It’s a strange invasion, is it okay for me to fight back?

Chapter 530 A Hero's Return

Huangfu Miaomiao pulled on the rope and ran forward desperately, while the fish monster followed behind her unconsciously.

Flashbangs can release 600 to 800 million candela of intense light when they explode, which can cause temporary blindness. If the explosion is too close, it can cause retinal burns and permanent vision damage.

The loud noise of an explosion can cause tinnitus, impact the central nervous system, and lead to dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, or even temporary confusion.

These players were just ordinary squads hunting monsters in the vicinity. Their physical fitness, defense, and adaptability were far inferior to those of the Star Society members, and unlike the bald man who carried the witch's secret medicine, Huangfu Miaomiao felt that as long as she ran fast enough, she might be able to escape.

The road was a bit strange. Logically, she should be almost at the seaside, but after running for a long time, the terrain was getting higher and higher. Was this a hillside?

The roads became increasingly desolate, the cement roads turned into gravel roads, and then the roads gradually disappeared, leaving only stones and weeds.

Huangfu Miaomiao took a breath and muttered to herself, "Something's not right... I think I've gone the wrong way."

She stopped and said to the fish monster, "Let's rest for a bit, and I'll use my skill to check the way."

The All-Seeing Eye can see very far and its vision can penetrate all obstacles on the ground. However, it requires concentration to use the skill. Huangfu Miaomiao had to stop to use the All-Seeing Eye.

The flashbang wouldn't delay those players for long; she had to hurry.

Her gaze traveled through the grass and trees, reaching into the distance, until she finally saw the sea.

In the morning light, the horizon where the sea meets the sky is tinged with a gentle, misty pinkish-purple hue. The sun has not yet peeked out, but the water already shimmers with light.

Huangfu Miaomiao was overjoyed.

She was heading in the right direction; as long as she continued along the coast, she would see the Molanjiang Bridge!
But why can't I see the beach?
As the sea stretched ever wider and more magnificent in her field of vision, Huangfu Miaomiao's joy gradually faded, her mood plummeting to rock bottom, turning into frustration and dejection.

“This road is wrong…” She looked around, feeling panicked. “No… this road doesn’t lead to the Molanjiang Bridge. I have to take a detour.”

She withdrew her all-seeing eye, turned and disappeared into the bushes, not daring to return the way she came, for she might very well run into the same group of players from before.

The fish monster crawled very slowly, flattening large swathes of dense vegetation and leaving clearly visible traces.

Huangfu Miaomiao was anxious and didn't know what to do.

The pigeon bell on her body could reveal her location at any time, so abandoning the fish monster now would be pointless.

She poured all the water from the bucket into the fish monster's mouth and said to it with a troubled expression, "I've gone the wrong way. This isn't the way to the beach. We need to find a way around to get down, but we might run into those people on the way... So we need to hurry and get to the beach before they find us. Once you have enough water, you can deal with them. You have to hold on!"

Her voice trembled slightly as she said this, clearly indicating that she was very frightened.

Because she knew that the hope of successfully escaping was becoming increasingly slim. If she hadn't taken the wrong path in the first place, there might still have been a glimmer of hope, but now...

Huangfu Miaomiao's eyes gradually reddened, and she felt like crying.

The fish monster looked at her and asked in a hoarse voice, "What if... I can't deal with them...?"

"No, you're that strong!" Huangfu Miaomiao wiped away her tears and continued walking with the fish monster in her hand. "As long as you get enough water, none of them can beat you!"

The fish monster said hoarsely, "I'm not powerful. I've always been... weak. No one has seen me, and no one remembers me..."

"Why do you say that?" Huangfu Miaomiao thought he was bothered by his amnesia, so she comforted him as they walked, "Once we get to the quarantine area, we'll contact the Supervision Bureau. They'll definitely be able to find out your identity, and maybe even resolve the contamination levels in your body. Don't be discouraged! As long as we get back, there will always be a solution!"

The fish-monster was silent for a moment, then said with a sense of loss, "You really want to go back to the quarantine zone, so it seems you really... like humans..."

Does she like humans?

She didn't know; she just instinctively wanted to go back and reconnect with her companions.

Huangfu Miaomiao felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She wiped away her tears again and said, "If you were bullied outside, you would feel the same way I did... Waaah, I really miss Feng Ling, I miss Zheng Zheng, and even that Taoist priest I used to hate, I miss him now. But, maybe I can never go back..."

Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Suddenly, the air seemed to be pierced!

With a hiss, a long, bone-spiked arrow shot out and pierced the fish monster's body!

Huangfu Miaomiao was startled and hurriedly hid behind the fish monster. Just a few steps away, three more sharp arrows shot towards her!
Two arrows struck the fish monster, and another arrow landed on her heel!

"They're coming!" Huangfu Miaomiao's face turned pale. She used her all-knowing eye to look in the direction the arrow had been shot and discovered that the four players from before were lying in ambush not far below!

They were wary of the flashbangs in Huangfu Miaomiao's hands, so they chose to attack from a distance. Once they killed the fish monster, capturing Huangfu Miaomiao was only a matter of time.

"Run!" Huangfu Miaomiao fled in panic.

However, the arrows kept coming, forming an encirclement that blocked almost every direction!
Huangfu Miaomiao could only run upwards.

As dawn broke ahead and the sea breeze caressed her face, the ocean came into view, but her heart felt as if it had fallen into an icy abyss.

Because she knew it was a dead end!
Her steps came to a halt at the end of the road. She knelt down helplessly, looking at the rocks and waves below the cliff, her heart filled with despair.

She took the wrong path and ended up at a cliff. There was a drop of nearly 100 meters to the sea in front of her, and the pursuers behind her were closing in. There was no way to escape.

"No, I can't escape anymore..." She supported herself on the ground, tears streaming down her face. "I'll never see Feng Ling again..."

The fish monster slowly crawled over, staring blankly at the vast, boundless sea.

whoosh-

Another sharp arrow pierced the fish's fin, blood gushed out, and the dry scales became wet. It was oblivious to the pain and said to Huangfu Miaomiao in a hoarse voice, "You can escape."

Huangfu Miaomiao glanced at it with tears in her eyes, then looked at the sea, shaking her head and crying, "You'll fall to your death. It's too high up here, and there are reefs all below."

Blood seeped from the fish monster's eyes, but its expression remained unusually calm. "I will die, but you may not."

"What?" Huangfu Miaomiao didn't understand.

The fish monster suddenly opened its mouth and snatched her up, its powerful tail fin slamming against the ground! Using the momentum, its massive body leaped high forward—

Countless arrows shot at it! Like arrows aimed at the most conspicuous target in the sky!
The rising sun cast a golden glow on its dull scales, which shone briefly for a few seconds before sinking into the dark sea.

……

boom!
The violent impact nearly made Huangfu Miaomiao faint.

Her vision blurred, her body grew cold, seawater poured into her mouth and nose from all directions, and her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by a boulder.

She felt the pain of suffocation, but was unable to call for help or make any sound.

The pain subsided after a while, and a force lifted her from below, bringing her to the surface.

In her dazed state, she heard the fish monster speak: "I once thought I would become a hero, but I never succeeded... If I can save you with this life, wouldn't I be considered a hero...?"

Huangfu Miaomiao tried to speak, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she kept spitting out seawater, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

She cried out, "Don't...die..."

"I'm going to die sooner or later, my pollution level is beyond saving..." the fish monster sighed softly, "It's so good to have met you before I die... Thank you..."

The sea breeze blew by, and the fish monster's enormous body became like a floating island, but it never made a sound again.

She clung to the fish monster and wailed.

　From the perspective of the main plot, Fang Ye is actually a dispensable character. Removing him wouldn't affect the female lead's storyline. I don't know what motivated me to write such a character; perhaps it was an experiment? Before starting the book, you have to create an outline and character designs. At that time, I thought, could I write a minor character detached from the main plot, like a contrasting character to the female lead—mediocre, uninteresting, with low presence, lacking courage and ability, but also having his own dreams? And so I wrote it. Some readers left comments saying they didn't understand why the author wrote him, that the character was unlikable and annoying because he popped up from time to time. I never dared to say anything when I saw similar reviews… because I myself didn't understand my motivation for writing him. Oh well… now he's gone, and the next chapter's plot is once again handed over to our Feng Ling! (Some random thoughts about the character's departure)
　　(End of this chapter)