then? There are tens of millions of people in big cities; do we use missiles for a blanket strike? Use nuclear bombs to wipe out the Demon Clan?"
Wang Lan's chest instantly grew heavy. The military power of his previous life was similar to the present, and Wang Lan believed that no one could defeat Huaxia if it possessed long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. But now, the very rules of war had changed. What if an enemy could disregard distance and teleport directly into Huaxia's heartland, even into its major cities?
What could Huaxia do then? Would long-range missiles and nuclear weapons still be a deterrent? Making this comparison, Wang Lan realized their advantages couldn't be leveraged, while their disadvantages were unavoidable.
"So what shall we do?"
"Fight! What else can we do? Even if it comes down to the last person, we must resist. Human civilization began its rise five thousand years ago and has stubbornly persisted until today under the threat of the Demon Clan.
Our ancestors passed down civilization even in times of technological inferiority; we can do it too. To inherit civilization and protect humanity. This is the mission of us soldiers and also that of you Star Martial Warriors."
"Human civilization is a colossal machine, and we Star Martial Warriors are the armor on this machine. Every person is a part of the machine, and the existence of Star Martial Warriors is to protect this machine from harm..." Wang Lan muttered the Star Martial Warrior's declaration in a low voice, reflecting the faith of a Star Martial Warrior.
"Demons, demons—" Suddenly, a child in the car started to scream frantically. Following their gaze, a soul-shaking scene appeared before Wang Lan's eyes.
Out from the depths of the dense forest, there emerged a humanoid creature with a green head resembling an otherworldly being. Its occiput and back merged into one entity. It was over two meters tall, its legs folded and bent backward, which made it clear that this monster possessed powerful jumping capabilities.
On its ferocious face was a lamprey-like maw bristling with sharp teeth. Sharp spikes protruded from the tips of its fingers, and from its appearance alone, one could tell it was a warrior born for combat.
"Demon Clan warrior... Drive fast!" Wang Lan's face instantly changed, and the moment his words landed, the bus roared and sped forward abruptly.
Breaking free from the slope, the bus entered the gravel plain, and the Demon Clan warriors behind it swiftly gave chase.
They chased the bus by running and leaping, their speed comparable to a cheetah's. The bus had no brakes, so all Qin Weimin could do was use his exquisite driving skills to keep the bus balanced.
On the shimmering gravel, the bus couldn't go fast. The strong vibrations from traveling at eighty miles per hour on the rocky terrain nearly made Wang Lan vomit last night's dinner.
Several children in the bus weren't faring so well, with quite a few of them vomiting all over. Instantly, the acrid stench of vomit filled the bus, triggering a chain reaction of sickness.
The current situation made Wang Lan's nerves tighten. Casting aside all other considerations, he knew he was the only one who could protect the children on this bus. Accessing the system, he saw he had seventy skill points left and frenziedly added them to the Inch Strength Fist skill.
Bronze LV5.
Bronze LV6.
Bronze LV8.
Bronze LV9.
With only ten points left, he aimed to upgrade the skill to the silver level. However, after adding nine points, the last skill point just wouldn't apply, no matter how he tried. Damn it, why was it one point short?
Perhaps this was related to his own cultivation level; that was his only guess. If skill level upgrades weren't limited by character level, could a Starlight 1 individual possess silver, gold, or even platinum-ranked skills? He could only surmise that his Inch Strength Fist couldn't be upgraded to silver because of the limitations imposed by his Starlight cultivation boundary. From another perspective, reaching Bronze LV9 was the peak for skill upgrades within the Starlight boundary. This meant his Inch Strength Fist was now at the highest level achievable for someone at his cultivation. He couldn't quite estimate just how strong it had become.
"Wang Lan, have we lost them?" Qin Weimin suddenly cried out anxiously.
"Not yet, but if we maintain this speed, they won't catch up to us."
"That's no good!"
"What's wrong? Are we out of gas?"
"Ahead is Dead Gorge; there's no way out."
"What?" Wang Lan turned his head abruptly. He saw the gravel flat becoming narrower, hemmed in by cliff walls on both sides. In the direction the bus was heading, a sheer cliff face loomed. The bus had driven into a dead-end pocket.
"Brake, brake hard, stop—"
"The brakes are broken; we can't stop—"
BOOM—
A fierce collision sounded as the bus smashed directly into the cliff. Instantly, there was another round of children's wailing and howling. These children, pampered by their parents, had never experienced such dangers.
"Mr. Qin, are you okay?"
"My arm is a bit hurt, might be dislocated. I'm alright..."
"Open the door!"
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll hold the entrance to the gorge, try to buy as much time as possible. Whether we can survive depends on when the rescue team outside arrives."
Qin Weimin looked deeply at Wang Lan. "Brother, take care!"
Wang Lan immediately jumped off the bus and went to the rear. The environs of the gorge were like the back entrance of a stadium—Wang Lan had to guard the entrance from the outside. Not a single Demon Clan warrior could be allowed in, not even one.
"Big brother... come back, what are you doing... You came with me, you said you'd listen to me..." Song Jia's cries came from the bus.
"Jia Jia, I have good news for you. Big brother has awakened the Star Martial Warrior talent, so from now on, please call me a Star Martial Warrior! Don't worry, I'll protect you."
ROAR—
ROAR—
The roars, one after another, came from afar. The pursuing Demon Clan warriors weren't as numerous as at the start, but there were still nine of them. Nine Demon Clan warriors, facing someone who had just awakened their Star Martial talent the day before, was indeed a tough challenge.
As the Demon Clan warriors approached Wang Lan, they slowed their pace, their blood-red eyes staring at him. Although they were slowing down, the aura of slaughter emanating from their bodies grew even denser.
Fear spread through Wang Lan's heart, his pulse pounding violently. Suddenly, as if he had reached a critical threshold, the tension in his muscles eased. Wang Lan seemed to enter a state of serene clarity.
Some people stiffen up completely in the face of dire terror.
Others unleash incredible potential in the face of dire terror.
Wang Lan was the latter; after breaking through the critical threshold of fear, his body entered a state of extreme calm and heightened agility.
And in that instant, a Demon leaped high into the air, its sharp chitinous spike aiming a stab at Wang Lan's face.
Wang Lan appeared stunned, motionless as if petrified, while a look of disdain and cruelty spread across the Demon's face.
But in a flash, Wang Lan lightly swerved, avoiding the spike and simultaneously delivering a fierce punch to the Demon's chest. The evasion was also an attack, the timing and speed achieving a perfect balance.
The Bronze LV9 Inch Strength Fist erupted. The terrifying punch power, combined with the force of the Demon's descent, almost instantly caved in the Demon's chest armor. Then, with a sickening crack, a huge hole burst open in the Demon's back, and its internal organs sprayed out like the contents of a squeezed boil.
The green blood exuded a pungent, foul stench. The few Demons who were gearing up to pounce halted in their steps, their blood-red eyes fixed on Wang Lan.
Killing a low-level Demon Clan soldier, skill points +1, experience points +10.
WHIRR—
A warm current flowed through Wang Lan's body as the experience points filled up, and Wang Lan leveled up to Starlight 2 in an instant.
A character leveling up is most directly reflected by the enhancement of physical fitness. Although this enhancement was minuscule compared to the transformation from a normal person to a Star Martial Warrior, even a slight increase in strength was an additional glimmer of hope for survival.
Wang Lan bent down slightly, grabbed the chitinous spike from the Demon's arm, and with a forceful twist, broke it off, holding it in his hand as a makeshift weapon.
"ROAR—" Accompanied by a roar from one behind him, two more Demon Warriors once again stepped forward slowly, closing in.