He's Here! He's Arrived!

They had all watched that video.

The battle and tutorial videos posted by the account named "A-Yu Loves Playing" had been like a ray of light in the darkness, letting them know that the high schooler in black armor, who looked like a god of war, was inside Hongfu Restaurant, not far away.

As if clinging to their last lifeline, nearly everyone whose phone still had power had frantically left comments under the video, pleading for help and marking their locations.

For the first hour, they had been full of hope. Every time they looked toward Hongfu Restaurant, they expected to see that black-clad figure appear.

But he never did.

Time crept by, and there seemed to be three or four more Abyss Wolves outside.

As the number of Abyss Wolves outside increased, hope grew ever more tenuous, until at last it nearly died out.

"He'll come. The authorities will come too. We have to hold on."

Teacher Li secretly turned her face away and quickly wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve. Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until even she could barely convince herself.

An oppressive silence settled over the bus again. Only soft sobbing, stifled breathing, and the unsettling sound of monsters pacing outside remained.

Just then!

Xiao Ya once again raised her head out of habit, almost without hope, and glanced toward Hongfu Restaurant.

The next second, her body went rigid. Her eyes widened as if she'd seen something impossible.

She jerked her head back so abruptly that she even bumped into the seat in front of her, making a soft thud. Several classmates nearby looked at her in alarm.

"What's wrong, Xiao Ya? Are the monsters attacking?"

Teacher Zhang asked tensely in a lowered voice. He gripped the fire hammer, as if the little tool meant for breaking windows could give him a false sense of security.

Xiao Ya clutched her seatmate's arm, trembling with excitement and barely able to get the words out.

"He! No, wait! He's come out! He's come out! Hongfu Restaurant! That—that guy in black armor! Lin Yi! He's out, right at the entrance!"

What?!

In an instant, it was as if an electric current had surged through the entire bus.

Every child who could still move forgot about fear and staying hidden. They struggled to raise their heads, peering over the bottom edge of the windows as countless eyes turned urgently toward Hongfu Restaurant.

He was really there!

In the glow of the setting sun, a figure clad in fearsome black armor and holding a dark iron staff stood like a statue at the entrance to Hongfu Restaurant.

That strange armor. That staff that had slaughtered its way through the video!

It really was him!

Had he seen their messages? Had he come to save them?

In an instant, the flame of hope that had nearly died out roared to life in everyone's heart!

Then they saw the black-clad figure move!

Without hesitation, without a moment's pause, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, charging straight toward their bus! His speed was astonishing. The heavy armor seemed to have no effect on his agility!

"Oh my god! He's coming this way!"

"Watch out! There are monsters outside!" one student cried, both excited and worried.

Right in Lin Yi's path, three Abyss Wolves were prowling between Hongfu Restaurant and the bus. They had obviously spotted this unwelcome visitor and immediately bared their teeth, growling a threat.

Everyone on the bus felt their hearts leap into their throats.

As Lin Yi sprinted, he held the staff in his right hand and jabbed the index finger of his left hand out three times in rapid succession!

Hiss. Hiss. Hiss!

Three beams of concentrated blue light, each barely an inch long, crossed the short distance in an instant and struck the three Abyss Wolves precisely in the head.

The Abyss Wolves froze mid-pounce. They didn't even get a chance to scream before their massive bodies went limp, as if their bones had been pulled out. Then, to everyone's horrified gaze, they silently began to crumble and disintegrate.

Instant kills!

Real instant kills!

Gasps erupted inside the bus. Seeing it with their own eyes was far more shocking than watching it in the video.

Was that blue light the so-called Source Energy?!

The five remaining Abyss Wolves had clearly been cowed by the sudden, clean slaughter.

They had seen their companions drop dead in an instant, and they could feel that aura—the very same one that had already terrified them.

So they let out a frightened whine in Lin Yi's direction and then, incredibly, turned without hesitation and fled with their tails between their legs, racing toward the Purple-Black Vortex far away, which radiated an ominous aura.

They ran?

Those monsters that had been so ferocious and had trapped them here—had they really been scared off?!

The people inside the bus could hardly believe their eyes!

By then, Lin Yi had already swept up beside the bus like a black whirlwind. He raised the Black Iron Staff and knocked twice on the window where the word "HELP" had been written.

The people inside hurriedly opened the window, and a clear, calm voice, edged with urgency, came through.

"Can everyone inside still move? Get out quickly and follow me to Hongfu Restaurant. There's no time to lose. Hurry!"

Silence.

A deathly silence lasted for about two seconds.

Then—

"Waaah!"

The joy of surviving and the sobs and shouts of release burst out all at once, filling the entire bus.

"We're saved! We're really saved!"

"Open the door! Hurry!"

"Move the stuff out of the way!"

The joy of finding a way out of certain death and their fierce will to survive overwhelmed their grief and fear. The tension inside the bus suddenly eased.

The boys reacted the fastest. Practically crawling over one another, they rushed at the pile of backpacks blocking the door and frantically dragged them aside, tossing them away.

A few girls who had learned their families were safe and had now escaped as well wiped away their tears and whispered among themselves. "He—he doesn't seem as scary as he looked in the video. He's really handsome. If only I—"

"What are you whispering about? Hurry! Move that stuff and get off the bus! Don't crowd. Come on!"

Teacher Li and Teacher Zhang were so excited their voices trembled. They hurried to help the students clear a path and keep everyone orderly.

At last, the bus door was opened wide enough for them to squeeze through.

The students scrambled out of the bus and breathed the relatively fresh air outside again. Many of them went weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground, only to be quickly pulled back up by their companions.

"Move! Don't stop here. Don't worry about me. Just run."

"Get inside Hongfu Restaurant. Someone's waiting to help you! Keep moving!"

"If anyone drags their feet and doesn't want to leave, then they can stay behind!"

Lin Yi's voice rang out again. This time, it was much sterner than before, and he was clearly urging them to hurry.

He didn't even look back at the people he had rescued. Instead, he gripped the staff tightly and watched warily toward the Abyss Beast Nest.