Chapter 309: Dire Situation

Some stayed.

Naturally, some hesitated.

And they made up the majority.

Eventually, someone broke the heavy silence.

A slightly plump middle-aged forger raised his hand tremblingly.

"G… Guild President Gu Yan, I… I still have a wife and kids at home, I…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.

Gu Yan glanced at him, his sharp, piercing eyes returning to their usual cloudy and peaceful state.

He waved his hand, his voice tinged with a hint of desolation.

"Those who want to leave can leave."

"I won't stop you."

"Everyone has families to support. Wanting to stay alive isn't shameful."

With the president's consent, the middle-aged forger acted as if granted amnesty, scrambling and crawling as he rushed to his locker, stuffing some valuable Materials into his backpack, and running out of the guild's front doors without looking back.

With the first, there came a second.

One after another, dozens more forgers chose to leave.

They dared not look at Gu Yan, nor did they dare look at Ou Yezi, keeping their heads down like a group of children who had done something wrong, fleeing in panic from the place that made them feel so ashamed.

Supervisor Shen Qiu stood in place, his face turning pale and green by turns, the balance in his heart swaying violently.

He looked at those who resolutely walked toward the forging rooms, then at the colleagues fleeing in panic.

Ultimately, the instinct for survival overrode the meager trace of passion and integrity that had just sprouted within him.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Gu Yan.

"President."

His voice was hoarse, filled with bitterness and helplessness.

"Thank you for cultivating me all these years."

"I respect you, and I also respect Great Master Ou Yezi."

"But I… I can't do it."

He raised his head, his eyes—always adept at calculation—now filled with fear and supplication.

"I don't want to die."

"I really don't want to die, President."

"I'm sorry."

Finishing his words, he didn't dare look at Gu Yan another second, as if staying one more second would cause him to be swallowed by that intangible Qi field.

He turned around, staggering as he ran to his office, grabbed the leather suitcase he had prepared long ago filled with his life savings, and fled the building like a fugitive.

Soon, the once lively and bustling Forging Guild hall became much more empty.

Fewer than fifty people remained.

Over two hundred had left.

Every man for himself when disaster strikes.

Such is human nature.

Zhou Huai watched all this without a single ripple in his heart.

He had no qualification to blame those who chose to leave.

Everyone has the right to choose how they want to live.

His gaze fell upon the graceful figure beside him who hadn't moved an inch from start to finish.

"Aren't you leaving?" Zhou Huai manipulated Ou Yezi, his voice calm.

Lin Wei raised her head, and her pretty face, usually carrying a hint of timidity, now blossomed with a brilliant smile.

She shook her head gently.

"I'm not leaving."

"Although I'm just an ordinary person and can't do much, Donghai City is my home, and I want to contribute my share to this home."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

"Now that many people have left, hands must be urgently needed. I can stay behind to help tally Materials, organize blueprints, and be responsible for the transport and distribution of equipment."

Zhou Huai was somewhat surprised.

Usually, he didn't pay much attention to this hardworking little assistant.

He hadn't expected that this seemingly fragile girl deep down was even braver than those burly men.

She had even thought out clearly what she needed to do next.

For the first time, Ou Yezi's face revealed a gentle smile.

He pulled an archaic-style Storage Ring from his chest and handed it to Lin Wei.

"Inside this are some equipments I recently forged."

"Take the ones in the guild's warehouse as well, and send them to the East City Gate as soon as possible."

Inside this ring were precisely more than three hundred epic-grade equipments he had previously prepared for the members of the Eternal Night Guild.

Although it was still just a drop in the bucket for the entire battle situation,

at least it could give a fraction more hope of survival to the soldiers rushing to the absolute front lines.

Lin Wei looked at the ring before her, froze for a moment, then nodded heavily. She carefully took it and tightly gripped it in her palm.

"Great Master Ou Yezi, rest assured! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

After explaining everything, Zhou Huai said no more.

Turning around under Gu Yan's gratified gaze, he walked once again into his own top-tier forging room.

"Bang!"

The heavy metal doors slowly closed.

Completely isolating the outside clamor and flames of war.

Next, he needed to forge a few Sharp Weapons for the top combat powers of Donghai City that could truly turn the tide of battle.

He pulled another ring from Ou Yezi's body.

Inside this one were all the top-tier Materials that Jasmine had looted from the ruins.

Among them were many rare Materials sufficient to forge legendary-grade equipment.

Now, the only thing lacking was a powerful enough blueprint.

Zhou Huai took a deep breath and summoned Ou Yezi's exclusive skill.

Myriad Phenomenon Divine Pen!

Meanwhile,

two hundred kilometers away, Jiangning City.

The Governor's Mansion was brightly lit.

Hou Changfeng walked with his hands behind his back, pacing anxiously back and forth in his spacious office like a tiger trapped in a cage.

Ever since deducing during the day that the Secret Realm controlled by the Zhou Family was likely an ancient ruin,

the ominous premonition in his heart had grown increasingly intense.

He immediately dispatched Li Gang to lead a team there, attempting to control the situation.

Yet, in the end, they were still a step too late.

As the light of the Ye Family's portal continuously lit up, batch after batch of refugees from Donghai City surged into Jiangning City.

The news that Donghai City had encountered a super beast tide exploded like a heavyweight bomb among the high-ranking officials of Jiangning City.

"Bang!"

The office door was slammed open violently.

An intelligence officer rushed in hastily without even knocking, his face written with terror and shock.

Hou Changfeng abruptly stopped his steps, grabbed him by the collar, his voice rapid.

"What's the situation? Is Donghai City really encountering a beast tide?"

The officer's face turned ashen as he nodded heavily, his voice turning hoarse due to extreme fear.

"Governor… it's true!"

"According to the intelligence we just received—"

"this beast tide's scale… its scale is unprecedented!"

Swallowing with difficulty, he said with a trembling voice, "Donghai City is closest to the outbreak point of the beast tide and is right at the center of the beast tide's impact!"

"Not just Donghai City! Neighboring cities like Xiyuan City and Futai City have also simultaneously suffered varying degrees of beast tide attacks!"

"Even… even a portion of the beast tide is spreading outward! It's estimated… estimated that by tomorrow morning, it will arrive near Jiangning City!"

Hou Changfeng's pupils suddenly constricted, the force in his hands involuntarily increasing a bit.

"Just how large is the scale?!"

Choked almost breathless, the officer flushed red and squeezed a few despair-inducing words through his teeth.

"O… Over a million!"

"According to energy reaction analysis, just the calamity-grade BOSSes alone number at least in the thousands! As for… as for Hell-grade BOSSes, their quantity… is currently unknown!"

"Currently, people teleported over from Donghai City say their city hasn't completely fallen yet. Minister Li Gang… is leading all Professionals in the city to stubbornly fight to the death at the East City Wall!"

Boom!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Hou Changfeng's mind.

He released his hand, staggered back two steps, and collapsed into the office chair behind him.

It's over.

The worst premonition in his heart had ultimately turned into reality.

A beast tide exceeding one million.

Several thousand calamity-grade BOSSes.

And an unknown number of Hell-grade…

What kind of concept was that?

That was a terrifying natural disaster capable of easily destroying a small country!

Let alone a tiny Donghai City.

I'm afraid the entire Dongning Province will be razed to the ground under this black torrent!

After a brief trance, a towering fury surged from the bottom of Hou Changfeng's heart.

"Zhou Family! Liu Family!"

He smashed a heavy fist against the desk made of century-old agarwood in front of him, producing a heaven-shaking roar!

"These madmen! These bastards!"

He could now be one hundred percent certain that this catastrophe was definitely tied to that ruin, and to the Zhou and Liu families!

However, now was not the time to assign blame.

Hou Changfeng forced himself to calm down.

He suddenly stood up, grabbed the red encrypted phone on the desk, and unhesitatingly dialed a number from the Imperial Capital.

The phone only rang once before it was connected.

From the receiver came a slightly aged yet full-of-vitality voice, carrying a hint of teasing tone.

"Yo, did the sun rise from the west today?"

"I didn't expect that Governor Hou, with your busy schedule, would still have time to call an old man like me?"

Normally, Hou Changfeng might have joked back a few words and exchanged polite pleasantries.

But at this moment, his voice was filled with unprecedented gravity and anxiety.

"Teacher!"

"Dongning Province has a major emergency!"