The team wasted no time turning the ruined bunker into a death trap.
"Fatty, seal the vents!" Jiang Chen barked orders. "Linger, set up tripwires with your dagger threads at the main entrance. Lin Qingxue, I need an ice barricade at the choke point."
"On it," Lin Qingxue said, slamming her palms onto the floor. Ice Art: Glacial Wall. A thick layer of reinforced ice covered the rusted blast doors.
Jiang Chen stood in the center of the hangar, near the pile of skeletons. He closed his eyes.
[System: Grave Resonance Active.]
[The lingering wills of the 104th Division are restless.]
[Quest Updated: Defend the Honor of the Fallen.]
[Reward: Army-Killing Sword Formation (Incomplete).]
"Army-Killing Sword Formation?" Jiang Chen's eyes snapped open. "Can I use it now?"
[Requires Catalyst: High-Grade Spirit Stones.]
Jiang Chen looked at his storage ring. He had 49 stones left.
"Good enough."
He began placing Spirit Stones around the room in a specific pattern, guided by the System. It wasn't a Daoist array; it was a military formation designed to channel the killing intent of dead soldiers.
"What are you doing?" Fatty Wei asked, wiring a claymore mine to a toaster.
"Calling for reinforcements," Jiang Chen muttered.
BOOM.
The first explosion rocked the blast doors outside.
"They're here!" Gu Linger shouted.
A holographic projection flickered to life in the center of the room—a Council communication channel overriding the bunker's systems.
A man's face appeared. He wore a white suit and a golden mask.
The Council Enforcer.
"Jiang Chen," the masked man's voice was distorted. "Hand over the Black Box, and we will make your death painless. Refuse, and we will level this hill."
Jiang Chen walked up to the hologram.
"Come and get it," Jiang Chen spat. "And bring a shovel. You'll need it to bury your men."
The Enforcer laughed. "Arrogant. Begin the assault."
CRASH.
The blast doors blew inward. Lin Qingxue's ice wall shattered under the impact of a Qi Gathering 5th Stage battering ram.
Smoke poured in. Through the smoke, red laser sights cut the darkness.
"Fire!"
A squad of Council Elites—Black Ops wearing stealth armor—rushed in.
"Welcome to the party!" Fatty Wei screamed. He pulled the trigger on his 'Spicy Meatball Launcher'.
THUMP.
A canister shot out. It didn't explode with fire. It exploded with a cloud of concentrated, weaponized chili powder and tear gas.
"Gah! My eyes!" The lead attackers stumbled, coughing violently.
"Now!" Lin Qingxue cast Ice Shards. Hundreds of icicles rained down on the blinded soldiers.
Gu Linger's daggers flew like angry hornets, piercing armor gaps.
But there were too many of them. A second wave pushed through, shielding themselves with Qi barriers.
"Target secured!" One Elite shouted, aiming a heavy mag-rifle at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen didn't dodge. He activated the Sword Formation.
"Wake up," Jiang Chen whispered to the skeletons.
HUMMM.
The 49 Spirit Stones lit up. The air in the bunker turned cold.
From the pile of bones, ghostly blue flames erupted. They didn't form full bodies, but they formed shapes. Soldiers holding rifles. Soldiers holding swords.
The Remnant Wills of the 104th Division.
[Army-Killing Formation: Active.]
The ghosts didn't attack physically. They screamed.
A psychic shockwave of pure rage and betrayal slammed into the Council Elites.
"What is this?!" The Elites clutched their heads, screaming as visions of their own treachery flooded their minds.
"Attack!" Jiang Chen roared.
He charged.
Cold-Iron Heavy Sword.
He was a whirlwind of black iron. He didn't use finesse. He smashed.
CRUNCH.
He hit an Elite in the chest. The stealth armor crumpled. The man flew back into his comrades, bowling them over like pins.
"Monster!" An Elite tried to stab Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen caught the blade with his bare hand (reinforced by Golden Marrow). He snapped the blade and headbutted the soldier.
"This is for Captain Jiang!" Smash.
"This is for Li Yun!" Smash.
It was a massacre. The Elites were disoriented by the ghosts, blinded by the chili, and frozen by the ice. Jiang Chen was the executioner.
But the Enforcer wasn't done.
"Useless trash," the voice came from outside.
RUMBLE.
The ceiling of the bunker began to crack.
"They're bombing us!" Lin Qingxue looked up. "They're bringing the whole mountain down!"
"We need an exit!" Gu Linger yelled.
"The vent!" Fatty Wei pointed to a small shaft high on the wall. "It leads to the surface!"
"Go!" Jiang Chen ordered. "I'll hold the door!"
"No way!" Lin Qingxue grabbed his arm. "Together!"
CRASH.
A massive chunk of concrete fell, blocking the main entrance. The Elites were trapped inside with them, crushed or fleeing.
"The formation is destabilizing!" Jiang Chen saw the Spirit Stones cracking.
He looked at the vent. It was too small for his weapon case.
"Fatty, take the Black Box!" Jiang Chen pulled the box from his inventory (pretending it was in his pocket) and tossed it to Wei. "Guard it with your life!"
"Bro!"
"GO!"
Jiang Chen grabbed Fatty Wei and threw him up toward the vent. Gu Linger used telekinesis to catch him and pull him through. Lin Qingxue hesitated.
"Jiang Chen..."
"I'm right behind you," Jiang Chen lied.
He pushed her toward the vent.
As soon as she was through, the ceiling collapsed completely.
BOOM.
Tons of rock and earth slammed down, burying the hangar.
Outside.
Lin Qingxue crawled out of the vent onto the hillside, coughing dust. Fatty Wei and Gu Linger were beside her.
"Jiang Chen!" Lin Qingxue screamed, clawing at the blocked vent.
"He's... he's gone," Fatty Wei sobbed, hugging the Black Box. "The whole bunker is gone."
The Council Enforcer stood on a nearby ridge, watching the dust settle.
"Target eliminated," the Enforcer spoke into his comms. "Retrieve the box from the survivors."
He turned to his remaining squad. "Kill the kids."
Lin Qingxue stood up. Her eyes were glowing with a dangerous, unstable blue light. Her grief was turning into a Breakthrough.
"You killed him," she whispered. The air around her froze. Snow began to fall.
"I'm going to freeze your blood."
But before she could unleash her power, the ground shook.
Not from an earthquake. From below.
From the buried bunker.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Something was hitting the rocks from underneath. Heavy. Rhythmic. Like a heartbeat of iron.
[System Alert: Host Vital Signs Critical.]
[Emergency Protocol Engaged.]
[Integrating Demon Armor Fragment...]
[Integrating Sword Sovereign's Bone...]
[Rebooting...]
ROAR!
A pillar of black and gold light exploded from the ruins of the bunker, blasting the rocks into the sky.
A figure floated up from the crater.
His clothes were torn. His body was covered in glowing runes—black on the right, gold on the left. He held a broken heavy sword that was now glowing with a terrifying, dual-colored aura.
Jiang Chen.
He opened his eyes. One was pitch black (Demon). The other was golden (Sovereign).