Chapter 51: To Rise and Fall Together
At that moment, Xu Ruming was carefully examining her surroundings.
Not encountering any danger had dealt a major blow to her confidence.
’If I can just find a clue, I’ll definitely change Lu Jingyu’s opinion of me,’ she believed.
Her earnest expression was enough to surprise even Shen Ling’an.
After all, he had known Xu Ruming for so long and had never seen her so invested in anything.
Based on his understanding of her, he knew she certainly wasn’t doing this for the sake of the instance itself.
Xu Ruming’s highly abnormal behavior piqued his curiosity.
He kept his gaze fixed on Xu Ruming, even forgetting their current predicament.
And just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts and desires, the bright light suddenly vanished.
Plunged into darkness once more, everyone instantly grew tense.
Lu Jingyu pulled Xu Qingsui into his arms and called out a reminder, "Everyone, group up with those nearest to you! Don’t get left alone!"
For a moment, rustling sounds filled the darkness.
It was occasionally punctuated by the sound of bodies bumping into each other, but no one said anything about it at a time like this.
Soon, the darkness fell silent again, leaving only the sound of everyone’s heavy breathing and rapidly beating hearts.
However, the darkness only lasted for a moment before a faint light began to shine down from above.
The light flickered, growing bright then dim, once again confusing everyone.
Everyone looked up at the light source, silently observing the change.
"It’s a Mutant!" Amid the silence, Xu Qingsui’s startled cry shattered the quiet.
Xu Qingsui grabbed Lu Jingyu and began to fall back, simultaneously reminding everyone to retreat toward the entrance.
The group instinctively did as Xu Qingsui said, though their hearts were still filled with confusion.
And just then, the light returned to its full brightness.
In that instant, everyone finally understood Xu Qingsui’s words.
A massive Mutant had appeared before their eyes. The reason the light had changed was simply that the Mutant was so enormous it had blocked the Luminous Pearls providing the illumination.
The giant Mutant looked like a huge hook, its body bending and flexing as it moved.
Xu Qingsui kept pulling Lu Jingyu back until they had put some distance between themselves and the Mutant, finally getting a clear look at its appearance.
It seemed to be a mutated seahorse.
The Mutant Seahorse’s entire spine was studded with sharp spikes of various colors.
The Hai Ma’s mouthpart had also become long and sharp, with the remains of some kind of fish hanging from its tip.
Its abdomen was covered in countless mouths that flickered open and closed, revealing rows of pitch-black teeth.
A pair of skeletal fins extended from the seahorse’s sides, gently stirring the water and creating subtle, barely perceptible ripples.
"Everyone, on your guard!" Having gotten a clear view of the Mutant, Lu Jingyu bellowed and drew his weapon.
Seeing this, the others also adopted defensive stances.
Xu Ruming, who had been thinking her chance had finally come, now saw her fantasy completely shattered.
There was no longer a chance to find the exit and make Lu Jingyu see her in a new light.
’If I want to stand out now, I’ll have to deal with this Mutant. That means it’s up to Shen Ling’an.’
Xu Ruming turned to look for Shen Ling’an, only to find he was actually trying to flee.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to them, Xu Ruming grabbed Shen Ling’an.
"What do you think you’re doing? Don’t forget our plan."
Shen Ling’an’s brow furrowed. "Of course I haven’t forgotten, but in my current condition, rushing in would be suicide."
Having lost so much blood, Shen Ling’an’s legs felt weak.
Forcing him to rush in and fight for his life now was just sending him to his death.
"I know you’re injured, but if you can still perform a great service under these circumstances, who wouldn’t look up to you?"
"Your status in everyone’s eyes might even surpass Lu Jingyu’s. Isn’t that exactly what we want to see?"
"Brother Ling’an, we have no path of retreat. Nothing else matters. Right now, we rise and fall together. We can only fight our way out, and I can’t do anything else but support you from behind."
As she spoke, Xu Ruming, as if having made a great resolution, took out a small porcelain vial from her robes.
"Brother Ling’an, this contains an elixir that can temporarily boost your abilities. My parents gave it to me after I returned to the Xu Family."
"It was originally for me to use as a boost when I encountered a threat I couldn’t pacify. Now, I’m giving it to you. I hope you can carve out a path for the two of us."
"Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll do everything in my power to soothe you."
With just a few words from Xu Ruming, Shen Ling’an’s heart softened again.
He carefully accepted the elixir, and finally, hardening his resolve, opened the vial and tipped the elixir into his mouth.
Just as everyone was ready to attack at a moment’s notice, a figure shot out from the rear.
Lu Jingyu’s brows tightened. He hated people who disobeyed orders the most.
But when he saw who it was, his aversion vanished, replaced by the urge to watch a good show.
’Shen Ling’an! This is getting interesting!’
’His body is in that state, and he still wants to be the hero?’
’I’d like to see just how long Shen Ling’an can last this time.’
Shen Ling’an leaped into the air, heading straight for the seahorse’s head.
His aggressive charge naturally attracted the seahorse’s attention.
The Hai Ma shook its head, flinging off the thing skewered on its mouthpart, then stretched its neck out and lunged at Shen Ling’an.
Given their combined speed, Shen Ling’an would surely be impaled on the seahorse’s mouthpart.
But just as they were about to collide, a barbed weapon appeared in Shen Ling’an’s hand.
With a weapon in each hand, Shen Ling’an first raised his left, meeting the seahorse’s mouthpart head-on with his weapon.
CLANG!
Following the sound of metal striking metal, the seahorse also shuddered.
But Shen Ling’an immediately raised his right hand, aimed the weapon in it at the seahorse’s eye, and stabbed viciously.
The seahorse was still in shock and didn’t have time to dodge Shen Ling’an’s attack.
The tip of the weapon smoothly pierced the seahorse’s eye socket.
"RAWR~"
Along with a piercing shriek, the seahorse violently curled its body.
Without hesitation, Shen Ling’an yanked the weapon back out.
The barbs on the tip snagged the seahorse’s eyeball, brutally pulling the black-and-white orb from its socket.
With a vicious tug, the barbs completely ruptured the eyeball. The once clearly defined black-and-white orb instantly turned murky.
It hung outside the socket, connected by a red blood vessel.
The repeated, intense pain drove the Hai Ma into a frenzy.
Its body trembled continuously as it thrashed about, crashing into the surroundings.
It even happened to knock a Luminous Pearl loose.
But no one was paying attention to the Luminous Pearl anymore; they all fell back, looking for safe spots to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Shen Ling’an had also retreated quickly after pulling out his weapon and was not caught in the Hai Ma’s frantic rampage.
But he only retreated for a moment. Once the seahorse had quieted down slightly, he raised his weapon and charged forward again.
Not far away, Lu Jingyu watched Shen Ling’an’s figure, his eyes filled with suspicion.