Volume One: The Apocalypse Descends. Chapter 37: Wave of Monsters, The Arrival of First-Order Beasts.

Xiang Dongliang, who was walking at the head of the formation, shouted, "Quiet! All vehicles, shift to neutral and apply handbrakes."

Under his calm and methodical command, the formation gradually quieted down.

Xiang Dongliang shouted again, "Hold your shields steady, lower your center of gravity, and prepare for impact. Do not attack blindly. Use your shields to halt these monsters before striking."

Xiang Dongliang’s clear and orderly commands relieved the recruits, who were facing battle for the first time, of the need to think for themselves; they simply followed his instructions. This effectively eased the tension among the guards.

Although there were more mite-monsters than the men in the front line, the monsters attacked in waves. Furthermore, they were led by Xiang Dongliang, who possessed strength and agility far surpassing the mites and was rich in combat experience.

The seven mite-monsters were quickly pinned by the shields, their momentum broken. Once deprived of their charging force, the monsters stood little chance against the shielded guards and were soon dispatched by the men’s steel spears.

To help these novices level up quickly, strengthen their capabilities for future challenges, and build their confidence and fighting spirit, Xiang Dongliang merely helped control the mites, leaving all seven kills to the other three team members.

Seeing the seven aggressive monsters fall under their spears without causing any injuries to the front-line guards, the three participants gained immense confidence, and the morale of the entire evacuation convoy shifted, instilling a stronger sense of belief in the mission.

After directing the team to push the carcasses to the side of the road, Xiang Dongliang signaled for the convoy to continue. When they reached the East Street intersection, the group stopped once more.

The route ahead required a turn north toward the Li River Bridge, but several mite-monsters were resting in the shadows sixty or seventy meters down the south road.

To prevent the monsters from ambushing the side of the convoy during the northward turn, Xiang Dongliang ordered his men to strike their shields with their spears, creating enough noise to lure the four mites out of the shadows. Three more mites from the north side of the street were drawn in as well.

It was another seven mites, but since they attacked from both left and right, the front was more spread out. This time, Xiang Dongliang did not intend to intervene personally, commanding, "Reinforce the left flank with three members to help with the defense."

Having gained practical experience, the guards realized that as long as they could withstand the initial charge with their shields, these creatures were at their mercy.

Soon, the seven attacking mites were converted into spirit energy points for the guards' leveling up.

In this manner, the evacuation convoy proceeded with stop-and-go progress. Whenever they attracted the attention of mite-monsters, the entire group halted, advancing only after the threats were eliminated.

While the pace was slow, it was steady. By the time the convoy crossed the Li River Bridge and reached the vegetable market intersection, two guards had already successfully killed five mites and reached Level 1.

He Jie and Wei Wei’s families had prepared for the relocation early on. He Jie had been watching the intersection from his third-floor window facing the Li River Bridge since shortly after 11:00 AM. When the convoy passed the vegetable market, the two families waiting there merged into the group naturally.

Wei Wei’s mother joined the rear of the convoy in a van that had been modified with a cargo box in the back, while He Jie’s family of three and Wei Wei and his father joined the guard unit.

After the merger, the convoy pushed on. Observing the uniform iron shields and steel spears of the other guards, He Jie, who had only makeshift spears fashioned from water pipes and fruit knives, and wooden shields made from tables, asked with a hint of envy, "Boss Xie, where did you get this standard gear? Can you get us a set too?"

Xiang Chenguang, who had been standing on the roof of a vehicle in the middle of the formation, replied, "There’s no more equipment left. Once the metal-manipulators in our team have rested, we’ll have them make a set for you."

The convoy soon reached the end of Jianxin Avenue and entered the Golden Triangle area. The situation here was not much different from the previous roads; there were still mite-monsters resting in the shadows. However, the Golden Triangle area was geographically broader, and thus, there were more mites.

Xiang Dongliang ordered a rotation of personnel, moving the guards who had already leveled up to the flanks to rest and bringing those who had not yet seen combat to the front. He knew that the Golden Triangle was the last relatively easy stretch of the journey, so he needed to seize the time to ensure more members gained practical experience and, ideally, reached Level 1.

Beyond the Golden Triangle lay the road out of the city. Here, the houses began to grow shorter and older, with many single-story bungalows. From this point on, the road had not been cleared, and the density of monsters increased sharply. Besides mite-monsters, more powerful creatures like giant cockroaches, spider-monsters, and giant centipedes began to appear.

Facing giant cockroaches and spider-monsters, the fully-equipped guards could still hold their own, but against giant centipedes, even with shield protection, the situation for the front-line guards became precarious.

At this point, Xiang Dongliang, who had previously only commanded without participating, began to intervene, targeting exclusively the giant centipedes.

Meanwhile, He Wan, positioned in the middle of the right flank, began firing her steel-ball crossbow repeatedly, providing cover for the guards in danger.

Xiang Chenguang also shifted his attention to the front, playing with five coins in his left hand. These coins had been modified by the metal-manipulator; their edges had been thinned to become razor-sharp and serrated. Under the control of his telekinesis, the rapidly spinning coins possessed immense lethality and piercing power.

Although the monster density had increased and they were stronger, most of them were hiding in the shadows along the road to avoid the scorching sun. They were only disturbed when the convoy passed close enough. Thus, the guards did not have to face an overwhelming number of monsters at any one time.

With Xiang Dongliang as the bulwark and He Wan providing long-range support from the rear, the convoy’s speed slowed further, but at least there were no casualties.

After passing a three-way intersection, the convoy continued east along the Li River, effectively leaving the city. The road turned into a two-lane provincial highway, with forest on one side and the Li River on the other.

Just as they left the city, rustling sounds emerged from the forest on the left, and a massive swarm of spider-monsters and giant centipedes charged out. At the same time, three giant dragonflies and a giant mosquito flew out from the trees, diving toward the convoy.

The situation changed instantly. Faced with the ceaseless tide of insects pouring from the woods, the convoy descended into chaos once more.

In this critical moment, Xiang Dongliang roared again, "Quiet! All guards, form a dense oval formation at the front left of the convoy!"

Xiang Chenguang leaped from the roof of the vehicle toward the front. The five special coins in his hand took flight, spinning rapidly as they circled him.

Just as the vast majority of his attention was drawn to the monsters attacking from the air, a grey shadow suddenly lunged from the forest, sprinting straight toward Xiang Dongliang at the very front of the line.