Chapter 303: Chapter 207: Setting up the Formation
Sean Raines was stunned the moment he arrived.
It was utter carnage...
When the shock wore off, his first thought was, ’These people have lost their minds!’ His very next thought was, ’They have to rest!’
Yes. Absolutely.
At a glance, their explosive power seemed immense, their movements as swift as ever. But in reality, with a few exceptions like Paige Summers, Claire Chapman, Rhonda Rhodes, and Zephyr Mercer, they were all in deep trouble. The first two were holding up due to their high Superpower Levels and extraordinary physiques, while the latter two were protected by Spiritual Energy, leaving them largely unaffected. The other team members, however, had no such advantages. They were running purely on spiritual power, pushing their bodies far past their limits!
If they kept this up, the survivors of this battle would, at best, need several years to recover. At worst, their very lifespans would be shortened!
The situation was dire.
But his next thought made his spirits sink.
Resting required the Zombies’ permission, after all.
There were still at least thirty of them left!
They never tired, and hunger only made them pounce more ferociously. These Superpower Users were nothing but food to them!
’What are we going to do?!’
His eyes searched for Paige Summers.
But before he could find her, someone approached him first.
"You! Quick, come with me!"
Rhonda Rhodes called out urgently, with Zephyr Mercer fending off Zombies behind him.
Sean Raines’s eyes lit up when he saw him.
’He’s actually here!’
’We have a solution!’
In fact, they had both come to the same conclusion.
A crucial part of Rhonda Rhodes’s Cultivation was the use of Arrays, like the Illusion Array he had set up at his residence in Stoneridge Base.
He could set up an Array here as well.
The problem was that the area was too large. He didn’t have enough Spiritual Power to set up an Array big enough to protect everyone by himself.
Zephyr Mercer was still a novice, so he was of little help in this regard.
But now Sean Raines was here!
Sean Raines’s Cultivation Technique and Rhonda Rhodes’s came from more or less the same origin.
Although the specifics weren’t identical, the Spiritual Power they produced through Cultivation was the same!
With his support, the Array was now possible!
None of this needed to be said; Sean Raines understood immediately.
Rhonda Rhodes quickly handed him several Array Flags. "Follow my commands to the letter. There’s no room for error, or everything will be for naught!"
"I know."
Rhonda Rhodes wasted no more words. Channeling his Spiritual Power, he loudly announced the plan to set up an Array.
This way, not only Paige Summers and Claire Chapman could hear, but also all the nearby team members.
Almost immediately, both Claire Chapman and Paige Summers voiced their agreement.
Following Rhonda Rhodes’s commands, all the team members began to shrink their defensive perimeter, pulling back toward the most densely populated spot. Once they were nearly in position, Rhonda Rhodes and Sean Raines officially began to set up the Array.
The Array Flags had to be infused with Spiritual Power and planted in specific locations. Once all the flags were set, they would link together to form a defensive barrier that would keep all living things out, including the Zombies!
While setting up the Array, they also had to protect the flags that had already been planted.
With everyone working together, the flags were soon in place.
At Rhonda Rhodes’s command, everyone retreated inside the perimeter.
He stood his ground, his hands moving so fast they left only afterimages.
After no more than a dozen seconds, the flags suddenly burst with light.
Before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, blue beams of light shot out from the flags and extended into the air. At about the height of a person and a half, the beams curved and finally intersected, weaving a dense net of light above their heads!
The Zombies that happened to be standing on the light’s path while tangling with the outer team members let out wretched screams. Several had their arms sliced off. A few unlucky ones were split in half by the light beams, one half falling inside the barrier, the other outside...
The air filled with a foul, scorching stench.
Then, the net of light vanished in an instant...
Rhonda Rhodes, his face pale, lowered his hands. "It’s done!" he told everyone.
In truth, he didn’t need to say it. Everyone already understood.
Those blue beams of light were incredibly powerful!
Even though the light had vanished, the effect remained.
Any Zombie that tried to break in was repelled the moment it touched the barrier where the blue light had been, shrieking and recoiling as if from an electric shock.
They prowled the perimeter resentfully, circling again and again, but were utterly helpless!
At last, everyone could breathe a sigh of relief.
The moment they felt safe, the exhaustion hit them like a physical blow. The team members didn’t even have time to marvel or gossip about what had just protected them before they started collapsing to the ground, one after another.
Paige Summers also sank to the ground.
She was exhausted.
But she was still buzzing with adrenaline.
Claire Chapman sat down as well. "Thanks to you two," he said to Rhonda Rhodes and Sean Raines. "Words can’t express our gratitude. From now on, you are Bloodfall’s greatest friends!"
Sean Raines shot him a disdainful look. ’As if I wasn’t already? Tch!’
Rhonda Rhodes, however, shook his head. "I was just helping myself."
Claire Chapman was at a loss for words and didn’t have the energy to reply. He simply nodded, lay back on the ground, and closed his eyes.
’I’ve never been this tired before...’
Paige Summers knew his body ultimately couldn’t compare to her own, which had its special advantages. She couldn’t rest yet.
"Sean Raines, you still have some energy?"
"Of course."
"Good. Here, I have some antidote shots. Take them and give one to every team member who was bitten by a Zombie. Then do another check on their physical conditions and see what medicine they need... I’ll leave the supplies with Ben. He’ll go with you."
So many people down... ’And now, the only ones still sitting up are you and Rhonda Rhodes...’
Sean Raines sighed. ’Fine, I’ll check on them,’ he thought. ’Guess it’s my fault for not getting here sooner!’
The Zombies outside lingered for a short while before gradually wandering away.
As the Zombie Leader made its final departure, the horde vanished instantly. Paige Summers and Rhonda Rhodes both witnessed this and felt a flicker of realization, but neither said anything. It was a question to ponder after they had rested and their minds were clearer.
The short night passed quickly.
After a full night’s rest, everyone had recovered some of their strength. Thanks to Paige Summers’s stamina potions, blood-replenishing medicine, and other various remedies, their conditions were even better than Sean Raines had expected.
Although they weren’t ready to jump back into battle, they were well enough to resume their Cultivation.
Doing so would also help their bodies recover more quickly.
Besides Ben, and Sean Raines who hadn’t participated much in the battle, the core group—Paige Summers, Claire Chapman, Rhonda Rhodes, and Zephyr Mercer—were basically fine. They sat chewing on jerky, wrapped in a mutual silence.
Although it seemed like a lot of people were sitting inside the defensive formation, there were, in fact, only one hundred ninety-nine. Thirty-nine team members had died in the previous day’s battle.
That number represented thirty-nine once-vibrant lives that had been extinguished.
Among them were members of Bloodfall, people from Mason Hayes’s group, and soldiers from The Power Corps. Just yesterday morning, they had all eaten breakfast together...
No one could be in a good mood thinking about that.
But the dead were gone.
And they still had their own mission to complete.
They had to kill those Zombies!
As team captain, Claire Chapman was the first to break the silence after finishing his food. "Alright, snap out of it! We’re going to discuss the next phase of our battle plan. Not just for the sake of building the base, but for our fallen teammates, we have to annihilate every last one of these Zombies!"
