Chapter 8: Chaos (9)
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The heavy snow had been falling for a whole day and night, with no signs of stopping.
Right now, Sky Sword City was buried under a thick blanket of snow, and from above, it looked like a vast, pure wonderland.
Even if bl**d spilled on the surface, it was quickly covered by new snowflakes, and in no time, everything was back to normal.
In the carefree flurry of snowflakes, Lin Nan felt like she was in her element. The exhilarating freedom of movement was something you could never experience in any other combat scenario.
No matter how those thick, muscular tentacles attacked from various angles, Lin Nan always managed to dodge the chaotic bombardment from Li Hanbo in some absurdly unconventional way.
Once Li Hanbo focused all his attention on the sky above the castle, the crisis in the castle’s cellar was naturally resolved.
The people who survived expressed their gratitude to the Extermination of Immortals crew.
However, they had no intention of resting. Following the latest instructions from their Lord, they had to search every building in Sky Sword City and chop down every Fallen Species they found. Not one could be spared!
It was quite a daunting task.
As a result, once the Extermination of Immortals crew received the order, they immediately raced off in all directions.
Xi patted the head of the puffy-skirted girl, Ji, gently, saying, “Xiao Ji, you stay here to protect these survivors. Although our Lord is locked in a tussle with the puppet master behind it all, there’s no guarantee that any leftover Fallen Species won’t invade this place. Your job isn’t easy either.”
Ji nodded vigorously, though her vacant eyes expressed a hint of determination.
Xiao Ai thought Ji would leave, but seeing her stay behind, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Xi waved at Xiao Ai, “Baldy, you better protect Xiao Ji, okay?”
Xiao Ai, “…”
Before she could retort, Xi spun on her heel and vanished from sight.
Looking around the now empty castle, it was just lonely puffy-skirted Ji left alone, and two Fallen Species, with heads like mouthpieces, emerged at the end of the distant hallway.
Ji leaped forward, ready to cast a control spell on one of them.
But at that very moment, disaster struck.
A thick tentacle burst through the wall, smashing squarely into Ji.
This hit caused a half-cast spell to reverse on Ji, and she spat out a mouthful of bl**d, the pain forcing a yelp from her.
“Hahaha, such a cute little girl; she must taste just like candy!”
“Let’s s*ck her dry!”
The two Fallen Species flapped their wings and lunged at the kneeling girl clutching her chest.
In the nick of time, Xiao Ai suddenly jumped out from the side, her brick smashing right onto one Fallen Species’s head.
The mouthpiece, their lifeline, was especially sensitive at the connection point, and Xiao Ai’s blow struck right at the bottom, causing it to yelp in pain and fly off course, crashing into the other Fallen Species.
Seizing the moment, Xiao Ai quickly scooped up the light little Ji and dashed toward the cellar.
A few folks hiding at the entrance yelled, “What the hell are you doing? Can’t you see there are so many people here? Why bring trouble our way?”
“Get out, quick! Hey, are you listening?”
Xiao Ai’s face turned beet red with anger, “Do you have any conscience at all?
She’s been shielding us from attacks for so long without asking for anything in return, and now you guys are ready to throw her under the bus?
You’d do better as Fallen Species; at least they can justify selling out their comrades!”
“No, bro, we didn’t mean that…”
“Right, there are so many people in the cellar! We’re just thinking of everyone!”
The few attempted to explain.
Xiao Ai glanced at Ji, whose head hung limply on her shoulder after that sudden tentacle strike—it had hurt her pretty badly.
But with the hat-wearing Demon gentleman and the other teammates absent, what to do, what to do?
Watching the two shaky Fallen Species at the corridor’s peak notice them, buzzing like two giant flies, they immediately swooped in.
At this, the players guarding the cellar’s entrance squealed, “Oh my God!” and tried to flee into the cellar, leaving Xiao Ai and Ji outside.
Fuming with rage, Xiao Ai gritted her teeth, secured Ji on her back, and made a sudden dash into the cellar while the others were distracted.
Panic erupted as people shouted, “What are you doing?!”
“Can’t you see those two Fallen Species are coming for you? You run inside while they’re chasing you? You want to d*e? Stay away, don’t drag us down with you!”
“Get lost! Hurry! Don’t force us to act!”
“Dammit! After all this time hiding, you little brat are trying to get us killed!”
Accusations erupted in the cellar, and a few hotheaded young men stood up, ready to toss Xiao Ai and Ji out.
Xiao Ai kicked one guy away with a loud “thud” and roared, “You lousy cowards hiding in the cellar!
No wonder you haven’t turned into Fallen Species; even they look down on you ungrateful jerks!
Look at you lot with arms and legs, and you expect a little girl to guard the cellar for you.
Now that she’s hurt, all you’re thinking about is using her as bait for the Fallen Species so you can save your own skin!
What’s the difference between you and those Fallen Species that feast on their own kind?
No, you’re worse! You’re a bunch of old players with weapons, and you’re scared of just two Fallen Species. Embarrassing! I’m ashamed for you!
Even if you survive this time, in a world full of danger, you won’t last long, because you’ve lost the courage to fight for your fate!
Come on then, toss us out if you’re so tough!”
Xiao Ai’s barrage of words hit each person like a hammer, resonating deep.
They were so scared to live that they even considered betraying Xiao Ai and Ji—were they still human?
A few fiery players finally picked up their weapons and stormed out of the cellar.
“Xiao Ai’s right! If we keep being scared, we’ll end up dead for sure.
Stop relying on others; our weapons are our strongest backing!”
Xiao Ai felt the warmth in her eyes, almost bursting into tears.
They were humans, proud and unyielding players. If they were just meant to survive, what difference did they have from the moldy moss hiding in corners?
The daring players rushed out, mixing it up with the two Fallen Species. Even though people kept getting hurt, their eyes reflected more than just fear—they glimmered with hope and a dream for the future.
