Chapter 30: Level One Alert! The Beasts Attack the City

The sound crashed over them like monstrous waves, surging again and again. The surrounding buildings trembled and swayed, then collapsed in succession. Xu Han narrowed his eyes, gazing toward the direction from which the noise came. This commotion—could it be caused by the golden-ranked leader? Had someone stolen its offspring?

He pondered silently.

Thunder rumbled. The earth quaked as if shaken by an earthquake. Xu Han’s gaze sharpened. Crowds of exotic beasts surged forth like a tide, rushing toward the outskirts of Wood Forest Town. Their path led directly to East Sea City.

"Are the beasts attacking the city?" Xu Han murmured.

Ever since humans had gained the ability to change professions and developed their powers, a delicate balance had been maintained between them and the beasts. Humans were unable to exterminate the beasts entirely, and the beasts would never attack human cities without cause.

The last beast siege occurred over twenty years ago in the Land of Sakura. A group of beast hunters had slaughtered low-level beasts indiscriminately, angering the lord of the territory, who then led its followers to assault human cities. Two cities fell in succession, with over a million casualties, before the lord's wrath was appeased. Those cities had yet to be reclaimed.

If this horde attacked, East Sea City would suffer tremendous losses.

Xu Han considered his options and swiftly retreated toward East Sea City. Though he was nearly invincible in Wood Forest Town, facing so many beasts would require discretion.

...

Inside the office of the City Lord’s Mansion in East Sea City, a middle-aged man radiating authority was sorting through documents. He was Li Zhentian, the city lord.

Suddenly, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

Li Zhentian looked up and frowned slightly. "Come in."

The door burst open. A young man wearing glasses rushed in, panic etched across his face.

Li Zhentian, visibly displeased, asked, "What is it that has you so flustered?"

"City Lord, bad news! According to the city guard’s report, a large group of exotic beasts are heading toward East Sea City from the direction of Wood Forest Town!"

"The headquarters estimates that this is most likely a beast siege!"

The young man, unable to steady his documents, dropped them with a thud, his voice trembling with fear.

"What?!" Li Zhentian’s expression changed dramatically as he sprang to his feet, overturning the desk in front of him.

The office became a scene of chaos.

"How could this happen?" Li Zhentian scratched his head, his face growing increasingly grim. He pointed at his secretary. "You, notify the Department of Defense immediately and issue a Level One alert to the entire city!"

"Order the Investigation Bureau to arrange for evacuation personnel."

"Also, inform the city guard headquarters to summon all off-duty and resting personnel for immediate assembly!"

"Prepare all weapons."

"Go, quickly!"

"Yes!" The secretary hastily gathered the fallen documents and rushed out.

Li Zhentian’s face was dark. He grabbed his phone and dialed, "Notify everyone. The beasts may be attacking the city. Report to the operations command center to discuss defense strategies!"

"What? Where’s the command center?"

"Don’t be ridiculous! It's right here in my office!"

He hung up abruptly.

...

Sirens wailed across the city.

The broadcast blared announcements:

"Level One Alert! Level One Alert! Beasts detected approaching from the east. All citizens are to evacuate immediately!"

"Please follow the instructions of Investigation Bureau staff and evacuate in an orderly manner. Do not panic, do not crowd, do not carry excessive belongings. The East Sea City Guard will ensure your safety!"

"Level One Alert! Level One Alert..."

The alarms continued to sound.

Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran outside.

All members of the Investigation Bureau were stationed at intersections, guiding residents to safety.

At this moment, inside the presidential suite of the Tianlan Grand Hotel, Zheng Zucai was reviewing the collected student profiles.

After yesterday’s college entrance exam, Li Yu and the others had gathered suitable student profiles and submitted them for review. Zheng Zucai would decide whether to admit these students early to Dragon Country University.

Zheng Zucai frowned as he heard the sirens outside. He turned to look out the window.

On the street, countless people fled frantically in one direction. Cars crashed into each other; many pedestrians were knocked down. Shouts and screams echoed ceaselessly.

Just as he was puzzling over the situation, urgent knocking sounded at the door.

He called out, "Come in."

Old Wang pushed the door open, his face anxious. "It’s bad—East Sea City has just issued a Level One alert. The beasts are preparing to besiege the city!"

"What?!" Zheng Zucai’s expression changed.

"Go notify the others immediately. Send them to the shelters!"

"Yes!" Old Wang turned to leave but found Li Yu and a few others standing at the doorway.

He quickly said, "What are you doing standing here? The beasts are preparing to attack the city—get to the shelters at once!"

Li Yu shook his head. "No, Teacher Zheng. We want to go to the front lines!"

Zheng Zucai frowned and rebuked them sternly, "Nonsense! Do you think a beast siege is child's play?"

"This is nothing like the usual beast hunting! If you go, you’re courting death! Go to the shelters—this is an order!"

Wu Peijun spoke resolutely, "No, Teacher Zheng."

"Although our abilities are average, we’ve all reached the second tier."

"Compared to the city guard, we’re nearly on par with squad leaders."

Zhu Junjie nodded in agreement, "That’s right!"

Jiang Yuchen nodded slightly. Though she said nothing, her determined gaze spoke volumes.

Tang Mimi trembled, but her eyes were equally resolute.

Old Wang looked troubled and turned to Zheng Zucai. Zheng Zucai, as the team leader and mentor, had the final say.

Zheng Zucai’s gaze swept over the group. After a moment, as if making up his mind, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly:

"Fine."

"If you’re brave enough, it’s worth the experience—it’ll greatly benefit your future growth."

"But remember, once we reach the front lines, everyone must follow my instructions!"

"Anyone who acts on their own will be personally disciplined by me afterward. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded in unison.

Zheng Zucai waved his hand, "Go and get ready."

"Meet at the hotel entrance in ten minutes."

They dispersed quickly to their rooms to pack.

Old Wang sighed, "These students have true spirit! Impressive."

Zheng Zucai smiled, "Dragon Country University students aren’t cowards."

"After so long at the university, it’s been ages since I’ve taken action."

"This time, I’ll enjoy myself properly."

...

At this moment, Xu Han was hurrying back.

Along the way, he slew many exotic beasts.

His level rose by one, reaching level eighteen.

The types of beast meat in his spatial ring had increased by more than ten varieties.

This time, at least three new reward entries in the bestiary would be unlocked.