The Swarm

When a flood comes, the best method isn't building dikes to block the water, but rather channeling it through ditches.

The same logic applies when a Beast Tide arrives. First, have the main fighting force hold the front line against the Demonic Beasts, buying time for the civilians behind them to evacuate. Once the civilians are safely inside buildings, then employ methods to guide the Demonic Beasts along the main roads instead of letting them break into the shelters. This way, casualties can be minimized.

Now that the evacuation is complete, it's time for Elder Hong to act!

Elder Hong sat in an extremely complex armchair, his eyes lightly closed as if concentrating on brewing something. The chair was carved with intricate Spiritual Energy arrays, and on the backrest was something resembling a dish-shaped antenna. Anyone experienced would recognize that the armchair itself was a low-grade Treasure Artifact!

"You're already quite old, do you really have to do this, Elder Hong..."

"Less nonsense, hurry up!"

Si Nan Yuan sighed softly and brought over two stands. Each stand held two bottles of unknown material, filled with a pale green liquid. It was obvious at a glance that this was extremely high-quality Spiritual Medicine. Si Nan Yuan connected four very thin tubes to the four bottles. The other end of each tube was a hollow needle. She hesitated for a moment before inserting all four needles into Elder Hong's arm.

"Done."

"Mm, then..."

Let's begin!

"All combat personnel, please retreat quickly! I repeat, all combat personnel, please retreat quickly!"

Rui Feng, who was already caught up in the heat of battle, heard the sudden broadcast. His fighting spirit was instantly extinguished—because he knew what this broadcast meant.

"Stop fighting, retreat quickly! Elder Hong is about to act!"

His shout made everyone still fighting stop. They immediately withdrew from the battle, leaving behind a horde of ferocious Demonic Beasts still charging into the city.

The Demonic Beasts didn't understand why these people, who had been so full of fighting spirit moments ago, would suddenly flee. Of course, they didn't need to know. All they understood was that no one was stopping them anymore!

A pack of grey wolves charged into the city center first. By now, the area outside the buildings was deserted. As predators, their instincts drove them to search for prey, and the people hiding in the shops along the street naturally became their first choice.

Running, howling, pouncing!

Who would have thought—

With a "thud," the leading grey wolf slammed hard into something, its head bloody. In that instant, a giant, pale yellow light screen descended from the sky, separating the shops and streets like a wall. It wasn't just shops; hotels, gymnasiums, restaurants... every building sheltering civilians was now covered by a pale yellow light screen!

This light screen appeared fragile, but after several collisions from the grey wolves, it showed no signs of damage. They couldn't advance even half a step! The grey wolves weren't stupid. A few attempts had already made them realize that the light screen was impenetrable. So, they turned and left in twos and threes, continuing along the city's main roads.

The subsequent Demonic Beasts did the same, repeating the process of "want to attack prey—hit light screen—attempt several times—give up attacking prey and continue running." Further back, the following Demonic Beasts saw the ones ahead running along the road, and their instincts drove them to follow the main group. In the end, just like a flood being diverted by a channel, the Beast Tide passed along the main roads, without causing more casualties.

The lives of the people in the city center were finally preserved.

"Elder Hong, Elder Hong!"

After the last batch of Demonic Beasts passed through the city center, the pale yellow light screen disappeared. At the same time, on the top floor of the Winter Arrival Hotel, Elder Hong collapsed, exhausted, in the armchair. The Spiritual Medicine in the IV drip, used to supply high-purity Spiritual Energy, had long since run out. The Spiritual Energy arrays on the chair had also lost their luster. Despite the support of the Spiritual Medicine and the aid of the low-grade Treasure Artifact that amplified Supernatural Abilities, achieving this was still too much for Elder Hong at his age.

Si Nan Yuan picked up the unconscious Elder Hong. The attendants beside her quickly brought various medical equipment to start rescue efforts. With their efforts, Elder Hong's condition gradually stabilized, and Si Nan Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Next... we just have to wait for Li Cha's news.

After some investigation, she quickly discovered that the second young lady and Liu Ye were both on the south side of the city. She had already dispatched Li Cha, who possessed flight abilities, to go and escort them. With his speed, it shouldn't be a problem to bring them back before the Demonic Beasts reached the south side.

Buzz—Buzz—

Speak of the devil, Si Nan Yuan thought.

"Hello? Did you pick them up?"

"Thanks, big sister!" came a noisy voice from the other end of the phone (or compass?), along with the strange cries of bird-like Demonic Beasts. "I'm being tangled up by a bunch of feathered beasts! Damn it! I'm afraid I won't make it in time!"

"What did you say!?"

Crimson blood condensed into countless sharp blades, spinning at high speed like a top around me. The storm of blood blades was unstoppable, breaking through groups of burrowing worms like a bamboo, slicing them into meat paste. The worm corpses and mucus covered the ground like a thick blanket. I had already killed no less than a hundred worms, but I had no time to rest because—

"Damn it! Why are there more and more!"

Countless worms surged forward, wave after wave emerging from the ground as soon as the previous one was killed, vividly illustrating the old saying, "Wildfires cannot burn them all, they will grow again when the spring wind blows." Moreover, I felt the worms that appeared later were getting stronger. From being instantly killed with one blow at the beginning, it now took two or three slashes to kill them. I gradually felt my Spiritual Energy absorption couldn't keep up.

Last time I fought a Desolate Beast, I carried a lot of Essence Cores and spirit stones with me, which allowed me to hold my own. But this time, I brought no supplies. Even that Charging Blade, which had served me so well, was kilometers away at the Winter Arrival Hotel. What's more, it's probably because my level is too low, but these worms don't drop Essence Cores when they die! I can't replenish myself while fighting! For the first time, I truly understood the importance of a healer to a team!

The trouble doesn't end there.

If it were just me, I'd have an 80% chance of breaking out of the warehouse. But the problem is Si Nan Ying...

Si Nan Ying was frantically dodging the mucus spat out by the worms behind me. Small bubbles emerged from her hands, blasting back each worm—note, "blasting back," not "blasting dead"! Si Nan Ying's ability's awkwardness was once again evident: with the ability to only release low-power and ultra-high-power bubbles, she couldn't efficiently inflict damage on the worms. The low-power bubbles could only damage their shells, while the ultra-high-power ones would send me and her to our deaths. So, I had to kill the approaching worms while also protecting her, making me flustered, and I almost lost my footing several times!

This can't go on... Breaking through is imminent. I must find a way...

...Got it!

"Little Ying, I have a simple plan!"

"Yes, what is it?" Si Nan Ying asked while dodging, her breathing very ragged.

"Can you blow up the roof?"

"Should be able to!"

"Let's do it! Quickly!"

Si Nan Ying immediately understood. She condensed a dark bubble, which emitted a dangerous aura completely different from before. I gathered my blood into over a dozen thick whips, sweeping them around to clear a small area. Si Nan Ying seized the opportunity and released the bubble—straight upwards.

The bubble floated and drifted, yet rose surprisingly fast. Though inconspicuous, it had a strong presence that made it impossible to look away. Under the gaze of us and the scattered worms, it gently bumped against the ceiling.

A powerful blast of air pressed down on us, followed by large chunks of rock and debris. I immediately created a thick blood shield to protect myself and Si Nan Ying. The blood-colored shield obscured my vision, and I didn't know the situation outside. I only heard the constant sound of falling heavy objects hitting the shield, the deafening roars making my eardrums ache. Amidst the booming sounds, the screams of worms were faintly mixed in. It seemed the worms also suffered greatly from this.

After a moment, the sound of falling rocks ceased. Only then did I lower my defenses. The moment I inhaled the outside air, I was choked by dust and coughed repeatedly. A cursory glance revealed that most of the worms were now buried under the debris, and no new ones had emerged yet.

If not now, then when?

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