Location: The Western Flank – Outside the Trenches
The battle was spilling over. The Beast Tide was too wide to be contained by the valley. A pack of Shadow Wolves (Tier 2) had flanked the Iron Blood Sect's lines and was heading toward a refugee camp where the families of the "Operators" lived.
Zhang Wei stood on a ridge overlooking the camp. He held the Thunder Steel Spear.
"They are going to slaughter the civilians," Zhang Wei said, his grip tightening.
Li Mu sat on a rock nearby, peeling an orange. He watched the burning valley with a detached expression.
"That's war, kid," Li Mu said. "Lin Fan doesn't care about the families. They are 'non-essential assets.' The Alliance doesn't care. To them, commoners are grass."
"I care," Zhang Wei said.
"Then go," Li Mu tossed a slice of orange into his mouth. "But remember: Resonance. If you fight with anger, your heart blows up. If you fight with rhythm, you live."
Zhang Wei nodded. He closed his eyes.
Thump-thump.
He tuned out the screams. He tuned out the fire. He focused on the hum of the spear in his hand.
Sync.
Zhang Wei leaped.
He didn't land on the ground. He landed on the back of the lead Shadow Wolf.
[Thunder Breathing: First Gear – Flash Pierce]
The spear moved faster than sound. ZAP. It went through the Wolf's skull and exited the jaw before the beast realized it was dead.
Zhang Wei didn't stop. He pivoted, using the momentum to swing the spear shaft into the next wolf. CRACK. Ribs shattered.
He was a whirlwind of blue arcs and bloody steel. He wasn't overpowering them; he was out-pacing them.
But there were fifty wolves. And only one Hero.
A massive Alpha Wolf lunged from the shadows, its jaws aiming for Zhang Wei's throat. Zhang Wei was mid-swing; he couldn't dodge.
CLINK.
A pebble, flicked at high velocity, hit the Alpha Wolf in the ear.
The Wolf flinched, missing Zhang Wei by an inch.
Li Mu stood on the ridge, dusting his hands. "Sloppy footwork. Keep your center of gravity low!"
Zhang Wei gritted his teeth, adjusted his stance, and drove the spear upward, impaling the Alpha.
He stood amidst the carnage of fifty wolves. He was covered in blood—not his own. He looked at the refugee camp. The people were staring at him in awe.
"Go!" Zhang Wei screamed at them. "Run to the caves! The war is coming here!"
As the refugees fled, Zhang Wei looked toward the main battlefield. The smoke was clearing.
He saw the Iron Blood trenches. He saw the slaughter. And he saw Lin Fan standing on a tower, firing the Railgun into a crowd of cultivators.
"He's not fighting a war," Zhang Wei whispered, wiping blood from his eyes. "He's exterminating them."
"And he's winning," Li Mu noted, appearing beside him. "But he's running out of ammo. Look."
Li Mu pointed. The Railgun barrel was glowing white-hot. It was warping.
"The metal is stressed," Li Mu analyzed. "He can't fire again for ten minutes. The Alliance knows it."