Some stayed.

Naturally, some hesitated.

And they were the majority.

Finally, someone broke the heavy silence.

A slightly plump, middle-aged Forging Master tremblingly raised his hand. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“Gu... Gu Yan, Guild Master, I... I still have a wife and children at home, I...”

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Gu Yan glanced at him, his sharp eyes now returning to their usual turbidity and peacefulness.

He waved his hand, his voice tinged with desolation.

“Those who want to leave, leave.”

“I won't stop you.”

“Everyone has a family to support; wanting to live is not shameful.”

Having received the Guild Master's approval, the middle-aged Forging Master felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ scrambled towards his locker, hastily stuffing some valuable Materials into his backpack, and ran out of the Forging Guild's main door without looking back.

Where there was one, there was a second.

One after another, dozens more Forging Masters chose to leave.

They dared not look at Gu Yan, nor Ouyezi, only bowing their heads like children who had done something wrong, frantically fleeing this place that made them feel ashamed.

Shen Qiu stood rooted to the spot, his face alternating between green and pale, the scales of his heart swaying violently.

He looked at the backs of those who resolutely walked towards the forging room, and then at his colleagues who were fleeing in a panic.

Ultimately, the instinct for survival still outweighed that nascent spark of passion and integrity.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Gu Yan.

“Guild Master.”

His voice was dry, filled with bitterness and helplessness.

“Thank you for your guidance all these years.”

“I greatly admire you, and I also admire Great Master Ouyezi.”

“But I... I can't do it.”

He raised his head, his eyes, which were always calculating, now filled with fear and pleading.

“I don't want to die.”

“I really don't want to die, Guild Master.”

“My apologies.”

After speaking, he no longer spared Gu Yan another glance, as if staying for another second would cause him to be swallowed by that invisible Qi field.

He turned around, stumbled towards his office, grabbed the leather suitcase he had prepared long ago, filled with his life's savings, and fled the building as if escaping.

Soon, the once bustling and noisy Forging Guild hall became much emptier.

Fewer than fifty remained.

Over two hundred had left.

When disaster strikes, everyone fends for themselves.

This is human nature.

Zhou Huai watched all this, his heart unmoved.

He had no right to criticize those who chose to leave.

Everyone has the right to choose how they live.

His gaze fell upon the graceful figure beside him who had not moved an inch from beginning to end.

“Aren't you leaving?” Zhou Huai, controlling Ouyezi, asked in a calm voice.

Lin Wei looked up, a brilliant smile blooming on her pretty face, which usually carried a hint of timidity.

She gently shook her head.

“I'm not leaving.”

“Although I'm just an ordinary person and can't do much, Donghai City is my home, and I want to contribute to it.”

Her voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

“Many people have left now, so there must be an urgent need for manpower. I can stay and help with counting Materials, organizing blueprints, and handling the transportation and distribution of equipment.”

Zhou Huai was a little surprised.

He usually didn't pay much attention to this diligent little assistant.

He hadn't expected that this seemingly delicate girl possessed more courage deep down than those burly men.

She had even clearly thought out what she should do next.

For the first time, a gentle smile appeared on Ouyezi's face.

He took out an ancient-looking Storage Ring from his embrace and handed it to Lin Wei.

“Inside are some pieces of equipment I've forged recently.”

“Take those from the Guild's storeroom as well and deliver them to the East Gate as soon as possible.”

This ring contained precisely the over three hundred Epic-grade pieces of equipment he had prepared earlier for the Eternal Night Guild members.

Although it was still a drop in the bucket for the entire battle.

At the very least, it could give a portion of the warriors on the front lines a greater chance of survival.

Lin Wei looked at the ring before her, paused, then nodded heavily, carefully taking it and clutching it tightly in her hand.

“Great Master Ouyezi, please rest assured! I guarantee I will complete the mission!”

Having given these instructions, Zhou Huai said no more.

He turned around and, under Gu Yan's gratified gaze, re-entered his top-tier forging room.

“Bang!”

The heavy metal door slowly closed.

Completely isolating the outside world's clamor and the fires of war.

Next, he was going to forge some truly battle-turning Sharp Weapons for Donghai City's top combatants.

He took another ring from Ouyezi's person.

Inside were all the top-tier Materials Jasmine had plundered from the ruins.

Among them were rare Materials sufficient to forge Legendary-grade equipment.

Now, the only thing missing was a sufficiently powerful blueprint.

Zhou Huai took a deep breath and summoned Ouyezi's exclusive skill.

Myriad Forms Divine Brush!

...At the same time.

Two hundred kilometers away, Jiangning City.

The Governor's Mansion was brightly lit.

Hou Changfeng, with his hands behind his back, paced anxiously in his spacious office like a tiger trapped in a cage.

Ever since he deduced earlier in the day that the Secret Realm controlled by the Zhou Family was likely an ancient ruin.

His ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger.

He immediately sent Li Gang to lead a team to try and control the situation.

But in the end, it was still too late.

As the light from the Ye Family's teleportation gate continuously brightened, wave after wave of refugees from Donghai City poured into Jiangning City.

The news that Donghai City was suffering from a massive beast tide also exploded among the higher-ups of Jiangning City like a bombshell.

“Bang!”

The office door was suddenly pushed open.

An intelligence officer, without even knocking, rushed in frantically, his face filled with terror and shock.

Hou Changfeng abruptly stopped, grabbed his collar, and asked urgently.

“What's the situation? Is Donghai City really facing a beast tide?”

The officer's face was ashen, and he nodded heavily, his voice hoarse from extreme fear.

“Governor... it's true!”

“According to the intelligence we just received,”

“This beast tide, its scale... its scale is unprecedented!”

He swallowed with difficulty, his voice trembling as he said, “Donghai City is closest to the epicenter of the beast tide and is at the very center of its impact!”

“It's not just Donghai City! Xiyuan City and Futai City, which are adjacent to Donghai City, have also simultaneously suffered beast tide attacks of varying degrees!”

“Even... even a portion of the beast tide is spreading outwards! It is estimated... estimated that it will reach the vicinity of our Jiangning City by tomorrow morning!”

Hou Changfeng's pupils suddenly contracted, and the force in his hand involuntarily increased.

“How large is the scale exactly?!”

The officer was almost choked by him, his face flushed, and he squeezed out a few despairing words through gritted teeth.

“Over... over a million!”

“According to energy reaction analysis, the number of Calamity-grade BOSSes alone is at least several thousand! As for... as for Hell-grade BOSSes, the number... is currently unknown!”

“Currently, people teleported from Donghai City say that their city has not yet completely fallen. Minister Li Gang... is leading all the professionals in the city, stubbornly defending the East City Wall!”

Boom!

In Hou Changfeng's mind, it was as if thunder had exploded.

He released his grip, staggered back two steps, and collapsed onto the office chair behind him.

It's over.

His worst premonition had finally come true.

A beast tide of over a million.

Several thousand Calamity-grade BOSSes.

And an unknown number of Hell-grade ones... What kind of concept was that?

That was a terrifying natural disaster capable of easily annihilating a small country!

Let alone a small Donghai City.

Perhaps the entire Dongning Province would be razed to the ground under this black torrent!

After a brief moment of daze, a towering rage surged from the bottom of Hou Changfeng's heart.

“Zhou Family! Liu Family!”

He slammed his fist heavily onto the office desk in front of him, made of century-old agarwood, letting out an earth-shattering roar!

“These lunatics! These bastards!”

He could now be one hundred percent certain that this catastrophe was absolutely related to that ruin, and to the Zhou and Liu Families!

However, now was not the time to assign blame.

Hou Changfeng forced himself to calm down.

He suddenly stood up, grabbed the red encrypted phone on the desk, and without hesitation, dialed a number from the Imperial Capital.

The phone rang only once before it was answered.

From the receiver came a slightly aged but powerful voice, with a hint of teasing.

“Oh, has the sun risen from the west today?!”

“I didn't expect you, Governor Hou, so busy with affairs, to still have time to call an old man like me?”

Normally, Hou Changfeng might have joked along and exchanged pleasantries.

But at this moment, his voice was filled with unprecedented solemnity and urgency.

“Teacher!”

“Something big has happened in Dongning Province!”