"Cough cough... Captain... I... I'm having trouble breathing..." A team member bent over in pain, his hand weakly scratching his chest, as if trying to force out the suffocating feeling there.
His companions were in no better shape. Their faces, already pale from the long escape, were now completely bloodless, and sweat mixed with dust left shocking marks on their faces.
"Xue'er, how are you?" Ning Yu noticed out of the corner of his eye that Mu Xue's steps had also begun to falter. Her once rosy lips were now deathly pale, and her breathing was rapid and weak, clearly indicating that she was also suffering from oxygen deprivation.
"I...I'm fine..." Mu Xue gritted her teeth, trying to force a relaxed smile, but found that she didn't even have the strength to move her lips.
"Hang in there, we'll be in safety soon." Ning Yu's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible anxiety, but the surrounding heat and thick smoke made his voice hoarse even as he lowered it.
However, reality was far crueler than expected. One after another, muffled groans echoed through the ranks as several team members, exhausted, collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Captain, this won't do! We'll all suffocate here!" a team member shouted in panic, his voice filled with despair.
Watching his comrades, who had risked their lives alongside him, fall one by one, Ning Yu felt as if a boulder was pressing down on his heart. He knew this was not the time to despair; he had to come up with a solution as soon as possible, or everyone would perish in this sea of fire.
Just then, Ning Yu felt a heat on his wrist, and the metal wristband he always wore suddenly emitted a faint light...
"Warning! Warning! High energy reaction detected. A violent explosion is expected in ten seconds. Please find cover immediately!"
The mechanical voice emanating from the metal wristband was cold and urgent, pounding on Ning Yu's nerves like a countdown to death. Ten seconds?! In this sea of fire, where could they possibly find refuge?
"Xue'er!" Ning Yu grabbed Mu Xue's arm, his tone urgent and decisive, "There's no time to explain, come with me!"
He grabbed Mu Xue and ran wildly through the thick smoke and flames, guided only by instinct. The team members behind them didn't understand what was happening, but their captain's orders were everything. They endured their extreme discomfort and stumbled after them.
"boom!"
A deafening explosion erupted behind them, and a wave of heat mixed with debris swept in like a hurricane, knocking them to the ground. Ning Yu held onto Mu Xue tightly, using his own body to shield her from the oncoming impact.
"Cough cough..."
Amidst violent coughing, Ning Yu struggled to lift his head, and the sight before him filled him with despair. The ground, already a sea of fire, was now blasted into a huge crater, with raging flames roaring like a vicious hound from hell, devouring everything around them.
"Captain, what do we do now? We're surrounded!" a team member shouted in terror, his voice trembling and almost drowned out by the surrounding explosions.
Looking around, all they could see were towering pillars of fire and billowing smoke; there was nowhere to escape. The system's cold countdown still echoed in their ears, and the shadow of death loomed over everyone's hearts like a persistent, insidious disease.
"System, scan the surrounding environment and find cover!" Ning Yu called out anxiously in his mind, but the system remained silent, as if it too was shocked by the desperate scene.
Large beads of sweat rolled down Ning Yu's forehead. He had never felt so powerless and desperate. Was he really going to die here?
"No, there must be another way!" Mu Xue's voice suddenly rang in his ear, her tone firm and resolute. "Ning Yu, look at me!"
A strange light flickered in Mu Xue's eyes—a do-or-die courage, a yearning for life. Her words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly igniting the indomitable spirit within Ning Yu.
"System, mobilize all energy to construct an energy shield!"
Ning Yu took a deep breath. He knew this was the final gamble, and success or failure hinged on this moment.
The light on the wristband suddenly became incredibly dazzling, but at that moment, Mu Xue abruptly grabbed his hand, her beautiful eyes flashing with a complex expression…
"Stop, Ning Yu! You'll die if you do this!" Mu Xue's voice became shrill with anxiety as she gripped Ning Yu's arm tightly, trying to stop his mad actions.
"There's no time to explain, believe me!" Ning Yu's eyes flashed with a resolute light. He grabbed Mu Xue's hand in return, and a powerful energy wave erupted from the point where they touched, enveloping everyone like a transparent barrier.
The system's voice rang in Ning Yu's mind: "Warning! Energy consumption is excessive, and the shield's stability is less than 10%! Please replenish energy as soon as possible!"
"Xue'er, add your power too!" Ning Yu shouted to Mu Xue beside him, ignoring the system's warning. He knew that he couldn't withstand the earth-shattering explosion on his own.
Without the slightest hesitation, Mu Xue closed her eyes and released her spiritual power without reservation, merging it with Ning Yu's energy. Pale blue light flowed around them, and the originally fragile energy shield miraculously became more stable.
However, even so, faced with the earth-shattering energy impact, this thin shield still appeared extremely fragile, like a small boat in a storm, which could be swallowed up at any moment.
"Hold on!" Ning Yu gritted his teeth, pouring all his energy into his shield. He could feel his body rapidly depleting, but he couldn't fall, and he absolutely wouldn't allow himself to fall!
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