To deal with the Chaos Beast and the large number of Mutants entrenched in the reactor chamber, Alex selected battle-proficient Players to form an assault team.
He personally led the team as the main force against the Chaos Beast.
The remaining Players formed a firepower team and a protection team.
The firepower team was responsible for setting up heavy fire positions.
They would provide fire support for the assault team.
The protection team was responsible for guarding the heavy fire positions and preventing Mutants from breaking through.
To ensure nothing went wrong, Alex also gathered the Players to conduct a simulation in the Tactical Projection Hall.
"It's back, it's all back, that feeling of group pioneering is back," Zigman said with a nostalgic expression.
When he was in school, he and his close friends often studied BOSS-fighting tactics like this.
After entering society, such opportunities became rare.
Even when old friends occasionally gathered, it was mostly for drinking and eating; they no longer played games together.
"I vaguely remember when we fought Illidan, we also stayed up all night studying tactics, analyzing positioning and output," Old Bird sighed, recalling his youthful days.
"Back then, I was still a naive young man, and now I am..."
"A no-longer-naive old man," the glib Warmaster completed the sentence.
Old Bird gave him the middle finger.
"Go away, go away, I'm still very young, alright? I just got my doctorate last year and entered society; now is my prime, the age when I have the most energy."
Bald Donkey, sitting nearby, feigned surprise, making an exaggerated expression.
"Wow, do doctors also like playing games like us internet-addicted teenagers?!"
"Is the word 'doctor' in conflict with playing games?" Old Bird pushed up his newly acquired tactical goggles.
"When I was studying plasma physics at MIT, my Warframe rank was Legendary 30."
Alex interrupted the Players' conversation, his tone serious.
"Stay focused, no whispering, and no talking about things unrelated to the battle."
"This battle will definitely be fierce. After the Eye of Terror was torn open by the Despoiler, the Warp daemons have all been strengthened to varying degrees."
"If you don't want to die in vain, focus all your attention."
...
After several simulations and confirming everything was foolproof, Alex led the Players into swift action.
They rushed into the reactor chamber, mowed down the Mutants, and established heavy fire positions.
Then they concentrated their firepower to encircle and eliminate the Chaos Beast.
The interior of the reactor chamber was spacious.
Above the chamber, sturdy metal pipes formed elevated platforms and metal bridges.
The ground was covered with thick pipes lined with magnetic coils.
They circled again and again around a black matrix platform covered in silver electromagnetic patterns.
Inside the matrix platform, a nascent star should have been imprisoned.
It was meant to power the battleship and maintain the operation of its various systems.
But at this moment, the matrix platform had long ceased operation due to the lack of maintenance from the Tech-Priests.
This was a very fortunate thing.
If the operating reactor had been detonated by the crossfire, it would have been a terrible disaster.
Imperial Glory would have exploded into countless fragments in the void.
The Chaos Beast entrenched next to the reactor matrix counterattacked the Players.
It was a terrifying monster, glowing with profane light, its body like a small mountain.
It waved countless limbs, and hundreds of mouths simultaneously emitted strange screams.
It surged forward like a tide, pouncing on the Players, or swinging its tentacles to attack.
The liquid substance forming its bizarre body changed constantly.
Many insane faces and restless eyes continuously formed and dissolved on its body.
With its howl, a large number of Mutants also rushed out from various corners and chambers, surging towards the Players like a tide.
"Heavy firepower suppression!" Little Fatty yelled, pulling the trigger.
"Don't let those monsters rush over! For the Emperor! For glory!"
The whirring of the rotating gun barrels tore through the air.
Scorching beams of light poured out like a torrential rain.
Mutant bodies convulsed and exploded in the light shower.
The smell of scorched flesh and ozone filled the chamber.
The gun barrels gradually turned dark red, emitting hot steam.
The energy indicator light flashed red, signaling that the battery power was about to run out.
Hordes of Mutants were riddled with holes.
They rolled onto the nearby drainage troughs and metal floor.
After two minutes of continuous firing, the multi-barreled laser gun's barrels slowly stopped spinning.
A crisp notification sound indicated that the battery energy was exhausted.
"Change the battery!" Little Fatty shouted to the Player next to him.
Two Players carried over a battery the size of an ammo box.
They fumbled to pull out the old battery's power cable and connect it to the new battery.
As the indicator light turned green, Little Fatty pressed the trigger again.
The gun barrels shrieked and began to spin once more.
Laser beams wove a deathly light net, harvesting the Mutants in swathes.
In the shadows, seven or eight strong-limbed Mutants with sharp fangs and claws crawled on the ceiling on all fours, as agile as lizards.
Their crimson eyes were fixed on the Players below.
They bared their fangs, emitting dangerous hissing sounds from their mouths.
Finding an opportunity to ambush, they suddenly pushed off with their legs.
Like hunters, they pounced on Little Fatty's heavy fire position.
Five Players were tackled to the ground on the spot.
Sharp claws instantly tore open their throats, and crimson blood spurted out.
This scene made Little Fatty's face instantly turn pale.
To carry more ammunition, they hadn't even brought pistols or melee weapons.
At such close range, facing these agile Mutants, they were unarmed and no match, sure to be torn to shreds.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sharp crackling sound of lasers cutting through the air continuously rang out.
All the pouncing Mutants were killed.
"Watch above, protect our heavy firepower units!" Zigman shouted, while aiming his laser gun at the agile Mutants on the ceiling.
The Players of the protection team also raised their guns and fired.
In a short while, they cleared out all those Mutants.
"You guys keep up the output, leave the rest to us," Zigman gestured to Little Fatty, indicating he had everything under control.
Little Fatty nodded and, with the Players from the firepower team, continued to aim their guns at the distant wave of Mutants and the Chaos Beast.
They provided long-range fire support for the assault team.
"Fire in the hole!"
Bald Donkey, standing on an elevated bridge, pulled the pin of a grenade and threw it towards the distant Chaos Beast.
Boom!
An explosion.
The trembling Chaos Beast let out a painful wail.
"Damn it, don't shout useless things at a time like this!" Scalp said, aiming his laser gun at the rushing Mutants.
"If I don't shout, it doesn't feel right," Bald Donkey took out another fragmentation grenade, threw it into the Mutant crowd, and shouted again.
"Fire in the hole!"
Instantly, the Mutants were blown to pieces, and bionic components sparking with electrical arcs were scattered all over the ground.
"You really played too much CF," Scalp used his rifle butt to knock down a rushing Mutant, then aimed the gun at its head and pulled the trigger.
With a flash from the muzzle, the Mutant's head was instantly pierced, leaving a charred wound.
Ding!
A crisp notification sound came from his waist.
Scalp slung the laser gun with its strap behind him.
He then smoothly drew a fully charged plasma pistol from his waist and fired at the Chaos Beast.
Amidst the sizzling sound of plasma, a plasma orb cut through the air and landed on the Chaos Beast.
It instantly vaporized one-third of the creature's body, causing it to emit an extremely mournful wail.
He shoved the overheated plasma pistol into its holster.
Scalp then picked up his laser gun and fired at the Mutants.
"It's time for a magnificent opening! The strongest ace marksman is here!" Tenjiro shouted, having accumulated Warp energy.
He pushed his hands forward, releasing seven ice-crystal-like Ethereal Shards.
They traced graceful trajectories through the air.
They precisely pierced the heads of the Mutants, causing them to fall in rows like cut wheat.
Finally, these Ethereal Shards all embedded themselves into the Chaos Beast's body, leaving shocking penetrating wounds.
"Be careful, don't overdo it," Twisted person, standing nearby, killed two pouncing Mutants, creating an output environment for Tenjiro.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Tenjiro said.
Alex was closest to the Chaos Beast.
He held a boltgun in one hand and a Power Sword in the other.
Bang!
A bolt hit a Mutant attempting to interfere with his actions.
It exploded on the spot, scattering blood and flesh.
A whooshing sound filled the air.
One of the Chaos Beast's tentacles struck at Alex.
Alex dodged the attack, redirected his gun, and fired continuously at the Chaos Beast until the entire clip was empty.
The Chaos Beast's tentacle was reduced to a bloody pulp.
Its body showed multiple gruesome wounds.
But it still didn't fall.
The Warp's evil power allowed it to withstand more damage.
Alex wanted to change clips.
But a tentacle thicker than his body struck, sending him flying.
With a thud, he slammed heavily into the wall.
His boltgun also flew out of his hand.
Cough! Cough!
Alex felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and the pain was unbearable.
If not for the protection of his power armor, that blow alone would have broken his bones and torn his tendons.
A strange hissing sound rang out.
Several Mutants pounced towards Alex.
Alex swung his Power Sword, covered in a force field glow, splitting the Mutants in half.
Then, he ran towards the Chaos Beast, which was waving its claws and fangs.
To protect Tenjiro, Twisted person was caught by the Chaos Beast's tentacles.
Realizing he couldn't escape, Twisted person dropped his laser gun and took two grenades from his belt.
He held one in each hand, pulled the pins with his mouth, and shouted, "For the Emperor!"
Boom! Boom!
The explosions severely wounded the Chaos Beast again.
Corrupted flesh, imbued with Warp contamination, splattered everywhere.
"Brother, I'm coming to join you," Tenjiro, due to excessive psychic power usage, knelt down, his nerves burning with excruciating pain.
Without Twisted person's protection, the Mutants took the opportunity to pounce, intending to dismember Tenjiro.
In the chaos, Tenjiro found a grenade and took the group of Mutants down with him.
"Ugly monster, I'll give you another shot!" Scalp raised his recharged plasma pistol.
He gave the Chaos Beast another blast of plasma.
The Chaos Beast wailed again, in unbearable pain.
"For the Emperor!" Alex seized the opportunity, running and shouting.
Then he leaped up, plunging the Power Sword in his hand fiercely into the Chaos Beast's body.
The Light of the Emperor skill activated.
Golden light surged along the blade into the Chaos Beast's body.
The Chaos Beast let out a shrill wail, and raging flames erupted on its body.
Finally, it was burned to charcoal and fell to the ground with a crash.
As the Chaos Beast died, Holy Terra (Earth/Reality) inexplicably trembled.
It was as if a poisonous thorn had been pulled out, allowing its suffering to subside.
[Congratulations, you gained experience. Level LV6 -> LV7. Understood skill: Blessing (Can bless weapons, increasing speed, lethality, and exorcism efficiency). Skill: One-handed Sword (Beginner) upgraded to One-handed Sword (Proficient).]
With the Chaos Beast defeated, the Players quickly annihilated the remaining Mutants and reclaimed the reactor chamber.
The highly motivated Players did not stop but continued to advance into other areas.
Alex, however, asked Old Bird, Maverick, Zack, and a few other Players to stay behind.
"Now, I'm going to give you a very important task."
A few Players showed excitement.
Surely, they had triggered a hidden quest exclusive to them?
This was their chance to get rich!
Unfortunately, the next second, their smiles vanished.
Alex said, "You guys need to figure out how to restart the reactor and get Imperial Glory running again."
"Whoever completes this task will receive 100,000 contribution points and one limited equipment draw qualification."
Old Bird: ""w(Д)w""
Zack: "[(ΩДΩ)]"
The remaining Players also exchanged bewildered glances.
Their eyes revealed a hint of confusion, wondering if they had misheard.
The Guide wanted them to fix the reactor??