A familiar figure stepped through the deep blue flames and appeared in his line of sight. Huo Yin’s heart tightened, time seemed to slow down, yet his physical reactions grew unnaturally agile.
The instant his feet touched the ground, he pivoted and leaped into the air, dodging the high-splattering magma. Trolling the controlled elemental beast along with him, he shot rapidly toward Yuan Chu’s position.
Just as his strength was about to give out, Huo Yin waved his hand to condense earth elements once more. Yuan Chu synchronized with him almost instantly, helping him turn the virtual earth elements into reality.
A wave of fire rushed toward them. Huo Yin landed heavily by her side, crushing the ground beneath his feet into fine debris.
Before he could even turn around, Huo Yin thrust one hand out in front of Yuan Chu, constructing a shimmering, rippling wall of water.
Yuan Chu spread her arms, and the water wall, originally only 2x2 meters, instantly expanded threefold, blocking the sweeping blue flames and drawing the three others who had rushed over into the protective circle as well.
Huo Yin’s eyes flickered, his gaze toward Yuan Chu shining like bright stars. So her ability is buffing her allies! (Yuan Chu: It’s really not...)
The imminent threat of death vanished in an instant, replaced by trust and peace of mind. Huo Yin’s battle intent surged. With no more worries holding him back, he fought with everything he had against the elemental beast, which was already at the end of its tether.
With every skill he unleashed, Yuan Chu synchronized with him flawlessly, her buffs landing at the exact right moment. This feeling of having someone at his back was simply incredible, like gaining a pair of wings, untamed and exhilarating. Despite the unbearable burning pain on his body, Huo Yin fought with increasing vigor.
Without needing any help from Tali and the others, Huo Yin had already successfully slain the elemental beast right before their dumbfounded eyes, obtaining a rare Fire Element Source Core.
As he integrated the source core into his body, the blue flames clinging to his wounds extinguished one after another. Steam billowed off Huo Yin, and his messy hair fluttered lightly, casting off tiny sparks.
He looked insanely handsome. However, in the very next second, his footsteps faltered, and he slumped heavily onto Yuan Chu, saying weakly, "Xiao Chu, my legs have gone soft..."
Yuan Chu: ...
Feng Chenxiu & Su Mo & Tali: ...
Yuan Chu stood in place and waited a moment. Seeing that he had no intention of moving away at all, she dragged him over to the wheelchair lying on the ground, hooked her foot under it to flip it up, and pushed him down into it.
"Boss, let me heal you up." Feng Chenxiu stepped forward quickly, eager to show his worth.
Huo Yin accepted his treatment quietly, though his eyes remained fixed intently on Yuan Chu.
"All done." Feng Chenxiu looked with satisfaction as the wounds healed rapidly, feeling as though his own ability had leveled up again. In truth, Huo Yin’s recovery rate was far beyond that of ordinary people, even without him, the wounds would have healed on their own.
Feng Chenxiu was just about to brag a little, but as soon as he raised his head, he saw Huo Yin leaning against Yuan Chu’s arm, sound asleep, completely lacking his usual vigilance.
"Let's go." Yuan Chu gently slid her arm out and pushed the wheelchair toward the outside of the cave.
Feng Chenxiu muttered under his breath, "So what if you have a girlfriend? No big deal..."
Su Mo: It actually is a big deal.
Tali: What were they even here for?
Huo Yin slept for a full 12 hours, partly due to exhaustion and partly to digest the Fire Element Source Core.
Huo Yin’s elemental abilities primarily consisted of Wind, Earth, and Water, followed by Metal, Wood, and Fire, while other rare elements could only be manipulated slightly. Now that he had absorbed a Fire Element Source Core, his fire energy would see a massive boost.
Although an all-attribute elemental ability was powerful, leveling it up was extraordinarily difficult. Given Huo Yin’s natural talent, ten years had yielded only a Level 7 status. Only upon reaching Level 9 could one truly enter the ranks of the formidable powerhouses.
Opening his eyes abruptly, blue flames flickered within his gaze before fading away. Huo Yin let out a long breath, feeling his body temperature hover a few degrees higher than before.
"Food’s on the table." Yuan Chu’s voice reached his ears.
Huo Yin turned his head to see her playing on a handheld console without even looking up. In the direction she pointed, a piping-hot set meal was sitting, looking freshly made.
He flipped out of bed, rushed into the bathroom for a quick shower, and emerged feeling completely refreshed. Coming up from behind, he gave Yuan Chu a firm hug, then sat down beside her, picking up a fork to dig in ravenously.
Yuan Chu gave him a strange look, but didn't think much of it and went back to playing games on her handheld, cheating her way through levels, utterly invincible. Just as she reached the ninth level, a rapid beep-beep-beep alarm suddenly sounded from the device.
It was an emergency distress signal that anyone within a 100-kilometer radius could receive.
"What's wrong?" Huo Yin asked after finishing the last gulp of his drink.
"Something happened at Strange Stone Canyon." Yuan Chu placed the handheld on the table. The screen displayed the coordinates from which the signal was sent.
Huo Yin’s brow twitched. "Did the mating season really come early?"
"Yuan Chuchu!" Feng Chenxiu rushed into the vehicle, holding up his own handheld.
"Someone nearby is calling for help! Should we care? Huh, Boss, you're awake?"
Huo Yin picked up his own handheld and opened the map. He realized there wasn't just one distress signal, at least six or seven red dots were blinking within the boundary of Strange Stone Canyon.
"They must have run into a berserk beast horde." Su Mo, who stepped into the vehicle right behind him, subconsciously glanced at Yuan Chu. If she hadn't given them a heads-up, they might have been among those sending distress signals right now.
"Are we going?" Feng Chenxiu looked at Huo Yin with a mix of anticipation and conflict.
Huo Yin pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's go take a look."
A massive beast horde meant danger, but it also meant an unfathomable number of source cores.
Once the decision was made, the group set off immediately.
Traveling at full speed, it took them only an hour to reach the outer perimeter of the canyon.
By this time, the internet was in a complete frenzy over the events at Strange Stone Canyon.
Streamers who loved broadcasting had recorded their entire ordeal. Less than two hours after entering the canyon, they encountered forty to fifty Lightning Foxes.
A battle broke out instantly, resulting in the loss of six or seven team members between Dawn's Wind and another squad. The remaining survivors were trapped in a desperate predicament, unable to advance or retreat.
It hadn't drawn much attention initially, but as distress signals continued to pour out of the canyon, everyone realized that it wasn't just one or two teams caught in deep peril.
💬 [Didn't someone say earlier that the mating season would come early? I can't believe it actually came true!]
💬[I remember that wheelchair uncle was the one who said it.]
💬[Holy crap, thank goodness I was cautious and didn't blindly follow the hype to hunt at Strange Stone Canyon.]
💬[By the way, is anyone forming a rescue team?]
💬[Rescue people? No way. Going there to pick up leftover loot sounds more like it.]
💬[The mating cycle lasts at least half a month. Do you guys actually have the guts to go right now?]
💬[Yeah, cherish life, stay away from beast matings.]
While the internet was abuzz with discussion, Huo Yin and his group had already arrived at the edge of the canyon.
A scattering of vehicles was parked in the open space not far away, but not a single human soul was in sight. Ordinarily, every team would leave one or two people behind to guard the camp. This completely deserted situation was clearly abnormal.
Huo Yin searched the area thoroughly and spotted a few subtle signs of combat. He estimated that the guards left behind had likely been ambushed, leaving them unable to mount a fierce counterattack.
He had originally assumed the danger came from the berserk beast horde, but now it seemed there might also be a group of lurking aggressors harboring malicious intent.
"Why isn't there anyone here?" Feng Chenxiu looked left and right, his face full of confusion.
Su Mo closed his eyes, listening closely to the sounds around them. Yet apart from the few people beside him, he detected no other unusual psychological fluctuations.
Tali’s pupils contracted as a wave of dark mist slowly condensed. "So much fresh ghost qi..."
So-called fresh ghost qi referred to spirits of those who had been dead for less than seven days.
Yuan Chu raised her head and casually glanced at a pile of boulders off to the right.
That single glance caused cold sweat to break out all over someone hiding in the shadows. Sabu was an Enhancement-type Evolver, but he had evolved a special ability, Invisibility.
He could alter his physical state at will, slowing his heartbeat, nearly eliminating his breathing, and blocking his brainwaves to blend completely with his surroundings, making his presence entirely undetectable.
Ever since he reached Level 8, almost no one had been able to see through his stealth. This girl didn't look like anything special, that glance just now had to be a mere coincidence, right?
By the time he looked closer, Yuan Chu had already retracted her gaze. This made him even more convinced of his theory, allowing him to relax and continue lurking sneakily within the boulder pile.
"Let's check over here first." Huo Yin pointed to the distress coordinate closest to them.
"Are we all going together?" Feng Chenxiu asked.
"Yeah." Huo Yin didn't offer any elaborate explanation. He adjusted his gear and led the group toward their destination.
The invisible Sabu: Going to die as a group? Fine by me, saves us the trouble of doing it ourselves.
With a flick of his figure, he quietly fell into step behind them.
-----
Sabu: Can't see me, can't see me, can't see me v(^▽^)?~~
Yuan Chu: ...
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