4: Hatching Facehuggers

A terrifying beast roar tore through the principal's voice echoing from afar, and the sound waves, as if corporeal, violently struck the Students.

Many people turned pale, their calves went soft, and their bodies swayed uncontrollably, almost collapsing to the ground.

"This...this roar...could there be a Beast King in the beast tide?!"

Wang Yin's pupils contracted sharply, and he subconsciously clenched his fists, a faint red, violent energy involuntarily emerging.

Lin Feng remained silent, his gaze piercing through the restless crowd, directed towards the source of the beast roar.

Although Weiyang City was only a C-grade base city, both the mayor and the City Defense Force commander were Diamond-tier powerhouses. While a Beast King was strong, it might not necessarily be able to breach the City Defense Force's defenses.

Novelty and excitement quickly diluted the initial fear, especially among the newly awakened Students, who straightened their backs, their faces flushed with excitement and eagerness.

Li Yan looked at the Students, who were not crushed by the Beast King's pressure but instead had their fighting spirit ignited, and nodded approvingly.

"The Professional Awakening Ceremony is suspended! All classes immediately line up and follow your homeroom teachers in an orderly fashion into the air-raid shelter for safety!"

The Dean of Students' booming voice, imbued with unquestionable authority, instantly quelled the commotion in the venue.

The path to the air-raid shelter was not far. In the queue, the newly awakened Professionals gathered in groups of three or five, excitedly discussing the wondrous changes in their bodies.

Small flames dancing in palms, rocky sheens appearing on skin, various professional energies flickered throughout the queue like fireflies on a summer night, illuminating young, hopeful faces.

"Teacher Li!"

A loud shout drowned out the noisy discussions.

Xiong Gang stepped forward, exuding a fierce aura like that of a king of beasts. Behind him were several other awakened individuals, also standing tall with burning eyes.

"We want to participate in defending the city! To resist the beast tide!"

Xiong Gang's voice was full of power.

"Yes! Teacher Li, I awakened as a three-star Priest, with innate healing spells! I can help save people!"

"I'm a fire-elemental Mage, my Fire Wall spell can block the beast hordes!"

"I'm an Assassin, with full agility points, I run fast, I can transport supplies! And relay intelligence!"

"And me..."

The crowd was fervent, as if the battlefield ahead wasn't a meat grinder, but a grand stage for them to make a name for themselves.

Li Yan looked at these vibrant, sharp-edged faces, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

In fighting magical beasts, strength was certainly important, but this youthful fearlessness, this sharp edge, was even more the spark of hope for humanity's continuation.

However, sending these fledglings, who hadn't even grasped their professional characteristics, to the battlefield? It would be akin to sending them to their deaths!

"Students!"

Li Yan raised his hand to quiet the clamor, his tone steady and firm.

"I know you're eager! But don't be too hasty!"

"You've only just become Professionals, your understanding of your own strength and your profession is still too shallow!

After the beast tide subsides, enter the novice dungeon for systematic training. Once you've thoroughly mastered your abilities, there will be plenty of opportunities to slay magical beasts and achieve great deeds!"

His gaze swept over the young, determined faces, finally resting on someone in the queue.

Lin Feng, the young man who was once brilliant and widely recognized as the top genius of Weiyang No. 1 High School, was now walking with his head down, silently in the center of the Senior Class Three's queue, out of place with the surrounding commotion.

"Sigh..."

Li Yan sighed softly in his heart, shifted his gaze, and led the team forward.

Xiong Gang and the others, whose request to participate in the battle was denied, were unwilling but could only sullenly return to their respective class queues.

However, as he passed Lin Feng, Xiong Gang's massive body "accidentally" swayed, and his shoulder slammed hard into Lin Feng beside him!

Fortunately, Wang Yin had been paying attention to his surroundings and pulled Lin Feng behind him, preventing Lin Feng from being knocked down by Xiong Gang.

"Xiong Gang, what do you want to do?"

Wang Yin was furious, the faint red violent energy on his body surging violently, like a volcano about to erupt.

Xiong Gang scoffed, as if he didn't see the surging energy. Having awakened as an eight-star Beast King, he was confident he could completely crush Wang Yin.

"Wang Yin, you're a five-star Berserker, at least. What future can you have following this waste? Why don't you come and follow me? I guarantee you'll have a good life!"

"Get lost! My business is none of your concern!"

Wang Yin tried to leave with Lin Feng, but to his surprise, a push didn't make Xiong Gang budge an inch.

Xiong Gang stood with his arms crossed, an undisguised sneer on his face.

"Wang Yin, it's your good fortune that Brother Xiong is willing to let you follow him. Don't be ungrateful!"

A Professional following behind Xiong Gang looked at Wang Yin, his tone full of pride.

Xiong Gang was very satisfied with this Professional's performance and secretly reserved a spot for him as a subordinate behind him.

As everyone was about to argue further, suddenly, Lin Feng felt an unusual tremor in his Spirit Beast Space!

When he focused his mind to observe the Spirit Beast Space, he saw that the previously dormant Facehugger egg had become extremely agitated, and an indescribable icy chill rapidly permeated the entire Spirit Beast Space.

"Something's not right..."

An alarm blared in Lin Feng's mind, and a sense of unease filled his chest.

His heart also felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, and his entire breathing became difficult.

His intuition told Lin Feng that he must hatch the Facehugger immediately!

Without daring to hesitate, Lin Feng grabbed Wang Yin, and despite the latter's struggles, quickly darted into the center of the crowd.

"Brother Feng..."

Wang Yin still wanted to say something, but the next moment, he saw the Facehugger egg in Lin Feng's hand.

Lin Feng gestured for Wang Yin to stay silent, then quickly lowered his head, carefully biting a small opening on the pad of his index finger with his teeth, and a drop of bright red blood quickly seeped out.

He held his breath, completely focused, and precisely dripped the blood drop onto the center of the strange, layered, chrysanthemum-petal-like mouthpart at the top of the egg.

"Tap."

The moment the blood drop was absorbed, Lin Feng felt the egg in his arms vibrate ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.

It felt like a dormant heart had been infused with the first drop of life's fuel, beginning to pulse extremely slowly.

An extremely faint, cold ripple, carrying the aura of a primeval predator, spread silently from the egg as its center, like ripples from a stone dropped into a deep pool.

This fluctuation was so weak that apart from Wang Yin, who was pressed against Lin Feng and felt a strange palpitation, looking at him with confusion, no one else noticed anything.

"Attack!!"

A hoarse, vicious, and bloodthirsty roar, like a sudden clap of thunder, exploded without warning at the front of the queue!

Almost at the same instant the sound erupted, several figures, like phantoms, lunged out from the shadows on both sides of the air-raid shelter entrance, and even from low ventilation ducts!

They wore tattered, grime-covered leather armor or cloth robes, their eyes murky and savage, emitting an aura mixed with blood, decay, and madness—The Fallen!

Leading them was a gaunt middle-aged man with a hideous knife scar on his face. His movements were lightning fast, and the dagger in his hand, imbued with a ghostly green venomous glow, darted out like a spitting snake, striking directly at Li Yan at the very front of the queue!

Behind him, a burly man carrying a huge, rusty iron hammer roared as he charged into the Student crowd, his heavy hammer sweeping out with a whistling sound!

Another withered old man, holding a decaying wooden staff and wearing a tattered mage robe, cackled as he waved his staff. Several wisps of foul-smelling black gas, like living entities, lunged towards the crowd!

"Pfft!"

"Ah--!"

"Help!"

The sudden attack caused the entire Student queue to erupt like an ant colony doused with boiling water!

Several Students in the front row were unfortunately swept by the burly man's swinging iron hammer, their bodies flying out like arrows from a bowstring.

Seeing this, several Students in the back row panicked and tried to retreat, but accidentally knocked over the Students behind them, and many people immediately fell in disarray.

As one girl fell, she frantically released a small fireball that shot to the side, instantly kicking up a cloud of shattered stone and dust!

"Fa...The Fallen! It's The Fallen!"

A Student let out a heartbreaking scream.

At the same time, the chrysanthemum-shaped mouthpart at the top of the Facehugger egg in Lin Feng's hand slowly opened, and a slender, segmented limb extended from within...