137: Vampire Bat King

"Ah—!"

"My head!!"

The villagers, as if struck by an invisible heavy hammer, dropped their luggage in pain one after another, clutching their heads and squatting on the ground with miserable screams; some even rolled around in agony! The members of the Demon Hunting Squad also turned pale in an instant, feeling an invisible force violently striking their brains, followed by intense pain and a strong sense of dizziness, their vision darkening in waves!

A massive dark shadow, like a demon dripping from ink, appeared silently in the night sky above everyone's heads! Its wingspan was nearly three meters, and the flapping of its bat wings created a dull sound of breaking wind. Its crimson eyes flickered with bloodthirsty light in the darkness, and its sharp fangs and claws emitted a chilling aura! It was precisely the life-taking Vampire Bat King the villagers had spoken of!

Its crimson eyes instantly locked onto the physically weaker Wu Ting (a Speed Enhancer) in the Sword of Hope team, and it dove down like black lightning!

"Wu Ting, be careful!" Li Xueli reacted the fastest, enduring her headache to shout a command: "Big Bear! Block it!"

"Roar!" The four-meter-tall Polar Ice Bear appeared instantly, like a moving iceberg, its massive body firmly shielding Wu Ting.

"Big Bear! Show it what you've got! Ice Bear Roar!" Li Xueli shouted angrily.

The Polar Ice Bear once again beat its chest wildly and released a deafening roar laced with icy breath! The sound waves visibly rippled outward, forcing nearby team members to cover their ears! However, the diving Bat King merely gave its wings a slight tremor, unexpectedly withstanding the sonic impact. Its body twisted strangely in mid-air, pulling upward again to easily avoid the core area of the sound waves! Its resistance and flexibility were far beyond imagination!

"Quick! Everyone! Retreat into the cellar! Quick!" Zhu Lingyun roared hoarsely, enduring the splitting pain in his head.

Yang Yiyu forced herself to focus and summoned the Azure Water Spirit Beast. The Azure Water Spirit Beast waved its arms, and a soft, cool blue water wave covered everyone like a veil of gauze. That coolness seemed to penetrate the soul, instantly dispelling part of the maddening headache and clearing everyone's minds significantly.

The members of the Demon Hunting Squad immediately burst forth with a strong will to survive, unleashing their Superpowers and keeping a vigilant eye on the demon circling in the air. In their brief moment of clarity, the villagers also scrambled and crawled under Village Head Wang's guidance, frantically surging toward the sturdy cellar entrance of Wang Donggen's house nearby.

"Whoosh—!"

The Bat King attacked again! This time, its target was a middle-aged man at the back of the group who was paralyzed with fear!

"Don't you dare!" The Light Shield Warrior Zhao Dun roared, and his already condensed massive light shield slammed upward!

"Bang!!!"

A dull, heavy thud! The massive impact lifted Zhao Dun off his feet, sending him flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground! And the light shield he was so proud of was instantly shattered like fragile glass under the Bat King's claws, which shimmered with a metallic luster, dissipating into bits of light fragments!

"Pfft!" Zhao Dun felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood, but he quickly sprang up with a kip-up, his face pale yet his eyes sharp: "Captain! This beast's strength is terrifying! It's definitely more than first-tier! Be careful!"

Yan Xin's blazing arrows and several hurriedly fired bullets whistled into the night sky, but they only left a few trails behind the Bat King's agile figure.

"Cover the villagers! Prioritize evacuation! Then call for backup! Quick!" Zhu Lingyun roared while brandishing his Demon Sword.

"Screech!"

Another shrill screech accompanied a dive! This time, its target was an older woman! It was too fast! The team members closest to her only saw a flash of a black shadow!

"Ah—!" A piercing scream cut through the night as the woman was snatched up by the massive bat claws, instantly disappearing into the dark night sky.

Just a few seconds later—

"Thud!"

A shriveled corpse with ashen skin and two large blood holes in the neck was thrown down from high above in front of everyone! It was that same woman!

"Damned beast! Come down here and fight me face to face!" Zhu Lingyun's eyes nearly split with rage, and the Black Flames on his Demon Sword leaped wildly, but he could only roar at the sky. This Bat King was too cunning! It fully utilized its aerial advantage and terrifying sonic attacks, striking once and then leaving, never staying to fight! The team's limited long-range attacks were rendered powerless under its ghostly speed and powerful mental interference.

At the painful cost of four villagers' lives, all the survivors and Demon Hunting Squad members finally retreated into the massive wine cellar at Wang Donggen's house, which was seven or eight meters deep and built with heavy cut stones. The heavy iron door was slammed shut and bolted with a loud "Boom!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" From outside came the sound of the Bat King's angry impacts and the screeching of its claws tearing at the iron door. After several failed attempts to break through the thick door, the banging stopped.

However, before everyone could catch their breath—

"Screech—!!!"

Even sharper and more penetrating ultrasonic waves, like countless red-hot steel needles, pierced through the thick ground and the iron door, stabbing deep into everyone's minds!

"Ah—!"

"My head is going to explode!"

"Help!"

The villagers once again wailed and rolled in pain. Even the strong-willed members of the Demon Hunting Squad felt their vision darken and were overcome by nausea, their Superpower circulation becoming incredibly sluggish! The cellar instantly turned into a hell of suffering!

"Communications! Contact headquarters quickly!" Zhu Lingyun ordered hoarsely, enduring the intense pain.

Wang Kai gritted his teeth and tremblingly took out the emergency call phone issued by the association, dialing the emergency rescue channel.

"Beep... beep... Hello! This is Hunter Association Headquarters! Speak!" A steady and resolute male voice came from the receiver, like a glimmer of dawn in the darkness.

"This is... Dawns First Light Demon Hunting Squad! Combined with the Sword of Hope Demon Hunting Squad! We are executing the Heihe Village RL-002 rescue mission! We have encountered a monster we cannot handle! It's a... giant vampire bat, at least second-tier! It has powerful sonic attacks and flight capabilities! We and over thirty villagers are trapped in a cellar! Requesting emergency backup! Repeat, requesting emergency backup!" Wang Kai reported as fast as he could, using all his strength.

"Second-tier flying monster? Sonic attack? Understood! The situation has been recorded! Please hold on, we will contact nearby forces immediately!" The other person's voice instantly became solemn and serious.

Every second of waiting felt as long as a century. The groans of pain inside the cellar and the penetrating screeches of the Bat King outside intertwined, torturing everyone's nerves.

A minute later, the voice finally sounded on the other end of the phone again: "Backup has been contacted! Major Zhang Lei, who is closest to you, is rushing over at full speed! He is expected to arrive within ten minutes! Please hold on at all costs and protect the villagers and yourselves! Repeat, Major Zhang Lei will arrive within ten minutes!"

"Ma... Major Zhang Lei? Okay... okay! We'll definitely hold on!" Wang Kai's voice trembled violently with excitement and disbelief. He put down the phone and roared with all his might: "Everyone, hold on! The base's top expert! The ice fire divine lord, Major Zhang Lei, will be here within ten minutes!!!"

"Major Zhang Lei?!"

"Heavens! Is it Officer Zhang Lei?!"

"We're saved! We're really saved!"

This name seemed to possess magic! The wails in the cellar instantly quieted down significantly! Even though their heads were splitting, joy appeared on everyone's faces. All the members of Dawns First Light and the Sword of Hope were even more excited, unable to contain themselves! This was the guardian deity of Lujiang Base! A god-of-war-like existence in the hearts of countless people! A great hero worshipped by many.

The moment Yang Yiyu heard the name "Zhang Lei," her heart felt as if it were gripped by an invisible hand and then suddenly released! Blood seemed to rush to her cheeks, and even the intense headache seemed to lessen slightly. She subconsciously clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, her body trembling slightly as a storm of emotions surged within her: It's him... it's really him... Is he coming? What... what should I do?

Li Xueli felt her best friend's abnormality and, enduring her own discomfort, reached out to firmly grasp Yang Yiyu's cold and trembling hand, offering silent comfort and encouragement: "Don't be nervous, Yu. Now that he's coming, we'll be safe."

Inside the cellar, everyone waited quietly for the arrival of that legendary figure.