He Qingqing panted heavily, glancing back from time to time.
The situation was better than expected, the team that had captured them seemed to have pulled most of their Awakeners away due to the battle, leaving only a few to watch over them.
Those guards were clearly distracted, frequently looking towards the other side and murmuring among themselves.
Some even walked to higher ground to look out.
Seizing this opportunity, they had successfully escaped.
However, the guards were powerful and much faster than them fugitives. Had they not scattered in their escape, they would have been caught up with already.
But now, He Qingqing could see from afar that one of the fugitive survivors was struck down, and two Awakeners were charging towards their direction.
Their speed was extremely fast, closing the distance with just a few leaps.
In contrast, she herself was so tired that her limbs felt weak.
He Qingqing looked at her father, who was also gasping heavily. If it weren't for Uncle Tong pulling her father along, both of them wouldn't have lasted till now.
"Uncle Tong, you go ahead. If you can make it to the Green Shadow Sanctuary, and if it's as strong as they say, I hope you can find a way to ask the Awakeners from Green Shadow to come to our rescue..."
That was just a faint hope in her heart.
Uncle Tong's strength was nowhere near those pursuers', not to mention the odds of reaching the Green Shadow Sanctuary or even its current state. And even if he made it there as an outsider, it would be very difficult to convince others to come to their aid.
Even with good luck and the Green Shadow Sanctuary sent help, whether she and her father would still be alive by then was uncertain.
Sweat soaked He Qingqing's disheveled hair.
She looked up, blinking in surprise.
Not far ahead, two figures appeared.
One was a sunny and handsome young man; the other was a person in blue and white armor complete with a helmet, making their face indiscernible.
"Why are there people here?"
"Could they be Awakeners from the Green Shadow Sanctuary?"
Tang Yu strolled outside the resort, with Number One, the year's best bodyguard, naturally following close behind.
Now that things were almost settled, as the Lord, he naturally needed to show his face and assert his presence.
Yes, that made sense.
But seeing the chase unfolding ahead—catching up only to... cough, cough, cough.
Tang Yu felt a sense of surprise.
They're that dedicated?
The Qing Dynasty had fallen, yet these people hadn't forgotten their boss's assignments.
With that thought, he shook his head. "Number One, everything's taken care of, right?"
In He Qingqing's eyes, the one in full armor disappeared in an instant, followed by several muffled thuds.
Turning her head, she saw the two Awakeners that had been pursuing them lying on the ground, their fate unknown.
both the sunny and handsome young man, and the armored figure vanished without a trace.
After the ordeal, while He Qingqing felt fortunate, for some reason, she also felt a tinge of melancholy.
Outside the perimeter of the Arrow Tower, in a nearby small grove.
Lin Wei's Guard Captain, Fang Qiang, covered the stump of his severed arm. The pain from the amputation contorted his face, yet he did not utter a sound. His cold gaze fixed on the big man with the Great Sword before him.
The Arrow Tower formation was too horrifying; the majority of Awakeners that Boss Lin brought this time had already perished within it.
And he, leading the Guard Team members, desperately covered their retreat, finally getting Boss Lin out of the range of the Arrow Tower's attacks.
He had thought they were finally safe, but Fang Qiang had not expected that the Awakeners from Green Shadow had already been waiting here for them.
"That makes sense. Even if Green Shadow couldn't intercept all those fleeing, Boss Lin was here after all. As long as the enemy had the manpower, they would surely come intercept," he reasoned.
He let out a bitter laugh as he looked towards the few Awakeners from Green Shadow in front of him.
The number was not large, even less than the remnants of their Guard Team after escaping the range of the Arrow Tower. But the big man holding the Great Sword in front of him was too powerful.
He himself had also broken through that bottleneck, possessing the strength of a Sixth Layer Awakener, a super expert who, even within Lindong Sanctuary, counted only a few as his equals.
Yet, he was defeated by the big man before him in just a few moves, even losing an arm in the process.
From the dialogue of the others, Fang Qiang understood that this towering big man was the Patrol Team Captain from Green Shadow Sanctuary, one of the top three in power there—a Sanctuary that was only a small one at that! In the entire region of Lin City, no one knew how many similar small Sanctuaries there were!
Why would such a strong person submit to such a small place?
Fang Qiang's gaze drifted across his surroundings.
Several Awakeners from Green Shadow had already surrounded them, and on their side, only he himself and Boss Lin Wei remained.
He understood that today it would be very difficult for him to leave alive; nevertheless, even in death, Fang Qiang wanted to hold off the enemy, to create an opportunity for Boss Lin to escape.
Just to repay Boss Lin who had given him a glimmer of hope during the darkest moment of his life a few years ago.
Fang Qiang took a deep breath, and suddenly, he saw two figures approaching from a distance.
A young man and another person shrouded in armor.
From these two, he could not perceive any Awakener's presence – it was as if they were just ordinary people. But Fang Qiang's heart sank even more.
Luo Zhe was staring intently at Fang Qiang.
Upon seeing Tang Yu, Lu Xiaopeng rushed over, "Sanctuary Director, that's the guy who's been provoking our Sanctuary time and again, right? Hehehe, now they can't run anymore."
Tang Yu stepped forward.
His gaze shifted over the two of them, the Guard Team Captain covering his arm, staring coldly at him, and Lin Wei, who was expressionless, seemingly not frightened despite the desperate situation.
However, Tang Yu paused slightly, his gaze settling on Lin Wei, "This isn't Lin Wei; it's just a decoy."
"What? A decoy! How is that possible!" Lu Xiaopeng couldn't help but move closer to take a look, trying to discern something.
Guard Team Captain Fang Qiang did not believe it either, but still couldn't help but turn his head to look.
Then he saw the decoy "Lin Wei," who seemed to have completed his task, with a smile on his face, his complexion a pale gray, his body falling backward.
He had taken poison to commit suicide!
Seeing this scene, Fang Qiang felt even more despair in his heart.
Tang Yu shook his head.
Poor kid, although he was loyal and dedicated, he was still used as a pawn.
He had been watching very closely but still hadn't noticed when the switch had taken place… after all, he needed to control the Arrow Tower attacks and couldn't keep his eyes on Lin Wei at all times. The markers on the territory map and the detection lens only identified enemies but couldn't distinguish between individuals.
Perhaps it was at some moment, Lin Wei had completed the switch between the real and the fake, and he himself, changing into a disguise, mixed in with the ordinary Awakeners to escape.
By now, there was no doubt, Lin Wei must have already escaped a great distance.
Lu Xiaopeng showed a disappointed expression.
Even Luo Zhe felt a bit regretful.
But... Tang Yu smiled and pulled out the used detection lens.
The labels on it, the majority of the marked points, had disappeared, leaving only a few. A small part was far from here, probably around Maple Leaf Town.
He disregarded those and focused on the two points that were moving rapidly.