He Was Here!

They had all seen that video.

The battle and tutorial videos posted by the account "A Yu Loves Playing" had been like a ray of light in the darkness. They had shown everyone that the high schooler in black armor, who fought like a god of war, was inside Hongfu Tower, not far away.

They clung to that last shred of hope. Almost everyone whose phone still had power frantically left comments under the video, asking for help and tagging their location.

For the first hour, they had been full of hope. Every time they looked toward Hongfu Tower, they expected to see that black figure appear.

But he didn't.

Time passed, and there seemed to be three or four more Abyssal Wolves outside.

As the number of Abyssal Wolves outside grew, their hope grew ever fainter, until it finally seemed on the verge of dying out.

"He'll come. The authorities will come, too. We just have to hold on..."

Teacher Li turned her face away and quickly wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve. Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until even she could barely convince herself.

The bus sank into suffocating silence once more, broken only by quiet sobs, suppressed breathing, and the unsettling footsteps of monsters outside.

Just then!

Xiao Ya lifted her head again, out of habit and with almost no hope, and glanced toward Hongfu Tower.

The next second, her body stiffened. Her eyes flew wide, as if she'd seen something unbelievable.

She jerked her head back so abruptly that she even bumped into the seat in front of her with a soft thud. Several classmates nearby looked at her in alarm.

"What is it, Xiao Ya? Are the monsters attacking?"

Teacher Zhang asked in a tense whisper. He gripped the fire axe, as if the little tool meant for breaking windows could give him a false sense of security.

Xiao Ya clutched her seatmate's arm, trembling with excitement and barely able to get the words out.

"He! No... I mean, he's come out! He's come out! Hongfu Tower! That... that one in black armor! Lin Yi! He's come out, he's right at the entrance!"

What?!

In an instant, it was as if an electric current had passed through the entire bus.

Every child who could still move forgot their fear and their need to stay hidden. They struggled to lift their heads and peer over the bottoms of the windows, countless gazes fixed urgently on Hongfu Tower.

It was true!

In the glow of the setting sun, a figure clad in fearsome black armor stood like a statue at the entrance to Hongfu Tower, holding a black iron staff.

That distinctive armor. That staff that had slaughtered its way through the monsters in the video!

It really was him!

Had he seen their messages? Was he... here to save them?

In an instant, the flame of hope that had nearly gone out blazed wildly in everyone's hearts!

Then they saw the black figure move!

Without a moment's hesitation, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, charging straight toward their bus! He was astonishingly fast; the heavy armor seemed to have no effect on his agility!

"Oh my God! He's coming this way!"

"Be careful! There are monsters out there!" a student cried, caught between excitement and worry.

Right in Lin Yi's path, three Abyssal Wolves were prowling between Hongfu Tower and the bus. They had evidently spotted the unexpected visitor and bared their teeth, growling a warning.

Everyone inside the bus held their breath.

As Lin Yi raced forward, he held his staff in his right hand and flicked the index finger of his left hand out three times, fast as lightning!

Hiss... hiss... hiss!

Three condensed streaks of brilliant blue light, each barely an inch long, crossed the short distance and pierced the heads of the three Abyssal Wolves with pinpoint accuracy.

The three wolves froze in mid-pounce. Not one of them managed to cry out. Their massive bodies crumpled as if their bones had been pulled out, then began to silently disintegrate before the horrified eyes of everyone watching.

Instant kills!

Truly instant kills!

A chorus of gasps rose inside the bus. Seeing it in the video had been nothing compared to witnessing it with their own eyes.

Was that blue light... source energy?

The five remaining Abyssal Wolves were clearly stunned by the sudden, decisive slaughter.

They had seen their companions drop dead in an instant. They could also feel the aura that had already frightened them growing even more terrifying.

With a frightened whine, they turned toward Lin Yi—and, incredibly, without the slightest hesitation, tucked their tails between their legs and bolted toward the distant purple-black vortex that radiated an ominous aura.

They ran?

Those vicious monsters that had trapped them here—had they really been scared off?!

The people inside the bus could hardly believe their eyes!

By then, Lin Yi had already swept up beside the bus like a black whirlwind. He raised his black iron long staff and knocked on the window, where they'd written out their plea for help.

The people inside hurriedly opened the window. A clear, steady voice came through, though it carried a note of urgency.

"Can everyone inside still move? Hurry out and follow me to Hongfu Tower. We don't have time to waste. Move!"

Silence.

A deathly silence lasted for about two seconds.

Then—

"Waaah!"

The joy of surviving and the tears and shouts of release erupted at once, filling the entire bus.

"We're saved... We're really saved..."

"Open the door! Hurry!"

"Move the stuff out of the way..."

The joy of escaping certain death and their desperate will to survive overwhelmed their sorrow and fear. The tension inside the bus suddenly eased.

The boys were the quickest to react. They practically crawled over to the pile of backpacks blocking the door and frantically dragged them aside, tossing them away.

A few girls who had learned their families were safe and had now escaped with their lives began talking softly through their tears. "He... He doesn't look as scary as he did in the video... He's so handsome... If only I..."

"What are you whispering about? Hurry! Move that stuff, get off the bus, and don't crowd each other! Go!"

Teacher Li and Teacher Zhang were so excited that their voices trembled. They hurried to help the students clear a path and keep order.

At last, the bus door was opened wide enough for them to squeeze through.

The students scrambled off the bus and breathed the relatively fresh air outside once more. Many of them went weak in the knees and collapsed onto the ground, only to be quickly hauled back up by their classmates.

"Move! Don't stop here! Forget about me—just run..."

"Get inside Hongfu Tower! Someone's waiting for you there! Move!"

"If anyone's going to drag their feet and refuse to leave, then they can stay behind!"

Lin Yi's voice rang out again, much sterner than before and clearly urging them to hurry.

He didn't even turn to look at the people he'd rescued. Instead, gripping his staff tightly, he watched the direction of the Abyss Beast Nest with caution.