“Why are your reactions so sluggish?”
“Condensing Qi, Releasing Power with Qi, Exhaling Force!”
“Your stance is unstable. Are you weak in the kidneys or something!”
“Hold the horse stance for an hour!”
Bai Nian held a wooden stick in her hand, standing to the side as she guided Zhang Kun, scolding him every now and then.
By the fire, Li Qian and Shi Gao watched the scene unfold with great interest.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Team Leader scolded like this.”
“I actually think his practice is terrible; he deserves the scolding.”
“Keep your voice down, or if the Team Leader hears you, be careful or you’ll get it,” Li Qian said, looking amused.
At this moment, Bai Nian also walked over and sat down to the side.
Shi Gao looked at her curiously.
“Bai Nian, why would a girl like you practice martial arts?”
“For self-defense,” she explained.
“Professions are determined entirely by luck, so there’s no way to be sure about them. The only thing you can count on is your own effort.”
These words instantly made Shi Gao feel ashamed.
Others knew to grow stronger in other ways, but as a Support Profession himself, what had he done?
But Bai Nian didn’t notice his discomfort.
Instead, she looked at Li Qian.
“Sister Qian, what exactly is the Team Leader’s Profession? Surely he can’t just manifest a broadsword?”
“Logically, he should be able to manifest any kind of cold weapon. I don’t know why he only ever uses the broadsword…”
Li Qian explained, somewhat speechless.
“That… should be a really powerful ability,” Bai Nian said, twitching her lips, not quite sure how to evaluate it.
“This ability suits you more,” she added.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect fit. For example, I don’t like Invisibility at all,” Shi Gao grumbled.
As the group chatted idly, a sudden burst of static came from the Jinp Jeep not far away.
Immediately after, the Satellite Phone on the vehicle emitted an anxious male voice.
“This is Tianmu 0111, this is Tianmu 0111. The Disaster Gate has failed to be cleared and has advanced in level—it’s already caused a Disaster! All combat personnel hearing this message, please proceed immediately to support! Everyone, mobilize now!”
“Repeating: This is Tianmu 0111…”
The three of them were instantly stunned.
Not far away, Zhang Kun snapped back to his senses and hurried over to the Jinp Jeep.
“Gate Eleven has fallen?” he said in surprise, then immediately looked at the three of them.
“Pack your things, everyone, we’re setting out at once!”
Zhang Kun gave the order without hesitation.
Li Qian and Shi Gao didn’t hesitate either.
Bai Nian looked deeply at her Team Leader.
She had thought that with the rules of the Hunter Guild, the hunters within were all pitiable survivors, each out for their own benefit.
Everyone could have pretended not to hear this message.
After all, even if they didn’t go, Tianmu City would respond and send people to deal with it.
There was no need to risk themselves.
But as soon as Zhang Kun heard the message, he decisively chose to support, and even Li Qian and Shi Gao showed not a trace of complaint.
Even if they were insignificant, they were still willing to give what strength they could to defend the entire alliance together.
Ordinary, yet great.
Bai Nian quickly began packing her things.
There would be no rest for them tonight.
Soon, the Jinp Jeep sped toward Tianmu 0111.
“A First-Tier Calamity Gate failed to be cleared and advanced to a Second Rank Gate, causing a Disaster. Is there a big difference compared to a Second Rank combat instance?”
On the way, Bai Nian asked out of curiosity.
This was her first time encountering a Disaster Gate that had advanced in level.
Li Qian nodded heavily, her face solemn.
“The two are completely incomparable. Once a Gate releases a Disaster, the destruction it causes is incredibly severe.”
“To give you an example: a Profession user might be able to clear a Level Three combat instance, but might not be able to handle a Disaster outbreak from a Level One Gate,” Shi Gao added.
His example was simple and clear, and Bai Nian immediately understood.
Although there were outposts around the Gates, every Disaster from each Gate was different.
That Heavenly Dynasty Nine Provinces was calling for support meant things were already nearly out of their control.
“How long will this Disaster last?”
Bai Nian asked again.
“It could be a few hours, or several days. During that time, the Gate will be closed. All anyone can do is stop the Disaster from spreading, until the Disaster Gate is sealed again,” Zhang Kun added.
Tianmu 0111 was to the south and not on their original route.
Now, they were getting farther and farther from the Level Three Gate.
An hour later, they saw the steel city walls of the outpost ahead.
At the perimeter, many Jinp Jeeps were parked, lights shining everywhere, with members of Heavenly Dynasty Nine Provinces patrolling and in charge of reception.
As their vehicle drew near, the chaotic sounds of battle inside became increasingly clear.
“We’re a secondary team from the Hunter Guild, here to support,” Zhang Kun said as soon as he got out of the car, identifying himself.
“Thank you, hunters, for answering the call. I’ll keep it brief—please come with me,” the member said, leading them inside and explaining as they walked.
“The monsters this time are special—non-Profession users can’t kill them, so our defensive line can’t hold them back effectively. There are just too many of them.”
So that’s how it was.
Bai Nian understood.
The Heavenly Dynasty Nine Provinces always allocated a higher level of defense around a Disaster Gate to prevent Disasters.
But now, hot weapons were useless against these things, and it was hard for the outpost’s members alone to hold out.
That was why they’d called for reinforcements.
The group soon reached the top of the Steel City Wall, and Bai Nian saw the scene before her.
It was a horde of skeletons.
Their bones shone with a milky white light, blue flames burning in their hollow eye sockets.
Even though they had no flesh or blood, they could move like living creatures.
They held bone blades and shields in their hands; some even wielded bows and arrows to attack from a distance.
These skeletons filled the open ground below, at least ten thousand by a conservative estimate.
In contrast, there were only a few dozen Profession users fighting against them.
The numbers were overwhelmingly lopsided.
The Close-Combat Profession users were in the thick of the skeleton horde, constantly killing enemies, while the Archer Professions stood atop the wall, firing down without pause.
Bai Nian looked toward the center of the field at the Disaster Gate.
The Gates she’d seen before, while sealed, had always opened outward, as if welcoming Profession users inside.
But this Gate was wide open inward, showing only a golden frame.
Beside her, Zhang Kun didn’t hesitate.
He grabbed his broadsword and slid down the cable into the battlefield.
Li Qian drew her bow and arrows and began attacking from above.
Only Shi Gao stood dazed in place.
He met Bai Nian’s eyes.
“Go on. I’ll cheer for you!”
Bai Nian stood at the edge of the wall, gazing down at the skeletons below, and tried to hypnotize them.
But she failed.
She could hypnotize any living creature, but what if the enemies before her were all dead things?
“This is bad—I’m useless now!”