Chapter 19 Game
Just as the army of the Holy Terra Empire was gaining the upper hand, the Crab Star Beast suddenly let out a deafening roar.
"roar!!!"
This roar was unlike any before.
It is not merely the transmission of sound, but more like an invisible spiritual impact, centered on the Crab Star Beast, forming a perfect sphere that spreads outwards.
In an instant, all the human soldiers within a radius of 300 meters felt dizzy, as if a heavy hammer had smashed down on their heads.
Their eyes were filled with fear, their minds went blank, and their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.
Even more terrifying, their minds began to go mad.
They couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and even started attacking their own comrades.
"Ah! Monster! Die!"
A soldier, his eyes bloodshot, brandished his spear and viciously stabbed his comrade beside him.
"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Another soldier huddled on the ground, clutching his head and screaming in terror.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Some soldiers went completely mad, hacking and slashing at anyone they saw and smashing anything in sight, becoming nothing more than killing machines.
The Holy Terra Empire's positions were instantly thrown into chaos.
"Damn it! What kind of skill is that?"
Commander Bard was also stunned by this sudden turn of events.
"Everyone, stay calm! Resist the mental attack!" But soon, Bard shouted, "Priest! Use Purification!"
The priests on the magic tower also realized the seriousness of the problem.
They quickly chanted purification incantations, and soft white light descended from the sky, enveloping the soldiers who had fallen into madness.
Under the effects of the purification spell, some soldiers gradually regained their senses, but others had gone completely insane, and even the purification spell could not save them.
While those war behemoths did not descend into madness like human soldiers, they were still affected to varying degrees.
Their movements became sluggish, and their attacks became chaotic.
The Crab Star Beast seized the opportunity and launched another fierce attack.
It swung its enormous claws, tearing apart the soldiers and war beasts that stood in its way.
The Holy Terra Empire's position was suddenly in grave danger.
...
Within the divine court of creation.
Bai Zhe's brows furrowed tightly. It wasn't that he was worried about the safety of the position. The Holy Terra Empire still had many powerful divine spells and trump cards that it hadn't used yet. If even a small crab could destroy his teleportation portal, then there was no point in even thinking about this invasion from another world.
Bai Zhe was wondering about something else.
"This battle cry skill... why does it feel so strange?" Bai Zhe muttered to himself. "Why is its effective range such a perfect sphere? Exactly three hundred meters, no more, no less?"
This reminded Bai Zhe of a skill setting in an old game: some monsters' skills are designed to cause damage or negative effects within a certain radius centered on themselves.
"Could it be that this Star Beast Jungle world is related to the game?" Bai Zhe had such a bold guess in his mind.
"Moreover, the way this skill manifests is too strange." Bai Zhe continued to think, "Ordinary mental attacks, even if they are invisible, should follow basic physical laws."
"The energy consumption for penetrating solids and penetrating gases is definitely different. But why does this skill's effective range ignore terrain and obstacles, maintaining such a perfect state?"
Bai Zhe was completely baffled.
Just then, the situation on the battlefield changed again.
After paying a heavy price, the army of the Holy Terra Empire finally killed the crab-like star beast.
The enormous corpse of the star beast crashed to the ground, and countless starlight particles drifted out from its body and dissipated into the air.
"These starlight particles…" Bai Zhe's attention was once again drawn to these starlight particles.
Through the divine sense attached to the black goat, Bai Zhe carefully observed the starlight particles drifting out from the corpse of the crab star beast.
He discovered that these things didn't seem to be ordinary energy, but rather some kind of... data stream.
Bai Zhe was startled; this discovery only strengthened his previous suspicions.
"Could it be that we're really fighting a 'game life'?" Bai Zhe muttered to himself. "But how is that possible? How can a 'game life' enter the real world?"
He was once a human being, and he also played video games. It was just a form of entertainment; it was virtual and unreal.
And now, he has actually discovered something that resembles a "game life" in a real world.
This is absolutely unbelievable!
"If these star beasts are truly 'game beings,' then who created them? Is it some higher being? Or is this world itself a giant 'game'?"
Bai Zhe felt increasingly alarmed as he thought about it. He felt as if he had touched upon some taboo, something beyond his comprehension.
However, compared to these vague speculations, Bai Zhe is now more concerned with another issue:
"Will these 'game monsters' respawn the next night after they've been killed once?"
If that's the case, then this war will become incredibly difficult.
This means that the army of the Holy Terra Empire will be facing an enemy that can never be completely killed or defeated.
"No, I have to verify it," Bai Zhe thought to himself.
He immediately sent a divine message to Bard, the commander of the Holy Terra Empire:
"Hold the line and don't launch any attacks. I'll decide whether to evacuate next night."
"Yes, my lord!"
Although Bard didn't know why Bai Zhe had given such an order, he carried it out without hesitation.
Under Bard's command, the Holy Terran Empire's army began to consolidate its defensive lines, relying on its positions for defense.
They cleared the corpses from the battlefield, repaired the damaged fortifications, replenished their supplies, and prepared to set up camp for defense.
For the next period of time, the Holy Terra Empire's army held its ground and did not encounter any new attacks from the Star Beasts.
This relieved everyone, but also made them even more puzzled.
Why haven't those monsters continued attacking us?
"Are they scared of us?"
"Perhaps they weren't even targeting us, and were just passing by?"
The soldiers discussed amongst themselves, speculating about why the star beasts had stopped attacking.
Commander Bard was also completely baffled. He had originally thought this would be a protracted and fierce battle, and had even prepared for the annihilation of his entire army.
But he never expected the battle to end in such a dismal way.
"Anyway, it's good that we're not under any further attacks," Bard thought. "At least we're still alive, and the portal is still safe."
He ordered the soldiers to take turns resting, remain vigilant, and continue to reinforce the fortifications in preparation for any eventuality.
And so, more than a month passed in a state of constant anxiety.
For more than a month, although no further battles occurred, the army of the Holy Terra Empire remained in a state of high tension.
They remained on high alert, constantly on edge, never daring to relax for a moment.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhe was observing the surrounding situation through the divine sense attached to the black goat.
He discovered that, over the past month, although the star beasts were still rampaging across the land, they all seemed to have their own "hunting ranges," always moving mechanically and repeatedly within these ranges. No wonder the natives of this world hadn't been wiped out by these brainless idiots.
They only operate within fixed areas, do not interfere with each other, and will not actively attack the Holy Terra Empire's positions.
"It seems that these 'game monsters' are indeed like wild monsters. Their movements are just mindless patrols following preset trajectories," Bai Zhe thought to himself. "The specks emanating from their bodies are not star power but game data. To be precise, they should be called 'game beasts' instead of'star beasts'."
Finally, one day more than a month later, the stars disappeared again, and the sun reappeared in the sky.
The Star Beast Jungle World has welcomed back the long-awaited daytime.
The Holy Terra Empire forces breathed a sigh of relief.
"A day/night cycle has finally come to an end," Bai Zhe murmured to himself. "Now, let's see if those slain star beasts will reappear