Fear of Battle

Zhou Jianjun slammed his fist against the rooftop railing, sending flakes of rust and dust cascading down.

"Madness! Absolute madness!"

His eyes were bloodshot with anxiety. He never imagined that his nephew, who was usually far more composed than any young man his age, could be so impulsive.

That was a giant monster that made one's heart tremble just to look at, not to mention the dozens of Abyss Wolves accompanying it!

But he knew this was no time for regret. Lin Yi had already charged out; all he could do now was prepare for whatever might happen next.

"Quick! Everyone back to the second floor, get to the rope ladder and prepare to receive him!"

Zhou Jianjun spun around and roared at the group, "What are you standing there for? Move!"

He scanned the young men around him, his gaze finally settling on Li Jie, who was similar in build to Lin Yi and always the most eager to show off.

"Li Jie!" Zhou Jianjun's voice was sharp. "You work out often. Put on the armor Yi left behind. If something happens, you'll have to step up with me and hold the rope ladder!"

All eyes instantly locked onto Li Jie.

However, to everyone's surprise, Li Jie—who usually boasted, "If it were me, I'd do this and that," or "If I had a suit of armor, I'd go out and kill monsters too"—did not respond.

He instinctively took half a step back, his eyes darting around as he stammered, "Un-Uncle Zhou, I..."

Zhou Jianjun's expression hardened, and just as he was about to bark an order, another voice spoke up calmly.

"Uncle Zhou, I'll wear it."

The group turned to see Zhou Yuxuan push up his glasses and step forward.

"My build is similar to Lin Yi's. Although my stamina isn't particularly great..."

Zhou Yuxuan's face was also pale, but his voice was steady and clear to everyone present.

"I think the armor's protection is what matters most against the Abyss Beasts. If it comes down to it, I can stand in front and buy everyone a little more time."

He looked at Zhou Jianjun. "I'll wear it."

Zhou Jianjun took a long look at the boy who usually spent all his time buried in studies of the Guidance Technique, then nodded heavily, uttering a single word.

"Do it!"

Time was of the essence. Zhou Jianjun waved his hand immediately. "Stop staring, get downstairs! Everyone else, follow the drill we practiced—get to your positions, now!"

The crowd surged into motion, panicked but orderly, as they flooded toward the rooftop entrance.

Ye Qingyu, who had come up with the group, stood still for a moment and bit her lip. She cast a complex look in the direction where Lin Yi had vanished before turning to follow the crowd.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone, the communications officer Ren Yinuo, who had run up to the roof with them, stayed behind.

The moment Lin Yi leaped down, she had darted to the edge of the roof, quickly finding a spot at the base of the railing that offered the best vantage point. She dropped down without hesitation, her movements highly professional.

A second later, she pulled a black, high-definition military camera from the olive-drab canvas pouch at her waist, expertly powered it on, adjusted the settings, and locked the lens onto the silver figure racing through the ruined streets below.

Her expression was calm, almost cold, as if what was happening below wasn't a life-or-death gamble, but a routine military operation.

In fact, beyond establishing communications, she had another critical mission.

The General Staff was deeply interested in everything regarding Lin Yi, especially his combat style and his use of Source Energy.

Therefore, the General Staff had instructed her: "Provided Comrade Lin Yi consents, record as much as possible of his training, combat, and teaching processes, especially key visual data regarding his application of Source Energy techniques."

These firsthand combat recordings would provide vital references for the military to study Source Energy warfare and even promote practical combat training.

Ren Yinuo had originally intended to explain this to Lin Yi and seek his permission once the equipment was stable today.

She hadn't expected that just as the equipment finished its overnight calibration, such an abrupt battle would break out.

She had no choice but to record it first and decide later; if Lin Yi objected, she would simply delete the footage.

Through the high-definition lens, Ren Yinuo clearly saw the Abyss Beasts rapidly closing in.

The Giant Rock Abyss Bear, nearly five meters tall and looking as if it were built from boulders, roared as it charged at the front. The fifty-plus Abyss Wolves were not swarming chaotically; they were moving in a chilling tactical formation.

Most of the Abyss Wolves followed closely behind the giant bear, using its massive body as cover, while two groups of three Abyss Wolves fanned out on the far left and right flanks, advancing in perfect synchronization.

These beasts... they actually have this level of coordination? Ren Yinuo felt a surge of dread.

Since the apocalypse had descended, she, as a technical officer from the General Staff, had never faced Abyss Beasts head-on.

Although she had heard plenty about them from the Tianpeng Squad on the way to Hongfu Restaurant and knew that high-level Abyss Beasts possessed significant intelligence, she had lacked an intuitive sense of it.

Only now, seeing beasts from what should be a low-level nest execute such maneuvers, did she truly grasp the pressure faced by frontline troops.

At the same time, she silently broke into a cold sweat for Lin Yi.

The General Staff values him so highly; he surely wouldn't do something he wasn't confident about.

Trusting her colleagues at the General Staff, Ren Yinuo stopped overthinking and focused on capturing Lin Yi's movements.

In the frame, Lin Yi's speed was astonishing, the Flowing Cloud Light Armor trailing a streamlined silver glow in the morning light.

He was not running in a straight line, but moving at high speed with a rhythmic, fluid gait.

This was the Wandering Star Steps he had begun to master just last night.

Though Lin Yi was only a beginner, he already displayed agility and efficiency far beyond the norm, finding the optimal path through the ruins and actually increasing his speed as he went.

Incredible.

Ren Yinuo was secretly startled; the rhythm and aesthetic of this footwork were apparent even to a layman like her, someone who wasn't a combatant.

Moreover, as the person who had delivered the crystals to Lin Yi, she was even more astonished by the level of mastery he had achieved overnight.

Is this the comprehension of a genius?

Her camera lens followed Lin Yi closely, capturing every one of his movements with crystal clarity.

Meanwhile, at the second-floor window.

Chen Yu was fumbling frantically with the Portable Source Energy Detector that Lin Yi had left for them to use while keeping watch before he went upstairs to practice.

As the device activated, a pale blue light screen flickered into existence.

"It's on, it's on! Brother Yi, his... source energy intensity is 34—wait, what the hell?! 200?! This... how many times is this, damn it?!"

His voice wasn't a shout of surprise, but rather a suffocating groan, a sense of despair brought on by the massive disparity in the numbers.

Everyone nearby felt their hearts sink; Zhou Jianjun's expression turned particularly grim, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked.