That encouraging cry, which also sounded like a low growl made after reaching some decision, gradually brought the girl named Xiao Xi back into focus. Her vision cleared from a blur, and she saw someone standing before her. His not-so-broad back shielded her from deadly danger—not only in front, but to her left, right, and behind as well.
—She wasn't dead yet.
The girl realized this fact in astonishment. Then she saw the HP bars on the party interface. The four slivers of red HP seemed to proclaim a cruel message, stopping her breath for an instant. The imagined sensation of suffocation filled her chest with unbearable pressure, and the reason she had not died became painfully clear.
Because they were protecting her!
Bang!
Suddenly, a sound similar to a monster's death effect came from behind them—dull, yet slightly sharp.
Yuxi did not need to turn around to know what it was. One of the HP bars in the upper-left corner of her vision had dropped to zero, and the name that had been lit up dimmed.
"No..."
That darkened name was so familiar. In that moment, she wanted to scream, but found herself unable to summon any strength. All she could make was a meaningless, low moan.
One side of the painstakingly maintained defense had finally collapsed. That meant the person holding that line had vanished from this world. An HP bar reaching zero meant death. Many people refused to believe it—or rather, could not accept it—but even more chose to believe.
Wang Yang did not need to question that possibility, because he understood this cruel reality better than anyone.
"Damn it!"
Watching someone die before his eyes, Wang Yang let out a roar. After using a Minor Healing Potion, he charged into the encirclement of the small man-eating