With a few quick adjustments, the team set off again immediately. After all, the longer they delayed, the easier it was for problems to arise.
Mo Shao and Little Ka naturally flew directly into the sky. Among everyone there, the two of them were the safest.
Well... Mo Shao had also brought five others with her: five ordinary children with no ability to protect themselves. She had stuffed them all into her Chests.
Five people was the current limit for her Chests.
However, she had knocked them all unconscious, blindfolded them, and bound their hands and feet before putting them inside.
Furthermore, the entire process of putting them into the Chests was done while she was invisible to ensure no one would ever know the truth.
This was the absolute limit of what she was willing to do in this situation.
She had even quite "coldly" refused several younger infants. If children were too young and their parents died, the responsibility of looking after them would fall to her. That would be too much of a hassle.
Most of the five children in her Chests were around twelve or thirteen years old, which made them qualified "adults" in the apocalypse. Once they reached Seven Hills City, she would release them. Even if their families had perished, they would at least possess some capacity for self-preservation.
...
In fact, for the sake of the boats' speed and safety, everything remaining with the team had also been handed over to Mo Shao for storage.
She continued to operate by keeping her Chests invisible. In the eyes of outsiders, it appeared as though she possessed some special storage artifact.
Some had questioned why she couldn't put everyone inside, and even after she explained the situation, they expressed strong skepticism. They were just short of shouting, “Show us your cards!”
Mo Shao didn't even need to speak up to defend herself. Those who had been with the team earlier immediately pushed back on her behalf.
They said things like, “Sister Hui is a genuinely good person!” and “I wouldn't even be alive right now if it weren't for Sister Hui!” and other such remarks.
Those looking to cause trouble were immediately frightened off by these “ferocious” individuals.
Even people like Wu Yingzhe and Teacher Yuan chose not to ask further questions. Their expressions made it seem as if they would believe whatever she said.
One could only say that the persona she established for outsiders, the prestige she accumulated internally, and the reputation she built truly had their moments of utility.
And naturally, there was profit in it for her as well. If these people died, the belongings they had deposited in the Chests would become hers. After all, there would be no one left to claim them.
Mo Shao methodically calculated her gains, feeling remarkably conflicted. She had always known what the best choice was.
But since she had already committed to this path, she might as well see it through to the end. Regardless, her safety was guaranteed up in the sky.
Come to think of it... why did it feel like her energy consumption for flying had decreased? Was she becoming stronger this quickly?
Sitting on her broom, Mo Shao frowned slightly.
As expected of the Witch race she had specifically guided with her mental and soul power during her transformation! Even without doing anything, she was automatically growing stronger!
...
Mo Shao finished her self-analysis and stopped dwelling on that aspect, as there were more pressing matters requiring her attention.
Her gaze swept across the ocean below.
Ten speedboats, each towing numerous wooden boats, were moving rapidly across the sea, trailing white wakes behind them.
The entire formation was spread out. This way, if they encountered danger, they could scatter and flee, maximizing their survival rate.
The general process went like this: first, the wooden boats were secured with Leads, with the specific arrangement of two people per boat.
Then, after building paths to the boats, a group of people moved toward the speedboats to prepare for acceleration.
Following that, everyone on the ground launched a collective wave of attacks to drive away the nearby shark schools before immediately accelerating to escape.
It was a simple and unpretentious maneuver, but it was effective.
These sharks had developed a fixed mindset; once attacked, they would dive into deeper waters, especially after being shocked by Mo Shao. This had provided the critical window for their escape.
...
The plan was being executed very smoothly. When they first set off, the boats had even hit their limit of 90 km/h.
If they could shake off this pack of Steel-toothed Sharks, it wouldn't matter if they slowed down later; escaping was the ultimate goal.
Some Dead-binders sitting in the wooden boats also kept launching attacks toward the rear to create obstacles.
However, powerful Dead-binders at the back were ultimately a minority. Only Yang Shanbie (Cryo Abyss Mage) was positioned at the rear.
Although people like Yu Jie (Gulpuff), Wu Kunshou (Frostarm Lawachurl), and Xu Huaan (Spearhead-bro) were also at the back, they were all melee types and couldn't offer much of a hindrance to the shark schools.
There were also others whose strength was decent but not particularly high, such as Zhang Xiao (Mimic), who were also at the back.
People had made their own choices in the face of danger.
Perhaps out of a soft heart, some used their own adult seats to trade for two infants or children to get onto the speedboats. Perhaps it was pride and kindness that made them feel uneasy sitting on the speedboats; and perhaps a few were driven by pure self-confidence.
Some were even afraid while sitting in the wooden boats, some regretted it on the spot, and others endured their fear with grim determination.
But overall, in the face of imminent disaster, they made choices that were true to their hearts. This was especially true for those who knew they were afraid but did it anyway.
From a rational standpoint, this was foolish behavior; but from an emotional standpoint, such “foolishness” was truly admirable. If even your emotions find such behavior foolish... then one can only say that you had best hope you never encounter a situation where you need help for the rest of your life.
...
After they set off, everything seemed quite calm. A speed of 90 km/h was something that couldn't be caught by Agility.
While the Agility skill could be repeatedly cast and stacked, reality was not exactly like a game.
You couldn't complete the stacking in a short amount of time, nor could a physical body withstand multiple layers of enhancement without any pressure. This was similar to the classic setting for Swords Dance in various Pokémon fanfics; the situation was much the same here.
Especially now, when everyone's strength hadn't significantly improved yet, the Steel-toothed Sharks were even less capable of stacking Agility multiple times.
With the head start from their acceleration and the obstacles at the rear, the Steel-toothed Shark pack ultimately failed to catch up—at least, that was the case for now.
They weren't sure how vengeful the Steel-toothed Sharks were, but by the time they had traveled ten kilometers, there had been no sign of the sharks for a long time.
So... it seemed their escape was a partial success?
Rate on N.U.
