Karala—

A series of compressed spheres, each trailing a wisp of electricity, rapidly blanketed the surrounding hundred meters. Amidst the whirring of mechanical components, rows of turrets materialized, unleashing a barrage of fire upon the approaching army from all directions.

Instantaneously, chaos erupted!

"Take cover!" Barkzas roared, seeking refuge behind a tree, believing it could shield him from the bullets.

However, the next instant, several high-caliber armor-piercing incendiary rounds reduced the tree to splinters. Barkzas' armor shattered, riddled with holes, and blood spurted forth. He cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground, gritting his teeth and bellowing, "Shoot him!"

Thwack!

Thousands of rune-enhanced crossbow bolts converged on a single target, creating a blinding torrent of light. The sheer density of arrows was enough to make one's scalp crawl.

Facing the overwhelming volley, Han Xiao slightly raised his fingers, and twelve Quake-inducing Sonic Spheres shot forth, orbiting his body while emitting pulsating sonic waves. These waves coalesced into a whirlwind of force, deflecting every arrow, which then clattered haphazardly to the ground, none having struck Han Xiao.

Han Xiao strode forward, step by step, towards the Rune City. The first wave of his vanguard was drowned in a relentless deluge of firepower, leaving the dead and wounded in its wake.

There were both gunpowder turrets and electromagnetic kinetic turrets. The gunpowder turrets were loaded with specialized ammunition: incendiary rounds, armor-piercing rounds, grenades, poison gas rounds, and even enchanted bullets provided by the Volga Brothers, such as frost rounds and oil rounds, combining to create a variety of debilitating status effects.

Bang, bang, bang!

The forest was razed under the intersecting fire, creating a swathe of destruction littered with splintered trees and smoldering flames.

The light rain was consumed by the inferno, transforming into a hazy mist of steam, obscuring visibility. The main force, arriving on the scene, could only discern a figure slowly advancing through the vaporous haze.

Following the path of felled trees, they could track Han Xiao's position, as if a massive serpent were slithering through the undergrowth.

Finally, the main force arrived. Tens of thousands of Rune Guardians, under the command of their officers, surged forward. However, the five-hundred-meter radius surrounding Han Xiao was practically a death zone. No matter how many approached, their sturdy armor would shatter in an instant, bullets would pierce their bodies, and they would fall like harvested wheat, with no one able to stand their ground.

Wounded soldiers lay sprawled behind Han Xiao, their screams almost drowning out the roar of the artillery.

Han Xiao wasn't bloodthirsty. The level gap between these ordinary soldiers and himself was too vast; they were only worth 1 experience point each. He couldn't be bothered to finish them off. Those unlucky enough to be struck in a vital spot could only blame their fate. Although Han Xiao wasn't prone to killing sprees, he wouldn't feel any remorse either.

Killing a few people was just commonplace, after all. Back in the day, when he infiltrated Germination…

Never mind, a hero doesn't dwell on past glories.

At last, the soldiers hesitated, fear etched on their faces, unwilling to approach any further. Charging in was pure suicide, a meaningless sacrifice. They were terrified.

At this moment, three hundred elite soldiers broke ranks. They wore black armor, adorned with runes ten times more intricate. Their eyes were bloodshot, as if bearing an immense burden. These were the Rune City's most formidable warriors—the Black-Armored Guards. These rune-enhanced suits were the highest-grade equipment, reserved for specially trained ace warriors. However, they inflicted irreversible damage on the body. Only one Black-Armored Guard was selected from fifty elite soldiers. Their combat prowess was enough to take on a hundred opponents.

Clang, clang, clang…

The Black-Armored Guards charged into the hail of bullets. Their top-tier armor finally withstood the barrage. This immediately ignited hope within the Rune City's army.

Enduring the pain, the three hundred warriors drew their rune swords and charged toward Han Xiao, exuding an aura of lethal, frigid determination.

Han Xiao remained composed. With a snap of his fingers, dozens of mechanical beasts surged forth, engaging the elite troops, while he switched the electromagnetic turrets to manual control, focusing their fire one by one. The armor-piercing capabilities of electromagnetic kinetic energy were amplified several times, effortlessly taking down the Black-Armored Guards one by one.

Han Xiao's set of Worker-Quality Equipment was unfailingly effective against group assaults, as long as he didn't face opponents of equal caliber. The key was its affordability and practicality.

The Rune City's trump card warriors, the strongmen on whom the army placed their hopes, didn't even cause a ripple before being taken down one after another. Witnessing this, Barkzas' heart sank.

The alien's power exceeded expectations!

A wave of regret washed over him, but it was too late. Only after suffering a grievous loss would they awaken to their own overestimation.

"Activate the Rune Ballistae!" Barkzas, having been rescued, clutched his pierced legs and shrieked.

Four artillery-like siege weapons were hauled out, aimed at Han Xiao from afar. These were the Rune City's ultimate trump cards, derived from an almost-defunct high-level civilization's runic technology. The Rune City hadn't completely mastered the technology, and their imitations possessed only one percent of the original's power, but it was still enough to be their most formidable weapon. There were only ten such ballistae in the entire Rune City. They brought out four at once, a trump card specifically intended to deal with the aliens.

This was their last resort. They had hesitated to use it, fearing it might kill the alien, but they couldn't afford such considerations now. If they continued to cling to the idea of capturing the alien alive, Barkzas could already foresee the complete annihilation of their army.

Buzz!

The four ballistae fired massive energy bolts, whistling through the air, carrying their last hope.

"This thing does have some power."

Han Xiao glanced sideways, abruptly clenching his fists together, and Mechanical Force surged forth. A bubble-like energy shield enveloped a three-meter radius, slick and iridescent.

The energy bolts struck the bubble. Instead of the expected impact, they glanced off and soared past, creating craters dozens of meters wide in the ground hundreds of meters away.

[Deflection Energy Field Generator]. This was equipment that Han Xiao had created by fusing [Advanced Energy Theory]. It could deflect pure energy attacks to a certain extent. He had purchased and learned this knowledge during his nine-month mercenary career.

"These four cannons are a bit of a threat to me. One shot should be able to take off about two hundred of my health." Han Xiao estimated. The Rune Ballistae were too far away, beyond the range of his turrets. He nodded, and a set of specialized compressed spheres shot out, transforming into mechanical components in mid-air.

These mechanical components assembled themselves. Soon, a medium-sized electromagnetic railgun slammed down beside him, standing more than two meters tall.

Han Xiao sat at the control console, quickly locking onto his target, and began charging the weapon. Blinding electricity surged along the barrel.

Buzz!!

A beam of blue energy traversed the distance of a thousand meters, instantly piercing through three Rune Ballistae, melting through every obstacle in its path.

This was the long-range heavy artillery style that Han Xiao rarely employed. It was typically used by Gunners, specializing in dealing damage. This medium-sized electromagnetic railgun was incredibly powerful, and it had taken him a long time to assemble. It was intended for dealing with single targets. Each shot cost dozens of Enas. This was equipment specifically used to unleash astronomical damage in conjunction with [Willpower Ignition]. Once, during a mercenary mission, he used it to deal with a Void Wandering Monster with over 50,000 health for the local forces. Han Xiao defied fate, rolled five times the damage, and triggered the true damage of [One Shot Kill], dealing "14885" damage in a single shot, which was still his personal record for the highest single instance of damage.

"What kind of power is this…" Barkzas' lips were white, his face etched with terror.

The alien possessed such tremendous power. The tactics they had dreamt up last night were completely useless, a joke, mere armchair strategy.

This shot broke the camel's back. The Rune City's army finally collapsed, discarding their armor and fleeing in all directions. Some sat on the ground, looking blankly ahead, their minds empty, forgetting even to escape.

[You have single-handedly routed an enemy force tens of thousands strong.]

[You have gained the Achievement Talent: Impregnable Fortress]

[Impregnable Fortress: When entering a combat state, if you are alone, you gain an 11% bonus to all stats.]

"Not bad, an achievement talent." Han Xiao nodded. Some talents could be obtained by completing certain hidden challenges, also called achievement talents. Most of them had pretty good effects.

[Impregnable Fortress] was clearly a talent suited to lone wolves, and it would be very useful for players. As long as they had this talent, they would receive a free stat bonus during solo PvP battles. However, the acquisition method was not very player-friendly. It wasn't as easy for players to take on ten thousand enemies as it was for Han Xiao.

Watching the defeated enemy, Han Xiao stowed away his weapons, continuing his march towards the Rune City.

He believed that this battle would be enough for the Rune City to recognize the disparity between their strengths.

…

The Rune Overlord hadn't slept all night, anxiously awaiting the battle report.

Barely half an hour had passed since the agreed-upon time to strike when the battle report arrived. The Rune Overlord was so frightened that he collapsed onto the ground.

One man against tens of thousands of troops.

The army was utterly defeated!

The target was unharmed!

All the officials present were aghast, their faces betraying their terror.