Flesh-and-blood monsters were projected down from the Eyeball, entering this world. Initially, this went unnoticed due to the Eternal Night enveloping the entire world. It wasn't until the first monster emerged from the darkness and into the illuminated area, launching an attack on No. 3 Factory, that the invasion was discovered.
"Enemy attack!"
The soldiers guarding the factory immediately retaliated. Fierce gunfire and flashes of light erupted around the perimeter of No. 3 Factory. The Magitech Weapons used by these ordinary soldiers fired projectiles similar to a composite Wind and Fire magic. These projectiles possessed immense pinpoint destructive power, instantly piercing the monsters' bodies upon impact and detonating in small explosions within them.
The monsters caught in the light couldn't withstand this level of assault. They were quickly torn to shreds by the dense barrage of Magitech projectiles, reduced to piles of gore and debris.
However, this 'accident' served as a wake-up call for No. 3 Factory. How could monsters have crossed the darkness and reached the light?
Over the next three days, monsters appeared intermittently. Lacking any discernible discipline, they didn't coordinate their attacks but simply roamed aimlessly, occasionally drawn to the lights of No. 3 Factory and drifting closer.
As a result, attacks could occur at any hour of the day, exhausting the factory's soldiers. They might hold out for three or four days, but if the siege dragged on, disaster was inevitable.
Faced with this dire situation, Ding Lang had no choice but to halt the factory's expansion and order all civilians to take shelter inside the factory as a precaution. Then, he began strategizing a countermeasure.
After careful deliberation, he made the decisive move to call for external assistance. Addressing the White Jellyfish beside him, he pleaded, "Help me! Miss Evernight!"
This was a desperate measure. As time passed and the commotion here grew louder, more monsters would inevitably be drawn to the area, creating an endless cycle of attacks.
Though he couldn't see the 'Eyeball' in the sky, Ding Lang had already realized that these monsters had most likely descended from that thing, or at the very least, were sent by the Evil God's other minions via other means.
The enemy forces were endless, while the soldiers were only flesh and blood. They would tire, and the ammunition for their Magitech Weapons was a critical issue. The total energy output of the factory was fixed; diverting some to produce weapons would inevitably reduce the resources available for sustaining life support systems.
There was another option: dispatch daily suicide squads to create noise far away, drawing the monsters' attention and relieving the factory's burden. Without Evernight, Ding Lang might have been forced to resort to this desperate measure. But now that a better solution existed, why would he choose such a reckless approach?
In times like these, asking for help wasn't shameful at all!
Sensing the call from the Jellyfish, Evernight halted her memory acceleration, emerged from the torrent of memories, and slowly materialized before Ding Lang. Staring at the girl standing before him indoors with an umbrella, looking virtually unchanged from before, Ding Lang couldn't help but freeze in surprise.
The scene gave him an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, as if he had been transported back to the moment he had parted ways with Evernight five months ago. In truth, for Ding Lang, those five months of unwavering dedication had passed in the blink of an eye for Evernight; she looked exactly the same as she had back then.
Ding Lang glanced at Evernight, then at the White Jellyfish beside him, a hint of puzzlement arising in his heart. How do these otherworlders travel between worlds so swiftly? Is it instant? On demand?
He had initially assumed it would take some time—at least until Evernight could arrive via some mode of transportation.
However, he didn't voice his question aloud. Instead, he said, "Regarding the monster called the Child of Flesh, my research has yielded new breakthroughs!"
He didn't immediately make his request, preferring to offer some benefits first before asking for Evernight's assistance.
Evernight tilted her head slightly. "What kind of breakthroughs?"
Ding Lang produced a badge that looked similar to the one he had previously used to conceal himself. "This badge has the exact opposite effect," he explained. "Instead of hiding the wearer, it restricts those monsters."
"The wearer can actively activate this badge, which will then release a field. Within that field, the powers of monsters and shadow-related abilities will be drastically weakened. They will no longer be able to hide in shadows, move freely through them, and even their strength and speed will be diminished."
"That's incredible!" Heinrich blurted out immediately. If Ding Lang's description of the badge's effects was accurate, and if he and Evernight could bring it back to the Main World, mass-produce them, and equip everyone with one, then the Child of Flesh's Eternal Night would pose no threat to the Main World at all!
However, Evernight asked, "Does it only work against those 'Black Panther' monsters? What if the opponent is the Child of Flesh itself? Would it still have the same restrictive effect?"
Ding Lang paused, then replied, "Um... I'm not sure. I've never encountered the Child of Flesh. But I imagine it wouldn't work. If you want me to create Magitech Weapons specifically tailored to counter it, I'd need to see it at least once."
To Ding Lang's surprise, Evernight nodded and said, "Alright. When are you free? I'll take you to meet it."
Ding Lang: "?"
What are you talking about?
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Ding Lang finally asked, "Miss Evernight, are you serious?"
Evernight nodded, her crimson eyes, devoid of any glint, fixed calmly on him. "Of course."
Ding Lang hesitated. "I... I'm free right now, but recently, some other monsters have appeared near the factory. Could you possibly..."
Evernight cut him off. "Leave it to me."
After she spoke, a brief silence descended. Evernight, Heinrich, and Ding Lang stood frozen in place, not moving a muscle.
Normally, after saying "Leave it to me," Evernight would have elaborated, right? Like, how she planned to proceed, when she would act, or whether she needed Ding Lang's assistance.
But after waiting for what felt like an eternity, Ding Lang realized she had no intention of elaborating. He glanced at Heinrich and whispered, "What's going on now?"
Heinrich looked equally bewildered. "No idea!"
The next moment, Evernight declared, "Done. The area around No. 3 Factory has been cleared."
Ding Lang: "?"