The doors to the council chamber were slowly pushed open, and all eyes turned to the figure standing in the doorway. Ning Yu, travel-worn and with a sharp edge, possessed an unprecedented confidence in his eyes. He glanced around, taking in everyone's expressions, a barely perceptible wry smile playing on his lips. It seemed that some interesting things had happened here while he was away.
"Boss, you're back!" The first to break the silence was a burly man. He strode up to Ning Yu, his face filled with undisguised worry. "Are you alright? We were all so worried!"
"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Ning Yu patted his shoulder, his tone relaxed, but his eyes gradually sharpened. "On the contrary, you all look very energetic, and you even have time to gossip here?"
The atmosphere in the council hall suddenly became somewhat awkward, and the whispers abruptly ceased. Those who had been discussing the matter just moments before all lowered their heads, avoiding Ning Yu's gaze.
"What, all silent now?" Ning Yu's tone was tinged with sarcasm. "Weren't you having a heated discussion just now? Saying that I always put everyone in danger, saying that I..."
“Boss, that’s not what we meant…” A thin young man couldn’t help but try to explain, but Ning Yu interrupted him with a raised hand.
“I understand,” Ning Yu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. “You are worried about your own safety and the future of your forces, which is understandable. But I can assure you that everything I have done is for our survival in this apocalypse, and for making us stronger!”
He clenched his fists, the metal box at his waist gleaming with a dazzling golden light, as if confirming his determination. "This time I've returned not only with greater power, but also with new hope! We will definitely overcome all difficulties and build what belongs to us..."
Before Ning Yu could finish speaking, the entire council hall suddenly began to shake violently, and the ceiling above emitted a tooth-grinding groan, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.
"What's going on?!" Everyone was in a panic. Before they could react to what had happened, they felt a powerful energy fluctuation coming from afar.
"Oh no, it's an enemy attack!" A highly perceptive superhuman's expression changed drastically. "This force... is coming for us!"
"Damn it, how did they know we were here?"
"Activate the defense system immediately!"
The chaotic commands echoed in the council chamber, but before they could take any action, an even more violent shockwave slammed into the fortifications.
"boom!"
With a deafening explosion, the sturdy fortifications were torn apart as if they were made of paper, and a powerful energy shockwave swept across the entire base.
Ning Yu's face turned ashen. He immediately realized that this enemy was no ordinary foe. This force had a clear objective, targeting the new direction of their faction's development, and was even able to pinpoint the weaknesses in their defense system—clearly, they had come prepared!
"Everyone, follow me!" Ning Yu roared and rushed out of the council hall. He knew that now was not the time to assign blame; the most urgent task was to defend against the enemy's attack.
However, when he arrived at the battlefield, he found that the once well-trained team was now somewhat chaotic. Seeds of doubt had been sown, and hesitation and unease flickered in the eyes of some, with a noticeable sluggishness in their combat coordination.
"Damn it!" Ning Yu cursed under his breath, but there was no time to adjust his tactics. He could only grit his teeth and charge forward, his long sword transforming into dazzling bolts of lightning, forcing back the surging enemies.
"Boss, watch out!" A cry of alarm rang out, and Ning Yu instinctively dodged to the side, but it was too late.
A black beam of energy grazed his shoulder, leaving a gruesome wound on his arm. A sharp pain shot through him, and Ning Yu groaned, nearly dropping his longsword.
"Boss, you're injured!"
"Never mind me, keep fighting!" Ning Yu roared through gritted teeth, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening battle cries, and no one noticed his unusual behavior.
Just then, a dark figure suddenly rushed out from the side, a dagger gleaming coldly in its hand aimed straight at Ning Yu's chest.
"Boss!"
At the critical moment, a figure stepped in front of Ning Yu... "Boss!"
Mu Xue! Ning Yu's heart tightened. In the nick of time, Mu Xue had rushed in front of her without hesitation, shielding her from the fatal blow with her own body. The sharp dagger pierced her left shoulder, and crimson blood instantly stained her clothes.
"Xue'er!" Ning Yu's eyes widened in fury as he caught the swaying Mu Xue, a surge of anger rising within him. He quickly sealed the acupoints around Mu Xue's wounds to stop the bleeding, and anxiously asked, "How are you? Can you hold on?"
Mu Xue's face was pale, but she endured the pain and tightly gripped Ning Yu's arm, weakly saying, "I'm fine... don't worry about me... hurry... hurry and go command the battle..."
"Want to save her? Not so easy!" Seeing Ning Yu distracted, the enemy became even more unscrupulous, laughing wildly as they launched an even fiercer attack.
"Kill him! Kill Ning Yu and you'll get a reward of ten thousand taels of silver! Leave all the women here, do whatever you want with them!"
The enemy's shouts were like a death knell, further shaking the already panicked members of the group. Some began to retreat, their eyes darting around, and some even secretly dropped their weapons, trying to escape in the chaos.
"Stop right there! Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!" Ning Yu roared, trying to regain his footing, but his voice was insignificant amidst the deafening explosions and screams.
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