Chapter 132: The Core Compromised (Bonus Chapter for Mofei0609)

"My friend!"

"Our Yi-Shao is a bit of a handful, please accept our apologies on his behalf!"

To prevent this troublemaker from escalating things further, the two E-rank warriors sighed and stepped forward in unison. Their expressions were extremely vigilant, yet their tone remained mild. "For the sake of our Fierce Tiger Squad, can we just let this go?"

The two E-rank warriors were around thirty years old. The other members of Qu Yi's team varied in age, with some even being men in their forties. However, the Paranormal Realm was not a place where age equated to strength. After all, it had only been six years since "manifest dimension overlap points"—those supernatural zones—began appearing on Earth. For humanity, everyone, regardless of age, was starting from the same baseline. In a probationary trans-limit squad, it was perfectly normal to have teenagers working alongside middle-aged adults. Teams like the Firebird Squad's Seventh Squad, consisting entirely of people in their twenties, were actually quite rare in the Paranormal Realm.

Because of this, when two mature, high-ranking trans-limit warriors offered a formal apology, Bai Yuxi, who had been prepared for a life-or-death struggle, was taken aback. Seeing Bai Yuxi gradually withdraw the aura he had been gathering, the two warriors breathed a sigh of relief and forcibly dragged the still-ranting Qu Yi toward their team's position.

The sudden shift in the opposition's attitude—from arrogant to conciliatory—left the members of the Seventh Squad completely bewildered.

"Are we still going to fight?" Willie asked in a strange, hushed voice. "That jerk insulted us like that; if we don't beat him up, don't we look like total cowards?"

"Forget it!" Chicken Leg whispered. "There's no point in making things worse. That asshole is clearly out of his mind; let's not stoop to his level."

Although the conflict had been inexplicably resolved, everyone felt disgruntled. It was like biting into an apple and finding half a worm—it was deeply nauseating.

"Let's move."

Luo Fei nodded. Compared to the chaotic troublemaker Willie, her vice-captain, Chicken Leg, was much more level-headed. Putting aside the backing of the Fierce Tiger Squad, this clearly overstaffed Qu Yi squad was formidable: the weakest member was above F5, and half were above F7. That included Qu Yi himself, along with two F9 and two F10 trans-limit warriors, not to mention the two E-rank veterans. Even if they felt stifled and resentful, given the enemy's combat configuration, their own group—averaging below F5—would have zero chance of winning if a real fight broke out.

In the Paranormal Realm, there were no human rights without strength; avoiding conflict was already the best possible outcome. So, after the other side backed down, the group—swallowing their frustration—silently skirted around Qu Yi's team and headed deeper into the cave.

"Damn it!"

"I really want to hit him!"

Hearing the distant, defiant shouting of Qu Yi as he was being dragged away, Xia Youyou’s face puffed up like a steamed bun, her teeth gritted in pure fury.

"Young ladies shouldn't use bad language!" Luo Fei patted the younger girl’s head comfortingly, though a flash of determination crossed her eyes. "If you don't want to be bullied and keep swallowing your pride, then work hard to improve your strength! Everyone, keep your spirits up!"

Though no one said anything else, the atmosphere within the team became more focused.

"Xiao Bai, I'm sorry! We're dragging you down..." Luo Fei felt disheartened that, as captain, she couldn't protect her companions and instead had to rely on Bai Yuxi, a new member, to keep everyone safe. If not for them, with Bai Yuxi's strength, he could have fought back or simply walked away, rather than suffering such humiliating insults.

Bai Yuxi felt the sting of anger—he was only human, and being repeatedly bullied by a mad dog like Qu Yi, who relied on the power of the Fierce Tiger Squad, was infuriating. However, his rational nature prevented him from acting recklessly. A mindless outburst might feel good for a moment, but it would do nothing to change the reality that the Paranormal Realm was ruled by the strong. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Even if he could kill Qu Yi's team in a suicidal burst, could he do the same to the E-rank and D-rank warriors of the Fierce Tiger Squad?

Furthermore, madmen like Qu Yi were merely a nuisance that left you feeling stifled. Even without Qu Yi, there would be others—a Zhao Yi, a Qian Yi, a Sun Yi, a Li Yi—and their methods might be even more brutal. Most battles between trans-limit warriors had no room for talk or reason; it was raw, naked survival of the fittest... they wanted your life and your super-active essence!

"Big Sis, don't talk about dragging me down!" After suppressing his anger, Bai Yuxi smiled. "If it weren't for you guys, I might still be running around clueless, being hunted by that Jiang Viper Society!"

His reassurance made Luo Fei feel slightly better. She was about to say more, but the ground suddenly shook violently, and a blast of explosive air surged from the depths of the cave! Caught off guard, the group was knocked off their feet and sent tumbling like gourds before finally struggling to their feet in a disheveled state.

They hadn't felt the magnitude of it from afar, but now that they were close to the core area, the sensation was crystal clear. This vibration wasn't caused by an earthquake or high-explosive weaponry; it was the result of powerful energy attacks!

The intense energy fluctuations from the depths of the cave left everyone horrified. The only known entities capable of releasing such supernatural energy were creatures infected by X-particles. But could mere biological power truly generate such a magnitude of energy? Most terrifyingly, the shockwave was clearly caused by the collapse of a high-level barrier, the resulting airflow rushing out as the energy dissipated.

This meant the barrier in the core area of Hualan Mountain was gone, and the supernatural creatures sealed within were completely uncontained...

"Holy crap!"

Everyone's faces turned deathly pale. Willie jumped up and let out a blood-curdling howl: "Run!"

Whatever creature was causing such a commotion, it was certainly not something a bunch of F-rank probationary scrubs could handle. If they stayed here now, what was the difference between that and waiting to die once a high-risk supernatural creature broke out?