31: Chapter 31 Iron Wall and Sharp Knife

Teacher Qin Bing's single strike stunned the entire scene, but the silence it brought couldn't even last for a second.

"Roar—!"

"Hiss!"

A foul wind poured in fiercely from both the left and right flanks, and the roars, even more savage than before, violently dragged everyone back to reality from their shock!

The crisis hadn't been averted; instead, it had become even more lethal!

"Seven on the left! Nine on the right! They're charging!"

Mu Waner's voice was sharp with fear, and the data stream in her pupils scrolled frantically, accurately reporting the monsters' movements.

"Come and get it!"

On the left, Jiang Ning bore the brunt of the assault.

Facing the seven Mist-Hiding Beasts with crimson eyes, not only was there no fear on her face, but she was instead stirred by an almost crazed fighting spirit.

Teacher Qin Bing's strength was like a whip, lashing fiercely at her pride.

Why?

She was the sharpest blade under Fang Che's command!

A sense of power, far exceeding what she felt before, surged from the invisible buffs brought about by Fang Che's level-up, filling every fiber of her being.

Retreat?

That word didn't exist in Jiang Ning's dictionary!

Instead of retreating, she advanced. With a thunderous stomp of her right foot on the metal floor, she launched herself like a cannonball, actively crashing headlong into those seven monsters!

Squelch!

The leading Mist-Hiding Beast leaped into the air, its sharp claws aiming straight for Jiang Ning's throat.

Without even looking, Jiang Ning ducked sharply, sliding out across the cold floor.

The standard-issue katana in her hand swung from bottom to top, carving a bloody arc through the air.

The blade sliced precisely through the monster's soft abdomen without the slightest resistance.

The monster was severed in two mid-air, its entrails and green blood splattering the ground.

A one-hit kill!

But this was only the beginning!

Jiang Ning's figure had completely transformed into a whirlwind of blood.

Clang!

She parried the sharp claws of two monsters with her single blade, sending sparks flying. Clenching her left fist, her muscles bulging, she slammed a punch into the side of another monster's face.

"Crack!"

The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible.

Borrowing the force of the recoil, she spun around, her long blade leaving behind a blur as she decapitated a Mist-Hiding Beast that was sneaking up on her from behind!

Blood, shredded meat, severed limbs!

With her at the center, a three-meter radius had become a meat grinder!

Unlike the frenzied slaughter on the left flank, the right flank battlefield presented a different scene.

"Hold the line! Keep your shields steady!"

Su Qingxue's calm voice became the backbone for the five female college students.

Facing nine monsters, they were under even greater pressure than Jiang Ning. Their faces were pale, and their hands holding the weapons were shaking violently.

Ordering them to charge in and hack away would be tantamount to suicide.

Yet, Su Qingxue displayed astonishing command ability.

"Chen Yao! Wang Li! Use your makeshift shields to hold the front line! Remember, your task is just to block!"

The shields she referred to were crude things made of hardback books tied together.

"Roar!"

Two Mist-Hiding Beasts lunged at Chen Yao and Wang Li, who were in the front.

"Ah!"

Chen Yao was so scared she closed her eyes, but her survival instinct made her protect herself with all her might.

Bang!

The huge impact made her take a step back, but the excruciating pain she expected didn't come. [Low-Grade Fiber Armor] absorbed most of the impact, and the monster's claws only left a few deep gouges on the shield.

We blocked it!

We... we blocked it!

Huge joy erupted in Chen Yao and Wang Li's eyes.

"Now!" Su Qingxue's voice rang out. "Li Yue! Zhang Qi! Zhao Min! Thrust through the gaps in the shields!"

The three girls, who had been waiting behind the shields, perked up and instinctively thrust the sharp standard-issue short spears in their hands through the gaps with all their might!

"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!"

Three muffled thuds!

The two lunging Mist-Hiding Beasts were instantly impaled by the three short spears, pinned firmly in place.

"Pull them out! Thrust again!"

Su Qingxue ordered calmly.

Under her command, the girls on the right flank nervously but orderly resisted and injured the enemies time and time again.

The entire battlefield was eerily balanced.

Teacher Qin Bing held the center, her mental power deterring the front.

On the left flank, Jiang Ning became a sharp blade, slaughtering crazily.

On the right flank, Su Qingxue stood like an iron wall, building a defensive line.

And Fang Che stood at the center of the battlefield, the safest position.

But he wasn't just watching the show.

In his hand, he now held a delicately crafted military crossbow, though no one knew when he had acquired it.

His gaze swept calmly across the entire battlefield, taking in every detail. He wasn't just watching; he was analyzing and calculating.

Jiang Ning's blade was fast, but too forceful, and her technique had become chaotic. If this continued, openings would appear when her strength gave out.

Sure enough.

On the left flank, Jiang Ning slashed open a Mist-Hiding Beast, but she used too much force, causing her to freeze for a split second.

Now!

Another Mist-Hiding Beast seized this lethal opportunity and lunged toward her back from an extremely tricky angle!

Jiang Ning had noticed, but it was already too late to change her move!

Just at this critical moment.

Swish!

A crossbow bolt tore through the air, whistling precisely past Jiang Ning's ear and striking the Mist-Hiding Beast squarely in the eye socket!

This shot was Fang Che calculating the timing perfectly, an active intervention in the battle!

Almost at the same time the bolt was fired, a rainbow-colored light, visible only to Fang Che, flashed before his eyes!

[Talent: Absolute Critical Hit has been triggered!]

[Critical Hit Multiplier: ×3!]

[Your attack will deal 3x Critical Hit damage!]

The faint power attached to the crossbow bolt was instantly detonated under the talent's bonus!

Boom!

The Mist-Hiding Beast's entire head, like a watermelon smashed by a heavy hammer, exploded into a cloud of green blood mist!

Warm liquid splattered all over Jiang Ning's neck.

She turned back in disbelief, locking eyes with Fang Che.

He just nodded slightly at her and raised the crossbow again.

Fang Che wasn't just an insurance policy.

He was the operator of the battlefield.

And the moment he took action and completed this kill—

Boom!

It was as if a switch had been flipped. The experience points intercepted and amplified by the [Absolute Critical Hit] talent after Teacher Qin Bing, Jiang Ning, and the others killed monsters, now surged into his body like a dam bursting!

[You gained 40 EXP!]

[You gained 25 EXP!]

[You gained 60 EXP!]

[You gained 15 EXP!]

[You gained ... EXP!]

A series of system notifications scrolled frantically across his vision!

A torrent of energy, even larger and hotter than the previous two level-ups combined, erupted within him!

Boom!!!

An unprecedented, thick, and dazzling golden pillar of light shot up from Fang Che, piercing the sky!

The pillar of light violently tore through the thick pink fog above the bus, shooting straight into the clouds!

[System Notification: Congratulations, you have leveled up to LV4. All attributes +5!]

The battle ended fifteen minutes later.

When the last Mist-Hiding Beast's head was crushed under the foot of the blood-soaked Jiang Ning, the world finally went quiet.

On the battlefield, only the sound of heavy, ragged breathing remained.

Teacher Qin Bing leaned against the carriage, her face pale.

Su Qingxue and the girls she led were almost collapsed on the ground, but looking at the weapons stained with green blood in their hands, the light of growth flickered in their eyes.

Jiang Ning leaned on her blade, kneeling on one knee, sweat and blood mixed together, but a joyful smile spread across her lips.

They had won.

Facing the siege of over thirty monsters, they had all survived, not a single one lost.

Inside and outside the carriage, two different worlds.

Fang Che calmly put away the crossbow; the sense of fulfillment brought by another +5 to all attributes made him feel incredibly clear-headed.

His gaze fell upon the mountain of over thirty Mist-Hiding Beast corpses.

Under the gazes of everyone—some exhausted, some excited, some filled with admiration—he slowly took a step and walked toward that bloody "treasure."

Everyone involuntarily held their breath.

The exhaustion of the battle seemed to vanish in this moment. Everyone's heart began to beat violently and uncontrollably.

Fang Che looked at the corpses littering the ground, with only one thought in his mind.

Thirty-some corpses... I wonder what good things they'll drop.

If I could get a hundredfold Critical Hit here too... that would be interesting.