Chapter 332: Dispersal

"What is that thing?!"

"Damn it, guns don't seem to work on it!"

"Calm down! Spread out! Aim for its eyes and fire!"

"Maintain formation, fire in turns!"

"Protect the research team!"

The special operations team responsible for escorting the research team was highly experienced in combat. Even upon encountering such a bizarre creature, they did not panic excessively. Instead, they quickly adjusted their formation and tactics, shielding the members of the research team behind them.

Under intense suppressive fire, the monstrous wolf was momentarily unable to attack. It gritted its teeth, darting through the forest at high speed.

Although the situation seemed to be under control, only Chen Ling knew that the danger was far from over.

"Look out!" Chen Ling saw a burst of light flash through the trees and forcefully shoved Lu Xun, who was momentarily stunned. Lu Xun felt a huge force, was instantly pushed back several meters, and fell heavily to the ground.

Before he could recover and question, a fireball exploded right where he had been standing!

Boom—!!

A blinding fireball erupted on the ground, illuminating that section of the dark forest as if it were daylight. It was then that everyone saw the terrifying figures surrounding the forest... Their pupils suddenly contracted!

"What... what is this?" Yang Xiao's face was extremely pale.

While everyone was momentarily stunned, Chen Ling reached out, grabbed a pistol from a nearby corpse, and pointed it at an empty space beside Su Zhiwei.

Half a second later, an incredibly fast silver falcon shot out from the forest like lightning. Its sharp eyes seemed to have locked onto Su Zhiwei, who was on the outer edge, and it flew directly towards her temple to strike!

By the time Su Zhiwei reacted, it was too late. Before she had even half-turned her head, the falcon was already right in front of her!

But just as Su Zhiwei's head was about to be pierced, an incredibly faint gunshot sounded from nearby.

"Judgment."

Pffft—

The bullet, capable of disintegrating anything, seemed to have predicted the falcon's path, accurately striking its body. The giant silver creature instantly vanished, leaving not a trace of flesh or blood, only a few blood-stained feathers drifting down from mid-air...

All of this happened so suddenly that Su Zhiwei hadn't processed what had occurred. She looked blankly to the side and saw Chen Ling holding the gun with one hand, pointing it in that direction, with wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle.

In the chaotic and roaring environment, almost no one noticed what happened in that corner. Only Lu Xun, who had coincidentally fallen to the ground directly opposite, witnessed the entire sequence of events.

He stared blankly at Chen Ling holding the gun, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

Roar—!!

As more and more calamities surged from the forest, the special operations team's firing line was breached. Bullets flew everywhere in the flickering light and shadow, and various bizarre animal afterimages mercilessly slaughtered all the dangerous figures wielding guns.

"...Damn it!" Dr. Lou, wearing black-rimmed glasses, saw this, his eyes flashing with intensity. After a moment of hesitation, he stood up and charged towards a certain direction in the forest!

"Don't run around! Don't scatter!" Lu Xun saw this and immediately shouted with all his might, but his voice was swallowed by the continuous roars and explosions.

Dr. Ji saw Dr. Lou's retreating back, let out a cold snort, and with a flash of cold light in his eyes, also rushed in that direction without hesitation!

Accompanying him was another research scholar whom Chen Ling didn't particularly recall.

Seeing everyone had scattered, Lu Xun gritted his teeth, seemingly still contemplating a countermeasure. However, the onslaught of calamities had already fragmented the remaining seven individuals, scattering them across the battlefield. As another fireball shot out from deep within the forest, exploding in the center of the group, raging flames engulfed the ground!

Amidst the swirling flames, no one could clearly see their companions. With calamities bursting forth from all directions, two figures were forced to flee deeper into another part of the forest.

"This is bad..." Lu Xun's heart sank as he witnessed the scene.

He glanced across the sea of fire at Chen Ling, who was protecting Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei, then looked at the direction where the two research scholars had just fled in a panic, and gritted his teeth: "Director Chen! Protect them! We'll regroup near the fragments!" With that, he turned and pursued the two research scholars who had run off.

Chen Ling probably understood why Lu Xun suddenly trusted him so much. After all, Lu Xun had witnessed him saving Su Zhiwei earlier and likely had an inkling of something... He knew he could protect those two.

Chen Ling's gaze quickly swept over the surroundings, seeing the battlefield already turned into a river of blood and the constantly increasing number of calamities. He spoke in a low voice: "We can't stay here any longer. Follow me!"

As soon as he said this, Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei followed Chen Ling into the depths of the forest without hesitation.

After only a couple of steps, Chen Ling saw a figure cowering under a tree, hands clasped over his head, trembling incessantly. It was Wu Tongyuan, who had disappeared somewhere when the calamities first attacked.

Seeing this, Chen Ling grabbed Wu Tongyuan by the back of his collar with one hand and ran wildly, dragging him along!

"Ahhhhhhh!!! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!" Wu Tongyuan thought a monster was carrying him away and immediately shrieked. The next moment, Su Zhiwei's hand covered his mouth.

"Shut up!" Su Zhiwei's face was extremely grim.

Wu Tongyuan saw that it was Chen Ling who was holding him, immediately sighed in relief, scrambled to his feet, and then ran frantically with the other three.

Perhaps the distant battlefield, engulfed in flames and gunshots, attracted the attention of most of the calamities. There weren't many pursuing Chen Ling and the other three. Even if a few scattered ones came their way, Chen Ling dispatched them one by one from a distance, disintegrating them into nothingness.

The beams of their flashlights constantly swayed through the dark forest with their heavy breathing. All their attention was focused on avoiding potholes and rocks on the ground. They ran single-mindedly through the forest for over ten minutes without stopping, until Wu Tongyuan tripped and stumbled, falling headfirst to the ground.

Thud—

Wu Tongyuan let out a muffled groan, clutching his ankle with both hands, his mouth twitching wildly in pain.

Seeing this, Chen Ling and the others also stopped. Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei's heavy breathing echoed through the forest; they too were pale from running... They didn't usually prioritize physical exercise, and running wildly through the mountains was too exhausting for them.

Chen Ling stepped forward, checked Wu Tongyuan's foot, and said: "Luckily, it's not broken, just a sprain. A little rest and you'll be fine."

Wu Tongyuan nodded through gritted teeth, perhaps afraid that the calamities would catch up, and dared not make a sound.

Seeing this, Chen Ling silently patted his shoulder: "We're safe now. If it hurts, you can cry out."

"Ow, crap... Hiss..." As soon as Wu Tongyuan relaxed, he grimaced and groaned, "It hurts, it hurts so much... I'm really having the worst luck..."