"What’s going on? Why is there no one around?" Mu Xuetong muttered as she got to her feet, scanning the eerily empty street. A chill ran down her spine, but she quickly steadied herself.
Without wasting another moment, she headed back into the supermarket. Inside, Ye Lan was still fuming, her fists tightly clenched.
"Xiao Lan" she said.
Ye Lan turned, slightly startled. "Huh? What is it?"
"It’s not just nothing. Something serious might be happening" Mu Xuetong said gravely.
She quickly expined what she’d seen outside. Concerned, the group followed her out of the supermarket. As they stepped onto the street, the unnerving silence surrounded them. Just as Mu Xuetong had said, not a single soul was in sight. However, scattered across the ground were fresh footprints, suggesting that people had recently passed through.
Du Heng knelt down to examine the ground, dramatically brushing his fingers lightly against the dust. After a few moments of observation, he pointed in a specific direction.
"Based on the tracks, it looks like most people went that way"
Ye Lan immediately tensed, ready to run in the direction Du Heng indicated. However, before she could move, Mu Xuetong grabbed her arm to stop her.
"What are you doing?" Ye Lan asked, startled.
"Xiao Lan, don’t rush into this" Mu Xuetong said firmly, her expression serious. "We should check the map first and pn our next steps"
As Suo Gang spoke, he unfolded the map and began examining it carefully.
"According to this, a few kilometers in that direction lies City Z’s territory. There are some highways connecting the area, but nothing else significant stands out"
After a brief iesitation, he folded the map and tucked it back into his pocket. "It looks like we don’t have much choice but to check it out"
The group exchanged gnces, their expressions a mix of curiosity and apprehension. Without further dey, they picked up their pace, heading toward the marked direction.
Covering the distance of a few kilometers took only a few minutes. As they approached the point where City Z connected with City S, they found the previously missing crowd gathered there.
The air was thick with tension. The crowd's attention was fixed on the highway above, where two groups of people were locked in a heated argument. The tension was palpable, as if a fight could break out at any moment.
Ye Lan stood on her tiptoes, trying to get a better view of what was happening, but the people ahead blocked her line of sight. Frustrated, she pouted and prepared to leap closer for a better vantage point.
"I’m going to see what’s going on"
Before she could finish her sentence, a piece of bck fabric nded squarely on her head, covering her entirely.
"What’s this?" she asked, blinking in confusion as she pulled the cloth off her head and inspected it.
Suo Gang and the others exchanged resigned looks.
"You’re part of the beastkin race. It’s better to stay cautious and avoid drawing unnecessary attention" Suo Gang expined.
Ye Lan paused, then nodded reluctantly. "Hmm, you’re right" she agreed, draping the fabric over herself as a precaution.
Ye Lan quickly covered her ears with the bck fabric and, with a powerful push, leaped into the air.
Bang!
The tremendous force of her jump cracked the ground, leaving deep marks as she shot upward toward the elevated highway.
The crowd below stared in shock, their eyes widening as Ye Lan soared through the air. Disbelieving, several tried to use their detection abilities to assess her level.
[???]
But all they saw were question marks, leaving them frozen in pce.
"Another heavyweight! Better not mess with them" someone muttered, a nervous edge in their voice.
Meanwhile, Ye Lan, still midair, slightly miscalcuted her nding and came down with a loud boom! The impact left a massive crater in the highway pavement.
Groaning, she rubbed her head and cmbered out of the hole.
[HP -1]
"Ow, that hurts! I forgot my stats aren’t the same as when I was level 1. This jump was way over the top..." Ye Lan muttered, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
As she turned her head to take in her surroundings, her entire body tensed.
On one side stood Yan Xi, the burly 'otaku' she recognized from the 'battle royale' event. Opposite him was a group of soldiers in military uniforms. But something about these soldiers seemed... off.
"Run… run… or it’ll be too te…" the soldiers murmured, their trembling hands covering their eyes as their breaths grew shallower.
On the opposite side, Yan Xi gred at the soldiers with disdain. He raised his pistol, aiming it at them as he spoke arrogantly. "Do you think I’m afraid of you? This is no longer the world it once was! In this era, power is the only thing that matters!"
Caught in the middle of the tense standoff, Ye Lan scratched her head awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Yan Xi noticed her presence, narrowing his eyes in curiosity.
"Who are you? You’ve got some skills, haven’t you? Interested in joining my gang?"
Before Ye Lan could respond, the soldiers began colpsing one by one. A sinister red energy emanated from their bodies, filling the air with an oppressive aura. Ye Lan’s eyes widened in shock, while Yan Xi muttered in confusion:
"What the hell are they doing? Are they faking it? I haven’t even touched them. If they’re trying to trick me, they’ve got another thing coming!"
Something’s wrong! This doesn’t make sense! Ye Lan’s mind raced as unease crept over her.
Suddenly, a fsh of intuition triggered her passive ability, [Sixth Sense] An overwhelming sense of danger washed over her, urging her to act immediately.
Without warning, massive vines and tentacles erupted from the ground, coiling around the highway’s pilrs and shaking the entire structure.
[Ziar - Demon]
[Level: 31]
A system message appeared before everyone present, including Ye Lan, despite her not being human. The information, however, was sparse only the creature’s name and level were dispyed.
Hovering midair after her quick reaction, Ye Lan swallowed hard as she watched the monstrous tentacles spread, enveloping everything in their path.
This… This isn’t something I can handle alone… she thought, steeling herself for what was shaping up to be a grueling battle.
A Demon Race? What’s that? Ye Lan thought, her brow furrowing deeply.
"Where does it fit in the Ranking Order? It sounds far more formidable than the beastkin race..."
With a resounding crash, Ye Lan nded firmly on the ground. The tentacles continued to writhe and interweave, forming a colossal vine flower that towered over 100 meters tall. Its chaotic movements filled the air with an overwhelming sense of dread.
To make matters worse, the atmosphere was now thick with tiny red seeds suspended in midair, violently detonating at the slightest contact.
"This is bad. I need to warn Mu Xuetong and the others to retreat immediately. This monster is way beyond their abilities"
Her face set with determination, Ye Lan activated her ability [Teleportation].
Whoosh!
In an instant, she appeared beside Mu Xuetong and the others, who stood frozen, their expressions grim as they watched the chaos unfold. The sight of the rampaging vines made them swallow nervously.
"Xiao Lan, you’re back! What’s going on?" Mu Xuetong asked, his voice edged with urgency.
"I’m not entirely sure, but I have a theory" Ye Lan replied, her tone serious. "Do you remember yesterday’s news? The footage of a massive explosion? I think this monster caused it and followed the soldiers here"
"Damn it! A level 31 demon… we’re already at a disadvantage in terms of levels. Xiao Lan, can you handle it?" Mu Xuetong asked, his hope resting squarely on her shoulders.
Ye Lan hesitated for a moment, weighing her options, before taking a decisive step forward.
"I don’t know. I’m uncertain of my own strength or how powerful this monster truly is, but… I’ll try. After all, I was once human, and I can’t just stand by and watch" she decred, taking a steadying breath.
Level 6 Beastkin Race VS Level 31 Demon Race.
The true battle was about to begin…
Suvn
