Chapter 55: Elite Squad, Zhao Hu's Ulterior Motives
[ AUTHOR Note: Sorry for the inconveniences response on late update]
The ground tremors grew more violent as the momentum of ten thousand stampeding beasts kicked up rolling dust clouds.
Chen Yu stood atop the sentry tower fortification, watching as swathes of trees in the distance collapsed with a boom.
The black Beast Tide was like rising seawater, instantly swallowing the warning line at the forest's edge.
The first line of defense, laid earlier by soldiers using barbed wire and landmines, didn't last even half a minute.
"Retreat!!!" A soldier urged everyone in the tower.
"Fall back quickly!!"
"The sentry towers in the Mist Forest are all rigged with joint explosives. Everyone, retreat at full speed to within the city walls!"
Fortunately, the vanguard troops were still mostly low-rank beasts, and they had the terrain advantage of the Mist Forest.
The group fought as they retreated. Casualties weren't high.
Xia Wanqing shouldered her giant axe.
Every chop bisected a beast at the waist, her axe blade coated in blood.
Lin Yan relied on teleportation, constantly appearing beside injured soldiers to pull them to safe zones.
Chen Yu and Ling Yue continued to unleash map-wide AOE attacks, clearing the screen with a single button press.
But the other sentry towers weren't so relaxed.
They didn't have over-powered monsters like Chen Yu and Ling Yue, nor conventional geniuses like Xia Wanqing and Lin Yan.
At most, they had a Zhao Hu.
The retreating soldiers not only had to resist beast harassment but also distract themselves to protect those examinees who were scared witless and had zero combat ability.
By the time Chen Yu and the others retreated to the foot of the Great Wall...
Soldiers emerging from other directions had suffered heavy casualties. The number of people making it out was nearly halved.
But there was absolutely no time to mourn. Next up was the even more tragic siege of the Beast Tide.
The steel behemoth of a wall stretching across the border was twenty meters high, covered in turrets, machine gun nests, and energy shield generators.
At this moment, the energy shield was activated. A pale blue light dome enveloped the entire wall like a giant protective cover.
"Quick! Pull them in!" Outside the gate, soldiers constantly dragged the wounded back inside.
BANG—
The city gate closed.
BOOM!!!
Almost simultaneously, the joint explosives under the sentry towers in the Mist Forest detonated.
Mushroom clouds rose one after another.
The Second and Third Order beasts running in the middle of the tide became the unlucky ones, taking the explosion head-on. Limbs flew everywhere.
But the beasts surged forward, wave upon wave. Soon, they crashed into the wall's shield, piling up higher and higher in front of it.
The blue light shield trembled violently.
"Machine gunners!" Zhao Lie appeared on the high wall, waving his hand. "Fire!!"
Da-da-da————
Tongues of fire spewed from barrels. A dense rain of bullets poured down on the Beast Tide.
But some beasts were completely fearless of ammunition; instead, it fueled their arrogance.
"Mortars, ready!" Zhao Lie shouted at the top of his lungs.
Behind the battlements, several soldiers quickly adjusted their aim. Dark muzzles pointed at the densest areas of the Beast Tide.
"Loose!"
With the order given, shells whistled out trailing white smoke, exploding amongst the herd.
Boom!
After several rounds of artillery bombardment, fire filled the sky. Debris and beast limbs splashed everywhere.
But before the soldiers could catch their breath, more beasts poured out of the forest, stepping over their companions' corpses to charge forward.
The black tide almost overflowed the wall.
"Energy Cannon charging! Target the Ground-Splitting Lizards at the front!"
The giant cannon barrel in the center of the wall slowly rose.
Pale purple energy gathered at the muzzle, emitting a buzzing electric sound.
Zhao Lie stood at the head of the wall, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Fire!"
A purple energy beam shot out like a thunderbolt, instantly piercing through the bodies of the unlucky beasts.
It blasted a bottomless crater in the ground. The surrounding beasts were blown away by the energy shockwave.
The examinees inside the city watched this scene, their blood boiling with excitement.
Chen Yu and his group were the last to ascend the wall.
They had just found their footing when they saw a man in a General's uniform walking over with a cane.
His left sleeve was empty, and the bandages wrapping the stump were still stained with dried blood.
"Boss..." Zhao Lie quickly stepped forward, his tone worried.
Li Kai waved his hand, his voice raspy. "We can't stop them. We haven't recovered from the Beast Tide a while back."
He looked at the beasts gathering below the wall, his brows locked tight. "My left arm was injured by the Earth Black-Maned Bear again. I have no combat power. I can't help."
"Where are the reinforcements?"
Zhao Lie's face was grave. "The distress signal has been sent, but..."
Just then, a communications soldier ran over clutching a walkie-talkie, face pale. "Vice General Zhao! General Li! News from the Eighth District. General Ling has gone deep into the No Man's Zone alone and cannot come to support us!"
"But Major General Zhang said he would divert troops to assist."
Hearing this, both men's expressions changed.
The Eighth District was the closest defense line to the Mist Forest. If Ling Xiao was deep in the No Man's Zone, he couldn't come.
Apart from that, the Sixth District was too far away. By the time they arrived, the Seventh District border city would likely be ruins.
If high-ranking Awakeners didn't come, piling up more troops was meaningless. It was just trading lives with beasts.
Only top-tier combat power could decide victory or defeat.
Li Kai had been seriously injured recently, and Zhao Lie was only a Sixth Order Mid-rank. He was absolutely no match for the Ice Soul Silver Python.
Li Kai walked to the edge of the wall, looking at the increasing number of beasts below.
Wait, there were even silhouettes of several Fourth Order beasts appearing. His fist clenched unconsciously.
"This won't work," Lin Yan suddenly spoke up. He leaned against the battlements, fingers rubbing his cuff.
"The Ice Soul Silver Python is a Seventh Order Beast King. It has too many beasts under its command. Our ammo will run out eventually."
Xia Wanqing also put away her earlier relaxed demeanor and said solemnly, "Fourth Order beasts have appeared. We can't help at all."
"We don't have a high-ranking Awakener, but there is a high-ranking beast." Ling Yue pointed distantly towards the depths of the Seventh District No Man's Zone.
"The Seventh District's Beast King, the Earth Black-Maned Bear. It's the same rank as the Ice Soul Silver Python—Seventh Order. And it has extremely strong territorial instincts..."
Zhao Lie and Li Kai's eyes lit up. They turned sharply to look at Ling Yue. "Drive the tiger to swallow the wolf!!"
"Most of the Seventh District is the Black-Maned Bear's territory. If the Ice Soul Silver Python's tide invades, the Black-Maned Bear will definitely not sit idly by!"
Zhao Lie frowned. "But how do we alert the Earth Black-Maned Bear?"
"We fought to a draw recently. It's probably still healing."
"Moreover, its territory is a hundred kilometers away. During a Beast Tide, ordinary Awakeners can't get through."
"If a mid-rank Awakener goes, they will definitely alert the mid-rank beasts in the tide. Once surrounded, it's ten deaths with no life!"
Zhao Lie pondered for a moment. "We need an elite squad. Before the second wave hits, they must infiltrate the Seventh District, find the Black-Maned Bear's habitat, and use commotion to lure it out."
He paused, adding, "Ideally, their cultivation rank shouldn't be high, but their combat power must be strong. They need to be at least Apprentice (Tier 3) level in strength to retreat safely."
Suddenly, Zhao Lie looked at Chen Yu, Ling Yue, Lin Yan, Xia Wanqing, and the others.
Immediately, Xia Wanqing and he locked eyes.
"I'll go!" Xia Wanqing was the first to raise her hand. She thumped her giant axe on the ground. "I'm a Trainee (Tier 2), and I have great strength. I can clear the path."
Then she grabbed Lin Yan next to her. "Lin the Rat is going too! He can teleport; he runs fast!"
Lin Yan: "..."
Influenced by Ling Xiao, Ling Yue didn't hesitate.
"I'll go too. My ability is also very suitable for running."
Chen Yu looked at Ling Yue. Ling Yue shook her head and said softly, "I'll be fine. I might be able to help."
Chen Yu originally wanted to persuade her otherwise, but he saw a determined light in her eyes.
She seemed to be a stubborn kid.
Chen Yu sighed. "I'll go too."
Who asked him to take her Devil Fruit? His scarce conscience was really...
"I'll have to ask Uncle Ling for extra money later..." Chen Yu muttered to himself.
Just then, a voice interjected. "I'll go too!"
Everyone turned to see Zhao Hu walking over, gripping the Seven-Star Sword. "I'm a Zoan type with a keen sense of smell. I can help find the territory."
Chen Yu glanced secretly at the Seven-Star Sword in his hand but remained silent.
Zhao Lie sized Zhao Hu up. Seeing his aura was stable—though he didn't know why Chen Chen's sword was in his hand—he didn't think much of it and nodded.
"Good. The five of you will form a squad. Ling Yue will be the captain, responsible for command."
He pulled a map from his chest pocket and handed it to Lin Yan.
"This is a rough map of the Seventh District. The Black-Maned Bear's habitat is at the red circle marked on the map. You must be careful."
"Remember, your mission is not to fight! It is to wake it up!"
Ling Yue took the map and nodded.
Chen Yu glanced at Zhao Hu. He felt Zhao Hu's eyes were shifty, as if he were plotting something.
He kept a mental note to be wary.
Zhao Hu nodded on the surface, but inwardly, he scoffed: If the city wasn't locked down, I would have run long ago.
This is a chance to get out of the city. I'll run the moment an opportunity appears. I'm not staying with you idiots to fight a Beast Tide!
Zhao Hu tightened his grip on the Seven-Star Sword. My life has only just begun!
(To be Continued)
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