Deep Night Visit from Wu Zhi

When Lin Yi retreated into Hongfu Restaurant, the newly rescued survivors had already climbed the rope ladder and safely transferred to the second floor.

Zhou Jianjun, Chen Yu, Zhang Haotian, and a few others holding weapons were anxiously guarding the rope ladder. Seeing Lin Yi return safely, the hearts they had been holding in their throats finally settled.

"Xiao Yi!"

"Brother Yi! You finally made it back! Are you alright?"

Zhou Jianjun stepped forward, carefully looking Lin Yi over to confirm there was no new, terrifying damage to his armor.

Lin Yi shook his head. "I'm fine, Uncle. It's all taken care of. Let's go, let's head up first."

They hadn't been idle while Lin Yi was practicing; the equipment in their hands had seen a significant upgrade compared to before.

Guided by the survival manual and Zhou Jianjun, they had scavenged mop handles, using wire and tape to firmly lash on fruit knives and boning knives they had scrounged up to create makeshift short spears. They had also reinforced makeshift shields using cutting boards and pot lids.

This was the source of their confidence in coming down to the first floor to provide support.

Seeing that Lin Yi had returned and the Abyss Wolves had not pursued, everyone climbed the rope ladder and quickly returned to the second floor.

As soon as Lin Yi reached the second floor, he saw the new survivors still huddled in the hallway, looking at him with eyes filled with gratitude, awe, and worship.

"A hero! Thank you!"

"Thank you so much, young man!"

"Wuu wuu... if it weren't for you, big brother..."

Voices of gratitude rose one after another. The two teachers thanked him repeatedly with great emotion, and many people were on the verge of bowing.

Lin Yi raised a hand in a slight gesture, stopping their movements.

"There's no need for that. I only did what I could. This is just a temporary shelter. Since you've arrived here, you must follow the rules: obey all commands, distribute supplies uniformly, and defend together. Can you do that?"

His words lacked excessive warmth, yet they gave people a sense of pragmatism.

However, what people who had just survived a catastrophe needed most at this moment was a clear direction and a strong leader.

Far from feeling slighted, they felt that Lin Yi was reliable. They nodded vigorously, answering in succession: "We can do it!" "We will definitely listen!" "Thank you for taking us in, big brother!"

Lin Yi nodded and looked toward his uncle, Lin Ruiheng.

"Uncle, please help arrange the new friends with Ye Qingyu and Manager Li Ling. Assign them places, distribute food and water in measured amounts, and let everyone rest to recover their strength."

"Right, right, leave it to me. Don't you worry, Xiao Yi!"

Lin Ruiheng quickly agreed, calling for Li Ling and Ye Qingyu to start getting busy.

In just half a day, he felt as though his nephew had become a completely different person. That indescribable air of authority made even him, an elder, unconsciously follow his arrangements.

Perhaps this is what they mean by 'times create heroes.'

Lin Ruiheng didn't think there was anything wrong with it; after all, in the thousands of years of Xia Kingdom's history, what kind of young heroes hadn't appeared?

He thought to himself, My Lin family is going to produce a great man. In the future, Xiao Jie will likely have to rely on his brother for support, all while busily carrying out the tasks Lin Yi had assigned him.

The crowd was gradually guided to disperse, and Lin Ruiheng arranged resting areas for them based on gender.

Lin Yi gave Zhou Jianjun a look, and the two walked to a relatively quiet corner.

"Uncle," Lin Yi said, his voice lowered. "When I was outside just now, I felt that the nest was clearly not right."

Zhou Jianjun's expression tightened.

"What's wrong? Are they about to attack?" He instinctively gripped the makeshift short spear in his hand.

"Not yet," Lin Yi shook his head. "But the red light around the nest has intensified significantly. I'm a bit uneasy. The plan to head to the Gathering Point tomorrow morning might have to be postponed. I want to observe the situation at the nest first."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jianjun was not disappointed; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Postponing is good! It's too dangerous out there. We're all worried about you going alone! We have more people here now, and our weapons are decent," he waved his short spear and pot-lid shield. "If those beasts really dare to come tomorrow, we can help!"

Lin Yi looked at the "primitive" weapons in his uncle's hands and smiled bitterly. He hesitated for a moment before earnestly advising:

"Uncle, I understand your intentions. But unless it is an absolute last resort, I do not want any of you to participate in direct combat. For us, the most important thing right now is to survive and to have as many people as possible master Source Energy as quickly as possible!"

"Source Energy is like a weapon. You are currently like people fighting with bare hands. You should know in your heart that with these weapons and armor... anyway, any unnecessary casualties now are a massive loss. Everyone's task is to guard this place, seize the time to learn, and strive to get started with Source Energy as soon as possible."

Zhou Jianjun was a veteran and naturally understood the unspoken meaning in Lin Yi's words. He sighed heavily and nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I will keep an eye on them and urge them to hurry up and learn that guidance technique."

After the instructions were given, Lin Yi joined the others in eating some scavenged bread and biscuits with bottled water, which served as their dinner.

After the meal, he didn't rest. Instead, he gathered everyone together and, by the dim light of the emergency lamps, began to explain some of the key points and difficulties following the introductory section of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique.

Time slipped away quietly amidst focused study and explanation.

Outside the window, the sky had turned completely black.

The city, which should have been brightly lit and neon-flickering, was now plunged into darkness and dead silence.

The power system had clearly collapsed completely. Inside Hongfu Restaurant, although some candles had been found, everyone was reluctant to use them, relying only on the limited illumination provided by the emergency lamps. Most areas were shrouded in deep shadows.

After experiencing long periods of terror and grief, most people could no longer hold on. Wrapped in whatever tablecloths, curtains, or their own coats they could find, they curled up in corners or on chairs placed side-by-side and fell into a deep sleep, with some waking up from dreams from time to time, letting out blurred murmurs or sobs.

A few close friends or family members huddled together, whispering to each other, comforting one another, and sharing the little warmth and courage they had left.

Lin Yi leaned against a relatively quiet corner near the spiral staircase, holding his long staff, and closed his eyes for a short nap.

Although his soul was powerful, this body was ultimately mortal. The day's fierce battles and practice had consumed a great deal of energy, and the necessary rest could not be skipped.

The night deepened.

I do not know how much time had passed, but just as the world fell into a profound silence, broken only by the uneven breathing of the group and the faint, distant howls of Abyss Wolves, Zhang Haotian and Chen Yu—who were responsible for the second half of the night watch—suddenly crouched low and hurried toward Lin Yi with tense expressions, gently shaking him awake.

"Brother Yi, Brother Yi! Wake up!" Chen Yu's voice was kept extremely low.

Lin Yi opened his eyes at the sound, though he deliberately feigned a dazed expression for a few seconds before asking, "What is it?"

"Listen! The sound outside. It seems like something is wrong!"

Zhang Haotian pointed toward the window, tilting his head to listen, his face etched with vigilance.

Lin Yi focused his attention and listened intently.

Immediately, he heard a faint noise that did not belong in the deathly silence of this city's night sky, traveling from afar and piercing through the heavy veil of darkness!

It was a low, rhythmic roaring sound.

And it was growing clearer by the second!

Soon, everyone inside Hongfu Restaurant was awakened by the noise.

At the same time, in the pitch-black sky above Hongfu Restaurant.

An armed helicopter painted in military camouflage was hovering at a low altitude.

Its massive rotors tore through the silence, emitting a dull, powerful roar.

Inside the cabin, red instrument lights illuminated the solemn faces of the crew.

The young observer was operating the high-intensity searchlight mounted under the fuselage, a beam of incandescent white light slicing through the darkness like a sword, meticulously sweeping over the purple-black vortex of the nest below—which radiated an ominous aura—and the pack of Abyss Wolves surrounding it.

As the beam swept past, he clearly saw the Abyss Wolves, which had been resting or prowling, lift their heads one after another to unleash threatening, low growls at this uninvited guest in the sky. They even shoved against one another, appearing restless and ready to strike, yet they were helpless against the helicopter high above.

The observer furrowed his brows and said to the captain beside him, "Captain, look at these Abyss Wolves below; there is something wrong with them!"