Chapter 69: Tastes Like Chicken—Crispy and Crunchy!

Outside the city gate, the players were filled with both fear and rage.

Some used all their strength to push the gate, but it didn’t budge an inch.

Others turned their eyes to the city wall, only to be instantly overwhelmed with despair.

It was far too high to climb, and the surface had no visible gaps or footholds.

“Damn it! They’re trying to wipe us out completely!”

One player slammed his fist against the unyielding gate.

The pain nearly made him cry out, but he forced himself to endure it.

This wasn’t the time to show weakness.

“Someone help me! If we work together, we can push this thing open!”

The one struggling with the gate shouted.

Everyone exchanged looks.

Eventually, they all decided to give it a try.

There was no other choice, after all.

But reality was cruel.

No matter how hard they pushed, the gate didn’t move an inch—it was like it had been welded shut.

At that moment, despair appeared on everyone’s faces.

“Damn it, I knew we shouldn’t have come in here!”

“What good does it do to say that now?”

“This sucks… if only I were outside!”

“Being outside might be even more dangerous.”

Michael appeared before the group, his face blank as he spoke.

“Why do you say that?” someone asked in confusion.

The system had just announced that this city would become extremely dangerous—why was Michael implying that outside was worse?

“Check your panels carefully. Look at the system announcement again,” Michael replied.

Someone quickly pulled up the system message, and the more he read, the more horrified he became.

He saw the line: [Nightmare creatures’ ferocity has increased. Their attack power has skyrocketed.]

If they were outside, they would probably be hunted down by a swarm of enraged monsters!

“Hiss…” The next moment, a number of players drew in sharp breaths, their hearts filled with dread.

Seeing this, Michael nodded silently and spoke up:

“If we can’t leave this city, then we have no choice but to unite and fight to the end.”

“That’s right! Fighting is the only path left to us!”

From the back, Sitou Jiange raised his arm and shouted loudly.

The players, who had been in a state of panic, slowly began to regain their courage.

With no way out, they would carve a bloody path forward!

When humans are truly pushed to the brink, they can unleash power beyond imagination.

Seeing the players gather their resolve, Michael and Sitou Jiange finally felt some relief.

Even if everyone was still afraid, as long as they held on to hope—

They could endure and fight until the very last moment.

As cannon fodder, as shields—this was the only way.

***

At the same time, outside the city.

A giant mechanical golem stood motionless, the red light in its eyes fully extinguished.

All mechanical golems, both inside and outside the city, had ceased to function.

Not far from Mo City, there was a field of jagged rocks.

At that moment, two players were hiding inside, trembling with fear.

This area had originally been relatively safe.

They could’ve waited out the closed beta here with no problem.

But now that the Darkest Hour had begun, there was no such thing as a “safe” place in the Nightmare Space.

Thump. Thump. Thump—

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble ever so slightly.

Something massive was approaching the Cragstone Forest.

The two players hiding inside couldn’t help but cling to each other, their faces pale as they screamed internally, ‘Please don’t come any closer!’

But the sound of tremors grew louder, and the ground shook with increasing intensity.

It was obvious now—the giant creature was heading straight for them.

Seconds later, the shaking stopped.

Everything fell silent.

“Is… is it gone?” the player on the left asked nervously.

His voice was barely a whisper.

But in such stillness, the other player could hear him clearly.

“I don’t know, maybe w—”

Before he could finish, the pitch-black darkness suddenly turned bright.

A gray sky filled their vision.

But that wasn’t all.

Staring down at them was a massive giant—gray-skinned and muscular, wielding a giant boulder.

Its face had five blood-red eyes, and its mouth was full of sharp, jagged teeth.

“Aaahhh!” the player on the left screamed the moment he saw it.

The player on the right reacted fast.

He shoved his companion aside and bolted.

But he didn’t get far.

Within moments, a giant hand snatched him back.

The monster had six arms!

Two of them were even longer than its body, with seven joints each.

Twisted and unnatural.

“Help! I don’t want to die!” the captured player thrashed wildly, but it was useless.

The gray giant lifted him up to its face for a closer look.

Its breath was so foul that the stench alone almost knocked him out.

In fact, he wished he would pass out.

At least then, he wouldn’t have to feel the terror of being slowly brought toward that monstrous mouth.

Crunch!

Its jaws snapped shut, blood spraying everywhere.

The player below witnessed the horror unfold and wet himself on the spot, trembling uncontrollably.

His mind went completely blank—he couldn’t even think about running.

Squelch. Crunch.

The grotesque sounds echoed, making his scalp crawl and his insides twist.

“No, don’t eat me! I taste terrible!”

If he had just stayed silent, he might have been overlooked.

But the moment he spoke, the giant’s attention shifted.

It turned its head, revealing blood-covered teeth as it grinned wide.

That grin was as heavy as a 25,000-pound punch to the gut.

Then, it casually grabbed the trembling, urine-soaked player and tossed him happily into its mouth.

Squelch squelch… Crunch crunch…

The same grotesque chewing echoed once more.

After devouring both players, the gray giant turned its gaze toward Blackfog City—and suddenly began dancing with joy.

The earth shook beneath its steps, as if bidding the creature farewell.

The same gruesome scenes unfolded across the wilderness.

In no time, every player outside the city had been wiped out.

Just as Dancing Elephant’s Prediction foretold—there was no way to survive outside.

The only sliver of hope lay within Blackfog City!

“All these robots have stopped functioning. Looks like the system considers them part of player support and has shut them down.”

Sitou Jiange observed the mechanical puppets scattered along the path as he spoke.

“My guess was right,” Michael said grimly.

“That White Knight only got ahead of us and temporarily gained control of a few of the robots.”

A large group of players followed behind them.

“Hmph. And here I thought she was something special. Turns out it was all just borrowed power.”

Sitou Jiange sneered.

Back when the puppets had escorted them to the shop, he’d been a little stunned.

Like Boyang, he’d assumed Ye Lian had some kind of control authority over the mechanical puppets.

But now that the system had intervened, the truth was clear.

“Before that final closed beta mission officially begins, we have to take down the White Knight and seize everything she has. Only then do we stand a chance at surviving!”

Michael clenched his fist, face twisted with rage.

At this point, he no longer planned to keep the White Knight around—he would kill the chicken and take the egg.

“Exactly. Her potions, her gear—it’s all ours!” Sitou Jiange grinned viciously.

A wave of vindictive pleasure surged through his heart.