Chapter 80: Break Through the Mouse Tide! Return!

In the forest, swarms of Iron-Devouring Mice surged forward like a tidal wave.

Logically, Xu Jingming and Jiang Chuxuan, one at Second-Rank Upper Tier and the other at Second-Rank Middle Tier,

should have far outpaced these merely First-Rank Approximate weight Iron-Devouring Mice, making it unnecessary to worry much.

Yet upon spotting the mouse tide, Xu Jingming's face turned pale, and he immediately grabbed Jiang Chuxuan and began to flee.

On one hand, Iron-Devouring Mice are small in size, highly enduring, and can maintain full-speed sprinting for five to six hours without stopping.

Xu Jingming's instantaneous top speed is around 63 meters per second, but he can sustain it for no more than ten to fifteen minutes before dropping to 45 meters per second.

The longer he runs, the slower his sprinting speed becomes!

After two or three hours of continuous sprinting, his speed might drop to 36 meters per second—or even lower!

Meanwhile, the Iron-Devouring Mice maintain a constant sprinting speed of 30 meters per second, meaning the longer the chase, the more likely he'll be caught!

On the other hand, Xu Jingming didn't know the full scale of this mouse tide.

If the city ruins area had also erupted into a mouse tide, moving too slowly could trap him and leave him in a certain death scenario!

Xu Jingming dared not gamble!

Therefore, he had to escape the wilderness zone at his absolute fastest.

"The monster materials and Dark Cloud Wind Spear are too heavy—I must discard them!"

While sprinting, Xu Jingming's gaze sharpened, ready to drop his tactical backpack and long spear.

But Jiang Chuxuan, who was being dragged along, quickly said:

"Senior, my space ring is large enough—I'll store them for you."

She extended her jade hand, lightly touched them, and the tactical backpack and long spear vanished into thin air.

Instantly, Xu Jingming felt significantly lighter.

"Carrying you while sprinting is too slow—it's easier if I just carry you on my back."

Without waiting for Jiang Chuxuan's reply, Xu Jingming acted.

With a soft cry from her, he hoisted her onto his back.

Have to say, Jiang Chuxuan really does have a great figure.

The moment her slender body pressed against him, Xu Jingming felt two firm, full pressures against his back.

But this was no time to savor such strange sensations—he took a deep breath and said sternly:

"Junior, hold tight! I'm accelerating!"

Jiang Chuxuan, who had been slightly embarrassed, now understood this was a matter of life and death.

She tightly wrapped her arms around Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming then surged forward at full speed, darting through the forest like a phantom toward the town ruins.

And her mere 60-kilogram weight imposed no burden whatsoever...

Normally, in the wilderness zone, he'd have to carefully avoid the territories of high-rank monsters.

But now, both monsters and adepts were all fleeing for their lives.

Thus, in just over half an hour, Xu Jingming sprinted clear of the mountain forest zone.

Along the way, he encountered numerous monster squads and adepts already overwhelmed by the mouse tide.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak—"

"Squeak-squeak-squeak—"

"......"

The instant he burst out of the forest zone, Xu Jingming saw that the city ruins area was also overrun by Iron-Devouring Mice!

These Iron-Devouring Mice were far fewer in number than those in the forest, yet stretching as far as the eye could see, there were at least tens of thousands of them!

Though named Iron-Devouring Mice, as monsters, they most craved flesh and blood!

They only resorted to gnawing metal out of sheer desperation.

Thus, Iron-Devouring Mice typically consumed any living thing except plants.

So when Xu Jingming, carrying Jiang Chuxuan on his back, appeared in their line of sight,

these Iron-Devouring Mice, with their blood-red eyes, charged forward en masse!

"The worst-case scenario has happened—the town ruins area has also erupted into a mouse tide.

I have no idea where all these Iron-Devouring Mice came from!"

Xu Jingming took a deep breath, and to avoid being surrounded, he ignored everything else and roared: "Thunder Form!"

Boom!!

He once again transformed into his two-meter-plus enhanced state!!

As lightning crackled around him, his speed surged again, skyrocketing to the terrifying 80 meters per second.

If viewed from above, one would see:

Xu Jingming moved like a bolt of lightning, carving a path straight through the dense swarm of mice!

Wherever he passed, the Iron-Devouring Mice collapsed, their bodies charred black.

"Slain one First-Rank Lower Tier Iron-Devouring Mouse. Energy Points +2."

"Slain one First-Rank Middle Tier Iron-Devouring Mouse. Energy Points +3."

"......"

A continuous stream of system notifications echoed in his mind, darkening his expression.

The Iron-Devouring Mice were pathetically weak!

The Energy Points gained from slaying them were even less than those from ordinary Peak Non-Rank monsters!

"Need to speed up more—Lei Shan!"

Looking at the endless swarm of Iron-Eating Mice closing in, Xu Jingming had no time to complain about the pathetic creatures.

A flash of electric light beneath his feet instantly propelled him dozens of meters forward!

Thus, while maintaining his Thunder Extreme State and occasionally using Lei Shan to dash forward,

Xu Jingming sprinted toward the supply base, carrying Jiang Chuxuan on his back...

"Troops, form units of one hundred and defend outward!"

"All psychic teams! Prepare for battle!!"

"This mouse tide is unprecedented in scale—we must hold the line!"

"......"

The Source Water Supply Base had always monitored the movements of ferocious beasts within the Wild Zone.

Thus, the moment the mouse tide emerged within the Wild Zone,

the military stationed beside the Source Water Supply Base immediately mobilized.

In neat rows, squads of soldiers armed with submachine guns and fully equipped stood guard before the Source Water Supply Base.

In addition, the psychic teams were also on high alert, ready to act at any moment.

The Iron-Eating Mice seemed to know the human stronghold was not to be trifled with, contenting themselves with ravaging the Wild Zone.

Even when occasional small waves surged toward the supply base, they were swiftly eliminated by the psychic teams.

"This mouse tide is so massive—surely over three hundred thousand Iron-Eating Mice at least?"

Below the supply base building, Chief Supervisor Wang Chuang was also stunned.

In past years, mouse tides had occurred before, but never more than fifty to sixty thousand Iron-Eating Mice.

Now, the number had nearly quintupled!

Looking out, the entire Source Water Wild Zone was filled with the figures of Iron-Eating Mice!

"This time, the Source Water Wild Zone will likely enter a Low Valley Phase lasting several months."

Chief Supervisor Wang Chuang sighed involuntarily.

After a mouse tide, the number of ferocious beasts in the entire Wild Zone would drop by at least seventy percent!

Of course,

given the ferocious beasts' terrifying reproduction rate, they would regain their original density within two or three months.

But during those two or three months, the number of psychics coming to train in the Source Water Wild Zone would also plummet.

The supply base's profits this year would drop significantly as well.

"It's a pity for those psychics who ventured deep into the Wild Zone—they'll likely be devoured."

Wang Chuang shook his head, then remembered Xu Jingming, who had entered the Wild Zone not long ago.

"I hope he didn't go too deep—if he did, no one can save him unless his teacher Yang Zhentian intervenes."

As he thought this, the stationed troops and psychic teams suddenly erupted in shouts:

"Look, what's that?!"

"Such terrifying lightning! Is it a lightning-type ferocious beast?!"

"Prepare for battle! Do not let it reach the base city!"

"......"

Within sight, amid the dense swarm of Iron-Eating Mice, a blue-purple spherical lightning bolt

emitted terrifying energy, electrocuting the Iron-Eating Mice along its path into charred husks, hurtling toward the supply base at incredible speed.

Just as the troops and psychic teams assumed this might be a powerful lightning-type ferocious beast,

they noticed a faint human silhouette inside—pausing their movements slightly.

At that moment, the spherical lightning burst through the mouse tide.

Leaping upward, it crossed over twenty meters and crashed down onto the base square!

Boom!!

Amid the stunned gazes of the surrounding psychics, the spherical lightning struck the square with a thunderous crash.

The ground trembled slightly, carving a deep crater into the square,

as the blue-purple electric arcs of Lei Ting gradually dissipated, revealing the figure within.

It was a young man over two meters tall, his bulging muscles crackling with electric arcs, resembling a iron tower.

His eyes differed from ordinary humans—they were reptilian vertical pupils, devoid of any emotion, brimming with lightning.

On his broad back, he carried a relatively petite, breathtakingly beautiful girl.

The powerful, savage aura radiating from the young man caused every psychic on the square to hold their breath.

This man was none other than Xu Jingming, who had sprinted back with Jiang Chuxuan.

Gazing at the familiar supply base square, surrounded by stunned onlookers, Xu Jingming let out a long breath:

"Phew, I'm finally back."