The room was quiet. Ye Muo watched the fire die out with Theodore in his lap. When only embers remained, he leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes. His breathing soon evened out.
Theodore too closed his eyes too, though he remained fully alert. He had enhanced every aspect of his body until it was a well-oiled machine. His ears twitched lightly from time to time.
He sensed something was amiss by midnight. Just as he lifted his head to alert Ye Muo, the child had already snapped out of his slumber.
Ye Muo rose to his feet and pressed himself to the door to peer through the cracks. Theodore climbed onto his shoulder, his tail wrapping around Ye Muo’s neck.
Ye Muo concluded just a few seconds later, “Insects.”
He drew the dagger built into his holomind but didn’t move otherwise due to the guards at the door.
The commotion outside soon grew loud enough for ordinary ears to catch. Footsteps could be heard rushing everywhere.
The guards outside noticed too. “What’s happening over there?”
His companion hesitated before replying, “I’m not sure either. Let’s wait. There hasn’t been any movement from the signal tower yet
……
Elias reacted swiftly. He had been staying up to consult some maps. He headed to the door at the slightest commotion outside.
The hooded man was already waiting, having sensed something before him. He was in full combat gear with a dagger affixed to his belt.
Hearing the door open, he glanced at Elias before returned his gaze to the distance.
The blond young man hopped down from the roof. “You’re finally awake, Elias. Any slower and I’d have wondered if you had hearing problems.”
Others were gradually gathering nearby. Elias’ place was near the settlement’s edge, meaning he was mostly surrounded by warriors with more potent psychic abilities.
The woman that always came to odds with the blond also approached. She sent a dismissive glance his way before ignoring him entirely in favour of Elias.
Elias, too, disregarded the blond and addressed the hooded man directly. “Anything new, Ye Wang1Same character as the Ye family (叶)?”
Ye Wang shifted slightly, eyes still fixed straight ahead. “Likely insects. The details are still unclear. No reports from the scouts yet–”
Suddenly, a blinding red light flared overhead.
Ye Wang’s head whipped towards Elias. “A Level 1 alert!”
Even the woman who’d been standing casually by Elias’ side sobered up.
Elias ordered swiftly, “Withdraw the sentries and sound the alarm. Light the tower beacon. Notify everyone to evacuate that way. You two, go wake the others ASAP. Ensure no one is left behind. Let’s split up.”
The tower was the only non-wooden structure here. It served as both a signal tower and a refuge. They had built it with the finest materials, mixed with king insect crystals.
The blond frowned. “We just finished building this place. Are we really going to abandon it just like this? Surely we have enough strength to stay and fight.”
Elias halted at the words. “We don’t have nighttime combat gear. It’s precisely because there’s so much strength concentrated here that we can’t afford to suffer catastrophic losses. The Grantz aren’t here either. I’ve given you your orders, Brian. Now go!”
The young man stood frozen for a few seconds before leaving begrudgingly to carry out Elias’ orders.
Ye Wang had long since departed. Only Elias and the stunningly beautiful woman with slightly curled hair remained.
She took hold of Elias’ arm and hoisted him across her shoulder.
Elias merely frowned and called out, “Belinda.”
Belinda hurried toward the central tower while teasing him, “Don’t fret, Elias. I’m not interested in you, but I’m no Grantz. I can’t let you dilly-dally in the midst of the swarm.”
“As the acting leader here, you know your safety is paramount. I don’t want to have to argue with that Brian for the rest of eternity. You know he and I don’t get along. If you’re willing, though, I wouldn’t mind carrying you princess-style.”
Elias frowned but remained silent. Even though Belinda’s muscular frame made this position rather uncomfortable.
“But that guy isn’t all brawn either. He’s probably just upset the Grantz seem to value you more than him. He’s almost like a child at times, right? What a loyal dog he is.”
Belinda sighed.
Elias calmly called her name, “Belinda.”
She wisely fell silent until she was able to set him down at the base of the tower.
A crowd had already gathered here.
Elias sprang into action the moment his feet touched the ground. He singled out a handful of people, “You guys will stay here with me to provide backup. You’ll split into squads to assist in evacuating Areas A through F. Bring as much food as you can from the warehouses without compromising your safety. If things change, evacuate immediately. The rest of you, head to the tower and tally up how many people have arrived.”
He then addressed another individual, “Go to the lookout and bring the guards and the child we captured earlier over. The child won’t be able to move quickly enough due to his shackles, so just carry him over here.”
……
Ye Muo had crouched down. He leaned close to the wall and watched any movements outside.
The two guards were oblivious to his presence. They whispered to each other, “It’s an assembly alert. Something’s up. Let’s go check it out.”
“What about…you know?”
His comrade hesitated briefly, “It’s fine. The door’s locked. Let’s head over to the stone tower first to find out what’s going on. We can ask Leader Elias about it later.”
Once they were out of earshot, Ye Muo forced the door open and scanned his surroundings. Nothing showed up even with his enhanced vision.
He gently, soundlessly closed the door before resting a hand on Theodore’s head. “Let’s wait. If insects come over, I’ll leave with you.”
“Alright.”
……
The scouts sent out by Elias returned one by one. Everything had gone smoothly. Their sentries had spotted the issue early, giving them ample time to evacuate.
Brian and Ye Wang were the last to return. Brian’s sword was unsheathed and stained, as if it had seen battle already.
Brian sheathed the blade. “The outermost sentry posts were deserted as well. The swarm hadn’t breached the second line yet when we arrived. They were still gnawing on the trash we left behind. But it won’t be long–”
Someone charged in from the right and cut them off.
They blurted out, “I only ran into the guards who’d come over after hearing the alarm. There was no sign of the child. The path over there has already been cut off by the swarm. We’ve set up barriers, but it’s only a matter of time…”
Elias remained calm. “Go up first. Ye Wang, check out the area with Brian. Come back if it looks hopeless. I’ll give you ten minutes until we seal the tower.”
Ye Wang nodded and headed out at once. Brian stood there for a few seconds before clicking his tongue and doing the same.
Belinda watched them leave lazily. “I bet he’d ask why I didn’t have to go if there was time. Such a pain, right, Elias?”
Elias sighed, “If you’re bored, you can help take count, Belinda.”
Belinda raised her hands in a placating gesture. “I think protecting you is more my thing.”
……
Elias had to wait until the last minute before Ye Wang and Brian returned. Ye Wang shook his head. “We can’t get through.”
Brian also turned away. “It’s completely impassable now.”
Elias nodded. “Go up. We’ll seal off the tower.”
With that, the doors slammed shut. They climbed one flight of stairs before pushing down a pre-prepared pile of rocks to block the entrance below.
They continued going up until the tower’s summit. The platform was spacious enough to store weapons and crates of food.
This outpost had only recently been established. The settlement wasn’t at full capacity either. The top of the tower had been built to hold the maximum capacity, so it almost felt kind of empty despite the abundant supplies.
Soon, several people came to report to Elias, “Everyone is here, sir. Not a single one is missing. We have enough food and water to last two weeks. We’re also good on weapons.”
Elias paused before replying, “Good. Let everyone rest. We’ll launch our counterattack at daybreak.”
“Understood.”
After they departed to relay his orders to their squads, Elias leaned against a stack of crates and fell silent.
Belinda patted Elias on the shoulder. “This isn’t your fault, Elias. You’re not a god, nor are you a Grantz. You can’t get them all. I thought everyone here had grown accustomed to sacrifice.”
It took Elias several seconds to respond, “You might grow accustomed to it, but I can’t.”
A warrior might be able to, but he was the commander, the one responsible here. If he grew accustomed to it, that would be terrifying indeed.
Ye Wang remained silent as usual.
Brian, standing nearby, was unusually quiet too. His usual sarcastic remarks were absent.
……
Ye Muo waited until he could see the swarm bearing down on them before making short work of his restraints. He then scampered onto the rooftop. The shackles didn’t hinder his agility.
Crouching like a cat at the highest point, he surveyed his surroundings and weighed his options. “If we leave now, they’ll just assume the swarm swallowed me up.”
“En. Do you need a sword, Xavier? I can transform into one.”
“Impressive. I didn’t know you could do that.”
“I can also become your mech, but using guns will require an energy source.”
Ye Muo stood up. “That’ss fine. I can find some crystals for you. Let’s forget the sword for now. I don’t want to get it dirty.”
He quickly settled on a direction and dashed across the rooftops. Only when he was nearly out of the settlement did he cautiously scout around with psychic power. He discovered a rift beyond the forest.
Ye Muo came to an abrupt halt at the settlement’s perimeter wall. “We should head back and find a map or something.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his stomach growled. “…And grab some food. Do you think they’ll be interested in insect crystals?”
“I think so. If not, I can convert the crystals into weapons or something.”
“En, okay.”
Ye Muo slunk back with Theodore, making his way to the tower. He climbed up cautiously, eventually crouching on a ledge just below the platform.
He could sense the people just above him and hesitated over whether to climb up right away. A slight cold wind blew past, but Theodore was a warm presence around his neck.
Thank goodness he hadn’t removed the shackles right away, Ye Muo thought, both frustrated and relieved.
