Thanks to Green Kitea for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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Ning Langdong, Tian Xinqing, and Su Yanran all turned to look at Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan remained silent, his expression grim.

The three exchanged glances, seeing worry in each other’s eyes.

Tong Zhanyan and Qing Jiyue were very close. It wasn’t the kind of closeness where they hung out and joked around every day, but rather a closeness tinged with a vague, ambiguous intimacy.

At the very least, they wouldn’t go around asking people to buy special extracted salt just because Tong Zhanyan was a picky eater who refused to eat synthetic salt.

“Don’t worry too much. He’s so capable; nothing bad will happen to him…” Tian Xinqing tried to offer comfort, though even he didn’t believe the words coming out of his own mouth.

If Qing Jiyue were truly that capable, how could he have vanished into thin air unless something had gone wrong?

Tong Zhanyan said nothing, only clenching the hand resting on his lap.

The conversion device was back online, and the defensive lines had been reestablished, but the crisis was far from over.

Outside the protective shield, the attracted beasts were still lurking menacingly, ready to launch another attack at any moment.

Inside the shield, the defensive lines had collapsed for several hours, allowing thousands—if not tens of thousands—of beasts to pour in.

If they weren’t cleared out quickly, there was no telling how many casualties would result—and the conversion device and defenses, which had only just been repaired, could collapse again at any moment because of them.

At 10:00 a.m., the main reinforcements dispatched by the other three of the Four Great Families arrived, and the internal mop-up operation officially began.

At the same time, the outer defenses came under attack once more.

The number of monsters attacking this time was even greater than before.

Eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock… The battle raged on until two in the afternoon before finally coming to a close.

After more than four hours of nonstop fighting, casualties numbered in the thousands, and the hard-won defensive lines were once again teetering on the brink of collapse.

As soon as the battle ended, Qing Suifeng immediately led another squad out to search for people.

Qing Jiyue had been missing for six hours.

Tong Zhanyan waited with bated breath.

However, two hours later, when Qing Suifeng returned, he still had no news.

By this point, Qing Jiyue had been missing for eight hours.

In the mess hall, everyone who had gone without sleep all night looked utterly haggard.

Eight hours—it was already safe to assume she was dead.

Many of them had come from the front lines, which made them all the more aware of just how powerful and crucial Qing Jiyue’s abilities were.

This attack was undoubtedly the most brutal in fifty years.

Without Qing Jiyue, if they were to attempt to retrieve the conversion device on their own, it would take a month or two at best, or several years at worst—and the entire protective shield might even collapse completely as a result.

It was precisely for this reason that, even though Qing Jiyue was still a minor, countless people were already looking forward to the day he would become the Qing Family Head.

Now, this rising star, so eagerly anticipated by all, had fallen…

Qing Suifeng did not give up; after a brief rest, he led a new team out to search again.

“At least bring the body back…”

Someone in the cafeteria muttered.

“…With so many beasts, how could there possibly be a body left?”

Tong Zhanyan couldn’t stand it any longer and got up to leave.

Outside the cafeteria, Wang Yanzhou was in contact with the school. “…How many people… who’s leading the team… okay… I’ll be right over.”

The mop-up operation wasn’t going smoothly.

Too many monsters had breached the perimeter, the affected area was too vast, and the fighting on the front lines showed no signs of stopping. Even though the other three of the Four Great Families had already sent reinforcements, manpower was still severely lacking.

The school was preparing to send support.

The lower-grade students were out of the question, but the fourth-year students were still capable of fighting—though that was equally dangerous.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yanzhou headed toward the back door.

He had taken only two steps when Tong Zhanyan blocked his path.

“I’m going too,” Tong Zhanyan said.

Wang Yanzhou paused for a moment, then refused without a second thought, “No.”

Tong Zhanyan now carried the hopes of them all; his importance went without saying.

If he took Tong Zhanyan along and something went wrong, not even ten or a hundred lives would be enough to make amends.

“I just want to go take a look. I won’t enter the combat zone,” Tong Zhanyan said.

He knew full well that with his combat ability, he wouldn’t be able to help—and might even require resources to protect him—but he still wanted to get closer and see for himself.

If Qing Jiyue really had already…

If he didn’t go and see for himself, he would absolutely regret it.

Wang Yanzhou wanted to say a few more words to completely dissuade Tong Zhanyan, but when he looked up, he met a pair of eyes that appeared calm on the surface but were actually filled with turmoil and anxiety.

Tong Zhanyan never slacked off in training, even when it was difficult for him, even when he ranked at the bottom of the class.

Throughout his journey, Tong Zhanyan had heard far more opposition and skepticism than praise and encouragement. At the most extreme moments, hundreds of thousands of people in the live chat had hurled insults at him, yet he had persisted.

Because that was the kind of person he was: rational, composed, and resilient.

But even the most rational person has moments when reason fails them.

The fact that Tong Zhanyan is now taking the initiative to discuss this with him is the most rational thing he’s done.

“You…” Wang Yanzhou felt a mix of emotions.

If Tong Zhanyan wants to go, he’ll go even if Wang Yanzhou disagrees.

Wang Yanzhou sighed. “I’ll go make the arrangements first.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Wang Yanzhou glanced behind Tong Zhanyan. “Keep an eye on him.”

Ning Langdong, Tian Xinqing, and Su Yanran had followed them out without anyone noticing.

“Got it.”

The three replied immediately.

Wang Yanzhou opened his terminal and contacted the school.

Tong Zhanyan glanced at Ning Langdong and the others, thought for a moment, then got into the nearby vehicle and headed toward the small building.

Seeing this, the three immediately followed.

As more and more crop seeds were nurtured—even if they hadn’t yet reached maturity—the bare earth in front of the small building had already disappeared, replaced by lush greenery.

Especially the cornfield planted directly in front of the small building, which resembled a lush, primeval forest.

It should have been a scene that soothed the soul.

After getting out of the vehicle, Tong Zhanyan went upstairs to pack a couple of sets of clothes.

Coming back downstairs, Tong Zhanyan looked at Ning Langdong and the others and began to explain the next steps: “After pruning the flowers and leaves, it’s time for pollination. You all know the specific steps… If the pigs don’t work out, contact the farm again… Raise the ducks and geese the same way as the chickens, and don’t put the fish in the lake just yet…”

Having covered everything in one breath, Tong Zhanyan headed for the door.

Ning Langdong hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.

The three of them got into the car and returned to the back gate.

Wang Yanzhou had already ended his call and was talking to a group of people from the base in the open area outside the cafeteria, seemingly selecting some personnel from among them.

Seeing them return, the group turned to look.

Knowing that Tong Zhanyan was heading to the front lines, they were all quite surprised and disapproving—it was far too dangerous.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t bother to explain anything; he simply picked up his backpack, found a spot nearby, and sat down to wait.

Half an hour later, the squad members were selected.

Yang Hong, Tang Shijin, and five others from the second batch of experimental subjects.

They had all come from the front lines; they were accustomed to combat and skilled in it, and the current situation was relatively stable.

Forty minutes later, the group set out.

Outside the gate stood a massive formation composed of all fourth-year students from Sidi Military Academy.

They were all seated in vehicles.

This wasn’t their first time fighting the beasts—some had even experienced the front lines—but this was their first official deployment to the battlefield, and excitement was evident in many of their eyes.

When Tong Zhanyan emerged, backpack slung over his shoulder, the crowd stirred.

Tong Zhanyan boarded the lead vehicle.

Only half the seats were occupied, mostly by instructors.

Inside, Tong Zhanyan spotted Yuan Yuepeng, the homeroom teacher of Class 5.

Tong Zhanyan found a spot and sat down.

The others did the same.

The vehicles quickly pulled away, heading toward the nearest airport.

Tong Zhanyan was holding his backpack, just about to close his eyes and rest, when a bottle of water was handed to him.

It was Yang Hong.

“Thanks,” Tong Zhanyan said as he took it.

Yang Hong smiled but said nothing.

The people who arrived later might not have noticed Qing Jiyue’s feelings, but Yang Hong and the others who had entered first had picked up on them to some extent.

After all, Qing Jiyue was being quite obvious about it, and many of them had been through similar experiences.

However, they had always assumed it was a one-sided thing on Qing Jiyue’s part.

The airport wasn’t far; in less than twenty minutes, they had transferred to another plane.

The planes were private jets—six in total.

In addition to Sidi Military Academy, other schools had also sent representatives, and those people were traveling with them.

Six hours later, at 10:00 p.m., they arrived at the border between the Qing Family and the Gu Family’s respective territories.

The airfield was very close to the front lines, but since it was a distance from the Qing Family’s teleportation device and the Gu Family was present, it was still relatively safe.

However, strange beasts could already be spotted occasionally in the vicinity.

After disembarking, the others immediately boarded the shuttles that had been prepared in advance and headed to their respective positions.

As students with limited combat experience, they were organized into groups of ten to outnumber the enemy, and their assigned area was at the very rear of the battlefield.

Gu Yinfeng was the one who came to pick up Tong Zhanyan. His usual habitual smile was long gone; his face was pale, and his eyes were red-rimmed.

He had been at school when Qing Jiyue’s accident occurred, and he returned immediately afterward.

Upon returning, he had intended to lead a team to assist the Qing Family, but his mother wouldn’t allow it.

The Qing Family and Gu Family were neighbors; at times like this, it was all the more important to maintain stability—only then could they provide more substantial help to the Qing Family.

They had indeed dispatched quite a few people during this period.

This had left the Gu Family somewhat stretched thin, so he had to stay behind to help.

Gu Yinfeng led Tong Zhanyan and his group to one of the Gu Family’s nearby offices, where he arranged a temporary resting place for them.

This was the outer city, very close to the front lines. The streetscape was completely different from the peace and prosperity of the Inner City; everywhere was littered with collapsed, dilapidated buildings, and most of the reconstructed structures were only two or three stories tall.

In many places, one could still see the corpses of beasts that had been killed but not yet cleared away.

Upon entering and setting down his backpack, Tong Zhanyan looked out the window toward the direction of the Qing Family’s residence.

The vicinity was lit only by dim streetlights and filled with frontline personnel hurrying about, yet in the distance, near the Qing Family residence, a blaze of fire could be seen.

There seemed to be a scent of blood in the air.

“Any news?” Tong Zhanyan looked at Gu Yinfeng.

When asked, Gu Yinfeng did not speak immediately; he merely gazed at Qing Jiyue with reddened eyes.

Tong Zhanyan had a bad feeling.

Gu Yinfeng’s lips moved, and after a long moment, he finally spoke, “…Half an hour ago, we found some of his clothes.”

Even if he hadn’t said it, Tong Zhanyan would have found out sooner or later.

He was actually quite surprised that Tong Zhanyan had come.

Tong Zhanyan’s mind went blank for a moment.

They found Qing Jiyue’s clothes—but where was Qing Jiyue himself?

He was about to ask, but the words were on the tip of his tongue when he suddenly realized the implication of Gu Yinfeng’s words.

They only found the clothes; they didn’t find the person.

Qing Jiyue… is dead?

Is Qing Jiyue really dead?

Tong Zhanyan’s lips trembled. He desperately wanted to ask how they could be so sure it was Qing Jiyue’s clothes—with so many people on the front lines, it could easily belong to someone else.

But the words wouldn’t come out.

“It’s been confirmed. It’s his…” Gu Yinfeng wished it weren’t true.

Tong Zhanyan’s lips trembled again, but still no sound came out.

Yang Hong and the others exchanged glances.

They were all somewhat surprised, yet not entirely so.

Going missing on the battlefield meant the outcome was already sealed.

They had clung to a sliver of hope before, but it had been more like a prayer…

The group looked at Tong Zhanyan with concern.

They knew exactly why Tong Zhanyan had come here.

Tong Zhanyan stood frozen in place.

Gu Yinfeng didn’t leave; instead, he sat down in the living room.

Yang Hong and the others glanced at Tong Zhanyan, then each found a place to sit.

After standing for a while longer, Tong Zhanyan sat down by the window.

It was late at night.

After spending most of the day on planes and in cars, Tong Zhanyan felt exhausted, yet he couldn’t sleep.

His mind was filled with scenes of him and Qing Jiyue together at school and the base.

He was actually quite happy that Qing Jiyue hadn’t switched dorms.

Qing Jiyue has a great temperament; even when he piled a mess of stuff on the dorm balcony, he never said a word.

Qing Jiyue was a training fanatic—he was either training or training.

Even though Qing Jiyue was clearly still in his teens, he stuck to a strict schedule for waking up and going to bed, living like an old man.

That night, when Qing Jiyue asked him for help in a hoarse voice, and twenty-odd days later, when Qing Jiyue left and then returned to place that contract in front of him…

When he moved to the base, Qing Jiyue showed up at the base entrance after hearing that the infection rate had dropped…

If only he’d known sooner that Qing Jiyue and Gu Yinfeng weren’t actually engaged, if only he…

Tong Zhanyan was clearly sitting by the window, and the window wasn’t even closed, yet he felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

Just a few days ago, they’d been chatting on the terminal.

Qing Jiyue had said he’d be back when he left.

Qing Jiyue had even said he could pet the little tiger…

He hadn’t even gotten to pet it yet.

After Yang Hong and the others had sat with him for two hours, half of them went to the back room to rest.

Tong Zhanyan really wanted to tell the rest to go to sleep too, but the words died on his lips.

Even if he said it, they wouldn’t listen.

Time trickled by.

The room remained silent, with only the glow from the Qing Family’s house casting a crimson hue across the entire sky.

Just past three in the morning, Tong Zhanyan finally began to feel drowsy. As he was debating whether to get some sleep, a piercing siren suddenly blared from the left.

Everyone in the room startled; the next moment, they all stood up and moved toward the window.

Outside, the streets—which had grown quiet as the night deepened—suddenly became bustling, with everyone running toward the front lines.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t initially know what the siren meant, but seeing everyone’s reaction, he quickly guessed: the defensive line was under attack.

Yang Hong and the others knew exactly what was happening.

As they prepared to discuss the situation, the same siren sounded again from a spot slightly to the right.

Then from further right, and then even further right.

Five or six in a row, until the sounds faded into the distance, until they could no longer be heard.

Yang Hong and his group’s faces darkened instantly.

Those sirens signaled an attack—one siren per outpost.

With five or six outposts hit at once, the area covered was as wide as five or six li. That wasn’t something a mere few hundred beasts could accomplish.

The Qing Family’s stronghold had been breached earlier precisely because too many beasts had arrived at once.

Are they preparing to do it again?

If the Gu Family’s stronghold falls as well…

They don’t have Qing Jiyue with them now.

“You guys…” Gu Yinfeng looked at Yang Hong and the others.

Yang Hong and the others exchanged glances. Yang Hong made the decision, “Let’s head to the rear.”

As he spoke, Yang Hong glanced at Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan cast a lingering look at the Qing Family’s location, then silently slung his backpack over his shoulder.

The group hurried downstairs.

Meanwhile, faint beast roars could already be heard from the front lines to the right.

The two sides were quite far apart, but the night was too quiet.

Once downstairs, Gu Yinfeng quickly headed toward the front lines.

Tong Zhanyan was also led in the opposite direction.

Yang Hong hesitated for a moment. He was, after all, a soldier of the Gu Family, even though he had been reassigned to the rear.

His situation was now stable, and the Gu Family was in desperate need of manpower…

But he still followed Tong Zhanyan.

His mission was to protect Tong Zhanyan.

If it weren’t for Tong Zhanyan’s insistence on coming, he wouldn’t be here now.

After running a short distance, Yang Hong asked a nearby member of the Gu Family for a vehicle, and the group all got in.

The car sped off toward the rear.

This area could turn into a battlefield at any moment; it was virtually uninhabited, so they didn’t have to worry about pedestrians.

The only problem was the poor road conditions; the car was bouncing violently.

After more than ten minutes, they had completely left the previous area behind and entered a populated zone.

Meanwhile, the area where they had been was already engulfed in flames.

Here, there were no sirens or sounds of fighting; most residents were still fast asleep, and only one breakfast shop by the roadside was half-open and bustling with activity.

It was nearly four o’clock.

“What’s going on this year?” Tang Shijin couldn’t help but complain.

The Beast Tide was clearly still over a month away.

And even if it were the Beast Tide, it hadn’t been this extreme in previous years.

No one answered her question; the group simply stared anxiously toward the front lines.

The Qing Family’s sector hadn’t even fully stabilized yet; if the Gu Family’s sector were to fall now as well…

The Gu and Qing Families together make up a full half of the defensive line.

Even if the conversion device wasn’t attacked, the beasts about to break through would be enough to wipe out most of the outer city.

And don’t even think the Inner City would remain safe.

“It should be fine…” someone tried to reassure them, but the moment he finished speaking, sirens blared from behind them.

That was the signal that the defense line had been breached.

The battlefield is shifting inward; nearby bystanders must evacuate immediately.

The owner of the breakfast shop on the street, still in his apron and muttering curses, emerged to assess the situation.

Many nearby residents were also awakened by the commotion; they opened their windows one after another to peer out.

“Should we move a bit further?” someone suggested.

If the defensive line was truly breached, this area would soon become a battlefield as well,

Yang Hong stared anxiously at the front lines for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “Let’s go.”

The group got back into the car.

The car sped off toward the rear.

Almost the moment they left, several massive figures came running from behind.

It was a pack of six or seven dog-like creatures. They were enormous, their bodies covered in black, rotting patches resembling leopard spots.

They moved extremely fast, even faster than the car.

They were running from the front lines.

After running a short distance, one of the beasts noticed the people on the nearby street and slowly came to a halt.

The next moment, it pounced.

Screams pierced the darkness, and the darkness stirred instantly.

Those who summoned their beasts into a fusion state—survivors in such a remote place—were certainly not entirely unskilled in combat.

However, the beasts were incredibly fast, and the people stood no chance against them. Amid the roars and screams, agonized cries soon followed.

Even if they were more skilled in combat than others, these people were still not combatants, and among them were many elderly and children.

“You go ahead—I’ll head to the back myself—” Tong Zhanyan hadn’t even finished speaking when the speeding vehicle suddenly swerved sharply to the left.

The speed was too high and the momentum too great; everyone in the car was flung against the right side.

Tong Zhanyan, seated near the door, hit his head on the doorframe, his mind going blank for a moment.

Chaos erupted inside the vehicle.

When Tong Zhanyan snapped back to his senses after that brief moment of blankness, everyone in the car was staring toward the rear of the vehicle.

There, a creature—smaller in size than the previous monsters and resembling a rat in appearance—was closing in.

“It’s coming.”

“Get out of the way—”

The car swerved left again.

But there was no road ahead—only an illegally constructed wall.

The car had already turned; it was too late to brake, so the driver simply slammed the accelerator to the floor.

“Watch out.” Yang Hong pressed Tong Zhanyan down to the floor.

At the same moment, the sound of the wall collapsing and the windshield shattering echoed through the car.

Accompanying it was a shrill, rat-like, beastly roar.

After crashing through the wall, the driver immediately tried to accelerate again, but the car slowly slowed down.

The impact had wrecked the car.

“Get out.” Yang Hong acted without hesitation.

No one objected.

The moment the car pulled over to the side of the road, the group opened their doors and rushed out.

As they got out, the rat chasing them had already reached the rear of the vehicle.

Yang Hong and Tang Shijin underwent beastification almost simultaneously, followed by a cloud of dust and flying debris.

Before Tong Zhanyan could even get a clear look at the situation, he was dragged toward the end of the street.

Both the Spirit Beast and their fused forms were massive; the flying debris hitting their bodies felt like bullets, making it dangerous to stay nearby.

Upon reaching the end, just as the person at the front was about to peer ahead, a figure burst into their field of vision.

A spotted hound had been drawn by the commotion of the earlier collision.

“Go.” The man at the front underwent beastification without hesitation; he had already summoned his Spirit Beast.

Tong Zhanyan followed the others as they ran toward the opposite side of the street.

They had barely taken a step when darkness descended from above.

Some colossal creature plummeted from the sky, causing nearby buildings to shake and collapse.

“Get out of the way—” Amid the chaos, someone—he didn’t know who—shoved Tong Zhanyan aside.

Tong Zhanyan quickly retreated backward, only to slam violently into a wall.

A boulder nearly the size of a car landed where he had been standing, causing the ground to tremble.

Across from the rock, the people who had pushed him were now in combat mode.

What had fallen from the sky was a spotted hound.

Tong Zhanyan turned and ran toward the alley behind him, determined to find a safe place to hide first.

He ran all the way to the end of the alley in one breath. Just as he was about to step out, he caught a glimpse of a massive figure out of the corner of his eye.

It was only then that he realized the number of creatures that had breached the defenses was far greater than just those few spotted hounds; in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen figures had appeared nearby.

The beast had a person clamped in its jaws; the victim wasn’t dead yet and was screaming in terror.

Immediately afterward came the sound of chewing.

The air was thick with a mixture of the smell of blood and rotting flesh.

Tong Zhanyan, whose heart was racing to its limit due to the sudden attack, nearly threw up on the spot.

He forced himself to stay calm and quickly retreated back into the alley.

Unable to go forward or backward, Tong Zhanyan looked up.

Two buildings stood before him—one three stories tall, the other two—neither particularly high.

He took a couple of quick steps, pushed off the wall with both feet, grabbed the open windowsill of one of the second-floor windows, and climbed inside.

The house was unoccupied and had been vacant for a long time.

Tong Zhanyan quickly ran toward the stairwell.

The fight involving Yang Hong and the others on the street was still going on; the small building was occasionally jolted, causing it to shake violently.

Tong Zhanyan braced himself against the wall and quickly made his way down to the first floor, then climbed out through a side window.

Across from the small building stood another small building.

Tong Zhanyan repeated the same maneuver.

Having scaled two small buildings in one go, Tong Zhanyan was about to continue when he heard heavy breathing coming from the window to his right.

The beast that had devoured a person earlier seemed to have spotted him; it had approached unnoticed and was now crouching down, preparing to peer inside through the window.

Tong Zhanyan, who was in the living room, quickly crouched down and hid behind the side of the sofa.

The battle behind him continued. It was silent by the window, but the shadow remained.

After an unknown amount of time, with Tong Zhanyan’s forehead covered in cold sweat, nothing had changed.

Tong Zhanyan glanced down the hallway toward the rooms across from the sofa; he figured he might be able to see from the windows of those other rooms whether the beast was still there…

But if he moved now, he’d be spotted immediately.

Tong Zhanyan summoned his chicken from the hallway.

It landed and looked at him.

Tong Zhanyan watched silently as it approached.

Unlike before at school or the base, when it had deliberately defied him, the chicken turned and headed toward the doorway of another room.

It poked its head out, then immediately pulled it back.

Then it looked at Tong Zhanyan.

It was still there.

Tong Zhanyan held his breath and continued to wait.

After what felt like an eternity—his legs had gone numb from crouching—the shadow finally retreated.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t move immediately; instead, he looked back at his chicken.

The chicken was already staring at the window.

After a long moment, the chicken slowly turned its head back to look at Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan immediately headed toward the doorway, searching for another exit.

Tong Zhanyan chose the exit leading to the street where Yang Hong and the others were. Although there were strange beasts there as well, they were all being held off by Yang Hong and his group.

Stepping outside, Tong Zhanyan glanced from a distance at Yang Hong’s group, then turned to look at the monster he’d spotted just behind him.

Just as he was about to run across the street, a child’s shriek rang out from the house next door.

The monster hadn’t found him, but it had found someone else.

A beastly roar followed.

Accompanying it were the sounds of shattering glass and crumbling walls.

Tong Zhanyan’s facial muscles twitched.

The monster’s attention had been diverted; if he was going to run, this was his chance.

In the next instant, Tong Zhanyan picked up a piece of broken concrete from the ground and headed toward the alleyway beside the house.

The beast was massive; from the alley between the houses, only part of its belly was visible,

The children’s screams continued; the beast seemed to have stuck its head inside the house.

Tong Zhanyan threw the stone in his hand with all his might.

The stone struck the beast squarely in the belly.

The beast turned its head to look.

Tong Zhanyan seized the opportunity and hurled another stone.

His aim was too good—too good, in fact—and the stone struck the beast squarely between the eyes.

The beast’s already icy gaze instantly filled with rage.

In the next instant, it ignored the child in the neighboring house, leaping from the roof to pounce on Tong Zhanyan.

The instant it moved, Tong Zhanyan spun around and ran.

He dashed into the alley across the street and sprinted down it, running at full speed with every ounce of strength he had.

He didn’t look back, for the roar was clear and growing ever closer.

Emerging from the alley once more, Tong Zhanyan made a sharp right turn, hoping to gain some distance.

Ahead lay a collapsed building; the ruins were engulfed in flames—a battlefield just moments ago.

Pools of blood were still visible on the ground.

Tong Zhanyan had no time to spare; he sprinted forward.

“Huuu—” The distinctive breathing of a beast sounded right above Tong Zhanyan’s head; he could even smell the foul stench in its breath.

Tong Zhanyan sped up again.

He was already running fast—faster than ever before, so fast that his throat and legs ached.

As he accelerated once more, he felt as though his heart was about to burst.

The beast opened its jaws to strike.

Just as the beast’s jaws were about to reach his head, Tong Zhanyan used his momentum to duck and dash toward the nearby corner.

At the same moment, something flew over his head and struck the beast’s skull.

The beast immediately let out a pained howl.

The moment he darted into the alley, Tong Zhanyan caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye.

His chicken was circling in the air, and the monster’s left eye was a bloody mess.

Tong Zhanyan’s facial muscles twitched. It could fly and didn’t even tell him?

Before Tong Zhanyan could finish that thought, the chicken seized its chance and lunged at the beast’s other eye.

Still seething with rage from the pain, the beast didn’t retreat but instead charged forward, violently snapping its head and flinging the chicken into the fiery ruins ahead.

Tong Zhanyan felt as if a knife had been plunged into his brain—one covered in barbed thorns, no less.

Spirit Beasts are a part of their master’s soul; when a Spirit Beast is injured, it feels to the master as if their soul were being torn apart.

Tong Zhanyan immediately wanted to recall his Spirit Beast, but the pain in his head was simply too intense; for a moment, he was unable to do so.

His rapid stride came to an abrupt halt, and his body slammed violently against the wall on one side.

Having succeeded in its attack, the beast charged forward and began clawing and trampling the ruins.

After killing the chicken, the beast turned its gaze toward Tong Zhanyan in the alleyway.

Tong Zhanyan gritted his teeth against the pain, bracing himself against the wall as he tried to press forward.

The beast closed in.

The pain was so intense that, for a split second, Tong Zhanyan felt as though he were engulfed in a sea of fire.

He truly was in a sea of fire.

The world beneath his feet and before his eyes had burst into raging flames at some unknown moment.

The flames were a faint blue, their heat so intense that even the bricks and stones of the surrounding buildings were burning.

Amidst the sea of fire, the fur of the beast chasing Tong Zhanyan quickly turned black and then turned to ash.

Along with it, the beast’s blood, flesh, bones, internal organs, and screams all turned to ash.

Amidst the pain so intense it blurred Tong Zhanyan’s consciousness, a creature with stunning, bright red feathers descended from the sky with a crisp chirp, landing on Tong Zhanyan’s shoulder.

Tong Zhanyan was already dazed; its sudden landing caused his body to lurch uncontrollably toward the wall once more.

Tong Zhanyan looked up.

What a beautiful chicken.

As if reading Tong Zhanyan’s thoughts, the chicken’s face contorted into a human-like expression of utter exasperation.

It gave Tong Zhanyan’s head a vicious peck.

Tong Zhanyan was the chicken.

Tong Zhanyan’s whole family was chickens.

“Ouch…” The pain on his forehead overpowered the pain in his head, and Tong Zhanyan managed to regain a bit of clarity.

If he could control fire, it would be very useful for weeding and burning straw.

The next moment, another thought surfaced from the depths of his mind.

Too bad Qing Jiyue couldn’t see it.

A wave of bitterness washed over him.

It was as if only now did it dawn on him that he would never see Qing Jiyue again.

Qing Jiyue was dead.

There wasn’t even a body left.

Tong Zhanyan felt all his strength drain away; he slid down the wall and sank to the ground.

The flames gradually faded.

The rooster was just about to leap off Tong Zhanyan’s shoulder when its movement suddenly halted. Immediately afterward, it looked warily toward the far left end of the alley.

Tong Zhanyan followed its gaze.

Over there, in the darkness, another colossal creature was slowly approaching.

The creature had a pair of eyes glowing red, filled with rage, giving off an overwhelmingly oppressive aura.

Under its gaze, Tong Zhanyan felt the hairs on his body stand on end instantly, and his entire body felt as though it had been plunged into an ice cellar.

The creature took a step forward, growling lowly as it closed in on Tong Zhanyan.

At the same moment, its face, previously hidden in the darkness, was exposed to the glow of the flames.

Snow-white fur, a faint “王” character on its forehead, a rather round head, and a belly that looked solid as a rock…

As if some unpleasant memory had been stirred, the colossal creature’s ears snapped back sharply.

The next instant, it instinctively turned and fled.

A deafening roar echoed in Tong Zhanyan’s mind.

Ignoring the pain in his head and the exhaustion in his body, he scrambled to his feet and ran out of the alley in pursuit. “Stop!”

The big-headed creature instantly broke into an even faster sprint.