Chapter 27: The Calm Before the Great Battle

The crossbow-striding automaton charging toward the Spinosaurus also halted in its tracks. Wei Ban, who controlled the automaton, had not expected the Paladin leader to unleash such a powerful attack. His original plan had been to engage the Spinosaurus himself, giving the Paladin the chance to coordinate and slay the beast together.

Now it seemed there was no need. The Paladin leader was far stronger than he had imagined.

Just as the automaton was about to turn around, Wei Ban suddenly saw the Paladin leader collapse heavily to the ground, as if he'd lost consciousness entirely.

This startled Wei Ban, and at the same time, a new thought formed in his mind.

"Don’t act rashly. We still have use for them." As the automaton prepared to approach the Paladin leader, Niu Xuanguang’s private message sounded in Wei Ban’s ear.

Wei Ban hesitated, but he understood Niu Xuanguang’s intention. Their calculations had been successful at first, but the current situation left them uneasy.

There were no clear standards for these surprise attacks by unknown creatures; no one could tell which was the first wave or when the second would arrive. The incident with the Quetzalcoatlus had been within their expectations, but the sudden emergence of the Brachiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, and Spinosaurus gave Niu Xuanguang the sense that things were slipping out of control.

They all felt there was more to this than met the eye.

Wei Ban, who understood the complexities better than anyone, hesitated after hearing Niu Xuanguang’s words. In the end, he redirected the automaton toward the battling Tyrannosaurus.

This choice clearly indicated Wei Ban’s position.

Niu Xuanguang breathed a sigh of relief and began to analyze the situation.

There’s no need to panic; it must be a matter of recalibrating the difficulty. My previous calculations were off. It should be that the Quetzalcoatlus was the first wave, the dinosaur stampede was the second, and the simultaneous arrival of the three powerful dinosaurs was the third. That means the next to come is the boss.

With that in mind, Niu Xuanguang issued a command over the team channel with conviction, "Prepare for the boss. I don’t know what kind of boss we’ll face, but it will surely be stronger than the Spinosaurus. It’s very likely to be something like the Indominus Rex. Everyone, be careful."

This order, relayed through the team channel, was heard by Wang Liang as well.

But Wang Liang was thoroughly confused. What was an Indominus Rex? Why did Niu Xuanguang and the others speak of it as if it were commonplace? Should he ask? He didn’t know, but the rest of the team was well aware of what the Indominus Rex was. They had survived that world before—a monster created from the DNA of tree frogs, Tyrannosaurus, velociraptors, snakes, and squids.

This apex predator could blend perfectly with its environment, possessed the destructive strength of a Tyrannosaurus, the stealth and cunning of a raptor, and was a formidable foe.

Fortunately, this was not the Indominus Rex’s natural habitat. If it were in a forest, they would have chosen to retreat at once.

Here, things were different. At least the Indominus Rex’s camouflage ability would be ineffective, sparing them the need to hunt for an unseen enemy.

With this in mind, the others grew alert and braced themselves.

Seeing the group tense up, Wang Liang—who had been hiding behind the Loom of Fate—was at a loss. He quickly reached out to Zhao Gongming, with whom he had a decent rapport.

"Mr. Zhao, what is this Indominus Rex they’re talking about? What should I do?"

At that moment, Zhao Gongming was busy arranging an array on the ground, continuously planting flags, disks, and sharp blades.

Wang Liang’s private message left him speechless. Why chat now, instead of staying hidden?

Then again, he understood this was probably Wang Liang’s first encounter with such a situation; a little anxiety was only natural.

So Zhao Gongming offered some reassurance, "Don’t worry. Just stay hidden. We need to clear the battlefield."

Wang Liang surveyed the scene. The crossbow automaton had already jammed the Tyrannosaurus’s jaws, preventing it from biting down.

Niu Xuanguang and the Crying Girl seized the opportunity, striking in tandem at the Tyrannosaurus’s neck from either side.

It was the creature’s only real weak point; only by decapitating it would it finally die.

Yet the Tyrannosaurus’s neck was short and thick, covered in scales—about the hardest part to cut through.

Niu Xuanguang and the Crying Girl couldn’t risk using their ultimate skills at this moment and could only land ordinary blows. Luckily, their weapons and levels were high enough, and the automaton provided crucial support. After some effort, they finally managed to sever the Tyrannosaurus’s head.

Meanwhile, Miss Ghost and the man in white had managed to haul the fallen camels back to their feet, at least preventing further chaos.

After all, this place was about to become a battlefield. The more open the ground, the better for them.

The four surviving paladins had also helped their leader to his feet.

With his helmet removed, the paladin leader’s face was pale as death, sweat pouring from his brow—he clearly had no strength left to fight.

They carried him to the Loom of Fate, where he saw Wang Liang hiding and forced a weak smile. "You’re clever. Unless a god intervenes, this artifact is nearly indestructible. Hiding here, you’re far less likely to be hurt."

The other paladins set their leader down, then drew their swords and kept a wary watch on their surroundings.

The sudden onslaught of monsters in two successive waves had clearly unsettled them.

Yet the paladin leader, seasoned as he was, managed a conversational tone despite his exhaustion and asked Wang Liang, "Do you know where these monsters came from?"

"I don’t know, but it’s obvious they’re not native to this area. Judging from their scales, they must come from a humid, tropical forest."

The paladin leader nodded. "You’re observant. I’ve realized the same. They all came from the same place. I’ve never seen such a thing before, but I’ve heard tales. Along the Silk Road, there are secret realms where the environment differs greatly from the outside world.

Some secret realms have snow-capped mountains in the heart of the desert; others are like paradise in desolate lands.

It’s not unusual for a secret realm to appear here, but I never expected one to house such powerful creatures, nor for them to charge out en masse. Young man, I know you’re with their team—could you do me a favor?"