Chapter 88: You Are the True Hope
People tend to follow the crowd.
Fear is contagious.
But so is passion.
In an instant, the harsh clang of swords being drawn rang out one after another. More and more veterans, stirred by Jiang Dayi’s roar, seized their sabers and charged toward the demons.
Damn it.
Even the company commander was throwing caution to the wind—what right did these worthless soldiers have to hide behind and cling to life?
“Ah!!”
The veteran who had sworn to avenge Old Wei hooked a grappling rope around the abdomen of the ape-like demon. His body spun in midair, the blade like a drill, aiming for the demon’s knee joint.
“Watch out!”
Jiang Dayi shouted urgently as he saw the demon wielding its five-meter-long gigantic arm, whipping it through the air with a fierce gust.
The veteran changed his spinning angle midair just in time to narrowly avoid the claw, but the blade still grazed the demon’s knee, cutting off a fist-sized chunk of flesh.
To a demon over ten meters tall, this little wound was like a toothpick prick.
“Damn! This guy’s reflexes are too fast!”
Landing, the veteran’s boots scraped half a meter across the ground.
“It jumps! It moves like a monkey!!”
Unexpectedly, a shout came from the ranks of the new recruits—it was Du Huaishan!
At the moment the veterans sprang into action—
Boom!
Demons lurking in the cave openings leapt down simultaneously, their twisted expressions surrounding the group.
“What do we do? There are so many demons…”
“The veterans can’t hold them off; the numbers are overwhelming, and there’s even a giant among them.”
“Are we going to die here today?”
The surviving trainees were thrown into panic as huge monstrous heads lunged at them from all directions.
Two trainees froze in place, just as a white deer demon with human hands was about to lift one of them.
Suddenly, four or five figures flew to their rescue.
Among them, a massive sand-colored silhouette crossed its arms over its chest and collided headlong with the white deer demon. Sliding backward, its feet scraped the cave floor with a sharp hiss.
It was Pei Qingfeng, using his first-level transformation skill!
The rest of the Reconnaissance Second Platoon quickly formed a triangular formation with blades and swords, bracing for battle.
Wang Zhenglin called back, “We’ll hold off the demons! You all follow the Special Operations Platoon and find a way out. Remember, you and the intelligence you carry are the future of the Yingzhou army. Survive! Even if you have to give everything, stay alive! Move out!”
With his final rallying cry, a massive water column shot skyward, waves spinning like petals as they surged outward, drowning the surrounding demons.
“Now’s our chance!!”
A trainee seized the demons’ momentary sluggishness and swiftly escaped using the grappling rope.
Xing Zhenhao and others reacted quickly, following suit.
“Hurry! Du Huaishan!”
Li Anqi pulled Du Huaishan’s armor and slid him out from under a demon’s grasp.
Watching the elite trainees retreat, the Reconnaissance Second Platoon finally breathed a sigh of relief—but the four demons before them now demanded a solitary stand.
Disengaging his second-level skill, Wang Zhenglin gripped his long sword and exhaled, “Brothers, this is our last battle. We might all die here. If anyone still wants to leave, follow the new recruits—I won’t hold you accountable for desertion…”
Even he lacked conviction as he spoke.
Could he realistically survive to face any judgment?
“Deputy Platoon Leader Wang, you underestimate us too much! Our skills may not be top-notch, but when it counts, we’ll never disgrace Reconnaissance Second Platoon!”
“Every soldier of the Yingzhou army faces death with honor or lives with shame, but never retreats!”
“Hahaha! Good!”
Wang Zhenglin laughed heartily, biting his tongue with excitement. “Then let Company Commander Lianzhen prepare the wine. When this is over, we’ll drink together! Charge!”
“Charge!!”
Bang!
As the Reconnaissance Second Platoon engaged the demons, suddenly, cannon fire erupted behind them.
The artillery of the main company had set up mortars less than a hundred meters away. With such a massive target and short distance, no sighting adjustment was needed—a shell blasted straight into the ape-like demon’s abdomen.
Orange-red flames, flying metal shards, and fierce explosions tore through the demon’s flesh.
The creature’s body lost control and toppled forward.
“It’s effective! Everyone, charge!”
A demon-transformed veteran howled, and within half a breath, four grappling hooks struck the demon’s shoulders, neck, and back.
Clang clang clang!
As the soldiers brandished their sabers and surged forward,
The ape-like demon suddenly lifted its strange human head, its chest swelling and pulsating. The black bristly fur on its back rustled like a storm as it opened its bloodied maw and roared:
“Roar—!!”
A massive shockwave radiated outward at lightning speed.
In an instant, the entire arched mine cavern rumbled with magma surging, the stone walls trembling. Several veterans swinging their blades were violently slammed by the shockwave, lifted like a hurricane.
Their ears, mouths, eyes, and noses bled uncontrollably; their internal organs twisted in agony.
The veterans still fighting on the ground instinctively covered their ears and dropped to their knees. Some curled up, banging their heads in pain.
Yet the demons seemed unaffected.
Or rather, even if affected, they felt no pain. One grabbed a soldier cowering on the ground, opened its bloodied jaws—
“Old Li!”
Pei Qingfeng clutched his ears, watching in horror as his best comrade was seized and bitten off at the arm, intestines hanging outside.
In that distracted moment,
A long strand of black hair brushed over his head—it was the demon with a woman’s head and feline body. Its sharp tiger claws grabbed his head.
Pei Qingfeng was about to swing his arm in defense—
The two white human hands of the antlered demon also seized him.
Splat!
On the other side, the chicken-foot wild boar demon pounced on Pei Qingfeng’s transformed thigh.
Because the ape-like demon’s sudden assault left Wang Zhenglin and others clutching their ears to resist the shockwave, no one was protecting Pei Qingfeng, the largest target, who quickly became the center of the demons’ attack.
“Don’t… let go of me! Ah!!”
The wild boar demon bit through his sand-colored muscle skin, while the female-headed feline and white deer demons clawed at his arms and head, their expressions twisted as they opened bloodied mouths to bite.
Splatter, crackle…
“No! Ugh…”
With tearing and pulling, the three demons ripped open Pei Qingfeng’s first-stage transformed muscle like peeling a banana, revealing his panicked true form inside.
His heart constricted sharply, as if cold snakes crawled down his spine.
Three enormous, grotesque heads loomed over him, their hot, foul breath washing his face.
“Old Pei!”
On the ground, Wang Zhenglin finally snapped out of the shockwave’s pain and saw Pei Qingfeng trapped by demons. He raised his armored arm and shot his grappling hook.
Hearing the call,
Pei Qingfeng’s head shook like a sieve as he stared blankly, about to speak.
Snap!
The female demon bit off his head!
“Old Pei—!!”
…
Inside the cavern,
The elite trainees scrambled frantically through the cracks, trying to follow the Special Operations Platoon’s Zhang Shihan and another to escape this nightmare beneath the earth.
Rumble rumble…
Suddenly, strong tremors shook the ground from behind.
“Is it another Red Core mine tremor?”
“This feels different, much stronger. Everyone be careful!”
Du Huaishan shouted, but before he finished, the ceiling of the crack ahead collapsed. He shoved Tan Hai aside just in time.
Thud! The boulder crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Cough cough…”
Guo Tingyu waved away the dust and saw the passage completely blocked by rubble. Drawing his saber, he hacked fiercely at the rock. A corner chipped off, falling to the ground, but compared to the massive boulder, it was insignificant.
“We’re done for—the path is blocked!”
A bald trainee muttered in despair.
Xing Zhenhao glanced around and realized Cai Zhizhong was missing. Looking back at the fallen rocks, he wondered if the man was on the other side.
Meanwhile,
On the other side of the rocks—
“Hey! Brother Huaishan! Can you hear me? Brother Huaishan!?”
Tan Hai pounded frantically on the rock wall, but it was useless.
“What do we do? Du Huaishan and Xu Yuan are still behind…”
Li Anqi anxiously ran to a nearby rock, heaving it aside.
“It looks movable!”
Seeing this,
Lin Sizhi and Wu Ming joined in to help shift the boulder.
“This waste of time is just dragging our comrades to their deaths!”
Zhang Shihan shouted from behind. “The demons are right behind us. The main company’s sacrifice wasn’t for you to waste time here!”
“The entire cavern system is connected; they can exit through other routes. Why be foolish and try to move this rock?”
For a moment, Li Anqi and the others almost believed him.
Tan Hai quickly bowed, “Platoon Leader Zhang, you’re resourceful. Could you ask Senior Bai Yang to detect which way they went?”
“How can he smell through this rock?”
Zhang Shihan patted the notebook in his chest pocket. “Besides, our mission is to protect the intelligence. Everything else is outside the Special Operations Platoon’s scope.”
With that, he started moving. “Those who want to live, follow me!”
At this, several veterans followed.
They were members of the main company and Reconnaissance Platoon, ordered to protect the Special Operations intelligence.
After a moment’s hesitation, the severely wounded Xu Zhigang said goodbye to Old Wu and turned to join the group.
One by one, more recruits and veterans departed.
“You all go on ahead. I’m going to look for Brother Huaishan.”
To Tan Hai, Du Huaishan was the first to truly befriend him.
Not to mention, along the way, Du had taught him martial arts and pushed him to train harder.
He had transformed Tan Hai from a mere pleasure-seeker into a Yingzhou soldier capable of slaying demons.
In his heart,
Du Huaishan was like a brother.
“Yes, you all leave first. Du Huaishan and Guo Tingyu are brothers from our Eighth Squad. We always say in the mess hall, the Eighth Squad never breaks up.”
Wu Ming rubbed his shoulder, injured by a demon’s blow, clearly ready to search for them.
“Exactly, Du Huaishan is still part of the Eighth Training Squad!”
Li Anqi patted her sturdy chest. “I’m coming with you.”
“Xu Yuan is also inside,” Lin Sizhi added.
“Alright, we’ll split into two teams. Old Wu and I will take one, you and Sizhi take the other. Let’s find them quickly.”
Tan Hai quickly made the plan.
They dispersed at once, splitting into two groups to rendezvous with Du Huaishan’s team at other cave entrances.
“Cai Zhizhong, should we look for Hao Ge and Guo Tingyu too?”
By the fallen rocks, only a few veterans and the Seventh Training Squad recruits remained.
“Leave Hao Ge to me. You get out of here—survival is the priority!”
Cai Zhizhong struck a righteous pose.
“Well… Cai Zhizhong, it’s all up to you then.”
His companion left, and once alone, Cai Zhizhong’s expression turned sinister.
Beside him stood Nie Renjie.
“Platoon Leader Nie, the time I spoke of has come!”
…
Opposite the fallen rocks,
Guo Tingyu tried chopping at the boulder several times, but it didn’t budge.
“Huaishan, can your awakening skill break this rock?”
“No, not powerful enough.”
Du Huaishan shook his head.
His Shadow Step combined with coordinated strikes delivered terrifying damage, but the rock was a collapse of the cavern—at least several hundred tons, like a fortress wall.
His current power couldn’t match the city-shattering might of a giant demon.
“What do we do now?”
“Go back.”
Xu Yuan’s blue-gray eyes flickered coldly. “Find another way.”
“What if we run into demons on the way back?”
The bald trainee pressed. “The tremors came from the mine cavern. Giant demons often have special abilities. With the few left in the main company, we probably can’t withstand a demon siege.”
“Maybe… the demons are already chasing us through the cavern!”
“Then stay here and wait for death.”
Xu Yuan said no more.
Du Huaishan looked at the rock. “Xu Yuan’s right. Instead of wasting time here, better to risk death and find a new route.”
“I agree with Huaishan.”
Guo Tingyu didn’t want to be trapped alive here. Better to face the demons directly—maybe even kill one or two and earn some merit.
Xing Zhenhao nodded. “No time to waste, let’s move!”
Five people in total—four decided to turn back.
The bald trainee reluctantly followed.
But the journey was far more grueling than they imagined.
The trainees were right—the strange sounds came from the mine cavern. The closer they got to the entrance, the more damaged and collapsed the cracks became.
Many previously open passages were now blocked by rubble, forcing detours.
“There’s artillery fire ahead. If we keep going, we might return to the mine cavern…”
“This way.”
Just as the bald trainee panicked, Xu Yuan suddenly pointed to a cave entrance on the right and dashed inside.
“Hey! Xu Yuan, don’t run off! Wait for Huaishan’s word!”
Guo Tingyu shouted after him.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yuan showed no sign of stopping and soon disappeared into the cave.
“Follow him.”
Du Huaishan didn’t hesitate.
Though he didn’t know Xu Yuan well, they had trained together for over half a year. This woman, though sometimes impulsive when facing demons, was generally not reckless.
Xu Yuan sprinted wildly through the cracks.
The others had to raise their fusion level above five percent just to keep up.
Even more astonishing,
Because of the chaotic fighting in the mine, they had only one torch and one lantern left, making the light dim. Yet Xu Yuan seemed to run as if it were broad daylight—dodging debris, spotting the next cave entrance, and turning early.
“Xu Yuan, slow down. We’re all low on stamina.”
Xing Zhenhao called from behind.
“The main company is retreating!” Xu Yuan’s voice was urgent for the first time.
“What? The main company is retreating? Has the demon caught up?”
Guo Tingyu turned back anxiously. Though there was noise behind, he saw no sign of pursuers.
Xing Zhenhao was equally confused.
Only Du Huaishan understood.
Awakening skill!
Xu Yuan had reached a relative threshold and was now manifesting part of her first-level special ability!
Just like when he fought Instructor Luo Zongwen and unleashed the sonic boom.
Could Xu Yuan’s awakening be a visual enhancement?
As they sped along,
Suddenly, Xu Yuan raised her hand to halt the group.
After a moment, hurried footsteps echoed from a pitch-black crack ahead, followed by a faint orange glow.
Guo Tingyu and Xing Zhenhao drew their sabers slightly.
As the light drew near, it was Tan Hai and Wu Ming.
“What? You’re here? Didn’t you follow the Special Operations Platoon out?”
Seeing familiar faces, Wu Ming relaxed. “Tan Hai and I were worried about you and Huaishan, so we circled back to find you.”
Warmth flooded Guo Tingyu’s heart, but he still cautioned, “There are so many tunnels here—what if we get lost?”
“That’s why Li Anqi and the others split up to search.”
Tan Hai immediately blew his whistle sharply, the piercing sound echoing through the cracks.
“Have you seen Cai Zhizhong?”
Xing Zhenhao seized the moment to ask.
Wu Ming raised an eyebrow. “I think so, but I didn’t see where he went last.”
Shortly after, Li Anqi and Lin Sizhi came running, gasping for breath. “Finally found you…”
“Let’s go.”
Xu Yuan urged again.
But just as they prepared to leave the cracks,
Rumble!