36: Li Zezhong stepped forward

“Gun Gun!” It responded in a milky voice.

Then, it quickly retracted the bamboo, its small paws fiercely pushing off the leader’s tusks, using the force to spring outwards and fly towards Mo Yan.

Awoo!!!

The Leader Sandworm’s mouth snapped shut, emitting a deafening crunch.

Not biting Gun Gun pushed its fury to its peak.

As Gun Gun flew towards him, Mo Yan quickly extended his hand, catching the rapidly falling little guy and holding him tightly in his arms.

Gun Gun hugged his neck tightly, rubbing his small head against his chest, filled with the lingering fear and grievance of surviving a disaster:

“Gun Gun… will protect Mo Yan.”

“I know, good job, Gun Gun!” Mo Yan tightened his arm, wanting to knead Gun Gun into his embrace; his heart felt as if it had been fiercely squeezed, both sore and swollen.

In that instant, if he had been even a little slower, this little guy would have been gone!

Gun Gun truly regarded him as someone worth protecting at all costs.

But now was not the time for sentiment.

The leader’s killing intent had already locked onto him.

“Go!” Mo Yan growled, forcefully suppressing his surging emotions, and turned around with Gun Gun in his arms, moving quickly towards the territory, dodging the sandworms that could emerge from beneath his feet at any moment.

With a thought, he quickly retrieved five or six fist-sized, lustrous Qi stones from his innate space, which appeared in his hand.

He directly stuffed three into Gun Gun’s arms, his voice urgent: “Quick, absorb them, restore your spiritual power!”

He also grabbed a Qi stone to absorb, sprinting without a moment’s pause.

Pure energy surged into his body through his palm, and Mo Yan forced himself to concentrate.

He remained vigilant of the Leader Sandworm’s movements behind him while guiding the Qi stone energy to circulate rapidly, replenishing his dried-up spiritual sea.

Gun Gun nodded vigorously, holding the Qi stones with its small paws and closing its eyes.

It focused intently on absorbing the energy from the Qi stones, with subtle white light streams continuously seeping into its body.

One person and one bear rapidly weaved through the chaotic battlefield, with the earth-shattering roar of the Leader Sandworm, caused by intense pain and fury, echoing behind them.

Mo Yan knew very well that they had to restore their strength as much as possible before the leader recovered, otherwise, neither of them would survive.

Just as he was completely entangled by the Leader Sandworm and unable to fend for himself, Li Zezhong’s anxious and hoarse roar pierced through the clamor of the battlefield and reached him.

“The right flank is breached!”

The corner of Mo Yan’s eye quickly glanced towards the right flank.

He saw that Li Zezhong’s defensive line had completely collapsed under the frantic assault of the mutated sandworms, which spewed corrosive liquid, and the continuously emerging burrowing sandworms.

Beneath the broken wooden wall, his Soldiers were engaged in an incomparably brutal battle with the sandworms that had rushed into the territory.

The shouts of killing, screams, and the hissing of sandworms mingled together, and blood stained the ground.

And he himself was entangled by this terrifying leader, completely unable to break free, let alone provide support!

At the same time, Li Zezhong, standing on the battlements, watched his Soldiers fall one by one, and saw Mo Yan and the panda being suppressed by the Leader Sandworm, constantly in peril and likely to perish at any moment.

A flicker of pain and unwillingness crossed his dark face, covered in dust and bloodstains.

Finally, a look of grim determination flashed in his eyes.

Cannot retreat!

Nor can he stand by and watch this young man, who possessed boundless potential and was also a Dragon Countryman, die here!

He was a Soldier; even if he had retired, his military spirit remained!

Protecting his compatriots and defending his homeland, this was a duty ingrained in his bones!

Li Zezhong gritted his teeth, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over the few remaining Soldiers beside him, and he roared hoarsely:

“First squad, follow me! Create an opportunity for Brother Mo Yan, hold back that beast!”

“Sir, this… this is too dangerous, you cannot go!” An old Soldier with a severed left arm beside him changed his expression and tried to dissuade him.

They had all witnessed the leader’s terror; it was simply not something they could contend with at their level. Going up would just be throwing their lives away!

“Execute the order!” Li Zezhong’s voice suddenly rose, carrying a unique military authority and decisiveness.

His sharp gaze swept over the massive, ferocious Leader Sandworm that was pursuing Mo Yan.

He tightened his grip on the heavy saber, its blade already chipped and stained with blood.

He was the first to flip over and jump down from the damaged battlements, running towards the leader.

The remaining seven or eight experienced old Soldiers who had followed him through life and death looked at each other.

They saw the fleeting fear deep in each other’s eyes, but it was quickly erased by a mysterious force.

Their eyes now held only the unwavering resolve of those who defied death.

They were Soldiers; obeying orders was their duty.

At this moment, they followed their lord, heading to the Yellow Springs together!

“Roar Ah—!”

“Fight to the death, no retreat!”

“Fight to the bitter end, follow the Lord!”

The old Soldiers let out their final roars, leaped down from the wall, and closely followed Li Zezhong.

“Kill—!”

Li Zezhong was the first to rush to the leader’s side, roaring as he brought his saber down on its grayish-brown carapace.

Clang!

Sparks flew, leaving only a shallow white mark.

The other Soldiers’ spears also thrust out with all their might, with several thuds, the spear tips struck the carapace, similarly unable to break through its defense.

But this wave of fearless harassment successfully temporarily drew its attention away from Mo Yan.

The Leader Sandworm suddenly let out a silent hiss, and its massive body abruptly swung!

Its tail, like a steel whip, swept across with a terrifying whooshing sound!

A huge shadow instantly enveloped these few Soldiers.

“Scatter!” Li Zezhong’s eyes were bloodshot with fury as he roared hoarsely.

He reacted the quickest, desperately rolling backward, trying to evade this fatal blow.

But he was still a step too slow, grazed by the edge of the tail. His combat uniform was torn, and intense pain shot through his entire right arm and shoulder.

A deep, bone-visible wound appeared, and blood gushed out like an open faucet!

Thump! Thump!

Two old Soldiers who failed to dodge in time were directly swept by the giant tail before they could even scream.

Their bodies flew out rapidly, crashing into the collapsed wall and rubble, and fell silent.

Another Soldier was swept in the leg, the sound of shattering bones clearly audible. He fell to the ground, clutching his deformed, broken leg, rolling and wailing in agony.

The leader’s attack did not stop; its huge head turned towards these ants who dared to harass it, emitting a cold killing intent.

“Damn it!” Li Zezhong endured the sharp pain in his right arm and the dizziness from blood loss, using his still-functional left hand to firmly support himself on the ground.

His right hand still tightly gripped the saber, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the slowly approaching leader, without the slightest hint of retreat or fear.

As long as he could distract it, as long as he could give that young man…

Mo Yan, even a momentary chance…

Then it was worth it!

Mo Yan, carrying Gun Gun, turned back abruptly during his desperate escape, just in time to see Li Zezhong and his old Soldiers charging at the leader, being swept by the giant tail, and dying tragically in a bloody mess.

He witnessed the entire process unfold before his eyes!

An indescribable complex emotion instantly overwhelmed his composure.

Li Zezhong!

And those Soldiers whose names he didn't even know!

They were… covering for him?!

Using their own lives to buy him time!

Heavy guilt and killing intent churned in his chest simultaneously.