Hong Cong said with a dark expression, "Long Xia, we’re from the sa school."
Long Xia scoffed, "So what if we’re from the sa school? Lin Xiaoi will be my future sis-in-law... ahem, anyway, Lin Xiaoi is impressive, but you? Not a chance."
Hong Cong gritted his teeth and glanced at Ye Ning, signaling with his eyes.
Ye Ning thought for a mont and silently stood beside Long Xia, making his stance abundantly clear.
Hong Cong lacked this awareness; Ye Ning was different.
He had already seen through things—Lin Xiaoi was Qin Shou’s ally. If you wanted to survive here, only an idiot would offend Lin Xiaoi without cause.
Besides, Lin Xiaoi was already a Newborn Nine Stars Beast Ability Master, soon to be a focus of Beast Power High School’s resources.
Only a fool would pick the wrong side.
"You..."
Hong Cong was fuming, inwardly cursing Ye Ning for being a double-crosser.
Lin Xiaoi shot Hong Cong a cold glance and said, "Enough. If you’re unhappy, you can leave. We won’t stop you."
With that, she ignored his darkened face and surveyed their surroundings, realizing that, without notice, they had approached the edge of the sea.
Her expression grew serious as she said, "Be cautious of the sea. The monsters in the water are far more terrifying than those on land."
Long Xia nodded, "Let’s find a spot and wait for Lao Qin to et up with us."
"Alright."
Ignoring Hong Cong, the three cautiously headed toward a nearby building.
Behind them, Hong Cong’s face turned from blue to pale before finally sighing in defeat.
Sigh... might as well go apologize—my life’s more important...
...
Ten minutes later, Lin Xiaoi and the others quietly crept out of the building.
Long Xia wiped the cold sweat from his brow and patted his chest.
"That was terrifying. We almost woke up that giant python."
Lin Xiaoi glanced at the whitening sky and, after a brief pause, said, "Let’s set up a barrier in the open area here. When Qin Shou arrives, we’ll strategize from there."
"Alright."
The group voiced no objections and began preparing to set up a barrier in a nearby park, planning to rest and wait for Qin Shou.
"Plop..."
As they cautiously moved forward, the sound of a bubble popping echoed sharply in the eerie silence, catching everyone’s attention.
"What was that?"
The group froze, and Long Xia asked in a low voice.
"I think... it’s this thing..."
At the back of the group, Hong Cong’s face went stiff. He raised his right hand, revealing a tentacle as thick as a finger, translucent and dangling from above, latched onto the back of his Space Wristwatch.
The group’s hearts sank as their gazes slowly trailed along the tentacle, upward.
In an instant, they saw it—a massive, translucent Floating Jellyfish hovering above them, its countless writhing tentacles enough to send chills down their spines.
"Floating Jellyfish. Tentacle length: twenty ters. Strength: Dangerous Nine Stars. Fear of fire. It’s not difficult to deal with."
Lin Xiaoi swiftly assessed the creature’s capabilities.
She looked at Hong Cong, "Luckily, your wristwatch touched the tentacle. If it had been your skin, the Floating Jellyfish would’ve detected you instantly. Its swarm of tentacles would’ve enveloped you, and no one could save you."
Hong Cong’s face turned deathly pale as he stamred, "L-Lin Xiaoi, I was just talking nonsense earlier. Please, you have to save this ti! I’m the only heir of the Hong Family. If I die, my family line ends, and there’ll be no one to take over the Hongxing Company..."
Annoyed by Hong Cong’s rambling, Lin Xiaoi waved him off, "Alright, alright. Just toss the wristwatch, and you’ll be fine."
Hearing this, Hong Cong hesitated.
"But my Skeleton Giant Lizard is still in there... If I throw it away, years of effort will be wasted..."
Lin Xiaoi shook her head in exasperation and said to Long Xia and Ye Ning, "Forget it. Let’s go."
With that, she turned to leave.
On campus, with his Newborn Eighth Star strength, Hong Cong was considered sowhat of a big shot.
But out here, after encountering so many ferocious monsters, his performance was nothing short of disappointing.
Refusing to give up his wounded Skeleton Giant Lizard—was it because of a deep bond?
Clearly not.
Even at this critical mont, he remained indecisive.
Seeing Lin Xiaoi and the others about to leave, Hong Cong panicked. Without thinking further, he hurriedly removed the Space Wristwatch and caught up with them.
"Plop..."
Another soft sound echoed, and the group froze again.
Lin Xiaoi and the others turned back, only to find that Hong Cong, in his haste, had once again touched the Floating Jellyfish’s tentacles.
This ti, it was his combat suit that made contact.
Hong Cong’s complexion darkened as he silently took off his combat suit.
The trio nodded—at least this ti, he didn’t need to be told.
The combat suit was firmly ensnared by the tentacles, hanging in mid-air.
This ti, Hong Cong carefully noted the position of the tentacles, cautiously avoiding them as he rejoined the group.
If this happened a few more tis, he’d have nothing left to discard.
The four continued forward, finally reaching the park and setting up barriers.
Under the barrier’s protection, the group let out a collective sigh of relief and began adjusting their conditions.
...
anwhile, on a street nearby,
Qin Shou, having used the Reynard Transformation Card, was strolling down the desolate, tree-lined street.
He and Rein Jia’er had split up to search for a safe and secure hideout.
Although there was still more than a week left, based on the updates from his father, the Beast Tide would likely be subdued within three days.
During these three days, he needed to find a place to lie low. Wandering aimlessly wasn’t a viable option anymore.
Encountering a Horror-level Monster by accident would spell danger.
Along the way, Qin Shou concealed his presence, avoiding several monster territories until he stumbled across a Damaged cha.
The Damaged cha was, once again, none other than Storm Red, sparking a sense of kinship with the cha model.
The mighty steel body of Storm Red was covered in thick spider webs; its three arms were bent out of shape by Huge Strength, its waist ripped apart, and exposed wiring occasionally crackled with sparks.
At the cockpit, though the escape pod had ejected, it hadn’t fully launched, suggesting the pilot had been in dire straits.
Considering the cha’s location as well,
Qin Shou guessed that this was likely the unfortunate pilot who had drawn fire away from them two nights ago.
"Storm Red... 9527."
Glancing at the cha’s serial number, Qin Shou stroked his chin and chuckled, "So it’s him."
At this point, this was already the third Storm Red he’d co across. That guy sure was a cha hoarder.
What, does his family run a cha wholesale business?
Shaking his head, he stored the broken Storm Red into his System Space and continued onward.
Even though the cha was damaged, finding it brightened Qin Shou’s mood.
A short while later, Qin Shou arrived at a high-rise building covered in giant spider webs.
He slowly looked up, spotting a massive Monkey-faced Spider lying silently on the webs between the buildings. Judging by its size, it was likely a Dangerous Nine Stars.
In the corner of the web, a chubby individual cocooned in spider silk—leaving only half his head exposed—was snoring away.
The web-like strands around his mouth made it clear: it wasn’t that the spider’s webbing wasn’t secure—it was that the guy had gnawed himself a path out of sheer stubbornness.
Qin Shou’s eyes glead at the sight and silently exclaid, A kindred spirit.
The snowy, cotton-like spider silk had always tempted him, but he’d never mustered the courage to take the plunge.
Today, he could finally witness it firsthand.
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