Lin Ran?!
Seeing Lin Ran rushing towards her, Luo Qingyan didn't know what to do.
Should she greet him? Smile? Or pretend it was an accidental encounter?
But before she could figure it out, Luo Qingyan saw Lin Ran bypass her and charge straight into the fortress hall behind her.
???
Luo Qingyan's fluctuating, conflicted expression froze on her face.
Was this person walking without looking where he was going?!
He brushed past her and didn't even notice her?!
Luo Qingyan shot an annoyed glance at Lin Ran's retreating back and quickly followed.
...
Finally arrived...
Lin Ran didn't delay in returning to the armed fortress, rushing into the hall without stopping, and darting upstairs, intending to head directly for the garrison commander's office.
The soldier outside the door was startled by Lin Ran, unsure what this mysterious man covered in the smell of blood intended. He reached out to stop him.
Lin Ran, however, grabbed the soldier's hand and said calmly:
"Dark Elf invasion, beast tide is imminent."
These twelve simple words stunned the soldier, his brain instantly crashing.
Before he could react, Lin Ran had already skillfully bypassed him and slipped into the office.
The commander, who was poring over documents, was also a little bewildered by Lin Ran:
"Who are you?"
Lin Ran took a deep breath:
"Student of Yan University, rank of Corporal, Lin Ran."
After speaking, he used the most concise language to explain to the commander the crucial discovery he had just made on the first level of Black Dragon Abyss.
To prove the veracity of his words, Lin Ran also showed the commander some dark elf corpses and remains.
The commander's expression immediately turned grim. He first saluted Lin Ran, then said sternly:
"Commander Chu Yunfei, 358th Regiment of Qingjing!"
"Your intelligence is extremely valuable! I will contact the military region immediately!"
"Guards! Issue the order, the armed fortress is on Level One alert, all soldiers prepare for combat!"
"Send emails to all awakened individuals who have registered to enter Black Dragon Abyss, asking them to return quickly."
"Simultaneously, call upon all awakened individuals in the vicinity to participate in the defense."
"Before the military region's support arrives, the armed fortress must not fall!"
Lin Ran returned his salute:
"Commander Chu!"
"Then I will head to the entrance of Black Dragon Abyss to participate in the defense."
Chu Yunfei said solemnly:
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Just as Lin Ran turned to leave the office, he suddenly noticed Luo Qingyan at the door.
Luo Qingyan looked displeased:
"Hey!"
"When you passed by the door just now, did you really not see me, or were you pretending not to see me?"
"This matter isn't over until you explain it clearly!"
Lin Ran was taken aback. He thought about it carefully, and indeed, when he rushed through the main door, there seemed to be a woman standing there...
But because he was moving too fast, Luo Qingyan was also wearing a combat uniform she had never worn before, and Lin Ran's mind was solely focused on the beast tide and the alien race, so he had overlooked her presence.
Lin Ran could only sigh:
"I had an urgent matter, so I accidentally overlooked you..."
"Who knew you would come to Black Dragon Abyss at this time? It's really coincidental."
Luo Qingyan said indignantly:
"What urgent matter? More important than me?"
"And you call it coincidental... What, you don't want me to come?"
Lin Ran rolled his eyes:
"You'll know soon enough."
Luo Qingyan indeed found out soon enough.
Because the emergency alarm blared from the loudspeaker at the highest level of the armed fortress hall.
And the voice of the messenger followed:
"Level One alert! Level One alert!"
"There is activity from the Dark Elf race on the first level of Black Dragon Abyss, and they are planning to launch a beast tide!"
"All soldiers prepare to engage!"
"From now on, no unauthorized personnel are allowed in or out of the armed fortress!"
"All awakened individuals in the fortress are requested to participate in the defense as much as possible. Those who do not wish to participate must leave within five minutes!"
Luo Qingyan looked at Lin Ran in disbelief:
"Alien race? Beast tide? Black Dragon Abyss?"
"You brought back the news?"
Lin Ran nodded, and as he led Luo Qingyan downstairs, he briefly recounted his previous findings.
"A beast tide from Black Dragon Abyss..."
Luo Qingyan's expression also became grave.
Launching a beast tide was already a very common method the alien races used against humans.
After all, low-level ferocious beasts lacked intelligence, were easy to incite, and intensely craved human flesh.
With proper planning, creating a beast tide of a certain scale was not too difficult.
However, beast tides that were not initiated by high-level ferocious beast leaders usually did not cause particularly great destruction.
After all, a beast tide composed only of low-level ferocious beasts would not fare well against well-trained soldiers.
Coupled with the sturdy defenses of the armed fortress and the terrain advantage, they often ended up being repelled.
As for high-level ferocious beasts, under normal circumstances, they would not be incited by alien races.
But to be safe, whenever a beast tide was discovered, the highest-ranking officer in charge of the local garrison would report it to the military region, and the military region would dispatch troops for the first round of support.
If the situation stabilized, they would retreat after annihilating the beast tide.
However, if the situation became unstable and the beast tide's scale exceeded expectations, a second, or even a third, round of support would be dispatched.
"Logically speaking, a beast tide incited by alien races like this should not be excessively large or powerful."
"Since the Black Dragon Abyss forbidden zone was discovered, there have been countless beast tides of varying scales, and each time they were pretty much the same..."
Luo Qingyan said to comfort Lin Ran, seeing his somber expression.
Lin Ran nodded.
He knew this, of course.
However, Lin Ran had a vague, unsettling feeling that this beast tide was somehow different.
Although it was his first time experiencing it, he had an inexplicable prickling sensation, like a thorn in his back, yet he couldn't pinpoint why.
Lin Ran could only sigh:
"Let's hope so..."
At this moment, under Chu Yunfei's mobilization, the entire armed fortress sprang into action.
Countless soldiers donned their armor and armed themselves, quickly returning to their defensive positions.
Troops stationed near forbidden zones like this were essentially elite forces.
The soldiers deployed were generally awakened individuals with minor talents, making them far stronger than ordinary soldiers.
As for the awakened individuals within, aside from a small number who left the fortress, most found suitable defensive positions and fought alongside the soldiers.
Lin Ran, along with Luo Qingyan, ascended to the city wall above the gate of Black Dragon Abyss.
This area would likely become the main point of impact for the beast tide and was where strong individuals like them were most needed.
The gate was now tightly shut, and various military equipment had been positioned.
Even Chu Yunfei, clad in his military uniform, stood on the ramparts, scanning Black Dragon Abyss with his telescope.
Just as everyone took their positions, tremors began to ripple across the ground.