Abnormal Species are here?
Ning Li reacted in a flash.
She grabbed Yuan Zi’s hand, had her Spirit Entity carry the little kitten, and shouted,
“Everyone, run!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled Yuan Zi and sprinted in the opposite direction of the three people.
Yuan Zi’s Spirit Entity had already returned to her spiritual sea.
The Queen of the Night held the little kitten, her flower crown swaying left and right as she closely followed behind.
Other Guides now realized what was happening too, and they all began to flee for their lives.
Ning Li’s actions weren’t out of place among the other Guides.
After all, everyone present knew just how lethal the Abnormal Species were.
In an instant, chaos broke out at the scene.
Actually, the Guide Academy had organized escape drills before.
All Guides knew what to do to protect themselves when the Abnormal Species appeared.
But, how should I put it?
It was like Ning Li’s previous life, back when she was a student and had gone through fire drills and earthquake drills—everything went smoothly during the drills, but when disaster really struck, students still panicked.
After all, it’s hard for ordinary people to suppress their fear.
So, the moment they learned that the Abnormal Species were coming, these freshmen Guides—who had only heard of how terrifying the Abnormal Species were and had never faced them directly—started fleeing in a panic, not knowing which way to go.
The three soldiers who had come to look for the Bead had just been about to take action when their rhythm was thrown off by the panicking Guides.
A group of people wanted to chase the six suspects, but in just a short while, those six slipped away like fish into water, disappearing without a trace.
From time to time, Guides squeezed between the soldiers.
Even though the accompanying Teacher kept shouting,
“Don’t panic, take it slow,” with so many Guides facing a crisis, it was impossible to line up and escape one by one.
The leader spat and asked the two beside him,
“Did you remember what those people look like?”
“I think…I remember,” the one being asked replied, a bit uncertain.
These freshmen Guides all wore identical uniforms.
Since the students at the Border Guide Academy generally came from modest backgrounds, even their height and appearance were similar—all looking somewhat malnourished.
The leader sneered,
“No matter. Just remember their dorm numbers. They can run from the monk, but they can’t run from the temple.”
He wanted to snatch this Bead for himself and wasn’t afraid of getting burned.
The Guides in this Academy—even if they got the Bead, it was useless to them.
Because they didn’t know how to use it.
For ordinary Guides, this Bead wasn’t a gift, but—
An endless source of trouble.
“This Bead isn’t something these Guides are qualified to have.”
Ordinary Guides should know their place, otherwise, they won’t even know how they died.
With that, the leader released his Spirit Entity.
His Spirit Entity was a Panther—sleek and shiny, looking extremely imposing.
With a swipe of its paw, it scattered wisps of Black Mist.
The moment he came into contact with the Black Mist, a grave look flashed in the leader’s eyes.
“There’s more than one Abnormal Species here.”
The other two’s faces changed drastically.
“More than one?”
The leader had no mood to chase after the six suspects anymore and quickly made a decision,
“Let’s find a safe place first.”
At first, Ning Li was the one pulling Yuan Zi’s hand to escape, but before long, it was Yuan Zi dragging her along.
Because Ning Li had never learned how to find a safe temporary hiding spot as fast as possible in situations like this.
Yuan Zi was breathing hard as she ran and explained to Ning Li,
The Commander once said, when the Abnormal Species come, try not to touch the Black Mist.
If you accidentally touch it, use a strong, spicy smell to cover it.
The Black Mist is like the Abnormal Species’ tentacles, or rather, their hunting tools.
If the Abnormal Species are still far away, they use the Black Mist to lock onto their prey.
Stay as far away from the thick Black Mist as possible.
“Find a place with a strong smell to hide.”
The two of them found a Storage Room.
As soon as they opened the door, all kinds of clutter and a musty, stale smell from lack of ventilation rushed out.
The smell was definitely unpleasant.
If you sniffed carefully, you could even catch a whiff of mold.
Yuan Zi let out a long sigh of relief.
“We’re safe for now.”
Little Black disliked it here.
[It stinks.]
[Smelly.]
Ning Li told it to be quiet.
Little Black: aggrieved.jpg
Seeing that Ning Li had no further instructions, it went off to play with the little kitten.
Now that they’d stopped running for their lives, Ning Li finally asked,
“Did Qi Sigui share any other tips?”
These tips were lifesavers for freshmen Guides.
She hadn’t expected that the Supreme Commander who kept shrinking the safe zone had actually done something so kind.
Upon hearing the name, Yuan Zi paused before answering,
“These tips weren’t shared by him.”
Not by him? But just now, Yuan Zi clearly said it was the Commander…
Yuan Zi sat down by the pile of clutter and gave a wry smile.
“Did I say the Commander just now? Sorry, I misspoke in the heat of the moment.”
She hugged her knees and continued softly,
“These tips were all shared by the Former Commander.”
They say that in a crisis, your first reaction is the truest one.
So, in Yuan Zi’s heart, has the Supreme Commander always been Yin Que?
Ning Li sat down beside Yuan Zi.
Maybe it was because she knew the Abnormal Species were very close, and Yuan Zi was overwhelmed with fear and needed courage, so she began to chatter to Ning Li about her feelings.
The Commander is ten years older than me.
When I was thirteen, he came to Border District 191.
“He was still very young then. Of course, he’s still young now.”
Because he would forever remain at the age of twenty-four.
Yuan Zi spoke in a nostalgic tone,
Back then, our place wasn’t even a war zone.
Life was poor, but he still made time to come and teach us survival skills.
“At that time, the Abnormal Species felt so distant from me.”
“I never thought these tips would come in handy today.”
Ning Li comforted her,
“That was probably his intention.”
He hoped you’d have a better chance to protect yourself and live on.
Yuan Zi took a deep breath and continued,
“Earlier, I said he was my White Moonlight, but it’s so much more than that. For example, right now, just thinking of his name gives me endless courage and a sense of security.”
“Except for the children, every other Citizen has seen his Spirit Entity—the blooming of the Cosmic Rose.”
Ning Li: …
No, she hadn’t seen it.
Yuan Zi was lost in her memories.
Even in this moment of crisis, with Abnormal Species closing in, a soft smile surfaced in her eyes, as if just recalling that scene brought her joy and peace.
“I can hardly describe the shock I felt in that instant.”
“But besides shock, I felt a kind of power from that scene—a sense of protection.”
Yuan Zi’s eyes sparkled.
The Commander and his Spirit Entity have always protected us in every possible way.
Once, as long as the Cosmic Rose bloomed somewhere, the Abnormal Species couldn’t advance even a single step.
“Even though— he’s been gone for five years, that sense of protection seems to linger on.”
“So—”
Yuan Zi’s tone grew firmer, “I’m not afraid.
The trembling and fear from before had completely vanished.
Yuan Zi had calmed down entirely.
Ning Li was slightly dazed.
Even though she hadn’t lived through Yin Que’s era, through Yuan Zi’s words, the image of Yin Que gradually became vivid and full.
No longer just the cold
“Former Commander.”
In those few words, she could feel Yin Que’s unique personal charm.
He must have been a truly charismatic person.
She probably understood now why there wasn’t a single photo of Yin Que online.
Even though he’d been dead for five years, he still lived on in countless people’s hearts.
Qi Sigui must feel deeply frustrated—after all, the power of the White Moonlight was just too overwhelming.
He’d probably never surpass Yin Que’s place in others’ hearts.
Yuan Zi treated Ning Li as her closest friend, so she hid nothing in front of her.
She simply referred to Yin Que as “the Commander” from then on.
“The Commander once said, Abnormal Species can create a unique Domain.Once the Domain forms, people inside can’t get out, and those outside can’t get in.”
Don’t be afraid in times like this.
A Domain isn’t invincible.
If you observe closely, you can find the weakest point within it.
“Break through that weak point, and the Domain will collapse, killing the Abnormal Species.”
Yuan Zi let out a long breath.
“The Teachers should be searching for that weak spot. We just have to wait.”
Ning Li wasn’t so optimistic.
The Abnormal Species had shown up out of nowhere.
Would they really die so easily?
Besides, she didn’t want to pin all her hopes of survival on others.
Even though she’d barely scratched the surface of this world, she knew she had to adapt quickly.
This was her first time facing the Abnormal Species head-on, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last.
In the quiet Storage Room, Yuan Zi rested her chin on her knees and murmured,
“Li, I really wish he could come back to life.”
If the Commander were still alive, everything would be different.
Unfortunately, she knew deep down that it was impossible.
Seeing Yuan Zi’s mood drop, Ning Li deliberately joked,
“Don’t they say the dead White Moonlight is the most powerful?”
Yuan Zi shook her head.
“It’s not the same. He’s different.”
Yin Que was already the White Moonlight in countless people’s hearts even when he was alive.
If the Citizens’ thoughts had any effect, he’d probably have come back to life long ago.
No one wanted him to die.
As the two chatted, a sudden tremor shook the ground.
The scenery around them retreated rapidly like an illusion.
In no time at all, Ning Li and Yuan Zi found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place.
Realizing what had happened, Yuan Zi’s face went pale.
“It’s two…no, more than one Abnormal Species…”
Ning Li frowned slightly.
“What?”
Yuan Zi silently repeated the Commander’s name a few times, and within a few breaths, she regained her composure.
She didn’t bother to wonder why Ning Li seemed clueless—that wasn’t important.
She explained,
“Two Abnormal Species have joined forces to create a phantom space.”
“This means breaking through the Domain— will be much harder.”