Cheat Awakening

The nightwalker's lair was a vast cave, roughly the size of two football fields, including the spectator stands. Jagged rocks jutted out in all directions within.

The most striking feature, however, was the enormous oak tree in the centre, so large that it would take ten people to encircle its trunk.

Moonlight streamed into the canopy of this great oak. Within its luminous glow, several nightwalkers were kicking their round skulls back and forth. Others could be seen lurking among the intricate stone pillars.

Although most nightwalkers ventured out to roam, some remained near the big oak. Despite their lack of intelligence, they seemed to possess an instinctual understanding of the tree's importance.

And at this moment...

"Boom!"

An explosion ripped through the air just outside the cave entrance!

The tremor instantly caused every nightwalker in the lair to raise their heads, a flicker of madness igniting in their scarlet eyes!

Some of them leapt up immediately and charged towards the source of the sound!

But others remained where they were.

"It's working, though not by much," Mr. Red said, positioned with his men at a high-angle entrance, surveying the scene below. "There are probably more than forty of them."

They had used the explosion to attract the nightwalkers' attention, but they didn't dare try it a second time. After all, if they attracted the wandering nightwalkers from the city, everything would be over.

And now Ache and the two guards are driving to lure them further, hoping to keep those that just chased out occupied for a little longer.

"It's our turn!"

With a swift gesture, Mr. Red signalled, and several grenades arced through the air in another direction!

"Bang!"

The force of the grenade blasts erupted in clouds of dust!

Simultaneously, Mr. Red and his men, along with the breakout group led by the bearded man, jumped down from a different vantage point!

"Charge!"

They moved swiftly into action!

The surrounding nightwalkers roared ferociously, lunging at them with bloodshot eyes! Their terrifying physiques and steel-like claws threatened to tear the humans to shreds!

"Turn on the ultraviolet light!"

The bearded man bellowed!

In the distance, the tower personnel instantly activated the ultraviolet spotlight. The intense UV rays slammed into the onrushing nightwalkers, forcing them to recoil!

The tower personnel did not directly target the main force but provided crucial support. Flames spat from the machine gun's muzzle, a barrage of bullets tearing into the nightwalkers, clearing a path for the ground team!

All of this was to deliver the vehicle, laden with a terrifying quantity of explosives, to the base of the big oak tree.

"Here we go!"

Achoo, gripping the steering wheel of the armoured vehicle, watched as the path ahead cleared. With a determined yell, he slammed his foot on the accelerator, the vehicle surging forward with reckless momentum!

A wave of nightwalkers shrieked wildly, pouring in from all sides! They instinctively sensed the danger and converged on the vehicle!

"Stop it!"

Shiny Star, shedding her previous timidity and ceasing her whimpering, roared and hurled her equipment. A blood-stained rope snaked through the air, ensnaring several nightwalkers in a tight bind!

At the same moment, additional ultraviolet light flooded the area, pushing back the encroaching nightwalkers!

Just then, five nightwalkers leapt into the air, targeting the tower personnel operating the ultraviolet lamp. Though not intelligent, they instinctively recognised the greatest threat and prioritised its elimination!

"Be careful!" The tower personnel unleashed a hail of bullets, impacting the nightwalkers' bodies repeatedly.

"We must not let them destroy these things!"

But the sheer number of nightwalkers overwhelmed them. As the tower personnel were restrained, seven more nightwalkers hurtled from above towards the armoured vehicle.

Achoo's face paled, and he instinctively moved to wrench the steering wheel.

Suddenly, Mr. Red appeared on the hood of the armoured vehicle, bracing himself against the frame. "Don't worry," he said in a deep voice, "keep your foot on the accelerator, and leave the rest to me."

Achoo gritted his teeth. "Okay, let them witness my legendary ability to fail the driving licence exam three times in a row!"

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, pressed down on the accelerator, and drove straight towards the massive oak tree!

"Roar!"

More than a dozen nightwalkers, their mouths agape, emitting a putrid stench of decay, stood guard before the big oak, attempting to collide head-on with the armoured vehicle!

Mr. Red's four pupils shifted in colour, and he prepared to unleash his ultimate ability.

"I'll do it!"

Magmascorch yelled, tossing his flamethrower aside. The gloves on his palms flickered subtly, indicating that he had been wearing this equipment constantly, and his small, crimson-tinged figure hidden in a big robe would soon be revealed upon activation.

"Boom!"

The terrifying air cannon blasted out from the force of the punch, and the massive impact scattered the nightwalkers on the road; some were even flung away like rag dolls!

Simultaneously, Magmascorch was thrown back ten meters by the recoil. His small goblin body crumpled as he fell to the ground, seemingly dying. Thankfully, this was just a game, so he didn't have to worry about losing his life. He glanced at the information that popped up.

[ Life value loss 30%, current endurance remaining: 5 points (Temporary) ]

Magmascorch smiled bitterly and said weakly, "I charged in, I did my part, I fell, and the rest is up to you... F*ck, that hurts so much..."

Although Mr. Red currently wielded only a fire axe, hardly suitable for his two-meter-tall frame, he possessed an exceptionally high level of combat experience. His four eyes were sharp, his face was cold, and his entire red-hued body exuded the aura of countless brutal battles fought amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He blocked all the nightwalkers approaching the vehicle with great momentum!

"It's going to hit!"

Achoo's face was stern as the armed vehicle sped forward at eighty kilometres per hour, hurtling fiercely toward the large oak tree.

Just as the vehicle was about to crash into the tree, Mr. Red, who was on top of it, reached out, grabbed Achoo, and dragged him out of the driver's seat through the window. Then, with all his might, he kicked off the vehicle and jumped to the side.

"Boom!"

The massive explosion sent out a terrifying shockwave, and a cloud of smoke and dust erupted! Countless pieces of gravel burst outward at incredible speed from the impact! The entire cave shook slightly, giving the illusion that it might collapse at any moment.

The explosion echoed through the cave, making the eardrums of everyone present tremble. Their expressions were a mixture of excitement and nervousness as they all stared at the location of the large oak tree, now shrouded in a dust cloud.

"Success?!" Someone among the tower people asked, nervously swallowing saliva.

"No."

The bearded man's lips suddenly turned pale, and the cigarette butt fell from his grasp to the ground. He stared at the large oak tree in disbelief. A group of nightwalkers, God knows from where they had come and used their bodies to surround the tree at the last moment, shielding it from the explosion.

Even though the terrifying blast had torn them into a bloody mess, their limbs broken and scattered, and even the oak tree was badly damaged, it had tragically survived, standing still and proud, seemingly mocking everyone for treating it like just a mindless tree that would stand and let them destroy it!

"No!! No! How can this be possible?"

The bearded man roared, unwilling to accept this reality. His fingers tightened on the trigger of the machine gun until the barrel, melted and deformed by the extreme heat, remained stubbornly in his grip.

The expressions of the tower guards shifted from initial hope to astonishment, and then their eyes dimmed. Many of them even dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, directly surrendering the fight.

"We actually failed."

The Shiny Star turned her bloodied face away, unable to look at the desperate expressions of the people in the tower. She lowered her head and said weakly, "I thought we were different from those outsiders. But we still couldn't escape the ending of failure."

Mr. Red remained as calm as iron, even though he had also been injured by being too close to the explosion. This did not shake his unwavering will. He looked at everyone and said, "Retreat first! As long as we haven't been wiped out, we can't give up!"

However, as he finished speaking, a low roar of nightwalkers echoed from outside the cave.

The explosion of the nest had also drawn back the wandering nightwalkers!

Mr. Red looked at the constantly appearing nightwalkers with a gloomy face. Now, even his iron will waver slightly, and he let out a heavy sigh.

He feared they couldn't even retreat now.

Magmascorch lay on the ground, vomiting blood as his health continued to decline.

The Shiny Star wore an expression of despair, and like the tower guards, she had already given up. It was a miracle that someone as selfish as her had done so much for some NPCs, but ultimately failing had dealt her a critical blow.

As for Achoo, he lay unconscious beside Mr. Red's feet; his frail cat body couldn't withstand such a large explosion, and he had long since passed out.

Just when everyone had accepted their fate and was ready to become food for hundreds of nightwalkers, hoping for a quick end to their suffering, a voice suddenly sounded from an entrance at the top of the cave, like a ray of light in endless darkness, accompanied by the strange sound of a pipa!

It echoed throughout the entire cave!

Stern and low, it sounded like thousands of swords clashing in the rainy night, intensely passionate!

The tempo increased, becoming more rapid and more shocking!

Such a sound in such a scene shocked not only the players but also the survivors in the tower and the nightwalkers.

Everyone had only one thought in their mind.

What the hell is going on!?