326: Chapter 326 I'll handle the rest

The third day.

Nighttime.

Huo Yan was woken up by the cold.

This sounded normal—waking up from the cold on an apocalyptic ice field, wasn't that perfectly reasonable?

But the problem was, he was wearing the Miniature Thermal Suit issued by Lin Yuan.

Over the past two days, this thing...

...had allowed him to walk for over ten hours on the ice field in temperatures below minus one hundred degrees without feeling cold at all.

Had it failed now?

No.

The thermal suit's indicator light was still on, and the heating module was functioning normally.

But he was still cold.

It was a cold that seeped out from the very marrow of his bones.

It wasn't the cold of temperature.

It was something else.

Huo Yan sat up abruptly, his hand gripping the hilt of his blade.

Sixty years of combat instinct told him—this wasn't a change in the weather.

This was the aura of some kind of creature.

He looked around.

In the rear camp, soldiers were waking up one after another from their sleep.

Every single person had the same expression on their face—

Vigilance, tension, and an indescribable fear.

These people had followed Ling Shuanghan through the Apocalypse for decades, some even for a century.

They had seen Frost Beast Tides, Evolved Beasts capable of destroying a city, and entire cities frozen into ice sculptures overnight.

But the expressions on their faces right now were not those they wore when facing such things.

It was a deeper fear, one born of biological instinct.

Like a rat smelling a snake.

Like a flock of sheep sensing a wolf's approach.

No, deeper than that.

Like an ant sensing someone was about to step down.

Huo Yan looked up at the sky.

The ice mist above the ice field was ten times thicker than usual.

The grayish-white mist churned and surged, as if something was moving above the layer of fog.

Then, he saw it.

A silver light.

It wasn't moonlight, it wasn't starlight, it wasn't any light that should exist in nature.

A silver silhouette of light suspended in the mist-filled sky, moving slowly.

It had no fixed form.

Sometimes it looked like a giant eye, sometimes like a mass of flowing mercury, and sometimes like a silver cloud dispersed by the wind only to reconsolidate.

But no matter what shape it took, the sense of pressure was the same.

Overwhelming.

Nowhere to run.

Huo Yan's hands began to tremble.

Not because of the cold.

But because his body was telling him one thing—

You are no match for it.

You are not its prey.

You aren't even a living being in its eyes.

You are dust.

It looks at you just as you look at the dust beneath your feet.

"Vanguard..."

Huo Yan squeezed those words out from between his teeth.

Ling Shuanghan had mentioned this thing during the Joint Meeting.

The Vanguard of the cleansers.

The source of the silver light cataclysm.

The existence that had destroyed Ling Shuanghan's entire world.

Now, it was suspended right above their heads.

All living creatures on the ice field stopped moving.

The Frost Beast Tide that was still surging yesterday was now completely still.

Tens of thousands of Ice Corpses and Frost Evolution Beasts looked up simultaneously at the silver silhouette in the sky.

They weren't just looking.

They were worshipping.

These mutants resurrected by the silver light were originally the Vanguard's "army."

The soldiers had met their general.

The ice field was as quiet as a grave.

Then, the pressure descended.

It didn't increase gradually.

It slammed down instantly.

Like a mountain falling from the sky, pressing directly onto everyone's shoulders.

The 800 century-old warriors in the rear—

Knelt.

Not voluntarily.

Their knees buckled on their own.

Bones creaked under the unbearable pressure, muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and breathing became difficult.

Huo Yan was on one knee, hands propped against the ice, his knuckles white.

He was using every ounce of his strength to resist that pressure.

But it was useless.

His other knee also began to bend.

Sixty years of combat will was like paper before this power.

The ordinary survivors in the front and middle sections collapsed directly to the ground; some even lost consciousness.

But the goddesses did not fall.

Ye Qingyue was on one knee, one hand supporting her on the ice, her teeth gritting audibly.

Her Superpower surged wildly across her body, silver-white arcs of light flashing continuously, as she forced herself to withstand most of the pressure's impact.

She was resisting.

An active, furious resistance.

Her other hand pressed against the ice, fingertips digging into the frozen layer as she exerted force—she was trying to stand up.

Ji Wushuang remained standing.

Her legs trembled slightly, and veins bulged on her forehead, but she stood.

Her strength was already at the very top tier of Blue Star; though this pressure was terrifying, it wasn't enough to make her kneel.

Her fists were clenched tight, knuckles white, as energy formed a thin golden film over her body, battling the pressure every second.

It was difficult, but she did not kneel.

Luo Qinghan also remained standing.

Her way was quieter—

Expressionless, legs locked straight, body leaning slightly forward, like a tree that bends but does not break in a hurricane.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ice beneath her feet—a trace of her channeling her Superpower into her legs, using pure strength to counter the pressure.

Her lips were pressed into a thin line, not saying a single word.

But she stood.

These three women—among the strongest Ability Users on Blue Star—none of them knelt before this pressure that defied all logic.

Ye Qingyue was struggling to stand up, while Ji Wushuang and Luo Qinghan stood with gritted teeth.

Meanwhile, Ling Shuanghan's 800 century-old warriors were all prostrate on the ground.

These women stood.

Ling Shuanghan saw this scene.

She herself was also standing.

Her knees were slightly bent, her body leaned a bit forward, and her ice-blue pupils were bloodshot.

Her Superpower was operating at full capacity, forming a pale blue energy shield on her body to offset most of the pressure.

She was one of the strongest people present, second only to Lin Yuan.

But at this moment, she knew in her heart—those women were standing not just because of their strength.

It was because they possessed something.

Something Ling Shuanghan had seen countless times in her hundred years of the Apocalypse, but never under this level of pressure.

Unyielding spirit.

A pure, bone-deep refusal to yield.

Then, Ye Qingxue made Ling Shuanghan fall completely silent.

Ye Qingxue stood at the front of the group, beside Lin Yuan.

She was standing.

Not standing by "gritting her teeth and enduring."

Not standing while "trembling all over and barely holding on."

She was standing quietly and steadily.

Her face was a bit paler, her breathing a bit heavier than usual, but her legs did not shake, and her back did not bend.

Her Superpower operated smoothly within her body, not in frantic opposition, but calmly neutralizing the force.

It was as if she treated the pressure as a test that needed to be taken seriously but was not unbearable.

Ling Shuanghan's pupils contracted slightly.

This woman—

Her strength was even greater than Ling Shuanghan had previously judged.

Much greater.

Then, from the corner of her eye, Ling Shuanghan saw another person.

That person stood at the very front of the group.

Standing perfectly straight.

Hands in his pockets.

Without even a furrow of his brow.

Ling Shuanghan's pupils constricted sharply.

Lin Yuan.

He stood there, his posture exactly the same as usual.

Exactly the same as when he walked.

Exactly the same as when he ate.

Exactly the same as when he was stepping on bugs yesterday.

It was as if the existence above them, which could make all the strong tremble—

Did not exist to him.

Ling Shuanghan's brain raced under the high pressure, trying to comprehend the scene before her.

The Vanguard's pressure was completely beyond her scope of understanding.

This wasn't any kind of power she had seen in the Apocalypse.

This was something from another level.

She herself was already among the strongest few on this ice field, and it took everything she had to remain standing.

Ji Wushuang and Luo Qinghan's strength wasn't much lower than hers, and they were also standing with gritted teeth.

Ye Qingxue—standing calmly, even steadier than she was.

And Lin Yuan—

Standing.

Standing with total ease.

Not standing by "gritting his teeth and enduring."

Not standing by "calmly neutralizing."

It was the kind of standing that said, "What's there to care about this thing?"

This wasn't a gap in level.

A gap in level is "I am a bit stronger than you" or "I am much stronger than you."

This was a gap in dimension.

It was the gap of "we are simply not in the same dimension."

Ling Shuanghan suddenly realized something.

Over the past two days, she had been using her own standards to measure Lin Yuan.

The strongest?

Beyond the strongest?

Any known standard of measurement was meaningless for this man.

He wasn't in any level system.

He was above the level system.

Lin Yuan stood where he was, feeling the pressure descending from the sky.

To him, this power did indeed exist.

He could feel it.

Just like feeling a cold wind blowing by.

That was all.

But what he cared about wasn't the pressure itself.

What he cared about was something else.

The Vanguard's condition.

The energy fluctuations of that silver silhouette were somewhat unstable.

Flickering between strong and weak, like a lamp about to run out of fuel.

It was using the Frost Beast Tide to replenish its energy.

Those Ice Corpses and Frost Evolution Beasts weren't just its army; they were also its food.

It was patrolling while feeding.

This indicated one thing—

It had been injured.

And quite severely.

It currently had only about sixty percent of its peak strength.

Lin Yuan now had a clear idea.

This thing wasn't as strong as imagined.

The silver silhouette moved slowly across the sky, seemingly patrolling its territory.

Then, it stopped.

Its attention turned downward.

Toward this group of 5,769 people.

Or more accurately—toward those few figures in the group who were still standing.

Amidst a sea of prostrate creatures, a few upright figures were far too conspicuous.

The silver silhouette began to approach from below.

It wasn't fast, but the sense of pressure intensified sharply as the distance shortened.

When the second wave of pressure slammed down, its magnitude was more than double that of the previous one.

Ji Wushuang's knees finally bent; she dropped to one knee, slamming a fist onto the ice.

Leaving a fist print—

She wasn't crushed; she had actively redirected the force, using a kneeling posture to stabilize herself and prevent falling flat.

Luo Qinghan also knelt, but her back remained straight, like an iron nail driven into the ice.

Ye Qingyue was pressed down until both knees hit the ground.

But her head never lowered; she stared fixedly at the silver silhouette in the sky, her eyes full of defiance.

Ye Qingxue—

She finally frowned.

Her legs bent slightly, her body leaned forward a few degrees, and her breathing became rapid.

But she did not kneel.

Under the second wave of pressure, she was still standing.

Ling Shuanghan felt the sudden surge in pressure.

Her knees finally gave out; she dropped to one knee, supporting herself with one hand on the ice.

"It's coming..." her voice was hoarse.

Her strength on this ice field was second only to Lin Yuan—she could stand before, but now that the Vanguard was close, she couldn't hold on either.

But she noticed that Ye Qingxue was still standing.

Just what level was this woman?

Huo Yan was already on both knees, his forehead almost touching the ice.

He wanted to look up, but the muscles in his neck wouldn't obey.

Among the 5,769 people—

Only two people were still standing.

Ye Qingxue and Lin Yuan.

He looked at the approaching silver silhouette with a calm expression.

Then, he did something.

A very simple thing.

He released the power within his body.

Not an attack.

Not a defense.

Just a release.

An invisible barrier spread out from him, covering the entire group.

Everyone's aura was completely masked in an instant.

To the Vanguard, these 5,769 people suddenly vanished from its perception.

It was as if someone had drawn 5,769 dots on a white sheet of paper and then erased them all at once with an eraser.

The silver silhouette stopped in mid-air.

It searched for a moment.

Scanning left and right, probing up and down.

But it found nothing.

Its perception told it—the abnormal existence from just now had disappeared.

Perhaps it was an illusion.

Perhaps it was interference caused by energy fluctuations on the ice field.

The Vanguard hesitated for a few seconds, then turned and left.

The silver silhouette rose back into the high sky, continuing its patrol.

The pressure gradually weakened as it moved away.

After ten seconds, the pressure dropped to a bearable level.

After thirty seconds, it had basically vanished.

Ling Shuanghan slowly stood up, her legs still trembling.

She took a deep breath, calming her racing heart.

Then she looked at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan withdrew the barrier and put his hands back into his pockets.

His expression hadn't changed at all.

As if everything that had just happened—

That terrifying pressure beyond comprehension, the approach of the Vanguard, the concealment barrier that masked the auras of 5,769 people—

...were all just a trivial matter.

Ling Shuanghan walked over to his side.

Her steps were still a bit unsteady, but her gaze was calm.

"What kind of power was that?"

She didn't ask "how did you do it."

Because even if she asked, there would be no answer.

Lin Yuan glanced at her.

"It's been injured."

He didn't answer her question, but instead said something seemingly irrelevant.

"It only has about sixty percent of its peak strength. Once we're near the core, we'll cut off its energy supply first."

He paused.

"I'll handle the rest."

Simple.

Direct.

No unnecessary words.

Ling Shuanghan nodded.

She was already used to it.

Whatever this man said, was how it would be.

Huo Yan's voice came from behind.

He finally scrambled up from the ground, leaning on his knees, his face still somewhat pale.

"Boss... that thing just now..."

"The Vanguard," Ling Shuanghan said.

"I know it was the Vanguard."

Huo Yan swallowed hard. "I mean... it's gone?"

"Gone."

"How did it leave?"

"He made it leave," Ling Shuanghan said, looking at Lin Yuan's back.

Huo Yan fell silent.

He looked back at his soldiers.

The 800 men were scrambling up from the ground one after another, supporting each other to stand steady.

Everyone's expression looked as if they had just returned from the gates of hell.

And the man who had made the Vanguard leave of its own accord...

...was currently crouching on the ground, checking if a Sonic Node had been damaged by the pressure just now.

Huo Yan felt that his lifelong understanding of the world...

...had been completely overturned and rebuilt at least four times in the past three days.

The first time was the safety corridor.

The second time was stepping on bugs.

The third time was the beast tide diversion.

The fourth time was just now.

He had a premonition—this wouldn't be the last time.

"Boss," an old soldier beside him patted his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Following this guy... does it mean we won't have to write suicide notes anymore?"

Huo Yan thought about it.

"You've already torn up your suicide note, and you're still asking?"

The old soldier was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"True."

The wind on the ice field began to blow again.

The ice mist gradually dispersed, and the silver silhouette in the sky had already receded.

Only a faint silver light remained, flickering in the far distance.

The Expeditionary Force regrouped.

The survivors in the front and middle sections recovered with the help of the goddesses.

Though their faces were still somewhat pale, no one was injured.

The soldiers in the rear organized their equipment and reformed the marching column.

Lin Yuan stood up, brushing the ice shards off his hands.

"The node isn't broken. Let's keep moving."

The group of 5,769 people set off once again.

Toward the direction of the Rift Core.

Toward the place where that silver silhouette resided.

Ye Qingxue walked beside Lin Yuan, remaining silent for a long time before speaking.

"That thing just now... can you beat it?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment.

"In its current state, with sixty percent of its power, I can fight it."

"What if it were at its peak?"

"Then it would be a bit more troublesome."

Ye Qingxue glanced at him.

"What do you mean by 'a bit more troublesome'?"

"It means I might have to use both hands."

Ye Qingxue stopped talking.

She looked down at Lin Yuan's hands, which were tucked in his pockets.

This man had just masked the auras of 5,769 people, making it impossible for that indescribably terrifying existence to find them.

And he described the difficulty of fighting that existence as "might have to use both hands."

She decided not to press any further.

Because she was afraid Lin Yuan's next sentence would be, "Just kidding, one hand is enough."

Then she really wouldn't be able to resist kicking him.

In the distance, a silver glimmer flickered in the sky.

The Vanguard was still there.

But it didn't know that a man was leading 5,769 people toward it.

And this man felt that it was "not as strong as imagined."