Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 218 Evacuation

The special arrow transformed into a streak of light, not shooting towards the very front of the shockwave, but instead tracing a tricky arc, bypassing the most turbulent energy front and heading straight for a node behind the shockwave where the energy flow was slightly disordered and the pale blue light flickered erratically.

It is precisely at the weak point where the distorted energy of order combines with the energy of death and corruption!

The arrow hit its target!

Boom!!!

An even more violent explosion occurred inside the shockwave.

The highly compressed armor-piercing and explosive runes react violently with the unstable nodes of ordered energy!

The originally unified shock wave was instantly torn apart and disrupted from the inside!

The energy of death and corruption lost its orderly guidance, becoming violent but scattered, with pale blue fragments of orderly energy flying everywhere!

Even so, the weakened and disrupted shockwaves still slammed into the shield wall!

Click!

boom!!!

The solid wall of flames trembled violently, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on its surface.

Blake and the furnace guards all groaned, blood trickling from their mouths, the ground beneath their feet cracking, and they were pushed backward several meters before barely managing to regain their balance.

The shields of the two outermost furnace guards even showed slight deformation.

Ella was thrown off balance by the blast wave. Liana's purifying light membrane shattered instantly.

But they blocked it!

They weren't completely overwhelmed by that terrifying attack!

The giant skeleton seemed even more enraged by the disruption to its attack, and it raised its massive leg again, attempting a second strike.

But at that moment, the light blue device on its shoulder blade reached its peak of buzzing, its light flickered violently a few times, and then suddenly went out!

Several clear cracks appeared on the surface of the device!

As the device malfunctioned, the mixed soul fire in the giant skeleton's eye sockets suddenly dimmed, and its movements froze and became chaotic for a moment, as if it had lost some important assistance or control.

opportunity!

"Run!" Blake roared hoarsely, not even bothering to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Seizing the brief pause, the squad unleashed their last burst of speed, rushing out of the outpost ruins without looking back, disappearing into the more complex and rugged gravel area at the edge of the Ash Plains, using the terrain as cover to quickly move away.

Behind them came the furious but somewhat slow roar of the giant skeleton, and the chaotic howls of the undead horde after losing their clear target.

They ran wildly until they could no longer hear any noise behind them or feel the suffocating pressure of death and decay. Only then did the team stop in a relatively secluded rocky hollow.

Everyone collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, their faces etched with exhaustion and lingering fear after surviving the ordeal.

The armor was covered in dirt and corrosion, and the weapons were badly damaged.

Luo Lin leaned against the rock wall, unable to move even a finger. Waves of stinging pain surged through his mind, and he could barely maintain consciousness.

Ella checked everyone's injuries.

Blake and the Forge Guardians mostly suffered from internal injuries and shocks caused by energy impacts, and they need to recuperate.

Liana is severely overdrawn, but her foundation remains intact.

Rayman wasn't there, otherwise his injuries would probably have worsened. The most troublesome one is Rolin, whose mental energy is severely depleted and whose body has also suffered minor damage; he needs rest and special recovery medication.

"This time—I almost got killed." Kruger spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, still shaken.

"That giant skeleton—and the visitor's device—" Ella looked at Rolin.

"Roland, what was the last thing you saw?"

With his eyes closed, Luo Lin took a few breaths before speaking with difficulty: "The device—is struggling."

"The energy of order — was forcibly distorted and exploited."

99

"At the heart of the skeleton is death and decay, but the control or amplification is achieved using the visitor's technology."

"Perhaps—the Pale Hand—plundered and altered the visitor's device."

This speculation weighed even heavier on everyone's minds.

The Pale Hand not only possesses the technology to utilize the power of death and corruption, but it can also forcibly modify and use the Visitor's highly ordered devices.

What does this mean?

"Anvil Outpost—it's over." Blake's voice was hoarse.

"But we brought back crucial intelligence."

"The scale and danger of the Pale Hand's activities far exceeded expectations."

"They not only entrenched themselves in the throat of the dead, but they can also launch attacks of this scale, and even create and control those—monsters and giant skeletons."

"We must bring the intelligence back to base immediately." Liana forced herself to sit up.

"And Rolin's injuries require professional treatment."

After resting for about half an hour and recovering some of their strength, the group dared not linger. They identified their direction and set off again towards the location of the Seventh Forward Base.

The return journey was exceptionally long and required vigilance.

Fortunately, it seems that due to the previous outbreak and battle, the undead and monsters in this area have been affected and have become sparse, and there has been no more large-scale obstruction.

When the familiar, solid outline of the Seventh Forward Base finally appeared on the horizon, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon entering the base, the wounded were immediately sent to the medical room.

Luo Lin was placed in a private room with a quiet environment. After a thorough examination, the therapist prescribed medication to soothe his mind and repair his body, and instructed him to rest absolutely for several days.

Blake, Ella, and Liana, without taking a break, immediately went to the command center to give an urgent report to General Hossman.

The ward was quiet.

Luo Lin took the medicine and felt its gentle medicinal power slowly seep in, soothing the stinging pain in his mind.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying the scenes of the previous battle.

Giant skeletons, corrupted monsters, twisted and manipulated visitor devices, the increasingly bizarre and powerful methods of the pale hand—and, his own desperate attempt to interfere with the [Disintegration of Order] area.

The results were remarkable, but the cost was too high.

If it weren't for the [Quiet Dust Star] stabilizing the core, I probably would have already suffered a mental breakdown.

This kind of widespread collapse of order must be used as a last resort and not easily employed.

More precise control and more efficient frequency selection are also needed.

As he pondered, drowsiness overcame him, and Luo Lin fell into a deep sleep.

He slept for a full day and night.

When he woke up, he felt somewhat recovered. Although he was still weak, the tearing pain was gone. He got up and moved his somewhat stiff limbs.

The ward door was gently pushed open, and Ella walked in, carrying a food box.

"Awake? How are you feeling?" Ella placed the food box on the bedside table.

"Much better." Luo Lin's voice was still a little hoarse.

"Any new information from the base?"

Ella's expression turned serious: "The situation is not good. The intelligence you brought back is very shocking."

"General Hossman has sent an urgent report to Santa headquarters and the Imperial high command."

"The research department analyzed the situation overnight and confirmed that the corrupted monster was a temporary corrupted creation forcibly catalyzed using the power of tamed corruption, death energy, and remnants of the visitor's order. It was extremely unstable, but its combat power was very strong in a short period of time. And that giant skeleton—"

She paused for a moment: "Preliminary analysis suggests that its core consists of the skeletons of at least a thousand powerful creatures, pieced together and solidified through some advanced necromancy, and dominated by the main soul or a secondary soul of a necromancer who is at least a third-ring necromancer."

"The visitor device on its scapula was indeed forcibly seized and modified to amplify its death energy and may provide some degree of order protection or energy guidance, but the modification was obviously incomplete. The device repels the skeleton, which may be one of its weaknesses."

"The Pale Hand is capable of doing this?" Rowling frowned.

"It's difficult based solely on the known power of the Pale Hand," Ella said in a low voice.

"The general and the research department suspect that they may have received some kind of external assistance, or—they may have discovered a site containing terrifying death and corruption, and bearing the legacy of ancient technology."

"The key may lie deep within the throat of the dead."

"In addition," Ella continued, "the research department also attempted to decipher the visitor remains and encrypted communications remnants you found at Anvil Outpost."

"Although most of the information was lost, several recurring, high-priority signal fragments were captured. Translated, they roughly mean: 'Sector 7 is experiencing an abnormal increase,' 'Coordinates confirmed,' and 'Request for intervention to clear the area.'"

"Intervention and removal?" A thought struck Roland. "The visitor considers the Pale Hand's activity on the throat of the dead as an anomaly requiring removal?"

"They don't just observe; they also have the function of maintenance or cleaning?"

"That's very likely the case," Ella nodded.

"So they clashed with the Pale Hand."

"But clearly, the visitors suffered losses in this confrontation, losing at least some individuals and having their devices stolen."

"This will likely anger them, or cause the forces behind them to increase their level of attention to this area."

Things are getting more and more complicated.

Pale hands, ancient ruins, corrupting forces, the intervention and cleansing functions of visitors—multiple forces intertwine and collide on the stage of the Scorching Hell Fragments.

"What are the base's plans for the future?" Rowling asked.

"Hold off for now, but raise the alert level to the highest level," Ella said.

"The base is deploying more defensive forces and reinforcing its fortifications."

"The Holy Tower and the Empire are also discussing whether to send more high-ranking wizards and elite troops."

"The general means that it is not advisable to launch a large-scale purge before we have figured out all of the Pale Hand's cards and the visitor's further movements."

"But reconnaissance and intelligence gathering cannot stop."

She looked at Rolin: "Your injuries will take time to heal."

"The general wants you to rest and recuperate properly and will not be assigned any missions for the time being."

"However, the research department hopes that you can assist in analyzing the energy structure fragments of those visitor devices and the inner encryption of the flat box you brought back when you are in better condition."

Rowling nodded.

He definitely needs time to recover and process things.

This brush with death, and his extreme use of the [Disruption of Order], has given him a deeper understanding of his own power, and he needs time to process it.

Over the next few days, Luo Lin rested peacefully in the ward and later in the dormitory.

Take your medication on time every day, engage in gentle meditation, and guide the power of [Quiet Dust Star] to slowly repair the subtle damage to your mental sea.

The star power is also gradually recovering under the operation of the [Myriad Stars Cycle].