Lin Yi's grave expression instantly infected everyone.
No one dared linger for another second. Driven by their instinct to survive, more than forty teachers and students helped one another as they staggered toward Hongfu Tower, putting every ounce of strength into their escape.
After confirming from the corner of his eye that everyone was obediently fleeing toward Hongfu Tower, Lin Yi focused his attention on the Abyssal Wolf pack near the nest.
The five Abyssal Wolves that had fled in panic from the area around the bus had already plunged into the pack gathered around the nest's perimeter.
Their return was like a stone thrown into an already turbulent pond, instantly stirring up even greater commotion.
What was more, Lin Yi noticed that the small group of six Abyssal Wolves that had been keeping a close watch on the convenience store across the street had abandoned their prey. As if they had received some silent summons, they quickly darted out from their hiding place at the street corner and joined the ever-growing pack heading toward the nest.
More than fifty red dots gathered together, forming a glaring red patch in the Detector's field of view.
They howled threateningly toward the bus, looking poised to attack.
As expected... Lin Yi thought. He wasn't surprised.
From the start, he had chosen to use Source Energy Projection to instantly kill the three Abyssal Wolves blocking their way in order to create the greatest visual shock and psychological deterrence, hoping to scare off the rest and resolve the situation quickly.
He'd done so mainly because he knew the behavioral patterns of a nest in its early stages.
Still, the fact that even the Abyssal Wolves by the convenience store had been drawn over and abandoned their post had been a little unexpected.
But it was no big deal. In fact, it saved him the trouble of clearing them out later.
Lin Yi quickly glanced across the street.
The convenience store's rolling shutter was yanked open, and five figures came tumbling out.
They had probably noticed the commotion here long ago. The moment the Abyssal Wolves surrounding them left, they seized the opportunity and ran out.
Though their faces were deathly pale with fear, their instinct to survive drove them to run as fast as they could, racing toward Hongfu Tower without looking back. Not one of them dared glance at the enormous wolf pack.
"At least they knew when to act."
Lin Yi gave his indifferent assessment.
He wasn't surprised, either. In the apocalypse, many indecisive people had died in the first wave of attacks. Those who had managed to survive usually had something going for them.
He merely glanced at them, then turned his attention back to the Abyssal Wolf pack, which had begun slowly edging forward.
"Looks like their numbers have made them bold. I'll have to help them calm down..."
An Abyss Beast Nest wasn't a mindless monster-spawning point. Its core "behavioral pattern" or "style" could be roughly inferred from the types and order of Abyssal Beasts it produced, as well as the combinations it favored.
In his previous life, after paying a terrible price, the Blue Star Civilization had compiled more than twenty broadly applicable rules about Abyss Beast Nests.
For example, a nest that poured all its initial Source Energy into producing a powerful Lord-level Abyssal Beast, no matter the cost, was usually "aggressive" or "gambler-like." Such nests were extremely hostile, and even the basic Abyssal Beasts they produced afterward tended to be reckless brutes like Fierce Claw Wolverines.
A nest like the one before him, on the other hand, first producing large numbers of the lowest-grade Corrosive Abyss Wolves, then slowly accumulating resources to produce an Elite Unit like the Giant Rock Abyss Bear, and only considering a leader unit after that... This pattern was essentially "conservative" or "steady."
The core logic of this kind of nest was "preserve strength and advance cautiously." It preferred to win with the lowest possible cost and was extremely cautious about actions it wasn't confident in, especially those that could lead to heavy losses.
It was precisely because Lin Yi had judged this that he'd dared to use what seemed like an aggressive instant-kill tactic as a deterrent.
But intimidation had its limits.
Against more than fifty Abyssal Wolves gathered in one place, simply standing there wouldn't be enough.
Wolves were suspicious by nature, but they also bullied the weak. If they decided you were all show and no substance, they'd rush you without hesitation.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yi kept his right hand firmly gripping the Black Iron Long Staff while slowly raising his left. He pressed his fingers together like a sword and held them at an angle before his chest.
The next moment, a pure and dangerous azure light quietly glowed at his fingertips, like a tiny star in the night, steadily radiating energy.
He was holding it back, ready to strike!
This was an advanced technique in Source Energy Projection. The Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique only touched briefly on the subject.
But for a genius, that was enough.
Of course, this was pure bluster.
Lin Yi knew very well that the Source Energy in his body was only enough for one more Source Energy Projection attack.
But the Abyssal Wolves in the distance didn't know that!
They had just watched three of their companions get instantly killed by that terrifying blue light. Now, seeing the lethal Blue Radiance flare up again, the ferocity and eagerness to attack that had surged with their numbers abruptly faltered.
The pack stopped advancing. Their restless growls continued, but the pairs of scarlet eyes were now clearly filled with wariness and hesitation.
They prowled and circled, no longer daring to approach lightly.
Lin Yi held his position, keeping the Blue Radiance at his fingertips steady without making any further provocative moves.
He understood where to draw the line.
Abyssal Wolves were timid when alone, but once they gathered in sufficient numbers, their courage grew exponentially.
It was like lions and hyena packs on the savanna. A lone hyena wouldn't dare provoke a male lion, but a pack would dare snatch food from a lion's jaws and even surround a lion that had been separated from its pride.
Right now, he was the male lion, and they were a pack of more than fifty hyenas.
Rescuing their prey and killing their companions had already challenged the pack's limits.
If he attacked again or provoked them too openly, he might enrage the pack completely and trigger an all-out assault.
He could kill all the Abyssal Wolves then, but he'd have no choice but to reveal some things that weren't part of his plans.
So the best strategy now was to maintain this tense standoff.
After all, his only goal was to save people. He didn't want any further complications.
Time passed second by second in the suffocating standoff.
Only after the five people who had escaped the convenience store finally tumbled into Hongfu Tower, and the Detector confirmed that all the nearby green dots had gathered together, did Lin Yi slowly lower his left hand. The Blue Radiance at his fingertips went out as well.
But he didn't retreat right away. Instead, he took a few steps forward and calmly picked up the three Spirit Shine Crystals beside the bus, one by one.
The moment his fingertips touched the crystals, information flowed into his mind—they were all Level 1 Source Energy Crystal Bodies.
"Not bad..."
Only after that did he hold his staff and steadily retreat step by step, facing the wolf pack.
Before he disappeared completely into the building, Lin Yi took one last glance toward the nest.
Around the enormous, constantly churning purple-black vortex in the distance, the dark-red veins that had once flickered faintly were now pulsing much faster, their light seeming slightly more intense. It was like an angered heart pumping blood at an accelerated pace.
"Looks like they've really got their sights on me now..."
Lin Yi sighed soundlessly.
He knew that, though he'd tried to keep his actions restrained, he'd undeniably provoked this conservative nest badly.
Normally, given the "steady" nature of this kind of nest, it would prioritize clearing out the weaker, easier-to-catch survivors within its territory. Hongfu Tower, a tough nut to crack, would most likely have been near the bottom of its attack list. The nest would only move against it once it was confident it could take it in one fell swoop.
But now, he'd slapped the nest hard across the face right in front of it. He'd rescued two groups of prey and killed quite a few Abyssal Wolves. He'd made sure it held a grudge.
So the peace between them was only temporary.
What kept this fragile peace in place wasn't the nest's generosity, but its current lack of the strength to break through and fight him head-on... something like the Giant Rock Abyss Bear.
Based on his past-life experience and the nest's current energy-reaction rate, Lin Yi made an estimate.
"Tomorrow... Once the nest has gathered more Source Energy Units, the Giant Rock Abyss Bear should emerge."
Lin Yi tightened his grip on the staff.
By then, the pack would have a powerful siege weapon. Its first target for revenge would probably be Hongfu Tower.
"The original plan will have to be delayed a little..."
He sighed inwardly.
This fierce battle was unavoidable.
Only after fighting this battle and truly hurting them—making the nest realize once again that attacking this place would come at a steep price—could he leave for the gathering point with any peace of mind.
Otherwise, the moment he left, the Abyss Bear might lead the pack in flattening the place.
Before you continue