Chapter 234 220 explodes!
Before seeing his teammates, Bai E didn't dare to fully unleash his power, after all, he had no idea when the encirclement by the spider swarm would end. He tried to manage the situation with just his regular combat strength until the most critical moment of crisis arrived.
But now that his teammates had come to support him, there was no need to hold back any longer.
Bai E, who had re-sheathed his military knife at his waist, grabbed the fallen Morphie's left hand tightly and pulled him up.
Then he admonished Morphie, "Hold onto Kiro Lan with your other hand, she is your life, never let go no matter what, understand?"
"She's already my life," said Morphie through clenched teeth, his eyes bloodshot with self-reproach for his key moment failure.
[Gun Fighting Skill, activated.]
Bai E pulled up Morphie with one hand, stringing Kiro Lan along with them.
Once he took the lead, the spider swarm could no longer keep pace with his strides.
The menacing and bizarre claws of the spiders that leapt towards him were all severed with a single slash.
The roaring of the machine gun instantly blazed a trail, with countless spear-like claws waving a "welcome" on both sides.
The spider creatures had numerous claws, each almost like a sharp spear.
There were far too many claws barring the path for Bai E to clear them in an instant. If a spider's claw managed to pierce one of the children in the chaos, it could cause a wound that was difficult for them to bear.
Fortunately, those spiders weren't too large, and they couldn't reach the space higher than where they were situated.
So... Spotting the largest one within the spider army that blocked the retreat, Bai E pulled the two along and charged straight at it.
As they approached, Bai E lightly jumped, swinging his arm, which was pulling the two children, upward. The two children, somewhat light in build, were lifted into the air by his tremendous force.
Bai E stepped on the rounded back of a medium-sized spider with one foot as his machine gun erupted with fire, clearing an even wider space in the distance in an instant.
But not right in front of him.
The enclosing circle formed by the spider army was too dense; breaking through just one layer of entrapment didn't do much good.
He needed to think ahead, to make decisions with a longer view.
Route planning complete.
Bai E needed to lead them... to run along the walls.
The collapsed ruins on both sides of the road became the trio's opportunity for escape at that moment.
As the human chain rotated in mid-air, Bai E had to swing forcefully to ensure the safety of the two children due to inertia.
Their palms tightly clasped, the spinning sensation left the two children's minds a complete blank, having never experienced such a thrill before.
As they descended to the nadir, the monsters' claws seemed to graze by their scalp, yet it was all an illusion.
And when flung towards the highest point, they distinctly felt Bai E slowing down the pace, firmly controlling the rhythm of the spin, so they weren't thrown off by the excessive centrifugal force.
At this moment, their only thought was to concentrate all their strength into their hands.
Hold on!
Hold on!
They had to hold onto each other's hands no matter what!
The dust under the metal war boots crumbled at the slightest touch, the walls, long corroded to their core, were fragile as crumbs, with nearly all the force concentrated in Bai E's footsteps, easily destroying the last vestiges of the ruins.
Bai E couldn't afford to stay still for a moment.
The collapsed walls behind them raised a trail of grey dust like a dragon, bowing its head in silent reverence as it sent off its master.
Watch your step, control the pace, and be wary of the spiders' firing attacks.
"Pfft!"
Sticky webs were occasionally spat out by elite spiders aiming to entangle the three of them and restrict their movements.
This soft and clingy attack was more troublesome, and Bai E did his best to avoid it.
Hence, the chosen path became more twisted and intricate.
Under the moonlit night, the three figures dancing in the air resembled fairies beneath the moon.
At some point, even the obscure ring of light high in the sky became the backdrop for the trio, and the supporting soldiers watching this scene held their guns in a daze.
...
"This is... this is unbelievable."
How much whimsical imagination, precise judgment, and execution skills were required to perform such a miracle?
If it were any other soldier present, they could at most ensure their escape from the spider horde.
But with two burdens...
"Tap~ Tap~"
Until the metal war boots landed lightly in front of them.
Bai E knelt down on one knee first after landing, threw aside his machine gun, and perfectly caught the two children he had thrown out at the last moment with one hand each.
Morphie and Kiro Lan, who had landed safely in his arms, were clearly still in shock, it took them a while to come back from their numb state of mind.
The roar of gunfire erupted beside their ears—the teammates who had come to support them took over the fight, and a row of riflemen blocked the pursuing spider swarm.
Only then did the two children tremble, blink, and regain their senses.
"That was... that was thrilling."
Morphie was shaking, slowly replaying the brief breakout in his mind.
Although he hadn't reacted at the time, his wide-open eyes had faithfully recorded everything he saw.
The actions of Bai E were replayed slowly in his mind, giving the impression that even when let go, he still seemed to stand there, looking dazed.
Kiro Lan recovered more quickly, straightened her tattered clothes a bit, took a small step forward out of Bai E's arms, with an unintentional blush flashing across her face.
"Sir... I apologize for the trouble."
"It's fine."
Seeing the two children unharmed, Bai E also breathed a sigh of relief.
The warriors lined up behind him with guns ready began to retreat step by step, and the nearby Captain of Squad 1 turned to remind him, "If you're alright, we should retreat now, there are too many, we can't hold them off."
"Okay," Bai E nodded and looked at the two children, "can you run on your own?"
"Mm-hmm!" Kiro Lan nodded in agreement, then pulled on Morphie, who seemed to be still dazed, "Let's go, no more trouble for the adults."
The grim scene of ruins before their eyes zoomed in rapidly, the sound contracted, and suddenly invaded Morphie's sight, making him shiver, the flickering light in his eyes disappearing in an instant, "Oh~ let's go!"
The number of spiders in the great army was too many, and as the battle progressed, more figures quietly crawled out from every corner of the ruins.
Especially more and more larger spiders were crawling out from the shadows underground, their bodies' compound eyes were dense and numerous, making one's scalp tingle.
"Let's go! We can't stay here any longer."
Team Leader 1 shot single-handedly in an orderly fashion, while opening the voice channel to notify Team Leader 2, who was on standby, "Notify all refugees to retreat orderly, continue heading back to the city!"
It wasn't impossible to travel at night, after all, the usual dangers on this road weren't many, unlike the one leading to the server ruins.
Also, Bai E had been exploring for over an hour, and though the resting refugees might get a bit tired, they weren't completely unable to walk.
"Here is Ka Ruigan, message received," came Team Leader 2's calm voice.
The soldiers on standby sprung into action upon receiving the order, "Get up, everyone, keep moving."
"We're setting off! The sooner we get back to the city, the sooner we'll be safe."
"Our comrades have spotted the enemy; it's no longer safe here, but the distance is still far, so don't worry. An orderly retreat will suffice."
...
"Dadadadada!"
More than a dozen machine guns spat out orange flames, which were particularly conspicuous in the night.
Having already moved some distance away from the ruins of the relics, those gray-white spiders were still relentlessly pursuing.
Even the mutated spiders, with their bodily structure, were nowhere as troublesome as the Bug Race with Chitin Armor, human bullets could easily shred their defenses wherever they hit.
Their round bodies burst open like water-filled bags under the storm of bullets, scattering all around.
Yet their flat claws still twitched unwillingly on the ground.
The machine guns in the soldiers' hands were beginning to overheat, ejected casings paving a trail along their path of retreat.
"They are still chasing us!" Team Leader 2's brows furrowed slightly, his expression turning a bit grave.
Having retreated all the way from a district 5 kilometers away, the ammunition the soldiers had been carrying was running low.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Of course, they could still resupply from the off-road vehicles, but the bigger problem was the firearms themselves.
An overheated barrel was a fatal issue.
Unfortunately, the cumbersome group of over four hundred refugees, even though they tried their best not to cause chaos, couldn't retreat as rapidly as the soldiers.
The large group retreating was right behind them, and ahead... was the relentless spider army still unwilling to let them go.
[Consecutive successful hits on numerous moving targets, Gun Fighting Skill experience +21. (Small chance to awaken special attributes.)]
Bai E rehung the scorching-hot machine gun on his side and took down his bow with his left hand.
It was difficult to maintain high levels of energy reserves with normal food and water consumption; he would only consume the No. 3 ration bar to replenish his energy reserves right before battle.
Moreover, after the recent major battles, the No. 3 ration bars were rapidly consumed. The supplies were limited to one a day, and even with the handful Carlos had given him before the battle against the Bug Race, there weren't many left now.
But now, even without consuming another "No. 3 ration bar," the solar energy replenished after driving away the orcs had filled Bai E's energy reserves completely.
Taking into account the No. 3 ration bars that could be consumed on the spot, it meant that in a prepared battle, he could have twice the energy reserve for an outburst.
One blue bar turning into two blue bars was a great enhancement to his stamina and explosive power.
The ability to maintain full energy reserves during rest without relying on the "No. 3 ration bar" was particularly precious to the current Bai E.
The fully recovered energy reserves played a crucial role at this moment.
When the soldiers' firearms could no longer buy time, the last three arrows could still clear a 500-meter-long safe distance for everyone.
Bai E stood up, nocked an arrow to the bow.
The night breeze gently stirred the hair on his forehead, and Bai E's eyes were as sharp as his arrows.
Draw!
Shoot!
A gust of wind swept through, the residual white airflow stirred up the desolate surroundings, and after a moment, it slowly dissolved into nothingness.
"Whoosh!"
Another arrow!
"Whoosh!"
The final arrow!
The three arrows pierced through everything in their path, the spiders falling one after another were not even an obstacle; they even flew straight into the ruins, burying the last glories of the relics.
Dust filled the air.
Ahead was clear.
Bai E slowly put away the bow, his gaze piercing beyond the 500 meters of space, fixing on the spider eyes that unexpectedly halted due to the terrifying strike.
In the dark spherical eyes, the fear of the unknown finally restrained their bloodthirst for the first time.
Bai E gestured backward with one hand, "You go ahead."
If they dared to pursue further... there were three more arrows.
As they watched the not particularly robust figure, the soldiers covering the rear couldn't help but be filled with extreme awe.
No matter how many times they saw it, this earth-shattering arrow was incomprehensible.
["Lucky Shot" charge +11.]
...
Countless compound eyes locked gazes with Bai E, who stood watchful in the distance, and the entity deep underground in the ruins finally seemed to realize these flesh and blood creatures were not for its taking.
The first spider slowly retracted into the shadows...
Watching the gray-white figures gradually disappear into the darkness, Bai E squinted his eyes.
The rats underground should no longer be enough for the players to toy with, right?