Spirit Shine Crystal

Lin Yi kept watching until the last Corrosive Abyss Wolf disappeared around the corner. Only then did he finally relax a little.

Though these things were the lowest-level Abyssal Beast cannon fodder, they were surprisingly cunning.

As for the howling that had started downstairs, Lin Yi knew exactly what it was trying to do.

That thing had its eye on him now. It was crouched downstairs, calling for backup.

Corrosive Abyss Wolves usually moved in groups of three. If one got away, there was a good chance it would call three more groups over.

In other words, the next wave would probably be ten Corrosive Abyss Wolves.

Still, the Abyss Beast Nest was currently in its "first phase." The nest would clear out most of the visible life forms in its territory before concentrating its forces on those hiding or proving difficult to deal with.

That meant they had at least half a day of safety. For now, the Corrosive Abyss Wolf downstairs was only keeping watch, so there was no need to worry too much.

In fact, it was a good thing.

That howl had alerted the other Corrosive Abyss Wolves to the threat here. They probably wouldn't come inside at all.

Seeing the terrifying monster retreat, Zhou Mengmeng, who had just hidden to one side for fear of getting in the way, rushed over with tears in her voice. Her little hands trembled as she reached toward the terrifying claw marks.

"Brother! You're hurt!"

"I'm fine, Mengmeng."

Lin Yi's voice was hoarse. He forced a reassuring smile. "The armor took the hit, so it didn't even break the skin. Look, they're just a few scratches."

He deliberately moved his left arm to show that it was fine.

Then he turned his attention to the Spirit Shine Crystal and put on the curious look of a teenager. "Huh? What's this thing?" he muttered, then bent down to pick it up.

"Don't touch it yet!"

A slightly hoarse female voice rang out.

Lin Yi paused and turned to look.

It was the female office worker.

Her hair was disheveled, and her makeup was ruined. Fear still lingered in her eyes, but the hysterics were gone. Instead, there was a clarity that came from surviving a brush with death.

It seemed that coming so close to death had brought her to her senses.

"That thing... It was left behind by the monster, right?"

Watching Lin Yi reach for it, she couldn't help warning him. "Who knows if something left behind by a corrosive monster is poisonous? You'd better not touch it directly."

"You have a point."

Lin Yi nodded. He had never been one to turn down someone's good intentions.

"The monster turned straight to ash. That's pretty creepy... But I still want to see what this is. Maybe... it'll give us a clue."

He paused, his gaze falling on the dusty scarf around the woman's neck.

"Um... Could I borrow your scarf? If I pick it up through the cloth, it should be fine."

The woman froze for a moment, then instinctively untied her pale purple scarf and handed it over.

"Here... Be careful."

"Thanks."

Lin Yi took the scarf and carefully wrapped the two lowest-level Spirit Shine Crystals in it.

"Let's go. We need to get back to Fujin Hall! That howl just now didn't sound like a good sign."

Having gotten what he wanted, Lin Yi didn't waste any more time. He called out, took Mengmeng by the hand, and motioned for the waiter and the female office worker to follow.

The five of them quickly left the death zone near the restroom and retreated along a cluttered hallway toward Fujin Hall.

As they passed a banquet hall with a sign reading "Fuxiu Hall," Lin Yi keenly picked up the muffled thuds and the scraping sound of heavy objects being dragged across the floor. Someone inside was frantically reinforcing the barricade at the door.

Lin Yi didn't slow down.

He couldn't worry about them right now. The Corrosive Abyss Wolves wouldn't attack again anytime soon. His first priority was getting the four people behind him back to the relative safety of Fujin Hall.

Soon, Fujin Hall came into view.

The front door was shut tight. There were sounds of heavy objects being moved at the back, too. Someone was clearly barricading the door with furniture.

Lin Yi went around to the side entrance and tapped on it several times. Lowering his voice, he called, "Uncle, open up! It's me. I've brought Mengmeng back!"

There was silence inside for a few seconds, then the hurried scraping of tables and chairs.

After a heavy dragging sound, the side door opened just wide enough for one person to squeeze through. Zhou Jianjun's tense face appeared behind it.

"Quick, get inside! There are lots of monsters out on the street!" Zhou Jianjun whispered urgently.

Lin Yi immediately ushered Zhou Mengmeng inside, followed by the two waiters. The female office worker went in after them, and Lin Yi slipped in last, quickly closing the door behind him.

Once they were all inside, Zhou Jianjun and Lin Ruiheng immediately worked together to shove the heavy tables and chairs back against the door.

"Get it blocked! Hurry, block it!"

Zhou Jianjun panted and wiped away his sweat.

Back in the relative safety of the fortress, Lin Yi had just started to catch his breath when he immediately noticed something was off.

Something was wrong.

The atmosphere in the hall was wrong.

The air felt so thick it could have been solid, and a heavy, suffocating silence hung over the room.

Most people were slumped on the floor, staring blankly ahead or fixedly at their phone screens. Suppressed, intermittent sobs came from a corner.

"Xiao Yi!"

His mother, Zhou Jinghua, broke the silence with a cry that was choked with tears.

She and his father, Lin Ruiming, hurried over through the crowd. Zhou Jinghua's face was deathly pale. When she saw the savage claw marks and the bloodstains left on Lin Yi's armor, she swayed and nearly fell.

Lin Ruiming caught his wife with one hand, his gaze fixed on Lin Yi. His voice trembled as he tried to hold back his fear. "Xiao Yi! Where are you hurt? Is it bad?"

"Dad! Mom! I'm fine."

Lin Yi quickly reassured them, keeping his tone as light as possible. "Really! They're just scrapes. They look bad, but this armor's sturdy. Look, my arms and legs are all fine!"

He deliberately moved his arms and legs to prove he was unharmed.

At that moment, his uncle and aunt squeezed over, too.

His aunt had already pulled Zhou Mengmeng into a tight embrace, sobbing as she checked her over from head to toe.

His uncle, meanwhile, strode over to Lin Yi. His bloodshot eyes were full of relief and gratitude.

He patted Lin Yi hard, his voice catching in his throat. "Xiao Yi! You did great! Uncle... Uncle's so grateful to you! Thank you for bringing Mengmeng back!"

His hands trembled slightly, clearly overwhelmed with emotion.

"Uncle, it was only right. Mengmeng's my little sister."

Lin Yi shook his head. Seeing the worry on his uncle and aunt's faces, as well as his parents', warmed his heart.

But he noticed that beneath Zhou Jianjun's excitement and gratitude, there was a hint of worry buried deep in his eyes.

"Big Brother's amazing!"

Nestled in her mother's arms, Zhou Mengmeng lifted her little face. Still shaken by the brush with death and brimming with admiration, she said brightly:

"Big Brother killed two huge monsters, the green-skinned wolves! He used that stick—wham, wham! And then... then another one got scared off by Big Brother!"

At Zhou Mengmeng's words, Zhou Jianjun's expression shifted slightly. His gaze unconsciously flicked toward the barricaded door, and his brow furrowed.

Lin Yi noticed the subtle change in his uncle's expression and thought for a moment.

"Uncle's a veteran. His instincts about danger really are different from everyone else's..."

He was about to say something when a trembling voice cut in.

"B-Brother Yi..."

Lin Yi recognized Chen Yu's voice at once.

He turned around and saw Chen Yu clutching his phone, fear written all over his face.

"Y-You... look... The end of the world... Has it really come?"

Chen Yu sounded as if he were desperate to share the final straw that had broken him—or perhaps the news had already crushed him completely.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Yi immediately understood.

The despair hanging over the banquet hall probably came from this.

Most likely, the internet was still working, and everyone had seen plenty of news from outside.

But Lin Yi didn't show that he'd realized this. Instead, he asked with confusion and unease, "A Yu? What's wrong? I haven't even had a chance to thank you for giving me the armor. Why does everyone look like this?"

Chen Yu didn't answer. He simply raised his phone toward Lin Yi with trembling hands.