Chapter 74: Retreat and Revelation

“Fall back first.”

Unfazed by the two siblings’ shock, Yenir quickly scanned the distance where the next wave of mutants was about to appear and decided to stall a little longer.

Though he might not strike again, his past-life knowledge revealed that once activated, the soldiers would be invincible for a short time. The longer he delayed, the better their effectiveness.

Not far off, the Chen siblings hurried over after hearing Yenir’s order, abandoning their previous plans.

They couldn’t fathom why a middle-level Stage Three fighter would hide his strength by coming here, yet neither dared to question him.

It wasn’t even a Stage Three kill, but that sword strike—something even his grandfather might have struggled to execute!

His face was a blend of awkwardness and excitement.

Following Yenir, the normally proud Chen Yao now cowered like a startled chick, barely daring to speak.

With other awakened fighters, she could afford a little feistiness—everyone would yield to her.

But with a top-tier presence like Yenir, she wouldn’t dare act up at all.

Strength dictates everything! The stakes with Stage Three fighters are simply too high!

Even if Yenir pinned her down and slapped her, she’d have to take it—turning the other cheek no matter what.

She was indeed Chen Kailai’s granddaughter, but he had many descendants. Under normal circumstances, no Stage Three fighter would dare to offend a peer.

Especially considering Yenir’s disturbingly youthful appearance…

With his heart pounding, Chen Yong, trailing behind Yenir, frantically searched his mind for the top-tier fighter surnamed Ye.

By logic, every fighter at that level was renowned—a regional commander at least. Yet, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t pinpoint anyone fitting that description.

Forget it.

On this Ruins Battlefield, having a Stage Three fighter around felt like hitting the jackpot; clinging to a big shot was all that was needed.

As he pondered if he had any bold moves beyond recruitment, Chen Yong’s thoughts were dominated by how to forge a connection with Yenir once the crisis ended.

Damn it—if he managed to get on good terms with this major figure, his family’s power struggles would be a breeze.

Who could possibly contest his future position as the leader!?

…….

They dashed at breakneck speed.

Though the defensive line stretched far, Yenir’s all-out sprint brought them to its end in under thirty seconds.

The dead had already piled up below the city, though they didn’t yet pose a threat.

While constantly monitoring the advancing mutants, Yenir mentally rehearsed their escape route and scouted for the hidden Blue Equipment.

From his past-life recollections, the gear was supposed to appear in a trench behind the wall once the soldiers were activated.

Unlike usual modern fortifications, the defense not only had an outer wall but also a maze of trenches designed to delay the horde. Essentially, the battleground was engineered like a meat grinder—stalling the horde until the very last second.

“Lord Ye Lin!”

“Two more Second-Stage Peak mutants are closing in! They’re moving fast! What do we do…?”

After more than a minute had passed, Chen Yong eyed the charging mutants and spoke up. Unlike before, he now seemed noticeably more at ease.

With a Stage Three fighter on our side, all we needed was a few shouted commands from behind. When a big opportunity like this comes along, you don’t let it slip.

But to his surprise, after a swift glance at the mutants, Yenir spoke up directly:

“Activate the soldiers. Let’s retreat inside.”

Huh?

He paused in mild surprise.

Didn’t he say they would stall a bit longer? Why stop now? It seems Yenir isn’t willing to engage further! After all, two Second-Stage Peak mutants, though a handful, shouldn’t trouble a middle-level Stage Three fighter too much—one more sword strike and they’d be finished.

Filled with doubt, Chen Yong’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

As they withdrew with Yenir, Chen Yao, standing off to the side, suddenly lowered her voice and whispered:

“Brother, what if he isn’t actually Stage Three? Did we misread him?”

“Or maybe he used some one-time consumable? Otherwise, why didn’t he attack?”

Chen Yong’s eyes stalled. Astonished by Yenir’s remarkably youthful aura, he couldn’t help but consider his sister’s suspicion.

Could it really be?

A middle-level Stage Three fighter so young was unheard of. Given all the anomalies, Chen Yao’s suspicions had some merit.

Yet, amid his doubts, he dared not inquire further.

“Stop speculating. Even if he isn’t Stage Three, he’s at least a top-tier Stage Two. Whatever he says, we’ll do accordingly.”

After rapidly urging Chen Yao, Chen Yong said no more.

Seeing the mutants ferociously hammering the city wall, he stowed his doubts and prepared to awaken the soldiers as Yenir had commanded.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Yong muttered somewhat clumsy commands as he shouted at the wall.

“mA RANZ! Ma Ranz! Ma Ranz!!”

Like a command, in the next second a swarm of soldier apparitions in military uniforms materialized throughout the defensive perimeter.

The scene erupted into a raucous and intense clamor.

It felt like stepping into a 3D projection; Yenir’s eyes narrowed in surprise as soldiers dashed past him.

It was as though squads of warriors—some brandishing machine guns, others lugging artillery rounds—had suddenly emerged and stormed the high wall, their deafening roars reverberating across the entire line.

“Prepare for combat!!”

“Hold the line!! The First Artillery Regiment, prepare to fire!!”

“Kill!!”

The battle commenced. True to the information from his past life, the mutants, upon nearing the wall, immediately fixated on the soldiers.

After activating the soldier illusions, Chen Yong exhaled deeply, his face relaxed.

He approached Yenir with a sigh of relief:

“Lord Ye Lin, from here on out, all we need to do is sit back and watch.”

“All it takes is a call of ‘mA RANZ’ and these soldiers will fight on our behalf.”

“They won’t see us—like NPCs in a game, they’ll continuously target the horde.”

“However, they won’t last long—probably disappearing after eliminating the foremost wave. That’s when we’ll have to pull out quickly.”

His eyes flickered with determination.

mA RANZ? Yenir was familiar with the password, though he wasn’t entirely sure of its precise meaning. Still, it appeared to be effective.

With the soldiers’ arrival, the trio seemed to be stepping back into history, observing the battle as mere spectators.

Smoke thickened in the air as whizzing shells streaked overhead, detonating among the horde of dead.

“Wait here.”

Snapping back to focus, Yenir murmured a brief remark and headed off along the inner city’s defense to track down the gear.

Using his superior willpower, surpassing even theirs, he half-managed to sense the general vicinity of its location.