Chapter Twenty: Reinforcements

When they saw the situation ahead, several of them already felt the urge to retreat.

The scene in front was intense. They could see dense swarms of alien creatures ferociously attacking the humans. The awakened warriors entangled in battle with them were quickly falling one after another, swallowed by the creatures.

“Maybe we should just turn back,” one whispered. They hadn’t known the situation would be this bad when they arrived. They’d assumed the invading aliens were only a bit more numerous than usual, but judging by the current scene, supporting from above might not even guarantee survival.

It was just one mission; the crystal energy could be earned again, but losing one’s life meant losing everything.

“I agree, we should leave. With our strength, we probably wouldn’t last even half an hour if we went up there,” others who valued their lives started to voice their concerns.

“So, shall we go back?” Wang Yang glanced at everyone who had come along, seeking their opinions.

In truth, when he first saw the scene ahead, he had already guessed they wouldn’t be able to complete this mission.

After all, who would be foolish enough to risk their lives to help like that?

“You all go back. I’ll take on this mission,” came a different voice amid the consensus.

Wang Yang looked at Jiang Yu with surprise. “You want to take this mission? Jiang Yu, I know you’re strong, but you’ve seen the situation ahead. Even you have a 90% chance of falling to those aliens. Think carefully—don’t risk your life recklessly.”

There is only one life, and once it’s lost, regrets are useless.

“I’ve thought it through clearly. Wang Yang, if you don’t want to take on this mission, you should leave quickly. It might be even more dangerous than you see now. If you linger here, it might be impossible to leave later.”

These alien creatures were elusive, appearing suddenly from unpredictable places.

“Are you sure you don’t want to leave with us?” Wang Yang still didn’t want Jiang Yu to take the risk. She was under his care, and if anything happened to her, he wouldn’t bear it well.

“Positive.”

Jiang Yu certainly wouldn’t miss such a good chance to kill these aliens.

“Alright then. Be careful. If you can’t win, run fast. Don’t let any alien capture you.”

“Okay.”

After watching the two vehicles leave along the road, Jiang Yu turned and headed towards the battlefield ahead.

——

“Boss, where is the rescue team? Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

“How should I know? Focus on the enemy now; don’t get distracted.”

They had already requested backup from nearby bases, but so much time had passed with no one showing up. It seemed no one was coming to support them.

Given their current state, even if reinforcements came, they might be scared away upon seeing the situation.

“Damn it! These aliens—I’m going all out!”

They dared not let these creatures enter the base. Behind each person were those they vowed to protect. Even if it meant death, they would fight to buy enough time for those behind to escape.

Watching comrades fall and new faces step up to take their places was heartbreaking.

The battle raged on, and Jiang Yu charged from the rear, witnessing this very scene. Everyone was blocking the front of the base, drawing the aliens’ attention, doing their utmost to keep the creatures outside.

Jiang Yu didn’t join her allies. She was fully immersed in killing aliens.

“Who is that?”

Soon, Jiang Yu caught others’ attention.

They all found her unfamiliar, and it was quickly confirmed she wasn’t part of their base.

“Could the reinforcements have arrived?”

The speaker’s face lit up briefly with hope. He looked around; besides Jiang Yu, no other reinforcements were in sight.

“How is that possible? Is she really alone?”

For a moment, they felt all hope was lost. If only one person came to rescue them, she surely couldn’t hold out for long.

But gradually, they realized things weren’t unfolding as they had feared.

Jiang Yu killed the aliens with remarkable speed, dispatching one every minute. She was no less capable than any of their fighters.

Moreover, she showed no signs of fatigue despite the prolonged fight. What surprised them even more was that she seemed to accomplish this with just ordinary weapons, without any special talents or skills. Their hearts stirred with hope.

Maybe, just maybe, they could survive this crisis.

Jiang Yu found these aliens easier to handle than humans. They lacked any real intelligence, as if programmed only to kill humans. They showed no cunning or coordination.

During the battle, Jiang Yu would also spare time to help nearby fighters eliminate aliens.

She was simply eager to help, not trying to rack up kills for points.

Despite her aid, people still fell. The alien numbers remained unchanged. Jiang Yu had no idea how long it would take to clear them all away.

“Boss, everyone inside the base should have evacuated by now. Should we pull back too?”

Since the aliens weren’t diminishing, and with the base already evacuated, there was no point in prolonging the fight. Their only option was to retreat from this area to prevent further casualties.

“Alright. Inform the others to withdraw.”

Lin Ran gave the order and headed toward Jiang Yu.

“Sigh, friend, we’re planning to retreat. You’d better stop fighting and come with us.”

“You’re retreating already? Haven’t you finished killing them all?”

Abandon the base just like that?

“These aliens can’t be wiped out. We’ve lost too many. There’s no reason to stay. Don’t you want to leave?”

Lin Ran found Jiang Yu’s reluctance to leave odd. Even if she was strong, constantly wrestling with these aliens was still dangerous. Wouldn’t withdrawal be the wiser choice?

“Then you retreat first. I’ll follow later,” Jiang Yu said thoughtfully. “By the way, can you pay me the crystal energy now?”

Lin Ran almost blurted out but swallowed the words: “Of course, of course.”