Chapter 233

The sturdy infrared protective shield was knocked to the ground by the monster's attack, and judging from the extent of the damage, it could not last more than ten minutes.

"No, we have to retreat now."

"The infrared shield can only hold for another ten minutes at most. We still haven't received any news of military reinforcements. We need to make plans in advance."

Xu Jintang frowned and began to discuss with Ice Soul Dragon and the other person.

"With the city's current defenses, it simply cannot withstand the onslaught of the monsters outside. We should prepare for an early retreat," the Thunder Dragon King calmly analyzed.

The Ice Soul Dragon replied in unison, "If the situation becomes urgent, both the Thunder Dragon King and I will protect you."

"And me, your young master!" A clear, childlike voice rang out, clearly belonging to Jin Xiaobao.

Xu Jintang temporarily withdrew from his mental sea of consciousness and returned his gaze to what was in front of him.

The surrounding panic grew louder and louder, and the situation was spiraling out of control.

"Never mind, I'm leaving."

After someone took the lead in retreating, the others couldn't sit still and followed suit:

"We're retreating too!"

Let's all stick together; it's safer to stick together.

The infrared protective shield that covered the entire city began to sway precariously.

The attacks from the monster hordes blocked outside the protective barrier grew increasingly fierce, each wave stronger than the last.

Xu Jintang sensed that the situation was not good, so he stopped lingering, turned around and gestured to Song Tianqi and the others, and immediately prepared to retreat.

"Let's go." Upon receiving the instruction, Song Tianqi quickly followed.

Yan Yuting and the others also realized what was happening and followed.

Xu Jintang led the way, rushing to the front of the group and arriving at the city exit first.

Each Border Defense Star City was built with an underground emergency exit passage, which leads to a safe buffer zone hundreds of miles outside the town.

However, abandoning a city and fleeing is never a good thing, and over the years, the Federation's control has been very strict, so there have been almost no situations where it was necessary to abandon a city.

As a result, the emergency exit tunnel has never been activated and is old and stagnant.

"Damn it, the button to open this passage isn't working."

The team member at the front suddenly turned around and shouted in a panic.

The team members following behind stopped in their tracks.

"Why isn't there any response? What's going on?"

"Could it be that it's been unused for a long time and has aged?"

"If all else fails, let's all work together to break open the tunnel!"

Xu Jintang made the first move.

With a cold expression, she slowly raised her right hand, and a thin layer of frost quickly covered her palm, causing the surrounding temperature to drop as well.

"Click--"

The ice layer covered the safety door at the entrance of the passage, freezing it instantly.

Xu Jintang slowly clenched his right hand, and a large amount of spiritual energy surged into the ice layer opposite him, causing cracks to appear in the originally hard and solid ice layer.

Song Tianqi and the others behind him turned and exchanged glances.

"Do it!"

Led by Song Tianqi, the others joined in the attack.

In an instant, a massive surge of mental energy erupted within the narrow passage.

A gust of wind swept through, lifting the hems of countless people's clothes.

Xu Jintang's hair, which hung down her forehead, danced wildly in disarray.

"Blazing Flames of the Nine Heavens!"

"Widespread Feather Arrow!"

With everyone's combined efforts, the safety door at the entrance of the passage was broken open after only two seconds.

"Bang--"

The heavy stone gate collapsed backward, kicking up a thick layer of dust.

"The door's open! Everyone, hold on tight!"

The team leader shouted and immediately turned and rushed into the passageway.

The group hurried into the passage, their figures quickly disappearing into the darkness.

At this moment, atop the gate tower of the Border Defense Star City.

Gu Xiuwen stood atop the city wall, his hands behind his back, his gaze lowered, overlooking the situation outside the city.

The infrared protective shield was already on the verge of collapse, while the attacks from the monsters outside were becoming increasingly fierce, and it seemed that a great battle was about to begin.

"Buzz--"

A violent tremor resounded.

Immediately afterwards, Star Compass shimmering with silver light slowly emerged from beneath Gu Xiuwen's feet.

The moment the Star Compass appeared, the intense smoke and fire outside the city seemed to pause.

The attacking monsters also looked up, staring intently at the still-spinning Star Compass, a hint of panic flickering in their eyes.

"Roar--"

The Beast King's roar echoed through the air.

The monster, which had been stunned by the Star Compass, regained its senses.

The monsters launched another coordinated attack.

This time, the already precarious infrared protective shield shattered completely.

The demonic beasts at the forefront broke through the city gates and rushed into the city.

For a time, the monsters' offensive was completely unstoppable.

Gu Xiuwen's gaze darkened slightly, and he raised his hands, causing the Star Compass beneath his feet to enlarge and rise.

When the Star Compass rose to the top of the head, it was large enough to cover the entire Star City.

The light emanating from it was a faint silver, like tranquil moonlight, draping the entire Star City in a silver veil.

A tranquil and peaceful atmosphere permeated the entire city.

"What's going on? Why is there no movement outside the city?" The team members, who had just left the city through the passage, stopped in surprise.

Xu Jintang also happened to come out of the passageway.

She looked up at the sky.

The enormous Star Compass completely enveloped the Star City, and the spiritual energy threads within it fell downwards like shooting stars.

"This is... Commander Gu's special ability." The team member looked surprised as he gazed at the Star Compass in the sky.

"I've followed Commander Gu for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever seen him use this skill."

"What kind of skill is that? It must be pretty powerful."

Song Tianqi's eyes sparkled as he looked up in awe and exclaimed, "Is this the strength of the youngest Ninth Tier ability user in the entire Federation?"

Meanwhile, Jing Hongyi, who had already led his team to the expedition, received a situation report.

"Report! The satellite system has detected a mental energy fluctuation exceeding that of a Ninth Tier ability user erupting from the Zone F Border Defense Star City. The demon beast horde there has been brought under control, presumably due to Gu Xiuwen's personal intervention, which has temporarily halted the demon beast horde's attack. Please provide further instructions, Commander Jing."

Jing Hongyi frowned immediately. "He made a move?"

The army captains around him were also stunned.

"Gu Xiuwen has made his move, so this major battle probably won't happen."

"He's usually not one to get involved, so why is he suddenly getting involved this time?"

Everyone knows the unique nature of Gu Xiuwen's supernatural abilities.

The skills of intervention and foresight have a time limit and cooldown requirement for each use, so Gu Xiuwen generally won't use them unless the situation is particularly serious.

The team members who came to report were still waiting for instructions.

Jing Hongyi's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. "Now that Commander Gu has taken action, this major battle should be temporarily averted. Notify all armies to withdraw."

"Yes!"

The group, who had been excitedly preparing for the expedition, were all stunned.

"I thought we were going to have a major battle."

"Well, it's better if there's no fighting; peace is always better."

"But to be honest, this attack by the demon beast horde was indeed strange. I estimate that after things calm down, the Federation General Bureau will have to investigate thoroughly. It won't be as peaceful as it seems."

Upon hearing that there was no need for fighting, the atmosphere within the team immediately relaxed, and everyone's tone of voice and demeanor became much more relaxed.

But what no one saw when he turned around was a cold glint flashing in Jing Hongyi's lowered eyes.

Outside the Zone F Border Defense Star City.

The Star Compass that had enveloped the entire Star City began to descend.

Gu Xiuwen slowly pressed his hands down, the solemnity in his eyes growing stronger.

Until the Star Compass was completely pressing down on the heads of the attacking monster horde.

"Bite--"

The Star Compass emitted a crisp, ringing sound.

Then, a white halo appeared, centered on the disk. The halo continued to expand until it became completely invisible.

Tiny specks of silver light fell.

The beast, whose eyes were originally bloodshot, became completely still. The bloodshot color in its eyes gradually faded, and the violent aura on its body slowly disappeared.

A few seconds later, the beast king leading the charge let out a cry.

The demon beasts, who had been frozen in place, snapped back to their senses and turned to run towards their escape route.

"They're retreating! The monster horde has begun to withdraw!" The team member who was the first to see the situation outside the city shouted excitedly.

Xu Jintang darted to a high spot and looked out over the city walls.

The dark, dense herd of beasts began to retreat in droves.

In a short while, the area outside the Border Defense Star City became empty.

Song Tianqi and Yan Yuting exchanged glances, realizing that the major battle, which hadn't even started yet, was already over.

Chapter 233

According to Federation records, in Star Calendar 7092, a war between monsters that had not yet broken out was prevented in advance by Gu Xiuwen, a Ninth Tier ability user.

None of the personnel Zone F Border Defense Star City suffered any casualties and survived.

The staff member in charge of recording stared at the two lines of text that had just been typed and muttered to himself, "How many years has it been since the Federation has experienced something this significant?"

The day after the war was suspended, the Federation General Bureau held an emergency meeting.

Jing Hongyi sat at the head of the conference table, his hands resting on the edge, his back straight against the chair, his expression serious. "According to reports from the front lines, the fighting in Zone F Border Defense Star City has been quelled, and all personnel within the city are resting and awaiting orders. This incident happened suddenly, and I have already notified all levels of leadership to conduct a unified investigation. We will notify you separately once the results are available."

The others also spoke up:

"The outbreak of war in the Zone F Border Defense Star City was very sudden, there must be something fishy about it. I suggest we investigate it in detail."

"Furthermore, there have been many unexpected events during this period. Could there be any connection between them?"

"Yes, it's strange that such a big event Military Academy League was postponed, and this almost led to such a serious battle."