Wuchang

Qi Lian stared at the young man before him, his nerves taut.

"No need to be nervous, I'm here to save her."

The young man pointed towards the bedroom, where Qi Lian's critically ill lover lay.

Just a few minutes ago, this young man had arrived at his residence, claiming he could cure his lover's illness.

If the youth had produced any proof of identity, he might have let him try, but he hadn't.

Suspicious.

He looked as if he had emerged from the underworld, his entire being shrouded in shadow. Light couldn't dispel his darkness; only his silhouette was vaguely visible. His long hair was tied up, and his clothes resembled ancient attire. However, his eyes, which seemed to pierce the soul, were incredibly clear, sending shivers down one's spine.

"Who are you?" As a strong individual, Qi Lian rarely felt this tense; he sensed immense pressure.

"My name is Xu Ying. You might not know me, but the people above you usually call me Wuchang."

"I can save her. Go ahead, kill as many monsters outside as you can, and she'll live that much longer."

"I don't have time to explain anything to you. I'm here to take him away." Xu Muchi walked directly towards Gu Yan, casually waving a proof of identity as honorary director of the Ability Department at Gu Li.

Gu Li's pupils contracted. She didn't understand why someone of this caliber would approach Xiao Yan.

"No, I need to stay in Haishi," Gu Yan said with a determined expression.

"Your sister and the others are enough in Haishi. We need to go support the heavily affected areas," Xu Muchi said calmly, without forcing him.

"A Herrscher has appeared again!"

Gu Yan naturally understood the gravity of the situation, but he truly couldn't rest easy.

Before ensuring his family's safety, he wouldn't consider the lives of others.

"That's still not acceptable. Everything that matters to me as a person is here. Do you understand what I mean?"

If you force me, I'll just turn into a Herrscher.

Clearly, Xu Muchi wouldn't understand the underlying meaning, but it was probably close enough.

"...Fine, you can help me quickly clear out the monsters in Haishi first. Let's finish this quickly!"

Gu Yan pulled out the long spear embedded in the road and exchanged a glance with Gu Li. They nodded slightly, and Gu Li drove back to the bureau while Gu Yan went with Xu Muchi to sweep through the city.

After the buffs were applied to Xu Muchi, the two took to the air and separated, heading east and west from their current location.

As long as they didn't encounter an Emperor-class Honkai beast, they wouldn't face any obstacles. It was a race against time!

Haishi was a highly developed city with a vast area, but it only took Gu Yan about four to five minutes to circle it at his speed.

The Honkai outbreak had already reached a large scale. Haishi was merely a less severely affected area, but Honkai zombies and Honkai beasts were still visible everywhere, with constant wails and explosions.

Gu Yan didn't need to stop for the Honkai zombies; a single Ice Cone could take them down, and the same went for Assault-class ones.

Fortunately, only minor enemies were appearing. As long as the high-threat Honkai beasts were eliminated, the Ability Bureau and the armed forces could handle the rest.

In the night sky, Gu Yan moved rapidly between the tall buildings, his Ice Cones precisely striking the monsters. He would occasionally dive down, his spear piercing the bodies of Honkai beasts.

Of course, he also encountered Ability Users fighting with their powers, and Gu Yan managed to Plunder quite a few abilities.

However, for him, these abilities had little impact on his combat effectiveness anymore.

Haishi hadn't suffered too much damage. After an hour, although Honkai beasts and Honkai zombies continued to appear, their numbers had significantly decreased, and the unrest had basically subsided. No large Honkai beasts reappeared, and the Ability Bureau was capable of handling the situation.

Xu Muchi and Gu Yan met again.

"Where to next?"

Gu Yan felt no fatigue; dealing with minor monsters was still easy.

"Rongcheng, Guangshi, Bohai Sea..."

As they moved west at high speed and Gu Yan heard Xu Muchi list over a dozen place names, he almost fell out of the sky.

"Do all these places need help? Can we make it if we go one by one?"

"These are the more severe areas. We'll go wherever support is needed. I'll add you to the support communication network."

A stream of light entered Gu Yan's forehead. He felt himself connecting to a non-existent "network," allowing him to transmit and receive desired communications at will, including sharing his own perspective.

"Rongcheng needs support. There are a few big ones here; missiles can only scratch their skin."

"Suzhou is under control. An S-Class has already intervened."

"Things are a bit dicey at the Bohai Sea, but since it's far from land, they don't need reinforcements for now."

Numerous messages flooded into Gu Yan's mind. With a thought, he turned off the automatic reception.

This was a network maintained by dozens of Mental-Attribute users from the Ability Department. It didn't require external devices and was very useful for this operation, allowing seamless communication even for someone deaf and mute.

Before the incidents in various locations, the Ability Department and the Ministry of National Defense had simultaneously received orders to dispatch personnel to different disaster areas. Their swift action had significantly reduced casualties.

"You mentioned earlier that a Herrscher appeared again? Was it the previous one, or a new Herrscher?"

Hearing this, Xu Muchi turned to look at Gu Yan. "Why would you think such monstrous beings would appear again?"

"You didn't make it clear. I've witnessed her terror before, and I don't want another one popping up," Gu Yan explained reasonably, unfazed by the potential flaw in his words.

"It should still be that woman from before. Three hours ago, a meteor suddenly entered the atmosphere. According to observations, it was precisely that mechanical dragon. She's been above us the whole time."

Gu Yan pondered, and the two continued their journey in silence.

Cities and mountains were left behind. What hid in the distance under the night sky was unclear. The peaks resembled the fangs of wild beasts, and the darkness seemed intent on devouring the land.

"Why did you come to find me? You seem to treat me a bit differently. You could have directly notified me using your superior status, but..."

He paused, his tone of confusion carrying a strange undertone. "You chose to discuss it with me instead? You're even being very polite."

Xu Muchi was silent for a moment before replying, "You are very sensitive about certain matters."

"You always seem to lack trust in others. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you should also try to trust your comrades."

She rarely explained things to others, as she saw no need. But this time, she clearly felt it was "necessary."

Perhaps it was because this person was her hope of returning home? Or because this person was very important to this world?

If someone bore the heavy responsibility of 'saving the world,' then they must be—

Pitiful, right?

Xu Muchi even thought, when one person is entrusted with such a great responsibility by everyone, carrying all their hopes, would they become arrogant due to their own strength? Or would they collapse due to their own powerlessness?

"Comrades? You and I? Fine, if you see it that way, I suppose."

"But you still haven't answered my question. Even as comrades, it doesn't explain your attitude."

"Because you're needed. Many people need you."

"Uh..."

He hadn't expected such an answer. It was too vague, and Gu Yan couldn't glean any useful information.

Was it because his support role was crucial, allowing him to save more people? That seemed somewhat logical.

"Actually, I still prefer being a lazy fish. You're putting a lot of pressure on me," Gu Yan said with a wronged expression, as if he'd been bullied.

"How about you guys give me some bonus incentives? I don't need anything else, just give me a decent weapon."

"..."