Feng Jue didn't speak, but his attitude said everything.
This was the Mist.
No one knew why the Mist had appeared here.
But the fact remained.
The customers immediately panicked upon hearing this.
"The Mist? You must be joking!"
"Exactly! The Mist is only at Daxia's borders, blocked by the military! How could it appear in Vermilion Bird City?"
"Hey, don't scare people like that! My wife and kids are still at home!"
Su Zhan and the others remained silent.
Naturally, they panicked in this situation.
Well... that might not be entirely accurate.
Su Zhan and his group were also quite alarmed.
"Fuck! Why did all the streetlights go out?!"
"My phone... I've got no signal!"
"Boss! Your WiFi's down too!"
"It's not just the network - there's no signal at all, like something's blocking it!"
Panic spread through the crowd.
"Call the authorities! Quick!"
"Damn it! No signal means no calls!"
"The back door! Let's escape through the back!"
"The whole street is surrounded by Mist - where can we go?"
"Then what?! Just wait here to die?!"
"This is Vermilion Bird City! The Vermilion Bird Academy won't just stand by!"
Vermilion Bird Academy?
Su Zhan pondered this.
Vermilion Bird Academy gathered the strongest teaching resources in southern Daxia.
If even they couldn't save them...
Then few in Daxia could.
"Stall! Stall until Vermilion Bird Academy sends reinforcements!"
Su Zhan declared.
Feng Jue, Liu Ziming, and Xu Hao nodded in agreement.
Facing the Mist, no one dared arrogantly claim they could survive.
After all, no one knew what level of Mist creatures might emerge.
At that moment.
An inhuman growl came from within the Mist.
Piercingly loud.
Unmistakable in the Mist-shrouded street.
"Ahhh—! What was that sound?!"
A girl screamed, covering her ears, her face deathly pale as she nearly collapsed.
"That's not human... definitely not human!"
"The door! Block the door! They're coming in!"
Several men frantically pushed tables and chairs against the entrance.
But their hands shook so badly that a chair crashed to the floor, startling everyone.
"Hide! Quick, hide!"
Some crawled under tables, others shrank into corners, and a few even dashed blindly into the kitchen.
Just then.
The barbecue restaurant owner suddenly pointed at Su Zhan's group: "Them! They came earlier asking if Vermilion Bird Academy students get discounts! They're freshmen! Awakened ones!"
Instantly, all eyes turned toward them.
Hope flickered in the despair-filled atmosphere.
"That's right! They're Awakened! They can protect us!"
"Please! Save us!"
A mother clutching her child knelt before Su Zhan's group.
"Ma'am, please don't—"
Liu Ziming looked flustered, quickly stepping forward to help her up.
"I won't! Not unless you promise to protect us!"
The middle-aged woman refused to budge no matter what.
Liu Ziming glanced at the others, silently seeking their opinion.
Su Zhan seemed preoccupied, staring intently at the Mist.
Feng Jue remained characteristically silent.
Only Xu Hao stepped forward to mediate: "Ma'am, find somewhere to hide first. Where we fight will be most dangerous - you might get caught in the crossfire."
Su Zhan raised an eyebrow.
This short guy had good social skills.
Neither promising nor refusing protection, just stating the risks of staying near them.
Sure enough.
The woman immediately grabbed her child and ran.
But many weren't convinced.
"Cut the crap! You've got superpowers - do something!"
"Exactly! You're from Vermilion Bird Academy! You can't just abandon us!"
Their fear had transformed into anger, now directed at the four.
"If you run, we'll all die here!"
"Aren't you supposed to be geniuses? Go guard the entrance!"
The crowd grew increasingly agitated.
Some even blocked the exits, afraid the group might abandon them.
Fear made them hysterical.
Guilt-trip after guilt-trip came hurling their way.
Su Zhan's expression grew colder.
He wondered if this might be a test from Vermilion Bird Academy.
Deliberately creating Mist to observe their abilities and character.
Top academies often pulled such stunts.
If so...
What would qualify as passing?
Su Zhan hazarded a guess.
First: reaction to sudden crisis.
Second: combat performance.
Third: never abandon, never give up.
The last point was surely most important.
His past life's TV shows taught him many strong candidates failed solely on this criterion.
But what if the Mist was real?
Unable to discern its authenticity, Su Zhan remained cautious.
Then his eyes narrowed.
Amid the churning Mist, a dozen twisted shadows slowly advanced.
Creatures no natural world should produce.
Two meters tall even crawling, bodies covered in bluish-gray keratin.
Where heads should be gaped only vertically-split maws, serrated fangs dripping mucus.
Four malformed arms protruded from torsos, each ending in three human-like fingers.
If human fingers could sprout half-meter black claws.
Their dragging tails resembled skinned pythons, forked ends twitching spasmodically.
"Ugh—"
Someone vomited instantly.
The eyeless creatures somehow focused on the crowd.
Gill-like organs on their heads flapped rhythmically, emitting horrifying sounds.
"Holy shit!"
A drunkard blurted out.
The lead monster suddenly lunged!
Its movement defied physics.
Six limbs moved discordantly yet left afterimages.
A claw flashed—CRACK—bisecting a man at the waist.
"AAAAH!"
Screams erupted as the crowd scattered like startled ants.
Now.
No one criticized Su Zhan's group.
Everyone ran for their lives.
"Fuck me..."
Liu Ziming's pupils contracted as he muttered.
Seeing the others far calmer than himself,
He shakily straightened his back.
Damn it, if they weren't scared, neither was he!
"Mist creatures. Snake-Tailed Beasts."
Feng Jue stated emotionlessly: "Colonial species. Judging by coloration, below First Realm - weaker than Dew Realm."
Liu Ziming snapped: "Get to the point! Weaknesses?"
"Degraded vision. Gill-like organs emit bat-like sonar to locate prey."
Feng Jue rapid-fired: "Destroy those gill organs and they become truly blind!"