As the妖兽 gathered, Zhang Wen’s sense of unease rapidly escalated. The connection between the two left him especially puzzled.
“She is Nora No.9 of the Syndicate, the witch who manipulates souls, Hunji Eve Barbarossa!” Linoah gritted her teeth and spat out a name. “Our former head of Intelligence died by her hand.”
“So she’s an old acquaintance of yours,” Zhang Wen sighed softly.
“Don’t make it sound like we’re that close!” Linoah clenched her teeth tightly.
“Alright,” seeing Linoah’s furious expression, Zhang Wen waved his hand kindly, “then she must be a Nen user.”
“Exactly. She is one of the Nen users who broke the shackles. Her ability is mental control. That woman is a madwoman who would do anything for power. It’s said that after joining the Syndicate, she even worked for the Federation for a long time. In exchange for helping the Federation train a secret force capable of controlling puppets, the Federation provided her with over ten thousand live subjects of various ages and identities for mental control experiments…”
“Can she control people?” Zhang Wen frowned.
“She can indeed control people, but mental control over humans isn’t that simple. No matter what, the human mind is the most complex thing, and Nen users have strong resistance to her control. That’s why you can see that all the beasts around us have had their minds disrupted by her Nen ability, yet we hardly feel anything unusual.”
“I see,” Zhang Wen finally understood the source of his subconscious unease.
The Spring Water Combat Energy he cultivated was inherently a highly sensitive sixth sense ability, so it was normal for him to sense malicious Nen fluctuations in the air.
“Wait… Even though yaoshou have much weaker mental power than humans, the range of this disruption is still too vast! Damn it! Her ability has at least increased tenfold! And it’s only been a year! What has that madwoman done this time?” Linoah’s sudden outburst interrupted Zhang Wen’s thoughts. The icy beauty’s face had turned blood red from extreme anger.
“Linoah!” Zhang Wen frowned and timely slapped Linoah’s shoulder, who had clearly lost her composure. “Thinking too much won’t help. Do what you can do. We’ll settle accounts with that woman someday.”
“You’re right. I lost my temper,” Linoah closed her eyes and took a long time to return to normal.
After regaining their composure, Zhang Wen and Linoah once again sped toward where everyone was gathering. However, both of them had the same question rising in their hearts.
Why would Hunji of the Syndicate use supernatural beasts to drive humans in the same direction? If their sole objective was to obtain “the key to the truth”—that is, Selene—why not directly attack the Themis Academy team? Given the strength of the Syndicate’s two Executors, what power does Themis Academy possess that could stop them from kidnapping someone?
“This is really hard to figure out…” Zhang Wen smirked slightly, murmuring to himself.
In the rain-soaked jungle, Zhang Wen and Linoah walked for about another thirty minutes. With their sensing abilities, they easily avoided the encirclement of the monstrous beasts.
However, just as the two were heading north to the Mengxiang River, Linoah suddenly raised her hand to stop Zhang Wen.
“Wait! There’s a team just ahead of us, less than five kilometers away. In another direction, there’s another team about six kilometers away, rushing toward the opposite direction of that team.”
“Huh?” Zhang Wen looked at Linoah in confusion. He didn’t quite understand why Linoah had only just discovered the presence of that team when it had approached within five kilometers.
“They concealed their badge’s Nen fluctuations with their Nen, only just now lowering their guard,” Linoah explained simply.
“Huh? At a time like this, they’re still hiding their badge’s Nen? They’re too relaxed!” Zhang Wen looked at Linoah with doubt.
“Maybe… they’re from Themis Academy?” Linoah suddenly brightened.
“Very likely.” The two exchanged a glance and quickly made up their minds. The Almishus Academy duo swiftly changed direction and ran toward the team rapidly approaching them.
“Teacher, we should… we should run away quickly. If we keep going like this… we’ll all die here,” said a student in the team that was five kilometers away from Zhang Wen and Linoah, speaking to the two instructors.
As the student finished speaking, almost all the other students in the team also showed expressions of fear and helplessness. One girl with an injured leg looked especially pitiful, evoking sympathy.
However, the male and female instructors running at the front of the team remained unmoved by the students’ pleas. The male instructor, who was covered in the stench of beast blood, even seemed very angry.
“Nonsense! Just a few yao beasts, and you’re already scared? Have you forgotten our school motto?” The tall male instructor turned around and roared at the student who had just pleaded.
The male instructor had long accumulated authority among the students. Under his roar, the student’s courage to resist instantly vanished. He timidly lowered his head: “Of course… I remember.”
“Good. Since you remember, then repeat it!” The male instructor roared again.
“It’s bravery and perseverance, no fear, no retreat!” The pitiful student could only loudly shout the phrase that had long been ingrained in their minds.
“Exactly! That’s it! So what is your request now?”
“No, we’re not trying to run away, teacher. But…” The student tried to explain, but the righteous male instructor refused to give him a chance to clarify.
“No buts!” The male instructor roared again, his eyes turning extremely sinister. “If any of you makes such a cowardly request again, don’t blame me for being harsh. After the survival competition, I will definitely report to the principal and request to revoke his enrollment. Moor Academy doesn’t need cowards!”
“Ahh? We’re not cowards. We’ll definitely follow the teacher to the end,” the students all frantically shook their heads upon hearing the male instructor’s threat, and the student who had just argued with the male instructor was even paler.
For these students from commoner backgrounds, Moor Academy represented everything about their future! If expelled from the academy, it meant that their entire lives would be stained with disgrace. Honor, status, and all future prospects would be lost forever! This punishment was something they absolutely could not bear.
“Hmph, a bunch of spineless brats,” seeing the male instructor scare the students into a huddle, the female instructor in the same team flashed a cold smirk at the corner of her mouth, quickly turning her gaze forward again.
The female instructor knew clearly in her heart. The male instructor’s use of intimidation to force the students to take risks with him was not because of that ridiculous school motto. It was simply because he was unwilling to let the 300,000 imperial shields he had bet in the casino go to waste!
In fact, if the male instructor hadn’t stepped in, the female instructor herself would have tried every means to force the students to comply. Because the stakes she had placed in the casino were far more than anyone else’s!
No matter what it takes, I won’t let you escape from my grasp! Zhang Wen! Female instructor Jina bit her teeth tightly again, fiercely cursing in her heart.
“Alright! Jina, quickly sense the surrounding situation. Tsk! The妖兽 here are increasing!” After intimidating the students with threats, Talier hurriedly shifted his gaze toward Jina.
“Okay.” Jina nodded gloomily. However, she hadn’t closed her eyes for long before she opened them in terror.
“What’s wrong?” Talier anxiously asked.
“There… there’s another team coming from the opposite direction toward us! Damn it, they’ve also concealed their badge’s Nen fluctuations!” Jina said palely.
The Moor Academy group immediately fell into silence. The team running in the dead of night was clearly also being pursued by monstrous beasts, and their escape route led directly away from Moor Academy. In other words, they had already been surrounded by the creatures.
“I don’t want to die! Teacher! Think of a way!” Yuni, the female student from Moor Academy, had already burst into uncontrollable tears.
“This… this…” Even Talier couldn’t help feeling desperate.
“Charge! Fight those yao beasts!” In the face of despair, some people recklessly displayed irrational courage. The boy who had just begged Talier to retreat now charged at the yao beast behind him with bloodshot eyes and sword raised.
Inspired by the boy’s encouragement, other students from Moor Academy also shouted and rushed forward. Unfortunately, they were soon easily forced back by some higher-level yao beasts. Among them, the boy who charged at the front nearly had one of his arms broken. If Talier hadn’t instinctively killed two giant beasts chasing them, those students might have already perished.
After such a setback, Moor Academy’s group completely gave up on breaking through. They barely organized a defensive formation, desperately holding on under the magical beasts’ attacks.
At this point, the situation was not only dire for Moor Academy. Douglas and others fleeing from the opposite direction of Moor Academy were also silently enduring their suffering. Unfortunately, the monstrous beasts behind them did not care about their plight. A few minutes later, the two groups from Moor Academy and Themis Academy had no choice but to confront each other.
In fact, when Talier and others first saw that the group running toward them was Themis Academy’s strongest first team, they had briefly felt hopeful. But when they saw the monster chasing Themis Academy and Douglas’s pitiful appearance, their hearts immediately sank to the bottom.
Out of survival instinct, after the two groups met, although neither gave the other a good look, they quickly chose to join forces. The two groups leaned against a giant tree, each guarding half.
The monstrous beasts surrounding the two groups seemed to be somewhat cautious about the determined resistance of the people. They encircled Douglas and the others, continuously growling softly, but did not immediately launch a large-scale attack.
“Another group is approaching. They’re 1,700 meters away. They’re moving fast and will arrive here in about ten minutes.” As the humans and beasts were in a tense standoff, Selene’s ethereal voice sounded again.
“Huh? Another group of fools?” Douglas couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. Talier and others from Moor Academy also sneered.
Frankly speaking, if before Moor Academy and Themis Academy met, they had heard news that another group was heading straight toward them, they would certainly have been both shocked and furious, too irritated to respond. But now, already surrounded, they no longer cared about a few hundred more monsters outside the encirclement. Therefore, they were actually willing to see more people trapped together with them.
However, just as Douglas, Talier, and others were distracted by schadenfreude, the beast suddenly launched an unprecedented fierce attack, as if they shared some spiritual connection.
“Damn it!” Talier, Douglas, Jina, Rusty… everyone exclaimed in that moment.
For survival, everyone from Moor Academy and Themis Academy exerted all their strength. Various colors of combat energy and Nen lights began flashing continuously in a small corner of the Sandara forest.
Each swing of Douglas’s Poseidon’s Wrath would emit a red flash resembling a blade. Any beast that came into contact with this red flash was inevitably sliced in half. Although Talier wasn’t as calm as Douglas, he was engaged in a fierce battle and was temporarily not in danger of being overwhelmed.
Beside them stood the martial artists from the two teams. The Nen users leaning against the giant tree also desperately unleashed their Nen, launching waves of Nen energy toward the swarm of monstrous beasts.
The blood, emitting a foul stench from the demonic beast, and the flesh torn apart by Poseidon’s Wrath and combat energy quickly transformed this small corner of the Sandara Forest into a hellish scene.
However, although Douglas and others’ desperate resistance caused considerable damage to the monsters, the monsters continued wave after wave to attack their defenses. Under the massive consumption, the group’s fighting spirit was rapidly drained away.
“We can’t go on like this; it’s only a path to death!” The first one to cry out was Douglas.
In fact, Douglas had already regretted his decision. With his strength and status, what couldn’t he have? Why had he impulsively come to Casares to participate in this cursed academy visit?
“Ahh!” Perhaps Douglas’s shout disturbed everyone’s morale. Soon after, the beast’s claws finally claimed their first victim.
The Moor Academy martial artist, who had already sustained an arm injury, was struck in the thigh by a妖兽’s claw. Before he could fall, he was dragged into the dark forest by several妖兽s howling in a swarm.
“Ahh!” The student’s scream filled with fear and pain almost instantly shattered everyone’s will to resist. The defense line organized by Douglas and others collapsed in an instant.
Another martial artist from Moor Academy was so scared that he wet his pants and collapsed to the ground, trembling. On the other side, two martial artists from Themis Academy weren’t much better. Although they didn’t collapse, they were also in a panic.
“I… I don’t want to die… I’m from the Douglas family! I don’t want to die!” Douglas screamed hysterically, abandoning the group’s defensive formation and charging out first with Poseidon’s Wrath.
Seeing Douglas’s condition, Talier also gritted his teeth, abandoning everyone and rushing out with Douglas. In the current situation, knowing that breaking through was the only way to survive, Talier no longer cared about others.
Without the two martial arts masters blocking its way, the monstrous beast immediately let out a fierce roar and charged toward the nen users, who were now completely exposed and defenseless.
Selene was grabbed by Rusty with a pale face, desperately following behind Talier and Douglas who had abandoned them.
“Help!” The other girls also cried out, instinctively chasing tightly behind Selene and Rusty as they scattered in panic.
At this moment, Jina was completely at a loss. From childhood, she had always been the princess among people. Such a terrifying scene as tonight had already scared her to the extreme. In fact, even before Douglas abandoned everyone to escape, she had already done so first.
In the darkness, Jina desperately ran, not even knowing how far she had gone. But just as she felt she had escaped danger and was about to relax, she suddenly felt a huge force coming from the side, throwing her to the ground.
It’s over! When Jina felt the pressure almost making her suffocate and saw the giant mouth right in front of her, the blood on her face instantly drained away. However, after closing her eyes in despair for a moment, Jina found that the excruciating pain that terrified her hadn’t appeared.
Jina cautiously opened her eyes and found that the giant beast that had pinned her had actually raised its head, as if it had detected some dangerous prey, staring fixedly at somewhere in the jungle.
Jina also squinted, looking in the direction the giant beast was staring. She saw nothing but pitch darkness. However, a familiar voice reached Jina’s ears at this moment.
“Ah, Linoah. It seems we arrived a bit late.”
“Zhang Wen?! Save me… save me!” Hearing the familiar voice, overwhelmed with joy, Jina couldn’t even care that opening her mouth would let rainwater pour in as she screamed desperately.
“Ah? Zhang Wen, didn’t expect to meet your acquaintance here,” the teasing voice that entered Jina’s ears was naturally Linoah’s.
Then, shortly after Linoah spoke, the giant beast that had pinned Jina slowly moved its body away from its prey.
“Roar…” The giant beast growled lowly at Zhang Wen and Linoah in the darkness. Jina, who had escaped the beast’s claws, quickly stood up and ran toward Zhang Wen’s direction at full speed.
“Roar!” The escape of its prey finally enraged the giant beast. It roared and suddenly jumped up. However, the target of the beast’s attack was not the fleeing Jina, but Zhang Wen!
“Hehe. Linoah, do you think I should say this beast is smart or stupid?” Zhang Wen said casually with a smile, easily dodging the beast’s fierce pounce with a slight sidestep. As he evaded the beast’s attack, Zhang Wen twisted his wrist, and a sharp crystal dagger immediately appeared in his palm. The beast that had lunged past him was sliced cleanly in the direction of the dagger and fell to the ground without a sound.
Before Jina and Linoah could even understand what had happened, they found that the beast had already become a corpse.
“This…” The martial arts skill that completely exceeded Jina’s understanding left her speechless. Linoah’s eyes couldn’t help but show a trace of surprise.
Frankly speaking, in the Empire, there were many martial artists who could casually split this beast in two. However, martial artists like Zhang Wen, who could silently and mysteriously create a huge wound from head to toe on the beast’s body, were rare even for Linoah who served in the Orichalcum.
“Just a simple martial arts skill,” Zhang Wen casually smiled and put the crystal dagger away again.
“Tsk. Pretending to be humble,” Linoah disdainfully curled her lip and turned to Jina beside her, “since you’re already safe, you should go back to the town. We have other things to do and can’t accompany you anymore.”
“No! What are you going to do? Let me go with you!” Jina quickly grabbed Linoah’s arm, shaking her head desperately.
Her previous experiences had already terrified Jina to the extent that she lost her courage to face the beast. How could she possibly dare to go alone? As for why Zhang Wen’s team had been wiped out, leaving only him; why Linoah was by his side; and why Went, who was supposedly always following Zhang Wen, wasn’t with him—Jina had long since stopped pondering these questions.
“Go with us?” Linoah frowned at Jina, then nodded thoughtfully, “Alright.”
Seeing Linoah agree to her request, Jina was almost excited enough to jump up. She hurriedly asked, “Great! What are you going to do?”
“What else?” Linoah revealed a fox-like smile. “Of course, to save people from the swarm of monsters.”
“Save… save people?” Linoah’s words left Jina gaping once more. Her mind involuntarily recalled the horrifying scene of being surrounded by monstrous beasts.
“No! Don’t go back! No matter how powerful you are, you can’t fight so many yao beasts. You’ll die! Definitely die!” Jina grabbed Linoah’s arm, her face pale as she shouted.
“Do as you like. If you don’t want to follow, just go back to the town yourself,” Linoah said with a smile.
“I…” Jina’s face immediately turned even paler. “I’ll go with you! But… you’d better hurry if you’re going to save people. If you wait a while longer, the people you want to save might be devoured by yao beasts until not even their facial bones remain.” After hesitating for a long time, Jina finally followed behind Zhang Wen and Linoah.
“You don’t need to remind us,” Linoah looked at Jina with displeasure and, together with Zhang Wen, suddenly accelerated, running forward again.
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