"Retrieve Phoenix's file." Damian found this person intriguing. Decisive, sharp, and a cut above—truly a talent. Cedric's death was inconsequential; Damian felt downright cheerful.
After reviewing the data, he learned that Phoenix had previously been a security guard with decent physical conditioning. After boarding the train, they awakened earlier than most, which led to their ascension as vice-guild leader of Dominion.
[Dominion failed to slay the Tier-2 giant lizard and has withdrawn entirely.]
"The main cannon couldn't kill it?"
[The F399's main gun lacked sufficient energy. Moreover, the Tier-2 giant lizard possesses extraordinary dermal defenses, seemingly having evolved exceptional armor.]
Dominion didn't abandon the quest; they plan to return to the train to resupply ammunition while devising new strategies. Cedric's death was tacitly overlooked, and Phoenix was officially voted as the new guild leader.
Damian scanned other feeds:
Smaller guilds completed their tasks but gained minimal energy crystals. Some guilds fought bitterly against lizards, suffering mutual losses.
Overall, humanity still held the upper hand.
"Bring up Atticus's stream."
Northern hemisphere mountain range—Atticus slashed furiously, beheading adult lizards thrice his size, spattering blood across the rocky terrain. His crew exuded a cold, military precision, akin to a disciplined army. Atticus sheathed his blade, his chiseled, weathered face like a statue amidst the storm.
"Report to the Guild Master, all targets eliminated."
They strategized against Tribe 14 by segmenting the herd instead of assaulting the nest directly. Within three hours, they annihilated a fifth of the thousand-strong lizard population.
"Gather up. Over the ridge to draw another pack."
"Yes, sir!"
The squad snapped into a flawless formation, marching with alarming efficiency. Damian observed their unwavering compliance to Atticus's command—no grumbling, just ironclad discipline.
"Fu Yao, are all of Atticus's Divine Dragon members special forces?"
[Only about a dozen are special forces; the rest are regular soldiers. Atticus handpicked members with military backgrounds.]
"Makes sense. Keep an eye on them. Update me if anything odd occurs. Now pull up Orion's feed. That fool actually took on Tribe 11's contract."
Tribe 11 resided in the northern desert with over three thousand lizards, confirmed to include Tier-2 specimens. Nightfall's two thousand members hunkered behind a colossal sand dune, paralyzed with indecision.
"Orion, when do we strike?"
They bombed the area once thirty minutes prior, fleeing after drawing out the Tier-2 lizard. The desert beast nearly decapitated their shuttle with its towering leap.
Orion sat molding sand castles, a childlike grin plastered on his face: "Feel how silky this sand is? Perfect texture."
His vice, River, massaged his temples, exasperated: "Dude, stop playing with sand! What's the plan?"
Orion ruffled River's buzzcut: "Can't you see everyone's resting? Set up perimeter watches. If lizards approach, we bugger off."
"But running won't complete the quest! We need rewards to pay off our debts! Also, where's our shuttle? Sleeping in the ship would beat this oven."
"The ship's on a mission. Wait."
Damian watched the feed, querying: "What's their shuttle doing?"
[Nightfall chartered a heavy transport. It returned to the station an hour ago to refill water tanks—approximately 400 tons.]
Damian smirked, grasping Orion's gambit: "Treating the train's reservoir like a charity, I see?"
The train's water supply originated from eco-stations or refined from space ice. Orion's wasteful hoarding irked Damian: "We'll recoup every credit somehow."
In the desert, the shuttle's return jolted Orion to life, leaving a crater where he crouched: "Up up, move out!"
River bolted awake, rallying the troops: "Charging in, Orion?"
Orion inspected his armor: "Defenders check shield integrity. Everyone top off rifle clips. Form a perimeter fireteam."
The shuttle hovered above the lizard nest, turbo-loading doors flung open—whoosh—four hundred tons of water cascaded like a waterfall. Stunned lizards froze; even Nightfall members gaped.
"Orion… that's why we waited?"
Orion smirked: "Stop charging headlong. Study your damn wrist-log. Desert lizards panic at heavy rain—soaked sand turns to quicksand. They'll be sitting ducks. Four hundred tons won't flood the desert, but it'll buy us time."
His crew nodded, awed.
The water transformed the tribe's core into quagmire. Panicked lizards sunk into mud, movement restricted. Nightfall occupied high ground, opening fire at will.
"Burn through ammo! Life's more precious than credits. Unload everything—we'll deal with survivors later."
"What about Tier-2? Standard arms won't pierce their hide!"
Orion tilted his head skyward as the shuttle's main cannon extended: "Four shots left. Target the big ones. Even if we can't kill, we can cripple."
From the command deck, Damian grinned: "This is how it's done. I gave you unlimited weapon access—splash out! Replenish later."
[Master, Nightfall's loan interest compounds heavily.]
"Debt fuels ambition. On the purple moon, tycoons thrived under billion-credit loans. I don't fear debt—I fear thrift. The train's reserves could sustain a million colonists easily. Damian noted Orion's efficient completion of Tribe 11—Lilith still battled Tribe 27.
"Broadcast Nightfall's success. Project their yield metrics."