Chapter 33: First Merger
The moment Lin Huai rose to her feet, before anyone could even see her face clearly, she scattered a handful of talismans as if they were worthless scraps of paper.
Thunderblast talismans, wind talismans, bright fire talismans, immobilization talismans, sure-hit talismans, and critical strike talismans—she threw out every offensive charm she had.
In an instant, violent explosions tore through the square, blowing apart vehicle fuel tanks and battery packs. Amidst the rising flames, fierce whirlwinds whipped the fire across the road, spreading the inferno everywhere.
Lin Huai’s wide, relentless barrage sent the players of Sector 587 scattering in panic. In a single breath, the force assembled by ‘If You Don’t Submit, Fight’ lost all will to fight.
Surrounded by a sea of raging fire, ‘If You Don’t Submit, Fight’ began to tremble with sheer terror. He looked up at the woman standing high atop the jade coffin lid, his voice shaking violently: “I… I surrender! Don’t shoot! Don’t kill me!”
The dark muzzle of Lin Huai’s submachine gun was aimed straight between his eyes. Her expression was completely cold, as if the rising casualties and roaring flames around her had nothing to do with her at all.
It looked as though taking his life meant nothing to her.
“Order your people to stand down,” she said, her voice freezing.
She tilted her chin toward the Bell Tower. “You and I are going up to retrieve the crystal.”
Looking down the dark barrel of her gun, seeing the massive floating greatsword poised over his head, and facing a woman who killed without batting an eye, the man was petrified. Nodding frantically, he pulled open his system menu and sent an urgent broadcast across the public chat.
[Fight If You Don’t Agree]: @Everyone, stop shooting! Everyone stop! We surrender! We yield, hold your fire right now!
As the zone’s rank-one player, his global alert forced a pop-up onto every player’s screen, ensuring the message was seen instantly.
The moment it went out, the fighters from Sector 587 dropped their weapons and ceased attacking. Seeing their opponents back down, the players from Zone 444 lowered their arms as well.
With the fighting halted, Lin Huai tossed out several dust-cleansing talismans. The swirling wall of flames vanished in an instant, and the muddy mixture of blood and rainwater covering the asphalt was wiped completely clean.
The acid drizzle continued to fall from the dark sky. Wearing her corrosion-resistant raincoat, Lin Huai jumped lightly down from the coffin lid.
The temporary protection on the man’s coat had already worn off, but terrified of making a sudden move to swap gear, he stood unprotected under the acid rain, his skin stinging and hissing from the burns.
He was used to playing the tyrant in Sector 587, surrounded by flatterers who made him believe he truly was better than the server’s top player—just down on his luck. Learning that the rank-one expert was an unbacked woman had given him supreme confidence that he could easily take her down.
Only now did he understand the horrifying gap between them.
Lin Huai dragged him along as they climbed the stone steps toward the top of the Bell Tower.
Reaching the summit was a test of nerve and balance; on the slick, narrow ledges, a single misstep meant plunging to the hard pavement below.
Standing high near the peak and watching Lin Huai tread carefully, the man’s eyes darted back and forth. Treachery flared in his mind, yet fear kept his hands frozen at his sides.
As he hesitated, searching for a chance to shove her off, a short-haired muscular man had already slipped to the roof of a nearby building across the square.
Yi Bo Yun Tian was a former mercenary who knew how to handle a rifle.
Meanwhile, Dragon Emerging from the Sea had been lying prone at his vantage point, holding his breath in absolute silence. He had not taken part in the open clash below. Though he had plenty of opportunities to pick off enemy drivers, he had never pulled the trigger.
His eyes had never even wandered across the general battlefield.
His sole mission was to keep his sights locked on the enemy leader, escort Lin Huai, and serve as her hidden trump card.
His gaze tracked Lin Huai’s every step, his crosshairs glued to the temple of ‘If You Don’t Submit, Fight.’
Suddenly, a faint glint of light flashed from another rooftop near the tower.
Dragon Emerging from the Sea adjusted his scope in a fraction of a second. There was another sniper on the opposite building!
Yi Bo Yun Tian knew his marksmanship was rusty, and he wasn’t certain he could land a clean headshot on Lin Huai. But if he could graze her and cause her to lose her footing from that height, it would be a massive victory.
Just as his finger tightened against the trigger, an armor-piercing mithril round tore through the stormy air from across the plaza. It ripped straight through his forehead before he could blink.
The muffled crack of the gunshot was swallowed by the howling wind and rain. Up on the spire, ‘If You Don’t Submit, Fight’ remained completely oblivious to the threat that had just ended.
By then, Lin Huai had reached the glowing stone. Gripping the gemstone in one hand, she caught the man’s wrist with her other, sliced his palm open with a quick flick of her blade, and slammed his bloody hand against the surface.
Drenched in the fresh blood of both leaders, the crystal flared with blinding brilliance.
The activation prompt flashed across both of their screens:
[Region Merging Crystal Activation Requirements: Yin Energy Crystal x100, Yang Energy Crystal x100, Star of Team Spirit x1]
The man cut his eyes toward Lin Huai. Seeing her furrow her brows in deep thought while balanced on the edge of the sheer drop, his fingers twitched.
His hands rose, creeping within an inch of her back.
Right at that second, Lin Huai looked up and gave him a faint, knowing smile.
He froze, unable to comprehend what that smile meant.
Crack!
A heavy sniper bullet split the rain, piercing through his temple with brutal force.
His body went limp and toppled backwards over the edge of the tower, his skull shattering on the flagstones below.
Lin Huai held the radiant gem in one hand and raised her other arm, giving a firm thumbs-up to the distant rooftop where Dragon Emerging from the Sea lay hidden.
She quickly deposited the hundred Yin crystals and hundred Yang crystals into the system window. Then she paused, racking her brain trying to figure out what the “Star of Team Spirit” could possibly be.
Even though she had lived through the apocalypse before, she had never led a zone in her past life. Information known only to top-tier leaders was completely foreign to her.
“We won! Zone 444 won! Hurray!”
A thunderous cheer erupted from the square below the Bell Tower.
Every player from Zone 444, alongside the long-suffering survivors from Sector 587, burst into wild celebration, hugging one another and shouting with joy.
Lin Huai felt her eyes sting with warmth. Caught in the wave of raw relief and happiness, a genuine smile spread across her face.
They had won.
Zone 444 was saved, and the oppressed survivors were finally free.
Down in the cheering crowd, countless points of pure joy and excitement rose into the gray sky, turning into glittering specks of light that drifted upward like glowing embers. High above the square, they came together, weaving into a brilliant, glowing white hexagram star.
Lin Huai’s eyes widened in realization. So that’s the Star of Team Spirit!
The glowing star dipped downward, sinking naturally into the crystal resting in her hand. The stone flared with blinding white light, dissolved into gentle sparks, and faded away.
A moment later, Old Hei’s electronic voice echoed in the ears of every surviving player across both sectors:
[Congratulations to player Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice for successfully activating the Region Merging Crystal! The regional merger is complete. The current official zone designation is District 44, Zone 444. System Assistant Old Hei will continue guiding you forward.]
[You useless bunch didn’t do half bad! Region merger reward: One self-heating hotpot for every survivor!]
