A young man's breath escaped his lips in a heavy sigh as he gazed out at the encroaching group of black-scaled monsters outside the Cloud City store. Despair etched deep lines into his face, mirroring the hopelessness of their situation.
Above the Yuncheng store, the sky exhibited increasingly prominent signs of impending doom. Blood-colored cracks marred the heavens, growing more vivid with each passing moment, as if on the verge of rupturing and unleashing a deluge of crimson.
The black-scaled monsters had now surrounded the Yuncheng store from all sides. While they maintained a distance of several hundred meters, their menacing silhouettes cast eerie shadows amidst the buildings. The nearest of the creatures lurked a mere dozen meters away, yet they exhibited no haste in launching an attack. Instead, they left a gap, herding a multitude of bewildered survivors into the trap of their encirclement.
The young man, Joe, too, had been driven into this perilous situation. Initially, he had fled alongside a group of survivors, only to encounter a horde of black-scaled monsters. In a desperate bid to escape, his girlfriend had abandoned him and vanished, leaving him to seek refuge with another group of survivors. Together, they had been herded into this dire predicament, where their identities as gifted individuals were swiftly discovered by the military, who promptly enlisted them as a fighting force.
Su Wenhao had promised them safety within the confines of the Yuncheng store, assuring them that the military would come to their aid. However, the current circumstances hinted at a grave deviation from their expectations. The monsters seemed to be preparing for something sinister, and with just over 30 soldiers stationed outside, defending their position was an insurmountable task. The elongated shadows of numerous gaunt apparitions had even infiltrated the Cloud City store, scurrying towards the rooftop for reasons unknown. The limited number of troops and the inadequately manned entrances leading to the underground floor posed insurmountable challenges.
Moments ago, under the steadily brightening crimson sky, five black-scaled monsters had launched a sudden assault. Despite their attempts to intercept, the military suffered six or seven casualties on the spot. One gifted individual perished, another sustained severe injuries, and only Joe managed to escape unscathed, thanks to his long-range capabilities.
Of the five monsters, three had breached the ground floor, their agonizing screams reverberating throughout the Yuncheng store. Defending their position was an exercise in futility. The sheer quantity of monsters displayed unmistakable signs of organization, while the human side remained a scattered assemblage of remnants, prodigal infantry, and a meager presence of four sporadic military off-road vehicles. Though they currently managed to hold their ground to some extent, the approaching horde of hundreds of black-scaled monsters spelled certain doom.
Despite Qiao Zheng's typically courageous self, in this particular instance, despair and powerlessness consumed him. No matter how valiantly he fought, hope remained an intangible notion, forever out of reach. Just moments ago, a reputedly talented individual with a D-level prowess—a formidable combatant capable of single-handedly vanquishing the elongated apparitions—had met a tragic end, flanked and torn apart by two relentless black-scaled monsters.
This was no ordinary battle; it was a ruthless hunt, a merciless massacre.
Human beings had been reduced to mere lambs awaiting their inevitable slaughter. Curiously, the black-scaled monsters hesitated, inexplicably holding back instead of launching a full-on assault.
The awakening of his own talents, once a source of pride, now proved futile in saving his life, serving only to fuel a sense of superiority amongst ordinary individuals.
A somber atmosphere settled, punctuated by the distant screams. Even the sporadic military soldiers stationed outside grew pale and anxious, their trembling hands clutching rifles, unable to venture forth and aid their besieged comrades. They remained on high alert, steadfastly fending off the encroaching monsters.
Qiao couldn't help but notice a young soldier standing beside him, his grip on the rifle betraying a slight tremor. Silent sighs echoed within Qiao's heart as he suddenly recalled his girlfriend's abandonment. Disappointment and sorrow washed over him, mingling with poignant thoughts. And then, a memory surfaced—a conversation with a fellow survivor who claimed to have slain six of the lanky apparitions.
Would that person be more effective in facing this dire situation than Qiao himself? Could they truly become a significant asset to the military?
No...
Though that individual had indeed dispatched a severely wounded black-scaled monster, they were still only human. In this predicament, their fate would ultimately succumb to the same tragic end. The only difference lay in the timing of their demise.
Damn those monsters...
Yet, in this very moment, Qiao couldn't fathom why, but the distant cacophony of screams within the Cloud City store began to morph into a flurry of commotion. Within moments, he discerned that the clamor originated from a group of soldier's assistants near the parking lot exit on the store's second floor.
Eyes fixated, Qiao watched as two black-scaled monsters charged in that direction, unleashing guttural cries and shattering the confines of their encirclement. Like sinister bolts of darkness, they streaked through the inferno-lit Yuncheng sales floor, hurtling towards the second-floor underground parking lot exit with an unrelenting force.
The warriors stationed there paled in terror, vowing to hold their ground, unleashing a torrent of furious gunfire. Yet, their rifle bullets proved powerless to halt the advance of these two formidable monsters. The projectiles merely scraped against their impenetrable black scales, igniting showers of sparks. In a heartbeat, the two black-scaled monstrosities surged forward, undeterred, nearing the entrance of the underground parking lot on the second floor.
The five groups of fighters were now in imminent peril.
Qiao Zheng's countenance shifted, his determination solidifying as he swiftly readied himself for action. The prospect of sitting idly, awaiting death, did not seem appealing to him. He refused to let his life slip away in passivity. If he were to perish, it would be side by side with these soldiers, ensuring that his talents were not in vain.
Yet, before he could reinforce the soldiers in his direction and bolster their firepower, an astonishing sight unfolded before their eyes. From the second-floor exit, behind the soldiers, an ominous figure materialized. Moving with a terrifying swiftness rivaling that of the black-scaled monsters, it confronted them head-on.
In a thunderous clash, the monstrous figure forcefully collided with one of the elongated apparitions, overpowering the black-scaled monster with immense strength. It wrestled with the creature, struggling fiercely against its relentless assault.
But the spectacle did not end there. Following closely behind the monster-like figure emerged a second figure, adorned in streamlined black armor. Their movements were even more awe-inspiring, their swift traverse mere inches above the ground. They swiftly closed in on the subdued black-scaled monster, effortlessly brandishing a pitch-black long knife. The blade ignited with flame-like light, pulsating with a life of its own before descending with a swift and decisive slash.
In an instant, the head of the black-scaled monster was severed, its life extinguished in a single stroke. The other black-scaled monster froze momentarily, halted in its tracks before it could react.
The streamlined figure in the battle suit paid no mind to the fallen corpse, immediately redirecting their attention to the remaining black-scaled monster. With fierce determination and unparalleled efficiency, they swiftly struck at the creature's neck.
Such a ferocious and efficient display of beheading a black-scaled monster, executed in a near hand-to-hand combat style, left the defenders of Yuncheng Store's outer ring in a state of stunned disbelief.
A singular thought echoed through the minds of countless soldiers: Who were these two formidable figures?
Only Qiao Zheng, fixated on the flowing fire that danced upon the blade in the streamlined figure's hand, was struck with a profound realization. His voice trembled as he uttered, "I see... It's him!"
At that moment, the intermittent signals from Deputy Battalion Commander Su, transmitted through the severely disrupted communication equipment, were long overdue.
"The two... on our side... the gifted..."
"Prepare to... break through..."