6 pm. Yang Tian dragged himself back to the little five-story building, feeling exhausted.
Drago, on the other hand, was full of energy, sitting on Yang Tian's shoulder with big wide eyes, staring at the two plastic bags he pulled out from his trunk that was full of fresh meat.
Inside the bags were meat Yang Tian obtained from a Silver Boar that he killed in a chance encounter when he was practicing.
Unfortunately, the Silver Boar was a low-level Monster below Grade One so it did not have a Beast Core inside its head.
Back at the building, Yang Tian fought hard with his tiredness as he cut the boar meat into tiny cubes, spread some seasoning on it, and skewered them with an iron stick. Once they were grilled, he fed Drago.
Yang Tian did not understand why this little creature loved eating grilled meat so much. He was already bored of it after eating them for two days straight and felt that it was not as good, but Drago did not seem to lose interest at all.
After feeding the little green dragon and taking a shower, Yang Tian told him to be more alert at night. He then held his saber against his chest and fell asleep within minutes.
He was not sure how much time had passed when he heard squeaks and a long, low rumble. He opened his eyes wide and alert.
Yang Tian saw Drago, who was crouching on the headboard, listening to the rumble from outside that reminded him of a stampede of running horses. He was stunned and threw himself off the bed. He put on his clothes and went to the window with his saber, carefully drawing the curtains open and looking outside.
It was a night with a bright silver moon so everything outside could be seen rather clearly. Yang Tian saw a huge number of Monsters under the moonlight, running through the streets outside headed toward Tianxiong City.
Monster Wave!
These two words flashed in Yang Tian's mind.
It had been almost a hundred years since the YS outbreak occurred, but in the decades since humans started living in the Secured Area, there would be a Monster Wave every once in a while.
It was a phenomenon where a gigantic group of Monsters attacked human cities. There was usually one small wave every three or four years, and a big one every ten years.
Watching the various kinds of Monsters racing on the streets outside, Yang Tian's head felt numb—there were so many of them, even a high-class Warrior may be drowned by them!
The reason Monster Waves occurred had long been known by humans.
Higher grade Monsters were as smart as humans, and they saw humans as their nemesis. Other than that, the Monsters' reproduction rate was very high so there would be cases of an overpopulation of Monsters every few years. To make sure that their territories were safe from chaos, the Higher Grade Monsters would manipulate large groups of lower graders to launch suicide campaigns on human cities.
It not only helped keep the number of Low-Grade Monsters in control, they also used this opportunity to lower the humans resources—this strategy was akin to killing two birds with one stone.
The launch of a Monster Wave was lightning-swift and usually only gave humans a mere few hours to prepare. As orders were handed down in Monster territories, numerous Monsters would gather within one to two hours and rush toward human cities!
After glancing out the window, Yang Tian carefully lowered his window curtain and clutched onto his saber. He sat cross-legged under the window and waited quietly. It was not the time to confront them; to be surrounded by that number of Monsters could only mean death.
Huangqiu City was only 50 kilometers from Tianxiong City. When the Monsters arrived, people in the High Alert Area were most likely retreating into the city. The people in the city would use their hundred-meter high wall as a shield, and launch a counterattack against the Monsters.
The reason humans could be aware of and be prepared for a Monster Wave ahead of time was that there were space satellites they could rely on that watched the Monsters' every move. It was not easy to see when they were scattered, but as they gathered, the satellite display would show a moving red patch.
Every Monster Wave was an opportunity for the Warriors to earn a fortune and show off their skills!
Human cities were extremely sturdy. When the Monsters came from under the wall, the high energy weapons on top would lash them with destructive attacks.
When the Monsters were dispersed, it would be a party for the Warriors! They would take the chance to flock out of the city to hunt and collect a handsome number of Beast Cores.
The pack of low-grade Monsters running outside had not noticed Yang Tian's presence as they were most probably being rushed by the higher grade Monsters from behind. The only thing in their minds was to reach the city wall.
Yang Tian kept clutching onto his blade, and lightly shut his eyes to wait for the Monsters to pass. Then, it would be his chance!
The passing of time felt extremely slow during the wait, and Yang Tian would raise his wrist to check the time every now and then.
When Yang Tian was awakened by Drago, it was around 3 am. The Monsters left Huangqiu City after half an hour.
Still, Yang Tian did not make a move.
…
Under the moonlight, the tents outside of Tianxiong City had all but disappeared. Under the hundred-meter city wall were piles of garbage left behind. Those who dwelled in the High Alert Area were all let in behind the wall to seek shelter from this wave of Monsters.
Capacity was limited in a city. To protect the well-being of the majority, some people would have to be sacrificed. There was always a group of people like that outside every city. They were mostly people who were wandering after the YS outbreak and gathered around the city when they found one.
Some, however, were those who broke the law in the city and exiled. There were also those, like Yang Tian, who were qualified to live in the city but refused to accept the life they had. They left the city to embark on adventures and training, hoping that they would become strong one day.
Within a few decades, those who lived outside gave birth to their offsprings, and they grew in numbers—enough to be compared with those living behind the city wall.
With a population that large, if it were a different time, they could have taken over the entire city with just one rebellion. However, it was an age where Monsters were rampant; an age where the Warriors ruled. These people were a vulnerable group, and they had no basis to rebel so they could only rely on the city to live on.
As for the people in the city, people on the outside were also the providers of fresh produce that they ate while the city provided them with medicines and weapons.
When Monster Waves occurred, city management allowed them to seek shelter in the city. However, they were definitely not allowed to stay in there for too long to avoid disorder.
The city people had their very own perspective toward systems. The city was safe, and most people possessed a clear sense of obedience to the law. On the other hand, those outside the city were folks with a strong emphasis on strength and power. They could kill a person simply over a verbal argument.
Ten odd minutes after Yang Tian woke up, the Monsters were closing in on Tianxiong City.
This was a small scale attack, and it occurred on the East side of Tianxiong City. From the looks of the satellite display, there were an estimated few million Monsters. Shots started to go off before they got close to the wall.
Laser cannons babbling, regular speed fire bombers booming, high powered automatic weapons clicking away, and electric grenades exploded with sizzles. All these different noises disrupted the quiet night.
Laser, electro-optic light, and fire lit up the dark sky. Even though he was 50 kilometers away, these lights could still shine through the window, flickering on Yang Tian's face.
Outside Tianxiong City, packs of low-grade Monsters braved bullets and explosions to charge toward the wall. They charged with extreme speed, and after losing only a small number, they reached the wall.
The wall did not form a 90-degree angle with the ground—it was pointed outward. Monsters had to rely on their sharp claws to climb up.
Even if they reached the top, there were still large-caliber machine guns that shoot horizontally, on top of high voltage fences.
The attack started at around 3 am, and yet, by 7 am, it was still ongoing. This was out of Tianxiong City management's expectations.
From the decades of experience dealing with Monster Waves, attacks would usually last an hour or so. Monsters would usually disperse and leave after a small number of them were killed.
However, this attack had been going on for more than three hours, and the low-grade Monsters were still attacking in a suicidal manner. Many of them had gone up the wall.
Although they would be electrocuted by the fences, or get shot at by the large-caliber guns, if the attack persisted, the Monsters would very likely get behind the wall and cause tremendous harm to the citizens.