“What should I do? What *can* I do?”
Huang Xiu, too, desperately sought the answer to that question.
Watching the monsters swarm forward like a dense, teeming ant colony, a violent shiver ran through her.
Her entire body erupted in goosebumps.
Damn it, her trypophobia was acting up!
“We have to stop them!” Huang Xiu took a deep, steadying breath.
If they allowed the monster tide to break their formation, she might very well end up unlocking a ‘defeat CG’ (TL Note: A term from video games, referring to a ‘Computer Graphic’ scene that plays upon losing, often implying an embarrassing or undesirable outcome.).
At the thought, a wave of revulsion washed over the young woman, and she immediately focused, unleashing the full power of her ability, [Forest Lord]!
“Charge!” The command, issued by the supreme Creator, echoed through the vast plant army.
The next moment, accompanied by a cacophony of thumping and bounding, like a frantic drumbeat, a bizarre array of mutated plants—mutated weeds, mutated foxtail grass, mutated thorns—burst forth from the treeline.
Leaping and bounding, they deftly avoided the garrison’s line of fire under Huang Xiu’s precise control.
They charged into the monster horde as if embracing death itself.
Immediately, the two sides erupted into a chaotic melee.
Leveraging her incredibly powerful ability, Huang Xiu, against all odds, single-handedly managed to hold back the beast tide for a time.
However, the individual strength of the mutated plants was far inferior to that of the monsters; only by sheer numerical superiority could they barely hold the line.
“Free fire!” the Captain of the garrison shouted, his voice so forceful that even the continuous roar of gunfire couldn’t drown it out.
Boom, boom, boom!
Four metallic serpents, woven from bullets, mercilessly mowed down the surging monsters like a harvester cutting grain.
These monsters were mostly comprised of students—the ape-like creatures—with a scattering of various animal-form teachers.
As for monsters of the school leadership tier, not a single one was visible.
The physical strength of these teacher and student-tier monsters was far weaker than that of the tiger-like monster, presumably the principal.
The large-caliber rounds from the specialized garrison firearms tore away chunks of flesh with each hit.
The lethality was absolute.
In short order, a large number of monsters had fallen before them.
Yet, even this failed to halt the monster tide’s advance.
For those monsters that had fallen, shakily rose to their feet once more after a brief moment.
Under the glow of the orange streetlights on either side, flesh buds furiously wriggled from their wounds.
Brass bullets were slowly extruded from the healing wounds, dropping to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, their gunshot wounds were largely healed.
Such was the unreasonable nature of Void Energy.
Unless their heads were obliterated or their Void Energy completely depleted, bullets not imbued with Void Energy could not truly kill them.
Just then, a white blur suddenly shot out from Huang Xiu’s side, deftly avoiding the garrison’s line of fire and plunging into the monster swarm, initiating a brutal and desperate close-quarters battle.
After observing for a while, Yun Ning had made his move.
His ability seemed related to physical augmentation; his fists and feet, glowing with a faint white light, could dispatch a monster in just a few blows.
But even so, facing a tidal wave of monsters, it was a mere drop in the ocean, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!
The six of them stood like reefs in a raging sea, valiantly enduring the relentless assault of the monster horde.
In no time at all, the garrison had expended three magazines.
“Damn it, there are at least a hundred Void Realm creatures here,” cold sweat streamed down Huang Xiu’s forehead.
Stationed at the rear, she possessed the broadest tactical overview.
Thus, she could see more monsters continuously joining the rear of the monster tide.
At the very back, even monsters resembling the school leadership tier, exuding an extraordinary aura, had appeared.
“Damn it, it seems this tiger is dead set on keeping us here.”
The young woman pushed her internal Void Energy to its limits, constantly sending mutated plants forward to shore up the defensive line.
It simply wasn’t enough!
The continuous blood loss had already blanched her lips.
“Prepare to retreat!” the Captain roared, pulling out a grenade and hurling it into the monster swarm.
Ammunition and other supplies were running low.
If they continued to fight, let alone rescuing the students, all six of them would be annihilated.
Bang!
The grenade exploded, its massive shockwave knocking several nearby monsters off their feet, while the flying shrapnel tore several gaping holes in their bodies.
Such injuries were by no means fatal to the monsters.
But then, a yellowish-white flame rapidly ignited on those monsters, turning them into living fireballs.
These were specialized grenades, infused with white phosphorus, designed specifically to target flesh-and-blood Void Realm creatures.
Number Two, standing amidst the chaos, caught the Captain’s voice and immediately yelled towards Yun Ning, “Prepare to retreat!”
Yun Ning’s ears twitched slightly, discerning Number Two’s voice amidst the explosions.
He disengaged without hesitation, returning to the group.
“There are too many monsters,” the Captain explained coolly, firing his weapon as he spoke. “We can’t guarantee the students’ safe evacuation, and if we drag this out any longer, we’ll all be lost here.”
As the battle intensified, his words grew more frequent.
“Understood!”
Yun Ning nodded.
For now, the students were far safer remaining in the dorms than attempting to evacuate with them.
It had only just turned night, and there was still a long time until daybreak; until then, the students would temporarily be safe.
“Hurry, I can’t hold on much longer!” Huang Xiu waved her hand, sending the last batch of mutated plants charging forward.
Capitalizing on these plants’ momentary blockade of the monsters, the six immediately retreated along the path they had come.
As Huang Xiu and Yun Ning had previously surmised, the monsters did not pour into the student dormitories but instead relentlessly pursued their group of ‘bad students’ who defied the curfew.
The six ran ahead, an endless tide of monsters hot on their heels.
Along the way, the garrison retreated while firing covering shots and occasionally lobbing specialized grenades.
Only by doing so could they barely manage to suppress the monsters’ pursuit.
Running and running…
Her legs grew heavier and heavier, as if filled with lead. Her breathing, meanwhile, became increasingly ragged, like a broken bellows.
“Gasp… gasp…” The young woman’s vision swam with black spots, and her lungs burned with an agonizing fire.
She was nearing her breaking point; excessive blood loss and the exhaustive use of Void Energy had utterly drained her stamina.
The hundred-meter stretch from the dormitory to the school gate felt like an insurmountable chasm to her.
“Almost there, almost there!”
Huang Xiu tried to encourage herself, yet a voice within her kept whispering, ‘Give up, just give up.’
‘So tired, why not just stop and rest?’
“No, I can’t!” She gasped, her head tilted back, veins bulging on her fair, tender neck, and the jade pendant bounced against her chest with each heave of her body.
Clutching the jade pendant as if it were a lifeline, an inexplicable surge of strength coursed through her.
Her pace inexplicably quickened.
The streetlights lining the forest path were dim, and even the bright moon overhead was obscured by the tree canopy.
Amidst the gunfire and explosions, a cacophony of frantic footsteps mingled.
Huang Xiu’s right foot landed, her toes touching the ground first, followed by her heel rapidly settling.
She was about to step out with her left foot, to clear this step.
But at that moment, an accident occurred.
The moment her heel struck the ground, a wave of weakness washed over her right leg. Her foot gave way, and her raised left foot tripped on the step, causing her to lose balance and tumble towards the side of the road.
“Is this it…?” Huang Xiu murmured.
She couldn’t hold on any longer; even without this unexpected stumble, she knew she wouldn’t have made it beyond the Void Realm.
The young woman was well aware.
This was her body’s retribution for her unrestrained use of her ability.
“Don’t give up!” A male voice suddenly echoed from behind her.
The next second, a hand, stained with blood, shot out and firmly gripped the young woman’s arm.
Yun Ning pulled Huang Xiu back to her feet in one swift motion.
He understood perfectly that Junior Student Huang, pushing her ability so desperately without any Void Arts to physically strengthen herself, would inevitably collapse.
Hence, he had been carefully monitoring Huang Xiu’s condition.
He had been waiting for the opportune moment to intervene, one that wouldn’t wound Huang Xiu’s male pride.