Guo Shi was facing two enemies alone, his Boulder Strength Technique reaching its peak. His skin turned a bright red, as if blood might seep out at any second.
Even though he had seen the files before, actually fighting these monsters made him realize he had underestimated them.
The scales on their bodies were exceptionally hard, almost like they were wearing high-quality iron armor. Although his Boulder Strength Technique was somewhat destructive, the vibrational force wasn’t effective, as he couldn’t bypass the scales to channel the dark energy into the horned demons’ innards to inflict damage.
The horned demons could shrug off one or two hits without any trouble, but every move they made required his careful response and his best effort to dodge. Naturally, he was at a disadvantage.
Not to mention, there were two of them!
"No wonder Master didn’t let me participate in the assessment... I’m going to die here."
The more he fought, the more desperate Guo Shi became.
By now, his qi-blood had burst forth past its peak and was slowly declining.
In a few minutes, he would surely be beaten to death by these two horned demons and eaten.
"Aren’t you going to run?"
Just then, a shout reached him.
Guo Shi saw it was Hua Wu, whom he had just met.
Somehow, Hua Wu had already dealt with the third horned demon and charged over, repelling one and significantly reducing the pressure.
"Brother Hua Wu, haha, let’s take down these freaks together."
With reinforcements, Guo Shi’s confidence soared as he bellowed.
Before he could finish, he was smacked on the forehead by Zhong Shenxiu, feeling dazed as Zhong Shenxiu picked him up and quickly beat a retreat.
"Quit your yapping... Didn’t you see their reinforcements have arrived?"
Zhong Shenxiu moved swiftly, effortlessly leaping to catch up with the fleeing crowd, even surpassing those at the front.
Carried by Zhong Shenxiu and facing backward, Guo Shi could see through the misty fog as five more large figures appeared, causing cold sweat to cover his forehead.
"Why did you bring so many people with you? The target’s too big." Zhong Shenxiu frowned at the increasing number of horned demons behind them.
"They begged me to, I... sigh..."
Guo Shi struggled. "Let me down, I’ll cover your escape."
No matter how he writhed, he couldn’t escape from Zhong Shenxiu’s grasp, like a child held by an adult. Frustrated, he snapped, "What are you doing? I don’t need your rescue."
Zhong Shenxiu laughed heartily. "I’m saving you, what’s it to you? Once I get you out, I’ll feel relieved. After that, whether you choose to die or do something else, what’s it to me?"
While speaking, he glanced at Wang Jiangang and the other Martial Artists trained by the Martial Artist Association, shaking his head internally.
Although their martial arts weren’t great, in a critical moment, they could still lay down their lives to entangle the horned demons for a while.
That way, at least Guo Shi wouldn’t find himself in a hopeless situation.
But as it turned out... heh heh...
Since they were treating these prospective Martial Artists like idiots and even using them for surveillance, he wouldn’t blame himself for slipping away first.
After all, in terms of speed, who could compete with a Martial Artist?
For Zhong Shenxiu, a hundred-meter dash was over in the blink of an eye.
The mist of the Spirit Realm might have enveloped the area of a small neighborhood, but it wasn’t actually that large.
In a flash, the fog ahead thinned, revealing many figures.
That was the advance base, and seeing people escape, they were waving vigorously.
Zhong Shenxiu rushed to the outside, let down Guo Shi, and went to find a place to rest on his own.
There are other survivors, and a complete plan is already in place to manage them outside. They are immediately diverted and then taken down for a simple check and placement.
As for the pursuing demons, most of them dare not leave the boundaries of the Spirit Realm.
As long as they dare leave, humans on this side will definitely dare to focus fire, letting the enemy know the power of technological weapons.
"Mr. Hua, congratulations on your successful escape."
Bai Yu appeared beside him at some point, smiling and congratulating him.
"Ah... demons, truly terrifying."
Zhong Shenxiu sighed.
In fact, he had just acted a few times, all within the power level of Innate, and he hadn’t even used his mana yet.
But at this moment, he naturally wore a face filled with fear.
Wang Jiangang had, at some point, already come over to their side, with some bloodshot in his eyes. He stared at Zhong Shenxiu and asked in a deep voice, "When will you go in for the second rescue?"
Zhong Shenxiu folded his arms and sneered, "What kind of attitude is this? Miss Bai, I strongly suspect this man’s professional integrity. Not only did he boss me around in the Spirit Realm, but he also hesitated, leading to a decision-making error. If it weren’t for that little delay, we would have been out already. Is this the kind of elite the Martial Artist Association trains?"
Bai Yu’s expression turned awkward. He pulled Zhong Shenxiu aside and lowered his voice, "Captain Wang was just anxious, as he lost three teammates in the mist..."
"Are you blaming me?!"
Zhong Shenxiu rolled his eyes, "On the battlefield of life and death, I definitely wouldn’t trust him with my back!"
This was undoubtedly forcing the Martial Artist Association to make a decision, and the higher-ups would surely make the right choice.
Anyway, for Zhong Shenxiu, failing the assessment and losing his treatment was not a big deal... It seemed that way on the surface, after all, outsiders didn’t know about the existence of his obsession.
For the Martial Artist Association, when weighing the options between the martial artists that can be trained en masse and the rare near-Martial Artists, the choice didn’t even need consideration.
Bai Yu’s expression changed slightly, then he immediately clapped his hands. Two people came over immediately, grabbing Wang Jiangang’s arms, one on each side, with a cold demeanor.
"Captain Wang, I think you need a rest."
Bai Yu’s voice carried a chill, "Besides that, we need you to write a detailed action report and to review your mental and personal state. Take him away!"
After dealing with the matter, Bai Yu turned around to look at Zhong Shenxiu, "Mr. Hua, what do you think of this handling?"
Zhong Shenxiu’s face showed approval with a smile, but inside he felt a chill.
This way of doing things meant that for the true controllers within the Martial Artist Association, all martial artists were tools, pawns!
Today they could weigh the pros and cons and sacrifice Wang Jiangang, tomorrow they could do the same with a near-Martial Artist, or even an official Martial Artist.
After all, pigs are raised to be slaughtered, and people are kept because they have their uses.
Just then, he heard a uniform marching sound.
A row of soldiers came before him and saluted with a chilly voice:
"The Commander requests your presence!"
At the front lines of the mist, there was a clamor.
Zhong Shenxiu walked up to see several white-haired old men, missing arms and legs, but still with a rugged look, being placed on stretchers for emergency treatment.
The commander with a stern face, who could still move, gathered martial artists and near-Martial Artists together, with a heavy voice, "Blade Team failed, and some issues arose with the second wave of reinforcements... I don’t want to conscript you in the name of the Star Alliance at the last minute; I’m asking you, think of your parents, think of your friends and relatives, for them, for the Star Alliance, for all humanity, to enter the Spirit Realm again and destroy the dimensional portal!"
Looking at those armed to the teeth soldiers, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly felt like laughing:
’The debt of June must be paid quickly!’