Ji City.
Above this small city nestled on the southwestern border, the sky was unusually bustling today.
In the sky, countless fire locusts formed a red torrent, continuously crashing against the protective shield above the city.
Strands of azure energy intertwined into a net, blocking the attacks of the fire locusts. The locust swarms were like moths to a flame, suffering heavy casualties, yet countless more followed, seemingly inexhaustible!
However, Ji City was a city that had weathered many storms. Under the attack of the locust swarms, the relevant departments of Ji City merely classified the monster siege as low-level.
They had experienced far more dangerous monster sieges than this!
[Announcement to all citizens: This monster siege consists of fire locust swarms, numbering in the hundreds of millions. All citizens are urged to take protective measures!]
[Annihilation energy net has been activated!]
[Assessed hazard level of fire locust swarms: Low!]
[Estimated duration of this siege: Within twelve hours!]
When the citizens heard from the broadcast that the hazard level was low, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
A low-level monster siege posed almost no threat of breaking through the city's defenses.
As long as the Annihilation Energy Net could hold off these monsters, they had nothing to worry about. Many even took out their cameras to take pictures and went about their business as usual.
They had seen too many monster sieges; they were accustomed to it! If a year passed without a monster siege, they would actually find it strange.
Boom!
One wave of fire locusts died, and another arrived, seemingly endless.
Like a continuous fire cloud stretching across the horizon, it crashed down upon the energy net.
Sizzling!
The sound of flames burning constantly echoed, akin to the sound of a mosquito swatter killing mosquitoes.
Although the fire locusts were numerous, this wave of attacks only depleted a small portion of the Annihilation Energy Net's power, far from enough to breach the protective net. Yet, the fire locusts continued to surge forward, heedless of death!
As the fire locusts relentlessly attacked, their corpses began to fall from the sky, landing on streets and rooftops, piling up layer upon layer on the ground. Sanitation workers immediately moved in to clear them.
These fire locust corpses were toxic and inedible, but after processing, they could be made into animal feed, used to raise livestock. They weren't expensive, but their sheer quantity was significant! Many people joined in the effort; after all, this was money!
The fire locusts above Ji City grew increasingly numerous. Some continued to attack the protective shield, while others abandoned the siege and dispersed into the surroundings.
These locusts devoured anything they encountered. Wherever they landed, they left nothing but a barren wasteland. The forests outside the city were quickly stripped bare, and countless wild beasts were disturbed, fleeing in all directions in a panic.
Some of them, in their panic, rushed towards Ji City, their thundering footsteps shaking the earth, a spectacular sight of a stampede. In the chaos, many adventurers were trampled to death.
At this moment, Lin Yu, after a period of busy work, finally dug a hole.
Looking at the meter-wide, three-meter-deep pit beneath him, he immediately leaped inside.
"With this hole, my main body is safe. As for what happens above, I'll leave it to my clones!"
He directed his clones to find some cover to conceal the entrance of the hole, then began instructing them to hunt monsters.
The clones were experienced combatants; he didn't need to interfere. His main purpose was to observe the external situation through their perspectives.
The clones remained very cautious, a trait inherited from his own prudence.
The two clones specifically targeted weaker monsters. Facing less powerful creatures, the clones slew them with ease, like cutting through melons and vegetables, slash, slash, slash! One locust after another fell to their swords!
"You have slain a fire locust, +2 upgrade points."
"You have slain a fire locust, +2 upgrade points."
...
In the dugout, Lin Yu's ears were constantly filled with system notifications. Seeing the steadily increasing upgrade points, his heart bloomed with joy.
Who said clones weren't strong? This was simply the prime talent for stealthy development! He would silence all those who looked down upon clone talents!
"The clones are so damn powerful! In this short time, I've gained over two thousand upgrade points, and now I have nearly four thousand!"
"This is a great opportunity. I should try to accumulate ten thousand upgrade points to upgrade my talent!"
Having experienced the joy of becoming stronger, he had abandoned trivial pursuits; only the desire to level up remained in his heart.
This was more engaging than playing games. Indulging in games was detrimental to health, but indulging in hunting monsters and leveling up was even healthier, which kept him happily occupied!
The continuous system notifications were as pleasant as music, bringing him a sense of comfort and ease!
"You have slain a fire locust, +2 upgrade points."
"You have slain an elite fire locust, +10 upgrade points."
...
Time crawled by as night fell. The flames on the fire locusts illuminated the surroundings as if it were daytime.
Looking up, the fire locust swarm still seemed boundless, showing no sign of decrease.
However, Lin Yu knew that once the number of slain fire locusts reached a certain threshold, they would retreat on their own, just like during the attack on Yuan City.
By this time, the area within a ten-mile radius of Ji City had been completely devoured by the fire locusts, turning into barren, desolate land. Countless monsters had either died or fled, further exacerbating the chaos.
Experienced adventurers outside the city had already fled far from Ji City. Those who didn't manage to escape dug holes to hide, just like Lin Yu.
Others, relying on their numbers, were holding their ground against the locust attacks.
Lin Yu took a bottle of water from his backpack and gulped it down. After spending so long in the dugout, he was now parched and hungry.
His clones had died several times already, but each time a clone perished, he immediately summoned a new one.
With the energy he currently possessed, he could summon ten times without issue. To his great delight, his upgrade points were nearing ten thousand!
Suddenly, a system notification chimed in his mind. Upon hearing its contents, his heart leaped with joy.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for reaching ten thousand upgrade points. Do you wish to upgrade your Clone talent?"
Lin Yu, filled with excitement, quickly said, "Yes!"
"Ding, upgrading... Upgrade complete!"
"Ding, congratulations to the host's B+ grade Clone talent for its metamorphosis, becoming an A grade Clone talent!"
"Ding, A grade Clone talent allows for the creation of up to 10 clones. Clones inherit 100% of the host's combat power and attributes. Clones can assist in learning, and upon recalling a clone, the host will receive the clone's experiences, memories, knowledge, and more!"
The clones' inherited combat power had increased, and their numbers had quintupled, at least boosting his overall strength tenfold.
And the last feature was what Lin Yu desired most—it was the ability of shadow clones from Naruto!
He wondered if recalling the clones would cause him headaches, or even turn him into an idiot from information overload.
In Naruto, Naruto could create thousands of shadow clones without being overwhelmed because of his bloodline.
Did his clone talent have such a drawback?
Thinking of this, Lin Yu quickly experimented.
Soon, he breathed a sigh of relief. When he recalled his clones, their experiences and other information were not directly integrated into his mind. Instead, he could selectively merge specific items or multiple items.
For instance, the clone's memories, knowledge, and combat experience were categorized. He could choose to merge just one category, such as knowledge alone, while discarding the others.
This eliminated the risk of being overwhelmed by a massive influx of information and becoming an idiot.
A-grade talent was far superior to B-grade talent!
"No wonder those with high-level talents are naturally superior!"
Lin Yu's understanding of talent deepened. However, his Clone talent was still stronger than others of the same rank, as this was its second metamorphosis.
The first was from B-grade to B+ grade, a minor metamorphosis with a modest increase. But he had one more minor metamorphosis than others, so his talent's abilities at the same level were likely inferior to his own.
"Let's begin!"
"Clone!"
Instantly, above the dugout, a flash of light appeared, and ten identical clones materialized. Simultaneously, clones One and Two, who were hunting outside, returned above the dugout and voluntarily dissolved into light, merging into two of the new clones.
Lin Yu immediately felt a strange sensation. The clones One and Two still existed within these ten!
He could sense that the eyes of clones One and Two were incredibly sharp, giving the impression of having gained sentience. The other eight clones, however, were like the former clones One and Two, expressionless and with vacant eyes, giving a puppet-like feeling.
Could it be that with the improvement of talent, clones could evolve into independent life forms? Perhaps even become external manifestations with independent personalities? Lin Yu mused inwardly.
"No time to think about that now!" Lin Yu smiled. "Go, my brothers, and kill!"
As the words fell, the ten clones sprang into action!
At this moment, the ten clones divided into two teams. Clone One, wielding a Tang saber, led four clones. Clone Two, also wielding a Tang saber, led the other four. They supported each other, one to the east and one to the west, fighting with exhilarating ferocity.
Lin Yu's mouth stretched into a wide grin as he listened to the continuous system notifications!
"Eh, I've accumulated another three thousand upgrade points. System, boost my combat power!"
"Ding, congratulations, your combat power has increased to late-tier 1!"
His direct jump from early-tier 1 to late-tier 1 doubled his strength again.
The surge of energy within him filled him with a sense of security!
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. This caused all the clones to cease their monster-slaying activities.
The voice was so familiar that Lin Yu's heart tightened!
"That's Zhao Ke!"
"No, she's in danger!"
"Quick, go save her!"