Chapter 100 – Reinforcements

Volume 3: Rising Winds and Clouds

The newcomers were a squad of expressionless adult men. They all looked exactly alike and stood nearly two meters tall.

There were not many of them-only around a hundred.

Each wore a full suit of futuristic exoskeleton armor and carried an enormous Gun. Together, they presented an imposing sight.

Fang Wenhai, of course, knew what these men were. No matter how formidable they looked, they could not possibly match true Class Holders.

This was the Military's Armored Clone Corps.

Clones were artificial lifeforms. Every one of them inevitably possessed the same Skill.

Human Creation (F-Rank, Passive Skill): This creature was produced artificially. Although it possesses the characteristics of life, it has no soul and retains only a limited number of instincts. It may evolve by devouring the corpses of Mutant Creatures, but will not acquire Skills through evolution. Skills may be acquired through special channels.

This Skill was a restriction the Ruler had placed upon artificial life. According to Military research, Human Creation could not be forgotten or altered by any means.

These soulless "humans" could not even enter a Treasure Land. Since the Armored Clone Corps had made it inside now, the Academy of Sciences must have achieved another technological breakthrough.

At the sight of the reinforcements, Fang Wenhai nodded to Wei Tian at their head.

Wei Tian smiled faintly and took out a controller. After working its controls for nearly ten seconds, he sent the entire Armored Clone Corps into motion.

The clone Warriors marched with mechanical precision, filed through the gates of the Outpost, and slowly advanced toward the Bipedal Lizards.

Fang Wenhai frowned as he watched the Armored Clone Corps below.

"From what I can tell, these clones haven't undergone any Enhancement or Promotion."

Wei Tian, now standing beside him, shrugged.

"We were never going to use Magic Crystals on them. Besides, our tactics for this corps never involved sending them into a conventional battlefield clash…"

Fang Wenhai knew the unit existed, but he had never witnessed the Armored Clone Corps in battle.

Wei Tian saw the question in his eyes and chuckled.

"See those Guns?"

Fang Wenhai could hardly miss the imposing weapons in the clones' hands. He had assumed they were a new weapon developed by the Academy of Sciences and brought here for a battlefield trial.

Wei Tian's explanation was nothing like what he expected.

"They look good, don't they? I thought so too, which is why I fitted the clones with them. But they're just models. Toys."

"You have to understand what clones are. Unless we implant memories, they know nothing. They have no thoughts or emotions. A lifeform like that is best suited to becoming a living bomb…"

Fang Wenhai fell silent for a long moment, then nodded.

There was no point discussing humanity with these mad scientists, especially during the Apocalypse.

Still, using the clones this way did magnify the value of the corps enormously.

While Fang Wenhai considered the implications, another ripple passed through the Treasure Land entrance.

An army of a thousand rushed through and headed straight for the wall.

A red flame emblem adorned the backs of their dark green uniforms.

The man leading them appeared to be in his thirties. As he directed the troops toward the wall, he pulled out a Walkie-Talkie and called loudly into it.

"Hello, hello? Ah-Hai, the Mana Mage Special Operations Unit is reporting for duty. I hope those Demon Spawn haven't already gotten you, Kid…"

"The other two special-Class units will be here soon!"

After a brief silence, Fang Wenhai's voice came through the Walkie-Talkie.

"You're right on time, Shen Yi. And when the fighting starts, make sure your precious special Class Holders don't piss themselves!"

…

Communications returned not long after the third nuclear explosion.

The equipment the Military had invested so heavily in developing proved reasonably reliable.

The first report brought news of the Outpost's current situation: countless Level 5 Bipedal Lizards were charging straight toward it.

Given the Military's available manpower and number of powerful fighters, Fang Wenhai held little hope that the defense would succeed.

His only request was for Wen Yu and Kuangliu to return at once.

After a brief discussion with Kuangliu, Wen Yu quickly made his decision.

They had to go back.

If the Outpost fell, the soldiers on the front line would be trapped inside the Treasure Land with no escape. Wen Yu and Kuangliu would be buried here with them.

Once they had exchanged their views, Wen Yu ignored the nearby battle between Military Warriors and Bipedal Lizards. He studied the map of the Treasure Land and considered their withdrawal route.

After a moment, he decided.

"Everyone withdraw toward the Outpost immediately. Xing and One-Eye will stay behind to cover us!"

At the simple order, the Military Warriors rapidly finished the battle at hand. With Wen Yu and Hao Yun at the tip of their formation, they began retreating toward the Outpost.

Kuangliu, farther away, had already started back ahead of them.

His influence within the Military was far beyond anything Wen Yu could match.

…

Retreating through the countless low-level Bipedal Lizards was anything but easy.

The mindless creatures had only one thought: kill every living thing not of their own kind.

Their terrifying reproductive ability had already filled the entire front line with more of their kind. Wen Yu could not simply leave the few surviving soldiers behind to hold their ground.

Without him, they would never withstand the assault.

The others might have been another matter, but Wen Yu would never leave Hao Yun and Xiao Xue here to die.

Doing so would shatter his partnership with the Military.

There was something else on his mind as well.

Whether he killed low-level Bipedal Lizards or Level 5 ones, he would still be killing. By his estimate, the entire Outpost would soon become a vast slaughterhouse. He would not be any safer there than he was here.

After weighing the options, he decided he might as well bring the Military Warriors back with him.