Chapter 159 - 114: Floating City
Glacier World, in the heart of the Ice and Snow Jungle beneath an alpine ice field.
In the lush, ice-blue jungle, massive mutated creatures moved in and out of a great chasm at its center. Compared to the mutated creatures on the jungle’s periphery, these were larger, stronger, and covered in Scale Armor. Many also had wings sprouting from their backs, allowing them to fly.
High in the sky, not far from the central chasm, several massive Floating Cities were being besieged by countless winged, mutated creatures.
From within the Floating Cities, countless cannons attacked the mutated creatures. Storms of metal erupted from various parts of the cities, tearing any creature in their path to shreds.
Countless red lasers studded the Floating Cities like the quills of a porcupine. Any mutated creature that crashed into them was split in two, showering down a rain of blue blood.
Missiles launched intermittently from the Floating Cities detonated in the most densely packed areas of the creatures, each explosion claiming hundreds of their lives.
But the flying mutated creatures weren’t just taking the abuse. Their stats were high, and their flight speed was incredible. They could also spew a frigid mist from their mouths that froze anything it touched.
They dove from the sky, spitting their frigid mist toward the Floating Cities. A protective barrier stopped the mist some distance away, merely coating the barrier in an icy blue sheen.
A few mutated creatures misjudged their flight and flew into the protective shield. Their speed was immediately reduced, and they were promptly torn to pieces by nearby anti-aircraft cannons.
More mutated creatures charged toward the lower sections of the Floating Cities. In previous battles, the creatures had learned—at the cost of countless comrades’ lives—that the bottom half of a Floating City was its weak point.
They swarmed the protective shields on the lower half of the Floating Cities, spewing their frigid mist in unison. Gradually, the shields began to freeze over, transforming from ethereal Energy Barriers into solid walls of ice.
Once the shields were frozen solid, several massive chunks of bone were hurled from the chasm below, instantly shattering them.
The mutated creatures immediately formed squads and breached the lower sections of the Floating City, attacking its internal structure.
The Floating City, now without its shield, still fought back with all its might.
Countless mutated creatures were blown to bits. Their blood splattered across the Floating City, and the low temperatures it released gradually froze the affected areas, rendering them useless.
Slowly, more and more sections of the Floating City sustained damage. Its anti-aircraft fire gradually weakened. The energy source at its base was hit, no longer able to keep the city afloat, and it plummeted to the ground.
On the ground, the wreckage of more than a dozen smoldering Floating Cities already lay strewn about, surrounded by swarms of wingless mutated creatures.
The surviving Haiqiu Clan People inside the Floating City continued to attack the mutated creatures, operating whatever defensive systems were still functional.
Fearless of death, the mutated creatures swarmed out of the chasm like a tide, relentlessly assaulting the Floating City’s ground defenses.
The Floating City’s ground defenses were relatively weaker and couldn’t kill the mutated creatures fast enough. The creatures piled up, more and more of them, until the entire Floating City was completely overrun.
...
"Captain! The sounds of battle over there seem to have gotten quieter."
"Push harder! Let’s pick up the pace. We’re close to the objective now, so don’t let your guard down." Yuan Xiaobo stood at the head of the group, rallying his team members.
A short while ago, the squad had heard a series of intense explosions coming from their destination, so they decided to pick up the pace and force a march.
Because of what had happened to Niu Armor, the members of the exploration team no longer dared to move through the jungle alone. They were afraid of being ensnared by the mutated plants. The entire squad now moved as a single unit, and if there was an urgent matter, they would only go in pairs.
Dong Lin even shouldered the slow-footed Aburara, which significantly increased the squad’s overall movement speed.
Once they began their forced march, the squad no longer worried about the noise they were making. Fortunately, all the mutated creatures along the way seemed to be drawn to the intense sounds of battle up ahead. With no creatures popping out at them, the squad quickly reached the edge of the jungle near the site.
BOOM~~
In the sky, the last Floating City finally fell to the ground.
Countless mutated creatures were already waiting on the ground. The moment the Floating City landed, the surging horde of creatures stormed inside.
"Quick, save them!!"
The squad arrived just in time to witness this scene. Yuan Xiaobo immediately led them forward to help.
Lin Kong, Aburara, and Mirus remained on the periphery to observe the enemy (and avoid danger), while the rest charged directly into the swarm of mutated creatures.
Yuan Xiaobo took the lead. He activated his "Vajra" talent and, brandishing the Purple Copper Black Gold Rod in his hands, plunged straight into the horde.
"Annihilating Sweep!"
With a single sweep, Yuan Xiaobo sent all the mutated creatures in his path flying.
They flew into the air and came crashing back down. Before they even hit the ground, most of them had already been split in two.
Yuan Xiaobo swung his rod a dozen more times before the mutated creatures finally realized they were being attacked from behind. With a shriek from one of the creatures, the surrounding swarm turned to besiege the exploration team.
Although an unknown power had mutated them into Extraordinary Creatures, with stats far exceeding any of this world’s native life—to the point that they had even brought down the Floating Cities, the pinnacle of the Haiqiu Race’s technology—