CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262: THE ANNIHILATED FIFTH LEGION, HIGHEST ALERT STATUS_1

"The gap between people is truly immense," Wang Linchi sighed.

Ye Tian’s method for winning over the Third Legion left Wang Linchi in awe. There was no denying that a protagonist possessed a certain Leader-like Aura and passive abilities like Transcendent Charm.

As for him possessing one-fifth of it? That was temporary, not a permanent acquisition. It was like when Wang Linchi had temporarily acquired Zhu Tian’s Protagonist’s Aura; it had only amplified his own aura, not granted him Zhu Tian’s inherent traits.

"Perhaps it’s just that I have a bit more experience," Ye Tian said rather modestly.

The Third Legion was now under Ye Tian’s command, a fact the Game System also acknowledged. Strategically, Ye Tian was indeed leagues ahead of Wang Linchi.

Meanwhile, Wang Linchi pondered what would happen if his fifth Potential Position Soul Seed Material was combined with a Protagonist’s Aura. Would it become even more powerful?

He thought of the protagonist’s ultimate treasure from the two-realm flow genre, and the protagonist’s destiny from the reincarnation flow genre.

Hiss~ If this were made into a Soul Kind, wouldn’t it be invincible?

With this, he would become a protagonist slayer... well, "slayer" might be too arrogant. However, in terms of potential, it certainly wouldn’t be inferior to a Mythology level Soul Kind, and might even surpass it.

"Alright, I’ll leave things here to you. I’ll go check elsewhere to see if support is needed," Wang Linchi said.

The act was over. Ye Tian had successfully won over the Third Legion, and the transfer of power had gone smoothly. Wang Linchi naturally had no need to remain tethered here.

"Okay, be careful, don’t..." Ye Tian hadn’t finished speaking when the Game System issued another alert, this time in blood-red text.

[Fifth Legion annihilated. Mission status: Highest Alert.]

[All legions: Retake Wanxuan City or destroy the Abyss Offspring Egg within 24 hours.]

[Mission Failure: Complete Annihilation.]

Wang Linchi was flabbergasted. What in the world was going on?

"Do you know what an Abyss Offspring Egg is?" Wang Linchi asked.

He knew it was some kind of egg, but he had no idea what an Abyss Offspring actually was.

"I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it either." Ye Tian’s expression turned grim. Even in his previous life, no matter how dire the situation became, there had never been a threat of "complete annihilation."

"It looks like you can’t leave now," Ye Tian said. "To win, regardless of which condition we aim for, we’ll need to consolidate the power of all four legions."

"I’m not going with you. There’s no point," Wang Linchi refused. He knew this wouldn’t be simple. He added, "I plan to stir things up a bit."

Wang Linchi felt that Ye Tian could handle this. There was no need for him to accompany them, especially since he believed the four legions wouldn’t be of much use anyway.

He was also puzzled as to how the Fifth Legion could have been completely annihilated. After all, they were all Players and should have been able to resurrect.

Unless... in Wanxuan City, death means no resurrection! Wang Linchi couldn’t help but consider this possibility.

Once occupied by the enemy, the Game System’s influence might not fully extend into the area. That could be why they couldn’t resurrect, and perhaps even why they died permanently—in real life.

More importantly, there was the Abyss Offspring Egg. He knew this was no simple matter.

Moreover, Wang Linchi found the timing too coincidental. He had just siphoned off a fifth of Ye Tian’s Protagonist’s Aura, and disaster had struck almost immediately afterward.

It was highly probable that Ye Tian’s diminished aura could no longer suppress something, leading to this crisis.

"Alright, take care then." Ye Tian didn’t insist. The two Players had different playstyles, followed different paths, had different areas of focus, and approached combat differently.

The two soon parted ways. Ye Tian didn’t have the Third Legion and First Legion rendezvous directly. Instead, he had the First Legion come to their location, as the Third Legion’s progress was far ahead. The Third Legion was on the verge of capturing the city gate, while the First Legion probably hadn’t even sighted it yet.

Wang Linchi departed quickly, silently scaling the city walls with Saint Master and infiltrating Wanxuan City ahead of everyone else.

Although the Third Legion had secured the city gate, they had not yet advanced into the city proper.

It’s densely packed with monsters...

And, as expected, most of the Game System’s powers are ineffective here.

He checked the system alerts: not many game mechanics remained active. Crucial functions, like resurrection, were explicitly marked as "ineffective."

There was some good news, however. Here, Wang Linchi’s "little helper"—his ability to exploit the system—flourished like a fish in water. Because the Game System’s monitoring mechanisms had also failed, he could use his plug-ins without any concern.

It’s a bit off; I can only access thirty percent of my unsealed strength.

It was by unsealing this thirty percent of his true strength that Wang Linchi had managed to disguise himself as an Abyssal Demon and successfully infiltrate their ranks.

But it’s not all bad news. At least I don’t have to worry about true death.

If he were to die here, he would at most lose this thirty percent of his power and then naturally awaken in the real world. He also didn’t need to worry about the lost power; the Self-healing Soul Seed Page would eventually help him recover it, given enough time.

So, this place is already considered Abyss territory, isn’t it? Wang Linchi thought gravely. Considering this, a mission of this nature made much more sense.

Wang Linchi stealthily advanced towards the city center. All the Demonized Creatures and Abyssal Demons had lost their sanity, seemingly controlled by some other entity. Those on the periphery surged outward, while those deeper inside were engaged in a savage melee, scattering dismembered limbs, chunks of flesh, and shattered bones everywhere.

Large and small Abyssal Gaps riddled the city, and every second, hordes of Demonized Creatures and Abyssal Demons crawled out from them. These weren’t limited to level 10 dungeon monsters; level 20 and even level 30 creatures were present. There might have been even higher-level ones, but he hadn’t seen any. The power of the God-given World to contain such breaches was still somewhat effective. Even though Wanxuan City had been torn open, the resulting gap was fortunately not immense. It could probably only prevent monsters above level 30 from entering.

Is the Abyss Offspring Egg hatching?

Wang Linchi observed the scene of mutual slaughter, a chill running down his spine. Why else would they be killing each other indiscriminately if not to fulfill some specific need or demand?

He didn’t venture too deep, not even into the area where they were slaughtering each other. Why would he go in there? To get himself beaten up?

In other words, Wanxuan City is important, yet also not critical. We either retake this territory or destroy that egg. From a distance, Wang Linchi could see the strangely patterned, fleshy egg at the center of Wanxuan City.

The fleshy egg pulsed with a rhythmic squirming, seemingly absorbing some kind of power from the corpses of the Abyssal Demons and Demonized Creatures.

With thirty percent of my strength, it should be enough for me to blast Wanxuan City once, right? Wang Linchi mused.

No, that probably won’t work... He suddenly recalled that he could previously self-destruct at will because the Game System would absorb the consequences. Now, without that safety net, it was naturally impossible.

As for returning to an area where the Game System could provide that safety net, he would then lose access to this thirty percent of his real-world power. It was a true dilemma.

I can only try to find a balance first, and I’ll need sufficient coordination.

Mental Interference was a power with vast potential, ranging from overturning physical laws at its peak to merely serving as a blunt force at its most basic. Its upper and lower limits were inherently far apart. It was only with the Game System’s backing that Wang Linchi could elevate his Mental Interference to the level of a powerful plug-in. Otherwise, on his own, he could only use it as a crude weapon, like a fist.

Alright, now let’s consider what benefits this situation holds for me.

Wang Linchi narrowed his eyes. He had already tested it: in Wanxuan City, killing Demonized Creatures and Abyssal Demons yielded no Experience, Abyss Crystals, or points. It was essentially killing for nothing.

So why should he gamble thirty percent of his true power on this endeavor?

Completing the mission offered rewards, but the current outlook was bleak. If they failed, they would all be wiped out. This turned a potentially profitable venture into a losing proposition, and Wang Linchi wasn’t about to agree to that.

If this doesn’t work, should I fleece Ye Tian again? Wang Linchi had a sudden thought. Anyway, the protagonist and the Game System must be in cahoots. If the Game System won’t provide the benefits, getting them from Ye Tian is practically the same thing. Besides, this is a good chance to test if the reduction in Ye Tian’s Protagonist’s Aura was indeed the trigger for the Abyss Offspring Egg’s appearance.

Okay then, I’ll head back first to assess the situation and share this intelligence.

I wonder if Ye Tian has finished integrating the remaining two legions. At a time like this, his Protagonist’s Aura should be at its most potent.

Don’t ask how Wang Linchi knew this; the one-fifth of temporary Protagonist’s Aura he possessed was currently flaring up, as if stimulated by something.

This Abyss Offspring Egg... it seems to be a protagonist too? Wang Linchi narrowed his eyes; this was his intuition. If that’s true, then this is terrible.

Wang Linchi had no concrete evidence, but for some matters, evidence wasn’t necessary.

Two protagonists in opposition, and Ye Tian seems to be at a disadvantage.

Having lost one-fifth of his Protagonist’s Aura, how could Ye Tian possibly have the upper hand?