Ji Tianjin and the others had run too far. Wu Zhi wasn’t planning to go directly after them. He glanced at the map and finally decided to head for the ruins they’d visited on the first day.
“The strange beasts around there were cleared out, and the terrain’s better for setting up camp.”
The wind and sand had long buried the traces of blood in the dunes, and the broken walls turned out to be surprisingly effective at blocking the wind.
While activating the seeds in his hand, Su Cha said, “Stock up on grain, build strong walls, and wait before claiming the throne.”
Wu Shui replied, “Unfortunately, there’s no time to wait.”
If they delayed any longer, they could kiss the championship goodbye.
The smart terminal clearly displayed the current rankings:
- Gale Squad: 980 points
- Cold Winter Squad: 920 points
- Scorching Sun Maniacs: 835 points
- Mirror Team: 805 points
- He’s Here Squad: 660 points
…
“Co-op farming is too slow,” Su Cha said. “And it’s easy for disagreements to break out.”
The Wu siblings thought the same. With time so tight, they didn’t want to share their points with anyone else.
After the sun completely set, the number of migrating strange beasts in Zone E spiked sharply.
Wu Zhi’s spirit form returned. He tapped into its perception and frowned. “Something’s not right.”
Under normal circumstances, migrating strange beasts would gather together until they found a new habitat. But the incoming beasts were splitting into multiple groups, wandering all over Zone E.
As time passed and night fell, an ominous feeling intensified. Since arriving, they hadn’t even seen the notoriously aggressive black vipers—not a single one had tried to ambush them. Animals have keen instincts, and for some reason, they were all lying low.
Wu Zhi said, “No, we still need to regroup with others.”
Su Cha had no objection. He felt it too—it was too quiet, and that was never a good sign.
When they couldn’t reach anyone via communicator, Su Cha patted the white tiger. “You can find Ji Tianjin, can’t you?”
The big white head nodded.
Of course a spirit form could find its master.
The moon hung high in the sky.
Suddenly, something sickle-shaped whipped through the air—its gleam under the moonlight was like the blade of the Grim Reaper. Following its trajectory up, one could see the massive body of a strange beast.
Nearly twenty strange beasts had gathered, forming an impenetrable wall.
Ji Tianjin’s group was trapped in the center, along with Wu Bei’s Gale Squad. The two rival teams had no choice but to join forces and fight their way out.
That afternoon, too many strange beasts had surged their way. No matter how fast humans were, they couldn’t outrun flying beasts. Not long after Ji Tianjin’s call with Su Cha, they were surrounded.
The two sides had been in a standoff for a long time. The strange beasts didn’t attack rashly, and those surrounded hadn’t made a move either.
The beasts were cunning—waiting for reinforcements before they swarmed in for the kill.
Ji Tianjin’s group was also waiting. If another team passed by, a joint effort could break the siege. Now it was a matter of whose luck was better.
This time, luck was on the strange beasts’ side. The largest one raised its head and let out a low roar—calling for reinforcements.
“Attack.” Ji Tianjin narrowed his eyes and charged the beast without hesitation.
In close combat, everyone favored daggers. Wu Bei and Ji Tianjin worked in tandem—one striking at the beast’s eye, the other slashing at a bulging spot on its neck. The rest of the team kept the surrounding beasts at bay.
With one beast down, the others began to cry out. This was risky for them too—it exposed their location and increased the chance of drawing human attention.
Once the balance was broken, the battle quickly intensified. Someone got hurt; blood burst into the air. With everyone struggling to survive, no one had the capacity to help others. Even the injured could only fight on desperately.
Facing off against the toughest part of the beast, Ji Tianjin’s mechanical glove malfunctioned. He channeled all his spiritual power into his other fist, aiming for the beast’s eye.
“Ah—”
One of Gale Squad’s members was wounded earlier, slowing him down. As the sickle-like limb arced toward his head, he didn’t even have time to hit the emergency signal.
But at the last moment, that sharp limb halted in midair.
“We’re here!”
The shout startled the strange beasts.
Under the full moon, a frail-looking youth rode in on a pig. His raincoat—coated with a heat-reflective material—shimmered like a streak of light across the night sky.
“Oink—!”
The pig’s roar was even more invigorating than Di Yuansi’s previous wolf howl.
“Charge!”
A chubby figure launched itself at the strange beasts. Its limbs, far longer than a pig’s, kicked off the air in agile hops. Its extended claws were still sharp as ever.
A surge of dense spiritual energy formed wind blades that cleanly severed one of the beast’s legs. Su Cha quickly fed his makeshift mount two more doses of spiritual energy.
Snapping out of his shock, Rong Shao shouted, “Those beasts just called for backup!”
The Wu siblings charged into the fray.
“Don’t worry—just three or four. We already dealt with them on the way here.”
With a few more people joining, the atmosphere changed immediately—especially the Round Ball, whose combat prowess was the most ferocious. Su Cha was like a supply station, constantly feeding spiritual energy, and even he was stunned by the combat power on display.
If you gave Round Ball a rake, he’d be comparable to Marshal Tianpeng from the myths.
“Ptui.” Su Cha shook his head vigorously to dispel the thought.
Marshal Tianpeng? Zhu Bajie carrying his wife? Wouldn’t that make him the little wife being carried?!
The strange beasts fell one by one. After killing the last one, everyone could finally catch their breath. Wu Bei and the others were tending to their injured teammates. Su Cha checked his smart brain: including the beasts they’d dealt with on the way here, they’d barely broken 800 points, but the Gale and Winter teams had already passed 1,000.
Once the wounds were treated, Wu Bei nodded at them and left—clearly rushing off again to rack up more points. They’d wasted a lot of time in that earlier standoff, letting Cold Winter overtake them. Now they had to quickly find new prey.
Drones and cameras were becoming more frequent in the skies, almost blanketing Zone E.
Warships were drawing nearer too, with the AI onboard constantly compiling uploaded data to calculate points—proof that battles were erupting all across Zone E.
The reunion of the team should’ve been something to celebrate. But just before anyone could embrace that joy, Ji Tianjin fell silent for a few seconds. “Su Cha.”
“Yeah?”
“Where did the pig come from?”
“…”
Pig?
What pig?
Realizing something belatedly, Su Cha picked up the “little milk cat.” “You mean this one?”
The white tiger’s tail hadn’t grown out yet, and at a glance, it really was indistinguishable from a white pig.
Su Cha didn’t think it was ugly—his face radiated an oddly aged kind of affection. “A little fatter. Healthier that way.”
The white tiger, sensing Ji Tianjin’s gloomy gaze, calmly nestled against Su Cha.
Su Cha declared, “If anyone dares touch you, they’ll have to step over my dead body first.”
“….” Ji Tianjin closed his eyes a few times but ultimately couldn’t ignore the chubby tiger glued to Su Cha.
“Come here.” He ordered the white tiger, his words slow and edged with gritted teeth.
Su Cha said, “Don’t underestimate it.”
He patted the tiger’s side. “That move just now was pretty impressive, right?”
The white tiger remained calm at Su Cha’s side, neither proud nor impatient.
The doctor had advised Ji Tianjin not to use his spirit form for now, but he could feel that despite its battle-worn appearance, it was still brimming with power.
The contrast was odd—suspicious, even.
Rong Shao eyed the tiger skeptically. “How is this spirit form so good at fighting?”
It’s fat as a pig, yet still agile?
Su Cha sneered. “I fed it. Of course it’s strong.”
Whether it was plants or spirit forms, he never raised anything useless.
“For the greater good.” His smug smile vanished, replaced by a serious tone. “Cold Winter suddenly ramped up this afternoon—we can’t afford to relax.”
They were still nearly 20 beasts away from hitting 1,000 points. By the time they caught up, the leading teams might be at 1,500 or even 2,000.
Rong Shao knelt in the sand and opened his toolkit, repairing everyone’s mechanical gloves. “Sticking to the original strategy probably won’t cut it.”
“Exactly. Even with our newly added combat powerhouse…” Di Yuansi forcibly swallowed the word “pig” and muttered, “…the outlook is still grim.”
“What can one person and one spirit form do?” Su Cha raised his arm: “We must unite!”
Those two words—“unite”—were like a bucket of cold water in the dark of night.
These top students of elite schools suddenly went silent. Su Cha shifted from raising one arm to spreading both arms open. “Trust me with your spiritual forms!”
“…”
The “He’s Coming” team now faced the hardest decision of their lives. Not handing over their spirit forms meant watching the championship slip further away. With E Zone in chaos, they’d be forced to run for their lives. Forget points.
But handing them over…
Their eyes fell on the now majestically plump white tiger. Truly… a tragic sight.
In the end, Liu Xiqin was the first to nod, but she gave one warning: “Feed it less.”
Feeding a healthy spirit form was easier than feeding the tiger. Feeding the tiger took thin, steady streams of spiritual energy, and it came with loss. But for the others, the process was smooth—100% of the energy transferred effectively.
This was destined to be a bloody and extraordinary night.
While Su Cha was silently feeding, planning to shock everyone with his results, the skirmishes ahead had blurred the borders between zones. The royal-class beasts they’d seen earlier weren’t the only ones; with so many hunters entering the desert, the beasts were beginning to band together.
Though their species lacked cohesion by nature, the presence of a royal-class beast was enough to force a temporary alliance.
Some had roamed into other zones before. After exchanging information, they concluded that humans were weakest from the desert edge inward. Now, under royal leadership, several waves surged toward Zone E for a slaughter. The stronger ones swept slowly over from Zone A.
Zone C.
A squad was fleeing for their lives.
A beast dove from the sky, about to snatch someone up—only to be stopped for a second by a flying dagger. The one who threw it was from a team that had previously asked Su Cha’s group to sell goods in Zone C.
“Run!” the fat guy shouted.
The roles of hunter and prey had reversed. Those in Zone C were mid- to high-tier players, but even they couldn’t guarantee survival against this beast onslaught.
The organizers made no announcement to halt the match. It was critical, but still within risk parameters.
To the truly strong, this was no longer a game—it was war.
Viewership of the ten-school tournament was skyrocketing. Cameras focused tightly on a few specific teams.
“There’s been a small-scale beast tide. Many students are running for their lives. Zones C and D have students calling emergency evacuations,” the commentator’s voice suddenly rose. “Zhou Zhiyuan of First Military Academy and Ning Kai of Second Military Academy have teamed up!”
“They’re heading toward the beast tide.”
“Popular teams Fule and Chenghuang are also joining forces, rushing in from Zone B.” The commentator was excited. “They’re going to intercept the tide!”
The main spectacle was with the seniors, who represented the peak of combat power. The online comments boiled over:
【Yuanming team is also charging toward the tide.】
【They have to. If another team kills more now, there’s no catching up later.】
【Oh no! Silver Cloud Leopard team failed to break through! Our school’s students are injured!】
【Moonlight Miles is surrounded too!】
…
In this brutal melee, those without power couldn’t even hope to scavenge. The flying beasts could strike any weaker team at will.
The match had entered its most intense stage earlier than expected. This was undoubtedly the turning point—whoever stood out now would basically secure the championship.
It was cruel for the seniors, but a blessing for the first-years.
In a survival situation, who had time to hunt for points? Gale and Cold Winter were still debating: rest now and strike tomorrow, or risk it and make one more round?
The commentator continued excitedly: “Zhou Zhiyuan’s team is going berserk—within ten minutes, they’ve reached the first 100 mark.”
“These small-scale beast tides are like cake. Whoever’s strong enough can grab the biggest piece.”
“Another team’s coming in—this time it’s—”
The commentator’s voice trailed off.
The incoming team was shrouded in sand, faces indistinguishable.
The commotion was enormous. Zhou Zhiyuan and the nearby Second Military Academy students instinctively glanced sideways.
Through the sandstorm, the first to burst out… was a white pig.
It charged like a beast from a prehistoric wilderness—completely ignoring all technique.
The Nightingale and White Dove, once flying birds, had been fed so fat they now resembled free-range pigs. But when they flapped their wings, the force sent beasts flying.
Ji Tianjin said grimly, “Speed up.”
The spiritual energy wouldn’t last forever. They had to kill fast while it still surged.
Desperate animals bite hardest—these spirit forms looked like they’d been starved for centuries. All were bloodthirsty.
Finally, the commentator found his voice. “It’s the ‘He’s Coming’ team.”
While Su Cha fed the spirit forms, all attention had shifted to the beast tide. The commentator had to replay earlier footage—and after watching, looked… complicated.
On the cloudship, an analyst in the warship’s data room sighed as he watched. “General Yise insisted on sponsoring Su Cha into the military academy affiliated high school—seems wiser by the minute.”
This kind of ability to channel others’ power made Su Cha an ideal teammate in any battle.
Another analyst nodded. “His borrowing capacity has limits, but if this kid awakens fully… the sky’s the limit.”
As Ji Tianjin once said: Su Cha’s spiritual power wasn’t a single feather—it was a thousand.
Now, those feathers were finally falling at terminal velocity, releasing the force they were meant to wield.
“Retreat!” Su Cha was nearly drained.
So, under everyone’s gaze, the white pig carried him away. The rest followed quickly. Their ferocity earlier had cleared a path—few beasts gave chase.
They came fast, left faster—like a dream.
On the battlefield, humans and beasts alike were briefly stunned, then resumed the bloodbath.
Two hours later, 3 AM.
The sands churned again—Su Cha’s team returned! They stayed less than fifteen minutes before leaving.
Again at 4 AM.
“Make way,” Su Cha said, riding the pig to the front. “Let us through.”
“…”
Someone muttered, “…Now I get why they’re called ‘He’s Coming’ team.”
They kept coming. And going. Again and again.
By the fourth time, everyone was shouting in their hearts: This is a beast tide! Could ‘He’s Coming’ please take this seriously?! You’re riding pigs like this is a parade!
Pigs?
That question, long ignored, finally took root.
A senior student’s eyelid twitched. “That really strong white pig… does it have a ‘king’ character on its forehead?”
Under the moonlight, unlike the others’ resentful glares, the tiger-faced creature—rounder than a compass—looked calm.
It leapt gracefully, clawing deep into a beast’s skull.
As the creature screamed, Su Cha tilted his head slightly to avoid the splatter. But a drop still landed on his lips.
He wiped it with a delicate finger, smiling sweetly. “So dirty.”
Then he pulled out an Overlord Flower—its toxic scent flooding toward the beast’s wound, like moonlight in motion.
