Chapter 59 - 56: Anomalies Arise, Demon Calamity Returns! (End)

Chapter 59: Chapter 56: Anomalies Arise, Demon Calamity Returns! (End)

The next morning, the sun did not rise on time.

At first, everyone assumed it was just an overcast day. A faint glimmer of light lingered in the east, barely enough to see by. But as time passed, that faint glimmer faded into a deeper and deeper gloom until it extinguished completely. When the world plunged back into absolute darkness, the masses finally realized something was terribly wrong.

As survivors of the first Demon Calamity, this unnatural phenomenon filled them with instinctive dread. They would never forget the sky mutating ten days ago.

Though the sky lacked the thunder, lightning, and swirling black vortex of the first calamity, this total blackout was enough to send them into a panic. People jumped at shadows, cowering indoors, too terrified to venture out.

Liu Zimo stood on the building’s Celestial Terrace, gazing up at the void.

"It happened early again?" he murmured softly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "And this is only the second time, yet the Transmission Passage in the sky has already turned completely invisible. There’s not a single trace left!"

If the first Demon Calamity erupted early because that General-Level demon beast sacrificed its life in Shangjing City to detonate it, what caused this one? The Transmission Passage should have taken half a month to recharge. Why had it opened a full five days early?

Furthermore, in his previous life, the passage only achieved total invisibility during the fourth Demon Calamity. What was going on now? What anomaly had derailed the timeline?

"Master, the sky went dark again. Are the demon beasts coming back?"

Ye Feihong stood beside Liu Zimo. Sensing the shift, she suddenly looked up and transmitted her crisp voice directly into his mind.

Liu Zimo nodded slightly. "Yes, the second wave of demon beasts is arriving. I just don’t know how many innocent people will die this time!"

The first wave had mostly consisted of the lowest-tier Ordinary demon beasts and a handful of Soldier-Level Demon Beasts. Ordinary martial artists and soldiers armed with firearms could kill them easily. But this second wave would primarily feature Soldier-Level Demon Beasts, backed by Warrior-Level ones. It would even include a substantial number of Battalion-Level beasts!

Their destructive power and ferocity would far eclipse the first wave. More importantly, beasts at the Company-Level and above could resist ordinary gunfire. If regular soldiers encountered them, it would be a guaranteed death sentence.

"Even crueler battles and disasters are coming," Liu Zimo sighed. "Yet even now, so many cities across Earth are still unprepared."

Thanks to his forceful intervention, Luozhou City had established a foundational defense line outside its borders ahead of time. The situation here was relatively optimistic. They could block at least ninety percent of the Soldier-Level Demon Beasts outside the walls. But other cities beyond Luozhou would not be so lucky.

Barring any miracles, ninety-nine percent of the nation’s cities would suffer a far more devastating impact than the first wave, resulting in catastrophic casualties. Take Sanyuan City, Liu Zimo’s former home. Under the second wave’s assault, it had been reduced to an isolated ghost town.

Survivors hiding inside the cities would not be as lucky as they were the first time. This time, even if they obediently hid in their homes, the stronger, smarter, and sharper-sensed demon beasts would sniff them out. Under these circumstances, whether ordinary humans continued to hide or fought alone, they were just digging their own graves. They could only carve out a sliver of survival by banding together, relying on one another, and fighting bravely.

"Then... Grandpa will be okay, right?" Ye Feihong asked again. "I saw him leave first thing this morning. I wanted to go with him, but he wouldn’t let me. How about I go find him right now? I can protect him!"

Worry and concern flashed across the little girl’s face. Clearly, she adored the old man who played with her like an overgrown child, and she cared deeply about his safety.

Liu Zimo glanced down at his young disciple. He hadn’t even brought it up, yet Feihong had volunteered herself. Had this girl awakened some kind of Mind Reading Technique Superpower?

"If you’re worried about your grandpa’s safety, then go follow him. But you must do it quietly. Don’t let him spot you," Liu Zimo instructed softly. "If he truly encounters a danger he can’t handle, it won’t be too late for you to step in."

"I know!" Feihong said, taking it as a matter of course. "Just like how you trained Sisi and me before! I’ll just watch from afar and absolutely won’t strike unless it’s an emergency! I also think Grandpa is way too weak right now. He can’t even beat those big green oxen outside! He definitely needs proper training!"

Liu Zimo’s lips twitched.

It was a good thing Feihong hadn’t said this to his father’s face. To be so thoroughly disdained by a three-year-old toddler would have made his prideful old man die of shame. The little girl was telling the truth, but the truth wasn’t always pleasant to hear.

"Feihong, there are some things you just need to understand in your heart. You don’t always have to say them out loud, okay?"

Seeing her bewildered expression, Liu Zimo knew this logic was far too profound for a three-year-old. No matter how exceptionally talented and precocious she was, she still lacked the time and life experience needed to grasp social nuances.

"Never mind. Just stick with your grandpa for the next couple of days. Do whatever you want and act according to your own judgment."

"Understood, Master! I’m gonna go find Grandpa right now! Bye-bye, Master!"

Ye Feihong nodded happily. After bidding him farewell, she leapt straight off the residential building. With a few swift flashes, she vanished into the boundless dark night.

Liu Zimo withdrew his gaze and also flew down the building. Taking his younger uncle and brother—who still had no idea what was happening—he vanished, reappearing at the Military Staff Department base in the East City district.

"Relay my orders to the entire army. The second Demon Calamity is upon us. Prepare for battle!"

A thought swept outward. Liang Luojun, Zhou Yiren, and the others instantly received Liu Zimo’s command.

Their hearts skipped a beat as they answered in unison. Without telephone communications, they relied on traditional relay methods like fireworks, flag signals, gongs, and drums to pass on the message. In just a few minutes, the order reached all the major battalion camps and local factions under their jurisdiction.

This was the advantage of unifying the entire city. Everyone followed the same command system, ensuring a single order could spread everywhere in the shortest possible time. They no longer operated independently and selfishly, which previously made coordinated combat impossible.

ROAR!

A few minutes later, an earth-shattering beast roar echoed from the void, shaking the very ground beneath them.

Immediately following it, the existing demon beasts on Earth seemed to receive a command. Tens of thousands of beasts howled in unison. They charged madly toward the nearest human settlements, tearing into any person they laid eyes on.

Simultaneously, a massive sea of demon beasts began plummeting from the sky.

THUMP! THUMP!

The sounds of heavy bodies crashing to the earth and beasts roaring echoed everywhere.

The men in the camp paled. Drawing the firearms and swords from their waists, they rushed out of their rooms to engage the beasts landing nearby in brutal, close-quarters combat!

Liu Zimo pushed his uncle and brother toward Yang Sisi and the three Inner Guards, instructing them to look after the pair. He then took to the sky, hovering high above the city center to monitor the entire battlefield.

The moment he spotted any Company-Level, Battalion-Level, or Illusion Beast emerging from the horde, he would strike swiftly, executing them on the spot.

He was, after all, only one man. Even with the strength of a Grandmaster, he couldn’t eradicate every demon beast in the city at once. He could only patrol the skies like this, prioritizing the most threatening high-tier beasts to prevent them from inflicting massive casualties on the warriors and martial artists below.

Soldiers matched soldiers, and commanders matched commanders.

This was the standard way to counter a Beast Tide, and it was the combat method Liu Zimo was most familiar with from his past thirty years. Only, back then, he had been a mere pawn who could only fight low-tier beasts. Now, he stood as a Guardian—like a Grandmaster or a Martial Saint—watching over the entire city, exclusively slaughtering the high-tier threats!