Then all my cultivation as an immortal has been for nothing?

Chapter 5 Invasion
On Wang Yi's side, the atmosphere in the command center was extremely tense.

The broadcast kept reporting: "Gamma rays have been detected surging; we are assessing the strength of the enemy that is passing through based on the radiation levels!"

"The armed trains have been deployed on the viaduct!"

Wang Yi was stunned when he heard about the armed train and the viaduct. Then he looked at the main screen, which was divided into several sections. One of the sections showed a light rail train with no windows stopped on the viaduct, with something resembling a Gustav cannon on the back of the train unfolding and slowly rotating.

So Wang Yi turned to Elsa and asked, "Is that right? Using something that looks like it has a caliber of over 300 millimeters in the city would cause enormous damage, wouldn't it?"

Before Elsa could answer, the announcement came over the loudspeaker: "This is the crowd control team. Crowd control is complete, and the train, full of passengers, is departing!"

Meanwhile, on the large screen, one section showed trains packed like sardine cans passing through an empty subway platform.

All the screens on the platform switched to displaying red warning messages, and some text, which appeared to be either Sanskrit or something else, was scrolling rapidly.

Elsa: "Those are hint runes on the screen. Ordinary people will quickly get into the vehicle and leave the designated combat zone based on the hints, so it's okay!"

"No, no!" Wang Yi exclaimed repeatedly, "Even if no one uses that thing, it will still cause huge damage, right? This is an urban area! One shot will shatter the windows of the surrounding buildings, right?"

Elsa: "That's right, so it can effectively deplete the demonic cultivator's Qi Sea!"

Is this the problem?

Elsa continued her explanation: "Demonic cultivators have no industrial system to rely on, so they can only use their Qi Sea to withstand attacks. In addition, the existence of the Nine Cauldrons will weaken or even block some of their methods. Demonic cultivators are at a huge disadvantage when forcibly attacking humanity."

"In a humanitarian dimension, a supported A-level team could even fight against demonic cultivators with a danger level of S!"

"Oh, I see—no, no, I was asking about how to restore things after they've been damaged..."

At this moment, someone entered the observation room and said to Wang Yi and his companion, "You two should quickly go to the canteen for refuge."

As Elsa led Wang Yi outside, she explained, "The canteen is actually a refuge. If the enemy breaks in and blows up the Flame Essence Cauldron, which is located deep underground in the headquarters, the canteen will close itself, and the food inside will be unlocked. We can stay inside until reinforcements from other places arrive."

Wang Yi had originally intended to ask about the recovery process after heavy artillery battles in the city, but Elsa's question contained so much information that he immediately forgot to ask about the destruction: "The Blazing Fire Cauldron? It's underground here?"

"Yes, the locations of the cauldrons were all decided a long, long time ago when they were cast, and they were all set on the corresponding veins of the earth."

“For tens of thousands of years, cultivators have been protecting the cauldron, forming many settlements, including Yangcheng! The company was established to use modern technology and industrial products to protect the cauldron.”

Elsa talked non-stop as she walked, like spilling beans.

The two of them then entered the dining hall.

"Hey, Elsa!" The cafeteria lady, who had just served the earthworm set meal, was playing cards with the other cafeteria staff. "Weren't we supposed to be calling for cultivators of A rank or higher?"

Wang Yi turned to look at Elsa and saw her expression darken.

Just then, other employees came in from another entrance and, upon hearing what the aunt said, replied, "Her demon core was taken by her sister, so her strength is far below A level. That's why she was assigned to mentor the newcomers!"

Wang Yi frowned, vaguely recalling that Elsa had mentioned that her older brother and sister lacked intelligence and were basically unable to cultivate. Their only way to improve was to become the mount or pet of a certain immortal and receive help to gradually cultivate intelligence.

Although Wang Yi was very curious about what had happened, Elsa's expression made him hesitate to ask.

Meanwhile, the loud-mouthed employee over there, seeing Wang Yi's expression, started talking non-stop: "She brought her dearest older sister from when she was little into the company, and even used points to exchange for a lot of medicine to help her sister build her foundation and develop intelligence."

"Unexpectedly, my sister couldn't resist the temptation and started practicing evil magic. She even stole Elsa's demon core, which boosted her strength. She broke through the barrier of the Nine Cauldrons and escaped to the Hungry Ghost Realm."

"Because of this, she was reassigned to the human resources department to mentor new employees!"

Looking at Elsa's expression, Wang Yi suddenly felt a pang of pity and wanted to say a few words in her defense.

Just then, Elsa spoke up: "Never mind them. Most of the employees hiding here are descendants of cultivators. They've been exposed to the supernatural since childhood, so they have some resistance. It's just that most of them don't have spiritual roots and can't cultivate."

Wang Yi said "Oh," and then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, "Then why don't they rent spiritual roots to cultivate?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire canteen fell silent, followed by a burst of laughter.

"This must be from the latest masterpiece of the Cognitive Interference Division."

"They even rent spiritual roots! The demonic cultivators might have such a method!"

"The demonic cultivators don't have that either. When they see a good spiritual root, they directly refine it into their own cultivation, or they make it into a magic weapon or refine a zombie."

Wang Yi was somewhat embarrassed. So that wildly popular novel was a masterpiece by the Cognitive Interference Division? So the author really was a cultivator?

Although Wang Yi had become much thicker-skinned in the year since graduation, he still felt a little embarrassed being ridiculed by so many people, and immediately felt hot.

Elsa pulled Wang Yi toward a table in the corner: "Ignore them."

At this moment, the female employee who had just "leaked the information" said, "Elsa, I heard that the new person you're bringing in this time has a spiritual root of only 22? That's great, now you've got at least five years' worth of meals."

Wang Yi glanced at the woman and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean?"

Elsa rolled her eyes: "What I mean is that with your 22 spiritual roots, it will take you at least five years to reach the overall quality required to inject a first-tier spiritual medicine and break through to the early stage of Qi Refining."

Wang Yi: "A magic elixir?"

He remembered that the contract he signed stated that the company would provide the elixir.

Elsa: "That's right. In the past, when cultivators reached the Great Perfection of the early stage of Qi Refining, they had to break through the bottleneck. They had to make a lot of preparations for this and had to circulate their energy for a long time during the breakthrough. But now that technology has developed, they can break through the bottleneck and enter the middle stage of Qi Refining simply by injecting spiritual medicine."

"Of course, elixirs are extremely potent, and as you may have noticed, cultivators who use elixirs far exceeding their own strength may explode and die."

Seeing the change in Wang Yi's expression, Elsa immediately added, "Don't worry, we can now measure a cultivator's various values ​​very accurately. You'll definitely be able to handle the elixir when we give it to you."

At this moment, the gossipy woman in the distance spoke up again: "With a spiritual root strength of 22, it's estimated that even after five years of cultivation and using foundational spiritual medicine, her strength will still be at the bottom even at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. She might have to advance to the late-stage of Qi Refining before she can take on D-level missions."

Wang Yi didn't pay much attention to the gossipy woman's mocking tone, but instead asked Elsa seriously, "So combat power level isn't tied to the Qi Refining stage?"

"Yes, the D-level squad you just saw was full of cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. They were quite strong, and if the terrain was favorable, they could even fight me even after I lost my demon core."

Wang Yi's eyes widened: "Are you that strong?"

Before Elsa could respond, the gossipy woman in the distance said, "She lost her demon core, which greatly reduces her spellcasting ability. She can only fight with the physical strength of a demon. She'll be played to death by the Nightingale Squad!"

This gossipy woman, though not a cultivator herself, has a very sharp tongue.

Wang Yi lowered his voice and asked Elsa, "Isn't she afraid of being secretly retaliated against by the cultivators for treating her like this?"

"Don't worry, unless you refine her soul like a demonic cultivator, she will be protected by the Nine Cauldrons and will be able to come back to life even if she dies."

"Besides—have you forgotten that she is a descendant of cultivators? Although many families have had cultivators for several generations, cultivators generally have long lifespans."

“If you take care of her in a fit of anger, you’ll be in the classic cliché of an online novel,” Elsa replied.

Does the classic pacing of online novels refer to killing Xiao Deng to bring in Zhong Deng, and killing Zhong Deng to bring in Lao Deng? That's certainly quite annoying.

Wang Yi couldn't help but glance at the battery indicator on his wrist.

I don't know if my cheat is powerful enough to allow me to turn the tide and kill everyone.

To understand the power of this cheat, he needed to quickly charge the battery, and the only way Wang Yi knew of to charge it was by eating.

So Wang Yi raised his hand: "I want another one of those earthworm set meals!"

The cafeteria lady said, "There's an emergency right now, so the cafeteria is closed. We don't have those complicated dishes anymore! But we have other things. Just grab a pre-made meal pack and heat it up in the microwave! Okay!"

“Big you!” said the man who looked like a chef.

Elsa: "Why are you hungry again? Did you poop out the earthworm soup you just ate? That's such a waste."

No, they're all in my cheat program, but I don't know what it's for.

Wang Yi: "I'm not hungry, but in this atmosphere I feel like chewing on something. Do you still have any milk candy?" Once I eat 19 more, I'll know what this battery pattern is for!
"You wish! You can exchange them after you have enough points! 10 points each!" Elsa said, while covering her pocket, indicating that the candy was hidden inside.

Just then, the cafeteria door opened, and the four members of the D-rank Nightingale squad filed in.

The man nicknamed "Skinny Monkey" appeared unable to walk on his own and was being supported by the man with the grenade.

"Do you have hot dishes?" the sniper asked the cafeteria lady.

"No, but you seem to need the recovery medicine sold in the vending machine more," the woman replied.

The giant nicknamed "Old Stone" had already reached the vending machine: "I'll use my points to buy some supplements and medicine for Skinny Monkey first. The Medical Department is supposed to be responsible for completely curing us, but there's nothing we can do in an emergency."

Sniper: "When the points are distributed, you can get more, since you were the one who made the direct kill."

“No.” Old Shi shook his head. “It should be allocated according to the losses. Lei Zi, I’ve exchanged 400 points for 20 candies for you.”

Lei Ge, who was supporting the skinny monkey, raised his hand and said, "You've been a great help. I'll owe you for now and pay you back when I get the points."

Wang Yi observed the Nightingale Squad from afar and increasingly felt that, apart from the unusually muscular "Old Shi," the others seemed more like ordinary special forces members wearing powered exoskeletons.

Could it be because they are all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining? (As Elsa just said)

Just then, the lights in the cafeteria suddenly went out, plunging the entire cafeteria into darkness. The green sign for the emergency exit and the fluorescent strips on the vending machines suddenly became exceptionally conspicuous.

Wang Yi was startled, but the people in the cafeteria seemed quite used to it.

"The people who came this time are really strong," Wang Yi heard the gossipy woman mutter. "Isn't the backup power switching a bit too slow? Damn, I ate a bad sunflower seed, ptooey."

The lights came on the next moment, indicating that the backup power supply had switched over.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Yi was tackled to the ground by Elsa.

Wang Yi felt a breeze—but how could there be a breeze in a completely enclosed cafeteria without windows? Could the ventilation fan be broken?
A sharp pain shot through my shoulder; I guess I hit the floor pretty hard.

Then, Wang Yi smelled blood.

It took him almost a second to realize that the large patches of black in his field of vision were bloodstains.

"Fresh souls!" a chilling voice murmured.

Wang Yi recognized the owner of the voice.

He couldn't understand what it was; it seemed like something that had stepped out of a horror game.

The thing hissed and said in a hoarse, low voice, "You've fallen for their trap—"

Wang Yi overheard the gossipy woman shouting, "It's that D-level cultivator! That injured D-level cultivator has been sabotaged! The attack outside is just a feint, to cover up—"

The next moment, the woman's head flew off, and blood sprayed onto the ceiling.

Wang Yi had no idea how the enemy made their move.

Only then did he notice that the Nightingale Squad had been completely wiped out—no, the most robust member of the squad, Old Stone, who was wearing a lot of armor plates, stood up and hugged the terrifying thing.

With a single gesture, the thing unleashed a bone blade a full meter long that pierced through Old Shi's body.

“Oh, new armor plates—interesting, a suitable toy—” the thing said.

Wang Yi understood. The armor plates on Lao Shi's body had a defensive capability that exceeded this guy's understanding, which was why he hadn't killed Lao Shi just now.

Strangely enough, despite the bloody scene, Wang Yi remained remarkably calm and was even able to analyze it.

It is said that some people are naturally better suited to life-or-death situations; these are born soldiers. However, most Chinese people do not encounter situations that can unleash this potential.

It seems Wang Yi has encountered one, and he happens to be a born soldier.

The demonic cultivator's attack obviously required the consumption of qi, so he precisely controlled the output of qi based on his previous knowledge of the performance of the old armor plates, and thus Old Shi survived.

Just as Wang Yi was pondering what to do, Elsa stood up.

“Oh, long time no see, you’re so long and thin,” she said.

The monster let out a sharp laugh, like a DJ spinning records with a rusty, broken machine.

"Isn't this like a stray dog? Your sister is making rapid progress now. If you stay with those hypocrites, you'll never be able to get your demon core back."

"Want to join us? — I'm still missing a mount —"

Before the monster could finish speaking, Elsa shoved it away.

The werewolf girl's body suddenly swelled up considerably; her hands had completely transformed into wolf claws, and her legs had become wolf hind legs—

So that's why her clothes were so loose—to prevent them from bursting when she revealed her true form...

Blue flames flickered between her fangs, and her bloodshot eyes were filled with murderous intent.

The werewolf girl, accompanied by the demonic cultivator, broke down the door of the dining hall and entered a small room next door.

The flying iron gate crashed behind Wang Yi, sparking a string of sparks as it scraped against the ground.

She shouted, "Command Center, I've brought the demonic cultivator into elevator D13!"

The demonic cultivator curled up his elongated limbs, intending to strangle the wolf girl.

Just then, the elevator shaft shot upwards, and the wolf girl and the demonic cultivator disappeared from Wang Yi's sight, leaving only the elevator shaft still crackling with electricity.

It seems the command center received Elsa's notification.

Damn, I hope she's alright, after all, she's been transferred to a non-combat role now...

Before Wang Yi could worry about Elsa, he heard noises coming from the cafeteria.

He thought it was one of the still-living employees, but when he turned his head, he saw the D-level cultivator nicknamed Skinny Monkey standing up shakily.

The skinny monkey's eyes gleamed with a purple light; half of its body had melted away, revealing the bones beneath the flesh.

With Wang Yi's current level of understanding, he couldn't comprehend what had happened to the skinny monkey.

"Do you... need help?" he asked instinctively.

Skinny Monkey then noticed that there was a living Wang Yi in the room.

The skinny monkey—the thing that used to be skinny monkey—let out a weak howl.

He appears to be seriously injured, as he is unable to even howl properly.

It's also possible that the demonic cultivator who just teleported over severely damaged the skinny monkey's body and mind.

In that instant, Wang Yi suddenly realized that he might be able to kill this guy.

Then he remembered that just before the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, Old Shi had exchanged for twenty candies.

The monster howled again, crawling on the ground and charging at Wang Yi with its hands and feet. However, one of his hands was just a skeleton, with only some tendons still connecting it, and it disintegrated as soon as it started to run.

The monster fell to the ground, then struggled to its feet and charged at Wang Yi with its remaining limbs, its flesh still melting and dripping onto the ground.

Wang Yi decisively lifted the chair in front of him and threw it at the skinny monkey.

(End of this chapter)