"The zombie is dead! Counterattack! Counterattack!"
"Kill these bastards! Avenge our brothers!"
"Recover the bodies of our fallen! Keep them intact!"
"Seal the city walls! Heavy artillery units, support the suppression!"
"The western wall is locked down! Requesting permission to launch a counterstrike!"
"Commercial District Four is cleared!"
"Administrative District One is cleared!"
"The eastern wall is secure! Conserve ammunition, cover with volley archers!"
With the death of the zombie, the horde that had been attacking in an orderly fashion instantly scattered, reverting once more into mindlessly wandering monsters.
Against monsters like these, the defenders were in their element.
Relying on battle formations and fueled by the rage of losing their comrades, the troops purged the ten thousand zombies that had breached the city without even triggering a single Totem of Undying. The surge of fury proved to be an immense catalyst.
Yet those who harbored the deepest wrath were Zhongli, Bosacius, and the others standing atop the city wall. They had watched with their own eyes as Xiao was slashed repeatedly, torn apart by claws and fangs, before using his final breath to ignite the TNT and drag the zombie down into mutual destruction with him.
In the eyes of the Adepti, the undead had now become absolute, mortal enemies.
"Xiao!"
Even a battle-hardened man like Bosacius had bloodshot eyes, biting his lip so hard it bled. "Cursed monsters! Give me back my brother! Die! Die! Die!"
Bosacius leaped straight off the wall, his greatsword sweeping in wide, brutal arcs. Fueled by furious rage, he fought off a hundred foes single-handedly. The other Adepti provided elemental enhancements from above, descending outside the city with staves and weapons in hand to unleash an all-out assault.
Zhongli took a deep breath, reaching into his robe to touch the Totem of Resurrection in his coat.
Fortunately, as long as this item existed, Xiao would be fine.
However, that did not mean Zhongli was any less furious. He was merely bound by the need to consider the larger strategic picture, otherwise he would have charged into the horde outside the city alone long ago.
Reaching out to summon a solid Jade Shield, Zhongli declared in a deep, booming tone, "Archers, provide volley fire! Do not allow a single zombie to step within five hundred meters!"
"Open the Redstone Gates! Melee units, charge! Annihilate every last zombie before dawn!"
The continuous bombardment had already reduced the zombie population to roughly seventy thousand. Out of those seventy thousand, over fifty thousand were stranded at long range. That meant the actual force near the city walls numbered barely over twenty thousand.
Under these circumstances, the advantage lay entirely with the defenders against a mindless horde.
The Redstone power mechanism activated, causing the massive obsidian gates to retract downward into the ground. A wide entryway opened in an instant.
In the next breath, over twenty thousand troops surged out in unison, flanked by heavy Iron Golems and packs of wolves. They slammed into the remaining zombies like an unstoppable tide.
Above their heads, a dense rain of arrows continuously blanked the distance. The ammunition supply for heavy weaponry in Redstone Technology City was limited, but as for arrows, the stockpiles were virtually endless.
In the airspace near the walls, thousands of dragons hovered, raining down continuous streams of dragon breath. On the ground, heavy cavalry swept across the battlefield like an iron wedge, piercing straight through the undead lines.
Jean and the others returned to Ryen's side. Zhongli offered quiet words of comfort to the Adepti, urging them to put aside their fury for the moment and prioritize saving lives.
With this coordinated push, though a few soldiers still fell, most merely triggered their Totems of Undying. None met permanent death like the tragic casualties from the initial breach.
"Ryen..." Jean pressed her lips together, initially wanting to suggest holding the line on the walls rather than pushing outside.
Ryen shook his head softly, keeping his voice low. "Many soldiers fell earlier, and Xiao's squad sacrificed themselves to take down the zombie commander."
"Zhongli and the army need a way to release their anger. It matters little, at most it will cost a few Totems of Undying."
"Once we clear these zombies before morning, we can send people to the Totem of Undying farm during the day to restock."
Hearing this, Jean sighed quietly and held her tongue.
If truth be told, she was angry as well. When she went down to clear the zombies earlier, she had watched several soldiers get torn apart by the horde with her own eyes. Soldiers from Liyue, Mondstadt, Inazuma, and various other factions. None of them could easily suppress the hatred burning in their chests.
And for Zhongli and the Adepti, who had watched Xiao get torn apart before their eyes, the feeling was tenfold.
Ryen let out a quiet sigh. "We will tally the casualties at first light. Finding and killing the zombie took a bit too long tonight, so quite a few people likely fell permanently."
"However, the count should not exceed five hundred. We have the Totems of Resurrection, so it will be fine."
"We will conduct a mass resurrection at dawn. It is just that the point cost will be heavy. If future battles progress like this, our supply of resurrection points will run dry."
Jean nodded silently, standing beside Ryen without uttering a word.
Tonight's siege had escalated far beyond anyone's expectations. A loss of this scale had never occurred since they first entered this world.
With the zombie dead, the remaining horde scattered like headless flies, losing their greatest threat. In the eyes of the advancing army, these monsters were now targets of absolute vengeance.
Zhongli went so far as to risk straining his own elemental energy, continuously casting shields over the twenty thousand troops fighting outside the city.
Driven by fury and hatred, the army advanced relentlessly.
On the walls, the archers never ceased their volley fire. While the heavy artillery reserves were limited, the arrow stockpiles could be used without restraint. Firing arrows now preserved valuable explosive ammunition.
The enraged archers shot with uncanny precision, as if empowered by an invisible blessing. Beyond the five hundred meter mark, the rain of arrows formed an impenetrable zone of death. Not a single zombie managed to cross the perimeter.
The battle raged on until dawn. As the final zombie collapsed, the siege that had lasted the entire night officially came to an end.
Redstone Technology City had secured victory once more.
Thunderous cheers erupted inside and outside the city walls. Yet as the reality of their losses set in, the cheering gradually died down.
Victory was something they were accustomed to, but losses of this magnitude were unheard of.
The troops silently began clearing the battlefield. Their primary focus was recovering the bodies of their fallen comrades. As for loot and drops, no one possessed the heart to care for such things at this moment.
Over an hour later.
Everyone gathered in the largest central square of Redstone Technology City. In the middle of the plaza, several hundred bodies lay quietly on the cold ground.
There were soldiers of the Millelith, new recruits from Inazuma, knights from Mondstadt, and even quite a few from Khaenri'ah.
Though their origins differed, every person lying there shared the same pale countenance, their broken bodies bearing visible marks of having been painstakingly pieced back together.
A thick smell of iron and blood lingered in the air, yet no one felt squeamish. Most simply stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the deceased in the center of the square.
Fengyan knelt beside a badly damaged corpse, his trembling hand gently stroking a blood-stained cheek.
It was a young Millelith soldier who still looked somewhat youthful, having joined the ranks only a few months ago. He was a recruit Fengyan himself had brought in when mobilizing the troops just yesterday.
Only yesterday afternoon, this boy had followed behind him like a shadow, asking endless questions. Fengyan remembered teasing him, calling him wet behind the ears, too restless, and lacking the stern dignity of a true Millelith.
Yet when night fell...
The city wall was breached, and chaos erupted. While waiting for elite reinforcements, someone needed to hold back the horde so the gap could be resealed.
That young soldier had stepped forward without hesitation, shoving Fengyan back before charging solo into the horde, using his own body to block over a hundred zombies.
He had bought the precious seconds needed to seal the breach.
That youthful, restless recruit had saved him, and saved many others.
When recovering the remains from the battlefield, it had taken immense effort to piece together his torn body. Even so, one of his arms could not be found.
Fengyan's hand trembled as he wiped away the grime on the boy's face.
"Xiao Kai, I was wrong. You did remarkably well. You were a finer Millelith than I could ever be. You were dependable, and you are the pride of us all."
A hardened warrior who had fought all night through bloody wounds without flinching now had bloodshot eyes, heavy tears spilling down his cheeks.
"Didn't you say that once the cataclysm was over, you wanted me to introduce you to a girl?"
"I agree. I will personally find one for you, the most gentle and dignified lady in Liyue, because nothing less would suit our young hero."
"You can trust my word on this, right?"
The pale youth lay silent, a faint, peaceful smile lingering on his face, as if celebrating the fact that he had successfully protected Liyue.
Fengyan's words acted as a trigger, breaking the emotional dam for the surrounding soldiers who had been holding back their grief.
The people lying here were comrades they trained with every day, brothers who had given their lives to save them last night. Just a day ago, they were laughing, chatting, and boasting about how they would return to work and bring more resources back to their nations once the cataclysm passed.
Now, after a single night, they were cold corpses.
This was a devastating loss the likes of which they had never experienced since coming to the MC world. Even back when they had nothing and Ningguang sent the first wave of troops to develop the base, they had never suffered casualties like this.
No one anticipated that now, after Totems of Undying became widespread, after various mods were developed, and after the army's combat strength skyrocketed to such heights, they would suffer such a catastrophic loss of life.
Some felt as though the world was teaching them a harsh lesson, forcing them to shed their arrogance. But the price of this lesson felt far too heavy to bear.
The atmosphere in the plaza grew increasingly somber. Beneath the rising morning sun, the square felt dead and devoid of life.
After an unknown length of time, Ryen walked over swiftly, accompanied by Zhongli and the others.
Ryen's brow furrowed as he looked at the pieced-together bodies in the center of the square. Hearing the faint sobs floating through the air, he spoke in a firm, sharp tone:
"What are you crying for?! We still have the Totems of Resurrection! They aren't dead yet! Hurry up and tally the losses!"
The voice rang out with startling clarity across the silent square.
The grief-stricken expressions on the soldiers' faces froze instantly.
They looked past Ryen toward the Adepti standing behind Zhongli, who had just been brought back to life. A wave of awkwardness washed over the soldiers who had been weeping just moments prior.
"The Totems of Resurrection... Right! We still have the Totems of Resurrection!"
"Our brothers aren't dead!"
"I... I knew that all along! Honestly, with Master Ryen here, why are you all crying like that? Have you no shame?"
"Stop putting on act! You were crying harder than anyone a second ago!"
"I was merely... expressing my emotions appropriately!"
In an instant, more than half of the gloomy atmosphere in the square evaporated.
Since the Totems of Resurrection were available, these people were not truly gone. To weep now felt a bit premature and superstitious.
Fengyan quickly wiped away his tears, composed himself, and opened his communication interface to review the casualty reports compiled by the various units.
Even though he knew in his heart that the Totems of Resurrection could bring them back, looking at the compiled figures still made his chest tighten.
After a long pause, Fengyan finally opened his mouth to report...