6: Chapter 6 Beast Tide Size - 800 Million

The students lined up by class and boarded the buses in an orderly fashion.

The four lead armored vehicles started up, and the convoy slowly drove toward the wilderness.

Lin Mo found a window seat in the back row to sit alone, quietly admiring the scenery outside.

Just then, a graceful figure flashed over and sat in the empty seat next to Lin Mo.

"Lin Mo, don't take what Xiaoxia and the others said at school to heart. We were just worried about you."

Lin Sisi tugged at Lin Mo's sleeve.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm not that petty."

Lin Mo turned his head.

"Thinking about it, we've known each other for over ten years, haven't we? Time really flies."

Lin Sisi felt a bit sentimental.

"Elementary, middle school, high school, and now university—it's been 12, almost 13 years!"

The two were neighbors from Mouse Street, similar in age, and had known each other since childhood.

However, Lin Sisi's father had made some money in recent years and moved the whole family to the city center two years ago.

"Lin Mo, this training exercise is full of danger. Once we reach Nanling, you mustn't try to be a hero. Just follow Xiaoxia; she'll look out for you."

Lin Sisi said in a lowered voice.

She was only a Green Grade Awakener; getting into the Elite Assault Team had already been very difficult.

But Ye Zhixia was different. She was a Blue Grade Awakener and was considered a true elite even within the Elite Assault Team. If she put in a good word with the team captain, she might be able to get Lin Mo into their squad.

With Ye Zhixia helping to look after him, his survival rate would likely be much higher.

Lin Sisi had already planned everything for Lin Mo. The reason she had delayed boarding the bus for so long was to talk to Ye Zhixia about this.

Ye Zhixia didn't understand why Lin Sisi wanted to help Lin Mo so much, but she couldn't withstand Lin Sisi's persistent badgering and her "if you don't agree, I'll cry for you" attitude, finally giving a reluctant nod.

"You were so late boarding the bus just now because you went to talk to Ye Zhixia about this, right?"

Lin Mo was somewhat touched.

"Mm, Xiaoxia is a very good person. She agreed."

Lin Sisi smiled at Lin Mo, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents.

"We'll see when the time comes. After all, it's not entirely up to her."

Facing the girl who cared so much about him, Lin Mo didn't have the heart to refuse directly, so he just gave a non-committal answer.

"Okay, then it's settled. Wait for my news."

Lin Sisi didn't notice Lin Mo's perfunctoriness and simply assumed he had agreed, finally feeling at ease.

...

Soon, the convoy drove out of the city gates and onto a deserted highway.

Upon entering the wilderness area, the surrounding scenery changed drastically.

As far as the eye could see, there was continuous wilderness on both sides with twisted trees and visible traces clearly left by immense destructive force.

Lin Mo carefully observed this unfamiliar world through the window; it felt completely different from when he was in Jiang City.

It was a pervasive sense of primitive oppression.

"Remember this: outside the city, nowhere is absolutely safe. Any negligence can be fatal. Stay sharp, and don't you dare doze off!"

An accompanying Lieutenant warned loudly.

"Instructor, how much longer will we be driving?"

A student asked.

This training trip to Nanling was to support the Southeast Military Region, which was currently defending against ferocious beasts in Nanling. Therefore, safety during the round trip was also the responsibility of the military.

Professional soldiers with the rank of Lieutenant or higher accompanied every vehicle, and armored cars led the way at the front and rear of the convoy to ensure the safety of Lin Mo and the other students.

"Our destination is Outpost No. 9, located 240 kilometers away. It is under the jurisdiction of the 2nd Armored Infantry Regiment of the Southeast Military Region."

"If all goes well, we should arrive in seven or eight hours."

The Lieutenant replied.

At that moment, several dark shadows flashed rapidly in the distance, disappearing into the wild grass. Their speed was actually faster than the bus Lin Mo and the others were riding in.

"Look! It looks like the ferocious beast, the Bristle-Haired Warthog. It's so fast!"

"Where? Why didn't I see it?"

"It's hiding. It suddenly lunged out just now and gave me a fright!"

A series of exclamations rang out in the cabin as curiosity overcame nervousness.

"Where'd it go? I missed it just now, what a shame."

One boy excitedly leaned half his body out of the window, wanting to take a photo with his phone to show off in his family group chat.

"Do you want to die?! Get back inside!"

The Lieutenant on the bus turned ashen and yanked the boy back.

"Damn it, do you have a death wish?"

"Most ferocious beasts have a sense of smell dozens of times better than a human's! Sit properly, don't open the windows, and definitely don't stick your head out. Don't fucking die on the road before we even get there!"

The bus went silent instantly. The boy from before turned pale, looking thoroughly shaken.

Under normal circumstances, few ferocious beasts would dare to attack a convoy. After all, they weren't mere wild animals; their intelligence was quite high, and they knew those iron lumps leading the way were not to be trifled with.

However, there were always blind beasts that tried to use their flesh and blood to challenge human artillery.

As the convoy delved deeper into the wilderness, the grade of the surrounding beasts significantly increased. They were larger and far more brutal in temperament.

A beast, its mind clouded by hunger, attempted to provoke the steel cans at the ends of the convoy.

"Roar—!"

It was a pitch-black leopard-type beast, pouncing down from a hillside on the flank, straight toward a bus!

"Three o'clock direction! Shadow Leopard! Fire!"

A cold command came through the communicator.

The turret of a wheeled armored vehicle rotated rapidly. With a dull thud, a specialized armor-piercing grenade trailed fire as it blasted toward the hillside where the Shadow Leopard was.

Boom!!

A violent explosion rang out.

A massive crater was blown into the spot where the Shadow Leopard had just been.

That little leopard, whose strength had reached the second rank, didn't even have time to scream before it was sent flying by the explosion's shockwave, drawing a wave of screams from the students.

"Damn! That power is insane, it's totally awesome!"

"So terrifying. It didn't even hit it directly, right? Just the shockwave alone could easily cripple a second-rank Shadow Leopard?"

"Haha, that little leopard actually wanted to ambush us. It couldn't even handle a single shell!"

"With these big guys around, what's there to fear from a beast tide? We'll kill as many as come!"

"This is great! I didn't expect our military to be this strong. If I'd known, I wouldn't have been so worried..."

Ever since they learned they were going to Nanling for training, everyone had been on edge. The scene just now acted as a reassuring pill for everyone.

However, when the accompanying Lieutenant saw the students' reactions, his face turned grim.

"Great?"

"Did that look great to you?"

The Lieutenant said coldly.

"Your expressions tell me that you think you can sleep soundly once we reach the outpost, right?!"

The Lieutenant pointed to the massive crater not far away and continued:

"A 155mm howitzer shell—one shot, and nothing within a radius of dozens of meters survives."

"But the price is that eight thousand credits are gone!"

"Does that sound like not much? Only eight thousand. Is that what many of you are thinking?"

"Fine, you're all university students; you know how to do math. Can anyone tell me how many ferocious beasts are in the entire Nanling?!"

"One hundred thousand?"

"A million?"

"Ten million?"

"Heh, I bet no one knows the exact number!"

"Fine, I'll give you a number—"

800 million! Over 800 million!"