"Our original goal was the White Tiger Temple at the end of the canyon."
Lin Qingyue got straight to the point, stating her purpose for coming.
Upon hearing this, Hao Chi's face, which had just relaxed, instantly crumpled again, his features twisting together.
"So your goal is also the White Tiger Temple... Then we're screwed, we're like grasshoppers on the same boat now, no one can escape."
"What do you mean?" Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow.
"Sigh, don't even mention it."
Hao Chi sighed deeply, his whole being radiating an aura of despair.
"Our squad's initial landing point when we entered this Dungeon was near the entrance of this canyon."
"After we learned that there was a Celestial God here guarding mortals, we also thought about finding the Celestial God of this place first, figuring out the situation, and seeing if we could get any help. As a result... you've seen it yourselves."
He pointed helplessly at that heavy metal giant gate, his tone full of frustration.
"Not long after we arrived, these Mantisfolk suddenly launched a general offensive like they were crazy, on a scale never seen before."
"We were directly blocked here, trapped in the defense line with the Allied Forces, unable to move forward or retreat."
A Pandaren Guard behind him added in a deep, heavy voice:
"If Lord Celestial God hadn't intervened and stopped those most terrifying Broodmothers and most of the monsters, our defense line probably wouldn't have lasted even an hour."
Hao Chi nodded and continued: "We've been trapped here for two days already. The casualties at the front line are increasing, and supplies are almost running out."
"My mission was to lead the maintenance squad to perform emergency energy enchantments on the backup weapons to replenish the warriors at the front line. Who knew we'd run into you fighting your way out of the armory as soon as we stepped out."
So that was it.
Lin Qingyue understood.
It seemed their luck was still decent. At least they hadn't been thrown directly into the middle of the battlefield, but had instead landed precisely at this key logistics point and even encountered "allies."
"Time is limited, we must reach the White Tiger Temple as quickly as possible."
Lin Qingyue emphasized their goal again, her gaze unwavering.
"Who's saying otherwise!"
Hao Chi forced a bitter smile and spread his hands, a gesture full of helplessness.
"But the question is, how do we get there? The entire canyon is almost completely filled with those bugs."
"We tried organizing Elite Squads to break through, but it was useless. There are just too many of them, and our strongest here are only Intermediate. Charging in would just get us ground down to death."
"Do those Mantisfolk have any weaknesses we can exploit?"
Su Wan's icy blue eyes fixed on him as she pressed him calmly.
Hao Chi fell silent for a moment, seemingly hesitating.
Finally, he lowered his voice and beckoned the four of them closer.
"It's not that there aren't any," he said, his expression solemn.
"We studied the corpses of these Mantisfolk and discovered a typical weakness they retained as insectoid creatures."
Hearing the word "weakness," Lin Xiyue and the others felt a surge of hope.
Hao Chi lowered his voice even more, speaking with the precision and mystery unique to a researcher.
"Phototaxis," he uttered.
"These Mantisfolk are a classic example of insectoid evolved beings. Their individual combat strength isn't top-tier, but their numbers are despairingly vast, and they are fearless in death, absolutely obedient to their superiors' orders."
"Although they have evolved a highly complex social structure and combat instincts, their underlying physiological mechanisms still retain many characteristics of primitive insects."
"The most obvious one is their strong phototaxis. Simply put, they are attracted to light sources, especially in dark environments."
"At night, they will instinctively prioritize attacking glowing objects."
This information left the four members of Lin Qingyue's Squad lost in brief thought.
Exploiting their phototaxis... it sounded like a viable breakthrough.
For example, creating a powerful light source in the distance to attract the majority of the Mantisfolk's attention, then taking the opportunity to sneak in from the other side?
However, Hao Chi's next words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the small flame of hope they had just ignited.
A smile more hideous than a sob appeared on his face as he pointed outside.
"But here, this weakness is practically nonexistent."
"Why?" Xia Lian couldn't help but ask softly.
"Because of their numbers."
Hao Chi's tone was saturated with despair.
"You've seen it yourselves, haven't you? How many of those bugs are there? They've filled the entire canyon!"
"From the ground to the sky, every inch of space is packed with monsters. Never mind sneaking in, even a single fly would be torn to shreds the moment it flew past."
He seemed to recall some horrific image, his body trembling slightly.
"We tried it once at night, using high-power alchemical searchlights to create spots of light on the opposite canyon wall."
"Indeed, a huge number of Mantisfolk were drawn there. But the pressure on the main defensive line didn't weaken in the slightest. Because the vacant positions were immediately filled by their kin from the rear."
"Their numbers have already surpassed the scope of what 'tactics' can influence."
"Whether there's light or not, every spot is packed with monsters. This weakness has simply lost its meaning."
"This isn't a battlefield that can be broken through with stealth or tactical infiltration. This is a Flesh Grinder, and the only way through is to carve out a bloody path by sheer force. But that's simply impossible."
Hao Chi sighed in despair after he finished speaking.
The atmosphere in the entire Underground Palace grew heavy.
He finally pointed upward, to the unparalleled and overwhelming Slaughtering Divine Might that could still be felt even through the thick layers of rock and metal.
"More importantly, Lord Celestial God White Tiger is being kept in check."
"He alone, in the Nine Heavens, is holding off the Swarm's Broodmother and over ninety percent of their aerial main force."
"That is the true core of this war. What we see below are merely the 'fodder' that have leaked through His defensive line."
"The moment the Lord Celestial God leaves the range of the Temple He is currently defending, the overwhelming main force of the Swarm will descend instantly."
"At that time, our Allied Forces' defensive line, composed of mortal flesh and blood, will be completely submerged within three minutes."
"Therefore, the conclusion is very clear."
Hao Chi spread his hands, offering his final summary, his voice hoarse.
"To obtain the help of the Celestial God, or rather, to meet His true form, we must fight our way through this entire battlefield and reach the Divine Mountain at the end of the canyon."
"But to fight our way through, we need the Celestial God's help to clear the path. We are like rats trapped in a cage, only able to watch helplessly as the floodwaters outside rise higher and higher, unable to do anything."
The detailed and brutal analysis had concluded.
Lin Xiyue tightened her grip on her shield, Su Wan's frown deepened, and even the usually optimistic Xia Lian had a face covered in grim seriousness.
A dead end.
A logically unsolvable dead end.
A frontal assault would be throwing lives into a bottomless pit.
Infiltrating through weaknesses was meaningless because the enemy's numbers were too vast.
Giving up would mean being trapped here to death, or watching helplessly as the White Tiger Celestial God's power was exhausted, and then everyone perishing together.
What should they do?
A suffocating silence fell over the entire armory.
Only the cold weapons on the walls reflected a faint, eerie light in the dimness.
Hao Chi and his Pandaren Guards also had eyes full of lingering fatigue and despair.
They had struggled here for too long, tried too many methods, and in the end, only received the answer: "Impossible."
However, in this suffocating silence, an untimely sound softly rang out.
It was a very soft laugh, carrying a hint of amusement.
Everyone's gaze subconsciously turned to the source of the sound.
Lin Qingyue.
The pink-haired Priest was stroking her smooth chin with a single finger.
Her face showed no despair or grim seriousness. Instead, it wore the delighted expression of a chaos-seeker who had found a new toy.
Within her beautiful pink eyes, a light flickered, a mixture of "wisdom" and "madness," as if she were admiring a beautifully arranged chessboard.
She gazed out at the dense, scalp-numbing insect tide outside the door and murmured softly. Her voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"Phototaxis?"
She paused.
"Numbers vast enough to fill the entire canyon?"
She looked up, the corners of her lips curving into a playful and daring smile.
"Doesn't that sound... just right?"