So, is this the legendary reverse psychology tactic?
Yu Yanhui felt a sense of awe and wonder, though she didn't quite understand it.
She turned her gaze back to Sister Zhaoran and Qin Yu, who were also looking in that direction.
The two people also showed surprise, but not as obviously as she had before.
Moreover, compared to their surprise at how the soldier handled the situation, their faces showed more... solemnity!
Upon seeing this, Yu Yanhui's mood sank once again.
Without even thinking, she knew why Sister Zhaoran and the others had those expressions.
After all, anyone followed by a Sixth Tier Calamity Beast would probably be in worse shape than them...
"Faster, faster!"
"Those behind, hurry up and follow..."
" The Bronze Skull Beast is closing in at within 30km..."
Urging shouts echoed intermittently through the forest, interspersed with occasional reports of the approaching Calamity Beast.
Finally, once again.
Qin Yu slightly increased her pace to ensure she could stay at the back of the group.
Despite several attempts to increase the speed, this amount was negligible for someone at the Late Fifth Tier.
but...
Qin Yu slightly raised her eyes.
One by one, the soldiers, consciously or unconsciously, quickened their pace amidst the shouts of their words.
"The others are fine, but those few Second Tier ones, if they continue at this speed, they probably won't last much longer!" The voice echoed in his mind.
"It's alright, we can help carry them around a bit," Qin Yu replied.
"You can help carry them, but what will you do after you get them?" the voice in my head continued to ask. "You should be able to tell, right? The Bronze Skull Beast behind them aren't chasing too hard!"
Qin Yu paused for a moment, then nodded.
This can be discerned from the distances reported intermittently by the reconnaissance personnel.
The Bronze Skull Beast didn't really try very hard to chase them.
Its current speed is probably only barely at the Early Fifth Tier.
This speed might be related to the suppression of Origin Power, preventing its unrestricted use, or it might be...
"Well, there's nothing we can do. Even at its current speed, you have no way to survive!"
The voice in my head was talking to itself.
"It will take you about five more minutes to get to that portal ahead."
"Then, at the speed of that Bronze Skull Beast behind us, it will probably take another seven minutes."
"There was only a two-minute difference."
"In other words, even if you pass through the portal ahead, the Bronze Skull Beast behind you will arrive at the portal in less than two minutes."
"Then, how long would it take Bronze Skull Beast to run the distance you covered in those two minutes?"
"Don't even mention two minutes, even if you had ten minutes, once the Bronze Skull Beast passes, it would only take a minute for it to catch up."
"What will you do then?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu was slightly taken aback.
She hadn't really thought about that question.
However, that is indeed the case. Even if they do get to the next space, it will only cause the Bronze Skull Beast to continue chasing after them.
Apart from the change in location, the status quo remains unchanged.
In other words, even if you go through the portal ahead and reach the next space, the outcome will still remain unchanged.
But they had always thought that things would change after passing through the portal to the next space.
Why?
Or rather, the person who led this understanding to emerge was...
Qin Yu slowly turned her gaze to Lin Zhaoran, who had short hair.
Seemingly noticing the gaze, Lin Zhaoran looked over and then nodded slightly.
Qin Yu nodded in acknowledgment, then slowly withdrew her gaze.
"It seems she has other plans..."
The voice echoed in my mind.
Qin Yu did not reply, and silently followed the group ahead.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
In my field of vision, that Distortion space connecting heaven and earth was getting closer and closer.
But as it drew nearer, the sound of reports rang in everyone's ears.
" The Bronze Skull Beast is now within 22km..."
" The Bronze Skull Beast is now within 17km..."
" The Bronze Skull Beast is closing in at 13km..."
The reports, one after another, sounded like death knells in everyone's ears.
Unconsciously, everyone increased their speed time and time again.
Heavy breathing could be heard from the vast majority of people.
Some warriors of slightly higher rank have already begun to help their lower-ranked comrades as they run forward.
Everyone now has only one thought: run, run, run...
Finally, with another tree passed by.
Suddenly, everything became clear to everyone.
A pitch-black cave entrance, over twenty meters high, lies just ahead, at the boundary several hundred meters away.
"Hurry, the portal is just ahead! Give it your all!"
"Go! Go!"
"Ah--"
A roar erupted at that moment.
One by one, the warriors looked at the teleportation portal at the border ahead, and smiles appeared on their faces.
Without stopping, the figure continued forward, even faster than before.
Qin Yu silently watched the scene unfold before her.
Suddenly, a commanding voice rang in my ears.
"Everyone, immediately pass through the portal as quickly as possible."
"Once you pass through, do not venture deeper into that space. Immediately explore towards the boundary, and once you see a new portal, enter it immediately."
"After that, repeat the above process until you have passed through two spaces, then you can rest!"
"Then rest for a while, and then repeat the process above, understand?"
The joyful atmosphere was suppressed.
The soldiers were slightly taken aback, not reacting immediately, but still instinctively nodded:
"Understood!"
Beside her, Qin Yu looked over at Lin Zhaoran.
Her face remained expressionless, yet a strange sadness emanated from it.
The procession moved forward.
Soon, the figure at the very front had already entered the portal.
However, Qin Yu and the other two did not continue forward; instead, they slowly came to a stop.
Then, somewhat puzzled, Yu Yanhui turned to look at Lin Zhaoran.
"Huh? Sister Zhaoran, why are we stopping here?"
Beside her, Qin Yu glanced at Yu Yanhui, then turned her gaze to Lin Zhaoran.
She paused, biting her lip slightly, and lowered her eyes.
Lin Zhaoran did not immediately reply to Yu Yanhui.
She watched as one warrior after another entered the portal, then turned her gaze to Yu Yanhui.
This time, she looked at it for a long time, as if trying to Yu Yanhui into her memory.
Suddenly, she chuckled softly again.
"You guys go ahead, I'm not going!"
"Um?"
Yu Yanhui let out a sound of some confusion, but soon, she seemed to realize something, and her eyes widened as she stared at Lin Zhaoran.
" Sister Zhaoran, aren't you going over there?"
"Well, if we all go there, the Bronze Skull Beast will catch up right behind us, and then we'll all die!" Lin Zhaoran a light laugh.
"No, if you don't go, then... then..."
Yu Yanhui kept opening her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Tears welled up quickly in her eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Zhaoran chuckled softly, raised her hand, and wiped away the tears on Yu Yanhui's face, saying:
"You know, right? This is the best method right now! And..."
After a pause, Lin Zhaoran looked at Yu Yanhui and said:
"Don't say anything about staying with me. Even if we all stayed together, we wouldn't be a match for Sixth Tier Calamity Beast. In this situation, if you stayed, you would only be sacrificing yourself in vain."
"..."
Yu Yanhui her mouth, but no sound came out.
Lin Zhaoran continued to look at her and smiled:
"It's alright. Our Yanhui has been through a lot and is capable of handling things on her own now. It's just that in the future, Sister Zhaoran might not be able to protect you from the storms of life!"
"No, I don't want to!"
Yu Yan shook her head weakly, tears streaming down her face.
Beside him, Qin Yu silently lowered her eyes.
Lin Zhaoran smiled and said:
"Alright, we don't have much time left, you guys should hurry up and go too!"
Yu Yanhui shook her head weakly, seemingly wanting to refuse, but not knowing how.
After saying that, she turned to look at Qin Yu, and just as she was about to say something, she paused slightly and suddenly turned her gaze towards the direction of the teleportation portal.
There, the warriors who had already entered the portal retreated one by one.
Something unexpected happened?
This thought appeared in both Lin Zhaoran's and Qin Yu's minds at the same time.
Without further ado, Lin Zhaoran immediately flew over there.
Qin Yu followed a step later.
Yu Yanhui was stunned for a moment, then wiped away her tears and followed.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Zhaoran landed in front of the soldiers and asked.
Some soldiers looked over in fear and despair.
"Lin, Captain Lin... there seem to be two near- Sixth Tier Calamity Beast fighting over there. If we don't come back, they might target us!"
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
"Uh, this situation..."
The voice echoed in my mind, filled with astonishment.
Qin Yu stood to the side, stunned for a moment.
In the past, two nearly Sixth Tier Calamity Beast were fighting. Should we stay here and wait to die?
At that moment, it wasn't just Yu Yanhui whose heart sank; everyone's heart sank involuntarily.
"Lin, Captain Lin..."
The soldier who had just spoken cautiously looked at Lin Zhaoran.
There was no response, Lin Zhaoran stood there blankly.
Having prepared to sacrifice myself, is it possible that even that could only lead to a bad ending?
If we had known this would happen, we would have had everyone run in different directions earlier.
While that might not have saved many lives, at least some would have survived. But now...
With a wry smile on her face, Lin Zhaoran slowly raised her eyes.
She looked at the dark portal that had extinguished her hopes and smiled bitterly.
Heaven, you really love playing tricks on me...
Lin Zhaoran's thoughts suddenly stopped, and she stared blankly at the spot.
Seemingly sensing her change, one warrior after another looked towards the teleportation portal.
Then, he froze.
A figure slowly emerged from the teleportation portal.
His black, wispy hair hung lightly over his forehead, and his whole being inexplicably radiated a steaming heat.
The figure slowly came to a stop, then raised its eyes to look at the crowd.
"You guys..."
He paused abruptly, then slightly raised his eyes.
After a moment of silence, his gaze fell again, looking at the crowd.
"Okay, I understand..."