Published: February 11, 2025
Garan screamed in pain, covering her ears as she crouched down. In that moment, her mind went blank, devoid of any consciousness. Her actions were purely instinctive; she didn’t truly believe that covering her ears would help, but it felt as if it might alleviate some of the pain.
It wasn’t until several seconds later that her thoughts returned to her body, but she still couldn’t see anything clearly. What met her eyes was a chaotic blend of colors, resembling a ruined palette of paint, with deep black holes scattered throughout.
In her ears, there was only a buzzing sound, and she couldn’t hear anything else. However, her sensations were incredibly clear. She could feel hot streams flowing below her nose and below her ears; it was blood, which had already pooled in her mouth, tasting foul.
If her fingers had been pricked, perhaps sucking on them could have dulled the pain. But in this situation, Garan felt not just fear but also a strong sense of nausea.
The taste of blood intensified the dizziness in her head, turning it into a reaction from her stomach.
Garan had no idea what had happened. She had only seen Ye Zhongming leap into the air, and then, out of nowhere, an inexplicable energy assaulted her.
She had never experienced such a feeling of powerlessness, unable to resist or retaliate, just waiting to be slaughtered.
She still didn’t dare to move. At least for now, even though she couldn’t see or hear, staying in place meant she hadn’t been attacked. Garan was uncertain what would happen if she started to move.
Moreover, in her heart, she felt an inexplicable confidence in Ye Zhongming. She believed that as long as that man was around, she should be safe.
Garan stayed crouched obediently. After a few seconds, she realized that her condition was improving; this was not the time to rush.
The first to recover was her hearing. Garan vaguely heard something colliding, along with the cries of the two ice birds. Among them, there seemed to be Ye Zhongming's muffled groans, which made her heart race.
Was he injured?
She stood up; although her nausea had improved significantly, dizziness struck again. She struggled to maintain her balance, and a long dagger appeared in her hand, hanging at the sides of her battle armor, ready to react as soon as her vision returned.
With a thunderous boom, the ground shook.
In the tremor, Garan couldn’t hold back and gagged. Although nothing came out, she felt much better instantly, and her vision began to clear, reducing the dizziness in her head.
She vaguely saw Ye Zhongming half-kneeling on the ground, propping himself up with what appeared to be an ordinary war knife, seemingly injured.
Garan rubbed her eyes and looked up at the sky. The monstrous creature was gone, as were the two ice birds.
Was this... over, or was it not?
She took two steps forward, her vision rapidly recovering thanks to her evolver physique.
At that moment, Garan finally saw that the previously fearsome monster lay in front of Ye Zhongming, but its body was no longer whole; it had been torn into several parts, incomplete. Beside its shattered remains were two small white eggs, significantly smaller than the previous giant egg.
Garan nervously raised her weapon.
If Ye Zhongming was injured and unable to fight, then if these two white eggs were to hatch again, she would be the only one left able to combat them.
Although her strength was not nearly as powerful as Ye Zhongming’s, thankfully these two white eggs appeared to be much weaker than the previous one, so perhaps she could fight back.
But before Garan could make a move, Ye Zhongming stood up and turned to face her.
“What are you doing?”
In response to Ye Zhongming’s question, Garan pointed her long dagger at the two white eggs and confidently said, “Don’t worry, you rest. I’ll handle them.”
Ye Zhongming was taken aback and responded with a frown, “Those are my two birds!”
Huh?
Garan paused for a moment, scratching her fiery red hair with the dagger, confused, “Two ice birds? How could they be like this?”