Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"..." The messenger captain's mouth moved slightly, somewhat at a loss.

All command authority was in the hands of that general?

But things had already developed to this point...

"I saw the light..." A member of the messenger squad suddenly muttered.

"I also saw the light..."

The two were not looking at the live drone feed, but outside the transparent window... in the direction of the frontline battlefield.

'That's not light...' Yue Ying, who had been silent during the journey in the vehicle, finally murmured to herself, willing at last to lift her head from the shadow of her hood, and look toward the core battlefield that decided everything.

'That is... the glow of Spiritual Energy.'

...

The Mecha's left hand tightly grasped the flagpole, shielding the structure of the Mecha so that Bai E could not directly feel the attributes of the object in his Mecha's left hand.

Fortunately, with the link through the "Body of Mech," Bai E could feel the true existence of external objects through the diffused Spiritual Energy, step by step, and modify them.

[Spiritual Energy creation in progress, please do not detach from the target object.]

[...3]

[...2]

[...1]

"Thrust!"

The long alloy flagpole was violently thrust into the ground beneath his feet like a javelin, piercing through the soft, sticky mycelium soil, creating a deep fissure that reached into the earth.

The flag at the end of the pole fluttered violently in the high winds, and a ripple of white light emanated from the flag, spreading out in a spherical pattern.

[You have obtained a Spiritual Power Creation—Inspiring Flag*1.]

[Inspiring Flag: As long as this flag exists, all individuals within a 625-meter radius sphere centered on the flag will be inspired by it, automatically gaining the "Trait—Heartening Inspiration," with Physical Ability +6, Reflexes +6, Insight +6, and Health Regeneration +8/min.]

[Inspiring Flag (Spiritual Power Creation Blueprint): You can solidify your Spiritual Energy on an object, and all those you acknowledge within the covered range of this Spiritual Power Creation and who can see the object will receive a certain level of mental inspiration, as well as a mild boost in physical strength and recovery ability. All effects are positively correlated with the level of Spiritual Energy used at the time of creation, with the current number of this Spiritual Power Creation set at 1; creating another object will automatically nullify the Spiritual Energy effect of the previous one. Properties of the creation: Permanent, destructible.]

This was the Spiritual Energy ability Bai E had learned from Kiro Lan before departing, which she said was also inspired by a player under her command named "Gong Yan."

The fact that those players could create their own skills was a path Bai E had never considered, but fortunately... now this handy skill was hers.

The Inspiring Flag that was deployed with the Eagle Flag carried with it the great courage that uplifted the spirit.

However, within the ripple's 625-meter range, there was not a single individual to be affected.

He had penetrated too deep into the Bug Race's nest, already far removed from the front-line combat troops.

If it only had this level of effect, Bai E would likely have carefully controlled his depth of penetration into combat.

But now, having undergone a second genetic optimization, such minor concerns no longer needed to be considered.

[Hidden Trait—Will of the Bug Nest, awakened.]

[Trait—Collective Will (Tamed): Those who deeply believe in your goals will receive your care. From now on, when you are among your own troops, your "Protective" Spiritual Energy power will receive a 200% boost, and you will perfectly guard every unit within your troops.]

The Will of the Bug Nest, once belonging to the mantis Bugs, had finally become an ability that was absolutely human after genetic assimilation and could now be used by him.

Bai E, charging forward at the forefront, seemed always able to feel a huge and warm mass of air at his back.

Every soldier named after Blackwater City trusted Bai E deeply, their leader.

Each of these warriors completely devoted themselves, entrusting their all deeply in the will of Bai E.

Their spirits and their wills, as if made tangible, turned into a thick and warm mass of air, always following behind Bai E.

So much so that Bai E almost felt he could reach out and touch this solidified will.

And as a gesture of reciprocity to those who believed in him, Bai E finally announced the manifestation of his own will to everyone at this moment.

He gripped the banner in his hand tightly, linking the authority of the collective will and the inspiring blessings of the flag closely together.

"I bestow upon you the courage to face formidable enemies, you will bravely march forward despite all hardships and difficulties."

"I bestow upon you the power to conquer adversaries, you will receive extraordinary blessings that tear through everything before you."

"I bestow upon you the consolation to soothe the hesitation in your hearts, no mental blow will ever fell your spirit!"

"Whoever gazes upon this banner will receive the warrior's soul's protection!"

"So long as the battle flag stands, the warrior's spirit lives on!"

The white light of soul protection followed the diffused will of the believers and traced back to the source of each will.

The inspiring aura that once only lingered around the banner within a radius of 625 meters instantaneously affected every person in the Blackwater City army that went into battle.

Even those individuals who had not fully devoted their faith felt a warm power emanating from their hearts, thanks to the blessings on the warriors nearby.

In the armored vehicle at the very back of the rear guard, whether it was the messenger squad from the outer city or the high-ranking officials from within the city, they all simultaneously felt the warmth of that power welling up from within.

"What's happening? It's as if I've suddenly grown years younger?"

"My strength... has increased a lot."

"The old wounds I had, why do they feel itchy?"

The female messenger closed her eyes, feeling the waves churning inside her, and her complexion turned a flushed red, "My body, it feels strange."

"Captain, look at those soldiers!"

Almost at the very instant this warm sensation affected each person, the soldiers who had been rigid due to the dominion of the Bug Race's mental realm in the drone's live feed also moved suddenly.

Seeing the insect mouthparts nearing, the awakened warrior rolled nimbly aside; the Bug-Slaying Blade in his hands seemed much lighter, his sharp awareness instantly catching an excellent opportunity as the bug revealed a major weakness.

The Bug-Slaying Blade was swung mightily, cleaving the bug's body in two.

Avoiding the bug's bodily fluids and flesh instinctively, the warrior then looked towards the rear of the sea of bugs.

There, a banner waved fiercely in the wind.

Beside that banner, a heart filled with absolute faith, wielding the Bug-Slaying Blade, initiated a devastating charge towards the Bug Race's last four behemoths.

With surging hot blood in his chest, the warrior raised his hefty Bug-Slaying Blade high above and roared to the heavens, "Humanity shall prevail!"

"Humanity shall prevail!"

"Humanity shall prevail!"

The overwhelming cries were almost continuous, rolling and thundering as if summoned by the gods.

"Gulp."

"Gulp."

The sound of swallowing was unmistakably clear in the cramped carriage.

The members of the messenger squad looked at each other, never expecting the situation to unfold in such a way.

What Bai E had achieved now was far more incredible than if he had simply annihilated the Bug Race's nest by himself.

One's own strength is always just that, one's own.

Yet the power to awaken the battle will of so many and to arouse them from the Bug Race's dominion over the mental realm was even more staggering!

At this moment, even they were ready to offer up their most fervent fanaticism to this "Bai E" they had never met.

"If it were him, using a mecha to slay the overlord and its three guardians, it doesn't seem impossible..."