This was Huai Shi's mission: to use his superior resistance to Hell to break away from the main group, draw as much enemy attention as possible, and relieve pressure on his allies within the defensive perimeter.
In other words, he was bait.
But aside from Huai Shi—who was as large as a mountain, whose Armor was so thick that heavy artillery couldn't penetrate it, and who was so resilient that not even Doomsday could kill him—who else could accomplish such a task?
Moreover, he had a teammate with the strongest burst damage providing support.
At that moment, Taurus, now completely composed of electric current, repeatedly flew up from the giant tower on Huai Shi's back, dived into the metal city, and returned, wreathed in a massive current from the Energy Furnace, to unleash another round of frenzied attacks.
Instantaneous recovery, instant mana regeneration, and Skills with no cooldowns whatsoever—it was like cheating. For Taurus, the burdens that other Giant Beasts faced simply didn't exist.
It *was* energy!
This meant that, if it wished, it could even launch itself as a projectile!
Fueled by the unlimited supply from the six reactors in the central urban district, it had been a long time since Taurus had wielded its Power so exhilaratingly. After being constrained for so long, it was even getting a bit 'electricity-drunk,' descending into a state of frenzied excitement.
"OHHH, I AM THE KING OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING!!!"
Amidst dozens of frenzied lightning bolts, the serpentine current coiling around the giant tower cackled maniacally as it unleashed destruction, declaring, "Accept Uncle Bull's correction!"
"Speaking of which, you're not actually a bull, are you? So why the name Taurus?" Huai Shi casually strolled through the monster horde as if taking a walk, even finding time to chat.
"I'm called Taurus because I adopted Creator Qinger Tai's zodiac prototype. It's just a codename; what I'm called doesn't matter."
Huai Shi's eyes widened in annoyance. "Then why can't I be called Battalion Commander?!"
Taurus was taken aback for a moment, somewhat embarrassed, then retorted irritably, "Well, you just can't!"
"Fine then." Huai Shi pouted. "Since our Independent Regiment is down to just the two of us, I have no objections to you being First Battalion Commander... But let's get things straight, First Battalion Commander, my position as Regiment Commander is not up for grabs."
"...Like I care!"
Taurus felt that if it hadn't already become energy, this fool would have angered it enough to make it spew out old blood.
"Also, watch out ahead!"
Huai Shi faltered, then spun around abruptly. He felt the thin air ripple as a Giant Serpent, its body covered in barbs and eyes, burst out from the gray tide, its massive form lunging towards him.
Huai Shi only had time to take a deep breath.
Then the Giant Serpent was gone.
Evenly coated and heated by a layer of metallic vapor, it had turned into charcoal-grilled snake segments. Huai Shi ate it with satisfying CRUNCHES, finding it crispy and rich in flavor. He felt that Taurus, next to him, was practically drooling with envy.
"I am not!" Taurus fumed.
"...How do you know what I'm thinking?"
"Please, just turn off your open mic!" Taurus sounded utterly exasperated. "We're still on the same channel! Can't you have fewer mental broadcasts?"
"Why didn't you say so earlier? If you had, I would have switched songs!!!"
Huai Shi's eyes lit up. He switched to the public channel, activated the colorful backlight behind him, and started playing a BGM with a heavy beat in his mind. He imagined himself performing hot songs and wild dances, leaping about in the gray tide.
Thus, amidst the grating noise pollution, everyone, being force-fed a relentlessly cheerful, folksy mental soundtrack, began to feel that life was unbearable.
Fortunately, as Huai Shi ventured deeper, the mental pollution grew more distant and could be blocked out by sheer willpower, rendered inaudible.
But even after Huai Shi ran with all his might for half an hour—a time in which one could have walked from Zhao Village back to Pingan County Town—he still couldn't see an end to the gray tide.
It seemed as if the entire world had been submerged by the Erosion Species.
If not for the sun hanging high behind him, he would have nearly lost himself in this eternal, gray-black turbulence.
Even the irritable Taurus couldn't help but feel a trace of helplessness and asked, "How many have we killed?"
A thousand? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand?
Huai Shi couldn't even calculate how many enemies a single artillery barrage could eliminate. Yet, even after days of nuclear bombardment, the enemy's numbers remained endless, as if they could never be completely wiped out.
As Huai Shi penetrated deeper into the gray tide, a sinister silhouette finally began to emerge slowly—a half-rotten giant bird rose from the darkness, its ethereal contour condensing like a vaporous fog.
As its single wing, covered in tumors and deformities, slowly lifted, it created the illusion of engulfing the entire sky and earth.
Behind the gray tide, the Owner of the Great Mob had finally appeared!
Instantly, Huai Shi unleashed a round of artillery fire. But when the scorching metal shells landed on its wing, they merely coated its dusky feathers with a trivial layer of molten iron.
With a shake of its wing, the molten iron was flung off like water.
Then, behind and to the right of Huai Shi, two more massive shadows, as if condensed from darkness itself, emerged, moving slowly forward, attempting to encircle him.
"Be careful, they want to trap us here..."
Taurus scanned the surroundings and warned softly, "Let's retreat for now and take the intel back. If they manage to tie us down, we could be worn down to death."
Huai Shi, however, had a different opinion.
"You have to look on the bright side..."
He swallowed, his gaze fixed intently on the shadowy giant bird in the distance.
As his arms spread wide, the hymns soared once again. The Hammer of Sorrow swung high, aimed excitedly at the stunned Owner of the Great Mob before him.
"—At least there will be plenty of chicken wings!"
In Behemoth's thrilled shout, a Roaring Outburst ensued.
The Abyss buffet had begun!