When Lin Yi retreated into Hongfu Restaurant, all the newly rescued survivors had already crossed the rope ladder and made it safely to the second floor.
Zhou Jianjun, Chen Yu, Zhang Haotian, and several others armed with weapons were anxiously standing guard beside the ladder. When they saw Lin Yi return safely, their hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled.
"Xiao Yi!"
"Brother Yi! You're finally back! Are you all right?"
Zhou Jianjun stepped forward and looked Lin Yi over carefully, making sure his armor hadn't sustained any new, serious damage.
Lin Yi shook his head. "I'm fine, Uncle. It's all taken care of. Come on, let's get upstairs first."
They hadn't been idle while Lin Yi was cultivating, either. Their equipment had improved considerably since before.
With the survival handbook and Zhou Jianjun's guidance, they had found mop handles and firmly lashed scavenged fruit knives and boning knives to them with wire and tape, making simple spears. They had also reinforced their makeshift shields with cutting boards and pot lids.
That was what gave them the confidence to come down to the first floor and meet him.
Seeing Lin Yi return, and with the Abyss Wolves not pursuing him, everyone climbed the rope ladder and soon made it back to the second floor.
As soon as Lin Yi reached the second floor, he saw the new survivors still crowded in the corridor, looking at him with gratitude, awe, and admiration.
"You're a hero! Thank you!"
"Thank you so much, young man!"
"Wah... If it weren't for you..."
Voices of gratitude rang out one after another. The two teachers thanked him excitedly, and many people started to bow.
Lin Yi raised a hand and gently gestured for them to stop.
"There's no need for that. I only did what I could. This is just a temporary shelter. Now that you're here, you have to follow the rules: obey instructions, let us distribute supplies, and defend this place together. Can you do that?"
There wasn't much warmth in his voice, but he sounded practical and dependable.
After surviving such a disaster, the people needed a clear direction and a strong leader more than anything.
They didn't feel slighted. On the contrary, Lin Yi seemed reliable to them. They nodded vigorously and answered in unison. "We can do it!" "We'll do as you say!" "Thank you for taking us in!"
Lin Yi nodded and turned to his uncle, Lin Ruiheng.
"Uncle, sorry for the trouble, but could you, Ye Qingyu, and Manager Li Ling help get our new friends settled? Assign them places to stay, and distribute food and water in measured portions so everyone can rest and regain their strength."
"Sure, sure. Leave it to me. Don't worry, Xiao Yi!"
Lin Ruiheng hurriedly agreed, then called Li Ling and Ye Qingyu over to get started.
In just half a day, he had begun to feel as if his nephew had become a different person. There was something about his bearing that made even an elder like him follow his lead without thinking.
Maybe this is what they mean when they say that the times make the hero.
Lin Ruiheng didn't think there was anything strange about it. Xia Kingdom had thousands of years of history, after all. What sort of young heroes hadn't appeared in that time?
As he thought, Our Lin family is going to have a big shot on its hands. Xiao Jie will probably have to rely on his brother to get ahead in the future, he hurried off to carry out the task Lin Yi had given him.
The crowd gradually dispersed under their guidance. Lin Ruiheng assigned people places to rest according to their gender.
Lin Yi gave Zhou Jianjun a look, and the two of them walked to a relatively quiet corner.
"Uncle." Lin Yi lowered his voice. "When I was outside just now, I could tell that something was clearly wrong with the Nest."
Zhou Jianjun's expression turned grave.
"What is it? Are they going to attack?" He instinctively tightened his grip on the makeshift spear.
"Not yet." Lin Yi shook his head. "But the red glow around the Nest has grown a lot stronger. I'm a little worried. We may have to put off going to the Gathering Point first thing tomorrow. I'll observe the Nest before we decide."
At that, Zhou Jianjun didn't look disappointed. If anything, he seemed relieved.
"Putting it off is good! It's too dangerous outside, and we were worried about you going alone anyway. We've got more people here now, and our weapons are a little more decent." He waved the spear and pot-lid shield in his hands. "If those beasts really dare to come tomorrow, we'll be able to help!"
Lin Yi looked at the "primitive" weapon in his uncle's hands and smiled ruefully. He hesitated, then gave him a solemn warning.
"Uncle, I understand how you feel. But unless it's absolutely necessary, I don't want any of you taking part in direct combat. Right now, the most important thing is for us to survive and get as many people as possible to master Source Energy as soon as we can!"
"Source Energy is like a weapon. Right now, you're practically fighting barehanded. You should know that those weapons and pieces of armor aren't enough. Forget it. The point is, every unnecessary casualty right now is a huge loss. Everyone's job is to guard this place and use the time to study, so you can master Source Energy as soon as possible."
Zhou Jianjun was a veteran and naturally understood what Lin Yi had left unsaid. He sighed heavily and nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they work hard at learning that Guidance Technique."
Once they had finished talking, Lin Yi joined the others. They washed down a hasty meal of scavenged bread and crackers with bottled water.
After dinner, he didn't rest. Instead, he gathered everyone together and used the dim light of the emergency lamps to explain some of the key points and difficulties that came after the introductory section of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique.
Time slipped away as they focused on studying and teaching.
Outside, night had fully fallen.
The city, which should have been blazing with lights and neon, now lay in darkness and silence.
The power grid had clearly gone down completely. They had found some candles inside Hongfu Restaurant, but everyone was reluctant to use them. They relied solely on the emergency lamps for what little light they provided, leaving most of the building shrouded in deep shadows.
After enduring hours of fear and grief, most people could no longer keep their eyes open. Wrapped in whatever tablecloths, curtains, or coats they could find, they curled up in corners or on rows of chairs and fell into a deep sleep. Every so often, someone would wake from a nightmare and let out a muffled murmur or a sob.
A few close friends and family members huddled together, whispering and comforting each other as they shared what little warmth and courage they had left.
Lin Yi leaned against a quiet corner of the wall near the spiral staircase, holding his long staff and resting with his eyes closed.
His soul might be powerful, but this body was still mortal. A day of fighting and cultivation had taken a heavy toll, and he still needed to rest.
The night deepened.
No one knew how much time had passed. All was silent, save for the uneven breathing of the people and the distant howls of Abyss Wolves. Then Zhang Haotian and Chen Yu, who were on watch for the second half of the night, suddenly crept over to Lin Yi with tense expressions and gently nudged him.
"Brother Yi, Brother Yi! Wake up!" Chen Yu whispered.
Lin Yi opened his eyes at the sound, but deliberately waited a few seconds before asking, "What's wrong?"
"Listen! There's something strange about the noise outside!"
Zhang Haotian pointed toward the window and listened closely, his face full of wariness.
Lin Yi listened carefully.
A faint but unmistakably out-of-place noise was drawing closer, cutting through the thick veil of night. It didn't belong in the dead silence of this city.
It was a low, rhythmic rumble.
And it was getting louder!
Soon, everyone inside Hongfu Restaurant had been roused by the sound.
At the same time, above Hongfu Restaurant, in the pitch-black night sky,
an armed helicopter painted in military camouflage circled at low altitude.
Its huge rotors tore through the silence, producing a deep, powerful roar.
Inside the cabin, red instrument lights illuminated the crew's stern faces.
The young observer operated the powerful searchlight mounted beneath the helicopter. A beam of brilliant white light slashed through the darkness, sweeping carefully over the ominous purple-black Vortex of the Nest below and the Abyss Wolves surrounding it.
As the beam passed over them, he clearly saw the Abyss Wolves, some resting and others prowling, raise their heads and growl threateningly at the unexpected visitor. They even jostled against one another as if ready to pounce, but there was nothing they could do about the helicopter high above.
The observer frowned and turned to the team leader. "Captain, look at those Abyss Wolves down there. Something's wrong with them!"
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