Chapter 24: The Long-Awaited Roar
The massive body of the third-tier scaled beast descended from the sky, its colossal shadow instantly swallowing the front half of the trench. The air was violently churned by its heavy form, carrying a thick, putrid stench as it crashed down with explosive force.
"Fall back! Everyone fall back!" Instructor Zhou roared hoarsely. Clutching his throbbing head, with the wound in his Sea of Consciousness continuously sending sharp pangs, he could only muster every ounce of his strength to move his injured body, pushing the wounded soldiers behind him toward the innermost blind spot of the trench.
Lin Yan kept the falling giant beast locked in his peripheral vision, his hands never ceasing their movements. The two low-level scaled beasts on the flank were still fiercely entangled with him. One suddenly whipped its thick tail, striking viciously at his waist. Lin Yan stepped into his footwork, his body drifting like a leaf in the wind as he slid half a foot laterally across the mud. The thick tail slammed into the dirt, exploding into a spray of mud and blood.
Seizing the opening, the other scaled beast opened its mouth and spat a cloud of gray mist, accompanied by fine psychic needles that pierced straight toward Lin Yan's contracted Sea of Consciousness. A sharp, piercing pain shot through his skull, and his vision briefly blackened. Gritting his teeth to steady his mind, he swung his short blade horizontally in a flash. He wasn't aiming for a fatal blow, merely forcing back the beast's lunging head, continuing to firmly lock down the gap on the flank to prevent the giant beasts from reaching the immobilized wounded in the rear.
Boom!
A massive, muffled explosion sent violent tremors through the entire trench. The third-tier scaled beast crashed heavily into the front line of the trench, sending mud and rubble flying like rain. The instant it landed, it released a circular psychic shockwave, an invisible force sweeping outward in all directions.
The few people who could still barely stand groaned in unison. Su Qing could no longer hold on; her knees buckled, and she collapsed into the muddy water, clutching her head tightly as she let out a pained, low moan. Among the severely wounded veterans lying on the ground, some had their Seas of Consciousness struck a second time by this psychic impact, their bodies beginning to convulse uncontrollably.
After landing, the third-tier scaled beast slowly turned its head, its vertical pupils scanning the surviving humans in the trench. It prioritized Instructor Zhou, who was closest to it and severely injured. Its four limbs moved with deliberate, heavy steps, its massive feet crushing the scattered rifles and shattered armor on the ground as it approached step by step.
"Stop it!" Instructor Zhou gritted his teeth and raised his hand. He pulled the trigger of his energy pistol repeatedly, but the few weak energy beams that struck the thick chest scales of the giant beast left only shallow scorch marks, completely failing to penetrate its defense.
The giant beast was completely unaffected, continuing its steady advance.
There were no longer any warriors on the front line capable of restraining it. Both third-tier veterans were severely injured and incapacitated. Everyone knew that once the third-tier scaled beast reached the inner wounded area, everyone here would be slaughtered to the last man.
Entangled by the two low-level scaled beasts, Lin Yan was stretched too thin. He could only continue to maneuver and pull the enemy while keeping an eye on the front-line battle. He wanted to go support, but the moment he let go of the flank, the two low-level scaled beasts would instantly charge into the pile of wounded, leading to an equally unimaginable disaster.
Both sides were a dead end.
Seizing the moment he was distracted, a low-level scaled beast suddenly leaped into the air, its fangs bared as it aimed straight for Lin Yan's throat. Lin Yan pivoted sharply, dodging to the side, and simultaneously raised his short blade, slashing顺势 (in a fluid motion) toward the soft skin around the beast's snout. The blade tore through the surface flesh, and black blood splattered onto his forearm. Agonized, the scaled beast roared, and the psychic turbulence it exploded at close range slammed fiercely into Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness.
This impact came extremely close and extremely hard.
The existing fissures on the surface of Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness expanded once again, sending a heart-wrenching pain from his brain down to every limb and organ. His footing staggered, and he nearly fell, but he still forcibly stabilized his center of gravity, refusing to let his mental focus collapse.
The prolonged, continuous psychic pressure, contracting, defending, and recovering under impact after impact... Under this unceasing tempering, his control over his Sea of Consciousness had quietly become more refined. He could gather his scattered consciousness faster, reducing the consumption caused by the impacts. Yet, this improvement was extremely slight, so subtle as to be almost imperceptible.
"Quick! It's coming!" Instructor Zhou retreated continuously. His pistol ammunition was exhausted, and all he had left was a broken short blade, fully prepared to fight to the death.
The third-tier scaled beast raised its massive, razor-sharp claw, aiming to crush Instructor Zhou's head.
At this critical juncture, a dull, rumbling roar of engines echoed from the distant horizon.
Everyone's heart gave a violent jolt.
While continuing to maneuver and restrain the low-level scaled beasts, Lin Yan raised his eyes toward the source of the sound. On the distant ridge line, several heavy tactical off-road vehicles broke through the dust, rushing over at high speed. The heavy energy cannons on their roofs flashed with a faint, charging blue light.
Backup had finally arrived.
"Support forces!" A shout came through the vehicle's communication loudspeaker. "Target is the third-tier scaled beast. Priority suppression!"
The energy cannon on the roof roared to life. A thick pillar of energy tore through the gray, hazy sky, striking precisely against the scaled armor on the third-tier scaled beast's back.
Boom!
A violent explosion of fire erupted. The thick scales were scorched and shattered by the high-temperature energy. The third-tier scaled beast let out a pained, frenzied roar. The massive impact sent its colossal body staggering, and the claw that had been aimed at Instructor Zhou was forcibly deflected, slamming heavily into the mud.
Stung by the pain, it abandoned its pursuit of Instructor Zhou. It abruptly turned its head, glaring furiously at the approaching vehicles in the distance. Its Sea of Consciousness churned violently as it prepared to unleash a large-scale psychic impact to deal with the newly arrived support soldiers.
The support convoy quickly dispersed, splitting into two squads. One squad continued to use the heavy energy cannons to relentlessly suppress the third-tier scaled beast from a distance, continuously blasting its already damaged scales to drain its physical and mental power. The other squad of soldiers quickly disembarked, wielding energy rifles as they rapidly advanced toward the trench to assist in clearing the wandering low-level scaled beasts.
"Fall back! Everyone fall back!" Instructor Zhou roared hoarsely. Clutching his throbbing head, with the wound in his Sea of Consciousness continuously sending sharp pangs, he could only muster every ounce of his strength to move his injured body, pushing the wounded soldiers behind him toward the innermost blind spot of the trench.
Lin Yan kept the falling giant beast locked in his peripheral vision, his hands never ceasing their movements. The two low-level scaled beasts on the flank were still fiercely entangled with him. One suddenly whipped its thick tail, striking viciously at his waist. Lin Yan stepped into his footwork, his body drifting like a leaf in the wind as he slid half a foot laterally across the mud. The thick tail slammed into the dirt, exploding into a spray of mud and blood.
Seizing the opening, the other scaled beast opened its mouth and spat a cloud of gray mist, accompanied by fine psychic needles that pierced straight toward Lin Yan's contracted Sea of Consciousness. A sharp, piercing pain shot through his skull, and his vision briefly blackened. Gritting his teeth to steady his mind, he swung his short blade horizontally in a flash. He wasn't aiming for a fatal blow, merely forcing back the beast's lunging head, continuing to firmly lock down the gap on the flank to prevent the giant beasts from reaching the immobilized wounded in the rear.
Boom!
A massive, muffled explosion sent violent tremors through the entire trench. The third-tier scaled beast crashed heavily into the front line of the trench, sending mud and rubble flying like rain. The instant it landed, it released a circular psychic shockwave, an invisible force sweeping outward in all directions.
The few people who could still barely stand groaned in unison. Su Qing could no longer hold on; her knees buckled, and she collapsed into the muddy water, clutching her head tightly as she let out a pained, low moan. Among the severely wounded veterans lying on the ground, some had their Seas of Consciousness struck a second time by this psychic impact, their bodies beginning to convulse uncontrollably.
After landing, the third-tier scaled beast slowly turned its head, its vertical pupils scanning the surviving humans in the trench. It prioritized Instructor Zhou, who was closest to it and severely injured. Its four limbs moved with deliberate, heavy steps, its massive feet crushing the scattered rifles and shattered armor on the ground as it approached step by step.
"Stop it!" Instructor Zhou gritted his teeth and raised his hand. He pulled the trigger of his energy pistol repeatedly, but the few weak energy beams that struck the thick chest scales of the giant beast left only shallow scorch marks, completely failing to penetrate its defense.
The giant beast was completely unaffected, continuing its steady advance.
There were no longer any warriors on the front line capable of restraining it. Both third-tier veterans were severely injured and incapacitated. Everyone knew that once the third-tier scaled beast reached the inner wounded area, everyone here would be slaughtered to the last man.
Entangled by the two low-level scaled beasts, Lin Yan was stretched too thin. He could only continue to maneuver and pull the enemy while keeping an eye on the front-line battle. He wanted to go support, but the moment he let go of the flank, the two low-level scaled beasts would instantly charge into the pile of wounded, leading to an equally unimaginable disaster.
Both sides were a dead end.
Seizing the moment he was distracted, a low-level scaled beast suddenly leaped into the air, its fangs bared as it aimed straight for Lin Yan's throat. Lin Yan pivoted sharply, dodging to the side, and simultaneously raised his short blade, slashing顺势 (in a fluid motion) toward the soft skin around the beast's snout. The blade tore through the surface flesh, and black blood splattered onto his forearm. Agonized, the scaled beast roared, and the psychic turbulence it exploded at close range slammed fiercely into Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness.
This impact came extremely close and extremely hard.
The existing fissures on the surface of Lin Yan's Sea of Consciousness expanded once again, sending a heart-wrenching pain from his brain down to every limb and organ. His footing staggered, and he nearly fell, but he still forcibly stabilized his center of gravity, refusing to let his mental focus collapse.
The prolonged, continuous psychic pressure, contracting, defending, and recovering under impact after impact... Under this unceasing tempering, his control over his Sea of Consciousness had quietly become more refined. He could gather his scattered consciousness faster, reducing the consumption caused by the impacts. Yet, this improvement was extremely slight, so subtle as to be almost imperceptible.
"Quick! It's coming!" Instructor Zhou retreated continuously. His pistol ammunition was exhausted, and all he had left was a broken short blade, fully prepared to fight to the death.
The third-tier scaled beast raised its massive, razor-sharp claw, aiming to crush Instructor Zhou's head.
At this critical juncture, a dull, rumbling roar of engines echoed from the distant horizon.
Everyone's heart gave a violent jolt.
While continuing to maneuver and restrain the low-level scaled beasts, Lin Yan raised his eyes toward the source of the sound. On the distant ridge line, several heavy tactical off-road vehicles broke through the dust, rushing over at high speed. The heavy energy cannons on their roofs flashed with a faint, charging blue light.
Backup had finally arrived.
"Support forces!" A shout came through the vehicle's communication loudspeaker. "Target is the third-tier scaled beast. Priority suppression!"
The energy cannon on the roof roared to life. A thick pillar of energy tore through the gray, hazy sky, striking precisely against the scaled armor on the third-tier scaled beast's back.
Boom!
A violent explosion of fire erupted. The thick scales were scorched and shattered by the high-temperature energy. The third-tier scaled beast let out a pained, frenzied roar. The massive impact sent its colossal body staggering, and the claw that had been aimed at Instructor Zhou was forcibly deflected, slamming heavily into the mud.
Stung by the pain, it abandoned its pursuit of Instructor Zhou. It abruptly turned its head, glaring furiously at the approaching vehicles in the distance. Its Sea of Consciousness churned violently as it prepared to unleash a large-scale psychic impact to deal with the newly arrived support soldiers.
The support convoy quickly dispersed, splitting into two squads. One squad continued to use the heavy energy cannons to relentlessly suppress the third-tier scaled beast from a distance, continuously blasting its already damaged scales to drain its physical and mental power. The other squad of soldiers quickly disembarked, wielding energy rifles as they rapidly advanced toward the trench to assist in clearing the wandering low-level scaled beasts.