8: Instant kill, return to base

The situation for the academy group, surrounded by the Yao Beast tide, was extremely grim.

Among the Demon Tamers Beasts on the periphery, except for one Rock Monster, the others, even if not severely injured, were critically low on stamina. The City Defense Force had long run out of ammunition and had abandoned their firearms, switching to cold weapons as they rushed to the Demon Tamers Beast front line.

"Damn it! Why can't we finish off these Yao Beasts!" The person in charge of the City Defense Force escort, a scraggly Middle-aged Man, held a specialized, heavy saber. Mustering his strength, he cleaved a Fire-Eyed Cloud Lion in half, spitting out a mouthful of blood foam. "Did you send it?"

"Not yet! The signal is being jammed!" replied a Communications Soldier.

The leading Teacher was also severely mentally drained, and his body had multiple scratches from Yao Beasts that he hadn't had time to bandage. He slumped on the ground and said to the City Defense Force leader: "Captain Wang, it seems we have failed this time."

"Bullshit! Get a grip!" Captain Wang ducked and punched, repelling an attacking Yao Beast. "These brats are watching. Get up! These might all be future Demon Tamers. If they die here, where will I, Wang Biao, put my face!"

The Teacher gave a wry smile, looked at the penetrating wound on his abdomen, and said with a bitter laugh: "I'm afraid I'll have to clock out first. I upheld my duty as a teacher. I leave these children to you..."

Wang Biao roared without turning his head: "Don't talk nonsense! We will definitely win, hold on!"

A feeling of despair spread among the crowd, and no matter how valiantly the front line fought, it couldn't stop this emotion from spreading.

The students who had originally thought they could go home after killing one wave of Yao Beasts were affected by this emotion, their faces turning ashen.

The Yao Beast tide did not stop for a single second. For every one killed, more Yao Beasts immediately took its place, bloodthirsty, frenzied, and fearless of death. Yao Beast corpses piled up into small hills. Looking into the distance from the top of the pile, the tide seemed endless.

At this moment, no one believed that this Yao Beast tide was just the remnants of a failed attack on Flower City.

"It's over, we are really going to die now."

"It's all the school's fault. If we hadn't had this activity, we wouldn't be dying."

"If I had known I was going to die today, I should have confessed to Lu Bingyun..."

"Speaking of which, we're not as brave as Xie Ning."

"Wuu wuu~~ I don't want to die..."

If anyone present still held a sliver of hope, it was definitely Mo Yu.

She looked at the despairing students around her, unsure what to say, and simply remained silent. She just looked up at Xie Ning, whose eyes were tightly closed, and prayed secretly: Great God, oh Great God! You absolutely must pull through!

Unexpectedly, Xie Ning opened his eyes at that moment, startling her into a gasp. She nearly fell from the top of the bus, but luckily Xie Ning reacted quickly, reached out, and pulled her back.

Mo Yu stammered, asking, "Y-why did you open your eyes?"

"It's resolved."

"W-what is resolved?"

Mo Yu followed Xie Ning's gaze. On the Demon Tamers Beast front line, the previously ferocious Yao Beasts had all stopped, looking around confusedly. They only realized the danger when attacks approached, and instantly scattered, fleeing back the way they came, leaving behind only the Soldiers prepared to fight to the death and the exhausted Demon Tamers Beasts.

"This... why did they retreat?"

"It looks like the Yao Beast tide is receding!"

Captain Wang stared blankly at the Yao Beasts retreating like a tide, then let out a long breath, planted his saber on the ground, and said: "Damn it, they finally retreated. Otherwise, we'd all have died here."

The leading Teacher was overly exhausted and severely wounded. Under the dual strain on his body, he barely had the strength to speak. He weakly replied, "Right, then maybe I can still be saved..."

The students standing on the bus cheered and jumped for joy, looking like people who had narrowly escaped death. Only Mo Yu was still staring at Xie Ning with wide eyes.

Just then, a silver-white creature shot out of the forest with a 'swoosh'.

Clatter~

This silver-white shadow tossed two objects in front of Xie Ning, circled once in the air, and landed steadily beside Xie Ning, handing the Wind-Listening Rabbit back to Mo Yu.

The surrounding people were startled at first, then gathered closer to look curiously.

"A human corpse and an insect corpse?"

"What a disgusting bug, I hate caterpillars the most!"

"What does it mean that Xie Ning's Demon Tamers Beast brought these two back?"

The students discussed animatedly after seeing them, but when the City Defense Force and the Teacher saw the human corpse, they all raised an eyebrow, seeming to recognize it, and looked at Xie Ning, awaiting his explanation.

Xie Ning didn't keep them waiting. After communicating with the Supersonic Mantis for a bit, he walked over and said: "These are the Fallen Demon Tamer and the Magic Sound Brain Worm, the masterminds behind the Yao Beast tide."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was an uproar. Except for a few cautious individuals, everyone else gathered around to examine the two corpses.

A bold student stepped forward and fiercely kicked both corpses several times, saying viciously: "These are the two bastards who almost got us killed?!"

"It turns out it was the work of scum like a Fallen Demon Tamer..." exclaimed someone who had escaped death.

"That Yao Beast doesn't look weak. Since it could trigger a Yao Beast tide, its Rank shouldn't be low," a student couldn't help but sigh. "I really don't know how Xie Ning managed it..."

"Could all Yao Beast tides be the work of Fallen Demon Tamers?"

Naturally, the focus of the Girl students was different. Several Girls looked at Student Xie Ning and the Supersonic Mantis, their eyes shining with hearts, and couldn't help but say: "Student Xie Ning is not only composed, but his Demon Tamers Beast is also so handsome... and strong..."

"Yes, yes. With such a powerful Demon Tamers Beast, Student Xie Ning's future achievements are bound to be great."

"It's a good thing he rejected Bing Yun. That means we still have a chance!"

"Forget it, you? Maybe me."

It seemed the two corpses had another story, and before Xie Ning could explain the details, Captain Wang invited him aside for a private discussion.

No one knew what they talked about. They only knew that when the conversation ended, no matter who asked Xie Ning, he just smiled without speaking, refusing to reveal the details, which left many students feeling regretful.

Afterward, everyone straightened things up, lifted the bus out of the ditch, and continued driving toward Flower City.

Although few of the students on the three buses participated in the fighting, they were already mentally and physically exhausted by the environment. As the bus slowly started moving, most of them fell asleep.

The few who were in a good mood continued to discuss the recent defensive battle, with Xie Ning being the most frequent topic.

The City Defense Force continually tested the signal along the way, and finally, after driving for about a third of the distance, the signal was restored, allowing them to contact the Flower City City Defense Force... specifically, the Flower City City Defense Force Base.

A One-Armed Middle-aged Man stood by the window with his eyes closed. The documents placed on the desk behind him were the mission reports detailing the repulsion of the Yao Beast tide.

Yao Beast tide attacks happen every few years, but today's tide could be considered the weakest Southern Yue Province has encountered in nearly 20 years. It was short-lived and weak, and the City Defense Force repelled it with only minimal casualties.

Because of this, the One-Armed Man, having finished the report, was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation, squinting his eyes as his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Just then, a shout of "Report!" brought him back to attention.

"Speak."

"Reporting, Commander! An hour ago, students from Huacheng No. 1 Middle School traveling to Hope Forest encountered a Yao Beast tide attack! There were casualties!"

Hearing the subordinate's report, the Middle-aged Man suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide. "Where is the Forest Garrison?! I explicitly ordered them to escort the students back, why wasn't that executed?!"

The Soldier replied: "The Forest Garrison did execute the order, led personally by Captain Wang. According to the received information, the Yao Beast tide they encountered was Silver Rank, controlled by a Magic Sound Brain Worm directed by a Fallen Demon Tamer."

"A Fallen Demon Tamer..." The One-Armed Man's face darkened, veins throbbing on his forehead. After a breath, he asked in a deep voice: "What is the current situation?"

The Soldier continued: "A promising talent emerged from the student group. He commanded two Demon Tamers Beasts, went deep into the forest, and used his Bronze Rank 1 strength to kill the Silver Rank Fallen Demon Tamer and the Magic Sound Brain Worm, saving the team. They are currently on their way back."

"Are you sure a Bronze Rank 1 instantly killed a Silver Rank?"

The Soldier checked the report in his hand, confirmed the details, and replied: "That is the information we received!"

The One-Armed Man was still in shock.

He knew Little Wang of the Forest Garrison well and was certain he wouldn't lie about something like this.

After pondering for a moment, the One-Armed Man ordered the Soldier: "Immediately send personnel for reinforcement. Ensure the safe return of all students, especially the student who defeated the Fallen Demon Tamer. We cannot lose such a talent!"

"Yes, sir! Mission guaranteed!"

"Wait, what is that student's name?" asked the One-Armed Man.

"Reporting, Commander! His name is Xie Ning!"