Chapter Thirty-Six: Intertwining Reality and Illusion

Outside, more than three hundred thousand green lights flickered violently.

Then, among the thirty thousand lights belonging to the Silver Dragon Legion, over a hundred went out simultaneously.

This extinguishing of a hundred lights was only the beginning; every second, dozens more vanished.

Ye Guangyu stared blankly at the scene.

He knew all too well that each fading light represented the sacrifice of a space soldier.

Without surprise—inside the virtual realm, a great battle had erupted, involving hundreds of thousands.

"Damn it!"

Ye Guangyu cursed angrily, his heart burning with anxiety.

He trusted Wang Yinlong completely, certain that Wang would make the right decisions.

Yet his agitation stemmed from being the supreme commander of the Space Army, forced to watch from outside, unable to fight alongside his men.

"Wang Yinlong, you bastard! If you don't win this battle, don't you dare come see me!"

Ye Guangyu dropped to his knees, pounding the ground with clenched fists.

At the same time, viewers across the nation watched in silence.

Though they couldn't witness the war directly, the changing green lights gave them a haunting sense of its brutality.

The same question surfaced, unbidden, in every mind:

What is happening in the virtual realm?

...

Within the virtual realm.

"Chen Nian! Xiao Hu! Stay behind me! Don't rush ahead!"

Old Li shouted hoarsely.

The two sides were locked in fierce combat; shouts, screams, and thunderous footsteps filled the air. The three were close, but had to yell to be heard.

"Kill!"

Xiao Hu roared, thrusting his spear into the belly of a coalition soldier before him.

The stone spear was only so sharp; it penetrated halfway.

The enemy howled, swinging a club at Xiao Hu's head. Just as it was about to strike, he froze—a knife tip appeared at his neck.

Chen Nian drew his bone blade, tossing the corpse aside, then swung again, decapitating a coalition soldier who tried to ambush from behind.

Blood spurted, drenching him in red.

Seeing this, Xiao Hu was stunned.

Chen Nian's voice was hoarse and fierce: "You two spent all yesterday hauling stones. How can you have the strength for a battle like this now?"

"Brother Chen! Don't say that! Today I'm giving it everything!"

Xiao Hu parried a coalition club with his wooden spear, then kicked his foe in the stomach.

But his strength was lacking; the kick only made the enemy stagger.

Yesterday, all three had been absorbed in making the boundary marker, pouring every ounce of energy into it. With today’s march added, they’d been working intensely for over thirty hours straight.

Under normal circumstances, let alone fighting—they could barely stand.

...

"Do you insist on dying here for satisfaction?"

Chen Nian stepped forward, taking advantage of the coalition soldier’s unsteady stance, stabbing him in the chest.

Seeing Old Li facing danger, Chen Nian quickly grabbed him, pulling him back a step to avoid a lethal blow.

In battles like these, even elite soldiers are limited.

Especially Old Li, injured and elderly; his combat ability was now inferior to Xiao Hu’s.

"You see the wounded man lying there? He’s not dead yet!

As your squad leader, I order you to take him to the rear!"

Chen Nian’s tone was harsh.

Xiao Hu’s eyes filled with tears, unable to speak.

"No one will blame you! You haven’t rested for a day! Do you really want to drag your comrades to their deaths for your own satisfaction? Or do you think they're not worth saving?"

Chen Nian shouted, his eyes bloodshot.

Old Li was more decisive; after hearing this, he hesitated no longer, pulling Xiao Hu toward the unconscious wounded man.

Seeing someone attempt to finish the wounded off, the two joined forces to deal with him.

...

"If you ask me, we shouldn't bother with them—but you insist, wasting time!"

Another voice in Chen Nian’s mind complained angrily, punching a coalition soldier before him.

The blow shattered the man's organs; blood gushed from his mouth.

Chen Nian said nothing.

"Heh, you're scared, aren't you? Never seen such bloody scenes?

Feels different from playing games, doesn't it?"

Sensing Chen Nian’s mood, the inner voice taunted.

"Aren’t you afraid?"

Chen Nian retorted.

"Afraid?

Let me tell you—there’s nothing in this world I fear!"

As he spoke, "Chen Nian" grabbed a wooden club flying toward him, yanked it hard, and a coalition soldier was pulled off balance, crashing toward him.

Bang!

"Chen Nian" drove his knee into the man's chest, caving it in—dead on the spot.

"There’s a tough one here! Get a few guys to deal with him!"

The coalition soldiers around him noticed Chen Nian’s ferocity, shouting orders.

At once, several men surrounded him.

Seeing this, "Chen Nian" grinned.

"Today, I’ll kill to my heart’s content! You better savor every moment—don’t miss this golden chance to gain experience!"

With that, he charged forward, stabbing a tall coalition soldier who rushed at him.

...

His blade moved incredibly fast; the tall soldier couldn't react—stabbed straight through the heart.

Several soldiers behind swung their weapons at "Chen Nian."

He spun, slicing through their wooden arms, then bent low, closing in on one.

Stab, stab, stab!

After several ruthless thrusts, he lunged at another.

"Kill!"

"Die!"

Within seconds, all five men who had tried to gang up on him lay in pools of blood, their deaths gruesome.

"Chen Nian" was drenched in blood.

But without pause, he laughed wildly, striding toward the densest throng.

...

Meanwhile, in a hotel in the imperial capital.

Several young people watched the livestream in silence.

The screen showed only a single green dot.

Below it, various statistics—heart rate, adrenaline secretion, and more.

The heart rate was linked to the green dot’s flickering; at this moment, it flashed frantically.

120 beats per minute...

180 beats per minute...

260 beats per minute...

300 beats per minute...

Seeing such a staggering rate, Lu Yixiu felt he could barely breathe.

Is that even a normal human heartbeat?

Beside him, Tang Ping’s eyes widened, hand covering his mouth, motionless, terrified that the green dot would fade away the next instant.

Zhou Zhirui stood behind them, expression grim, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.

300 beats per second...

Still 300 per second.

The green dot seemed about to extinguish at any moment, yet stubbornly persisted.

Two minutes passed like this; Tang Ping was the first to break.

"Damn! I can't take it anymore!

Next time the virtual realm opens, I swear I’m going in!"