After An Xiaomei shook off the mutated fishmen chasing behind her, she didn't slow down the pace of the icebreaker at all. Ever since she entered this region, the sense of crisis in her heart had only grown stronger instead of easing.
She repeatedly swept her surroundings with her psychic powers, but strangely enough, within a radius of four kilometers, there was no sign of danger whatsoever. Something was off—then she realized she hadn't checked above and below her.
So, she scanned again—and finally discovered something five thousand meters above her: a patch of dark clouds. No, not clouds—something living was moving within them.
These creatures had the wings of eagles, but the edges of their feathers glimmered with hooked barbs, each tip glowing with a cold violet light. Though they had human torsos, their faces were partially covered with feathers.
When she looked farther out, she saw more "clouds" floating in the distance, all heading straight in her direction. An Xiaomei instantly understood what was happening.
Without hesitation, she spent five energy stones to activate the icebreaker's built-in cannon. Its range covered several hundred meters. Sitting and waiting to die wasn't her style—she had to first gauge the enemy's combat strength before making her next move.
Boom! Boom!
The deafening sounds of cannon fire echoed across the frozen sea. The immense shockwave made An Xiaomei's body sway, and cracks split open across the deep ice sheet around her.
Balls of flame-streaked debris fell from the sky, and only then did An Xiaomei get a clear look at what these things were.
"Congratulations, Adventurer An Xiaomei! You have successfully slain 10 Mutant Skyhawks. You have obtained 1 Intermediate Resource Chest. Game Assistant recommends immediate evacuation—large flocks of Mutant Skyhawks are approaching. They are among the strongest creatures in this continent."
An Xiaomei was someone who listened to good advice. Without hesitation, she pulled a teleportation scroll from her inventory.
But the Skyhawk troops enraged by her cannon attack had no intention of letting her off so easily.
The Skyhawk commander was already on the brink of fury—it couldn't believe that this human would strike without warning. Worse, the cannon's projectiles even came with auto-lock targeting!
Seething with rage, the Skyhawk commander launched its assault first, its ice-violet wings flaring as it fired its feathers like arrows at An Xiaomei. At the same time, its cold voice commanded the remaining troops:
"Attack with full force! Leave no mercy! Defend the honor of the Skyhawk Reconnaissance Unit to the death!"
To reposition herself, An Xiaomei quickly stowed the icebreaker back into her backpack.
As soon as she sensed the rain of projectiles from above, she used her psychic power to throw up a protective barrier around herself.
At the same moment, she activated the teleportation scroll to escape.
"Ding! Game prompt: Activation of teleportation scroll requires a 60-second startup delay. Adventurer, please endure during this time."
An Xiaomei nearly lost her mind—why did this game item always pull this kind of nonsense? Why didn't it mention this before she used it?!
She had no choice but to silently channel her psychic energy, splitting her focus between maintaining the barrier and fending off the continuous bombardment. Inwardly, she prayed anxiously:
Faster… please, faster! I have to activate the scroll before that entire flock gets here!
Not far away, the massive Skyhawk swarm, seeing their kin engaged, accelerated their flight. When there were only four seconds left on the countdown, they arrived at the scene.
Seeing their target enclosed in a transparent barrier, the entire flock unleashed a storm of feather-arrows.
An Xiaomei's spiritual sea tensed under the fortyfold increase in attack power. The massive drain on her psychic energy caused blood to trickle continuously from the corners of her mouth.
Three seconds left. She had to hold on. With a desperate resolve, she bit her tongue, using the sharp pain to clear her muddled mind for just a moment.
One second left.
The Skyhawk commander, seeing her body begin to fade, launched its ultimate attack.
With a wet thud, a venom-tipped feather pierced through An Xiaomei's shield and embedded itself in her waist.
Not good—poison!
In the fleeting moment before her consciousness faded, she barely managed to swallow an antidote pill she had crafted herself.
The Skyhawk commander, staring at the blood-streaked ice field, felt a surge of regret. If only it had burned five years of its own life to unleash its ultimate strike earlier! How was it supposed to face the ruthless Skyhawk Emperor now?
Seventy kilometers away, An Xiaomei lay unconscious on the icy plains. Beside her, the alien flame spirit Bi'er stayed alert, carefully sensing the area for danger.
Bi'er deeply regretted falling asleep upon entering this world. If she hadn't sensed that her sister's soul was unstable, she'd still be immersed in cultivation right now.
Not far away, Lu An'an was in the process of relocating. The previous night, she had been attacked by a mutated elk. Although she had killed it using some items, she decided it was best to find a new place to live.
When she spotted a figure lying in the distance, she hadn't planned to intervene—but something about the woman looked familiar.
Wait… wasn't that Goddess An?!
Recognizing her, Lu An'an hurried over.
Bi'er's soul energy locked tightly onto this stranger. If the woman dared make a single wrong move, Bi'er would incinerate her on the spot.
"Thank goodness, the Goddess is still breathing. But she's bleeding from the abdomen—she's definitely injured," Lu An'an muttered after a quick examination.
She carried An Xiaomei to a temporary shelter and began treating the still-bleeding wound to prevent infection.
Across the screen, Dragon Nation viewers watching the livestream finally exhaled in relief.
[When I saw Ms. An collapse like that, I was terrified.]
[Good thing she ran into Lu An'an—otherwise she might not have survived.]
[I have to say, Auntie An's luck hasn't run out yet—she met a friend, not a foe.]
Three hours later, An Xiaomei's consciousness slowly returned.
As she saw a blurry figure approaching, her body instinctively straightened, ready to fight.
The sudden motion tugged at her wound, and pain shot through her body, draining the color from her face.
"Goddess An, it's me—Lu An'an! You don't need to be on guard!"