Chapter 43. The Two Realms of Rock and Flame (10②): Strange...
'Whoosh—' When a long and clear flute note rang out again.
Lin Xiaoxiao, who was dreaming, suddenly opened her eyes, abruptly threw off the covers and sat up, her face blank, her eyes still shrouded in lingering sleepiness.
Xiao Weizhi, who was on the small bed next to her, opened her eyes as she sat up abruptly. She quickly sat up, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized there was no danger.
His voice was a little hoarse: "Xiaoxiao, what's wrong?"
Lin Xiaoxiao stared blankly in one direction, her voice very soft: "Weizhi, did you hear that? There's a long, drawn-out flute sound playing."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Weizhi listened intently for a while and became certain that the flute sound she had been mentioning was not real.
His expression was somewhat serious, worried that Lin Xiaoxiao was experiencing auditory hallucinations due to recent overwork.
He immediately got out of bed, sat down on the edge of her crib, and helped her lie down: "Xiaoxiao, don't worry about the flute sound for now, you go to sleep first, we'll study it tomorrow."
Lin Xiaoxiao lay down following Xiao Weizhi's movements, then opened her eyes and continued to listen intently to the intermittent flute music, trying to find the pattern in the sound.
Seeing that she was still lying awake with her eyes open, Xiao Weizhi sighed helplessly and hesitated for a moment.
He lay down on Lin Xiaoxiao's small bed, turned to his side and pulled her into his arms, one hand under her neck and the other gently patting her back, his deep voice carrying a coaxing tone: "Xiaoxiao, go to sleep, it's late, we can study the flute music tomorrow."
The moment Lin Xiaoxiao was pulled into Xiao Weizhi's arms, she froze. The most outrageous thing they had done during their time together was the French kiss they shared to express their feelings for each other. Usually, they would just hold hands and hug, and they would sleep in separate beds.
As she inhaled the cool, woody scent, she gradually relaxed her tense body, buried her face in Xiao Weizhi's clothes, and drifted off to sleep accompanied by the intermittent sound of the flute.
Neither Lin Xiaoxiao nor Xiao Weizhi noticed that the black cat, the treasure-hunting rat, and the red-tailed creature inside the tent had disappeared.
The next morning, Xiao Weizhi opened his eyes promptly at 6:30. When he pulled his hand away from Lin Xiaoxiao's neck, the movement was too large.
Lin Xiaoxiao opened her blurry eyes and looked up at him.
Xiao Weizhi reached out and gently patted Lin Xiaoxiao's back, whispering, "Sleep a little longer, it's still early."
As he gently patted her back, Lin Xiaoxiao closed her eyes and fell asleep again. The dark circles under her eyes indicated that she hadn't slept well last night.
At eight o'clock in the morning, when the Dragon Fang and Tiger Roar teams were having breakfast, a sharp alarm sounded.
This alarm is saying: Monsters are attacking.
Everyone present put down their bowls and chopsticks, picked up their weapons, and rushed towards the west entrance.
Along with Dragon Fang and Tiger Roar, many other professional teams also arrived. Faced with the densely packed, surging Red Flame Giant Lizards, everyone's hearts seemed to be shrouded in a dark veil.
Lin Xiaoxiao held the sleeping Red Tail in her arms, her heart pounding as she watched the approaching tide of monsters. Her mind raced as well.
I have a feeling that after that flute music started, things began to spiral out of control.
Xiao Weizhi commanded in a deep voice: "Snap out of it, prepare for battle! Lao Gu, your team should not stray too far from us. Junxuan is coming, activate the largest shields and push forward to create an open space."
"Wang Hao, switch to your highest attack weapon and unleash the forbidden spell [Savage Bombardment] continuously in front of you to force these monsters back; Yi Jin, use the forbidden spell [Poisonous Swamp] to follow up Wang Hao's skill..."
"Don't just stand there, get moving, we have to break through a buffer zone."
As Xiao Weizhi gave instructions, he repeatedly waved the magic staff in his hand.
A dozen or so small waves, each 9m x 6m, appeared out of nowhere. Many of the Crimson Flame Giant Lizards were swept away by these waves and fell into the ranks of the monsters, barely creating a few meters of space for them to land.
"Ah—" Li Junxuan roared, surrounded by points of light. A few seconds later, scales appeared on his face, and the muscles in his upper body suddenly swelled to more than twice their normal size. The clothes on his arms and chest were torn, and his aura became violent, distorting the air around him.
Li Junxuan charged forward, shielded by a massive shield measuring 8 meters long and 3.6 meters wide, resembling the hide that some kind of monster had forcibly stripped off. Despite the force of hundreds of Red Flame Giant Lizards, he managed to push himself forward more than ten meters, creating an open space.
Then he plunged his large shield into the ground and roared, "Dragon Armor Shield, appear!"
The shield, planted in the ground, emitted an eerie red-purple light, as if it were alive. In just a few dozen seconds, it grew several dozen meters in length, creating a sturdy protective zone.
After Li Junxuan completed this series of morning tasks.
Wang Hao assumed a horse stance, took out a rocket launcher larger than himself from his spatial storage, and his hands, which were supporting the cannon barrel on his shoulders, glowed. Soon after, the muzzle of the cannon flashed a fiery red light.
It fired twenty energy bullets per second, rapidly sweeping across the horde of monsters in front of it in a frenzied bombardment.
The skill struck the horde of monsters, creating a massive explosion. Amidst the smoke and flames, countless monsters were blasted away or reduced to bloody, mangled pieces.
Wang Hao's attack lasted for several minutes until he had no more blue energy left in his body, at which point he threw the rocket head off his shoulder to the ground.
The moment Wang Hao stopped attacking, Chen Yijin quickly threw the glass jar, which was about half a person's height and contained a dark purple liquid, towards a location a hundred meters away.
He threw out bottle after bottle until all the glass jars in the space were thrown out and evenly scattered on the ground. Only then did he take out a magic wand that was only the length of a forearm and looked like a withered tree branch.
Chen Yijin closed his eyes, and with the tip of his magic wand in his right hand, he kept drawing various patterns in the air while muttering incantations.
Before long, all the ground stained with the blackish-purple liquid twisted and softened, and soon a swamp emitting poisonous gas appeared.
All the monsters that fell into the swamp howled and melted into piles of white bones.
Surrounded by gusts of wind, Liu Huihui faced the horde of demonic beasts rushing towards him. He swiftly swung his greatsword, shredding the Crimson Flame Giant Lizards beside him into mincemeat at a rate of dozens of strikes per second.
Chen Feng's armor shone with a platinum-gold light, and a phantom of a Western paladin, more than three meters tall, appeared behind him. Whenever he swung his sword, the phantom of the knight behind him would also swing his sword, slaying the monsters.
Jiang Tao kept his darts aimed at the monster's eyes, countless darts flying from his nimble fingers.
Cheng Cheng was on high alert, frantically healing, replenishing mana, and providing support to his teammates.
[Attacked and destroyed a level 33 Crimson Flame Giant Lizard, gaining 12452 experience points]
...
The experience points kept popping up, along with a large area of calm that had been forcibly created by the battle.
Xiao Weizhi remained expressionless, his eyes scanning the surroundings and his ears listening intently. With his left hand forming a hand seal and his right hand wielding his staff, he not only directed the attack but also occasionally unleashed devastating damage.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood silently and obediently behind Xiao Weizhi.
At times like these, all she needs to do is follow instructions and act as a mere accessory.
Her gaze swept around at the fierce battle raging all around her, her lips pressed into a stubborn line, her mind a jumble of thoughts, leaving her feeling utterly miserable.
She was the only one who still had no fighting ability. Whenever something happened, she could only hide behind Xiao Weizhi. She also wanted to fight and didn't want to be a burden to the team.
Perhaps her thoughts were too intense, for the goddess of fortune, far away in another dimension, seemed to sense something.
The goddess, seated on her throne, rested her hand on her cheek, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Oh? You want to fight, not want to be a mascot anymore?"
The goddess, who had been resting her left hand on the chair, tapped her left index finger on the chair armrest, making a flicking motion, and a very tiny ray of light was ejected.
That ray of light entered the turbulent flow of time and space, heading towards its destination...
The battle continued from day to night. Once again, it was the sound of the flute that made the BOSS reluctantly lead its army of monsters away.
The same thing happened the next day, and the number of people who came was at least three times that of the previous day.
On the third day, the number continued to increase, and the arrival time became earlier and the departure time became later.
On the fifth day, news came in succession that the four major regions were besieged by an endless horde of beasts.
In fact, bosses of diamond level or higher have appeared in every area, and there are even rumors that some people have seen epic-level bosses.
According to the original plan, Longya should have completed the support mission in the West District and returned to the North District in a few days, but plans can't keep up with changes.
Half of the S-class squad that was transferred back to the North District, while the other half remained in the West District to provide support.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Fang Squad received a message instructing them to remain in the West District to provide support, rather than risk returning to the North District.
Early in the morning, as dawn broke, the Dragon Fang and Tiger Roar teams got up and sat together in the camp to discuss the subsequent battle arrangements.
Gu Qingqi held a cup of green tea in his hand, downed it in one gulp, and slammed the cup down on the table: "Weizhi, what do you think?"
Xiao Weizhi picked up a cup of coffee, took a small sip, and lowered his eyes slightly behind his glasses, his long eyelashes concealing the complex emotions in his eyes: "How do you look at it? Stand up and look."
Lin Xiaoxiao sat next to Xiao Weizhi, leaning against his shoulder in a daze, closing her eyes to rest, holding the sleeping Red Tail in her arms.
Yesterday's battle lasted until after 1 a.m., and it's only a little before 6 a.m., but the Western District Operations Department has already arranged for Longya and Huxiao to go to the front line to continue fighting.
If it weren't for Xiao Weizhi giving him several anonymous cards with a thousand points each (the points can be withdrawn and used at will, and there's no real-name registration), and those people who came to deliver the message, he would have made an excuse to say: "Let's have breakfast before we go over."
The Dragon Fang and Tiger Roar teams are probably fighting the monster tide on the front lines on an empty stomach right now.
Normally, the battle has not yet reached its most critical point, and it is essential to ensure that each pioneer has at least four hours of rest time; this is the rule.
But to get two teams to the front lines in just four hours, no one present would believe there wasn't something fishy going on.
Gu Qingqi slammed his left hand on the table and said unwillingly, "Damn it, that bastard, if he were in the capital right now, I would definitely..."
Xiao Weizhi reached out and patted Lin Xiaoxiao's shoulder, who had just woken up, gently soothing her.
He put down his coffee cup, his voice calm: "So what if we're in the capital? Old Gu, watch your words!"
That person holds a high position now, and even if we use the power of their family, we might not be able to bring them down. Why risk alerting them for a moment of anger?
After a hurried breakfast.
Xiao Weizhi said to the team, "Pack up your things at the camp. We won't be coming back. Let's set up camp directly at the front line."
Since they like to call out at specific times, then let's set up camp on the front lines. They can rest when they're tired, and 'certain people' can come whenever they call. That's great!
Gu Qingqi gave Xiao Weizhi a thumbs up: "Weizhi, your idea is good."
While everyone was packing their things, Lin Xiaoxiao followed behind Xiao Weizhi in a daze, packing her things, and accidentally bumped into Xiao Weizhi's back.
Xiao Weizhi quickly turned around and helped her, who was a little unsteady on her feet. His gaze fell on the dark circles under her eyes, and he said with a hint of helplessness, "Go sit over there and wait for me to get ready."
After saying that, he brought out a folding stool, helped Lin Xiaoxiao sit down, and then turned around to pack his things.
While Xiao Weizhi was packing his things, Lin Xiaoxiao fell asleep sitting down.
She held Redtail, who was sleeping soundly and snoring softly, in her arms, and Treasure-hunting Mouse, who was also sleeping sprawled out, was in her bag.
Even in her dreams, she heard that long, strange flute melody.
Half an hour later, Lin Xiaoxiao was gently woken up by Xiao Weizhi. Still groggy, she packed her things and followed everyone outside. Several times, she almost tripped over the uneven surface of the paving stones.
Finally, Lin Xiaoxiao was carried to the front line by Xiao Weizhi.
Under the teasing gazes of Cheng Cheng and the others, Lin Xiaoxiao buried her face in his broad back, feeling embarrassed.
Once they arrived at the front lines, Xiao Weizhi once again found a relatively secluded location.
The combat zone is ten meters ahead, and there's a small open space behind it. You can squeeze in a few ordinary tents, but don't even think about folding tents.
Chen Yijin squatted to the side with a somewhat resentful expression. He never expected that after having a folding alchemical kitchen, he would have to go back to using this small furnace that was only as tall as his calf.
Lin Xiaoxiao tugged at Cheng Cheng's sleeve and pointed to Chen Yijin in the corner, asking in a low voice, "Sister Cheng, what's wrong with Brother Yijin?"
Cheng Cheng glanced over and waved his hand casually: "It's nothing. Brother Yi Jin just likes to cook. His initial goal was to awaken the life skill chef profession, but fate played a trick on him and he became the hidden support profession: alchemist poisoner."
[Pioneering Code 411: All combat and support classes are required to participate in at least one operational department mission per year and complete three dungeon runs annually. Failure to meet these requirements will result in a hefty fine: 3000 points for the first offense, doubling the amount for the second year, and so on.]
For a chef, there are three important things: cooking skills, ingredients, and kitchen utensils.
Having a good cooking environment makes cooking much more enjoyable.
After discussing it, Xiao Weizhi and Gu Qingqi returned to their respective teams to discuss the battle arrangements: fight normally, but avoid excessive consumption of resources, and reserve enough strength to escape.
The battles against the monsters never stopped throughout the entire day.
But when I got tired, I went back to the back to rest, and overall, I was much more efficient than before.
During this time, staff from the West District approached them and said, "What you're doing, Dragon Fang and Tiger Roar, is against the rules. How can you set up tents directly behind the front lines?"
He was subtly teased by Xiao Weizhi and Gu Qingqi, but he calmly retorted.
One said, "In order to protect the front lines, we decided to do everything we could to live here, so as to save time traveling back and forth..."
One said, "We are not afraid of danger. We would do anything to protect the West District, even at the cost of our lives..."
Since things had already been said to this extent, even if the staff member had ulterior motives, they could only reluctantly swallow them.
Many other teams that were also being targeted moved their camps behind the front lines.
Around 11 p.m., the flute music started again.
This time, however, the BOSS did not return. Instead, its attacks became even more ferocious, displaying a mad frenzy with a desire to destroy everything, as it frantically unleashed its skills.
Only when the flute's sound became shrill did the BOSS reluctantly retreat.
Lin Xiaoxiao stared intently at the west through the darkness, certain that the flute music was coming from that direction.
The owner of the flute seemed to have noticed Lin Xiaoxiao's observation, and after playfully playing a few short notes, it stopped playing.
Late at night, Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi had only been lying down for a few minutes when the familiar alarm sounded again.
Xiao Weizhi immediately got up, put on his robe, picked up his weapon, and went outside.
Before leaving, he gently instructed Lin Xiaoxiao in her sleeping bag, "Xiaoxiao, I'll go out first. Don't rush, follow me slowly."
Before Lin Xiaoxiao could nod, he rushed out of the tent.
Just as Lin Xiaoxiao put on her prosthetic leg, a strange male voice came from a corner of the tent: "Your right leg, was it sacrificed?"
She turned her head in astonishment and found a wild man crouching in the corner of the tent. He was wearing a fur coat, had messy hair, a stubble beard, and a dry grass root in his mouth.
The savage stared intently at the prosthetic limb on Lin Xiaoxiao's right leg, a look of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Lin Xiaoxiao tensed up, looking warily at the strange, wild man: "Who are you?"
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Author's Note: Happy Children's Day, my darlings! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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