Don't Be Afraid, I'm Here

Kangning City was near Jinlin City, making it the city closest to the Demon Tribe in Dongting Lake.

Because of this, sounding an Orange Alert was a very ordinary occurrence for Kangning City.

With a large number of troops stationed in Kangning City, an Orange Alert posed little threat to the city's safety.

Instead, it had a much greater impact on Hunter Mages who often appeared in the wilderness.

Although an Orange Alert was the lowest level of alert, it also meant that at least a hundred Demons had gathered near the city.

The army could still barely withstand over a hundred Demons, but for Hunter Mages, it was no different from a natural disaster.

That was why Kangning City had very few Hunter Mages.

Even Hunter Mages from other places were unwilling to come to Kangning City for missions.

Lingling had also considered the alerts before coming to Kangning City.

However, the frequency of Orange Alerts in Kangning City was not actually as high as outsiders imagined.

An Orange Alert was sounded only once every month or two, on average.

But Lingling had not expected to be so unlucky.

It had been only three days since Kangning City's last Orange Alert, yet the alarm was sounded again today.

Although Lingling was young, as a Hunter Master, she had long since developed a calm disposition in the face of danger.

But at heart, she was still just a little girl. Being alone in such an environment made her feel very insecure.

"It's too late to return to the city now. I hope those Demons aren't heading this way."

Thinking this, Lingling looked at the magic tools she had brought with her, as well as the bottle of Dragon Power Pills Dongfang Chen had given her before leaving.

Only after seeing these things did she finally feel a little safer.

Unfortunately, the more afraid people were of trouble, the more trouble seemed to approach them.

A few minutes later, Lingling felt low-frequency tremors coming from the ground. As time passed, the vibrations grew more and more frequent.

"No way. Those Demons are really coming this way?"

Lingling poked her little head out of the tent and looked around with her binoculars for a while.

Sure enough, a group of Cave Demon Slaves resembling goblins and carrying bone clubs was surging toward her.

Her heart sank.

If she had to choose the Demons she hated most, Lingling felt that Cave Demon Slaves would definitely be among them.

Not only did these Demons enjoy eating humans, but they also usually tortured their prey as much as possible before feeding.

Their methods of torture were either skinning their prey or using the bone clubs in their hands to beat them into a bloody pulp while they were still alive!

At the thought of this, Lingling's face instantly paled.

I absolutely can't let them find me!

While the Cave Demon Slaves were still some distance away, she had to make preparations for both possibilities!

Three minutes later.

"Baa!!!"

Sounds like bleating sheep echoed one after another from the distance.

Clearly, the Cave Demon Slaves had discovered Lingling's tent!

After finding traces of humans, the Cave Demon Slaves immediately began shouting excitedly.

One after another, they charged toward the tent while waving the bone clubs in their hands.

The instant the first Cave Demon Slave charged at the tent, a surge of Magic energy rose up.

The barrier Dongfang Chen had previously set up around the tent with magic tools immediately activated. The surging Magic energy instantly sent the Cave Demon Slave flying.

This barrier was Lingling's trump card. It could withstand the attacks of a Commander Level Demon for a short time.

But faced with so many Cave Demon Slaves, the barrier's Magic energy reserves were rapidly declining.

After holding out for several minutes, there was a bang!

The barrier vanished!

"Baa!"

The numerous Cave Demon Slaves immediately waved their bone clubs and smashed the tent before them to pieces.

But in the next second, they froze.

There was not a single human figure inside the tent!

The clever Lingling had abandoned her tent earlier and hidden alone in a swamp some distance away from it.

She knew very well that her tent would become the Demons' target.

So she had made a bold decision: abandon both the tent and the barrier around it!

As it turned out, Lingling's idea had been right.

If she were still inside the tent, she would have long since been reduced to a pool of minced flesh.

To conceal her human scent, Lingling could not care less about her appearance. She endured her discomfort and hid in this relatively shallow spot while minimizing her breathing as much as possible.

Cave Demon Slaves lived in dark, damp environments for long periods, so their hearing was extremely acute.

Although the Cave Demon Slaves had found nothing, Lingling's crisis was not over.

She had two plans: either hide herself as well as possible and wait for the Cave Demon Slaves to leave, or fight them head-on.

As for the possibility of being rescued, Lingling had given up on it long ago.

Dongfang Chen was far away from her and could not possibly arrive for some time.

Or perhaps the Military Mages from Kangning City?

There was even less point in considering that.

As long as the Cave Demon Slaves showed no intention of attacking the city, the Military Department of Kangning City would not take action.

After all, there were so many Demons in the surrounding area. If the Military Department acted whenever any Demon Tribe approached, it simply could not afford the cost.

Feeling insecure, Lingling kept praying in her heart that the Cave Demon Slaves would hurry and leave.

Unfortunately, a lone Cave Demon Slave actually began walking toward the swamp where she was hiding!

The swamp was neither very large nor very small.

To avoid exposing herself, Lingling took a deep breath and submerged her entire body into the swamp.

But by sheer coincidence, the Cave Demon Slave had extraordinarily acute hearing. It actually caught the sound of Lingling's deep breath!

The lone Cave Demon Slave walked to the edge of the swamp with a puzzled expression.

It had clearly heard a strange sound just now, but after approaching, it could not find anything.

So it stuck the bone club in its hand into the swamp and stirred it around.

Under the swamp, Lingling had reached the limit of how long she could hold her breath.

Although she knew she could not make any noise, the physical instinct caused by holding her breath for so long made Lingling struggle involuntarily.

That tiny movement gave her away.

!!!

Lingling knew she had been discovered.

Her extraordinary reasoning allowed her to quickly crawl out of the swamp. She then swallowed the Dragon Power Pill she carried, determined to fight this Cave Demon Slave!

As the pill went down, Lingling felt a scorching medicinal force flow between her muscles and meridians.

At the same time, she felt as if her body had become much lighter.

Facing the Cave Demon Slave, Lingling charged forward and threw her petite fist. With a single punch, she sent it sprawling to the ground!

The astonishing strength made Lingling's adorable eyes light up.

With this kind of power, she should be able to escape!

But in the next second, the commotion here caught the attention of the other Cave Demon Slaves nearby. These ugly creatures all charged over with strange cries.

Although the Dragon Power Pill had given Lingling tremendous strength, it could not possibly let her defeat a hundred Cave Demon Slaves.

If she were surrounded, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Run. She had to run!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lingling bolted.

Her powerful physical strength also gave her considerable speed.

But her body was ultimately that of an immature little girl, and she could not fully bring out the Dragon Power Pill's effects.

Although she was considerably faster than the Cave Demon Slaves, the difference was not that great.

At least, she could not shake these Demons off in a short time.

Instead, as time passed, the Dragon Power Pill's effects were gradually exhausted. Lingling's stamina began to decline, and every muscle in her body started to feel tired and weak.

With a slap, Lingling fell heavily to the ground because her legs had grown weak.

The skin on her little nose was scraped raw, and her adorable eyes were now brimming with tears.

"W-Wah... Am I going to die...?"

No matter how strong-minded Lingling was, she was still a little girl. Once the tightly wound string in her heart snapped, she was no different from an ordinary little girl.

Seeing the Cave Demon Slave's bone club about to come down, Lingling instinctively closed her eyes and curled up.

Just then, a gentle voice rang beside Lingling's ear.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Suddenly, a Milky White flame ignited on the Cave Demon Slave's body.

The Cave Demon Slave did not even have time to scream before it turned into nothingness, leaving not even a trace of ash behind!