"Wind speed, humidity calibrated! Trajectory computed!"
With the chip’s calculations finalized, Leilin Farell pulled the crossbow’s trigger.
*Thwip!* The powerful bolt shot out, and the massive recoil sent a numbing jolt up his arm.
*Thud!* The bolt pierced through the Scavenging Wolf’s left eye and out the right. The beast let out two pained howls before collapsing to the ground.
"With the chip, my advantage in high-precision tasks is just too great. A crossbow isn’t a bow—once you aim and pull the trigger, it’s done. So much simpler!"
Leilin compared the difference between wielding a Cross Sword earlier and using the crossbow now. "Looks like long-range attacks suit me better. It’s safer, too. But I still have no clue how to activate a Knight’s Life Energy. Could it really require a life-or-death battle?"
Leilin hadn’t used a bow or crossbow before for two reasons: first, to vent, and second, to try and awaken the Knight’s Life Energy. Unfortunately, with the chip as his trump card, he’d never truly been pushed to the brink of death, so he’d never experienced that surge of Life Energy in a desperate moment.
"Leilin! Awesome!" George finally reacted, clapping him hard on the shoulder. "From now on, this crossbow is yours!"
"Thanks!" Leilin smiled. Even without George’s offer, he’d have wanted to get his hands on the crossbow.
"Whoa!! Leilin! Leilin killed the Scavenging Wolf! Lord Leilin! Lord Leilin, please save us!"
More Scavenging Wolves surged into the camp. The apprentices cried out and rushed toward Leilin’s group.
Thanks to George’s advance preparations, their side had suffered the least casualties. With Leilin and George—two Preliminary Knights—they were arguably the safest spot outside the white-robed wizards’ perimeter.
"Huff!" Olin gasped, his sword sweeping aside a lunging giant wolf. The immense force knocked his Cross Sword from his grip. "I’m the heir to my family! There’s still so much I haven’t enjoyed! I can’t die here!"
He roared, but his few remaining companions had already fallen—two dead, the others killed or scattered.
Just then, cries of "Lord Leinlin!" reached him, and his eyes lit up. "That’s right! The Golden Flower Alliance still has fighting power, and Leilin was so formidable earlier—he can surely save me!"
Olin didn’t hesitate and bolted toward Leilin’s position.
"Leilin!! Lord Leilin!!! Help!!!"
"Huh?" Leilin reloaded his crossbow and looked over. "Oh, it’s Olin."
Olin looked wretched—his sword lost, wounds on his body, and a giant wolf right on his heels.
*What a shame. You’ve come to the wrong person. Did you really think I’d be that generous?* A cruel smile curved Leilin’s lips. *With the white-robed wizards around, I wouldn’t dare kill you secretly. But if it’s just a matter of not reaching you in time… no one can hold that against me.*
Leilin watched Olin and flashed a bright smile.
"He’ll save me! He definitely will!" Olin saw the smile and felt a surge of relief. He ran even faster, pumping himself up.
"Oh!!! No!!!" Then Olin watched in horror as Leilin raised the crossbow and fired—taking out another Scavenging Wolf on the far side.
"How could you… how could you do this??" Olin froze for a split second, stumbled over a stone, and fell.
The Scavenging Wolf behind him lunged. Its fangs sank in, blood pouring out…
"Thank you!!" On the other side, a girl Leilin had saved ran up to him. "Thank you so much!"
"Don’t mention it," Leilin smiled. Nearby, Lilisite glanced at him, blushed, and quickly looked away.
A whistle sounded. George shot Lilisite a look, then gave Leilin a knowing "you know what I mean" expression.
"In a situation like this, George, you still haven’t changed your ways?"
"Even if I’m falling into the abyss of death, you can’t stop my yearning for beautiful romance!" George declared with the tone of a martyr, ready to die for love.
"You won’t die. The white-robed ones will act soon enough." Leilin rolled his eyes.
Despite the chaos, the giant wolves seemed to possess a startling sixth sense, deliberately avoiding the three white-robed wizards and forming a strange, clear circle around them.
Amid the noise, Leilin’s chip-enhanced senses still caught snippets of the wizards’ conversation—perhaps they hadn’t bothered to whisper.
"Crow! Are you going to act or not? Too many apprentice deaths will lower our evaluation!" a woman’s voice rang out.
"Relax, relax! I’ve been counting—exactly ten dead so far. Still within the limit!" a somewhat carefree male voice replied.
"But it’s at the edge. Hurry up and act. I need to think about stabilizing this spell model! Damn it! The Negative Energy around here is way too high—I can’t complete the structure of ‘Duogou Wuli’ at all!"