When Lin Yi retreated into Hongfu Tower, the newly rescued survivors had already crossed the rope ladder and been safely moved to the second floor.
When Zhou Jianjun, Chen Yu, Zhang Haotian, and the others, all armed, saw Lin Yi return safely, their anxious hearts finally settled.
"Xiao Yi!"
"Brother Yi! You're finally back! Are you all right?"
Zhou Jianjun stepped forward and looked Lin Yi over carefully, making sure there were no new, serious dents in his armor.
Lin Yi shook his head. "I'm fine, Uncle. It's all taken care of. Come on, let's get upstairs first."
While Lin Yi had been cultivating, they hadn't been idle either. Their equipment had improved considerably since before.
With the Survival Manual and Zhou Jianjun's guidance, they had found mop handles and firmly tied scavenged fruit knives and boning knives to them with wire and tape, turning them into makeshift spears. They had also reinforced their makeshift shields with cutting boards and pot lids.
That was what had given them the confidence to come down to the first floor and meet him.
Seeing Lin Yi return, and the Abyssal Wolves not giving chase, everyone climbed up the rope ladder and soon made it back to the second floor.
As soon as Lin Yi reached the second floor, he saw the new survivors still crowded in the hallway, watching him with looks of gratitude, awe, and admiration.
"Hero! Thank you!"
"Thank you so much, young man!"
"Waaah... If it weren't for you, big brother..."
Expressions of gratitude rang out one after another. The two teachers thanked him excitedly, and many people began to bow.
Lin Yi raised a hand to gently stop them.
"There's no need for that. I only did what I could. This is just a temporary shelter. Now that you're here, you have to follow the rules: do as you're told, share supplies according to the plan, and defend the place together. Can you do that?"
His words weren't especially warm, but they carried a practical firmness.
After surviving such a disaster, the people needed clear direction and a strong leader more than anything.
They didn't feel slighted. Instead, Lin Yi seemed dependable to them, and they nodded vigorously, answering one after another. "We can do that!" "We'll do as we're told!" "Thank you for taking us in, big brother!"
Lin Yi nodded and looked toward his uncle, Lin Ruiheng.
"Uncle, sorry for the trouble. Could you, Ye Qingyu, Manager Li Ling, and the others help settle our new friends in? Assign them places to stay, divide up the food and water, and let everyone rest and regain their strength."
"Sure, sure. Leave it to me, Xiao Yi. Don't worry!"
Lin Ruiheng promptly agreed, then called over Li Ling and Ye Qingyu to get started.
In just half a day, he'd felt as if his nephew had become a completely different person. There was something about Lin Yi's bearing that made even his elders follow his lead without thinking.
"Maybe... this is how heroes are made by the times..."
Lin Ruiheng didn't find it strange. After all, what kind of brilliant young heroes hadn't appeared in Xia Country's thousands of years of history?
As he hurried off to carry out the task Lin Yi had assigned him, he thought, Our Lin family is going to produce someone important... Xiao Jie will probably have to rely on his big brother to help him get ahead.
The crowd gradually dispersed as Lin Ruiheng assigned them places to rest according to their gender.
Lin Yi caught Zhou Jianjun's eye, and the two of them walked to a relatively quiet corner.
"Uncle..." Lin Yi lowered his voice. "When I was outside just now, I felt that something was clearly wrong with that nest."
Zhou Jianjun's expression turned serious.
"What's going on? Are they about to attack?" He instinctively tightened his grip on his makeshift spear.
"Not yet." Lin Yi shook his head. "But the red glow around the nest has grown much stronger. I'm a little worried. We may have to put off the plan to go to the gathering point first thing tomorrow. I'll take a look at the nest in the morning before deciding."
At that, Zhou Jianjun didn't look disappointed. Instead, he seemed relieved.
"Good. We should put it off! It's too dangerous outside, and none of us were comfortable with you going alone anyway. We have more people here now, and our weapons are a little more decent..." He waved his makeshift spear and pot-lid shield. "If those beasts really come tomorrow, we can help!"
Looking at the "primitive" weapons in his uncle's hands, Lin Yi smiled wryly. He hesitated, then spoke earnestly.
"Uncle, I understand how you feel. But unless there's no other choice, I don't want any of you involved in a direct fight. The most important thing for us now is to survive and get as many people as possible to master source energy as soon as we can!"
"Source energy is like a weapon. Right now, you're practically fighting with your bare hands. You should know that these weapons and protective gear... Never mind. The point is, any unnecessary casualties right now would be a terrible loss. Everyone's job is to secure this place and use the time to study, so they can get started with source energy as soon as possible."
Zhou Jianjun was a veteran and understood what Lin Yi had left unsaid. He sighed heavily and nodded. "I understand... Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they study that Guidance Technique."
After giving his instructions, Lin Yi joined the others in hastily eating some scavenged bread and biscuits with bottled water. That was dinner.
Afterward, he didn't rest. Instead, he gathered everyone and used the emergency lights' dim glow to explain some of the key points and difficulties that came after the introductory section of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique.
Time slipped by as they focused on studying and teaching.
Outside, night had fallen completely.
The city, which should have been ablaze with lights and neon, had been swallowed by darkness and silence.
The power grid had evidently failed completely. Though they had found some candles in Hongfu Tower, everyone was reluctant to use them. They relied on the emergency lights for what little illumination they provided, leaving most of the building shrouded in deep shadows.
After enduring hours of fear and grief, most people couldn't stay awake any longer. Wrapped in whatever tablecloths or curtains they could find, or in their own coats, they curled up in corners or on rows of chairs and fell into a deep sleep. From time to time, someone would wake from a nightmare, mumbling incoherently or sobbing.
A few close friends and family members huddled together, whispering to one another and sharing what little warmth and courage they had left.
Lin Yi leaned against a wall near the spiral staircase, in a relatively quiet corner. Clutching his long staff, he closed his eyes for a brief rest.
Though his soul was powerful, his body was still mortal. The day's fierce fighting and cultivation had taken a heavy toll, and he still needed to rest.
The night wore on.
No one knew how much time had passed. All was silent, save for the uneven breathing of the people and the distant, faint howls of Abyssal Wolves, when Zhang Haotian and Chen Yu, who were on watch for the second half of the night, suddenly crept over to Lin Yi. Their faces tense, they gently nudged him.
"Brother Yi, Brother Yi! Wake up!" Chen Yu whispered.
Lin Yi opened his eyes at the sound. He deliberately pretended to be dazed for a few seconds before asking, "What's wrong?"
"Listen! There's something strange about the noise outside!"
Zhang Haotian pointed toward the window, listening intently, his face full of caution.
Lin Yi focused on the sounds around him.
A moment later, he heard a faint noise that had no place in the dead silence of the city at night. It was drawing closer, cutting through the heavy darkness!
It was a low, rhythmic rumble.
And it was growing clearer!
Soon, everyone in Hongfu Tower had been roused by the sound.
At the same time, high above Hongfu Tower, in the pitch-black night sky...
An armed helicopter painted in military camouflage circled at low altitude.
Its huge rotors tore through the silence, producing a deep, powerful rumble.
Inside the cabin, red instrument lights illuminated the crew's solemn faces.
The young observer operated the powerful searchlight mounted beneath the fuselage. A brilliant white beam cut through the darkness like a sword, sweeping carefully over the Purple-black Nest Vortex, which radiated an ominous aura, and the Abyssal Wolf pack around it.
As the beam passed over them, he clearly saw the Abyssal Wolves, which had been resting or pacing about, raise their heads and growl threateningly at the unwelcome visitor in the sky. They even jostled against one another, as if ready to pounce, but they could do nothing about the helicopter high above.
The observer furrowed his brow and said to the team leader beside him, "Captain, look at those Abyssal Wolves down there... Something's wrong with them!"
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