Chapter 144: Cannot Hold It, But the EXP is Filling

High above the sky, lightning and dark purple energy collided crazily.

Chen Guanyi and the figures of dozens of guild powerhouses were like moths flying into a flame before the massive body of the Abyssal Demon Catfish.

On the ground, the torrential rain poured down like a waterfall.

In the minds of the dozen or so surviving students, a cold System prompt rang out simultaneously.

[The third-stage quest has been activated.]

[The defense Formation of Simon City will completely fail within ten minutes.]

[City Lord Chen Guanyi has transferred all residents of the city to the underground shelters.]

[Quest objective: Protect the safety of the underground shelters.]

[Current remaining number of shelters: 47 / 47.]

Wang Xicheng looked at this prompt, held his breath, and almost cursed on the spot.

"Forty-seven?"

"What a joke!"

"There are only a dozen or so of us left, how are we supposed to hold out?!"

He punched the ruins beside him, his face filled with unwillingness and powerlessness.

Zhou Huai controlled Gandalf with a calm expression.

"Do our best and leave the rest to fate."

"It's impossible to protect all these shelters."

"If you continue to stay here, being eliminated is only a matter of time."

"It's better for everyone to go to one shelter and make a final resistance."

Wang Xicheng suddenly raised his head and looked at Gandalf.

"What about you?"

Zhou Huai smiled.

On that face soaked by the rain, no emotion could be seen.

"You don't have to worry about me."

"I have my own plans."

Wang Xicheng fell silent.

He looked at Gandalf, and after a long time, he nodded heavily.

He stepped forward and heavily patted Gandalf's shoulder.

"Be careful yourself."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"We… have already done very well."

After saying that, he turned around and let out an angry roar at the dozen or so equally confused students behind him.

"What are you all standing there dazed for?!"

"Follow me!"

With an order, he led those dozen surviving figures and rushed into Simon City without looking back, searching for their final position.

Zhou Huai did not linger either. Controlling Gandalf, he turned and plunged into another street of the city.

Having lost Gandalf's firepower suppression, the exotic beast army outside the city wall gap faced no more obstacles.

They let out excited screeches and charged straight in like a black torrent.

Those surviving guild Professionals NPCs did not shrink back because of the students' departure.

They looked at each other and saw the same determination in each other's eyes.

They stood in place, gripping the weapons in their hands tightly.

"For Simon!"

With an angry roar, they charged head-on into the wave-like beast horde for their final charge.

Their tiny figures were instantly swallowed by the black ocean.

…

Zhou Huai controlled Gandalf and sprinted wildly down the empty street.

The rain washed over the ancient stone slab road, splashing up patches of water.

The doors and windows of the shops on both sides were tightly shut, and the entire city was as dead as a ghost town.

Soon, he arrived beneath the ancient clock tower located in the center of the city.

Ever-Watch Clock Tower.

The former iconic building of Simon City.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Huai kicked open the heavy wooden door of the clock tower and stepped onto the spiraling staircase.

Every time he climbed a floor, he would turn around and fling out a [Split Fireball].

Boom!

The scorching fireball exploded, blasting the stone stairs behind him to pieces.

This could greatly slow down the speed at which the exotic beasts pursued him.

A moment later, Zhou Huai climbed to the top of the clock tower.

The fierce wind mixed with torrential rain rushed head-on, blowing his star moon robe flutteringly.

Leaning against the cold railing, he looked into the distance.

The full panorama of Simon City was entirely in view.

The scene was like purgatory.

Just as the System prompt had indicated.

The city walls on the east, west, and north sides had completely collapsed across the entire line.

Countless exotic beasts surged into the city like a black tide, crossing the broken city walls from all directions.

On the city walls, sporadic resistance was still continuing.

Those City Guards let out their final angry roars, waving the swords in their hands to fight enemies several times their number.

Their figures were quickly submerged by the endless beast horde.

[System prompt: Underground Shelter No. 17 has been destroyed.]

[System prompt: Underground Shelter No. 32 has been destroyed.]

The cold prompt tones continued to ring in Zhou Huai's mind.

In less than five minutes, two of the forty-seven shelters had already fallen.

Zhou Huai stood at the top of the tower, facing the wind and rain, and softly sighed.

"Sorry, Fat General."

"I can't help you hold this city."

"But I am willing to fight for you until the very last moment."

Soon, the beast hordes pouring in from all directions converged on the city center.

Zhou Huai looked down.

Below, it was a pitch-black mass of writhing beast heads.

He grinned and smiled.

In the eyes beneath the hood, an excited light flickered.

"So much… EXP."

He raised the staff in his hand high, and ancient, obscure syllables began to chant between his lips.

"[Forbidden Spell: Blazing Blade Storm]!"

As his voice fell.

"[Arcane Dual-Derivative]!"

Another low shout.

"[Forbidden Spell: Blazing Blade Storm]!"

Boom——!!!!

Two giant tornado storms connecting heaven and earth appeared out of thin air in the city center, one on the left and one on the right!

With the residents of the city gone, Zhou Huai no longer had any scruples.

The terrifying suction instantly swept the black ocean below, along with the surrounding buildings, up into the sky!

Countless exotic beasts let out desperate screeches in mid-air, their bodies crazily cut, torn, and pulverized by those ruthless wind blades!

Bricks and stones, wooden beams, steel…

Everything turned into dust in the storm!

[Kill…]

[Kill…]

Massive EXP prompts crazily flooded the screen in Gandalf's backend.

At this moment, his EXP bar leading to Rank 30 soared crazily from 54% at a speed visible to the naked eye!

60%!

70%!

Finally, it stopped at 77%!

Awesome!

This is simply too awesome!

One minute later, the two heaven-destroying Blazing Blade Storms slowly dissipated.

The originally bustling city center had now turned into a huge piece of barren land.

Almost flattened to the ground.

Aside from that lonely Ever-Watch Clock Tower, there were no longer any complete buildings left.

If Wang Xicheng and the others saw this scene, they would probably doubt their lives.

Is this coming to defend the city, or to destroy the city?

Zhou Huai couldn't care less about that.

As the Blazing Blade Storm subsided, the outer army of exotic beasts roared and poured in crazily once again.

Standing at the top of the clock tower like a deity, he vented the Forbidden Spells in his hand downwards as if they cost nothing.

[Forbidden Spell: Meteor Fire Rain]!

[Forbidden Spell: Thousand Mile Ice Seal]!

Once there were flying exotic beasts or agile exotic beasts attempting to climb upward along the outer wall of the clock tower.

He would unhesitatingly release [Forbidden Spell: Geocentric Gravity Field].

Pressing those recklessly courting death fellows back down to the ground to receive the baptism of Forbidden Spells together with their companions.

Time passed minute by minute.

After not knowing how many more waves of exotic beasts were killed.

A dazzling white light suddenly soared into the sky from Gandalf's body!

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host, Clone 'Gandalf' has increased to Rank 30!]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host for completing the challenge quest: Rapid Advance of the Strong!]

[Quest reward: Professional Orb Draw Chance X1!]

Zhou Huai let out a long breath of foul air, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

Finally… completed.

…

Meanwhile.

Several kilometers away from the Ever-Watch Clock Tower, atop a high-rise building that had not yet been affected.

A slender figure was quietly standing in front of the shattered window.

She pushed the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose, her gaze piercing through the rain curtain as she gazed from afar at the figure constantly releasing Forbidden Spells at the top of the clock tower, her eyes somewhat in a trance.

After a long time, she came back to her senses, her red lips parting slightly as she murmured to herself.

"Gandalf…"

"SS-class profession, Archmage."

"No wonder… No wonder that fellow Zuo Daolin has been yearning to capture you."

A trace of complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

"If…"

"If ten years ago, there really was such a powerhouse in Simon City."

"Perhaps, grandfather…"

"Perhaps, Simon City would truly have a glimmer of survival."

She smiled self-deprecatingly, her voice so soft as if it could be blown away by the wind at any time.

"It's a pity…"

"In this world, there are never any ifs…"