27: Chapter 27

27

Dan Bei also felt a chill run down his spine at the same instant and dodged sharply to the side, but he was ultimately half a second too slow.

A dull impact sounded, and his entire body felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer; a sweet taste rose in his throat as blood sprayed out, and he staggered back several steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.

This was the vulnerability of Psionics: they could command the elements and cast spells over vast areas, but their physical bodies were no different from ordinary people, and they couldn't even compare to those Mutants capable of partial beastification.

"Dan Bei!"

Seeing this, Wang Qingmu immediately spun around to protect him, shielding Dan Bei behind him as his weapon carved a semicircle, forcing back several monsters that were lunging close again.

Dan Bei was the only one in the team skilled in large-scale attacks; if he fell, the situation would become even more difficult.

While fending off the continuous lunges and bites, Wang Qingmu asked urgently, "How is your injury? Can you still hold on?"

"I'm not dead yet..."

Dan Bei wiped the blood from his lips and endured the sharp pain in his chest, taking a deep breath.

As he concentrated his mind, the chill in the air rose abruptly, and a sharp-edged ice spike quickly condensed into form above his head—that was his talent, "Ice Spikes"

.

"Vile beast, die!"

The moment the ice spike formed, Dan Bei's gaze was already locked onto the Long-armed Ape that had successfully ambushed him.

Driven by his will, the ice spike transformed into a cold white light, tearing through the air as it shot straight out.

"Screech—!"

Sensing a fatal threat, the Long-armed Ape let out a sharp shriek, its arms waving frantically in an attempt to shatter the incoming blade of ice.

However, it had ultimately overestimated itself.

This strike, launched in fury, carried nearly the full power of a Third-Order Awakened; how could a mere second-order monster like it hope to withstand it?

"Bang!"

The ice spike collided violently with the ape's arm, and with the dull thud of shattering bone, the Long-armed Ape's entire right arm was completely destroyed; its body was also sent flying by the massive impact, slamming heavily against the rock wall.

It surprisingly hadn't died yet, curling up in the corner and letting out painful whimpers; its tenacious vitality was startling.

"Something's not right..."

Wang Qingmu parried a lunging claw, his expression growing increasingly heavy. "The more of these damn things we kill, the more there are. They aren't decreasing at all."

Zhu Tianmao swung his blade to shatter a Wolf-like Monster that lunged at him, panting as he growled, "Qin Qinglan, we have to retreat! If we stay any longer, we'll all be buried here!"

Despite her reluctance, reality was cruel.

In their current state, it was impossible to break through this thickening tide of monsters to reach the target hidden deep within, which was heavily wounded and awaiting death.

Dan Bei was seriously injured, and the others were all wounded to some degree as well.

There was no point in staying any longer; instead, they might lose their lives.

Hearing her companion's words, Qin Qinglan bit her lip and finally unclenched her fists.

Had she known this earlier, she really should have trusted X for once.

The thought left a bitter taste in her throat.

"Retreat."

She turned around, attempting to tear open a path out.

But as soon as she turned, she saw that the dense mass of monsters had already blocked their retreat.

With enemies in front and behind, they were completely trapped in the middle.

***

"Roar—!"

The Snow Fox fell to the ground and ceased all movement.

Jiang Haojie looked at the pure white shadow on the ground, the corners of his mouth turning up.

Qin Qinglan hadn't lied to him; there really were quite a few Snow Foxes in this place—after walking for only about ten minutes, this was already the eighteenth one.

He put the Snow Fox's remains into his Storage Pouch, feeling a bit more at ease.

Fortunately, he had obtained this bag earlier; otherwise, he really wouldn't have known where to put so many kills.

Right now, never mind fifty, he could fit them even if the number doubled.

Jiang Haojie continued to explore forward, and after a few steps, the grass by the road suddenly rustled.

Without stopping, he walked straight toward the sound.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Several streaks of white light shot out from the grass.

Jiang Haojie raised his hand and struck with a palm; he used no specific technique, relying only on raw force, yet it triggered a Critical Hit.

The energy exploded, the white lights shattered, and even that patch of grass was sent flying in a flurry of leaves.

Walking over to take a look, he saw a Dandelion snapped in half lying on the ground.

He raised an eyebrow.

Even the Dandelions had become monsters.

He had encountered many plant-type monsters along the way, and without exception, they had all fallen by his hand.

"Chirp!"

A soft cry drew his gaze upward, and he saw a white shadow flash before his eyes—it was a Snow Fox.

How could he let a catch that was already in his grasp escape? Jiang Haojie leaped in pursuit.

The Snow Fox seemed to sense something and suddenly accelerated, but it ultimately could not outpace Jiang Haojie's steps.

"Roar—!"

The Lions Roar rose again, and the Snow Fox fell to the ground.

Jiang Haojie swiftly collected it into his bag.

...

Moving and stopping along the way, he stumbled into a set of Factory Ruins.

He had slain many monsters along the route; whether animal or plant, they all became his spoils of war.

Of course, the most important were still the Snow Foxes: forty-eight were already in his bag, with only the last two remaining.

Suddenly, Jiang Haojie paused, his gaze sweeping the surroundings like a blade.

An unsettling aura permeated the distance; if he went any further, he would likely be in a dangerous area.

After a brief consideration, Jiang Haojie turned to leave—he had only come here to achieve his goal, not to seek death.

Just as he was about to turn around, a blood-soaked figure stumbled into his field of vision.

Jiang Haojie's eyelashes twitched as he recognized the person: it was Qin Qinglan's companion, the young man named Wang Qingmu.

Wang Qingmu also saw him; he was first stunned, and then a brilliant light burst from his eyes.

"Quick... go save them!"

He stumbled and lunged toward Jiang Haojie, his breath ragged.

He had fought his way out at the cost of his life, specifically entrusted by Qin Qinglan to find help.

He had already fallen into despair—the direction he had broken through was not toward the exit, but rather a dead end leading deeper in.

He never expected that he would encounter the person codenamed 'X' here,

this man.

"Where are the others?"

Jiang Haojie's tone was steady.

"Still trapped where they were! Qin Qinglan and the others tore open a gap for me to come out and seek help!"

Wang Qingmu spoke hurriedly, reaching out to pull him along, only to find that the other man remained motionless.

"Explain the situation first."

Jiang Haojie's tone was calm but resolute.

He could save them, but if he rushed in blindly without understanding the situation, it would only result in more corpses.

He originally hadn't wanted to deal with those arrogant people, but he did owe Qin Qinglan for leading the way—without her, he wouldn't have been able to get close to the mission's end point.

Wang Qingmu suppressed his anxiety and hurriedly explained the situation.

After listening, Jiang Haojie instantly grasped the situation and understood how dire it was for Qin Qinglan and her group.

Especially since they had to tear open the defense line to send Wang Qingmu out for help, their remaining defense must be even more fragile now.

"Lead the way."

Wang Qingmu turned and ran urgently.

He didn't know if this 'X' could truly turn the situation around, but since Qin Qinglan trusted him so much, he was willing to gamble once.

Through winding, dark paths, the dense mass of monsters in the distance suddenly came into view—there were hundreds of them, surrounding a corner like a tide.

Jiang Haojie's gaze sharpened; even as calm as he was, he couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

The monsters had clearly made up their minds not to let anyone leave alive.

Although the strongest among them was only at the third order, even many ants can kill an elephant, let alone on such a scale.

From this, one could also glimpse that the Fifth-Order Monster's injuries were likely extremely severe; otherwise, they wouldn't be facing such a formidable foe.

Jiang Haojie delayed no longer; his figure suddenly swept out, his footwork as elusive as a phantom, leaving only a faint shadow in an instant.

Wang Qingmu stood frozen—what kind of speed was this? He couldn't see it clearly at all.

After snapping back to his senses, he hurriedly gave chase, but he had already been left far behind.

Jiang Haojie had already reached the outer edge of the monster swarm; he immediately activated his mental technique, his internal energy surging like a dragon's cry—in an instant, he actually transformed into a translucent Dragon Phantom, plunging straight into the hideous swarm of beasts!

Gazing at that inhuman form from afar, Wang Qingmu's heart shook: Could he be a Mutant? Although the form was different, it bore some similarities to the rumored Mutant awakenings.

At the end of Wang Qingmu's line of sight, Jiang Haojie's figure was completely swallowed by the surging tide of monsters.

...

...

"Qinglan, behind you!"

Huang Ling's cry suddenly tore through the chaotic battlefield.

An Armored Rhino that had somehow crept close was lowering its head, charging toward Qin Qinglan's back at a terrifying speed.

Qin Qinglan's spine went cold; in the nick of time, her body drifted to the side like a willow catkin in the wind, and the rhino's horn grazed past her sleeve.

As soon as her toes touched the ground, her sharp counterattack was already launched.

Dan Bei struggled to shake off a clawed monster that lunged at him, his chest heaving violently as a trace of blood foam leaked from the corner of his mouth. "Damn it... it's never-ending... where the hell did that guy Wang Qingmu go!"

The injuries he had sustained earlier were now burning like fire, and both his physical strength and will were on the verge of collapse.

Qin Qinglan parried an attack, her breathing slightly ragged; a wound on her arm was seeping blood. "Hold on a little longer, it'll be fine once X arrives."

Her voice was low; the continuous high-intensity combat had nearly drained the energy flowing within her, and every strike had become heavy and sluggish.

Hearing this, Dan Bei curled his lips disdainfully.

Letting Wang Qingmu go find that X? He hadn't held any hope at all.

In his heart, X was nothing more than a coward who had shrunk back at the last moment; otherwise, why would he have refused to travel with them initially?

"Roar—!"

Suddenly, a long and majestic Dragon's Roar pierced through the noisy battlefield, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Immediately following that, the surging swarm of monsters around them showed obvious signs of commotion, and their offensive became disorganized.

"It's X! He's here!"

Qin Qinglan's dull eyes instantly lit up, and a glimmer of hope appeared.

Zhu Tianmao, Huang Ling, and the others hurriedly looked toward the sound, only to see the edge of the monster gathering in the distance being churned as if by an invisible, massive force, with the bodies of monsters being thrown into the air one after another.

Huang Ling couldn't contain her curiosity: "Qinglan, this X... what ability has he awakened?"

"You'll be able to see it with your own eyes soon."

Qin Qinglan did not answer directly, her gaze fixed on the source of the commotion.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dull thuds sounded in succession as more monsters were violently tossed and shaken aside.

A semi-transparent, slender, and majestic Oriental Dragon Shadow broke through the numerous obstacles and arrived, gliding through the air in an elegant yet overbearing manner.

"Is everyone okay?"

The Dragon Shadow dissipated, and Jiang Haojie returned to his human form, landing beside Qin Qinglan.

"We're holding on.

Why did you come from that direction?"

Qin Qinglan gave him a quick scan.

"I circled around from the other side and just happened to run into your friend."

Jiang Haojie explained briefly.

To the side, Dan Bei stared at Jiang Haojie as he spoke with Qin Qinglan, a trace of imperceptible coldness and resistance flickering in his eyes. "Since reinforcements are here, let's hurry up and find a way out of this hellhole."

Jiang Haojie, however, shook his head: "Trying to retreat the way we came will likely be even harder now.

The monsters are too numerous; we're completely surrounded.

The only way out is to keep moving forward."

"Forward?"

Dan Bei's voice suddenly rose, filled with mockery. "Do you even know what kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair lies ahead? We're all injured like this; if we charge forward, what is that if not seeking death? What are you planning!"

"Dan Bei!"

Qin Qinglan's face darkened, her tone carrying a warning.

X had come to the rescue despite their past differences; such an attitude was truly excessive.

Jiang Haojie only gave Dan Bei a faint glance, his gaze calm and undisturbed: "Retreating is also a dead end.

If you insist on staying, suit yourself.

But I will not choose to break out in the direction we came from."

"If you want to live, follow me."

After saying that, he ignored Dan Bei, turned to face the direction they had come from, slightly dipped his shoulders, and pulled his aura inward.

While everyone was wondering what he was going to do, they saw the air above Jiang Haojie's head distort and quickly condense into a massive and majestic transparent Lion Head Phantom, its mane seemingly fluttering in a silent current of air.

"Quick! Cover your ears!"

Qin Qinglan's face changed drastically, and she immediately covered her ears tightly, shouting a warning.

She had personally witnessed Jiang Haojie use such a move before and knew the terrifying power contained within those sound waves.

However, the people around them turned a deaf ear and did not protect themselves as instructed.

In an instant, regret was like ice water poured over their heads—

"Roar—!"

Jiang Haojie's lips parted slightly, and an earth-shattering roar erupted from his throat, turning into visible shockwaves that swept in all directions.

The monsters lunging close felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer; the low-tier ones disintegrated on the spot into mists of blood, the second-order monsters suffered broken bones and tendons as their wails filled the air, and even the third-order beings staggered, letting out painful shrieks.

The monsters were in such a state, and Zhu Tianmao, Huang Ling, and the others were even more miserable.

The group spat out blood together, their faces instantly turning as pale as paper, and their already injured bodies were further devastated.

Dan Bei's legs went soft, and he slumped weakly to the ground.

"This... just what kind of power is this?"

Zhu Tianmao's fingertips trembled, his eyes filled with sheer horror.

In the field, only Qin Qinglan remained standing, but even her calm face was cracked by a look of sheer astonishment—