198: Flaming Tongue

The rhino tank used brute force to smash through the rusted gate of the elementary school and charged onto the playground.

Nearly a hundred sallow-skinned, sunken-eyed elementary school students and four or five equally haggard teachers, who had long heard the commotion and gathered at the cafeteria entrance, let out cheers of survival!

"Soldier Uncles! The soldier uncles are here!" The children flocked forward, cheering like little birds who had finally seen their kin after a fright.

Battalion Commander Hu put away his guandao, a gentle smile appearing on his face, and picked up an eight or nine-year-old boy who had rushed in front of him.

"Uncle! Uncle! Teacher Li is hurt! She's bleeding a lot! Inside the cafeteria!" Xiao Yu squeezed to the front, anxiously pulling at Battalion Commander Hu's sleeve.

Battalion Commander Hu's expression turned solemn, and he immediately followed Xiao Yu into the dim cafeteria. He saw Teacher Li leaning against the wall, her face as pale as paper and her breathing weak. A middle-aged female teacher was frantically trying to help stop the bleeding, but the jacket wrapped around the wound was already completely soaked in blood.

"Soldier comrade... you... you've finally come..." Seeing Battalion Commander Hu, Teacher Li forced a weak smile, her voice as thin as a thread.

"Young lady, don't talk, save your strength! I'll take you to the Medical Soldiers right away!" Battalion Commander Hu's heart tightened. Without further ado, he lifted Teacher Li effortlessly in a standard princess carry and strode outside.

Leaning against Battalion Commander Hu's solid and warm chest and feeling that reassuring scent, a faint, involuntary blush of shyness appeared on Teacher Li's pale face.

However, just as hope arrived, a sudden change occurred!

"Roar—!!!"

A violent howl rang out like a clap of thunderbolt! The sound carried a scorching aura, making the soldiers and civilians dizzy and their eardrums sting!

A crimson figure darted into the campus like a ghost, moving so fast it left only an afterimage on the retina! This was a Tier 3 Flame Long Tongue, larger than a normal Licker and wrapped in dark red flames! Its pupils, burning with an evil fire, instantly locked onto a terrified child in the crowd!

"Watch out!" Battalion Commander Hu's pupils shrank as he shouted a warning, but since he was holding Teacher Li, he couldn't intercept it immediately!

At the critical moment, Teacher Wan, who was closest to the child, endured the intense pain in his head and the fear in his heart to violently push the sixth-grader aside!

Almost at the same time—

Puchi!

The terrifying, flaming long tongue shot out like a javelin, accurately piercing through Teacher Wan's chest!

Puh...

Teacher Wan's body stiffened, his eyes widened, and his face was filled with pain and determination. Then, his body withered at a visible rate, as if all the blood and moisture were instantly sucked away by that long tongue! Subsequently, his remaining torso ignited with a strange flame with a 'whoosh'. In just a few seconds, under the horrified gaze of the crowd, he turned into a small pile of ashes! Not even a trace of his remains was left!

"Teacher Wan—!!"

The surviving teachers and children let out heart-wrenching cries, unable to accept this cruel reality.

"Damned beast!!!"

Battalion Commander Hu's eyes nearly split from rage, a towering fury rushing to his head! He carefully placed Teacher Li in the passenger seat of a truck, summoned his Flame Guandao, and the flames around him surged. Like a furious fire god, he roared and charged toward the Flame Long Tongue!

However, this Tier 3 monster was not only extremely fast but also possessed powerful fire abilities! When Battalion Commander Hu's Flame Guandao slashed it, most of the damage was neutralized by the fire energy on its surface, making it difficult to deal a fatal blow. Instead, the monster's elusive long tongue, coated in high-temperature flames, made every strike a close call for Battalion Commander Hu!

After only a few rounds, Battalion Commander Hu could no longer hold his ground.

Snap!

With a crisp sound, the burning long tongue lashed Battalion Commander Hu's chest like a whip!

Puh—!

Battalion Commander Hu let out a muffled groan as his camouflage combat uniform was instantly ignited. He was sent flying several meters like a broken kite, slamming heavily onto the ground. His chest was charred black, sending waves of burning pain! If he weren't also a fire Evolver with decent fire resistance, this single blow could have killed him.

"Battalion Commander!!" The soldiers cried out, their eyes bloodshot with rage!

A rhino tank quickly turned its turret.

Boom!

A 120mm high-explosive shell was fired, but the Flame Long Tongue easily dodged it with a strange twist, and the shell exploded in the distance, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Calling headquarters! Calling headquarters! Requesting emergency backup! There is a Tier 3 fire-type monster! The Battalion Commander is injured! There are a large number of survivors here!" an officer shouted into the communicator at the top of his lungs.

"Headquarters copies! The nearest mecha units have been notified to head there immediately! Please hold your ground and wait for assistance!"

Just as the communication ended, the Flame Long Tongue began to go on a rampage again! Like a tiger among sheep, its long tongue flicked about. Another three or four soldiers trying to protect the children were instantly ignited, turning into charcoal amidst screams! Dozens of children who couldn't dodge in time also met a tragic end! An armored personnel carrier was flipped over by its long tongue, the heavy armor sizzling and emitting billowing black smoke from the heat!

At this moment of extreme crisis.

A massive grey figure sprinted from the end of the street like lightning! It moved so fast it kicked up a gale!

This figure was none other than the King of Military Dogs, Howling Heaven! Howling Heaven had keenly caught the powerful aura of the Tier 3 monster, broke away from the main force, and sprinted here alone, arriving even before the mecha!

Awoooo—!!!

Howling Heaven let out a world-shaking roar, and an invisible sonic attack slammed into the Flame Long Tongue's head like a heavy hammer!

The monster's movements instantly stalled, a hint of confusion and pain flashing in its burning pupils as its brain was turned into mush!

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Howling Heaven's massive body pounced. His huge wolf claws, carrying a sharp whistle that tore through the air, slammed hard into the Flame Long Tongue, sending it stumbling! Immediately after, his bloody maw opened, and his dagger-sharp canine teeth bit down hard!

Crack!

The sound of bone snapping rang out! The Flame Long Tongue's hard skull was actually crushed by Howling Heaven in one bite! Howling Heaven's throat moved as he directly swallowed the Tier 3 crystal core containing pure fire energy. The flames on the monster quickly extinguished, and its mangled corpse twitched twice before it stopped moving.

Enduring the burning pain in his chest, Battalion Commander Hu used his guandao to support himself as he stood up. He walked over to Howling Heaven with a smile of survival on his face and reached out to stroke the thick, tough wolf fur on Howling Heaven's body.

"Howling Heaven... I owe you one this time..."

Howling Heaven obediently lowered his massive head and nudged Battalion Commander Hu affectionately. His coarse mane brushed against the Battalion Commander's cheek, which was covered in gunpowder and blood, bringing a strange sense of comfort.

At this time, the two thunderbolt mecha units that had received the distress signal and rushed over at full speed finally arrived at the scene with a rumble. Seeing that the threat had been eliminated, they stood guard on the perimeter.

Soon after, ambulances painted with red crosses slowly drove onto the campus. Medical Soldiers quickly got out and began rescuing the injured.

Inside the ambulance, the atmosphere was heavy.

Teacher Li lay on a stretcher. Due to excessive blood loss, her face was even paler than before, almost transparent. She weakly opened her eyes, looked at Battalion Commander Hu sitting beside her with a bandage on his chest, and asked in a faint voice, "Commander Hu... the children... how are the children..."

Battalion Commander Hu looked at Teacher Li's eyes, which were full of hope yet endless worry, and thought of those young lives that had just been rescued and had just smiled, only to wither in an instant under the monster's attack.

And then there was Teacher Wan, who had sacrificed himself heroically to save his students, leaving not even a bone behind... This iron-blooded officer's eyes instantly turned red, and his throat felt like it was blocked by something. He choked for a long time before saying heavily in an incredibly raspy voice, "I... I failed to protect them... I'm sorry..." Two lines of hot tears finally could not be held back and slid down the cheeks of this tough man.

Seeing his tears, Teacher Li understood instantly. She closed her eyes, and tears also slid silently from the corners of her eyes, soaking her temples. After a long while, she opened her eyes again and, using her last bit of strength, pleaded intermittently, "Commander... Hu... can you... set up a monument... for the children... and Teacher Wan? Let them... have a place... to be remembered..."

Battalion Commander Hu tightly held Teacher Li's cold hand and nodded vigorously, his voice firm and sorrowful: "Teacher Wan is a hero! A true hero! All of us will remember him forever! Don't worry, we will properly bury the children and set up a monument for Teacher Wan, so that his deeds will be passed down forever!"

Hearing this promise, Teacher Li finally seemed to set her mind at ease. She nodded very weakly and said in a voice as thin as a thread, "Thank you... Commander Hu..."

"Don't say another word, Teacher Li. Receive your treatment well and you must pull through! The children... the remaining children are still waiting for you to go back and teach them!" Battalion Commander Hu squeezed her hand, as if trying to transfer his own strength to her.

The ambulance, with its blue and red lights flashing, carried the injured and heavy hope away from the campus that had just undergone a baptism of blood and fire. Meanwhile, the soldiers silently began to clear the battlefield and collect the bodies, turning this grief and responsibility into the strength to continue moving forward.