Chang Hai’s eyes almost split with desperation as he watched the scene unfold before him. He desperately wanted to rush over to help, but it was already too late.
Moreover, with his current level of strength, any attempt at rescue simply didn’t exist—it would just mean another life lost.
In an instant, a mix of despair, regret, and rage alternated in his mind. Although he had long been prepared for such an outcome, when the moment actually arrived, his heart still filled with an indomitable sense of unwillingness.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the movements of those grey spiders, as observed through his Spirit Detection Technique, were crystal clear.
From where Chang Hai stood, he couldn’t see his team members, but he could see those monsters.
Despite possessing the ability to glimpse the supernatural, he lacked the corresponding physical power. His body simply couldn’t keep up with the perceptions granted by the Spirit Detection Technique, leaving him helpless to do nothing but watch.
But then something shocking happened to Chang Hai.
In his field of view, the bodies of those spiders leapt into the air, drawing arcs as they pounced towards the same location.
But as they sailed through the air, they came to a sudden halt as though they had hit something, then violently flew back.
The remaining spiders seemed to want to continue their attack, but they were all unable to cross the same distance, being repelled one by one.
It was as though there was an invisible wall of air there.
Unable to help himself, Chang Hai widened his eyes, for in his perception of Spirit Detection Technique, a wall had indeed appeared in front of those spiders.
A wall composed of energy.
To be precise, it would be more apt to call it a shield.
"A shield? How could there be a shield here?"
Caught off guard by this unexpected change, Chang Hai was momentarily stunned, then quickly snapped back to reality and looked around him.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."
Following his gaze, three figures emerged from the mist behind him, all radiating energy fluctuations, clearly not ordinary individuals.
One of the three was fully equipped in a blue-purple armor, a sight Chang Hai had seen at the base, the very knight on horseback that had arrived yesterday.
He even recalled Minister Hu mentioning that these individuals weren’t real people, but rather puppets formed from condensed energy.
"Formed from energy?"
Chang Hai was momentarily dumbstruck. He had been too far away the day before to see the knight’s appearance clearly, but now, it struck him as quite astonishing.
This broad physique, the armor that seemed so substantial, and the heavy footsteps—none of these seemed to be formed from energy.
With a surprised expression on his face, Chang Hai then turned his gaze to the other two individuals.
They were two men in hooded green and gold garments, attire unlike ordinary clothes with flowing hems and an ethereal form. He could even feel a special kind of energy emanating from them.
At that moment, a strange thought unexpectedly popped into Chang Hai’s head—it was as if these garments were what real Transcendents should be wearing.
As he pondered, the three figures approached.
One of them raised a hand level with his chest pointing towards the spiders, a pale golden light flickering in his hand. It was clear that the wall had been created by him.
"Haha, it seems my guess was right, there really are people over there."
The man uttered something that brought Chang Hai back to his senses, prompting him to quickly glance back at the location where the spiders were.
The spiders seemed unaware of the events transpiring, still relentlessly crashing against the shield—Chang Hai breathed a sigh of relief but soon tensed again.
He didn’t know how long the shield would hold, but observing the ease of the man before him, it shouldn’t disappear too quickly, should it?
Chang Hai knew that these individuals must be the Transcendents from the organization known as the Star Alliance, who had come to support his team without doubt.
"Thank you both for your help! My name is Chang Hai, from the Azure Dragon Army’s Ninth Combat Squad; there are still many monsters out there, I hope you can lend your strength! Much appreciated!"
He spoke rapidly, not daring to delay:
"Oh, and they seem to spit a kind of web ball that doesn’t appear toxic, but it’s very sticky, please be careful!"
Another muscular man spoke up, then turned to look at his companions:
"Brother Hero, I’ll go finish those creatures off. This area is yours now."
"No problem, go ahead."
The dialogue between the two was brief. They were none other than Brother Hero and Lord Bear, who had traveled here aboard the Dawn to battle the monsters.
Lord Bear clapped his hands together sharply, then slowly drew them apart, and a silver-white object began to extend in his hands.
Once the object fully revealed itself, Chang Hai could see that it was a silver-white long spear.
"Taotie! Don’t forget to leave a couple for me!"
Amidst Brother Hero’s words, Lord Bear launched himself off the ground, charging towards the group of spiders.
At the same time, the armored Star Guard also moved into action, following Lord Bear’s lead.
Before Lord Bear even reached them, his long spear flew from his hands, instantly piercing the nearest spider.