"Whoosh--"
The long sword slashed down, and blood spurted out.
With a whoosh, the enormous jackal's head landed on the ground.
"Damn it, did this human plan this all along?!" The larger Shadow Nightmare Leopard's eyes widened.
Without time to think, it pushed off with its feet, and its movements quickened once again.
The already short distance was quickly eliminated at this speed.
The next instant, the claws rose and lashed out wildly at the two-legged beast that had hurriedly turned back.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!..."
A shower of sparks flew.
Taking advantage of an opportunity, the slightly larger Shadow Nightmare Leopard quickly leaped backward.
On the other side, the smaller Shadow Nightmare Leopard, whose leg Zheng Guomin had been holding, finally broke free at this moment.
"Quick, stop fighting, run!"
The slightly larger Shadow Nightmare Leopard let out a low growl, then immediately ran back the way it came.
The slightly terrified Shadow Nightmare Leopard didn't hesitate and immediately followed.
Zheng Guomin was about to give chase when he heard Shen Heng's voice from the side.
"Stop chasing them! Shadow Nightmare Leopard are naturally excellent runners. If they're focused on running, catching them won't be easy. Besides, there are many low-level Calamity Beast behind them. Killing them won't be a quick task!"
Zheng Guomin nodded, stopped, and quickly returned to Shen Heng's side.
During this process, Shen Heng glanced in other directions.
"What's the situation at the other passages?" Zheng Guomin asked.
"It's not good!" Shen Heng replied, sounding somewhat somber.
"So what do we do now? Go and provide support? Or what?" Zheng Guomin asked.
This time, Shen Heng did not answer immediately.
He looked up and saw that the two Shadow Nightmare Leopard, one large and one small, were already at the end of the passage. In the blink of an eye, they completely disappeared into the visible passage.
Their initial goal was indeed to resolve the situation here as soon as possible and then go to support other places, but they couldn't rush over to provide support.
Sensing Shen Heng's hesitation, Zheng Guomin followed his gaze to the end of the passage.
Suddenly, he paused slightly, as if he had realized something.
He turned back and asked.
"Captain, are you worried that the Shadow Nightmare Leopard will come back?"
"Hmm." Shen Heng nodded slightly. This was indeed his biggest concern. The prerequisite for going to provide support was that he could guard the passage he was responsible for.
Now, although they have temporarily driven away the Calamity Beast, no one can guarantee that the Shadow Nightmare Leopard, realizing that the two of them have failed to catch up, will not try to turn back in a while.
In this situation, it would be best for two people to continue guarding the place.
But clearly, this does not align with my original purpose.
Then... should we send someone over?
Should I stay here and let Zheng Guomin go and provide support?
Just as Shen Heng was pondering, Zheng Guomin paused for a moment and then said:
"Captain, go provide support. I'll hold this position."
Shen Heng turned his gaze over, "Going to provide support, although we'll definitely have to fight the Calamity Beast, is actually less dangerous than coming here."
"After all, once the Shadow Nightmare Leopard returns, we might have to face more than just those two Fourth Tier Calamity Beast!"
"And once I get there, it won't be so quick for me to get support back."
"In other words, once the Shadow Nightmare Leopard really returns, your situation will become extremely dangerous."
"Yes, I know." Zheng Guomin nodded heavily.
"But if I go, I can only help them hold off one Fourth Tier Calamity Beast at most, that's all. It's somewhat useful, but..."
After a pause, Zheng Guomin looked up at Shen Heng.
"But it certainly won't be as effective as having you, Captain, providing support!"
"Besides, the Shadow Nightmare Leopard might not even come back. Even if they do, I feel that with my abilities, I should be able to hold out until you return, Captain!"
No one would believe that one person could withstand a hundred Calamity Beast, including two Fourth Tier ones, but Shen Heng sensed the determination in Zheng Guomin's words. He didn't hesitate any longer; now was not the time to hesitate.
Shen Heng said, "You stay here and keep watch. If you hear any noise, contact me immediately."
"I'll transmit my voice over to create the impression that I'm still here, trying my best to deter the Shadow Nightmare Leopard from attacking."
"You can also try acting when you see them to deepen their suspicion."
"If they do come, I'll get back as quickly as possible."
Zheng Guomin nodded solemnly.
Upon seeing this, Shen Heng immediately turned and ran towards the Crystal Melting Zone.
During this process, he asked:
" Qin Yu, how much longer are you going to do this?!"
Qin Yu's reply came quickly.
"Because there isn't enough explosive ammunition, the terminal needs to scan, analyze, and assess the situation before it can determine where to plant the explosive ammunition. Also, occasionally some Calamity Beast will wander in and need to be dealt with. It will probably take another fifteen minutes!"
Shen Heng took a deep breath and said:
"I understand, let's get on it as soon as possible!"
"Yes, I know!" Qin Yu replied somewhat nervously.
As the two communicated, their conversation echoed throughout the team's communication channel.
But no one had time to reply; everyone was busy completing their own tasks.
Regaining his attention, Shen Heng quickened his pace.
During this process, the situation in the other passages quickly flashed through his mind.
Scorching flames, spreading ice crystals, dripping sweat, and spraying blood...
"Quick, that Corrosive Poison Warthog is trying to get past us! Stop it!"
"Captain, watch out! The Bone-Corroding Wolf Spider is attacking you!"
"Quick, get out of the way!"
"Uh, humph!"
"Damn it, I RN..."
"... Lin Yang, how are you?"
Chu Yu asked in a low voice, her breath coming in short gasps.
Her figure, back to back, replied:
"It's alright, but my Origin Power is being depleted too quickly. At this rate, I might not be able to hold on for much longer."
As he spoke, Lin Yang raised his finger and shot out a beam of light, which pierced straight through a Calamity Beast that was lunging at him.
"How long have we held out?" he asked.
"About twelve minutes!" Chu Yu replied.
"How much longer do we have to hold on...?"
Lin Yang paused slightly, and then a conversation broke out in the team channel.
After a moment, Lin Yang gave a wry smile.
"Fifteen minutes?"
"Can't you hold on for that long?" Chu Yu asked with some concern.
Both of them came from Lingnan and had been in contact since they met during the Bone Porcelain Puppet incident.
After entering the Erosion Zone, they even formed a small team together.
This time, we were also assigned to the same passage.
At this moment, the two of them were covered in a lot of blood, some from the Calamity Beast and some from themselves.
They've already dealt with a Fourth Tier Calamity Beast, but...
"Although my ability is very lethal, it consumes too much of my Origin Power. Based on what happened just now, I can only last for another seven or eight minutes at most," Lin Yang said.
"How about you conserve your Origin Power, and I'll take care of restraining them?" Chu Yu said.
"No, it won't work. Although your abilities are not bad, there are two Fourth Tier Calamity Beast around. It won't be that easy!" Lin Yang said.
"... What should we do then?" Chu Yu bit her lower lip lightly.
Just as Lin Yang was about to say that they would take it one step at a time, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.
The next instant, the previously overwhelming tide of low-level Calamity Beast trembled slightly, and then began to retreat in large numbers.
The two exchanged a glance, and rays of light and debris rose again...