"Captain Chen is right," the Awakener said, suddenly opening his mouth wide.
That flash of blue light burst forth, and layers of ice crystals formed.
The Ghostly Soul tried to struggle but was soon covered by the ice, turning into a sculpture of ice.
The floating Ghostly Soul ice sculpture fell to the ground, rolling twice before coming to a complete stop.
Eileen stretched out her hand, fingers closing together, clenching into a fist.
Then, with a snap, the ice sculpture shattered into pieces on the ground.
"Move it, move it, what are you waiting for?"
Another Awakener saw his companion suddenly stop and looked puzzled.
Look, his companion pointed.
The man looked and saw some ice crystal fragments on the ground.
It's just ice crystal fragments, what is so strang... He suddenly froze; that area was where there were many Ghostly Souls before, but now, there were only ice crystal fragments.
"Where is the Ghostly Soul?" he asked dumbly.
"Of course it's dead, body utterly destroyed."
Chen Sheng was also shocked.
As a Captain Level Expert, he saw more clearly than the average Awakener.
Why was he so sure initially that Ice series ability users, too, have no way against the Ghostly Souls... Indeed, Ice Crystals piercing through was almost as ineffective as bullets, and he didn't expect that these Ice Crystals could also explode.
One might say he didn't dare to think so.
There were quite a few ability users in Lindong, and after exchanging with some of them, Chen Sheng understood that once abilities left the body, they were very hard to control.
There were ability users who wondered, for abilities like Fireball, if after casting it, they could control the direction of the Fireball, wouldn't that greatly increase the hit rate?
But when they researched it, they found that control was extremely difficult. Even when the ability had not yet left the body, controlling it was like riding an unbridled wild horse, not to mention after it had separated.
Perhaps ice powers are a bit more stable than fire, and controlling Ice Crystals to explode wasn't impossible.
But what shocked him more,
was that he clearly saw, after freezing the Ghostly Soul into an ice sculpture, it could still be controlled to shatter... The energy had already been released by that time, yet it still retained a primer for control.
The more Chen Sheng understood, the clearer he saw the difficulty in this.
It was only theoretical, but today, he witnessed a possibility.
After the Ghostly Soul died, its entire form dissipated, leaving behind a Source Crystal and another type of unknown crystal drop.
It was a bit like looting treasures from slain monsters, with the Source Crystal having a certain drop rate, but this unknown crystal was a sure drop from every Ghostly Soul.
Based on many years of gaming experience, Tang Yu speculated that this must be some kind of material.
And probably quite precious at that.
Originally, the goal of coming to Lindong Sanctuary had been nearly achieved, and he had planned to return, but after discovering these crystals, he couldn't help but farm the monsters for a while longer.
In addition to these Ghostly Souls, there were quite a few Demonized Beasts that would drop some important materials, but unfortunately, they were often unidentifiable.
It felt like missing out on a fortune.
After returning, he felt he needed to collect more information in this area.
For instance, post-apocalypse new species of plants, new types of ores, all sorts of special materials, etc., perhaps he could compile an encyclopedia.
When the time came...
He could sell the encyclopedia to the Awakeners, provide them with opportunities to gather materials, and then, as the Awakeners made money, they would spend it in the Territory, forming a cycle...
Tang Yu felt he was too genius.
As time passed, the human defense lines gradually stabilized.
Due to the appearance of exceptionally large Demonized Beasts, and many hidden beneath them, human losses were much greater than anticipated.
After the daunting presence of the ultra-large Demonized Beasts dissipated, many Awakeners fled like mad, but the soldiers still held their ground firmly, maintaining this fragile line of defense.
There were also powerful Awakeners who rose to fight with the Demonized Beasts.
Teams like Zhou Jianhong and Chen Sheng, after dealing with the threat of the Ghostly Souls, no longer retreated, but instead, they demonstrated their fighting prowess, slaying many attacking Demonized Beasts.
Tang Yu also did not leave, partly killing Demonized Beasts to earn some Source Crystals, and partly, contributing in his own way.
Under circumstances within his power, he did not mind lending a hand to others, including the interception of Demonized Beasts and the slaying of Ghostly Souls.
Of course, only when it was within his power, without threatening his own interests, and only when he was willing...
Just like before the apocalypse, Tang Yu wouldn't dare to help an old person who had fallen on the street because doing so was beyond his capability; he had no ability to protect himself from being extorted in such situations.
It was why he wanted to possess power—to be free, to do as he pleased.
Due to the fact that the Awakeners in the team were all strong, the position where Tang Yu stood saw the front line gradually advancing.
Soon, other teams of Awakeners joined in as well.
There was comfort and ease in numbers when dealing with Demonized Beasts.
Especially for some less powerful Awakeners who breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Yi arrived among the team, panting heavily.
Fear that he could not shake lingered on his face.
Only he himself was left of his mercenary team.
Originally, they had moved to the front of the line to gather more Source Crystals but didn't expect it to become a death warrant.
"Thank goodness, I survived. It should be safe now, but the losses are too great!"
Chen Yi cursed inwardly.
It was all going so well; how could it suddenly turn out !
Hadn't the Military sworn by their oaths to encircle and suppress the Demon Nest? Yet, they ended up being defeated by the Demonized Beasts!
Especially because he fled in such a panic, the spoils of war, including Source Crystals and some rare materials, were lost somewhere.
This was the most miserable he had felt since he started his career.
He was supposed to be the protagonist!
He focused on a Longsword.
"Demon-slaying Longsword," he murmured to himself.
If he could get his hands on a Demon-slaying Longsword, his strength would surely increase tremendously, perhaps enough to break through to the third layer of Awakening and enter the ranks of the experts.
Chen Yi's eyes burned with zeal.
However, reason told him that whoever possessed a Demon-slaying Longsword was invariably a Captain Level figure.
He couldn't afford to provoke them.
Observing carefully, he noticed that among the present Awakeners, two wielded Demon-slaying Longswords. One was the famous Mercenary Captain in the Lindong Sanctuary, Chen Sheng, whom he recognized; but the other was just an ordinary-looking, somewhat handsome man.
No, not an ordinary man.
Chen Yi had seen him kill Demonized Beasts, but his strength did not seem that formidable.
Definitely not a Captain Level figure; he would recognize the leaders of those top squads.
But if he was not, then how did he come to possess a Demon-slaying Longsword?
Chen Yi thought of a possibility.
It could be the seller of the Demon-slaying Longsword, the mysterious figure wanted by the Scarlet Hand.
His heart couldn't help but race with thuds.
He remembered this morning, as a Mercenary Captain who had traded with the Scarlet Hand before, he received a message.
The Scarlet Hand's wanted order.
Five hundred Source Crystals.
"I'm about to strike it rich. Surely, those who survive great disasters are blessed..."
Chen Yi stared at Tang Yu's back.
He pressed a button on a communicator in his chest.
After thinking for a moment, he took out the only bottle of water he had left, unscrewed the cap, and poured some white powder into it.