“There’s another one?”
Ling Feng spoke with a solemn tone. “The wind told me. The footsteps are very heavy. Based on what I heard, it is estimated that in one hour, another Commander-rank Mist Wraith will arrive at the Base City.”
“You need to hurry and plan an evacuation. I won’t stay in this Base City forever; I have my own mission to complete.”
“Furthermore, I cannot resolve a Commander-rank Mist Wraith with suspected floating abilities in a short time by myself. Therefore, facing this City-Destroying Gray Mist Tide directly, our chances of winning are slim.”
Ling Feng’s tone gradually turned cold.
Her primary mission was to safely escort Su Aoxue to the 3rd Base City. If she could save others along the way, she would.
But if they reached a point where they could not be saved, she would abandon them without hesitation.
After all, she was a scientific researcher, not a combatant.
“One hour!” Xiong Ye could not help but turn to look at the massive silhouette within the Gray Mist. The hand gripping his war blade trembled slightly.
Mayor Chen stood frozen in place.
He had lost the gamble—completely.
Heaven was not so kind as to let only one Commander-rank Mist Wraith appear. They were ultimately reduced to the fate of abandoning the city and fleeing.
Fortunately, it was not too late. They still had one hour to escape! They could flee toward that abandoned base city!
‘They didn’t attack immediately, seemingly because they sensed my presence.’ Ling Feng, hidden under her Black Cloak, knitted her brows as she looked at the distant silhouette thoughtfully.
She could clearly feel that the Commander-rank Mist Wraith not far away had been watching her.
This puzzled her. How could a Commander-rank Mist Wraith sense her existence through the shielding of the Black Cloak?
‘When did I expose myself?’
Ling Feng recalled the days after she arrived at this Base City. She had indeed hunted several Grey Fog Creatures during that time.
Because she lacked experimental materials, she had not killed them immediately upon capture.
‘Could it have been then? These creatures that are on the verge of possessing a Hive Mind are truly loathsome.’
‘Can they even share memories? Is it because they have evolved again?’ Ling Feng muttered to herself, feeling a wave of disgust.
“We must implement the most extreme plan,” Mayor Chen’s voice suddenly rang out.
He looked at Xiong Ye with a grave expression. “Have all the A-rank Warriors in the Base City come here immediately. We are holding an emergency meeting.”
……
A short while later, except for the three A-rank Warriors sent to protect Shen Yan and the other youths, all remaining A-rank Warriors capable of fighting arrived at the Command Center South of the City.
“The situation is exactly as it stands. In one hour, two Commander-rank Grey Fog Creatures will attack the city.”
“We only have one hour to evacuate. How many people we can move depends entirely on how long we can hold them back.”
“The Base City still has an Energy Self-Destruct Device. It can stall for a while and buy time for the main force to retreat.”
At this point, Chen Xun paused for a moment before continuing, “However, to ensure the Energy Self-Destruct Device successfully hits those two Commander-rank Mist Wraiths, we still need two A-rank Warriors and a certain number of Martial Artists to delay them.”
“Those who participate in this mission to lure the Mist Wraiths will certainly die.”
“Since things have reached this extreme point, those who are willing to stay and defend the city to buy time should remain seated. Everyone else, leave immediately to cover the retreat of the main force!”
“I will give you one minute to think. After one minute, those who are still here will be staying to defend the city by default.”
“Time waits for no one,” Mayor Chen said sternly. He sat in his seat, motionless and steady as a mountain.
As Chen Xun laid everything out, the people in the room looked at one another.
No one seemed particularly eager to be the one to stay, but similarly, no one wanted to be the first to stand up and leave.
Just as the atmosphere reached a stalemate, a middle-aged man suddenly stood. “I still have a family. They need me to provide for them. You know how society is these days… so, I cannot stay here. I’m sorry, everyone.”
Chen Xun did not offer any words of blame. He simply said, “It’s fine. Go. Go protect the main force. Remember, you must protect them well!”
With one person leading the way, many others stood up as well.
“Hey, hey, Old Li, why are you standing up?”
“You’re all alone in the world; you’re leaving too?”
Seeing that almost everyone was about to leave, one person could not help but speak up.
“Just because I’m alone doesn’t mean I can’t leave! What kind of logic is that!” The old man known as Old Li grumbled, expressing his dissatisfaction.
Mayor Chen Xun sighed and said, “Stay, Old Li. We really can’t do this without you.”
Though it sounded like moral kidnapping, if one had to choose a suitable candidate to stay, Old Li—who already had one foot in the grave—was indeed the most appropriate choice.
Thus, Chen Xun spoke up tentatively.
Just as Old Li was about to curse the Mayor, he heard Chen Xun speak again. “I will be staying here too.”
As soon as these words were spoken, not only Old Li but everyone else was shocked.
Meng Fei, the Association President of the Martial Arts Association, looked at Chen Xun and asked in confusion, “You are the Mayor. You’re staying too?”
“What about the decisions that need to be made later?”
“There’s no need. I have already arranged the evacuation plan. As for the aftermath, I’ll have to leave that to all of you.”
“Regarding the decisions… I made many mistakes. I missed the best time for evacuation. Furthermore, this Base City is the place where I was born and raised.”
“I poured my life’s blood into developing this Base City, yet in the end, it still cannot escape the fate of being destroyed.”
“Instead of fleeing in disgrace, I would rather stay here and spend my final hours in this place,” Chen Xun said with a desolate tone.
Before this, Chen Xun had considered evacuating a portion of the people first. However, his selfishness led him to choose to gamble—to gamble that only one Commander-rank Mist Wraith would appear.
Chen Xun had never married. He had dedicated his entire life to the construction of this Base City.
He had developed it from a mere mining base to what it was today; it contained too much of his heart and soul.
If he truly left this city, Chen Xun was afraid he would lose his way and his will to fight.
However, reality was cruel. There were two Commander-rank Mist Wraiths!
He had lost the gamble, and the price of failure was that everyone in the city might lose their lives. For a time, regret and self-reproach filled his heart.
With the last hope shattered, Chen Xun no longer had the desire to live. He only wanted to die with the city.
Chen Xun’s words caused Old Li to fall into silence. Eventually, he sat back down in his chair. “I’ve stayed in this Base City my whole life too. To be honest, I really don’t know what I’d do after leaving.”
Hearing this, Chen Xun smiled at Old Li. “I knew I could count on you, Old Li.”
Finally, another elderly A-rank veteran Warrior chose to stay.
“My children have their own paths to walk. I can’t protect them forever…”
“Don’t leave yet. Wait for me to write a final testament and help me pass it to my son.”
Another old man laughed and patted the person next to him before sitting back down. He flipped open a notebook on the table and began to write.
“Mayor Chen, we have worked together for five years. I find it incredible and incomprehensible how you have dedicated yourself to developing your hometown without wavering for a single moment.”
“I am ashamed to say that I can never reach the level of your spirit and ambition. Take care!”
The Association President spoke with a heavy voice before turning to leave. As an A-rank Warrior transferred from the Core Base City, he could not understand Chen Xun’s choice.
Xiong Ye stared at Chen Xun with reddened eyes. “Old Chen, I said that if a City-Destroying Gray Mist Tide really appeared, I would be the first one at the front.”
“Even though I’m a rough man who only knows how to fight, I know that a gentleman’s word is his bond. The upcoming evacuation plan still needs your leadership.”
“I’ll stay. You go!”
Chen Xun shook his head. “There’s no need. You go and escort the main force as well.”
“No, I—”
Having been rejected, Xiong Ye immediately wanted to say something more, but he was interrupted by Chen Xun again.
“Go. Without this city, I have no desire to live. There is no need for you to stay for me.”
“Moreover, we don’t need so many A-rank Warriors to stay behind. You will be needed to break through later. We can’t waste our effective strength. Hurry up, don’t waste time!”
“And protect the people on the list I gave you. This is an order, understood!”
After Chen Xun finished speaking, he waved his hand, signaling Xiong Ye to leave immediately.
“Chen Xun!” Xiong Ye fought back tears and stepped forward to give Chen Xun a bear hug.
……
The personnel were finally decided: two elderly men, Li Gang and Wang Hai, along with the Mayor, Chen Xun.
In addition, over 100 elderly or unattached Martial Artists also chose to stay behind to create more time for their compatriots to escape.
Their strength ranged from B-rank to C-rank, and they were all staying voluntarily.
At that moment, they were on the city walls using heavy artillery to strike the Grey Fog Creatures below.
The rest of the people were evacuating in an orderly and rapid manner.
Of course, there were also those who were unwilling to stay—the death row prisoners forced to act as cannon fodder.
However, under the pressure of the three A-rank Warriors, they did not dare to harbor any other thoughts.
At least, not for now.
Except…
“Why do I have to stay? What use is it for me to stay here?”
“What evidence do you have that I did it? Why do you think I was the one who lured the Gray Mist Tide here!”
“I don’t want to be here! I want to leave! I want to live! I finally got so much money and a chance to leave the Base City—why are you keeping me here!”
A voice kept shouting.
The owner of the voice was Zhao Jun. After verifying actual evidence that he had betrayed and harmed his teammates, Xiong Ye had immediately ordered men to find him.
Zhao Jun was a notorious scoundrel, and Xiong Ye’s men hadn’t needed much time to capture him.
Before leaving, Xiong Ye had handed this team of death row prisoners over to Chen Xun.
“Be quiet. I’ve heard about your deeds,” Chen Xun said coldly. “Staying here with me can be considered a worthy death. Think of it as atonement.”