Read Novel Full Chapter 1356: Turning the Tide
Chapter 1356: Turning the Tide
In just a few short minutes.
Uninhabited islands were continuously submerged, plunging the entire world into panic. If this continued, actual continents would be swallowed next.
Demon Extermination Departments across the Xia Kingdom raced against time, dispatching their elites to reinforce the nearest coastlines. Every single second was incredibly precious. The most critical location, Hongdu City, had gathered more than half of all elite superpowered individuals. The situation had reached a point of absolute peril!
At this very moment.
The once-prosperous Hongdu City had descended into utter chaos. Even with various agencies attempting to maintain order, the massive population was consumed by sheer terror. Congestion choked the long streets, and fleeing crowds filled every corner. The chaotic situation was already impossible to contain.
Amidst the endlessly crying and screaming crowd.
A little girl sat on the ground, sobbing continuously. She looked around helplessly and in a panic, only to see a sea of unfamiliar faces. Ultimately, she could only shut her eyes tight and wail.
"Mommy, Mommy, waaa..."
Her innate panic was impossible to quell, and her feeble cries were heart-wrenching. Even if the passing men and women felt their hearts ache at the sound, they simply had no time to care.
A thousand-foot tsunami was about to make landfall!
Faced with a matter of life and death, even ordinary people with kind hearts could barely fend for themselves, let alone spare the energy to care for others. Disaster had struck, and it was every man for himself. Many couples had been separated by the chaotic crowds, to say nothing of strangers.
Even though her mother managed to squeeze through the crowd, crawling forward with desperate urgency and reaching out to pull the little girl up, it seemed too late. How could a frail woman push past hundreds of terrified citizens?
A mere distance of a few meters felt impossibly far at this moment!
The little girl was about to be trampled by the panic-stricken mob, resulting in a horrific tragedy!
Hot tears rolled down the young mother's cheeks. She could only scream her daughter's name in despair.
"Nannan! Nannan!"
Right at this moment.
A figure flashed by like a bolt of lightning. Before anyone could even see him clearly, he scooped up the little girl just before the crowd could trample her!
By the time the crowd surged past, there was no longer anyone on that messy patch of ground.
Before the mother's eyes stood a neatly dressed young man. With a solemn expression, he returned the little girl to her arms. He showed little emotion as the mother thanked him profusely.
Watching the mother and daughter walk away, holding each other tightly with tears streaming down their faces, he finally let out a soft sigh of relief.
A woman walking up beside him frowned and hurriedly urged him on.
"Captain Chen!"
"The situation is extremely critical right now. Even the neighboring island nation has been submerged. In a few minutes, the thousand-foot tsunami will make landfall in Hongdu. We cannot delay any longer!"
"Our Nanzheng Demon Extermination Department bears a heavy responsibility. We absolutely cannot let one person delay the crucial task of fighting the tsunami!"
Hearing this, the young man nodded.
He gazed toward the eastern coastline, his expression growing increasingly grim. Without uttering a word, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the woman, and sped through the sea of people like lightning!
He knew very well.
No matter how hard he tried, the number of citizens he could personally save was extremely limited. For the safety of the entire city of Hongdu, to hold back the apocalyptic tsunami as much as possible, and to save even more people, he had to endure the pain of ignoring the suffering right in front of him!
This was the choice one had to make in the face of natural disasters—ruthless yet helpless!
As the two figures dashed forward, helicopters continuously flew overhead to provide support, while speeding vehicles kicked up clouds of dust in the secret underground tunnels!
Elites from Demon Extermination Departments in all neighboring regions were rushing to help at almost the exact same time!
The same was true for other coastal cities across the country!
In less than half a minute.
Over a thousand superpowered individuals of varying ages stood along the nearly deserted Hongdu coastline. The coast was eerily quiet today; apart from these secretive figures whom one rarely had the chance to see in a lifetime, there were no ordinary citizens in sight.
Everyone stared grimly at the sea.
Even though the terrifying tsunami was still some distance away, its oppressive might was already bone-chilling. The thousand-foot colossal waves continuously surged forward, looking even more exaggerated than movie special effects. Gazing at the tidal wave that practically blotted out the sky, everyone's eyes were filled with awe, suddenly feeling incredibly insignificant.
No matter how outstanding they were in the past, or what kind of superpowers they possessed, at this moment, their faces showed nothing but solemnity and tension.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the tidal wave rose like a canopy over the sky!
Such a natural disaster was absolutely not something human power could stop!
Even with technological advancements reaching a point of pride, they were utterly useless in the face of an anomaly that belonged only in myths. The torrents of steel were like mere children's toys before this sky-blotting tsunami!
After just a few seconds of observation.
Everyone's heartstrings grew taut. Regardless of seniority or age, the faces of the majority revealed the same fear and despair!
Before even making a move, the signs of defeat were already showing!
At the forefront of the crowd.
A vigorous old man's eyes were equally solemn, yet he did not waver in the slightest. His eyes, having weathered the baptism of a lifetime, still gleamed with the same sharp light as they did in his youth!
After gazing for a few moments, he slowly turned his head to scan the entire crowd!
"Everyone!"
His deep voice rang out like a massive bell, jolting awake all the superpowered Spirit Hunters present!
Many suddenly snapped back to their senses, their eyes revealing shock and reverence!
"Elder Feng!"
"That's the legendary Spirit Hunter, Grandmaster Feng, the current head of the Hongdu Demon Extermination Main Bureau!"
"Even he is still holding the line!!!"
Feng Tianci's face and voice instantly shocked the entire crowd into rallying their spirits. This veteran Spirit Hunter Grandmaster, renowned throughout the Xia Kingdom, possessed unparalleled skills and status. He was the idol of countless Spirit Hunters.
At this moment, as he stepped forward to lead the masses against the sky-blotting tsunami, he immediately stabilized their wavering morale!
Under the gaze of everyone present.
Feng Tianci's weathered face was incredibly resolute, and his voice was filled with an indomitable aura!
"Now that the thousand-foot tsunami is about to make landfall, resisting it to buy time for rescue operations is our top priority. Such a heavy burden has already surpassed the scope of conventional abilities. We Demon Hunters have enjoyed endless resources, completing various covert missions in the shadows. To step forward at this critical juncture is our undeniable duty!"
"Listen to my command! All branch bureaus are to form up immediately. Deploy every means at your disposal and do everything possible to mitigate the disaster. Behind you are the tens of millions of citizens of Hongdu. Only you can strive to protect the lights of those countless homes!"
"Today, we fight this natural disaster. We would rather die than retreat!"
The old man roared, his stern voice deafening and enlightening!
Without waiting for a single response, he personally leapt down, landing on the shallow beach beyond the coastline. Letting the howling winds whip his white hair wildly, he stood proudly, as vigorous as a pine tree!
Seeing the old senior's stance, the captains of the various bureaus also gritted their teeth, shouted fiercely, and leapt down!
"We would rather die than retreat!!!"
There was no need for Elder Feng to say another word. All the captains acted independently, forming squads based on their branch bureaus. Various abilities were unleashed in an instant. Years of tacit cooperation intertwined with the hot-blooded passion of the moment as they quickly and frantically began to construct a wall of superpowers!
Some possessed immense strength, sprinting effortlessly while carrying roadside vehicles!
Some had freezing hands, turning the seawater to ice to construct frozen walls!
Others were as swift as lightning, using their high speed to redirect the seawater and avoid unnecessary resistance!
In just a few breaths.
All the Demon Hunters displayed their full capabilities, overexerting themselves to unleash everything they had learned in their lives. Even the limits of the human body were broken. Along the entire coastline, a towering wall of terrifying proportions rose at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In less than two minutes.
The panting squad captains from various departments never broke their stride. The original coastline was now enclosed by a massive wall towering thousands of feet high and stretching for dozens of miles!
Even so.
None of the Demon Hunters dared to slack off. They tirelessly fortified the wall of supernatural energy, as if willing to burn away their very lifeforce to protect the citizens behind them and hold the final line of defense for the prosperous capital of the Xia Nation!
That was, until a terrifying roar echoed through the air!
"BOOM!!!"
The Demon Hunters jolted as if struck by a thunderbolt. The sky suddenly darkened, as though crushed beneath the weight of pitch-black clouds, and everyone froze in place!
The thousands of people stationed along the entire coastline simultaneously felt an indescribable, suffocating pressure!
A wave of shock swept through the crowd as thousands of eyes snapped upward!
Only then did they see it.
A terrifying tidal wave was already looming right before their eyes, blotting out the sky and threatening to swallow the sun and the moon!
At this moment.
Witnessing it firsthand, everyone realized that the towering wall they had painstakingly constructed was utterly insignificant in the face of such an apocalyptic tsunami!
Even before the impact, the sheer force of it bore down on them with the crushing weight of a collapsing mountain. The crest of the wave loomed far above the wall, threatening to swallow all their hard work in an instant!
Everyone stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded, allowing the violent winds and sea spray to batter their pale faces. Even the leader, Feng Tianci, clenched his fists tightly.
As the giant wave crashed into the towering wall, an earth-shattering boom that could drown out the world exploded in their ears!
"BANG!!!"
In merely a single breath.
The massive wall collapsed into ruins. The tsunami swept through, pulverizing everything in its path with an unstoppable force!
At this moment.
Even though everyone present was an elite Demon Hunter of the Xia Nation, they felt an unprecedented sense of despair and powerlessness. Watching the violent torrent surge toward them, their faces turned the color of dead ashes!
It was too terrifying...
This natural disaster was simply too terrifying!
A calamity of this magnitude was far beyond the scope of what insignificant mortals could withstand. In the face of such apocalyptic destruction, human civilization was entirely too frail, as pale and powerless as a flimsy sheet of paper waiting to be torn apart.
Unless someone possessed the power of a god, absolutely no one could stop this cataclysm!
Feng Tianci finally gritted his teeth and roared, issuing his final, desperate command!
"Retreat!"
"Everyone, hurry up and help the citizens evacuate! Save as many as you can!"
Hearing his hoarse shout nearly drowned out by the roaring waves, the Demon Hunters felt a chilling despair pierce their hearts. Their profound reluctance and guilt were masked only by their fiercely gritted teeth.
This defensive stand, which had pooled together all their strength, had ultimately ended in failure.
A miserable defeat!
Just as the thousands of Demon Hunters revealed the despair in their eyes and prepared to abandon their posts.
Suddenly!
A figure appeared out of thin air.
He stood silently in the air above the collapsed wall, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit and leather shoes, without a single speck of dust on him. Even the surging waves and the terrifying ocean gales could not touch a hair on his head!
Feng Tianci's aged eyes widened in shock, and the crowd beside him stared in utter disbelief!
Before they could even react.
The man slowly spread his hands. An endless, radiant energy spilled forth, instantly solidifying into a brilliantly colored wall of light that towered a full head above the massive tsunami!
Such a feat was simply unheard of!
The thousands of Demon Hunters were absolutely dumbfounded, the trembling in their eyes growing more pronounced. Even Feng Tianci's weathered eyes wavered. After staring intently for a few seconds, he froze in place, his gaze filled with absolute shock!
Under the gaze of thousands of dumbfounded eyes...
The apocalyptic tidal wave that had just driven them to the brink of despair was actually completely halted by the wall of light!
A single person was actually able to turn the tide?!
As the violent waves subsided, the coastline gradually grew quiet, so quiet, in fact, that it was almost eerie. Everyone's pupils trembled uncontrollably, as shocked as if they had just seen a ghost!
Less than half a minute later.
The once chaotic and deafening surroundings had suddenly become so silent you could hear a pin drop. The only sound left was the increasingly heavy breathing of the survivors, echoing continuously in their ears!