At the sound of a familiar voice, Ye Xinxia felt like she was dreaming. Just a moment ago, she had been utterly alone, feeling the depths of isolation. But in the next moment, Mo Fan stood before her!
"Brother Mo Fan?" Ye Xinxia's voice was so faint it was barely audible, tinged with disbelief.
People often say that before dying, one experiences illusions, and Ye Xinxia feared that this was her last glimpse of happiness, like the little match girl seeing her final vision in the glow of a dying flame. But when Mo Fan rushed over and embraced her tightly, the feeling of being held close was real, tangible.
"Brother Mo Fan, I thought I would never... never see you again," Ye Xinxia whispered, her heart melting. Her frail arms instinctively tightened around his neck, unwilling to let go, as if wanting to merge into the warmth of his body.
"How could I ever leave you behind?" Mo Fan reassured her.
Ye Xinxia didn't respond but hugged him even tighter.
In this moment, she knew—this was real. The world might abandon her, but Mo Fan wouldn't.
"Um... excuse me, I know it's touching to reunite like this, but we're still in danger here." the girl who had been with them spoke up, her face flushed. She reminded them that the peril hadn't passed.
She was mostly worried that they wouldn't catch up with the others.
Just the three of them? They would probably get torn apart by the monsters outside!
Ye Xinxia, hearing the girl's voice, realized there were others present and felt embarrassed.
"Let's go." Mo Fan said, lifting Ye Xinxia into his arms in a princess carry and motioning to the girl to follow.
"Okay."
As they left the room, the girl instinctively started heading toward the underground passage, but Mo Fan stopped her. "This way."
"Huh?"
The girl looked toward the direction Mo Fan indicated, which led upstairs instead of underground.
Wait, was this guy really this brave?
"Trust me, follow me, and I'll get you safely to the safety zone. Besides, Colossal-Eyed Ape Rats excel at digging tunnels. Going underground is the worst choice," Mo Fan explained.
The girl hesitated and then asked, "But what about the others?"
"They won't make it. Let's go."
The girl seemed like she wanted to argue but ultimately chose to trust Mo Fan. After all, he had come from above, not below.
As they stepped outside, both the girl and Ye Xinxia trembled with fear at the sight before them—Mo Fan's wolf beast.
"This is my summoned beast." Mo Fan explained.
Upon hearing that the terrifying creature was a summoned beast, the girl gasped in astonishment. "Oh my god, you're a summoner mage!"
In that moment, she too felt a glimmer of hope for survival.
Mo Fan nodded, placing Ye Xinxia on the wolf and helping the girl climb on as well.
In Mo Fan's arms, Ye Xinxia looked up at him, her voice soft with awe, "Brother Mo Fan, when did you become a summoner mage?"
"I'll tell you later." Mo Fan whispered in her ear.
"Mm." Ye Xinxia made a quiet sound, blushing from the closeness. Mo Fan's affectionate tone always made her shy, especially with others around.
With Xinxia and the girl safely in tow, Mo Fan led them away from danger.
However, on their way back to the secure zone, they encountered a group of people—members of the city's demon-hunting team and a few elite mages.
When the group saw Mo Fan riding his wolf beast, they were startled. The first to recognize him was Cai Tang, who, despite her earlier dislike for him, couldn't deny his strength after witnessing his duel with Yu An.
"Mo Fan!" Cai Tang called out.
Although Cai Tang had previously been quite annoyed with Mo Fan, after his duel with Yu An, that annoyance had largely faded. After all, the guy was a natural double-element mage who had achieved Level 3 mastery in both elements after only three years of practice. She no longer had the standing to be upset with him.
"Sister Cai Tang." Ye Xinxia also softly greeted her when she recognized the familiar face.
Xinxia had become familiar with the women of the Mu family manor, where she had lived for some time. But after Mo Fan had taken Mu Ningxue to elope, they had been kicked out by Mu Zhuoyun.
Seeing Xinxia and the other girl, Cai Tang understood why Mo Fan was here—he had come to save them.
The rest of the group also recognized Mo Fan. His brief but explosive duel with Yu An was still fresh in their memories.
The group leader, Officer Cheng, greeted Mo Fan, introducing himself and explaining their mission. He asked if Mo Fan would be willing to help.
With Mo Fan's summoning powers, they had a much higher chance of success.
"Alright." Mo Fan agreed without hesitation. Not only had he secretly taken the Underground Holy Spring for himself, but this was also his hometown. If he didn't do something, he would feel guilty.
He also understood that if they couldn't destroy the demon's entrance, the wolves and rats would continue flooding into the city. As for Xinxia and the other girl, he left them in a nearby building, confident that with his Wolf Beast, they wouldn't be in much danger.
Though Xinxia was worried about Mo Fan, she didn't stop him. She understood this was his duty as a mage.
With Mo Fan on their team, the group's confidence soared. None of them expected they would end up working with him again in such circumstances.
This time, the mission was to destroy the demon entrance, and leading the team were Hunter Captain Xu Dahuang (a fire mage), Li Wenjie (a wind mage), Fatty Shi (an earth mage), Cai Tang (an ice mage), along with Luo Yunbo, Pan Lijun, and another mid-level mage from the defense squad.
Cai Tang looked at Mo Fan and said, "If we make it back alive this time, we can forget all our past grudges."
It was clear that even she was nervous and scared.
Mo Fan teased, "I thought you'd ask me to watch your performance one more time."
"You—" Cai Tang was speechless. She shouldn't have talked to this troublemaker at all!
But she couldn't help feeling some admiration for him. Faced with the dangerous demon entrance ahead, with countless monsters likely guarding it, he still managed to stay so calm.
It was a psychological resilience none of them possessed.
Soon, they arrived at the Mingwen Middle School.
Sure enough, as they neared the location, dozens of demon wolves and Colossal-eyed rats could be seen prowling the area, searching for any trace of humans.
As soon as the creatures spotted the team, they surged toward them.
"Damn it, there are so many!" Officer Cheng's face paled at the sight of the horde.
But the demon's entrance was just ahead—they had no choice but to push through!
"Fiery Fist: Exploding Heavens!"
Mo Fan swiftly completed his star chart, unleashing a massive azure blazing fist that tore through the incoming horde of monsters.
"Boom!!"
(End of Chapter)