Wang Cheng was intrigued after hearing Leng Yan's explanation. Since this thing was an independent system, even if it was connected to the planetary AI, the computing power left behind was likely pitifully low. That power was only enough to calculate military merits.
Wang Cheng followed Leng Yan's example, sat inside the virtual cabin, put on the helmet, and placed his hands on the control panel in front of him.
"The controller manages weapon firing, aiming, and reloading. The external weapons synchronize with your actions. The virtual helmet is a super auxiliary targeting system—it makes it easier to lock onto monsters without needing to do a lot of calculations."
After putting on the virtual helmet, Wang Cheng's vision instantly changed. It turned into a first-person shooting view, as if he were sitting behind the weapon and operating it himself.
This thing was easy to use. Even a beginner who had played first-person shooter games before could quickly get the hang of it.
When Wang Cheng looked into the distance through the screen, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
He instantly saw dark clouds rolling in from the horizon, along with an overwhelming flood of monsters surging like a black tide.
"Acheng, you see that? That's a beast tide. Except for beings above planetary level, no one can survive it…"
Wang Cheng deeply felt what Leng Yan meant. In his past life, he had watched the movie Starship Troopers, but even the scenes of swarming bugs in that film couldn't compare to what he was witnessing now.
Using the targeting system to zoom in, he could see scattered martial artists in the front of the beast tide frantically fleeing for their lives.
But with the interference of flying monsters in the sky, they couldn't focus on escaping.
Eventually, when they turned to fight back, they were instantly overwhelmed by the monster horde. Needless to say, the outcome was death with no chance of survival.
Now Wang Cheng finally understood why aircraft were the best lifeline in the wild. Even with flying monsters interfering, these aircraft didn't lose any speed. Their armor could withstand attacks from ninth-tier apprentice-level monsters.
With full thrust, they quickly distanced themselves from the monster horde and flew toward the fortress.
Thanks to friend-or-foe recognition systems, they didn't need to worry about being attacked by defense weapons. The aircraft suffered no losses, and those inside were safe.
No wonder Wang Hao and Leng Yan both turned pale at the mention of beast tides. If one encountered such a tide, their life was probably over.
At that moment, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Wang Cheng's ears.
"Weapon safety unlocked. Authorized for free fire. Killing monsters will earn military merit. Killing humans will result in significant merit deductions. Maliciously harming humans will lead to forced labor or death penalty. Please do your part to defend humanity."
Leng Yan's voice followed at just the right time: "Acheng, be careful not to hit any humans. Of course, if someone suddenly jumps into your line of fire, there's nothing you can do. You may now begin shooting, but pay attention to the base of the city wall. Be on guard for burrowing monsters trying to ambush us…"
While listening to Leng Yan's reminder, Wang Cheng carefully observed the beast tide.
Suddenly, a red-and-white beam shot out from nearby, cutting a path hundreds of kilometers long and several meters wide through the monster horde. But it was instantly filled again by the surging beasts.
Wang Cheng was stunned by the destructive power of the laser cannon: Is that the fortress's super laser cannon? One blast probably killed over 100,000 monsters. Even lord-level monsters could be vaporized instantly. A planetary-level monster would also fall if hit directly.
Taking a deep breath, Wang Cheng forced himself to calm down. The previous strike seemed to be the signal to begin the attack. In an instant, countless beams and shockwaves rained down on the monster tide.
Wang Cheng noticed that the monsters were now less than 50 kilometers from the city walls, which was already within range of the defensive weapons.
Looking at the oncoming monsters, Wang Cheng didn't hesitate. He immediately locked onto one and pulled the trigger.
With a light vibration, as if an explosion roared outside, a solid alloy-tipped bullet shot toward the monster horde with a terrifying whistle.
Traveling at over 20 times the speed of sound, the bullet seemed to bring a wave of scorching heat with it.
The targeted monster, still running in Wang Cheng's view, had its head instantly blown apart like a smashed watermelon.
The massive beast, weighing over ten tons, lost control and collapsed forward, crushing who knows how many low-tier monsters beneath it.
In the top right of Wang Cheng's view, the number "1" appeared. He raised an eyebrow—Is that the kill count?
He wasn't sure what it meant, but he knew the monster he killed was mid-tier apprentice level. So the number likely represented either kills or merit points.
Leng Yan didn't pay attention to Wang Cheng. For her, it was more important to use the time to kill monsters and earn merits.
Compared to her son's side, the energy weapons she used were much more effective—whether against flying monsters or those without special armor.
Wang Cheng also became engrossed in the game-like shooting experience, continuously firing into the monster horde.
In contrast, Wang Hao and the others were having a tough time. They were all on aircraft in the air, closely watching the area just outside the city walls.
If any monsters emerged from underground, it would be their job to intercept and eliminate them—by far the most dangerous task.
Wang Cheng glanced at the shared position displayed on his wristwatch and looked toward one of the aircraft. According to the location, his father was probably there.
Since things below were quiet for now, he shifted his attention back to locking onto and shooting monsters.
For him, killing general-level monsters wasn't difficult. But high-tier apprentice monsters were out of his reach.
Their reaction speed and agility were far superior to general-level monsters.
Even Leng Yan couldn't kill those high-tier apprentice monsters. Luckily, the AI could handle them.
Watching his kill count grow only slowly, Wang Cheng couldn't help but complain:
"This number must represent merit points, but the merit system is way too stingy. Low-tier apprentice monsters give no merit at all. Mid-tier ones give just a bit. I wonder how much the high-tier ones give?"
To Wang Cheng, the merit system felt miserly, though he didn't yet know what the points were for.
These merit points could be exchanged for water source coins—ten merit points for one coin.
That's what made them so valuable. Even more importantly, they could be used to offset crimes. So for humanity, beast tides were both a crisis and an opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
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