Chapter 137 What on Earth Is It?

Chapter 137: What on Earth Is It?

"Rumble..."

Another burst of energy erupted outside, accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground.

Seconds later, the enraged roars of Sentinels and the snarls of unknown creatures echoed from a distance—faint but clearly not far away.

The wooden cabin no longer felt safe.

Fang Ran’s nerves snapped taut. He exchanged a look with Zhong Wan, and both quickly rose to their feet, hurrying toward Fang Liyu and the others.

Several guides sitting by the windows paled, their eyes fixed on the scene outside as they exclaimed in alarm.

"Look!"

"What are those things down there?"

Fang Ran and Zhong Wan halted mid-stride, instinctively glancing outside.

Large sections of the grassland outside the cabin had split open, as if some enormous creature long buried underground was stirring, pushing up layers of soil. An eerie, faint white mist seeped out, drifting in the air.

Whatever lay beneath was certainly nothing good!

The sight made Fang Ran’s blood run cold. He pulled Zhong Wan along, quickening their pace.

"Sister Fang, is something happening outside?"

Fang Liyu gave him a grave look, then glanced toward the main hall. "Let us go check together. It is not safe to stay here."

She turned to Lu Wenbai beside her. "Sentinel Lu Wenbai, please help Guide Shen Ke up."

Shen Ke?

Fang Ran followed her gaze and saw Shen Ke still lying motionless in a corner of the lounge.

When Shen Ke had first entered the lounge, though he looked somewhat pale, he had been in decent spirits, even cracking a few jokes. How had he ended up nearly unconscious?

Lu Wenbai rushed to Shen Ke’s side. After calling his name a few times with no response, he slung the unconscious guide onto his back and hurried back to the group.

"Did Shen Ke faint?" Zhong Wan exclaimed in surprise. "He was not like this earlier."

Fang Liyu furrowed her brow. "Let us head out first and find the medical team."

They moved quickly toward the main hall, only to find chaos had erupted.

Items were scattered across the floor. Logistics staff, medics, and numerous guides stood nervously in various corners of the hall, all anxiously watching outside.

Sentinels repeatedly rushed out through the entrance.

Fang Ran noticed that these Sentinels were all wounded to varying degrees—clearly, they had returned from the frontline for treatment or purification, only to be forced back into action due to the emergency outside.

"Please wait."

A staff member from District 5 stopped them as they emerged.

"Please return to the lounge for now. We are still dealing with the situation outside."

"What is happening out there?" Fang Liyu asked sternly. "I need more information to ensure our people’s safety."

The staff member glanced at Fang Liyu’s sleeve badge, recognizing her rank, and reluctantly replied, "A group of mutated monsters has appeared suddenly. The perimeter around the rally point is almost completely surrounded."

"We need to clear the threats in all directions before arranging evacuation."

Fang Liyu frowned. "Is not this place quite a distance from the mountain frontline? Why has the danger spread this far?"

The staff member looked helpless. "I cannot explain that right now. Please cooperate with our arrangements."

Fang Liyu glanced back at Shen Ke, still draped over Lu Wenbai’s shoulder.

"One of our guides has fainted. Can you allow us to go find the medical team first?"

"But—" The staff member studied Shen Ke’s pale, unconscious state and finally relented. "Wait inside, please." He pointed to the nearest lounge. "I will contact the medical team to come as soon as possible."

Fang Liyu nodded. "Alright, thank you."

"Thud!"

Just then, a heavy thud struck the cabin’s outer wall, shaking dust from the eaves.

The air in the hall grew stifling. Everyone froze, exchanging stunned looks.

"Thud!"

"Thud! Thud!"

Impact after impact followed, shaking the entire structure—as if something was desperately trying to break in.

An icy dread gripped Fang Ran, the instinctual fear of being hunted.

What on earth was outside?

The relentless impacts felt like sledgehammers against their chests. For a moment, no one dared to speak; even the sound of swallowing was audible in the silence.

"Rumble..."

It seemed a Sentinel outside had unleashed a massive burst of energy. The cabin shook violently again, and some people nearly lost their balance.

After a moment, the pounding finally ceased. The Sentinels outside seemed to have drawn the threat away, and the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"A Yu."

"I should go out and take a look," Lu Tang said to Fang Liyu. "Hiding here is not a solution. I will assess the situation and see if there is a chance to evacuate."

Fang Liyu looked at her worriedly, grasping her arm. "Lu Tang, can you manage?"

"Cousin," Lu Wenbai spoke up. "Let me go instead."

"You just arrived and have not even been purified. I am in decent shape—I can handle whatever is out there."

He passed the unconscious Shen Ke to Lu Tang. "Wait in the lounge nearby. I will contact you via terminal if I have news."

"Alright, go," Lu Tang agreed without hesitation—Lu Wenbai outranked her. "I will look after the others."

"Be careful out there, kid."

"I understand."

Lu Wenbai nodded and quickly headed for the door.

Fang Ran and the others then entered the nearest lounge.

This lounge was slightly larger than the one they had been in earlier. There were no sentinels inside, but thirty or forty guides were seated, mostly huddled together in small groups. When they saw Fang Ran and the others enter, their eyes held a wary edge—clearly, they had also been frightened by the earlier commotion.

"Let's settle here."

Fang Liyu chose a relatively spacious spot and said to Lu Tang, "You lay Shen Ke down first. I’ll go out to check when the medical team will arrive and pick up some nutrient supplements while I’m at it."

Lu Tang held her hand and said, "Alright, be careful, A-Yu."

Fang Liyu gave a faint smile and left without another word.

Shen Ke had been slung over Lu Tang’s shoulder. As he was still unconscious, Lu Tang had to ease him down slowly.

Fang Ran and Zhong Wan immediately stepped forward to help. They supported Shen Ke’s arms on either side, coordinating with Lu Tang’s movements to seat him in a chair.

At that moment, Shen Ke’s body suddenly tilted, and he leaned almost entirely against Zhong Wan.

Zhong Wan paused briefly. Though slightly uncomfortable, he didn’t pull away and instead reached out to steady Shen Ke.

Unexpectedly, Shen Ke slowly opened his eyes.