At almost point-blank range, the tri-color halo extended countless hair-thin luminous tendrils that deeply penetrated Lu Yunping's brain tissue, pulsing faintly with each of his breaths.
Lu Yunping raised his pale face, his expression lighting up slightly upon seeing Han Ning.
"Han... Brother Han Ning..."
"Your strength... is no weaker than... the vice-chairman's... This rescue... depends entirely on you... Please... you must save Chairman Wu and the others..."
The colorful lights writhing inside his skull grew more active.
Han Ning nodded expressionlessly and said calmly, "Don't worry."
His relationship with Lin Qianqian was decent enough that he wouldn't coldly refuse to help.
Of course, the most crucial point was that with so many people going in, if they encountered real danger, he just needed to outrun most of them.
Better them than me.
...
With the efforts of several Awakened with healing abilities, Lu Yunping and the others had their external wounds roughly treated, the bleeding stopped, and were given some high-calorie food to replenish their energy.
Even Chen Feng regained consciousness.
Their condition had improved significantly, at least enough to move around.
"Let's go! We can't delay any longer!" Lu Yunping struggled to his feet, looking extremely anxious.
"Move out!"
The twenty-plus member rescue team composed of Awakened, led by those who had returned, plunged into the endless rain outside the door.
"Lao Xu, while I'm gone, you and Yinyin stay in your room. Don't go anywhere, and don't open the door for anyone, understand?"
Before leaving, Han Ning spoke gravely to Xu Ming.
He had changed into a set of clean old clothes and packed a spare set in his backpack.
Seeing Han Ning's serious expression, Xu Ming understood the gravity of the situation and nodded solemnly.
"Got it."
After giving his instructions, Han Ning followed the group with Yu Na and Snowflake.
Upon entering the northern entrance of the Mist Zone, Han Ning activated his Molten Gold Eyes again.
Buzz!
In his vision, the thick white mist was parted by an invisible force, instantly increasing visibility to over a hundred meters.
The monsters hidden in the mist and water were clearly visible to him, and the mist's hallucinogenic effects had no impact on him.
Guided by Lu Yunping and the others, the group moved quickly toward the core area, trudging through the uneven terrain.
The deeper they went, the denser the mist became.
The water level gradually rose from thigh-high to chest-deep.
After advancing about a kilometer, the area ahead suddenly opened up.
An irregular body of water about a hundred meters in diameter, surrounded by half-submerged shipping containers and various buildings, appeared before them.
"This is the place..." Lu Yunping stopped and pointed at a raised concrete platform in the middle of the water.
"Where exactly is Chairman Wu? I don't see them!"
The muscular man in the camouflage vest, clearly a loyal follower of Chairman Wu, pressed urgently.
The other Awakened also crowded around, looking nervously at Lu Yunping.
Suddenly, the anxious, grave expression on Lu Yunping's face froze.
The corners of his mouth twisted upward in an extremely bizarre arc, stretching all the way to his ears to reveal ghastly white teeth.
"Heh heh heh..."
At the same time, his four companions also raised their heads, their faces contorted with the same eerie, twisted smiles as they stared fixedly at the surrounding Awakened.
"What the hell are you doing?" The burly man and the others instinctively took a few steps back, unnerved by their gaze.
The answer came in the form of deafening explosions from the surrounding water!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Vortex Shell Crabs, giant leeches with slimy, glistening skin, jellyfish half the height of a person with illusory human faces floating on their surfaces, and strange conches the size of a human head that were hurled through the air like meteors.
Monsters of varying sizes and grotesque forms burst through the turbid water, making their terrifying appearance.
From the direction of the berth area, deep within the impenetrable mist, a bizarre entity emitting an eerie tri-color halo of blue, purple, and red silently drifted forward.
Wherever it passed, even the churning white mist seemed to be devoured, leaving behind a vacuum-like trail.
A terrifying pressure, like a tidal wave, swept across the entire water area.
"Damn it, we've been tricked!"
"They're controlled! They're under that thing's control!"
The Awakened finally realized what was happening.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
Some tried to attack Lu Yunping and the others, who were standing right in front of them, but were effortlessly blocked.
Others panicked and fled backward, only to be struck mid-waist by rapidly charging Vortex Shell Crabs, their blood and guts spraying out amid screams.
Chaos, bloodshed, and the stench of death permeated the area.
Only Han Ning remained standing still, unmoved.
His gaze locked onto the approaching tri-color halo, golden flames swirling deep within his pupils as if trying to pierce through the bizarre core.
"Yu Na," he said softly, tilting his head slightly. "Get behind me. Be careful."
Yu Na, who had been tense due to the surrounding commotion, felt an inexplicable sense of security as she looked at Han Ning's calm profile and heard his composed tone, as if everything was under control.
"Mm!"
Without hesitation, she darted behind Han Ning as her azure Mental Barrier flared brightly, enveloping the two of them and the lizard.
The next moment.
To the horror of Yu Na and the few Awakened who hadn't been attacked immediately—
Han Ning moved.
"Ugh..."
A suffocating, low growl, like the awakening of an ancient beast, emanated from within him.
Rip...
His old shirt was torn apart by his suddenly bulging, sinewy muscles, reduced to tattered shreds.
Beneath his skin, dark golden fur grew wildly like a living thing, covering his neck, chest, and arms.
His bones emitted a grating, explosive sound as his body visibly expanded and grew taller.
His cheekbones protruded forward, and ghastly white fangs pierced through his lips, forming a majestic tiger's maw.
On his forehead, the Molten Gold Tiger Head Mark suddenly blazed to life like a burning crown.
His thick lower limbs sank into the muddy water, and his massive tiger claws tore through the dense mist.
A tiger tail covered in dark golden rings, its tip burning with a small cluster of blazing golden flames, slowly swayed behind him.
In just two or three breaths—
A terrifying entity, standing two and a half meters tall, half-human and half-tiger, covered in dark golden fur and exuding overwhelming ferocity and immense power, had replaced Han Ning's original form, standing tall amidst the carnage.
The dark golden vertical pupils swept across the chaotic battlefield, scorching the surrounding swirling mist until it twisted and evaporated!
"Skitter?"
Several Vortex Shell Crabs that had been frantically attacking the Awakened suddenly froze in their movements. As if sensing the terrifying pressure from the top of the food chain, even the rotation of their drill-like giant pincers involuntarily slowed.
The drifting tricolored light sphere also paused slightly.
It seemed to sense a threat.
The light sphere flickered violently several times, and an invisible wave swept over from the distance.
Han Ning looked at the rapidly approaching invisible wave.
His mouth slightly opened as a deep and powerful tiger's roar brewed deep in his throat:
"ROAR!!"
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