Chapter 90: Hope in Despair

When the sandworm appeared near the crowd, panic boiled over.

Everyone desperately fled far away, and even those originally responsible for order among the Awakened felt hopeless, their legs constantly going weak and trembling.

When the fear they once knew appeared before their eyes, and the demon that had devoured over six thousand people reappeared, they could hardly muster any will to resist.

"Sir!"

"Please, use your power quickly!"

Principal Huang Zheng bent over, his voice choked with tears, pleading with Lin An.

"Didn't you say you could stop the monster?!"

"What are we supposed to do?!"

Fear threw them into disarray.

Zhang Tie glanced at the crowd below the platform and couldn't help but let out a sneer.

He had no doubt that if Lin An didn't speak up again, this crowd, even knowing they couldn't escape, would flee the plaza in wails.

"Everyone, follow my commands."

Lin An had his hands behind his back, his tone calm as if he completely ignored the monster behind him.

His sudden utterance fell on the ears of the many Awakened like heavenly music.

"Fire-element Awakened ones, attack the sandworm's mouthparts with all your strength! Weaken its burrowing ability!"

"Ice- and water-element Awakened ones, strike the sandworm's fourth pair of leg scythes on its head with all your strength! Reduce its perception!"

"Thunder-, wind-, and arcane-element Awakened ones, attack its most hidden abdomen to disrupt its attack rhythm!"

All the Awakened who had been pre-assigned to groups instinctively formed squads upon hearing this, but many voiced doubts.

"It's useless!"

"We've tried before! Our skills can't even break through that monster's..."

"Boom!"

Blood and brain matter burst; the close-combat Awakened who had spoken hadn't finished his sentence before Lin An remotely blasted his head apart.

"Those who dare to question and defy will die!"

The crowd shivered as if startled.

"Wen Ya, open a psychic link for them; I've already uploaded all the weak point markers to the squad channel!"

"Zhang Tie!"

Lin An suddenly shed his own suturer's shell, and his equipment turned into white light that entered Zhang Tie's body.

"Draw the sandworm's full attention, and cooperate with the other melee fighters to hold it!"

"Captain Lin!"

Zhang Tie instinctively wanted to refuse the equipment Lin An threw at him, for in his view Captain Lin's life was far more important than his own.

"Shut up!"

Lin An's gaze was icy; that cold look made Zhang Tie unable to help feeling a little afraid.

"An Jing Tian, coordinate with the other long-range physical Awakened for long-range harassment and guerrilla tactics!"

In just four seconds, Lin An swiftly and decisively assigned everyone's duties.

Not far away, the sandworm, after devouring Deng Lian's corpse, burrowed back underground.

Lin An looked toward the spot where even the flagpole had been swallowed, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

As a sandworm without a "brain," 【Bo Duo Yi】 possesses only the most basic biological instinct of seeking benefit and avoiding harm.

Besides Lin An, who cannot be sensed, Deng Lian is the Awakened with the strongest psychic fluctuations.

"I hope you'll like the taste of... 'Bird's Tail'..."

"'Bird's Tail': a deadly spiritual plant (spiritual pollution, toxic)."

"'Effect: ornamental; consumption causes bodily collapse.'"

From the moment he decided to use Deng Lian as bait, he hid the deadly spiritual plant he had obtained from the Star Arts Flower Shop on Deng Lian's body.

"Bird's Tail's deadly poison destroys muscle tissue, causing bodily collapse—perfect for countering a demonic beast like the sandworm, whose entire body is muscle."

"Of course, given the sandworm's massive size, hoping to kill it with a single stalk of deadly spiritual plant is unrealistic."

"Lin An merely used it as a means to weaken the sandworm's burrowing."

"Two seconds later."

"'Saii!!!'"

"Pain, hatred-filled worm howl."

"The sandworm that had burrowed underground suddenly shot up, kicking up a sky-full of debris."

"The nearest few students were instantly pulverized into flesh by the concrete chunks falling from above."

"The crowd fled, wailing."

"Several girls who had fallen to the ground begged the boys in front of them to pull them up, but no one turned back."

"After emerging from the ground, the sandworm's huge, wrinkled body shuddered, twisting in midair like a maggot, appearing agonizing beyond measure."

"Now!"

"Lin An let out an angry shout, his voice amplified by psychic power, ringing across the plaza."

"All the Awakened carried out their duties, simultaneously unleashing their skills at the sandworm!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Fireball Technique!"

"Flame Energy Impact!"

Ice Spear Technique!

Wind Blade!

The pitch-black square was instantly illuminated by various skills, a massive surge of spiritual energy rippling out and disturbing the surrounding air, like boiling water.

Five-colored radiance flared across the body of Boduoyi.

After swallowing the deadly poisonous warbler tail, the sandworm was still in the stage of bodily collapse, unable to resist.

Bear Transformation!

Zhang Tie let out a furious roar, tipped his head back and gulped down the potion Lin An gave him, then without hesitation activated a berserk charge and rushed toward the fallen sandworm.

Heavy Punch - Blast!

Bang!

With status attributes stacked to the max, the black bear unleashed a full-force punch that punched straight through the sandworm's mouthparts, blood spraying all over its body.

An Jing Tian simultaneously turned into a mass of black mist, eerily appearing atop the sandworm's mouthparts and stabbing downward in a reverse strike.

Shadow Kill!

Backstab!

Exerting themselves to the utmost, all the Awakened Ones present unleashed their skills with all their might, venting firepower and fear.

The residual shockwaves of the massive skills completely destroyed the area where the sandworm lay, kicking up clouds of dust and shattering the ground.

Is it dead?!

In the dust, there was no sound; several Awakened Ones nervously looked toward the area where the sandworm had been.

The sandworm, which had been rolling and writhing, was now curled up on the ground, silent.

I don't know if it had any effect! But it seems there's no movement!

We... we survived?!

Everyone wept with joy, incredulously staring at the sandworm that no longer moved. Their skills had never been able to pierce its defense before, and they didn't know why today, but under Lin An's command they actually managed to kill this monster!

Three seconds passed, and the sandworm still showed no movement.

Although the colossal body of Boduoyi bore few wounds, the only injury was the hole punched straight through by Zhang Tie's all-out punch.

But perhaps the monster was killed by the shock of the skills' bombardment?

Without thinking much, caught between high tension and relief, they couldn't help but hug each other and cheer.

We did it! We killed it!

Huang Zheng collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, lips trembling, his whole body drenched in sweat.

Sir, is that monster really dead...

Lin An didn't answer; he simply turned slowly and gazed.

Team voice chat.

Zhang Tie, An Jing Tian.

Fall back.

All the Awakened Ones, including Zhang Tie, inflicted no fatal damage on the sandworm.

Actually, it's obvious with a little thought: this amount of damage from their skills couldn't even break the sandworm's defense, otherwise the sandworm wouldn't have caused such massive casualties before.

It's just that people in extreme fear force themselves to overlook the harsh reality.

Right now, Boduoyi has stopped moving merely because it is resisting the toxin inside its body.

At most three minutes, the sandworm will regain movement and launch a bloody massacre.

Soon, the air will be filled with the anguished cries of humans dying horribly...

Lin An looked down at the ecstatic crowd at his feet, a flicker of pity passing through his eyes.

He never even considered letting this group of Awakened Ones repel or kill the sandworm. The so-called weakness, teamwork, toxin—these were merely tricks to make them believe they could defeat Boduoyi.

Only by letting them try would they feel their own powerlessness and weakness, and experience utter despair.

After all.

Only hope born of despair can shake the soul.