33 Chapter 33: Diversion

Being a third-year student, Bei Pan Zhe actually had a license. He was able to drive us there in a car. The five of us had ample space in his vehicle, and it didn't take us long before we reached the convoy of refugees. It would have been faster, had Bei Pan Zhe not needed to make a detour. With the pack of monsters being between us and the refugees, he had taken the long way around and swung about once he was sure we were out of sight and hearing of the monstrous horde, approaching the convoy from the opposite direction.

Most of them were on foot, having come from a relatively poor village where they couldn't afford cars and the like. I could see lines of terrified children being protectively shepherded by their worried parents, who were frequently glancing over their shoulders to ensure that the monsters hadn't caught up to them yet.

"They're close," Daisy informed us after casting a reconnaissance spell. Having taken up position in the passenger seat at the front, she had entered her meditative state ever since we had left the relative safety of Jing Tian City. She was keeping her eyes closed as she radiated a trace amount of magical energy, extending her senses to cover several miles. "The pack of monsters are about two kilometers south of us, and closing in. I don't think they have picked up the refugees' scent yet, but they will inevitably find them at this rate."

While Bei Pan Zhe kept his eyes on the road, Dan Xiao Gui and Lavender exchanged glances. I wasn't sure what passed between them, but my intuition was insisting that something was amiss. I had to focus on the mission first, though.

"We'll be counting on you then, Student Richard." Bei Pan Zhe braked and hauled his car to a stop. I nodded and pushed the door open, filing out with the rest.

"That way." Daisy opened her eyes, and stepped out of the passenger seat to point me toward the right direction.

"Okay." I sucked a deep breath into my lungs. Forcing a calm I didn't feel, I queried. "How long do you need to evacuate the refugees?"

"…"

"…"

None of them answered me. None of them could meet my gaze.

"Thirty minutes? An hour?" I glanced in the direction of the city. The great walls and magical barrier were within sight, so it shouldn't take that long. That said, we had children and the elderly here, many of whom were moving on foot, so I should probably be generous with my estimate.

"Uh…"

"Who cares?!" Lavender snapped angrily. "Quit wasting time and go already! Or do you want the monsters to find us?!"

"You do realize that you're asking me to risk my life for an extremely dangerous task by myself, right?" I countered, keeping my voice level. "Why don't you be the diversion instead? I don't mind dropping out of the mission and forfeiting the rewards if that lets me do things my way."

Furthermore, my glasses had a recording device that helped to log the mission. Everything would be recorded and submitted to the academy for evaluation later. I could later argue that my teammates were treating me unfairly.

"You…!"

"Now, now." Bei Pan Zhe raised his hands. "Junior Richard has a point." He turned to me. "Once the refugees are safely in the city, I'll let you know."

"All right." I made sure to get his number before I turned to leave. "Take care of the refugees. Please leave the monsters to me."

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I was trying not to let my anxiety show, but my voice trembled ever so slightly. If they had noticed it, they didn't say anything.

Two kilometers south. I jogged toward the south, the lenses in my glasses having an inbuilt compass that showed me the way. I was still feeling slightly apprehensive about the task, but the lives of so many refugees were dependent on me. I could count at least a couple hundred of non-combatants evacuating from Bi Nan Village.

Even so, to ask me to lure such a large number of monsters away all by myself…not to mention, I still didn't know the exact number and disposition of the monsters.

It'll be all right, I told myself.

I didn't need to slay all the monsters. I just needed to attract their attention and divert them away. The stronger seniors could get rid of the monsters later. My team, theoretically, should return and assist me in completing the mission after ensuring the safety of the refugees.

All I needed to do was keep running and stay in contact. I had my smartphone and I told Bei Pan Zhe to leave the GPS function on. They should be able to track me down once they were done with their task. And since I was on foot and they had a car, they should be able to catch up to wherever I was in short order.

Continuing down the path Daisy had directed me, I moved down through a trail between the trees, trekking through the forest and eventually finding myself climbing up a cliff. I had yet to run into any monsters thus far, but I was sure it wouldn't be long until now.

The counter in my glasses read two kilometers and twenty-three meters. About fifteen minutes had passed since I separated from the group. I had been going south this entire time, so unless my glasses were malfunctioning, I should be…

While thinking that, I reached the edge of the cliff and cautiously peered below.

I froze.

I understood now why Bei Pan Zhe had hesitated to tell me the estimated number of monsters. I also understood why Lavender didn't let him tell me.

There were at least a few hundred F-rank monsters and a few dozen E-rank monsters. The weaker F-rank monsters were Phantoms, humanoid monsters without a definite shape. Their intangible forms seemed to swirl and shift, never solidifying. Soulless and eternally hungry, they would scrounge the area they emerged in for victims to gorge on. Taking on the appearance of the stereotypical gray, faceless and featureless ghosts that would look at home in haunted houses, these seemingly insubstantial monsters were far from human. From what I had read, individually, they did not pose much of a danger.

However, Phantoms never move alone. They were always in packs, and in an enormous pack like this, they were more than a challenge.

The E-rank monsters were much stronger than F-rank monsters, and I recognized the rabid wolf-like beasts with razor-sharp claws and teeth from holographic illustrations. They were called Ravagers, and for good reason. Patches of red, raw muscles contrasted with the thick, black fur that covered their muscular bodies, and their abdominally strong jaws snapped repeatedly like steel traps, drool flying from them. They were extremely strong and fast, probably much faster even when compared to wolves from centuries ago, and a thousand times deadlier. Their gleaming, metallic claws, were capable of ravaging a centimeter-thick sheet of steel, which was what gave them their names. They were often seen tearing apart the shells of abandoned vehicles like a can opener. In fact, the dozens-strong pack of Ravagers was far deadlier than the hundreds of Phantoms that surrounded them.

Fortunately for me, these were the two weakest rank of monsters, as classified by humans. As always, the classification and categorizations of humans were always arbitrary, and reality was a lot more complex than that. An F-rank monster didn't necessarily mean it would lose to an E-rank monster – some of them were faster than their E-rank counterparts, even if they lacked the brute force. There were many cases of monsters flitting in and out of both ranks. But they were still somewhat useful to help me assess the rank of my enemies.

Right now, the classification was useless to me. It didn't matter that they were F-rank or E-rank, it didn't matter if that they were the two weakest ranks – right now there were so many of them that it was impossible for me to take them all down by myself.

"I'll just have to wait and survive until backup arrives," I grumbled. If backup ever arrives. Frowning, I pushed that ominous thought out of my head. Why wouldn't backup arrive? Bei Pan Zhe gave me his word. There was no reason to distrust him and the rest of my party. Even though I had only met them for the first time today, they were still my schoolmates. We were all from the same academy. There was no reason not to suspect them. Furthermore, our mission was being recorded and logged. They wouldn't be stupid enough to pull a stunt like betrayal off, right?

They will come for me once they brought the refugees to safety. I had to believe in them.

Speaking of refugees, the monsters were clearly moving in the direction of the refugees, and at a greater speed than the slow, almost strolling children and elderly who were exhausted. The monsters clearly had more stamina, and would intercept the convoy before they could reach Jing Tian City. I couldn't allow that to happen.

It wasn't just for humanitarian reasons, though I had to admit that I like being a hero.

This is also for the prestige points, I reminded myself. We only had two or three weeks left before the Protection Period ended, and the prestige points would plummet the moment the second and third years began picking on our first year members. I needed the prestige points to reserve the whole level in that back building for my new Ultimate Outcast Society.

For that reason, I was going to put up with this, and take the plunge.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my hands and began waving at them.

"Hey, ugly!" I yelled at the top of my voice. The Phantoms and Ravagers stopped their moaning, growling and pacing to turn in my direction. "Yeah, that's right! I'm talking to all of you!"

The Ravagers began growling at me, their lips peeling back to reveal their dagger-like teeth. The Phantoms' moaning intensified and they glided restlessly in my direction.

"That's right!" I beckoned them toward me. "Over here! You're hungry, aren't you?!"

This should distract them for a bit. Already the monsters had stopped, altering their trajectory toward the convoy to turn and growl at me. I smiled, feeling a bit relieved. Every second I bought counted. And the cliff was affording me some advantage. As long as I stayed up here, the creatures below couldn't possibly…

My jaw dropped when the monsters began scaling the cliff. The Phantoms floated along the wall of the cliff, unaffected by gravity, while the Ravagers bounded up the steep slope with a dexterity that defied all natural laws. I swallowed hard as I watched the menacing sight sweep toward me like a rolling, writhing carpet of living nightmares.

Breathing deeply, I slowly backed away from the dreadful scene, making sure I remained within their sight for as long as possible. Steeling my resolve, I calmed my breathing and turned around.

Then I took off as fast as I could, sprinting away from the cliff as if a thousand demons were chasing me…well, they were, actually.