When Xiao Feng forcefully hurled Lin aside, he shouted sternly, "Freeze it in place..." No sooner had he spoken than a bat demon lunged fiercely at him. With swift reflexes, Xiao Feng seized the creature's claw, unleashing a merciless surge of electric current.
Only then did Lin realize Xiao Feng's intent midair. He landed atop a Class-D demonic wolf and immediately unleashed his formidable ice-based supernatural ability.
Rapidly, ice began to crystallize on the wolf's back, centering on Lin. The slimy secretion coating the wolf's body, saturated with moisture, greatly amplified Lin's chilling power.
In moments, the entire wolf was encased in a solid block of ice. Without hesitation, Lin leapt off and charged toward another beast, cursing Xiao Feng as he ran, "Xiao Feng, damn you! You almost got me killed..."
Though slower than Xiao Feng, Lin's agility was enough to evade the wolves' claws, especially as he weaved deftly through their bellies—an area difficult for them to detect.
Seizing upon a wolf's leg, Lin pressed close, spreading his frigid power across it. A sharp cracking sound filled the air as the limb froze solid, causing the wolf to collapse. After a desperate struggle, it too was transformed into an icy statue.
Seeing Lin's freezing technique take effect, Xiao Feng focused on dispatching the beasts around him. Though neither of their powers were fatal, they at least served to keep the creatures at bay.
Under the dim night sky, bolts of electricity lit up the darkness. One by one, the monsters fell—some paralyzed by electric currents surging across their bodies, others frozen stiff as statues.
Their attacks swiftly turned the tide; the number of fallen beasts multiplied, creating a defensive barrier that stalled the encroaching pack.
Hope stirred within Xiao Feng's heart—they might just hold out until reinforcements arrived.
The surrounding demonic wolves howled furiously, leaping atop their fallen comrades in desperate attempts to close in on Xiao Feng and Lin. Undeterred, the two warriors vaulted across the piled carcasses, toppling wave after wave of attackers. Gradually, the slain beasts formed a mountainous mound.
More wolves scrambled atop the heap; more were felled by their relentless defense.
Fatigue gnawed at them both, yet they knew slowing down would mean losing their advantage. One misstep could see them torn to shreds.
Leaning against each other, breath ragged, Lin shouted, "Damn it! When are the reinforcements coming?"
"Soon, I hope. Armed helicopters flying at speed should take about half an hour for a few hundred kilometers. But it's night, and with so many bat demons in the air, it'll take longer," Xiao Feng replied.
"If they don't arrive, we're done for. I'm about to collapse..." Lin admitted, exhausted.
Xiao Feng unleashed twin bolts of electricity from his hands, stunning a monster. "I'm exhausted too. I don't know how much longer I can hold out."
Just as their weariness deepened, a new menace emerged—a swarm of demonic rats darted swiftly beneath the wolves. Though barely over half a meter tall and insignificant in size compared to the wolves, their overwhelming numbers posed a far greater threat.
Within moments, several darted from beneath the beasts, lunging at Xiao Feng's throat.
Startled, Xiao Feng yelled, "Watch out!" and kicked one squarely on the head, sending it sprawling.
Lin furrowed his brow, conjuring an ice dagger that plunged into a rat's chest with lethal precision. The blade's icy spikes grew instantly, piercing the creature's heart and halting its heartbeat.
Though dealing with rats was easier than wolves, the sheer multitude wore them down. A swarm of ants can overpower an elephant—how much more these savage, mutated vermin?
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through Lin's shoulder. "Ah!" he cried out as a vicious rat clamped onto him.
Xiao Feng gasped seeing the massive rat clinging to Lin's back. He seized the creature's neck and discharged a surge of electricity. Both Lin and the rat collapsed, paralyzed.
Without hesitation, Xiao Feng pressed his hands onto the wolf carcasses beneath, grimacing as he roared, "Damn you all—die!"
An immense electrical current erupted from him, engulfing the entire "mountain of corpses" in a dazzling blaze of light.
From kilometers away, the helicopter fleet witnessed the spectacle, stunned by the radiant storm. Beneath the electric glow, countless enormous bat demons appeared, prompting the fleet to switch swiftly into combat mode.
Rocket after rocket launched from hive-like missile pods, raining fire upon the swirling bat demons overhead.
Thunderous explosions and fiery flares illuminated the night sky.
Nearly the entire Black Whale City helicopter squadron had deployed. On one chopper, Rush furrowed his brow, peering through infrared binoculars at the gruesome mound of corpses below—so many beasts felled, even he doubted his own capacity to slay such a horde in so short a time.
"Move in closer—now," Rush ordered.
The pilot acknowledged, "Understood," then ignited the rear boosters, propelling the helicopter like a razor blade slicing through the bat swarm.
Extending one hand outside the cockpit, Rush unleashed a potent psychic force that swept aside bats blocking the helicopter's path. Combined with the craft's laser cannons and rockets, the chopper arrived over the corpse mound within seconds.
Without hesitation, Rush leapt onto the summit.
By then, Lin lay paralyzed atop the wolf bodies, the rat still viciously biting his shoulder. Xiao Feng was utterly spent; his powers nearly depleted from his earlier massive surge.
Fortunately, that final attack had felled the entire wolf mound, buying them precious respite.
As Xiao Feng gasped for breath, swaying unsteadily, a wave of mutated rats surged upward like a dark tide. With Lin down and his own strength waning, Xiao Feng's brow furrowed deeply—he was running out of options.
At that critical moment, the armed helicopter shot in swiftly.
Xiao Feng smiled weakly as Rush jumped from the helicopter. Moments later, fatigue overtook Xiao Feng; the backlash of his powers knocked him unconscious. At last, he could relax—not for himself, but for Lin's safety. He knew as long as Rush arrived, their survival was possible.
Descending, Rush saw Xiao Feng collapse and knew well the immense effort it took to kill so many beasts—a testament to their indomitable will.
Yet as Xiao Feng fell, dozens of mutant rats swarmed the summit, screeching and lunging fiercely.
Enraged, Rush shouted, "Get away!" With a mere wave of his hand, the rats scattered like flies struck by a swatter.
Landing atop the mound, Rush called out, "Xiao Feng, are you alright?"
Xiao Feng gave a weak smile before closing his eyes completely. Rush checked his neck pulse and sighed with relief.
He waved to the helicopters, which began descending cautiously to extract them.
The fleet soon converged, providing cover as one helicopter hovered above the corpse mound. Two ropes were lowered; Rush swiftly secured both men, and they were hoisted aboard.
Grasping a rope, Rush was pulled back into the cabin. Inside, he urgently commanded the pilot, "Request a carpet bombing over a one-kilometer radius."
"Understood," came the reply.
With Xiao Feng and Lin secured, the helicopter rapidly departed.
As the entire squadron prepared to retreat, Xiao Feng suddenly jolted awake, shouting, "Wait! There's still a Class-C demon crystal down there!"
Rush nearly fainted in frustration, "Are you suicidal? You want the crystal?"
"I want both! Hold on, I'm going back down to get it..." Without hesitation, Xiao Feng attempted to leap from the helicopter.