However, this time, they wouldn’t be granted much rest.
The light barrier flickered erratically, alternating between brightness and dimness, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
Outside, the grotesque silhouettes of the Source Realm creatures were clearly visible.
This time, they didn’t retreat. Instead, they pressed closer, their claws scraping against the barrier with a grating sound, their massive bodies slamming into it and sending tremors through the ground.
The three terrifying ninth-tier entities loomed directly over the barrier.
The Burning Colossus slammed its fist into the barrier, causing the already dim light to warp inward, nearly shattering on impact.
The Shadowstalker Panther prowled along the edges like a phantom, biding its time without striking.
The Corrosive Swamp pressed itself against the barrier, the point of contact emitting a sizzling hiss as the light rapidly thinned.
Inside the barrier, silence reigned.
The faint glimmer of hope they had felt moments ago was swallowed by overwhelming despair.
They were like a lone boat caught in a storm, surrounded by raging waves, the vessel teetering on the brink of capsizing.
Sun Cheng stared fixedly at the energy indicator on the control panel, watching it plummet. His heart sank with it.
Two minutes at most—no, they might not even last that long.
There was a saying: "Defeat not by lack of skill, but by circumstance."
This time, his command had been nothing short of disastrous.
After all, all his strategies had been built on the assumption that both sides were evenly matched.
The only sounds were ragged breathing and the relentless impacts and scrapes of the Source Realm creatures outside—a quiet cacophony more suffocating than any roar.
Sun Cheng’s gaze shifted to the Black Knight, still standing unyielding despite being wounded and suppressed by three powerful foes, its indomitable aura undiminished.
Then, he looked at the examinees huddled in the corners, trembling with fear.
And at his exhausted teammates beside him.
A reckless idea took shape in his mind.
He took heavy steps toward Liu Yuan and Yun Huang.
The Black Knight was Liu Yuan’s trump card, while Yun Huang, despite her youth, carried herself with an unshakable calm.
"The barrier won’t hold much longer," Sun Cheng said quietly. "Once it falls, staying here means certain death."
He paused before continuing, "Twelve kilometers south is Shelter Seven. It’s larger and farther from the epicenter of this outbreak. Their comms might still be functional."
Yun Huang’s eyes sharpened, while Liu Yuan glanced uneasily between the Black Knight and Sun Cheng.
Sun Cheng met Liu Yuan’s gaze firmly. "My plan is this: I, along with any volunteers, will draw their attention. We’ll do everything we can to lure as many of them as possible in the opposite direction."
"Your Black Knight is our strongest vanguard. You had a way to break through the ash when you arrived."
"I’ll feign a breakout to the west. The moment I move, you take the examinees and any able-bodied teammates and sprint for Shelter Seven. No hesitation. No looking back."
A nearby teammate who could still stand gasped, "Brother Sun—"
Sun Cheng’s lips twitched. "Staying here means we all die. This way… at least some of you have a chance."
He turned back to Liu Yuan. "Without those three monsters in pursuit, protecting a small group for a breakout should be possible. Can it be done?"
Liu Yuan’s throat tightened. The Black Knight was powerful, but carving a path through the horde while escorting nearly defenseless examinees—and covering twelve kilometers—
Yun Huang spoke then, her voice cool but resolute. "If you can divert the main force, the Black Knight can clear the way. But—"
Sun Cheng finished for her, "But this is the only way. The only hope these kids have."
"I’ll signal you. The moment the barrier fails, I move. You must seize that chance."
Without another word, he turned to the remaining defenders, their eyes filled with grim resolve, and issued his final, heaviest command as the shelter’s leader.
"Those willing to cover our retreat—step forward!"
No stirring speeches. No grand gestures. Just a simple order.
In the silence, nearly ninety percent of them took that step forward.
Sun Cheng himself was only eighth-tier.
Most of these men and women were sixth or seventh-tier.
This wasn’t a gamble with slim odds—it was a death sentence.
Sun Cheng cursed. "Are you all idiots? Those who can still fight properly, fall back! Not all of us need to die here. Half is enough."
The group exchanged glances.
Another half stepped forward, merging into the ranks behind Sun Cheng.
Many were wounded, but not a single one hesitated.
Watching this, Liu Yuan felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around her heart.
Su Qi’s words echoed in her mind: "We are human."
"If you can’t save them, run. No guilt."
Then…
Why weren’t they running?
"BOOM—!"
At that moment, the energy barrier let out a final, mournful shriek—and shattered.
Countless motes of light scattered, marking the shelter’s last defense gone.
Deafening roars flooded in, carried on a wave of fetid air.
"West! With me!" Sun Cheng bellowed, his broken sword flaring with its last light as he charged toward the densest part of the horde.
The twenty-some volunteers followed without hesitation, their resolve unshaken.
"Now! East! Break through!"
The Black Knight moved.
Its greatsword swept horizontally, spraying dark green and black blood as it bisected several low-tier creatures blocking the path.
It didn’t linger, instead carving a bloody path through the tide.
"Stay close! Don’t fall behind!" Yun Huang’s voice was icy.
A slender blade had appeared in her hand, its edge gleaming as she cut down a creature trying to flank the Black Knight and ambush the examinees.
Screaming, sobbing, the examinees stumbled after the Black Knight, shepherded by the remaining officials toward their only hope of survival.
Behind them, the sounds of detonations followed one after another.
Liu Yuan pressed her lips together, her heart pounding violently.
Before today, they had been strangers.
Yet for the sake of duty, they had chosen to march to their deaths without hesitation.
Perhaps…
The future of Daxia had never lain solely with the children growing safely in the rear.
But in the countless candles they lit in the darkest corners.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
