Chapter 139: Passing Through

More than half a year of continuous fleeing—it was truly too exhausting, too grueling!

Every day was lived in panic and fear; hunger, thirst, illness, and ever-present external and internal threats caused trauma from body to spirit.

What was even more terrifying was seeing no hope, seeing no future, not knowing where to go, and developing self-doubt and self-loathing.

If not for the fact that there were still people alive at home, still people waiting, how could they have persisted until now?

If they were unencumbered, perhaps they would have ended it all not long after fleeing!

Now, even if it was just seeing a sliver of security, a tiny bit of hope, even if they hadn't yet figured out what kind of situation this was, their hearts already held extravagant hopes!

It wasn't just Han Lian; his companions had similar thoughts.

The replenishment of fluids allowed their muddled, numb mental states to recover significantly; they even had the voice to speak.

Han Lian was helped up by his companions and looked again at the small leader not far away, about to strike up a conversation again.

Just as he took a step, the soldier holding the blade quickly retreated half a step, staring at him in defense.

Both sides: "*————"

Han Lian thought the other party was merely guarding against them carrying a plague.

But the soldier with the blade was inwardly wary that these refugees were trying to pull a scam!

Station Master Cheng let these refugees in for a purpose; he hadn't even asked his questions yet, so nothing could go wrong.

Look at these refugees, with their low-health, fragile appearance; a slight touch might finish them off, so it was better to stay a bit further away!

Cheng Xu had been standing on high, watching, observing the personalities and conduct of these refugees, speculating on their possible former identities, and whether they could be used for his own ends.

At this moment, a personal soldier nearby suddenly said urgently: "Station Master, there's a situation!"

Cheng Xu quickly withdrew his attention, took out a monocular Telescope, and turned to look toward the front of the station.

In the distance, dense, swarming figures began to appear.

They gathered and moved, like a flowing brown scar on the vast earth.

Cheng Xu's expression tightened, and he waved his hand to signal.

A metal object was struck, and a sharp, urgent warning sound quickly spread throughout the entire station.

Below, the station guards who had still been sizing up the refugees instantly entered maximum alert, and archers at various posts switched to combat status.

The interior of the station, which had been somewhat noisy just a moment ago, suddenly fell into a silence like an Arrow on the string.

Han Lian and the others, who had just regained their senses, realized something, and their faces lost their color once again.

Those leaning against the walls to rest huddled toward their companions, trembling. If possible, they would have loved to pick a room and curl up to hide!

Their remaining reason told them that being in this "Wubao" was much safer than being outside. But some fears were already deeply carved into their marrow.

Even though there was still distance between them, even though they couldn't see the situation outside, an invisible aura already came through the air; under the scorching sun, it made their spines turn cold and their hair stand on end.

Outside, countless footsteps trampled over sparse vegetation and trod upon the sand and stone of the ground.

Eerie roars accompanied by a stale, fishy stench approached from the distance.

Even for former elites of the Border Army, under the suppression of absolute numbers and strength, one could only avoid their edge.

The brown dark tide flowed over, and finally, a portion of it slammed into the outer wall of the station, wanting to spill over the top.

The Plague Ghosts passing through here, attracted by the scent of food, wanted to pounce upward.

Cheng Xu did not let everyone act immediately; he still stared intently below, observing the passing Plague Ghosts. This was one of the tasks Wen Gu had entrusted to him.

Comparing horizontally, the Plague Ghosts that were a short distance away from the station, although also slightly distracted by the smell of food, were ultimately pulled by the collective will to continue moving forward and did not stop here.

Seeing this situation, Cheng Xu's hanging heart dropped significantly.

Wen Gu's speculation was correct!

Since the key step of the speculation was correct, then, those prospects Wen Gu had mentioned before————

Cheng Xu's emotions fluctuated, but he quickly suppressed them, holding his bow and Arrow to continue looking down.

As the Ghost Tide passed, the number stuck at the station gradually increased.

The station's hard outer walls were plastered smooth, blocking them from attacking and hindering them from climbing.

The Plague Ghosts stepped on their own kind to climb and leap, fighting and roaring at each other like wild beasts scrambling for food.

One Plague Ghost, with a deeper level of mutation and a darker color, stepped on two fighting peers and suddenly leaped upward.

However, an Arrow had already been waiting for a long time and neatly pierced through its brain.

The figure that had leaped into mid-air fell instantly and was quickly trampled by the Plague Ghosts behind.

Facing this group of fierce, baleful things, Cheng Xu's hand holding the bow and Arrow was extremely steady, looking shockingly calm.

Fear?

Of course, there was that too.

But there was more of a desire to achieve merit, and a strong ambition!

Inside the station.

Colored flags used for warning were extended one after another.

The signal color of the flags on each floor was different; the soldiers responsible for this would observe the situation outside and adjust the flag signals so that other guards in the station could understand the real-time combat situation.

When the Plague Ghosts outside gathered, the first-floor flag extended first.

As more and more Plague Ghosts gathered and climbed over each other, the flags on the second and third floors also extended one after another.

Seeing the fourth-floor flag also come out, the archers inside the station tightened their strings, staring fixedly upward to prevent any Plague Ghosts from crossing over the top and flipping inside.

Stare————

Continue to stare————

The fourth-floor flag retracted again.

The archers: "..."

"..."

The other soldiers holding weapons and preparing to fight:

They seemed happy, yet also felt a bit dazed and incredulous, as if struck by good fortune.

Only their years of combat experience kept them from being distracted, continuing to keep watch.

On the rooftop, Cheng Xu used his bow to shoot and kill another Plague Ghost lunging from below. The other archers forming the defensive line also shot and killed their targets one after another.

But all in all, it was much easier than defending the city.

The dark tide would eventually recede.

When the number of Plague Ghosts stuck at the station stopped increasing and the height they could reach by trampling and climbing could no longer rise—instead falling back down due to the constant decrease in numbers and the lack of steps to trample on—they could only rage impotently outside.

The number of climbing Plague Ghosts grew fewer and fewer, while the light in Cheng Xu's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if a scorching fire had gathered there.

Judging the situation, he withdrew his bow and laughed out loud.

"Our Li Mountain Station is truly a pillar standing firm amidst the dark tide of crisis!"

Having weathered this calamity, what he had preserved was not just his life, but his future!

He then said to his subordinates: "The Ghost Tide has passed! Don't let any of those scattered ones below get away!"

It was all military merit!

Cheng Xu would not fight his subordinates for these scattered military merits.

Having withstood the test, the heavy burden on his back was lifted, and he felt light as a feather.

Cheng Xu looked at that dark tide surging toward the direction of Shuo City.

"Alright, now the pressure is on Shuo City."

Our Li Mountain Station is just a newly joined little brother; Shuo City, this big brother, is experienced and powerful, so surely it can handle this even more calmly.

Cheng Xu's face relaxed, and there was even a corner of his mouth curling up that not even a mountain could suppress.

His personal soldiers were also overjoyed: "Boss, it really is just as that Wen Gu said—"

Cheng Xu jumped up immediately, more agitated than if his own father had been insulted, and scolded: "What are you shouting about? How improper! You must use the respectful title, Young Master Biao!!"