Chapter 11: Crazy Leveling Up

Speaking of this, their hearts both became heavy. Although what Qin Weimin said deviated greatly from what was written in the history textbooks, rationally, Qin Weimin's words could very well be true.

Wang Lan wasn't the kind of adolescent who couldn't face reality. He wouldn't deny objective facts just to stick to his own ideas. Humanity had fought for one hundred and thirty years, reaching a point of utter exhaustion, while the Demon Clan's army still kept coming in endless streams. Under such circumstances, they had launched only a desperate counterattack.

And then to determine the fate of the universe with a single battle? The textbooks merely used idioms like "stake everything on one throw," "unity is strength," and "pooling efforts for a common cause." But could the disparity in strength really be overcome with these things?

Wang Lan shook his head.

"Then why did the Demon Clan retreat?"

"I don't know; their retreat was very sudden."

"Don't we have guns? We have missiles and even nuclear bombs, so why did we suffer such a terrible defeat?"

"Firearms are almost ineffective against the Demon Clan's army, except for the low-level demons. The high-level demons are simply not threatened by firearms, and they also have a countless number of Exotic Beast armies.

As for missiles and nuclear bombs, they truly can cause effective damage. However, missile technology and nuclear bomb technology only emerged eighty years ago. By then, humanity had already been at war for a hundred years, resources were exhausted, and the population was on the brink of extinction."

At this, Wang Lan's eyes suddenly brightened, "What about now then? Our technology has leaped forwards, weapons with long-range killing power are everywhere; can we easily defeat the Demon Clan now?"

Qin Weimin gave a faint smile, "I am a weapons expert, as well as a military consultant, and this is one of the topics I've researched. Soldiers in Jade Country commonly think as you do, but the result of my research is... it won't work!"

"Why not?"

"Weapons aren't the key to decisive victory, at least not the only factor. Comparing the Demon Clan's capabilities to ours, their individual combat abilities and mobility are still not something we can match.

If the Demon Clan's tactics were similar to ours or were like ancient human warfare, we would certainly win. But the Demon Clan is different; they won't fight us in a straightforward battle.

The Demon Clan has not only demons but also Exotic Beasts. There are deep-sea creatures in the water, flying creatures in the sky, and on the ground, there are burrowers, tanks, and mobile types. No matter how strong a weapon is, you must hit the target. Something like using missiles to swat mosquitoes, that level of precision is currently hard for us to achieve.

Moreover, demons can open Different Dimensional Spaces to airdrop directly. If the Demon Clan invades, landing directly in our large cities, what do we do then? There are tens of millions of people in big cities; do we use missiles for a blanket strike? Use nuclear bombs to wipe out the Demons?"

Wang Lan's chest became instantly heavy, looking back on the military power of his previous life, which was similar to the present. Wang Lan believed that no one could defeat Huaxia if it possessed long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. However, when the very rules of war have changed, when someone can teleport directly into Huaxia's homeland or even inside major cities, disregarding distances.

What can Huaxia do? Do long-range missiles still have a deterrent effect then? With this comparison, Wang Lan found that advantages could not be exploited, but disadvantages were unavoidable.

"So what shall we do?"

"Fight! What else can we do? Even if it comes down to the last person, we must resist. Human civilization began its rise five thousand years ago and has stubbornly persisted until today under the threat of the Demon Clan.

Our ancestors passed down civilization even in times of technological inferiority; we can do it too. To inherit civilization and protect humanity. This is the mission of us soldiers and also that of you Star Martial Warriors."

"Human civilization is a colossal machine, and we Star Martial Warriors are the armor on this machine. Every person is a part of the machine, and the existence of Star Martial Warriors is to protect this machine from harm..." Wang Lan muttered the Star Martial Warrior's declaration in a low voice, reflecting the faith of a Star Martial Warrior.

"Demons, demons—" Suddenly, a child in the car started to scream excitedly. Following their gaze, a soul-shaking scene appeared before Wang Lan's eyes.

Out from the depths of the dense forest, there emerged a creature with a green head resembling an otherworldly being, with its occiput and back merging into one entity, over two meters tall, its legs folded and bent backward, which made it clear that this monster possessed powerful jumping capabilities.

On its ferocious face, there was a mouth full of sharp fangs similar to those of a fringed shark. Sharp spikes protruded from the tips of its fingers, and from its appearance alone, one could tell it was a warrior born for combat.

"Demon Warrior... Drive fast!" Wang Lan's face instantly changed, and the moment his words landed, the bus roared and sped forward abruptly.

Breaking free from the slope, the bus entered the gravel plain and the Demon Warriors swiftly gave chase behind it.

They chased the bus running and leaping, their speed comparable to a cheetah's. Without brake systems, all Qin Weimin could do was use his exquisite driving skills to keep the bus balanced.

On the shimmering gravel, the bus couldn't go fast. The strong vibrations from traveling at eighty miles per hour on the rocky terrain nearly made Wang Lan vomit last night's dinner.

Several children in the bus weren't faring so well, with quite a few of them vomiting all over. The sudden stench of vomit filled the bus, triggering a chain reaction of sickness.

The current situation made Wang Lan's nerves tighten, casting aside other considerations. He was the only one who could protect the children on board the bus. Accessing the system, he saw he had seventy skill points left and frenziedly added them to the Inch Strength Fist skill.

Bronze LV5.

Bronze LV6.

Bronze LV8.

Bronze LV9.

With only ten points left, he aimed to upgrade to silver level. However, after adding nine points, no matter how he tried, the last skill point just wouldn't apply. Damn it, why was it one point short?

Perhaps this was related to Wang Lan's own level, but that was only his guess. If skill level upgrades weren't limited by the character level, then could a Starlight 1 person possess silver, gold, or even platinum skills? Therefore, Wang Lan could only surmise that the reason why Inch Strength Fist couldn't be upgraded to silver was due to the tier limitation of the Starlight boundary.

From another perspective, the peak for the Starlight tier's skill upgrade was bronze level nine, which meant that Wang Lan's Inch Strength Fist should now be at the highest degree achievable within the Starlight boundary.

Just how strong it was, Wang Lan couldn't quite estimate.

"Wang Lan, have we lost them?" Qin Weimin suddenly cried out anxiously.

"Not yet, but if we maintain this speed, they won't catch up to us."

"That's no good!"

"What's wrong? Are we out of gas?"

"Ahead is Dead Gorge; there's no way out."

"What?" Wang Lan turned his head abruptly, only to see that the rocky beach was becoming narrower and that there were cliff walls on both sides. Towards the direction the bus was heading, there was actually a sheer cliff. This meant that the bus had entered a small pocket.

"Brake, brake hard, stop—"

"The brakes are broken; we can't stop—"

"Boom—"

A fierce collision sounded as the bus smashed directly into the cliff. Instantly, there was another round of children's wailing and howling. These children, pampered by their parents, had never experienced such dangers.

"Mr. Qin, are you okay?"

"My arm is a bit hurt, might be dislocated. I'm alright..."

"Open the door!"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll hold the entrance to the gorge, try to buy as much time as possible. Whether we can survive depends on when the rescue team outside arrives."

Qin Weimin looked deeply at Wang Lan, "Brother, take care!"

Wang Lan immediately jumped off the bus and went to the rear. The environs of the gorge were like the back door of a soccer stadium—Wang Lan had to guard the entrance from the outside. Not a single Demon Warrior could be allowed in, not even one.

"Big brother... come back, what are you doing... you came with me, you said you'd listen to me..." Song Jia's cries came from the bus.

"Jia Jia, I have good news for you. Big brother has awakened the Star Martial Warrior talent, so from now on, please call me a Star Martial Warrior! Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Roar—

Roar—

The roars, one after another, came from afar. The pursuing Demon Warriors weren't as numerous as at the start, but there were still nine of them. Nine Demon Warriors, facing someone who had just awakened their Star Martial talent the day before, was indeed a tough challenge.

As the Demon Warriors approached, they slowed their pace, their blood-red eyes staring at Wang Lan. Although they were slowing down, the aura of slaughter emanating from their bodies grew even denser.

Fear spread in Wang Lan's heart, his heart pounding violently. Suddenly, as if reaching a critical threshold, the tense muscles around Wang Lan's body relaxed.

Wang Lan seemed to enter a state of clarity.

Some people stiffen up completely in the face of dire terror.

Others unleash incredible potential in the face of dire terror.

Wang Lan was the latter, and after breaking through the critical threshold of fear, his body entered a state of extreme calm and heightened agility.

And in that instant, a Demon leapt high into the air, with its spiky weapon aiming a stab at Wang Lan's face.

Wang Lan appeared stunned, motionless as if he were petrified, while a look of disdain and cruelty spread across the Demon's face.

But in a flash, Wang Lan lightly swerved, avoiding the spike and simultaneously delivering a fierce punch to the Demon's chest. The evasion was also an attack, and the timing and speed achieved a perfect balance.

The Inch Strength Fist of Bronze Tier 9 burst out, the terrifying punch power combined with the Demon's force from jumping, almost instantly caving in the Demon's chest shell. The Demon's back then exploded with a loud bang, a huge hole burst open, and internal organs spurted out like burst pimples.

The green blood exuded a strong stench of blood, and the few Demons who were gearing up to pounce halted in their steps, their blood-red eyes fixed on Wang Lan.

Killing a low-level Demon Clan soldier, skill points +1, experience points +10.

Whirr—

A warm current flowed through Wang Lan's body as the experience points filled up, and Wang Lan leveled up to Starlight Tier 2 in an instant.

A character leveling up is most directly reflected by the enhancement of physical fitness. Although this enhancement was minuscule compared to the transformation from a normal person to a Star Martial Warrior, even a slight increase in strength is an additional glimmer of hope to live.

Wang Lan bent down slightly, grabbed the spike on the Demon's arm, and with a forceful twist, broke it off, holding it in his hand as a makeshift weapon.

"Roar—" Accompanied by a roar from behind, two more Demon Warriors once again stepped forward slowly, closing in.