Chapter 4: The Return Journey

“The last one.”

As the giant blade fell, not a single Aberrant Beast remained on the desolate land.
Xia Lixing retracted the giant blade, securing it to his back, and let out a sigh of relief.

Within the walls, Hua Qiang and the others also relaxed their taut nerves.
A B-rank beast tide was not something their small safe zone could withstand.
If it weren’t for Xia Lixing, their safe zone would likely have met a grim fate.

“How are the walls? Any damage?”

After all, it was a B-rank beast tide.
No matter how strong Xia Lixing was, a few stragglers would occasionally slip through.
However, Hua Qiang and the others could easily take care of those stragglers; he just didn’t know if the walls had sustained any damage.

“Not a big problem. A few places were rammed by the beasts a couple of times, but they didn’t break through.”
Uncle Li said as he reached out to ruffle Xiao Ya’s hair.
“It’s also thanks to Qiang-zi and Xiao Ya. The approaching beasts were all dealt with by the two of them. Old Zhao and I just stood by idly.”

Xiao Ya blushed as her head was ruffled. “How many beasts did I even kill… Brother Lixing deserves the most credit…”

“I didn’t even touch ten beasts from start to finish…”
Hua Qiang, a melee type, felt quite aggrieved.

“Alright, it’s not a bad thing that you didn’t have to fight.”
Xia Lixing teased Hua Qiang, then his expression turned serious.
“Everyone, my vacation might have to end early.”

“What’s wrong? Aren’t there still a few days left in the regular holiday?”

Xia Lixing’s sudden announcement of his departure stunned everyone.
They had learned about his current job and regular holidays from him, but he had only been back for two days.
Why was he suddenly leaving?

“There are many suspicious points about this beast attack.
Putting aside the fact that this should be the beasts’ rest period, our safe zone itself is in a sparsely populated area for beasts.
A C-rank beast attack once a year is already considered rare.
Hua Qiang told me that nothing much has changed in the years since I left.
But this time, a B-rank beast tide suddenly erupted.
I must go back and report this to my superiors.
This is definitely not normal.”

Everyone present fell silent.
Xia Lixing was right.
This anomaly had to be reported immediately.
If the beasts’ rest period had suddenly changed, then those who still thought it was safe during the regular holiday could be in grave danger.

But they were also reluctant to see Xia Lixing leave just like that.
Firstly, he had finally returned after a long time, and no one knew when he would be back next.
Secondly, they had just experienced a strange B-rank beast tide, and they felt a little uneasy.
If another beast tide of this scale were to occur, this safe zone would be destroyed without any chance to fight back.

As if seeing through their thoughts, Xia Lixing spoke to reassure them, “You don’t have to worry too much.
A B-rank beast tide isn’t that easy to come by.
There shouldn’t be many more beasts around here in the short term.
I doubt you’ll even see a D-rank beast attack.”

“Alright, Xingzi, you don’t need to say anymore.
We’re all reasonable people.
This matter could affect the safety of all humankind, so just go back and report it with peace of mind.
Our safe zone is no pushover.
If any more beasts come to attack, we’ll make sure they don’t leave in one piece!”

Hua Qiang patted Xia Lixing’s shoulder, turning the tables and comforting him instead.

Xia Lixing’s lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
He looked around at the determined faces watching him.
Although there was a trace of fear of the unknown danger in some people’s eyes, not a single one spoke up to ask him to stay.

“Then… goodbye.”

In the end, it was just a dry farewell.
Xia Lixing didn’t go back into the safe zone to get his luggage; it was only two changes of clothes anyway.
He turned directly and strode out of the safe zone, heading back in the direction he came from.

The danger that this strange beast tide might portend was far more serious than he had let on.
The beasts were supposed to be in their rest period, and it was nearly impossible for powerful beasts to appear near the safe zone.
So where did the beasts of this B-rank beast tide come from?

Xia Lixing dared not delay.
He rushed back to the central city at the fastest speed he could manage.
Due to the miasma that spread after the beasts died, which blocked almost all signals, people could not communicate in the old ways.
Even with the current “Aberrant Core” technology, they could only transmit simple signals, not text, images, or sound.
So, if Xia Lixing wanted to report his findings, he could only return to the central city and report to his superiors.

He ran at full speed, only stopping to rest when his stamina was exhausted.
Xia Lixing ran for a full six hours without eating or drinking.
It had taken him over a day to get from the central city to the safe zone.
If he could maintain his current speed, he could probably reach his destination within ten hours.
But Xia Lixing was only human.
Though he was running fast now, once his stamina was depleted, without food and water, his recovery would surely be slow, and he wouldn’t be able to reach his peak speed again.

At this moment, Xia Lixing regretted not applying for a vehicle.
Although it might have taken longer on the way here due to the route and the large target making it difficult to conceal, right now, riding a standard-issue “Thunder” model motorcycle would be better than running like this.

Regret was regret, but Xia Lixing didn’t stop his journey.
Of course, his speed was no longer what it was at the beginning.
Based on the distance, he had now covered more than half the journey and was halfway between the safe zone and the central city.
And in a place like this, it was no longer empty and deserted.

Seeing a small group of Aberrant Beasts not far ahead, Xia Lixing’s frown deepened.
Without slowing down or taking a detour, he reached for his giant blade and charged towards the group of beasts.

At the same time, the group of Aberrant Beasts also spotted Xia Lixing.
Dozens of beasts roared and charged towards him without hesitation.
As the two sides rushed towards each other at high speed, the seemingly long distance appeared to vanish in an instant.
The beast at the very front was already within ten meters of Xia Lixing.

Tightening his grip on the giant blade, Xia Lixing made an incredible move—he accelerated again.

A clear footprint was left on the ground where Xia Lixing’s right foot had stepped, while he himself, accompanied by a cold glint of light, had already swept past the several beasts in front.

As his left foot landed, the beasts behind Xia Lixing were all silently engulfed in invisible flames.
He then pushed off again, creating another streak of cold light, leaving behind only a footprint on the ground for the beasts that couldn’t react in time.

Aberrant Beasts did not have emotions like “fear.”
Even if their comrades in front died inexplicably, they still roared, trying to pounce on the small human in their sight.
However, every time Xia Lixing landed, he would transform into a streak of cold light in the next moment, leaving behind a footprint and cracked earth.

Of course, what was also left behind were the lives of several Aberrant Beasts.

In this small group of beasts, Xia Lixing, relying on his terrifying explosive power, carved a straight path through them.

After breaking through this group of beasts, Xia Lixing didn’t stop but continued to run forward.
Behind him, the beasts, after circling a few times to find their target, turned around and charged back, as if they would fight to the death.

This was the nature of Aberrant Beasts.
They had a keen sense of smell and excellent eyesight, and most importantly, they had seemingly endless stamina.
Once a beast locked onto a target, it would pursue it relentlessly until one of them was dead.

However, Xia Lixing only sneered at the pursuing beasts.

“Fools.”

The group of beasts behind him was at its most concentrated at this moment.
The slower beasts were now at the front, while the faster ones had only managed to turn around and take a couple of steps.
Just then, at the spot where Xia Lixing had left his footprints, a loud explosion suddenly erupted.
Streams of “Ethereal Flame” burst forth, enveloping the entire group of beasts.
The beasts didn’t even have time to react before they were devoured by the “Ethereal Flame.”

And Xia Lixing, who had annihilated this group of beasts, was already far away.

Stray groups of beasts could not hinder him at all, and might even help him recover some stamina, but Xia Lixing’s expression did not relax in the slightest.
Under normal circumstances, during the beasts’ rest period, the beasts wandering outside would usually be alone, or in groups of three to five at most, except for the few beast gathering grounds.
But now, a group of dozens of beasts had appeared here.
Although it wasn’t worth mentioning in normal times, to appear during this period was highly abnormal.

What on earth had happened to the beasts?
Had their rest period changed, or had their numbers surged again?
No matter which possibility it was, it would be fatal to the unprepared humans.
Xia Lixing had to report this information to the “Guardians” and the coalition government before a bigger disaster occurred.

“Roar—”

After crossing a high slope, the faint roar of a beast that reached Xia Lixing’s ears made him pause.
Looking around, Xia Lixing managed to rush to a high point—a large, slanted concrete slab—and looked straight ahead.

This one look was all it took.
The overwhelming horde of Aberrant Beasts in the distance made Xia Lixing’s heart skip a beat.

The previous B-rank beast tide was already considerable in scale, but compared to the scale in the distance, that beast tide was just a single wave in the ocean.

The dark mass in the distance was entirely composed of Aberrant Beasts, and the black dots filling the sky were flying-type beasts.
These tens of thousands of beasts were advancing slowly like an army.

“This is… a super A-rank beast tide?!”