Chapter 58 Tri-Colored Coral

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: Tri-Colored Coral

"WHEEZE... WHEEZE..."

In a hidden shipping container tucked away in the corner of the boat mooring area, a ring of Energy Film, thin as a cicada’s wing and resembling a delicate soap bubble, completely isolated this cramped space from the outside world.

Chairman Wu leaned against the inner wall of the container, his chest heaving violently. One of his arms hung limply, the joint twisted at an unnatural angle.

Lin Qianqian leaned against the wall beside him, her face as pale as paper. The glowing white halo that had originally circulated around her body had long faded, and the luminous white glow at her fingertips was so faint it was almost invisible.

Around them, several men lay sprawled out in a haphazard manner. Some still had faintly rising and falling chests, while others had completely lost all signs of life.

"Qianqian... how much longer can your Energy hold out?" Chairman Wu shook his heavy head, forcing himself to stay alert.

Lin Qianqian clenched her teeth, barely managing to squeeze out a few words. "Chairman... I... I can’t hold on anymore..."

Outside the container, over a dozen twisted silhouettes loomed faintly in the thick fog. A few Vortex Shell Crabs, leeches, and Human-faced Jellyfish repeatedly prowled the vicinity as if acting on orders.

"Damn it... are we really going to die here..."

Chairman Wu’s body swayed violently. The thin layer of Energy Film enveloping the three of them shook violently like a fragile soap bubble.

Just as the Energy Film was about to completely dissipate and leave them entirely exposed to the monsters’ perception...

"ROAR!!!"

A deafening, majestic roar exploded like a peal of thunder from another direction in the Fog Area! The soundwaves morphed into a tangible shockwave, tearing through layers of white mist and continuously sweeping out in all directions.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

The monsters that had been prowling and searching around the three of them—whether they were the Vortex Shell Crabs and Human-faced Jellyfish underwater, or the other creatures—all froze in unison.

"QUACK?" "SCREECH?!"

Facing the direction where the tri-colored core flickered with light, they unhesitatingly swarmed like mad toward the source of the tiger’s roar.

With the monsters’ retreat, the pressure inside the container abruptly lifted. Chairman Wu’s body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground with a THUD as the shielding film completely vanished.

"Cough... cough... We’re... we’re saved? What just happened?" he gasped for air, coughing up a few mouthfuls of bloody froth, an expression of sheer disbelief on his face.

"That sound..." Lin Qianqian abruptly raised her head to look in the direction of the tiger’s roar, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"Regardless... the monsters have left. We must seize this opportunity to get out of here and return to camp." Chairman Wu wiped his face and staggeringly pushed himself up into a crouch. He scanned the unconscious men in the container, his complexion ashen. "Carry back anyone who is still breathing. As for those with no signs of life... we have no choice but to leave them behind."

Meanwhile.

The soundwaves from the tiger’s roar collided with the radiating fluctuations of the tri-colored halo.

POP!

That silent Spiritual Shock was crushed to pieces by the overbearing soundwave, dissipating into nothingness. A ripple spread through the air, and the white mist was disrupted by an invisible force, forming a completely clear zone.

The monsters swarming around them were similarly deterred by the tiger’s roar, not daring to advance for the time being. Seeing this, the other Awakened all hid behind Han Ning. At the same time, they tightly encircled Chen Feng, Lu Yunping, and the others, thoroughly knocking them unconscious.

"SCREECH!"

The tri-colored orb of light trembled violently, continuously letting out piercing shrieks that sounded remarkably similar to a feral cat’s wailing.

"ROAR!"

No matter how much it released its halo, Han Ning always responded with a tiger’s roar. That fluctuation, which was potent enough to drive someone to madness, entirely lost its effect in the face of Han Ning’s fierce roar.

"SCREECH!"

It seemed to grow enraged. Its drifting speed abruptly accelerated as it rapidly closed in on the area where Han Ning and the other Awakened were located. All the nearby monsters, as if lashed by an invisible whip, also surged forward like a tidal wave.

The burly Awakened in the camo singlet gripped the steel pipe in his hand and bellowed, "Don’t just stand there! Form a Defense formation and help this brother hold off the other monsters!"

Hearing this, the rest of them scrambled into position, readying themselves to intercept the creatures.

As the orb of light drew closer, its true form was finally revealed to everyone. Astonishingly, it was a bizarre Tuna over five meters long. The front half of its body was covered in overlapping layers of pale Bone Armor, the edges of the plates exceptionally sharp. A spiral drill-like spike over a meter long protruded from the front of its head, spinning at high speed.

In the center of its broad, flat back grew a massive cluster of Coral that constantly shifted between blue, purple, and red. It was precisely this Tri-Colored Coral that ceaselessly emitted the mind-warping, hallucinatory halo into its surroundings.

"Is this the monster that affected Chen Feng and his group?"

Facing this ferocious charge, Han Ning did not dodge or evade. He stepped forward with a tiger paw. The Dark Gold fur across his body stood on end, flowing with a magma-like luster.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Dozens of vines shot out from his body, forming a defensive shield in front of him that resembled crossed arms.

BANG!!

The high-speed spinning spiral spike slammed into the shield of vines. Cracks spread rapidly as the vines shattered inch by inch, but the drill spike was forcefully ground to a halt.

With the battle between Han Ning and the Tuna erupting, the Awakened around them also plunged into combat with the other monsters.

"KILL!"

"Defense-type Awakened, hold the frontline! Offense types, look for an opening to kill!"

"Don’t chicken out! Get your asses in there!"

"AWOO!" snow cake also joined the ranks fighting the monsters.

BANG BANG BANG!

SMACK SMACK!

For a time, deafening sounds of slaughter echoed from the depths of the Fog Area.

"This guy is at least somewhat useful."

Han Ning cast a quick glance at the singlet-wearing man who was currently commanding the group. He stomped down with both feet, his figure suddenly blurring.

"Wild Blessing, shatter for me!"

In the blink of an eye, his figure leaped above the sharp drill spike, his entire body bathed in a brilliant emerald-green light. As the light washed over him, his fur instantly grew incredibly thick. The muscles in his arms bulged and expanded a fraction, and he closed his grip around the spinning spike.

CRACK! SNAP!

The tough spiral drill spike was forcefully snapped in half. The broken tip spun away into the thick mist, leaving a hideous gap on the Tuna’s head. Dark red, foul-smelling blood gushed out in a torrent.

"QUACK!" the Tuna shrieked in agony. Its body writhed ceaselessly from the severe pain as it swung its thick, Bone Armor-plated tail, whipping it viciously toward Han Ning’s waist and abdomen.

Golden flames surged in Han Ning’s eyes as he reacted with lightning speed. His left claw shot out like a bolt of lightning, catching the end of the incoming tail. The terrifying impact caused his figure to sway. The horny layer on his tiger claw instantly cracked and oozed blood, but the wound rapidly healed under the effects of Wild Blessing.

The fish tail was now firmly locked within his tiger claw’s grasp.

"Up!"

The Molten Gold Battle Tiger channeled power from his waist. Clenching his right claw into a fist, intense heat gathered at the knuckles, forming a swirling halo of light. With overwhelming force, he threw a punch straight into the Tuna’s Bone Armor-covered flank.

BOOM!!!

Where the fist landed, a visible shockwave rippled outward. The resilient Bone Armor caved in on impact, with a dense web of cracks instantly spreading across a large area. The Molten Gold heat clung like a relentless curse, frantically corroding the flesh and blood beneath the Bone Armor.

The Tuna’s body was sent flying sideways, crashing heavily into a half-sunken shipping container in the distance and directly caving in the metal frame.

"AWOO!" snow cake growled in excitement, its vertically-slit yellow eyes fixed intently on its master’s berserk figure.

Yu Na’s small mouth hung slightly open. The other Awakened watched, utterly dumbfounded, almost forgetting the perilous situation they were in.

The monster they hadn’t even dared to look at was as fragile as a punching bag in front of Han Ning!

"S-so strong! How come I’ve never heard of a guy like this?" the burly Awakened in the camo singlet muttered, his eyes filled with absolute shock.