Chapter 157: Second Stage!! No Turning Back!
Because the entire city of Jiang encountered a massive attack at around 5:00 PM, it was the peak time when many elementary and middle schools were letting out and when rush hour traffic was at its heaviest. This made it the perfect time for launching an attack.
So, when the attack broke out, various locations quickly initiated their "defense plans," and many students and parents were directly ushered into the schools. Even elementary schools typically had full defense systems, including combat drones, combat robots, and martial arts teachers. Three or five Fish Spirit Clan warriors wouldn't stand a chance.
Elementary schools were generally safer than ordinary neighborhoods. Nanhua(South China) Primary School was just an ordinary primary school.
The aircraft moved swiftly forward. These all-electric aircraft now had impressive endurance.
"According to the system intelligence, there are more than 600 students and parents inside the school, all hiding in various shelters," Li Yuan quickly relayed. "Over 30 Fish Spirit Clan warriors have invaded the school and are currently being held back by the school's defense systems."
Fang Longhu and the nine other veteran martial artists listened intently to Li Yuan.
At first, they had merely acknowledged Li Yuan's strength. But after several hours and five missions, they had come to realize that Li Yuan was not only extraordinarily powerful—able to quickly kill both level 17 and 18 high-level Fish Spirit Clan warriors—but also decisively efficient.
He fought without hesitation and remained completely undisturbed even when faced with gruesome scenes he had clearly never encountered before. There was none of the panic or bewilderment seen in many novice martial artists.
Calm and steady, he left even these seasoned "old soldiers" in awe. It was as if he was born to be a martial artists.
"Also, another martial artists team rated at 100 points is already en route, moving faster than us," Li Yuan said calmly. "Their rating is higher than ours. With their cooperation, completing this mission shouldn't be difficult."
"100 points? A perfect score? So high?" Fang Longhu and the others were quietly amazed.
For decades, it had been standard practice: civilians below level 10 had no combat obligations and were primarily focused on survival. Martial artists below level 14, being relatively weak, usually stayed nearby to defend and were not encouraged to actively participate in rescue operations.
Source martial artists at level 20 were incredibly powerful, capable of clearing vast areas of aliens on their own, and usually operated solo. Martial artists between levels 14 and 20 often formed teams of ten to fight together.
The intelligent system would evaluate a martial artists team's strength, giving a rating from 1 to 100 points. The rating was dynamic. A score of 100 indicated a top-tier team capable of handling level 19.9 alien warriors.
Li Yuan's team had started with a strength rating of 25, but after five consecutive missions, their score had risen to 84.
"With a rating over 80, we're already considered a top-tier team, mainly because of our powerful captain," said the lean man known as 'Fire Skin' with a laugh. "In a real fight, the captain alone could sweep us all away."
"Indeed. The captain is formidable; even that high-level Fish Spirit warrior with the purple markings was instantly wiped out."
"Maybe by next year, the captain will become a source martial artists."
"Heh! In the future, I can boast that I was once under the captain's command," the group laughed and chatted.
Despite witnessing so much and seeing numerous ordinary people dead, Jiang City had suffered severe blows. Not just Li Yuan, but every veteran had a fire of anger burning within.
However, in life-and-death battles, it was precisely at such times that everyone tried to keep the atmosphere light.
Nanye(Southern Field) Lake, over 30 kilometers from the city center, was the largest lake in Jiang City, covering more than 80 square kilometers with an extensive water system and an average depth of over five meters.
Nanhua(South China) Primary School was less than two kilometers from the edge of Nanye(Southern Field) Lake. In the marshes along the lake's edge, under the cover of darkness, everything was pitch black.
Even with an infrared scanner, no living creatures could be detected. But if one were to approach closely, they would be shocked to discover over a dozen Fish Spirit Clan warriors lying prone in the mud, each as large as the one Li Yuan had killed.
Especially the leader, who was even larger, almost entirely purple, blending completely into the night.
Suddenly.
"Roar~" From nearly a kilometer away at Nanhua(South China) Primary School, a deafening roar erupted, echoing sharply in the endless night sky.
Without hesitation.
"Roar~" The purple Fish Spirit warrior let out a low growl, instantly transforming into a streak of light and rushing forward. The air thundered with its speed, exceeding 100 meters per second.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The other dozen Fish Spirit warriors, who had been lying in wait, also roared and charged forward.
These Fish Spirit warriors knew.
The humans had taken the bait.
Intense battles were erupting all over Nanhua(South China) Primary School, but the most fierce was outside a classroom building.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
A particularly tall and burly man, wielding a long spear, was fiercely fighting several Fish Spirit warriors. His spear techniques were continuous and vicious.
Although his strength and speed were noticeably slower, he was still overwhelmingly dominant, fighting three at once.
"All over level 19? I thought they were level 17?" Xu Bo's heart sank. "Why are there so many high-level Fish Spirit warriors?"
Fish Spirit warriors over level 18 were usually the leaders of a group and rarely gathered in one place.
It made them easy targets.
Level 19? That was a major leader.
If it weren't for his formidable strength, Xu Bo wouldn't have been able to hold them off.
"Unfortunately, my injuries are getting worse." Xu Bo frowned. In the past, such level 19 aliens would fall to a single spear thrust.
Now? Although his skills had improved, his strength had weakened, trying not to aggravate his injuries further.
More importantly.
Xu Bo quickly realized that with the force attacking Nanhua( South China) Primary School, they should have been able to break through the defense systems long ago.
Yet they were deliberately stalling.
"A trap? Luring martial artists teams here?" Xu Bo thought and immediately reported it.
Requesting source martial artists support!!
Yes.
Fish Spirit warriors below level 18 were usually dealt with by martial artists teams.
But once they exceeded level 18? Source martial artists would be dispatched to eliminate them.
Always ensuring superior force to minimize casualties.
Compared to the nearly mass-produced Fish Spirit warriors, human martial artists were much fewer and too precious to waste. Every one of them was invaluable.
"Five minutes to arrive?" Xu Bo glanced at his smart ring and muttered, "So slow!"
"Keep delaying."
Although he didn't fear the three level 19 Fish Spirit warriors, Xu Bo had no intention of fighting them to the death.
Only a fool wouldn't call for support when available.
But suddenly.
"Huh?" Xu Bo's high-level '25th-level' spiritual sense trembled, sensing something amiss.
Swish!
Hundreds of meters away, a section of the school wall shattered, followed by a pale blue streak of light. The air exploded with the force.
"Source power!! It's a second-stage! Run!" Xu Bo's face changed drastically, roaring in anger.
His voice carried far, and through the smart ring, the other nine martial artists in his team received the voice transmission.
But—it was too late!
"Slash~"
The second-stage Fish Spirit warrior that suddenly attacked, bolstered by source power, was terrifying. In a flash, it lunged at a human martial artists, its massive body like a pale blue giant ball in the night.
"Boom~"
The human martial artists hastily swung his knife in defense, only to be sent flying, crashing into the solid wall of the building.
The supposedly indestructible wall cracked and caved in.
The human martial artists fell heavily to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, motionless.
Dead.
A second-stage Fish Spirit warrior, with at least 80,000 kilograms of explosive force, combined with at least four stages of skill... The power was overwhelming, crushing any warrior below level 18.
"Little Guang!" Xu Bo's eyes reddened instantly. Little Guang was a junior he had known for many years.
Boom!
The second-stage Fish Spirit warrior flashed and lunged at another human martial artists.
With its strength, it could easily wipe out all the human martial artists present except Xu Bo.
Life and death in a flash!
"Boom!" Xu Bo hesitated no longer. A layer of pitch-black battle armor appeared on his body, wrapping him completely in just 0.1 seconds.
Source power armor!
At the same time, on the surface of his armor, one could faintly see a layer of hazy red, like flames enveloping him.
"Get lost!"
Xu Bo roared, and his spear's speed surged, carrying unimaginable power, slashing through the three level 19 Fish Spirit warriors.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
Two Fish Spirit warriors were instantly sent flying, and another's head was severed.
One thrust!
One dead, two heavily injured.
"Boom!" Xu Bo turned into a fiery streak, his foot stomping the cement ground, causing it to crack. He flew tens of meters.
Lunging at the second-stage Fish Spirit warrior.
"Slash!"
The second-stage Fish Spirit warrior, having just killed another human martial artists, flashed a trace of fear in its eyes. "A source martial artists?"
It knew that human source martial artists, with their weapons and armor, were far stronger than Fish Spirit warriors of the same level.
It had thought there were no source martial artists here.
"Roar~"
The towering second-stage Fish Spirit warrior, standing close to 3.5 meters tall, lunged forward, swinging its war blades. Each blade was over 1.5 meters long, and with two such blades, it was not at a disadvantage against the human martial artists' long spear.
"Clang!" "Boom!" The two clashed fiercely along the wall, the powerful impacts causing the supposedly impregnable walls to start crumbling. The entire building was beginning to shake and teeter.
"You're not a source martial artists! Your speed and strength are average; you only have source power," the second-stage Fish Spirit warrior finally realized.
"Kill you!!"
...
High in the sky, Li Yuan's team was rapidly approaching.
Suddenly, their smart rings vibrated wildly, transmitting an urgent message.
"Warning! Warning!"
"Nanhua(South China) Primary School, a level 20 alien has appeared!"
"Repeat, a second-stage alien!"
"Do not approach without sufficient strength! Do not approach!" The urgent voice repeated.
"What?"
"Second-stage alien." Fang Longhu and the others' faces changed. Second-stage aliens were vastly superior to first-stage ones.
"Coach Xing?" Li Yuan recognized the voice, his expression changing: "Is it your team at Nanhua(South China) Primary School?"
"Where's my teacher?"
"Li Yuan?" Coach Xing, also recognizing Li Yuan's voice through the smart ring, responded, "You're here? Xu Bo is fighting the second-stage alien."
"Don't come over!"
But Li Yuan didn't hesitate.
Whoosh! The aircraft plummeted.
"Stay here, don't get close," Li Yuan shouted, leaping out of the aircraft.
"Captain."
"Captain." Fang Longhu and the others were shocked but couldn't stop Li Yuan.
From over 20 meters high,
Boom! Li Yuan landed like a flash of lightning, rolled, and then sprinted forward.
His speed soared past 70 meters per second.
"A level 20 alien?"
"Teacher! You must hold on! Hold on!" Li Yuan's heart was racing with anxiety.
His mind sharpened, his power fully unleashed.
In just five or six seconds,
"Boom! Boom!" The sounds of intense battle were coming from Nanhua(South China) Primary School not far away.