Chapter 340

Chapter 340: Heroes Arise

The older strategists among them still remembered the extraordinary beasts from over a decade ago, even as far back as twenty years ago.

In those days, the extraordinary beasts were ferocious beyond measure, yet humans, fortified by their city walls, always managed to repel them with resounding victories.

But these creatures were evolving relentlessly. Despite their vast differences in size, appearance, and species, they seemed to be converging on a similar evolutionary path.

At the start of the year, the research institutes and the command department had jointly confirmed a new tactic employed by the extraordinary beasts. Yet, in less than a year, it seemed this record was on the verge of being shattered once more.

Until today, humanity’s understanding of the extraordinary beasts’ intelligence had remained stagnant, limited to the tactic where Second Level extraordinary beasts used First Level extraordinary beasts as shields.

This tactic, while indicative of evolution, was driven by coercion. Second Level extraordinary beasts naturally exerted dominance over First Level extraordinary beasts, making it feasible to force them into the role of shields.

But now, the Second Level insects were willingly transforming themselves into stepping stones, allowing the First Level extraordinary beasts—creatures that once roamed freely across the wilderness and plains—to climb over their bodies and scale the city walls.

This was evolution in its purest form.

And for thousands, even millions, of insect-like extraordinary beasts to willingly march to their deaths suggested that a supreme will might indeed be orchestrating these lowly lives outside Hope City.

That said, the most urgent matter at hand was not research but devising a strategy to counter this new tactic.

Outside the walls of Hope City, the bodies of the insects had piled up in dense layers, their foul-smelling bodily fluids wafting up to the top of the walls.

Soldiers with free-fire orders had already employed numerous conventional methods to fend them off, but the problem remained: no matter how many extraordinary beasts were killed, their bodies were not being cleared away. The so-called "steps" only grew wider and taller.

Using high-yield explosives, however, would inevitably endanger other frontline soldiers and risk causing significant damage to the city walls.

Just then, a broadcast near the west gate of the outer city crackled to life, and a familiar voice began issuing a new order.

The soldiers were instructed to retreat to the inner edge of the walls.

No one doubted the authenticity of the command. The broadcasts were one of their few sources of entertainment, and the voices of the announcers were instantly recognizable.

The voice on the broadcast belonged to the same person who usually delivered serious news, so the soldiers had no reason to question it.

Though they didn’t understand the reason for the order, the emotionless countdown on the broadcast made it clear that a plan was being set into motion.

In such a plan, being injured or killed by friendly fire was no trivial matter—this wasn’t a game where such risks could be toggled on or off.

The soldiers quickly retreated, clearing three-quarters of the front wall area and gathering behind the last line of defense, awaiting what was to come.

The same countdown echoed in the command center, where everyone stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the large screen, waiting for the superpowered individual to make their move.

Indeed, just moments ago, command over the fiercely contested west gate had been temporarily handed over to a superpowered individual from the first team—Starfall.

From a high vantage point, one could see an energy cannon at the top of the spire, its output power continuously adjusting as it charged.

At that moment, Starfall was using the precise coordinates provided by Infinite Scroll to make fine adjustments.

As the thirty-second countdown reached zero, the large screen in the command room flickered with static before displaying a no-signal message.

Clearly, the cameras had been destroyed by the explosion or some other impact.

The shockwaves from the blast were imperceptible to those in the inner city command center. Deprived of visual confirmation, they could only rely on their communicators for updates.

“Hello, hello, report on the west gate situation.”

“Received, received.”

A garbled voice came through the communicator:

“The steps near the city gate have been mostly destroyed. The surviving extraordinary beasts are filling in the gaps.”

“Continue observing!”

“Yes!”

On the terrace of the central spire, Starfall’s mind raced with activity.

The energy cannon’s power was immense; the recent operation felt like driving heavy machinery to open a tiny glass bottle, without causing any damage to the bottle itself. Even though she could manipulate it with her thoughts, the precision required was beyond the capability of ordinary superpowers.

With the latest data, Starfall continuously adjusted the trajectory, aiming to increase the power of the next shot while minimizing damage to the city walls.

However… as she looked at the images coming back from the direction of the outer city’s walls, a sense of helplessness welled up in her.

Having such an extraordinary weapon yet being unable to fire freely was incredibly frustrating.

The extraordinary beasts outside the walls appeared endless, and even with such heavy firepower, it seemed futile.

In the images Starfall observed, the large crater she had created just seconds ago was once again filled with extraordinary beasts.

Those reckless creatures began using their bodies to build steps again, with the highest steps now only about five meters away from the city wall.

The west gate was the most congested area for the extraordinary beasts, and she had to initiate a second strike immediately to ensure the temporary safety of the majority.

But just then, anomalies appeared—

“What’s happening? The signal…”

Starfall widened her eyes, staring at the screen, confused about why multiple cameras so far away from the west gate suddenly lost signal.

It was expected that the cameras near the blast site would be destroyed by the aftermath, but she had been relying on more distant surveillance for monitoring and adjustments. In just under a second, dozens of cameras inexplicably stopped responding.

"I didn’t even fire…"

Starfall felt puzzled, while nearby, Infinite Scroll immediately began repairing communications.

—

In the outer city, at the west gate.

Just moments ago, a violent sonic boom sounded, followed by severe tremors and dust swirling in the air, filled with countless small particles.

It felt as if a missile had exploded near the city wall, causing everyone to experience a brief ringing in their ears.

“Was that our cannon?!”

“I can’t hear clearly!”

“I said!”

“I can’t hear clearly!”

Such chaotic dialogues filled the walls. After realizing it was impossible to communicate for a short time, the trained soldiers and superpowered individuals quickly prepared for battle, looking toward the distant, lingering smoke.