"Ah!"
With piercing screams cutting through the sky, the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf fiercely slashed its sharp claws at the invisible protective shield.
No one could see the shield, but everyone could see the wooden boards on the fence splitting apart, becoming dangerously unstable.
The onlookers' faces paled, all feeling like they could barely breathe.
Can the territory hold out?
[Fence is being damaged, defense remaining at twenty percent. Please repair with 800 units of wood.]
[Dear Host, emergency detected in your territory. Activating self-service mode. Real-time repair?]
"Yes." Seeing the Level 5 Dark Demon Beast about to make another strike, Zhou Bai quickly responded.
[Self-service mode activated. Real-time repair. Please ensure your account is sufficient.]
[Note: Repairs take time, the protective shield may have vulnerabilities. Beware of demon beasts infiltrating.]
As the system prompt appeared, Zhou Bai's account balance rapidly decreased—real-time repairs began.
So to the others, the broken fence was constantly being restored, momentarily soothing everyone on scene.
Just as they felt relief, the other Dark Demon Wolves surged towards the territory like tidal waves.
"Take action! Defend the territory!" With a sharp command, everyone snapped back to reality, grabbed their long spears, and frantically stabbed the waves of incoming demon beasts.
As a result, many demon beasts were skewered by multiple spears before they even got close, their blood bars dropping sharply before turning into white light and vanishing.
But as soon as those in the front row were killed, the ones behind immediately flooded forward.
The countless demon beasts overwhelmed everyone's minds; all they could do was one thing: fight!
Meanwhile, after two attacks, the leading Level 5 Dark Demon Beast hadn't given up, still focused on assaulting the protective shield—it clearly knew the shield was the territory's core, and only by breaking through could the beasts enjoy their "feast."
This undoubtedly showed that demon beasts often battled territories, which is why they understood so much.
But they'd only entered this Doomsday Game two days ago!
At this moment, with all the information from the territory's establishment, Zhou Bai had a new idea in mind.
That maybe, the world they were in was no longer simply their original one—there must be native territories here. The Newbie Protection Period might truly be a safeguard, giving them time to develop.
Thinking this, Zhou Bai sighed deeply—this Doomsday Game was too mysterious! So far, everything was unknown. She relied on her own exploration, and didn't know if her guesses were right.
Lost in thought, Zhou Bai snapped out of it and moved towards the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf.
"Where are you going?" Ding Qiurou grabbed Zhou Bai's arm at once.
"I'm going to deal with the Level 5 Demon Beast." Zhou Bai said directly. Based on her judgment, this Level 5 Demon Wolf was the key to the raid. Most importantly, she hadn't forgotten the system's warning—even with repairs, time was needed. She didn't see it as a simple alert.
The Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf—she had to go!
Zhou Zhengping, standing nearby, said: "Let her go! She can handle it, and she needs to learn to handle it."
Ding Qiurou saw Zhou Zhengping agree and said no more, pursing her lips into a straight line.
The world had changed; their daughter didn't need to be protected in their hands anymore.
"Dad, take care of Mom." Before leaving, Zhou Bai made sure to remind them.
"This child..." Ding Qiurou looked helpless, knowing she'd held them back.
**
At the spot where the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf was, Li Xingteng was also there with a few people attacking. They knew this Level 5 Demon Beast was the leader—just like in games, you target the boss first—so they followed it all the way.
Unfortunately, this Shadow Demon Wolf was so agile that their attacks couldn't land effectively.
"Captain Li, this Demon Wolf is way too fast!" a teammate said, seeing the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf's blood bar still holding firm.
Li Xingteng replied helplessly: "Wolves are fast to begin with, plus the level difference—there's not much we can do. All we can do is keep it from attacking the fence."
Zhou Bai arrived just in time to hear him, quickly saying: "Uncle Li, let me do it!"
Hearing her voice suddenly, Li Xingteng turned his head for a look: "Why are you here?"
He knew how much Zhou Zhengping treasured his family—how could he suddenly let her come here and risk herself?
"I just broke through to Level 5." Zhou Bai shifted back when she leveled up, glancing at her personal attributes on her control panel.
[Character: Zhou Bai]
[Race: Human]
[Level: lv.5 (511/600)]
[Identity: Lord of Hope Village, Hope Village Resident]
[Life Value: 592/600]
[Attributes: Constitution (6/10), Intelligence (7/10), agility (7/10), Defense (5/10)]
[Equipment: Leather Armor Three-piece Set (Defense +1), Long Spear (Attack +1), Shadow Boots (agility +1)]
With these stats, she should be able to handle it.
"Level 5?" Li Xingteng looked at Zhou Bai in disbelief—he was only Level 4 himself!
Zhou Bai and her parents had only gone out for a bit yesterday—how did she level up like a rocket?
"It was my parents. They let me deliver the finishing blow to each demon beast, so my Experience Points grew fast and I leveled up quickly."
"Your parents really pamper you!" Li Xingteng sighed when he heard this.
Plenty of people had thought about this method, but who'd be willing to give up their own Experience Points for someone else? Even if you claim that once someone's stronger they'll repay you, who knows if that's true? If they change their mind, what can you do?
So it's best to keep it under your own control.
Like when he took his team out, he always had to consider his people's levels.
"It's also for my safety—higher level means more security." Zhou Bai added again, "This Level 5 Demon Beast deals too much damage, I'm afraid the territory fence can't take it. The earlier we solve it, the better!"
"Isn't it too dangerous? Do your parents know?" Li Xingteng said as he glanced toward Zhou Zhengping's group—they were fighting off demon beasts with the Guard Team, and Zhengping was handing the finish to his wife, obviously helping her level up.
Watching this, Li Xingteng felt a bit envious.
He and his wife were divorced. She had the kid in another city, and after the Doomsday Game began, he didn't know how they're doing—given a chance, he wanted to find them.
"They know," Zhou Bai replied.
"Then let's deal with this Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf together."
"Mm." Zhou Bai nodded.
The group then left the territory.
As soon as they stepped out, the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf lunged at Zhou Bai, jaws wide, targeting her whole group.
Li Xingteng's people split into two teams: one to hold the line, one to attack the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf.
Under their assault, the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf was pinned down.
Zhou Bai then took the chance, using her Shadow Boots to speed up, circling behind the beast. With her Iron Axe, she swung hard at the Demon Wolf.
With a miserable howl, the Dark Demon Wolf was knocked flying by Zhou Bai, landing heavily on the ground.
Its blood bar visibly dropped by one fifth.
Li Xingteng was stunned by the sight. Everyone's eyes on Zhou Bai changed.
Does Level 5 really give that much attack power???
But in the next second, things changed suddenly. The Dark Demon Wolf scrambled up, swiftly switching direction and launching an attack from a different angle at the territory.
It seemed to have figured out the protective shield's defensive value, and with a howl, it brought a Level 4 Dark Demon Wolf along. The two beasts charged at the shield, with a pack of lower-level Dark Demon Wolves joining behind, all rushing the fence.
In that moment, Zhou Bai understood.
The Level 5 Dark Demon Beast, whether blocked by Li Xingteng or knocked away by her, was just toying with them—it had been waiting, waiting for the demon beasts to wear down the fence's defenses, calculating its limits, and once figured out, it landed the final blow.
"It's gonna break! Fall back!" Zhou Bai loudly alerted everyone defending the shield.
They heard and saw, and quickly retreated.
As soon as they pulled back, the Level 5 and Level 4 Dark Demon Wolves slammed into the protective shield formed by the fence, their combined attack power pushing past the fence's limit, and the shield began cracking from the impacted point.
[Fence has been destroyed. Repairing... Repairing...]
The fence started real-time repairs, but the Level 5 Dark Demon Wolf had already led the beasts through the breach, entering the territory.
At that moment, Zhou Bai's heart clenched tight.
So, even with a protective shield, the territory wasn't absolutely safe!