Free Web NovelChapter 32: Chapter 32: Midnight Bell
The first wave struck from the east.
Qin Yuheng had expected that.
The east wall was visibly damaged, and even though they had reinforced it, the narrow gap they left looked like an inviting weakness. Fog curled around the broken planks, and pale shapes moved beyond the lantern barrier.
Then the first Fog Bone Wolf leaped through.
The lantern flame above the gate flickered, burning its back with blue fire. The creature hissed silently, bones cracking as it landed inside the camp.
Qin Yuheng’s sword was already waiting.
One slash.
The wolf’s skull flame shattered.
It collapsed into bone fragments.
Behind it, more wolves forced their way through the same gap.
"Hold the line," Qin Yuheng said.
Qin Yuchen stepped beside him.
Qin Lian moved along the inner wall.
Qin Mo stood behind the first barricade, holding a formation charm in one hand and a Mana Recovery Pill in the other.
The first wave consisted mostly of Fog Bone Wolves and smaller skeletal beasts called Bone Rats. They were not as individually strong as the Fog Bone Soldiers from the forest, but they had numbers and moved without fear.
The east gap became a killing point.
Qin Yuheng and Qin Yuchen blocked the front, cutting down anything that crossed. Qin Lian struck from the sides, destroying skull flames before the creatures could regroup. Qin Mo activated small bursts of clear light whenever too many enemies gathered.
The lantern barrier helped.
Every fog creature that crossed the blue lantern line was weakened for a few breaths. Their bones smoked with pale flame, and their movements slowed slightly.
Qin Yuheng observed carefully as he fought.
The camp defense mission was not only about killing. It was about maintaining camp integrity and lantern stability. If they chased enemies outside or allowed too many creatures to damage the walls, their evaluation would drop even if they survived.
So he did not pursue.
He forced every fight into the prepared zone.
After fifteen minutes, the first wave intensified.
A group of Bone Rats squeezed through a crack near the southern ground.
Qin Lian noticed first.
"South breach!"
Qin Yuheng did not turn.
"Qin Mo!"
"I see them!"
Qin Mo threw a formation charm toward the south ground. The alarm line Qin Yuheng had placed earlier snapped, triggering a small burst of blue fire from the central flame connection.
The Bone Rats caught fire.
They continued moving, but their formation broke.
Qin Lian rushed over and finished them quickly.
Qin Yuchen stepped forward to cover Qin Yuheng’s left side while he handled the east gap alone.
A larger Fog Bone Wolf pushed through.
Level 9.
It was nearly as tall as Qin Yuheng’s chest, with a skull flame burning deep blue. Its claws left cold marks on the ground.
Qin Yuheng activated Thunder Shadow Flash.
His body blurred.
He appeared at the wolf’s side and cut into its spine.
The wolf twisted unnaturally, jaws snapping toward his arm.
A Defensive Talisman flashed and absorbed the bite.
Qin Yuheng drove the Black Thunder Pattern Sword into its skull flame.
The beast collapsed.
[Fog Bone Wolf defeated.]
[EXP +55]
His EXP continued rising.
But he paid more attention to the camp panel.
[Camp Integrity: 59%]
[Lantern Barrier Stability: 78%]
The camp had lost three percent integrity already.
Not terrible, but the night was long.
The first wave finally ended after nearly thirty minutes.
A message appeared.
[First Wave repelled.]
[Camp Integrity: 58%]
[Lantern Barrier Stability: 77%]
[Preparation time before Second Wave: 20 minutes.]
Qin Mo immediately sat down.
"Twenty minutes. The Tower is generous."
Qin Lian checked the south ground. "The rats widened the crack."
Qin Yuchen inspected the east gap. "The barricade is holding, but the lower planks are damaged."
Qin Yuheng distributed tasks quickly.
"Repair only what is necessary. Do not restore the east gap fully; keep the kill zone. Qin Mo, can you improve the south alarm?"
"With another formation crystal."
Qin Yuheng gave him one.
Qin Mo looked at it, then at Qin Yuheng.
"You are suspiciously rich in formation crystals."
"Use it."
"I will ask questions when we are not surrounded by bones."
The second wave came from two directions. ƒrēewebnovel.com
East and north.
This time, Fog Bone Soldiers appeared among the wolves. Their rusted blades scraped against the wall as they approached, and their movements were far more controlled than the beasts.
The north side had no deliberate kill gap.
That was dangerous.
Qin Yuheng made a quick decision.
"Yuchen, north with Qin Lian. Do not let them damage the lantern line. Qin Mo, support them first. I hold east."
Qin Yuchen hesitated for half a breath.
"You alone?"
"Yes."
"Be careful."
Qin Yuheng smiled faintly.
"I will."
Then the second wave struck.
The east gap filled with wolves again.
Qin Yuheng released more strength than before.
Thunder Shadow Flash moved in short bursts, never too far, never too flashy. His sword cut skull flames, spine cores, and joints with increasing precision. The Origin Thunder Emperor Body Scripture had improved his internal control, allowing him to maintain steady power without wasting energy.
At the north wall, Qin Yuchen and Qin Lian faced three Fog Bone Soldiers.
Their weapons clashed in the blue light.
Fog Bone Soldiers were difficult because they defended their skull flames and spine cores. Ordinary slashes did little. Qin Yuchen used prediction to force their guard open, while Qin Lian attacked from blind angles.
Qin Mo placed a clear-light formation beneath the north lantern.
The lantern flame brightened and burned the soldiers whenever they crossed too deeply.
Still, one soldier struck the wall repeatedly, lowering camp integrity.
Qin Yuheng saw the panel drop.
[Camp Integrity: 52%]
He could not allow that to continue.
He threw a D Grade Defensive Talisman toward the east gap, activating it as a temporary barrier.
Then he used Thunder Shadow Flash twice in succession, crossing the camp to the north wall.
The sudden movement startled even Qin Yuchen.
Qin Yuheng arrived behind the nearest Fog Bone Soldier and struck its spine core with thunder.
Crack!
The soldier collapsed.
Qin Lian immediately killed the second.
Qin Yuchen destroyed the third’s skull flame.
"Return east!" Qin Yuchen said.
Qin Yuheng was already moving.
The temporary talisman barrier at the east gap shattered just as he arrived. Three wolves rushed through.
His sword flashed.
One.
Two.
Three.
All fell.
Qin Mo watched from across the camp.
"That movement skill is unfair."
The second wave lasted longer than the first.
When it ended, everyone was breathing hard.
The panel appeared.
[Second Wave repelled.]
[Camp Integrity: 49%]
[Lantern Barrier Stability: 70%]
[Preparation time before Third Wave: 15 minutes.]
Qin Mo stared at the numbers.
"Below fifty percent. That feels ominous."
Qin Yuheng looked at the lanterns.
The north lantern flickered.
The fog outside pressed closer.
He took out the remaining Bone Fog Flowers they had collected.
Three flowers.
Exactly enough.
He offered them to the central fire.
[Bone Fog Flower x3 offered.]
[Lantern Barrier Stability increased.]
[Lantern Barrier Stability: 80%]
The blue lanterns brightened again.
Qin Yuheng then offered several Fog Bone Shards.
[Fog Bone Shard x5 offered.]
[Lantern Barrier damage increased slightly.]
Their resources from earlier exploration were almost spent.
From now on, they had to rely on combat and strategy.
The pale-light camp guard moved for the first time since the defense began. It walked to the central fire and raised its spear.
"The fog remembers the living."
Qin Yuheng looked at it.
"What comes next?"
The guard’s hollow eyes turned toward the fog.
"The dead who still know how to command."
A cold wind passed through the camp.
The mission panel changed.
[Third Wave approaching.]
[Elite Fog Bone Commander detected.]
Qin Mo slowly stood.
"I would like to withdraw my earlier statement about the Tower being generous."
Outside the north wall, a figure appeared in the fog.
It was taller than the Fog Bone Soldiers, wearing broken bone armor and holding a long rusted spear. Blue fire burned not only in its skull but across its chest like a heart.
Behind it stood a formation of Fog Bone Soldiers. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Qin Yuheng gripped his sword.
The real defense had begun.
