Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Abandonment and Rescue
The caravan proceeded orderly, with Geov waiting for Qiqi's message. However, for some reason, Qiqi hadn't returned for a long time, which made Geov feel uneasy. Could something have happened? It shouldn't be possible. Qiqi was curious by nature, but she was also smart and knew right from wrong. During missions, she would suppress her curiosity as much as possible. Therefore, aside from her curiosity, she possessed all the qualities of an elite scout. If there were any issues or dangers, she would definitely report back immediately. Even if everything was safe, she would still come back to report periodically. But it had been too long now, and Qiqi still hadn't returned, far exceeding her usual reconnaissance time.
Geov furrowed his brow slightly, instinctively picking up the large sword and shield beside him. The others were also nervously waiting, praying that it was just their imagination or perhaps a delay due to unfamiliarity with the new route. Qiqi was lively and cute, the life of the team. They didn't want to lose their companion.
Only Field remained fast asleep.
"There's trouble!" Just then, Martina, who had been on alert on the roof of the carriage, suddenly stood up and exclaimed. She saw a small figure darting out of the forest in the distance.
The vision of archers was exceptional, and Martina, with her blue-glowing eyes, finally saw clearly.
It was indeed Qiqi!
However, Martina couldn't bring herself to smile because she clearly saw Qiqi running while clutching her arm, blood seeping through her fingers, her face pale with panic.
Injured?!
Before Martina could fully comprehend the situation, another dark figure rushed out of the forest, slightly faster than Qiqi, heading straight for her.
When Martina saw the appearance of the dark figure, fear crept onto her face.
"A monster is chasing Qiqi!"
"Oh no, it's catching up! Qiqi isn't its match!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, quickly picking up their weapons to prepare for a rescue.
However, at that moment, Geov's voice suddenly rang out, "Don't go!"
The others looked at Geov in confusion, seeing his expression extremely grim, even a hint of... fear?
At this moment, Geov also saw the appearance of the dark figure clearly, and in his mind appeared a bloody scene, the deep-rooted fear preventing him from summoning the courage to face it.
He could lead the team to confront monsters up to three stars below Gold level, but he couldn't face this kind of creature!
"Captain, Qiqi..."
"Don't go, we can't save her!" After speaking, Geov immediately shouted at the coachman, "Quick, change direction!"
"Are we going to abandon Qiqi?!" Martina exclaimed angrily.
"Not abandoning her, we'll all die if we stay!" Geov's face grew even paler, as he realized that Qiqi was leading that monster towards them!
However, with seven or eight miles between them, it would only take a few minutes to arrive! They had to run or it would be too late!
"What is that, Captain? Why are we abandoning Qiqi?!" Warren asked anxiously. If Geov didn't provide a suitable explanation, he and his brother, Walt, would rush out to rescue her.
"It's not a monster, idiot. It's a Lycan!"
"The Lycan of the Bloodthirsty Land!!!"
In an instant, everyone's faces turned pale. Although they hadn't seen it, they had all heard of it. Brutal and bloodthirsty, enjoying slaughter for pleasure. A while back, an entire adventure team, all of them at least Silver-ranked, with the vice-captain at Gold Two-star, encountered a Lycan. The result was that when the search team arrived, they only found dismembered limbs and blood. Eight members of the team, their remains scattered so far apart that the skull and the foot were over 800 meters apart!
They could only imagine how brutal of a creature it was.
The escort team, including Qiqi, consisted of five people, all of them Silver-ranked at Six or Seven stars, with only the captain at Silver Nine-star, and a new hire, a mercenary who wasn't even at Gold level. No matter how you looked at it, they were no match for a Lycan!
Staying would mean death!
At this moment, everyone fell silent.
Warren and Walt put away their long swords and said nothing. Geov shouted at the coachman to hurry up. Martina squatted on the roof, looking at the direction where Qiqi was, her face full of sorrow.
The Lycan was getting closer to Qiqi, and you could imagine what would happen next.
Before long, the Lycan approached Qiqi and lunged at her with its claws. Martina could hardly bear to watch.
However, at the critical moment, Qiqi rolled into a somersault, avoiding the attack, then quickly got up and continued to run. A cyan light flashed on her body, and her speed skyrocketed. In contrast, the Lycan, having missed its pounce, couldn't stop in time and slid far away.
This resulted in Qiqi once again creating distance between herself and the Lycan.
Martina was somewhat surprised. The Lycan was faster than Qiqi, so Qiqi must have used this method to narrowly evade the Lycan's attacks all the way here.
But then, her heart sank again.
Qiqi was still over a kilometer away from the group, but she seemed to have tapped into some hidden potential, perhaps fueled by seeing the others and feeling hope. Her speed was even faster than usual.
However, the Lycan continued to pursue her relentlessly. And because it had failed to catch her several times, it was clearly enraged, its body now emanating a red aura as it sped up.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Qiqi caught up with the caravan. Though the beast of burden was steady, it had a flaw—it couldn't run fast.
At this moment, Martina's feelings were complicated. She hoped Qiqi would escape the Lycan and survive, yet at the same time, she wished Qiqi would fall and be caught by the Lycan, at least preventing the creature from being led to them...
"Captain..." Her conflicting emotions and reluctance made her turn back to Geov.
But his response was silence.
"Help me!" Qiqi was getting closer, her cries reaching the ears of the group.
But Martina could only grit her teeth, close her eyes, and turn her head away, pretending not to hear.
She could tell that Qiqi had just given her all in that last burst of energy. In this final stretch, Qiqi wouldn't be able to catch up...
And even if she did break through her limits and catch up to the caravan, she would likely be targeted by the archers...
Qiqi felt like her lungs were about to burst. After a perilous escape and a near miss where she grazed her arm on the Lycan's claws, she was running on fumes, relying solely on willpower to keep going.
Seeing the team, she felt a glimmer of hope, thinking they would pick up their weapons and confront the monster behind her together.
But what she didn't expect was for them to turn around and run without looking back.
In that moment, she felt like crying.
"Don't leave me..." She reached out her hand, as if trying to grab hold of the carriage, which was still a hundred meters away.
But as hope faded, her willpower crumbled, dragging her body down with it.
Her legs gave out, and she fell, the immense inertia causing her to roll several times before she couldn't get up anymore.
She could only lift her head with difficulty, looking in the direction of the caravan, only to find nobody looking at her, as if avoiding her gaze.
That gaze, filled with despair and sadness.
We promised... to be... companions...
The Lycan's roar was getting closer, and she had no strength left to dodge...
She was going to die...
But just then, a fierce wind swept in, and a massive figure suddenly appeared in front of her, like a siege engine crashing into the Lycan.
In that moment, even the ground trembled.
The Lycan was thrown back like a stone.
Qiqi stared blankly at the towering figure in front of her, and the teeth that were bared when he smiled.
"Need some help, little kitty?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone