Chapter 598: A Bolt of Lightning

The Battle Mages were even more valiant than Luo Qi had imagined; before they had even figured out exactly what was coming, a bolt of lightning had already been cast from Luo Qi's team.

The atmospheric conditions today were truly terrible; the high-altitude climate combined with the man-made storm, not to mention that this lightning was generated at close range within a crowd, was a sensation beyond description. Luo Qi's hair was affected by strong static interference, exploding outward in the gale like a tumbleweed, and the oppressive power formed a distorted suction force around him.

However, Luo Qi knew that lightning was a good choice; it consumed limited magical power but had an outstanding effect. A bolt of lightning wouldn't level a mountain or gouge out a deep pit, but it could destroy the nerves of a living creature. He watched with interest as the freak and the monster were struck by the lightning; the bolt slashed diagonally, but suddenly lost its flash at a distance of about one meter from the monster.

What was going on? Luo Qi couldn't help but take a step forward. He hadn't seen anything, but he was certain there was an invisible protective shell around the person herding the monsters.

The atmosphere among the Battle Mages grew tense; it was far from fear, but they had all become serious. Having missed with one strike, the Battle Mages did not rashly continue their attack. Luo Qi had no experience in Mage duels, but he felt that if this were turn-based, the opponent should be counterattacking now. The Battle Mages stood ready, but the expected counterattack did not immediately occur; the freak watched them from afar with an inscrutable expression.

In this quiet standoff, Luo Qi gradually heard a faint noise coming from within the gale. At first, he might have ignored it, but Luo Qi didn't know at what second he realized it wasn't a natural sound of the wasteland; it was like metal parts rhythmically swaying. Amidst the tense, unknown situation, this sound was unexpectedly leisurely, as if one were sitting by a café window in summer, and the aging iron sign overhead was being blown by the wind, making just such a sound.

It was an eerie feeling. The person herding the Alien did not launch an attack; he ignored the lightning strike, standing gloomily in the gale behind an invisible Shield, like a ghost observing the living.

Luo Qi couldn't figure out what exactly he was observing. Their lineup was no secret; no one needed to stare fixedly at Du Zhengyi to recognize him.

Luo Qi tilted his body in the high wind to maintain his center of gravity, watching the Alien creature that looked like a giant lobster; its tonnage was truly heavy, and its base was stable enough that it stood motionless in the gale.

Motionless? Something was wrong, Luo Qi's heart stirred. He observed the monster carefully; he had seen wild animals hunt, and their stillness before an attack was to wait for an opportunity. At such a distance, Luo Qi couldn't see its physiological features clearly, so he turned his attention to the ghost. What exactly was on his face? Mages never wore props on their faces; only humans would...

Luo Qi suddenly realized; he had seen that blurry shape before. He had seen people wearing that thing on their faces on the streets of Lhasa. He couldn't help but scream, "Oxygen!"

"What?" Du Zhengyi didn't grasp his meaning and asked loudly.

Luo Qi grabbed Du Zhengyi's arm urgently and roared, "Brother, take him out, quick! He's using an Oxygen Supplement Device, he's waiting for the oxygen to drop lower; that monster must be a Low-oxygen Organism! If the oxygen level drops any further, our movement speed will drop even lower, and that thing will become even more ferocious..."

His words were choked back by a bloody gust of wind, and Luo Qi shivered violently. He was pulled away by Du Zhengyi; he didn't understand what had happened, his eyes fixed on the monster and the freak without turning away, only feeling the Mages around him scattering nimbly like a flock of birds into which a stone had been thrown. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shadow, and the sound of metal colliding rang clearly in his ears; in that instant, he understood the source of the metallic sound.

"The second one," someone said calmly and loudly; it might have been Yan Hao.

Hearing this, Luo Qi understood. He turned his head to look at the second monster that had appeared out of thin air; standing beside it was also a man in black, his face likewise wearing a Breathing Mask. In a single glance, Luo Qi saw two things clearly: first, this person had a pair of cold, vicious black eyes; second, his Breathing Mask was extremely exquisite and sturdy, like a human military product, not like the Oxygen Supplement Device used by tourists on the plateau. This was who knows what time it was; the Lotus Burners were not at all picky about using tools manufactured by humans.

Luo Qi felt a wave of disgust the moment he saw the angle of their attack; they were heading straight for Liu Ziyi. Among this group, the two girls who needed to use Auxiliary Magic to anchor themselves in the wind looked like the easiest targets. However, appearances were always just appearances.

The monster's attack was like hacking against an invisible wall. Luo Qi saw the crystal on Liu Ziyi's wrist flashing with a dim light; she looked at the monster expressionlessly, her gaze falling on the monster's flank. Luo Qi now understood why Liu Ziyi was so certain she would be safe; if he observed carefully, he would find that the air around Liu Ziyi had strange, jagged refractions. She and Guan Xinyue were holding hands, and a layer of abnormal air, as if flowing slowly, wrapped around them; the monster's attack stopped at this layer of gas.

It wasn't necessarily gas, Luo Qi reminded himself; it was more like a Shield supported by a force field, consuming the magic she could mobilize herself. But this wasn't an improvised, instant spell; she must have a Shield Magic prop. Luo Qi realized this scene was the same as when the lightning hit the freak earlier; no wonder the Battle Mages weren't particularly surprised—they must have seen it before. Du Zhengyi easily agreeing to let Liu Ziyi and Guan Xinyue stay here was likely due to having enough confidence in the rare magic she was equipped with.

However, although this magic could protect them, it must be a very mechanical barrier. Luo Qi could be certain that this kind of Shield was bidirectional; if the Shield was maintained, one could not attack either, because Du Zhengyi's attack followed closely behind, a sharp blade accurately inserted into the monster's flank.

A harsh metallic scraping sound rang out, and a chill ran down Luo Qi's spine. Du Zhengyi's blade scraped against the metal shell covering the monster's surface, sliding into its soft abdomen through a gap. The monster let out a shrill cry. Luo Qi watched at close range as the metal plates under the monster's ribs flapped violently, emitting a sound of metal colliding. The moment the metal plates opened, Luo Qi saw a membrane covering the inside, trembling incessantly; he suddenly realized with a start that it was its vibrating abdomen that was making the sound. The shape of this thing was more like an insect than the previous Alien, if one didn't consider its sharp claws.

The moment Du Zhengyi wounded it, he shifted his target and headed straight for its master. In extreme pain, the monster extended a metal-covered claw to block Du Zhengyi's attack. Its master slowly turned his heels; his reaction was much slower than an ordinary person's. Luo Qi had a feeling that he and the monster were completely one, perhaps inseparable. His direction of movement was also peculiar; his reflex wasn't to dodge backward, but to take a step forward to get closer to the monster.

Everything happened in an instant. Luo Qi's eyes watched that spot, while his peripheral vision caught several attacks silently striking toward the freak. The air seemed to show cracks, and Luo Qi realized, shouting abruptly, "Attack the monster! Leave the monster!"

The Battle Mages ignored him; in their instinctive judgment, capturing the ringleader first was the priority, and the monster was just the person's tool.

"Careful." Du Zhengyi pulled him back, and Luo Qi watched helplessly as the attacks of several Battle Mages missed; the space before them showed slight distortion, and both the monster and the freak disappeared.

"Attack the monster," Luo Qi shouted to them. "The one using Teleportation is the monster, not the person! The person is the one being carried. This monster's specialty is Teleportation."

"Huh?" Yan Hao looked at him in shock, momentarily finding it hard to believe.

Luo Qi turned his head to look at the person watching them from afar and the silent monster beside him. He knew they couldn't keep them; the freak seemed to nod at them, and when Luo Qi looked again, both the person and the monster had disappeared into the gale.

"A Psychic Beast can use Teleportation itself?" Yan Hao asked in horror.

"The world is vast," Luo Qi said in a low voice.

"The Teleportation ability is comparable to Du Zhengyi's," Yan Hao couldn't help but say.

"So it's not the person who is teleporting," Luo Qi said. "They will launch surprise attacks; next time they might come out in full force, just waiting for the oxygen to continue dropping. They are creatures that survive in low oxygen."

"Are you not planning to attack the person?" Mahjong shouted from behind, asking him.

"He can counterattack me," Luo Qi said. "Maybe because his mind is connected to the monster's, his brain isn't normal; he doesn't look like a person anymore. Remember those drugs discovered yesterday that temporarily amplify psychic abilities? They must have all taken them."

Mahjong cursed. "What the hell is going on? Have they already broken the Seal? Did they break the Seal and then lure us here?"

Luo Qi didn't answer; he looked at Du Zhengyi, who looked as if he had fallen into deep thought. Luo Qi shook his head at Mahjong. "What's the use of thinking so much? Whether the Seal is broken or not doesn't matter now! It's more important to hold on and not get eaten by the bugs; let's destroy the Seal Beast first!"

"Bullshit," Mahjong retorted, but he stepped back twice, signaling Liu Ziyi and Guan Xinyue to retreat as well. The Battle Mages had already stood in an outer circle at some point, with their backs to them.

Luo Qi followed beside Du Zhengyi, looking around nervously. All the Battle Mages had similar expressions; fear could not trouble them, nor could oxygen deprivation. Luo Qi restrained his emotions; his greatest emotion was impatience—impatience with the repeatedly appearing Seal Beasts. What kind of Mage would create low-oxygen Seal Beasts? For battle? Luo Qi wasn't sure; he had some other thoughts, like a bolt of lightning flashing through his mind.

(End of chapter)