183. Beautiful Campus
Plop!
Mordot calmly swung the butt of his gun, instantly crushing the head of a Colonial Trooper. He kicked away the corpse and didn't forget to turn back and tell his teammates:
"The hearts of these Colonial Troopers are rigged with bombs. You must completely destroy their heads to prevent them from exploding. Also, try not to shoot. There are at least two thousand troopers in the school. Their senses are sharp, and they are strong. If they form a group, we'll be in a very passive position."
"As expected of a senior, fighting while giving us a live explanation." Fan-girl Sylia delivered timely praise.
"It's nothing," Mordot said lightly, "I just want more people to survive."
The calmer and more composed he was, the more Sylia admired his carefree demeanor.
"Senior is really, so cool."
"Thanks to Senior Mordot, we've been able to survive until now."
"Senior is amazing. He's already taken out seven Colonial Troopers by himself."
"Keep moving forward."
Mordot paid no attention to the others' praise. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, and his goal seemed very clear.
"The library is surrounded by Colonial Troopers. We need stronger weapons and supplies, so we have to head to the workshop and produce them ourselves."
Hobbs and Lucite were positioned in the middle of the team, staying with the survivors rescued along the way, while the front, rear, and sides were guarded by members of the Patrol Squad.
"Hobbs, we're lucky. The Patrol Squad is the school's disciplinary and security organization. They're among the students most adept at combat."
Lucite said to Hobbs:
"They've even placed us in the very center. If we come under a sudden fire attack, we're the safest."
"Mm, got it." Hobbs kept checking the information rune, frowning, "Still no signal. Could the entire Trivira have been attacked?"
Lucite speculated, "Maybe it's a dimensional barrier's interference."
"No, I'm connected to the Mitra network, which is developed based on the omnipresent effect. It's unaffected by distance or obstacles, unless the terminal server is destroyed…"
Hobbs's gaze flickered.
If the entire Trivira was indeed under attack, and during the absence of its strong leaders, given the capabilities of Remaining Moon, they might really have to struggle to survive in the city for four to five days.
This isn't good… Trivira, as a major metropolis, is not like the rural countryside. The self-sustained resources here aren't nearly enough to support the entire city. Normally, it relies on the entire planet's resources being channeled in to maintain its prosperity.
Let alone four or five days, maybe it wouldn't even last a single day.
When resources become scarce, people will take desperate measures, forming factions and stepping onto the path of crime.
It's foreseeable what the scene in Trivira will look like then.
Lucite and Hobbs's conversation seemed to have been overheard. A member of the Patrol Squad whispered a few words to Mordot, who nodded slightly and deliberately turned around to say:
"Don't worry. Actually, our school still has a trump card. It won't drag on for too long. Once we find the opportunity, we can end the current situation."
Sylia's eyes lit up, and she immediately asked:
"Senior, the trump card you're referring to, could it be—"
"Yes, it's her." Mordot nodded. "The Student Council President—Corena Ibiris. A veteran at the Zeta Tier, probably one of the few Zeta Tiers on the entire planet."
A veteran at the Zeta Tier!
And a veteran returning at this point in time is very likely to be a participant in the Galactic Eye campaign from ten years ago. Her strength and awareness are definitely far superior to an ordinary Zeta Tier.
Even if she can't deal with Remaining Moon… at least she can protect them.
This statement was undoubtedly an effective morale booster, instantly energizing the students.
"Great, we're saved!"
"It's so terrifying. Once this is over, I must contact my country's embassy."
"Father didn't mention that going to school abroad would be this dangerous…"
The celebratory voices rose one after another. Lucite and Hobbs exchanged a glance, reading each other's thoughts.
Except for the two of them… all the other rescued survivors were, without exception, prominent foreign exchange students.
'They talk a good game about wanting more people to survive, but in reality, they prioritize saving dignitaries and nobles first.'
'Don't think like that, Hobbs. The Patrol Squad probably acted this way to avoid diplomatic disputes…'
'So our Tanisian compatriots must fall behind foreigners? Ha, compatriots?'
'Hobbs!'
Hobbs squinted his eyes and began rubbing his ring. Whenever he was in a bad mood or worked up, he would do this.
'I understand the situation, Lucite. Just be prepared; they might not fully care about whether we live or die.'
Lucite fell silent.
Ever since their conversation about the ring, Hobbs no longer concealed his nature, freely venting his resentment. Whether it was towards others, towards the Night Butterfly, towards Omega Energy users, or even towards himself, he would dole out his sarcasm and ridicule equally.
Lucite was an honest person. Seeing his friend become like this, he didn't know how to face Hobbs now.
'Sigh… better let Leoz handle it. He's better at communicating.'
Lucite shook his head. Seeing Hobbs calm down, he continued moving forward with the Patrol Squad.
'I wonder how Leoz is doing now?'
———Clang!
The head of a Colonial Trooper was smoothly sliced off, and the body fell cleanly to the ground. Jania promptly reported the number:
"The 27th."
Colonial Troopers didn't grant experience, so Li Aozi didn't care much about the numbers. He instinctively adjusted the baby-state Diaran in his arms, checked her condition, confirmed she was safe, and moved on.
Reaching the second floor, Li Aozi went straight to a desk by the window but saw a desk full of dissected Colonial Troopers.
Li Aozi raised his hand, picking up two cups from the table: one with a little white bear and the other with a small catfish design.
"These are Hobbs's and Lucite's cups… Have the people from the library all evacuated?"
Because he had to take care of Diaran, he was still a step late.
Before Li Aozi arrived, the Colonial Troopers had already attacked and occupied the place.
He searched the library but didn't find any sign of the two. Perhaps they left in a hurry; Hobbs and Lucite didn't leave any message behind either.
Hobbs and Lucite were his friends… Li Aozi still didn't want to expose his identity as a [Echoer]. Once that happened, who knew if they could still be friends?
However, Li Aozi still had a way to track them—he raised his hand, letting the atmospheric elements bring him scents and messages.
"They went south… That's towards the graduate school? What are they doing there?"
Li Aozi didn't bother thinking too much. As he walked, he started chatting with Jania:
"About Haines and the Felicia Civilization, what else do you remember?"
"Haines was the last line of defense in Star Abyss. It housed the court and divine warrior unit of the [God of Reality] Leozi. Many of those deities were famous even in Star Abyss, such as the [Goddess of Truth] Sharwinnia, the [Lord of Heroic Souls] Tuvalara, and the [God of Deep Water] Oshen…"
Perhaps because of Diaran, Jania was willing to talk now, answering Li Aozi's questions seriously without any pranks.
"I've already told you a lot about Felicia: the [Secret Society] Gaia led an assault on Leozi, breaking through Haines. Citizens of the Felicia Republic began fleeing before then. Fortunately, Star Abyss sheltered the descendants of those warriors who fought bravely for it, allowing us to enter."
"Star Abyss is quite loyal," Li Aozi joked, "Didn't see it being so kind during the Ascension Path."
Jania continued:
"But unfortunately, the good times didn't last. The [Secret Society] still keeps an eye on us. To them, we Felician survivors are perfect citizen material. Yet for some reason, they didn't send their powerful three chairmen to crush us but sent a few representatives and citizens to infiltrate us. The Felicians didn't surrender. We've always been fighting, and there were even hidden defectors willing to help us."
At this point, she looked tenderly at Diaran.
"Her name is Diaran, right? I can feel a familiar aura from her. Her… let's say father's presence helped us a lot. Though a noble representative, he always played the role of a [Doctor]. With him around, our warriors almost never died."
"But in the end, you still lost," Li Aozi said.
"Yeah!" Jania sighed deeply. "If it weren't for that damned Lidevidance refusing to take me from Razor Fang… we could have won."
Li Aozi raised an eyebrow:
"Jania, I remember you said Razor Fang was a demigod back then. What about Lidevidance at that time?"
"According to today's terms, he was already at the Sigma Tier (Σ, the 18th Greek letter, approximately level 360~380)."
Jania shook her head:
"It's been so long, and I haven't heard any news about him. He must be hiding somewhere or barely surviving in the deeper layers of Star Abyss. A coward is a coward, no matter how long they live."
Lidevidance had already died.
Li Aozi didn't tell Jania the truth.
Instead of relaying it, it was better to let Jania meet Lidevidance herself to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Jania, do you still remember the Secret Representatives who attacked you and the defectors who helped you?"
"Haha, how could I forget? There were many who helped us—[Doctor] Levoluson Doktor, [Saintess], [Adventurer], oh, and their daughter—Verlia. They were brave warriors who fought to the end for us strangers."
Jania placed one hand on her hip and replied:
"The Secret Representatives who invaded us were [Engineer] Enjenet Birgo, [Farmer] Famer Springfield, and [Tailor] Yavanna Huskisin."
Clink.
Li Aozi stopped in his tracks.
He turned his head and looked at Jania:
"Say that again. What's the name of the [Tailor]?"