Chapter 119: Bai Ye Is Injured
S-1: The pollutant swarms near the camp are all rampaging, and on a scale far beyond our expectations. This area is no longer safe. Qi Yao will likely organize an evacuation to a new campsite. When that happens, stick with the main group, protect yourself, and stay safe.
Yun Sheng’s heart sank when she read the message.
’A new campsite?’
She lifted her head, her gaze sweeping over the nervous cadets around her.
They had just received Qi Yao’s notice and were discussing it in small groups. Although they were tense, they hadn’t yet realized the gravity of the situation.
But White Tiger said this place was no longer safe.
She lowered her head and read the message again, her brow furrowed tightly.
’Wait...’
Yun Sheng pressed her lips together. Her fingertips paused for a moment before finally tapping out a line of text.
F-3: Where are you? Are you over by the mine?
Message sent.
She stared at the screen, her heart inexplicably quickening.
One second. Two seconds. Five seconds.
No reply.
The chat window was as quiet as if there was no one on the other end.
Yun Sheng waited and waited, but the screen never lit up.
Just as she was hesitating, about to send another message to press for an answer, someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder.
"Yun Sheng?" Cheng Nian leaned in, her face etched with worry. "You’ve been staring blankly at your terminal, and you look so pale. What’s wrong?"
Li Wen came over as well, her eyes fixed on Yun Sheng’s face. "Did something happen?"
Yun Sheng instinctively blanked her terminal screen and forced a weak smile. "It’s nothing..."
"Liar," Cheng Nian cut her off immediately. "I can tell from your expression that something’s wrong. Did the White Tiger Officer message you some inside information?"
Yun Sheng was silent for a moment.
She hadn’t expected Cheng Nian to guess so accurately!
"He said it’s not safe near the camp and that we might have to move."
The expression on Cheng Nian’s face instantly sobered, and her brow furrowed.
"He’s a combat Sentinel, so his sources are more reliable than ours. If even he is saying that, then the situation might be even more serious than what Major General Qi announced."
Li Wen leaned in closer, her expression grave. "Did he say what caused the pollutants to suddenly rampage?"
Yun Sheng shook her head. "He stopped replying. He might have left the camp earlier... I don’t know what’s happening on his end."
The three of them fell silent.
Throughout the surrounding camp, cadets were still chattering in small groups. Some were inspecting their gear, while others rested against their tents. Everything still looked relatively calm.
But Yun Sheng knew that this peace could be shattered at any moment.
Cheng Nian suddenly stood up straight, her gaze sweeping toward the Sentinels patrolling the camp’s edge.
"Either way, it’s better to be prepared," she said in a low voice. "Let’s pack our things now. Get everything we need to bring, so we won’t be scrambling if we really do have to evacuate."
Li Wen nodded. "Right. Weapons, supplies, terminal. Keep the most important things on you. We can get the rest later."
Yun Sheng looked at them, and a wave of warmth washed over her.
In a tense moment like this, it was always good to have people to face it with.
"Okay." As she spoke, she turned and lifted the tent flap. "Let’s pack up now."
...
Inside the command tent, the atmosphere was even heavier than outside.
Qi Yao stood before the topographical map spread out on the table, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface as his gaze fell on the marked location of the mine.
The occasional sounds of cadets talking and their footsteps from outside were muffled by the thick canvas of the tent.
"Report."
An adjutant lifted the tent flap and strode in, a grim expression on his face.
"Speak," Qi Yao said without looking up.
"A message from the outer perimeter Sentinels. The energy fluctuations in the direction of the mine are still climbing, already exceeding initial estimates. And..." The adjutant paused. "The scale of the fleeing pollutants is growing. A few swarms have already approached within five kilometers of the camp."
Qi Yao’s fingers stopped tapping.
He looked up, his sharp gaze locking onto the adjutant. "Five kilometers?"
"Yes. And they’re still spreading this way. Based on the current trend, small pollutant swarms will likely appear around the camp before dawn tomorrow."
Qi Yao was silent for a few seconds.
He turned back to the topographical map, his eyes moving back and forth between the camp’s location and the mine.
An invisible line was connecting the two.
His brow furrowed even deeper. "What about our people? Any news from the mine?"
"We can’t reach them for now." The adjutant’s voice dropped. "The signal interference over there is too strong, and the scout teams we sent out haven’t returned with any specific intel."
"Relay my orders. Have all cadets pack their gear and prepare for evacuation. Notify the Sentinel teams to strengthen the perimeter security and expand their patrol range. If any pollutants approach within three kilometers, report immediately."
The adjutant was taken aback. "Major General, are we evacuating?"
"Just get ready for now." Qi Yao’s gaze was dark. "We might not evacuate, but we can’t afford to be scrambling when disaster strikes."
"Yes, sir!"
The adjutant accepted his orders and left.
The tent fell silent once more.
Qi Yao stood before the map, his gaze fixed on the area marked as the abandoned mine, and did not look away for a long time.
’What in the world happened there?’
...
Deep within the mine, dust and smoke filled the air.
Bai Ye steadied himself, his eyes locked on the black figure opposite him.
Si Jin slowly rose from a pile of rubble, the Dark Spiritual Power around him spiraling even more out of control. His crimson eyes held no struggle, no pain, only the purest desire for destruction.
’He’s lost control completely!’
Bai Ye’s gaze darkened.
In the next instant, Si Jin moved.
His speed was shockingly fast. Wielding world-destroying Dark Power, he threw a punch straight at Bai Ye’s face!
Bai Ye sidestepped the blow and chopped back toward the side of Si Jin’s neck, the edge of his palm carrying a blade of spiritual power, exceptionally sharp.
Si Jin didn’t even try to dodge.
He took the blow head-on, and at the same time, swept his leg out, kicking Bai Ye hard in the waist.
THUD!
The force of the kick sent Bai Ye sliding back several meters, the rock beneath his feet shattering with every inch.
He let out a muffled grunt as a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
A completely out-of-control Si Jin was more ferocious and far more reckless than usual.
But he couldn’t retreat!
Bai Ye wiped the blood from his lips, his gaze still calm.
He took a deep breath, and the spiritual power around him began to surge with unprecedented intensity.
He was forcefully overtaxing his spiritual landscape, pushing his power to its breaking point.
The cave walls trembled more violently.
Loose rocks rained down from the ceiling, and the entire mine seemed on the verge of collapse.
But Bai Ye didn’t stop.
He had to suppress Si Jin, or they would both die here.
Spiritual power formed tangible chains, each one凝聚ing all his strength as they shot out from all around him, snaking toward Si Jin.
Si Jin let out a heaven-shaking roar, his Dark Spiritual Power resisting wildly as it clashed violently with the chains!
The head-on clash of two SSS-level powers plunged the entire mine into utter chaos.
The walls crumbled, the ground cracked, and rubble rained down like a torrential storm.
Bai Ye gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his temples as blood flowed continuously from the corner of his mouth.
He could feel his spiritual landscape enduring unimaginable pressure; the pre-existing cracks within it were widening bit by bit.
But he couldn’t stop.
If he did, Si Jin would break free, and they would both be buried in this mine.
"Suppress... him!"
With a low roar, Bai Ye sent the last chain flying through the air. It intertwined with the others, forming a dense, inescapable net that bound Si Jin tightly within!
Si Jin struggled a few times before finally, exhausted, he fell to one knee, panting heavily.
The madness in his crimson eyes remained, but for the moment, he was unable to break free.
But Bai Ye himself had also reached his limit.
He staggered, nearly collapsing to his knees.
A sharp, stabbing pain erupted from deep within his spiritual landscape. The cracks were spreading wildly, and his own power also began to surge and riot, beyond his control.