Liao Mingxuan sat beside Mu Ningxue. He did not lose control of himself, but he was worn out after holding off Liao Mingxuan and Xu Dalong.
He wanted to talk with Mu Ningxue, but she had been quiet the whole time. He had no idea how he could break the silence.
He raised his head and began to think of some way to make conversation. Suddenly, he saw pairs of snowy-white wings on the dawn-lit horizon. The wings were approaching the group at a steady pace, their faint glows embellishing the dull sky.
Lu Zhenghe felt a surge of joy, but immediately pretended he had seen nothing.
The wings landed, instead of flying straight into the desolate city.
Their landing spot was not too far away. They should be arriving in their area soon. Lu Zhenghe intentionally checked his surroundings, searching for Mo Fan.
Coincidentally, Mo Fan, Mu Nujiao, Bai Tingting, Zhao Manting, and the others were walking towards him, too. Mo Fan was the first to break the silence, “Since no one has the mood to continue the mission, should we head back now?”
“We still haven’t found Ming Cong.” Mu Ningxue said.
“Forget it, he was killed by Liao Mingxuan accidentally out.” Xu Dalong blurted out.
Liao Mingxuan shivered when he heard the accusation. He pointed at Xu Dalong and screamed, “That’s a bloody lie!”
“Just admit it, everyone lost control of themselves. One of the two of you would die,” Mo Fan added mercilessly.
“Liao Mingxuan, did you kill him?” Mu Ningxue inquired.
“I…I didn’t mean it. I can’t control myself at all…” Liao Mingxuan was on the verge of breaking down. He plunged his hands into his hair as if he were trying to pry open his head.
Ming Cong was his best buddy, but who knew that he would be the one killing him. Even his corpse was distorted beyond recognition.
“Pack up. We’re leaving.” Mu Ningxue did not question any further. She gave the orders as the team’s captain.
None of them had the courage to continue with the mission after the series of events. The abandoned city was way more terrifying than they had imagined. Heavens knew how many of them would still be alive if they tried to accomplish their mission.
Everyone was tired. Most importantly, they were scared.
Everyone was already intimidated after they stumbled into the Pseudomorphing Demon Beast. Now, the Bewitching Magic Spider had set them fighting one another. Liao Mingxuan even ended up killing Ming Cong. Even though he had fallen the deepest into the bewitchment, the group still could not believe it.
——
After packing up their stuff, the group went and found Ming Cong’s corpse, and decided to bury it. They used Earth Element magic to quickly set up a solid grave for him. It would stop his corpse from being dug up by the demon beasts.
The severely injured Song Xia had regained consciousness. Her abdomen was still covered in gauze, and she looked extremely tired.
She was very lucky to have survived, so she did not expect much from the group. All she wanted was to return safely with the others.
Zheng Bingxiao was in a terrible state, too. Bai Tingting had used up all her energy saving him. She still had no idea if his life was still at risk.
Everyone in the group was ambitious when they set out for the adventure. They thought they could easily conquer the desolate city, but they were thoroughly beaten after they had only investigated a few spots. They had thoroughly experienced the cruelty of the demon beasts’ territory.
Being an elite of the Pearl Institute or the most talented student of the Imperial College made no difference. Even surviving in the wild alone was utterly difficult for them.
Despite being treated as influential figures in the schools, despite dominating the rest of the students, despite hearing lots of tales about the outside world from the elderly, they didn’t know how useless they were until they experienced it first-hand. The dead stayed dead, and the wounded were wounded.
None of them were convinced of the result. As the top students of the whole nation, they each had a certain level of pride in their hearts, which they could only swallow back down as they dragged their exhausted bodies back in the direction they had come from.
The training had proven to be too difficult.
——
Slowly, the group walked out of the city.
The sky was well-lit, and birds were chirping in the woods nearby. The pleasant melody helped weaken the appalling atmosphere.
Looking ahead, they could see the same railway overgrown with moss and weeds. It extended into the distance through the woods, and would eventually lead them back to the city that could be called paradise.
Everyone was in a rush to get back; back to somewhere with living people, back to their cozy homes.
The students were about to follow the railway when a group of people approached from the woods. They were wearing the same uniforms, which was similar to Battlemages. However, the colors were totally different.
The group consisted of about thirty people. Each had a white giant eagle on their side. The eagles had bulky chests and sharp gazes. Their folded wings were touching the ground. If they fully spread them apart, they would be ten meters across, at least!
Mo Fan had seen these Heavenly Eagles before. They were the beasts that the Battlemages usually tamed.
It was said that only powerful magicians with the Psychic Element were able to tame a beast. Even though they could not force them to assist in battles, they were perfect for transportation.
“Battlemages? Are they here to save us?” The two girls Zhao Mingyue and Qingqing were excited seeing the Battlemages.
It felt great just seeing someone alive.
“Something’s weird about their uniforms…” Zhao Manting pointed out.
“They must be here to save us. Such a relief, they might be able to save Zheng Bingxiao.” Peng Liang blurted out in joy.
Lu Zhenghe stood there and avoided eye contact with the group.
The Battlemages continued to walk toward the group. Their leader was a man with thick brows, holding a pipe between his lips.
The man was wearing a camo windbreaker. The eyes under his thick brows quickly scanned the students, before stopping at Lu Zhenghe.
Lu Zhenghe cast a glance in Mo Fan’s direction, as if he were trying to tell the man something.
Commander Lu Nian nodded slightly and slowly raised his right hand. He gave an order to the Battlemages behind him, “Those who we have no interest in, kill’em all.”
Lu Nian spoke in a relatively calm manner, as if he were asking them to be taken away.
However, he was ordering them to be killed!
Even Lu Zhenghe was stunned when he heard the order. He immediately forced a smile and said, “Brother, have you mistaken? They are students from the Pearl Institute and the Royal College. We’re only here on training.”
“That’s why they have to be silenced. I don’t want anyone to know what has happened here.” Lu Nian said in a relatively calm tone. His decisive attitude served as an indication that there were countless lives lost in his hands!
A strong murderous intent burst out from the people behind him. They were all soldiers, with a strength of at least the Intermediate Level. Their eyes locked onto the naive students like a hungry pack of wolves eyeing a herd of sheep.
The atmosphere had thoroughly changed!
Zhao Mingyue and Qingqing were about to say something to the Battlemages when they realized a few ice chains had suddenly appeared under their feet!
The chains penetrated their bodies while they were in a totally defenseless stance. The silver-white ice chains were instantly dyed red with fresh blood.
The ice chains pierced through their bodies. Blood sprayed everywhere. The two lively girls were instantly turned into two icy corpses on the ground…
It was utterly shocking. The students could not believe what they had just witnessed!