"Has follow-up support still not arrived?"
Within Goose City, an extremely small portion of areas still resisted the Beast Tide.
Current Goose City no longer had the capacity to resist Beast Tides on a large scale. What remained were only small patches of soldiers distributed across various areas, individual humans hiding in secret places.
They were Goose City's last ability users possessing combat power outside the shelters. But even now, despair inevitably arose in their hearts.
Actually, with their strength, even now they had opportunities to head to shelters and hide. But the people here weren't just them—there were also many civilians without combat power.
If they left, these people would die.
So they could only place hope in support from other cities, hoping they could arrive quickly and save this city nearing collapse.
"Support... besides First Sequence, what use are other reinforcements?"
"With that mutant lizard present, no amount of support has meaning."
A man with pale complexion and empty right hand leaned against a wall, speaking in bleak tones.
If not for that mutant lizard, this city wouldn't have crumbled so quickly—even more impossible to become like this.
"Wait! Vantora Capital Spiritual Energy Bureau contacted us. They dispatched a powerful ability user to provide support!"
Suddenly, someone ran over with an excited expression.
"One person?!"
"Could it be Dragon Emperor?"
The leading man stood up. If it was Dragon Emperor, then Goose City would be saved! Truly saved!
Dragon Emperor was Huaxia's strongest besides White Emperor. If it was him, that mutant lizard definitely wouldn't be a match!
"No, not Dragon Emperor."
"It's someone named Zhang Hai. I didn't see his information on Vantora Capital Spiritual Energy Bureau's official website. Possibly one of a batch of First Sequence being cultivated in secret."
That figure shook his head.
"Zhang Hai?"
"This..."
An unknown existence. Knowing nothing except the name. Even though Vantora Capital Spiritual Energy Bureau daring to send him obviously believed he could resolve things—they still had no way to generate much confidence!
"Believe in him. Anyway, Vantora Capital General Spiritual Energy Bureau couldn't possibly send an ability user with tremendous talent here to die."
He said this.
"Moreover, besides believing, we have no other method, do we?"
"Mommy, when can we go out?"
Inside the shelter, in a mother's embrace, a little girl's eyes—pure as stars—looked curiously at her mother.
They'd already been here a very long time.
There were so many people here, so much food. But the atmosphere was very silent. No one spoke.
She didn't want to stay here. She wanted to go home.
"Mengmeng, be good. Sleep a little more. When you wake up, we can go home."
Her mother forced a smile, stroking Mengmeng's head, singing a nursery rhyme in her ear.
After the little girl fell asleep, tears in her eyes had long since uncontrollably fallen. Her throat wanted to cry out. But fearing waking her daughter, also afraid her voice would attract mutant creatures' attention outside the shelter—
She could only cover her mouth. Tears continuously fell as her body trembled.
She also wanted to go home!
But now, they couldn't return.
Before this city's Beast Tide was resolved, no one dared leave this shelter.
"Don't worry. War will always have a day it ends."
"The shelter's food and water can sustain all of us for three months."
"Based on the Second Beast Tide's experience, we won't need three months—won't even need one month. All cities' Beast Tides will be resolved."
"What we need to do is patiently wait."
A man beside the woman consoled her.
In his embrace was also a girl. Looking at the girl, his eyes were likewise full of affection.
To him, children were treasures bestowed by heaven.
No matter where he was, no matter the location—as long as his child still lived, he still held hope for life.
"Hellish scene—nothing more than this."
Above Goose City, Xu Qing stood upon a sword, looking at the shattered scene below. Eyes full of shock and horror. Besides this—endless silence and sorrow.
In the past in Bashu, Beast Tides to them were merely excitement.
They'd been protected too well. Seen too little.
No matter how terrifying beast roars outside the city, how clamorous cannon fire—inside the city remained peaceful.
At most, cursing twice while playing mahjong.
But leaving Bashu, along the way he'd witnessed far too much tragedy.
Despair. Madness. Death...
He'd killed many mutant beasts. Saved many people.
But far from enough.
The more he saw, the more he felt what he'd done wasn't enough.
Arriving at Goose City, looking at the hellish scene below—mutant beasts wantonly tearing at human corpses—he stood in the void. The sword originally at his feet was now somehow gripped in his hand.
"Clang!"
Between heaven and earth, a sword's cry resonated.
Spiritual power within surged. Within fate, a special aura circled around him.
"Boom!"
A sharp, keen aura shot skyward. Visibly, behind him, a long sword phantom piercing heaven and earth manifested.
Gale winds roared, tearing sky clouds apart. Those mutant beasts on the ground—as though sensing some terrifying thing—almost simultaneously curled up, not daring to move.
Subdue demons and devils!
What were demons? What were devils?
Those below his feet were demons! Those below his feet were devils!
Xu Qing cultivated orthodox Daoist sect cultivation methods. Innately possessed strong suppression abilities against these demons and devils.
The sword phantom piercing heaven and earth shook the entire city.
Those humans hiding in the city's secret places looked at the sky's scene with disbelief, then endless joy.
"Support arrived! This is definitely support!"
"His ability is actually a sword? But such a long, thick sword—isn't that too exaggerated?!"
"Strength like this is undoubtedly First Sequence! Excellent! We're saved!"
"Sword qi spanning thirty thousand li, one sword's cold light across nineteen provinces! This is the swordsman from the xianxia worlds I fantasized about in the past!"
"..."
Everyone couldn't help but cheer. Even though they hadn't noticed Xu Qing beneath that massive sword shadow—in their eyes, this was undoubtedly humanity's powerhouse's methods!
Would mutant beasts use swords?
How many of them could grip swords?
Couldn't even grip swords—how could they wield them? How summon such massive sword phantoms?
"Sword Light—Divide."
In calm voice, the long sword phantom behind Xu Qing transformed into sword after sword identical to the Qingfeng in his hand.
Countless sword phantoms surrounded the void above. Xu Qing's sword pointed at the mutant beasts below, speaking in icy tones:
"Fall!"
"Boom... boom..."
The instant his words fell, countless sword lights pierced through the void, sliding down from the sky.
(End of Chapter)