Chapter 98: Returning with the Bear

As they witnessed the overwhelming tide of the Beastmen army, everyone’s expression changed drastically. Some people, acting on instinct, tried to flee, knocking over chairs and teacups, causing chaos in the hall.

The generals in the front row looked grim; if one observed closely, it was clear each had clenched their fists, their bodies trembling ever so slightly—whether from excitement or fear, it was hard to tell.

Some instinctively rose to their feet, assuming defensive stances, despair etched across their faces; a few, unable to control themselves, even let out sharp screams. Only after regaining their composure did they realize they were not actually present on the battlefield, and that, within this ocean of Beastmen, they were not yet in real danger. Yet even a short video clip had left them with a deep sense of helplessness.

Once they realized they were still in a meeting, some even felt the relief of having survived a calamity.

And these were seasoned soldiers—if ordinary civilians had seen such images, they might have gone mad with terror on the spot.

The shock and awe brought on by the Beastmen troops surpassed that of the so-called alien monsters by more than a degree.

The brutal clashes with giant wolves, the support of terrifying robots, and those swift, lethal movements—all made one’s blood run cold.

“By analyzing the lip movements in the footage, experts have deduced that these blue giants are called 'Beastmen.' I wholeheartedly agree with this name,” the Chimpanzee Instructor said gravely. “At the time, the attack was so sudden that we reacted almost reflexively. The Beastmen tore through our lines as easily as unwrapping chocolate, utterly demolishing our formations and eliminating every soldier who dared attack them.

Many were smashed directly into pulp.

Most of the new recruits, however, simply followed their instincts—at the very instant the Beastmen appeared, they shrieked and scattered in all directions.

After the fact, our statistics showed that every soldier who dared resist and attack the Beastmen died, while those who fled were ignored by the Beastmen.”

An elderly general suddenly interjected, “Are you saying these Beastmen don’t actually want to kill people?”

“According to the experts, though our footage is limited and our intelligence team has yet to provide useful information, some still believe the Beastmen army is a third party. Satellite surveillance has shown that within alien-occupied zones, the Beastmen have engaged in fierce conflict with the alien monsters—clashing on a scale that amounts to all-out war.

They show no mercy.

The Beastmen lack air support, but on the ground, the alien monsters are utterly unable to halt their furious advance.

The battleground is nothing short of hellish!” The Chimpanzee Instructor took a manila envelope from his pocket. “Here are some photos I managed to obtain from journalist friends after the war—they risked their lives to get these shots. As far as I know, the Beastmen paid no attention to the journalists; they don’t understand human language and have shown no intention of communicating with us.”

The photographs were quickly distributed. They showed, in vivid detail, the daily lives and battles of the Beastmen.

The photographs were clear and taken at close range, showing the journalists had risked everything to capture them.

Though spectacular, they were of little practical use.

The generals tossed the photos aside and began to confer in hushed, grave tones.

Lieutenant Colonel Luke spoke up: “We must determine if the Beastmen are friend or foe, and where they come from!”

The United Army was abuzz with tension, drafting plan after plan, seeking the perfect approach to contacting the Beastmen and leveraging their strength to wipe out the alien monsters.

To humanity, the alien monsters remained the ultimate enemy.

The ability to reset time was like cheating: when war began, time would reset; when ambushed, time would reset; when defeated, time would reset. As long as the foe was not the alien monsters, the victory timeline fell into an endless loop. On the surface, this war had lasted over five years, but in truth, it had dragged on far longer.

The fervor of the human world did not reach Gao Ning.

His purpose remained unwavering.

He continued to use the Gene Mutator, each time transforming over a hundred new Beastmen, who were then scattered throughout the occupied zones to search for the brave monsters that appeared in the film.

Gao Ning was also eager to acquire the ability to reverse time.

But in barely more than twenty hours, finding the final boss who had hidden for years was nearly impossible.

So he did not force the matter.

The door opened, and Old Gao the Second pushed in a wheelchair. Seated upon it, bound tight like a mummy, was the female protagonist.

Her features were sealed—she could neither see nor hear.

Yet, as a powerful warrior, she could vaguely sense the presence of an enemy before her, and so she struggled fiercely, muffled cries escaping her lips.

Gao Ning stepped forward and placed his hand on her head, his mind immersed within the Red Alert interface.

Sure enough, the moment his palm touched her hair, the words on the game screen shifted.

[Mission Three Complete]

[Submit Dimensional Artifact]

A flash of white light. The female protagonist shuddered violently, then went limp.

[Extracting Time Gene Fragment]

[Reward: Standard Troop Template, Power Plant Construction Module.]

Then, on the right side of the interface, the third seat on the airplane icon lit up—this meant that from now on, every ten hours, three paratroopers could be deployed.

In the right-hand list, the first slot in the building menu now displayed the symbol for a power plant.

It showed that for six million units, a magnetic power plant could be summoned instantly.

Gao Ning was overjoyed. Though he didn’t yet know what use a single power plant might have, it was still a building.

In Red Alert, buildings are the foundation of everything; with enough buildings, one could endlessly spawn troops.

This was the true golden finger.

Gao Ning let out a long sigh of relief, finally able to set his mind at ease.

Now that a construction module had appeared, it meant his golden finger wasn’t limited to instant summons. As long as he kept completing missions, he might even unlock the Main Base.

With that, in future missions, Gao Ning would be almost unstoppable.

But, knowing the capricious nature of the Red Alert interface, it probably wouldn’t be that simple.

Still, it was a glimmer of hope, and Gao Ning was pleased.

He left the suite, took the elevator straight to the rooftop, where a helicopter was already waiting.

He had delayed the neutral unit for too long. Two days ago, Qi Shan had contacted the national zoo and found a massive Kodiak bear, three meters long and weighing 700 kilograms.

The Kodiak bear, larger and fiercer than the polar bear, is a formidable predator on land, capable of challenging lions and elephants alike.

Gao Ning had considered many animals: crocodiles, lions, tigers, old pigeons, eagles, and other flying beasts.

In the end, he chose the bear.

Its combat power was formidable, and in a pinch could serve as food; in the wild, it could even be used as a mount. A bear was versatile and cost-effective.

If he encountered another neutral unit in the future, he could consider a support animal then.

He applied the neutral unit template, then spent half a day wandering the bustling streets of Paris, dressed to the nines. After twenty-four hours had passed, the United Army had yet to issue any clear directive.

With a helpless shake of his head, Gao Ning chose to return.