Chapter 115: Prelude to the Melee

This is a brooch transformed from Xue Feifei’s "Little Dragonfly." When they set out from the residential complex, each of the four had one attached to their person for routine communication.

After Xue Feifei’s upgrades, the communication range of the Little Dragonfly had increased significantly, but it still could not exceed two thousand meters. Beyond that distance, it could only transmit basic pulse signals.

To prepare for emergencies, he and Xue Feifei had previously agreed on the meanings behind various signal patterns.

At this moment, the short, repetitive signal indicated that they had encountered an emergency. They had even categorized emergencies by severity, represented by one, two, or three beeps.

Yet, the alarm was sounding continuously, with no sign of stopping!

Kong Zhe did not believe that Xue Feifei was the type to make a fuss or trigger the alarm over minor incidents. As a scientist, she was extremely rigorous. For her to make such a judgment, it could only mean that the situation had reached a true life-or-death crisis, requiring him to rush back immediately!

What on earth had happened?

Kong Zhe did not know, but the incessant beeping and the growing anxiety on Xiao Lei’s face were urging him on like a death knell.

Kong Zhe gritted his teeth, hoisted Xiao Lei into his arms, and channeled magical energy into his feet until it became tangible, whipping up the surrounding snow and fallen leaves. Then, like a cannonball, he bolted forward.

The only thing he could do now was to return as fast as possible.

...

"Awoo!"

A violent explosion caused the Hydra to wail. This particular serpent head was now a bloody mess, covered in wounds from the blast, and one of its eyes had even been blinded.

Finally, unable to hold on any longer, the head swayed and collapsed to the ground.

Moreover, this was its last head; the other eight had, without exception, been severed.

The Hydra lay limp on the ground, the light in its eyes gradually dimming; it was clearly on the verge of death.

Beside the massive body of the Hydra, two groups of people were in a standoff.

"Hahaha, the legendary Hydra is nothing more than this! Didn't it just drop like a little bug from my explosions?"

The man with the spiky, "Shamate" style hair laughed wildly, kicking a pebble away with his foot.

The small stone traced a graceful arc and landed on the body of the Hydra nearby.

"Boom!"

The sound of an explosion rang out again. Amidst the flying dust and smoke, the stone had long since turned into powder, and a shocking new wound appeared on the Hydra’s body.

"My, you really don't know how to show mercy, do you? The poor thing is already so pathetic, hehe..."

The woman in the raincoat and rubber boots covered her mouth and giggled. Although she spoke such words, there was no pity on her face; instead, her gaze toward the Hydra was filled with disdain. She looked at the motionless creature on the ground with interest, as if observing a broken toy.

Behind the two, Han Ke narrowed his eyes, inwardly shocked once again by their combat power.

He had struggled to track the nearly vanished markers to this location, but the sight of the Hydra had instantly made him abandon his thoughts of revenge.

Had it not been for the assertive attitude of these two individuals forcing him to follow along, he would have turned and fled long ago.

He hadn't expected that in just a few days, these people would have acquired such a powerful pet! He had underestimated the speed at which that young man’s strength was growing.

However, what made Han Ke frown was that the young man was not here!

Had he left temporarily? Or had he abandoned these two women?

If it was the former, at least he could wait for his return to kill him. But if it was the latter, once these two obtained their goal, they might not honor their promise and could simply leave, rendering his trip a waste of time.

"You bastard! How dare you kill my familiar! Don't you dare think of dying without atoning for your sins!"

Tuantuan pointed at the explosion-loving man, cursing angrily. If Xue Feifei hadn't been holding her back firmly, she would have already drawn her sword and charged.

"Hey, don't be impulsive! We have to wait for Kong Zhe to come back!"

Feeling the struggle in her arms growing stronger, Xue Feifei grew increasingly anxious. She whispered a reminder into Tuantuan’s ear while her other hand kept pressing the alarm.

She had indeed felt a bad premonition when Kong Zhe left, but the current crisis far exceeded her imagination.

When the man named Han Ke had suddenly appeared on campus today, she had been filled with worry. She knew he had been severely punished by Kong Zhe; if they met, a conflict would be inevitable.

Fortunately, this was a safe zone; even as an Awakened, he couldn't use magic, and they had the Hydra protecting them, which had put her somewhat at ease.

But the subsequent turn of events caught her off guard.

She never expected the real threat to come not from Han Ke, but from the two eccentric-looking people who had arrived with him.

The man, in particular, could unleash powerful explosions from his hands. In no time, he had blown off eight of the Hydra's heads, and the last one was now on its last breath.

This terrified her. This was a Hydra, after all; even Kong Zhe had spent a tremendous amount of effort and gone through a near-death experience to kill it. Was this person actually stronger than Kong Zhe?

What puzzled Xue Feifei even more was why he could use his skills in the safe zone. What happened to the rule that magic is ineffective in safe zones?

However, Xue Feifei had no time to ponder this. With the Hydra down, their greatest reliance was gone. Facing such powerful enemies, how could a weak girl like her and an inexperienced Tuantuan possibly fight back?

So, she hurriedly used the communicator to call for Kong Zhe’s help.

He had promised to return within the day, but he hadn't specified a time. Now, Xue Feifei could only pray that he was already nearby. Otherwise, the two sisters were truly doomed today.

A few hundred meters away from the standoff, the teachers and students of the safe zone had gradually gathered, watching the two groups with various expressions—some surprised, some worried, some complex, but most were simply there to watch the spectacle.

"No, we have to help them!"

Yang Fang looked at the two groups in the distance with concern and spoke to the students behind her.

But no one responded. Many students chose to look away or bow their heads when faced with her gaze.

This left Yang Fang feeling disappointed. They had provided so much food earlier, yet now, no one was willing to stand up.

Still, she couldn't say anything, nor did she blame them. After all, they were ordinary people; it was unreasonable to expect them to risk their lives against Awakened for the sake of others.

Shaking her head, Yang Fang subconsciously looked at the few Awakened individuals nearby.

"Yu Qun, what is your take on this?"

The male teacher tightened his grip on his giant axe, a cold, subtle sneer appearing on his face: "My take? Let's just wait and see!"

Yang Fang gritted her teeth. Although she had guessed the result, hearing him say it aloud left her deeply disappointed.

As for the remaining Awakened behind him, it went without saying that they were in lockstep with Yu Qun.

"Fine, fine! You spineless men, if you won't go, I will!"

Yang Fang snorted, a look of determination on her face, and moved to walk toward the scene.

But suddenly, she felt her shoulder being grabbed firmly.

"Yu Qun, what are you doing?"

"Heh heh, nothing! I just can't bear to let you take such a risk!"

*After all, you are my designated woman,* Yu Qun thought, adding the silent remark to himself. He then pointed to the people behind him.

"You guys, keep an eye on Teacher Yang!"

"Yu Qun, you... mph!"

As Yang Fang reached the peak of her fury, she felt her mouth being covered, and she was dragged behind the crowd by several burly men. Although she was an Awakened, without the ability to use her skills, she was only slightly stronger than an ordinary woman; she was no match for several strong men.

What made her despair even more was that among her own students, not a single one stood up to say a word for her!

...

Han Ke had been observing the group of teachers and students. Seeing what had just happened, he couldn't help but rub his chin.

There was nothing for him to do here for now. Both women were targets of the two ability users, and he wasn't interested in them. So, his eyes darted around, and he walked toward the male teacher holding the giant axe...

...

"Atoning for your sins with death? Hmph, little girl, you may be small, but your temper is quite large!"

The woman in the raincoat looked at the girl wearing the helmet in the distance and snorted coldly.

Suddenly, her body went limp and dissolved into a puddle of water, vanishing into the snow.

This left both Xue Feifei and Tuantuan stunned. Xue Feifei rubbed her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing, her grip on Tuantuan's hand loosening subconsciously.

Tuantuan also began to look around in suspicion. At the same time, she moved in front of Xue Feifei, raising her sword in defense.

Looking at Tuantuan’s small back, Xue Feifei was momentarily dazed. But then, her pupils constricted violently.

"Watch out!"

Almost the moment Xue Feifei’s voice rang out, Tuantuan’s eyes turned cold, and she swung her sword backward without hesitation.

Behind her, a figure had appeared out of thin air.

Thanks to the rigorous training of the past few days, Tuantuan’s attack was impeccable in both angle and speed. Even if it had been Kong Zhe, he could not have done better.