Chapter Twenty-Eight: Counterattack

After Gao Mingyang and the other three were pushed out, the next moment, a crowd surrounded them tightly.

“Grind them to death!” The Berserker slapped his thigh and stood up with a loud laugh. “Today, I’ll make them regret ever messing with me!”

Helpless, Gao Mingyang and his companions could only hastily defend themselves. They tried to break free toward the safe zone, but the members of “Dark Destroyer” were simply too numerous, forcing them farther and farther from safety with every clash.

Soon enough, the four were overwhelmed by attacks and fell to the ground. The Berserker, grinning viciously, approached triumphantly. “You want to act tough? Let’s see how tough you really are!”

His axe was poised to strike. Gao Mingyang sighed inwardly and closed his eyes.

“Dashan, stop!”

At that instant, a shrill voice rang out. The Berserker instinctively halted his hand and looked back. His expression changed dramatically.

The woman they had been instructed to help level up was now held by the neck, her arms twisted behind her back, unable to move.

“Zhao Nan!”

From afar, Xu Yang cried out in alarm, panic rising in his voice.

“When did he get over there?”

The other three women were equally bewildered. Meanwhile, Zhang Li failed to notice that the longsword at her waist had been quietly drawn by Fenina.

“Kid, let her go!” The Berserker roared furiously.

This was unacceptable. The boss had only had this woman for two days—she was still in the honeymoon phase. If anything happened to her, the boss would kill him!

Zhao Nan paid no heed to the Berserker’s threats. He whispered in the woman’s ear, “Tell them to back off. Otherwise, your face might end up with a few extra marks… I’m not exactly skilled with my hands.”

“No!” The woman shrieked in terror.

Her looks were what had captivated the boss. If her face was ruined, her fate would be sealed.

“Dashan, hurry up and tell them to back away!”

“Hmph.”

The Berserker waved his hand, and immediately a dozen people surrounded the two. “Kid, if you’re smart, let her go. Otherwise, you won’t be leaving either!”

A tough crowd, Zhao Nan thought, lowering his voice to the woman’s ear. “Looks like you’re not as important as you thought…”

His grip on her neck tightened slightly.

“No!” The woman screamed. “I’ll get Brother Long! No one dares disobey him!”

She hurriedly opened her mail, quickly composing a message to inform Brother Long that she was being held hostage and instructing Dashan to comply with the captor’s demands.

Soon after, Dashan’s bracelet chimed. He checked it and his face darkened, but he didn’t move.

“Dashan, why aren’t you backing off?” the woman protested. “Didn’t you see Brother Long’s message?”

The Berserker sneered and shook his head. “Boss says… everything is up to me. Sorry, sis-in-law, looks like your time with Brother Long is over! Get them both!”

“How could…”

“Let me borrow your staff,” Zhao Nan said.

Before she could react, her back was shoved forward forcefully. Zhao Nan grabbed her staff, discovering it was a green weapon.

“Green Frost Staff: Attack 4–5, +1 Spirit, can cast Slow Aura once per day.”

Zhao Nan was pleased; this staff was quite decent, especially the Slow Aura.

At that moment, the woman was pushed into an oncoming “Dark Destroyer” member, and the two collided.

“Fireball!”

A fist-sized fireball exploded between them, eliciting cries of pain. Zhao Nan ducked, narrowly avoiding a swordsman’s attack from behind, and quickly widened the gap between himself and the pursuers.

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“Damn! This mage is as fast as a level 6 rogue!”

“He must’ve put all his attribute points into Agility. Don’t be afraid, his skills won’t pack much punch! Push through and take him down!”

Despite their bravado, Zhao Nan darted deeper into the Whispering Cat area, instantly putting ten meters between himself and the crowd.

Meanwhile, inside the safe zone—

“Fenina, Xu Yang, Zhang Li, did you hear me?” Zhao Nan’s voice suddenly sounded in their ears.

“What’s this…”

“Team channel, effective range three hundred meters. No time for chatter—do exactly as I say if you want to leave safely.”

“But there are so many of them, how could we possibly…” Zhang Li said anxiously.

“That’s why you must cooperate, absolutely no hesitation.”

“What’s the plan, Zhao Nan?” Xu Yang agreed unexpectedly.

The three women, seeing no other choice, nodded. They were in a party, and the system had flagged attacking notifications—Zhao Nan had initiated combat, so they were now on the enemy’s defense list. Escape seemed impossible.

“First, Fenina and Xu Yang, rescue those four. Give them an Amplify spell. Zhang Li, blend into the crowd, but remember—split up… Go!”

Relying on his speed, Zhao Nan zigzagged among the Whispering Cats, heading wherever the monsters were thickest. His agility was high, and his experience as a swordsman in his previous life meant he had mastered dodging techniques, making him seem effortlessly in control.

But his pursuers weren’t so lucky. Under the attacks of the Whispering Cats, Zhao Nan remained unharmed, while the others were quickly battered and bleeding.

“Useless! What are you doing? Get in there, catch that kid!” The Berserker Dashan swung his axe angrily.

Behind Zhao Nan, a horde of “Dark Destroyer” members trailed him, along with numerous aggroed Whispering Cats. He kept running in circles, drawing more and more pursuers.

“Damn, this guy’s as agile as a monkey! What kind of mage is he training?”

“Stop!”

Shhh! Shhh!

Several sharp arrows whistled past Zhao Nan, nearly hitting his shoulder. He muttered a quick thanks for his luck, and swung his staff behind him.

“Slow Aura!”

The Slow Aura covered a five-meter diameter. It appeared in front of the pursuing crowd, and those unable to dodge were caught in its effect.

The front runners suddenly slowed, while those behind pressed relentlessly forward—leading to the inevitable collision.

“Damn!”

“Shit!”

“Idiot!”

At that moment—

“Fenina, Xu Yang, now!”

The two women nodded sharply. Fenina leapt from the safe zone, the longsword she’d taken from Zhang Li flaring with dazzling light.

“Double Strike!”

Xu Yang held a thick tome, pages flipping rapidly as he cast, “Amplify!”

A sphere of light shot into Fenina’s back, and her sword’s glow exploded among those guarding Gao Mingyang.

Fenina’s Double Strike was mastered from the start, doubling its power. Xu Yang’s Amplify increased her attack by five percent.

Thus, even at level 3, Fenina instantly knocked aside two guards, slashing away much of their health.

The sudden change caused the remaining guards to panic, but seeing she was just a pretty woman, they soon grew contemptuous once more.

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“Grab her, have some fun! Haha!”

“Hmph!” Fenina snorted coldly, transferring her sword to her left hand and slashing forward with force.

“Slash!”

Another mastered skill, she carved a gash in the ground, sand and dust flying. Xu Yang seized the moment, retrieving the weapons that had been confiscated from Gao Mingyang and his companions and tossing them back.

“Thanks!”

“3Q!”

“Looks like we’re in for some real chaos. Brothers, it’s payback time!”

Taking advantage of the confusion, Gao Mingyang and his group scrambled free, reclaiming their weapons. They gulped down healing potions and launched themselves into battle.

Amplify! Amplify! Amplify! Amplify!

Xu Yang’s hands moved non-stop, repeatedly casting the skill.

Gao Mingyang’s group rushed to Fenina’s side, defending her from attackers on all sides.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The five instantly formed a temporary battle squad at the edge of the safe zone, tangling with the “Dark Destroyer” members.

“Damn it!” The Berserker looked from the rabbit-like Zhao Nan darting about to the uprising at the other side and nearly burst a lung in fury.

“Pull some men back, suppress them first! Let me handle that guy!”

With that, Berserker Dashan’s muscles bulged as he brandished his axe and leapt forward. His level was clearly higher.

He activated “Frenzy,” a skill available only to Berserkers above level 7. It instantly boosted his attack by ten percent, but lowered his defense by twenty percent.

As Dashan charged headlong, Zhao Nan didn’t retreat but instead slipped like a phantom into the crowd behind him.

Fireballs kept flying out!

“Damn rabbit, stand still!”

Zhao Nan ignored such pointless provocation. With so many foes, he had to constantly dodge and occasionally squeeze in attacks, pushing his focus to the limit.

“It’s about time…” Zhao Nan silently calculated.

His gaze fell on those gradually falling out of pursuit. Just as they were halfway across the field, he spoke quickly on the team channel: “Zhang Li, Jiang Yue, Li Meina. Follow my instructions. Whether we escape depends on you!”

In the safe zone, the three women’s faces changed, biting their lips as Zhang Li shouted, “Run while it’s chaos!”

Jiang Yue: “Perfect chance!”

Li Meina: “I… I don’t want to stay here!”

They bolted from the safe zone. They hadn’t gone far when several figures raced past them, running even faster.

They stopped, and more people surged out behind them. In the blink of an eye, the safe zone was empty.

The entire area was filled with people fleeing!