An Unexpected Turn

"Rumble—"

Rocky Mountains.

An invisible wave swept across the area, waking the Rock Monsters from their slumber. They roared and strode off in every direction.

"Clang—"

"Did you feel that?" It was as if lightning had flashed through his mind. The smile froze on Pat's face.

Unable to believe what he had just sensed, he asked the others.

But they were stunned too, and no one answered him.

They all turned to look toward the Rocky Mountains.

Even Bellis, who had been sulking because she couldn't go to the Rocky Mountains, was panicking now.

Pat was the first to recover. He knew this wasn't the time to stand around stunned.

He shouted, "Everyone, drop everything you're carrying and head toward Panxi City at full speed!"

Pat's voice snapped the others out of their daze. They quickly tossed aside their backpacks, then flew after him toward Panxi City.

"What's going on? Why are the monsters over there coming out?"

"I don't know either. We need to get out of here first. I hope those monsters aren't coming for us."

"Beep, beep—" Hatton had still been worrying when countless energy readings suddenly appeared on the Energy Detector.

Delighted, he immediately asked, "Pike, are those the monsters?"

Pike saw that the readings were heading in their direction and hurriedly replied, "Captain, yes. But something's wrong. The monsters seem to be coming straight for us. If we don't leave now, we won't get away."

"Good, good! Now let's see how Pat and his people die."

Hatton laughed as he packed up, preparing to retreat.

But by the time they realized they should run, it was already too late. The Rock Monster had spotted them.

It was a Rock Monster with a battle power of thirty thousand. As it passed by, it didn't even notice the ants below. One stomp was enough to finish Hatton and his men.

Their revenge plan was dead before it could begin.

Pat and the others had no idea that the Rock Monster had unknowingly taken care of a problem for them.

They were fleeing for their lives, but at their current speed, they had no chance of escaping. The Rock Monster heading their way had a battle power of over fifty thousand.

As the presence they sensed drew closer and closer, Pat and the others sank deeper into despair.

Lan Xin hurriedly shouted, "Everyone, conceal your energy and split up. Don't fly anymore. Keep moving on foot."

At her words, everyone looked to their leader, Pat. He knew Lan Xin's plan was a gamble—not just with their lives, but with their luck as well.

Still, it was the best option they had. It was better than all of them being wiped out together. Whether they escaped would depend on their luck.

"Listen to Lan Xin. We'll meet in Panxi City." Pat didn't hesitate any longer. With every second counting, there was no time to think it over. He shouted the order.

Their leader had spoken, and they moved at once. They picked a direction and scattered in groups of two or three, vanishing from sight in no time.

The Rock Monster stopped where they had been, as if it had lost track of its target.

In the end, it randomly chose a direction and strode onward.

Creatures around the Rocky Mountains kept dying. Before long, the monsters had pushed a thousand miles outward, and the area was still growing.

No one knew how long they would keep moving or how far they would spread before stopping.

What they didn't know was that this wasn't happening only in the Rocky Mountains. Monsters had awakened in more than a dozen other places around the world, slaughtering every person and beast they came across.

All of these monsters had battle powers above thirty thousand, with the strongest reaching one hundred thousand.

By the time the authorities received the news, a whole night had passed. If the monsters hadn't awakened in uninhabited areas, countless people would already have lost their lives.

Seeing Reke go down, the Middle-Aged Man and the other two exchanged glances. Neither spoke, and neither moved.

"Cough, cough—" The Bald Man's coughing broke the silence.

"I won't go down. I don't know how long it'll take for these injuries to heal," Old Granny said first.

"Who can argue with that? We were lucky to make it out alive this time," the Middle-Aged Man replied, clutching his arm.

"I have to say, this has really opened my eyes. I never imagined a person could become this powerful," the Bald Man said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"You still have a chance to improve further. But I met all this too late," Old Granny said, her eyes dimming as loneliness filled her expression.

The Middle-Aged Man and the Bald Man exchanged bitter smiles. They knew there was nothing suitable they could say.

"Enough, enough. There's no hope for this old woman. I can only hope the younger generation lives up to their potential." Old Granny shook her head and walked toward the barrier, ready to rejoin her juniors and leave.

As soon as she moved, the other two followed.

They knew that whatever was below had nothing to do with them anymore. They might as well leave early and try to improve further.

The three appeared covered in blood, and everyone in the fifth space turned to look at them.

They ignored the crowd and returned to their respective groups.

"Boss, why are you so badly injured? Who hurt you? Tell me, and I'll go chop him up right now!" Six-Arms supported the Middle-Aged Man, glaring viciously at Old Granny and the Bald Man as he waited for his boss to give the word and send him after them.

The Bald Man's and Old Granny's groups also watched the other two sides, their eyes full of wariness and hostility.

"Shut up. It's not what you think. Let's go up. We can talk about everything once I've healed."

The Middle-Aged Man grabbed Six-Arms with his uninjured hand.

The other two groups were much the same. Their leaders warned them to stand down.

"Elders, could you tell us what's down there?"

"Yeah! So many of us are waiting for an answer. You can't leave without telling us."

"You're asking for death." The three attacked at once when they saw people blocking their way.

Although they had been injured in the sixth space, they were still more than a match for everyone left behind.

They instantly killed those who had stepped forward to stop them, then returned to their groups and headed back toward the surface.

Their ruthlessness and strength cowed the others. No one dared stand in their way again. Instead, they followed behind.

"Boss, was it that young man?" Big-Breasted Woman quietly asked, walking beside the Middle-Aged Man.

The Middle-Aged Man glanced at her and nodded slightly. "He's ten thousand times more powerful than you imagine. Your instincts were right."

"With him around, there's nothing we can do. We'll talk about the details later. I'm afraid we'll have a hard time explaining things when we get up there."

Reke made his way down, and G5 Base came into view.

The base lay in ruins. It was clear there had been a battle here. Most of the buildings had collapsed, and only a handful remained intact.

Reke began inspecting the buildings one by one.

Before long, Reke found the control center.

What Reke didn't know was that a spaceship was approaching, not far from Udrapa Planet.

"My lord, we've detected a planet with life. Should we land?" asked a man with a rat's head.

"Of course we should land. Otherwise, what would become of the Xibala Pirate Group and West Wind?"