High Martial: I Use Everything as Swords

Chapter 228: Chapter 199: Advent of the Sword, The Lone Walker’s Return

After taking care of everything, Han Feng didn’t relax.

He raised his hand, pointing first to the Shield overhead, which was slowly regaining its luminescence, then to the impenetrable darkness outside the door.

"I know a lot of you want to get out."

Han Feng’s voice wasn’t loud, but empowered by his Divine Sense, it carried clearly into every corner.

"But I’d advise you to give up on that idea."

"Because things outside are a lot more hectic than you imagine."

He paused, holding up three fingers.

"Three of them."

"At least three big ones, with auras around Tier Three, are leading thousands of their minions and have this place surrounded."

The moment he said this, the crowd, which had only just settled down, erupted into a commotion once more.

Tier Three!

Those were beings that only a Grandmaster Level expert could contend with.

To a Tier Three Spirit Body, this group of students—the strongest of whom were merely in the Meridian Passage Realm—were no different than snacks.

"So we’re dead for sure?"

someone cried out in despair.

"You won’t die."

Han Feng drew the Desert Python Handgun from his waist. He spoke as he casually checked the magazine.

"As long as I’m alive, this Shield won’t fall."

"Do you understand?"

Those last three words landed like a clap of thunder.

"Understood!"

Wang Meng was the first one to roar it out. Not caring about anyone else’s reaction, the guy slung his axe over his shoulder and rushed to Han Feng’s side, grinning like a 300-pound fool.

"I knew you wouldn’t die, you brat! You scared the hell out of me!"

With Han Feng acting as their pillar of support, the atmosphere in the hall changed in an instant.

The sense of despair that had brought them to the brink of collapse didn’t vanish completely, but at least no one was thinking of making a suicidal charge for the main doors anymore.

Everyone looked at the young man sitting on the steps, covered in dust. In their gazes, besides awe, there was a greater sense of inexplicable reassurance.

’Right.’

’This man could instantly kill the Tier Two Peak Eagle King and even fight his way through that terrifying Illusion Realm.’

’With him here, maybe they really could survive.’

In front of the control console, Zhou Qi and Zhao Hai led a team to frantically feed Crystal Stones into the Array.

As one Spirit Crystal after another transformed into pure Energy, the temperature inside the hall began to rise, and the hum of the Shield grew steady and strong.

Han Feng leaned against the steps, closing his eyes and resting his mind.

In reality, he was seizing every moment to circulate the Cyan Cloud Spirit Martial Technique and restore his depleted Sword Essence.

"Han Feng."

Just then, a soft voice sounded by his ear.

Han Feng opened his eyes to see Su Yue crouching beside him.

She was holding a data terminal, its screen cracked, and she had an uneasy look on her face.

"What is it?"

Han Feng didn’t move, merely sweeping his Divine Sense over her.

After confirming that no one nearby was paying attention, Su Yue held the screen out to Han Feng and said in a hushed voice,

"When the beacon was launched just now, I was monitoring the backend data."

"Everyone thinks it was blocked by that containment Force Field."

"But I checked the logs..."

Su Yue took a deep breath, her finger tracing a red waveform on the screen.

"The instant the signal was transmitted, there was a 0.03-second delay."

"And then, a reverse intercept command."

Han Feng’s pupils contracted sharply.

’An intercept command.’

He knew exactly what that meant.

If it had simply hit a wall and bounced back, that would be a physical obstruction.

But an intercept command...

That meant the so-called Beacon Array had been programmed with a core logic from the very start: "Do not send distress signals."

This was sabotage.

Han Feng instinctively glanced at Zhao Hai, who was busy in the distance.

The researcher from Star Sea Technology was directing people to move Crystal Stones, an expression of post-calamity relief on his face. He looked completely flawless.

"Keep this to yourself," Han Feng said, staring into Su Yue’s eyes, his voice barely a whisper. "Don’t tell anyone. Not even Captain Zhang."

Su Yue nodded. Even though she was just a student, she knew how deep the conspiracy behind this ran.

If word of this got out, the fragile calm they had just established would instantly shatter.

"There’s one more thing."

Su Yue’s fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, pulling up the real-time feedback display for the Beacon Array.

The blue lines that should have represented energy fluctuations were now completely obscured by a swath of bizarre red static.

"Look at this."

Su Yue pointed to the edge of the screen, where a cluster of lines was jumping erratically, like an ECG readout.

"What’s that?" Han Feng frowned.

"The gray mist outside."

Su Yue’s expression was even grimmer than before, her voice laced with dread.

"I noticed something was off when you came back earlier."

"The energy structure of the mist has changed."

"Before, it was just an inanimate thing—an aggregation of energy."

"But now..."

Su Yue looked at Han Feng, her lips trembling slightly.

"They’ve become ’active.’"

"’Active’?" Han Feng didn’t quite understand the technical term.

"It means..."

Su Yue swallowed hard. "It’s like... something has ’awakened’ them. They’re consciously... feeding."

As if to confirm Su Yue’s words.

THUD!

Another dull impact sounded from outside the hall.

It wasn’t the main doors.

It came from overhead. freewebnoveℓ.com

Everyone looked up in terror.

Beyond the newly reinforced blue Shield,

the gray mist, which had been merely swirling about, was now condensing into enormous human faces.

The faces pressed against the Shield’s surface, their features contorted. They opened their gaping, black-hole-like mouths and began to frantically gnaw away at the Shield’s Energy.

SIZZLE... SIZZLE...

A hair-raising chewing sound seeped through the Shield.