Chapter 1

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of intense vibrations traveled through the ground, reaching the cheeks pressed against it. The ground was not as cold as expected but instead felt scorching, mingling with the thick smoke that sharply stimulated the senses.

Roar! Hiss!

The surroundings were chaotic, and a pained scream stood out, drawing attention!

Gently opening his eyes, the world appeared blurry, filled with countless flickering golden and dark spots. It was as if he had severe myopia or the aftereffects of a long coma, making everything seem hazy.

Trying to raise his arm to rub his eyes, he found his body felt like a dried-up riverbed, unable to produce any moisture. Closing his eyes in frustration, he took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and waited a while before opening them again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A muscular man, clad in golden armor, was punching a... a bat! A bat as large as a small pickup truck.

One punch, and the bat still had the strength to cry out in pain. Two punches, and the bat's eyes began to wander, though it was known that bats' eyes were mostly for show, this one seemed more sensitive. Three punches, and blood spurted from the bat's orifices, and it finally ceased its futile struggle.

Seeing the giant beast beneath him dead, the man was about to jump off when he sensed someone watching. His muscles tensed, and he jumped down, picking up the spear and shield that had fallen to the ground, alertly scanning the surroundings!

What a fierce man! He was definitely tougher than Wu Song, who only fought tigers, while this man killed bats! Hmm, that sounds a bit odd.

Finally, the man found the source of the gaze: a young, frail child with an unhealthy pale complexion, black hair, and a stubborn face, evoking both affection and pity.

"Huh? There's actually a survivor!" The man's language was strange, but miraculously, he understood its meaning.

The man slowly approached, each step shaking the ground, the vibrations reaching the child's ears like someone pounding a drum. His broad shoulders moved naturally, and the intricate, mysterious patterns on the giant shield, which was almost as tall as a person, almost captured all of the child's attention.

"What's going on? Can you put down the spear first!" The child inwardly laughed bitterly but lacked the strength to speak. He could only watch helplessly as the man approached, hoping he had no peculiar habits.

He stopped, really stopped! The man noticed the child's gaze, which lacked the usual confusion and fear of a child, instead filled with a bitter wisdom. In an instant, the man had an epiphany.

Gently lifting his arm, he tapped the palm-wide golden bracelet on his left wrist. A chime like a wind chime sounded, and a small, ethereal light appeared in the air.

"Calling the mothership, this is Captain Pantheon of the 11th team! I've found a survivor, not seriously injured but needs medical attention." The man's voice was deep and magnetic, hard to imagine such a voice coming from a muscular man.

"Impossible! Alfheim has long been a hell under the rule of the Dark Elves. How could there be any survivors?" The light seemed to be a woman, her soft voice filled with surprise.

The man, Pantheon, looked determined and replied, "This child is special, not a simple native elf of Alfheim!"

At this, a chorus of gasps came from the light, and the woman exclaimed, "Heavens, do you mean... he..."

Pantheon nodded and glanced at the child, noticing his chaotic expression. He blinked and chuckled, "We'll discuss the rest when we return. Send a rescue team first!" He tapped the bracelet again, and the light vanished.

"Captain, there you are. Why did a Dark Bat suddenly attack just now?" As Pantheon was about to approach the child, a group of about a dozen golden-armored warriors appeared nearby.

Each warrior wore striking golden armor, their bodies exuding a bloody aura, declaring their ferocity. What surprised the child was that their weapons were all different, something hard to imagine in an army unless they were elite soldiers with their own combat styles.

Pantheon nodded at his comrades and glanced at the dead beast, "That Dark Bat wasn't a sudden attack; it was scouting. I don't know how they deduced our movements, but we couldn't let it return to report, so I brought it down."

The warriors' expressions varied, and Pantheon's lips twitched, "Heh, what's with those faces? Did I cause trouble again?"

No one responded. A fair-skinned warrior shook his head and stepped forward, scanning the Dark Bat with a device similar to a handheld computer, "Captain, this Dark Bat has a dark energy sensor inside. When it dies, it sends the last minute of its physical condition back to the enemy's base."

Pantheon adjusted his helmet, "These Dark Elves are too cunning, to treat animals like this."

The warriors rolled their eyes, "It's common knowledge, okay!"

Hiss! Roar!

A series of screams suddenly interrupted their conversation. A dark cloud of Dark Bats approached from the horizon, their numbers so vast they seemed to block out the sky!

The child finally recovered from the shock of the special "phone" and the wild men with spears and shields, only to see a sky full of fierce, monstrous creatures! In a panic, he tried to run but found himself paralyzed, unable to move. He could only hope the golden-armored warriors would be effective, at least delaying his death.

Whoosh!

Just as everyone braced themselves, the Dark Bats unexpectedly spewed a three-meter-wide fireball from their mouths! The fireball descended like a meteor, hurtling toward the group.

The scorching heat and roaring wind made the child feel uncomfortable, but Pantheon, as if expecting it, held the spear backward and threw it at the fireball. A flash of light from the spear easily pierced the fireball, causing it to dissipate, and then it continued to pierce the Dark Bat's head!

Pantheon grunted and lightly raised his arm, and the spear, which had fallen far away, was sucked back into his hand.

The death of the Dark Bat clearly enraged the Dark Bat swarm. A series of screams followed, and fireballs rained down like a meteor shower. The small team of a dozen people was clearly unable to effectively counter such an attack. The child, in despair, closed his eyes, hoping to be reborn in a better place, at least not on a battlefield.

But for the warriors, this apocalyptic scene was like a daily occurrence. They showed no panic, and Pantheon roared, "Raise the shields!"

The five warriors with shields quickly gathered around Pantheon. Then, as if remembering something, Pantheon leaped over ten meters and landed in front of the child, slamming the giant shield in front of him.

The five warriors, used to their captain's whims, quickly adjusted and gathered around Pantheon, while the others hid behind them.

The six giant shields connected, and a strange gravitational force held them together, forming a transparent golden light barrier that protected everyone.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The meteor shower devastated a hundred-meter radius, the ground turning black and the smell of sulfur making the child want to cry. But everyone was safe under the protection of the light barrier!

The warrior who had scanned the Dark Bat tapped his golden bracelet, "The team is under aerial attack by Dark Bats, requesting air support!"

The child, lying at the feet of the warriors, broke out in a cold sweat. Air support? What was supposed to be a small team assault had turned into an elite air battle. What did the fighters in this world look like?

But the child was overthinking. A voice from the bracelet responded, "Calculating the flight path of the Dark Bats, preparing for precise strikes!"

Within three seconds, missiles with fiery tails descended from the dark clouds!

The sudden appearance of the missiles caused chaos among the Dark Bats, which began to roll frantically to evade the attack. But the missiles performed high-difficulty maneuvers in the air, accurately hitting each Dark Bat. They had clearly locked onto each Dark Bat and could even navigate around obstacles.

The sky was instantly filled with fire, and chunks of flesh rained down, but the light barrier prevented any liquid from passing through.

The child was dumbfounded. Wasn't this world supposed to be in a primitive, uncivilized age? How could it have such advanced military capabilities? What could he rely on to act cool now?

Seeing the danger pass, the warriors retracted their shields. "I didn't expect the Dark Bats to respond so quickly!" Pantheon spat, furious.

The warrior who requested support sneered, "Isn't it because you acted on your own? If not, we wouldn't have been exposed!"

Pantheon laughed awkwardly, "But it's a good thing! The quick response of the Dark Bats means our target is not far away!"

The warrior was about to respond when a spray of blood and a golden helmet flew off, leaving only half of the warrior's head!

Smack! The sound of the shot reached everyone's ears.

Pantheon's eyes widened in rage, and he raised his shield, "Sniper! Defend!" The five warriors raised their shields, forming a protective barrier, and the golden light barrier reappeared.

Pantheon, eyes bloodshot, looked at the fallen warrior and scanned the surroundings. Smack! Smack! Smack! The sounds of heavy impacts shook the light barrier, but in the dim environment, it was impossible to see where the shots were coming from!

Pantheon's lips twitched, his anger boiling but with no effective way to respond.

Whoosh! Whoosh! At that moment, a spaceship descended from the dark clouds. It was shaped like a bullet, entirely golden, matching the style of the warriors' armor.

Pantheon's eyes gleamed, and he shouted into the bracelet, "Perfect timing! There's a sniper here, give me a view!"

The spaceship, which was about to land, paused in mid-air, and two black tubes opened on its sides, firing two missiles into the sky.

Bang! Bang!

The missiles exploded in the air, illuminating every corner like two small suns.

"I see them!" A warrior pointed with his sword, and on a hill nearly a kilometer away, a group of snipers with strange weapons were visible.

Pantheon grinned ferociously, "Finally found you! Take this kid to the ship, then come back to help me."

Two warriors nodded, picked up the child, and with a powerful jump, soared over ten meters, directly entering the ship's cabin.

The child, unable to observe the surroundings, looked through the cabin door at Pantheon, who crouched, the air around him rippling.

Roar! The roar split the sky, and his body shot forward like a cannonball toward the hill!

Boom! In the distance, Pantheon crashed into the group of snipers, the massive shockwave enveloping the entire hill, leveling half of it!

The dust had not settled, and the cabin door closed. The child closed his eyes numbly, resolving never to act cool again!