Zhou Jianjun slammed his fist against the rooftop railing. Rust flakes mixed with dust and fell in a steady shower.
"Stop this nonsense! This is too reckless!"
His eyes were red with worry. He had never imagined that his nephew, usually so composed that he seemed older than his years, could be so impulsive...
The sight of that colossal monster alone was enough to make your heart tremble, and there were dozens of Abyssal Wolves besides!
But he knew this was no time for regret. Lin Yi had already charged out. All they could do now was prepare for anything that might happen.
"Quick! Everyone back to the second floor! Get to the Rope Ladder Entrance and prepare to help!"
Zhou Jianjun spun around and shouted at the crowd, "What are you standing there for? Move!"
He quickly scanned the young people around him. At last, his gaze settled on Li Jie, who was about Lin Yi's build and usually loved showing off.
"Li Jie!" Zhou Jianjun said urgently. "You work out a lot. Put on the armor Xiaoyi took off. If anything unexpected happens, you'll have to back me up and hold the Rope Ladder Entrance!"
Everyone's eyes instantly turned to Li Jie.
Unexpectedly, Li Jie—who usually bragged, "If it were me, I'd definitely do this and that," and, "If there were another suit of armor, I'd go out and kill monsters too"—didn't answer.
He instinctively took half a step back, his eyes darting away as he stammered, "Uncle Zhou... I..."
Zhou Jianjun's gaze hardened. He was about to berate him when another voice rang out, calm and steady.
"Uncle Zhou, I'll wear it."
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw Zhou Yuxuan push up his glasses and step forward.
"I'm about the same build as Lin Yi. I'm not especially strong, though..."
Zhou Yuxuan's face was also a little pale. His voice was quiet, but everyone heard him clearly.
"But I think holding off the Abyssal Beasts depends more on the armor's protection. At a critical moment, I can block them up front and buy everyone a little more time."
He looked at Zhou Jianjun. "I'll wear it."
Zhou Jianjun looked deeply at the boy who usually buried himself in studying the Guidance Technique. Then he nodded firmly and said just one word.
"All right!"
Time was short. Zhou Jianjun immediately waved them on. "Stop gawking and get downstairs! Everyone else, take your assigned positions like we practiced. Move!"
The crowd sprang into action, hurrying toward the rooftop entrance in a panic, but in an orderly manner.
Ye Qingyu, who had come up with them, stood in place and bit her lip. She looked in the direction where Lin Yi had vanished, her expression conflicted, then turned and hurried away with the others.
At the same time, no one noticed that Communications Officer Ren Yinuo, who had run up to the rooftop with them, had stayed behind.
The instant Lin Yi leapt down, she dashed to the edge of the rooftop, quickly found a spot below the railing with the best view, and lay down without hesitation, her movements highly professional.
A moment later, she took a Black Military HD Camera from the Army Green Canvas Waistbag slung at her hip. She deftly powered it on, adjusted the settings, and trained the lens on the silver figure speeding along the ruined street below.
Her expression was so cool it bordered on ruthless, as though what was happening below wasn't a life-or-death gamble, but merely the recording of a routine military operation.
In fact, establishing communications wasn't her only important assignment here.
The General Staff was closely monitoring everything about Lin Yi, especially his fighting style and use of Source Energy.
They had therefore asked her to "record as much footage as possible of Comrade Lin Yi's training, combat, and teaching, with his permission, especially key footage showing his use of Source Energy Techniques."
These firsthand recordings of actual combat would provide the military with crucial reference material for researching Source Energy warfare and developing practical combat training.
Ren Yinuo had planned to wait until the equipment had been properly calibrated that day, then explain the matter to Lin Yi and ask for his consent.
She hadn't expected a sudden battle to break out just after they finished calibrating the equipment overnight.
She could only make a temporary decision to record first and deal with the rest later. If Lin Yi objected, she would delete the footage.
Through the high-definition lens, Ren Yinuo clearly saw the Abyssal Beasts in the distance rapidly closing in.
The nearly five-meter-tall Giant Rock Abyss Bear, built like a pile of boulders, charged at the front with a roar. The more than fifty Abyssal Wolves weren't crowding together in disarray. Instead, they had formed a chillingly tactical formation.
Most of the wolves followed close behind the Giant Bear, using its massive body for cover. Farther out on either side, three groups of wolves spread out like flanking units, advancing in step.
"Those beasts... They can coordinate like this?" Ren Yinuo thought, stunned.
The apocalypse had descended without warning. As a technical officer at General Staff headquarters, she had never fought Abyssal Beasts face-to-face.
She had heard Tianpeng Squad talk about Abyssal Beasts on the way to Hongfu Tower, and knew that high-level beasts were quite intelligent. But hearing about it wasn't the same as seeing it for herself.
Only now, seeing with her own eyes that beasts born in a low-level nest could coordinate like this, did she truly understand the kind of pressure the front-line troops faced.
At the same time, she silently worried for Lin Yi.
"With the General Staff taking such an interest in him, he shouldn't do anything unless he's sure he can handle it..."
Trusting her colleagues at the General Staff, Ren Yinuo put aside her worries and focused on tracking Lin Yi through the camera lens.
Onscreen, Lin Yi moved at astonishing speed, Flowing Cloud Light Armor trailing a sleek silver gleam in the faint light of dawn.
He wasn't sprinting in a straight line. Instead, he moved swiftly with steps that seemed to follow a certain rhythm.
This was the Flowing Star Step he had first begun to master the night before.
Though Lin Yi had only just learned the basics, he already moved with an agility and efficiency far beyond that of ordinary people. He found the best route through the ruins every time, and somehow only grew faster.
"Unbelievable..."
Ren Yinuo was secretly amazed. Even a non-combatant like her could see the rhythm and elegance of the footwork.
And as the person who had brought Lin Yi the crystal, she was even more astonished by how much he had mastered in a single night.
"Is this what a genius's ability to comprehend looks like..."
Her camera followed Lin Yi closely, clearly capturing every move.
Meanwhile, at a second-floor window,
Chen Yu was fumbling with the portable Source Energy Detector Lin Yi had left them to use while on night watch before going upstairs to practice.
As the device powered on, a pale blue display appeared.
"It's on, it's on! Brother Yi's... Source Energy Intensity is 34... That bear... Holy shit! 200?! H-how many times stronger is it?!"
His voice wasn't quite a shout. It sounded more like a strangled groan, the overwhelming disparity between the numbers filling him with despair.
Everyone who heard him felt their hearts sink. Zhou Jianjun's face darkened, and his fists clenched so hard they creaked.
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