Time Travel: The Survival of Li Zhi

Chapter 566 Decisive

The whole earth was shaking, as if countless heavy hammers were pounding madly underground. The blue bricks on the city wall were falling dust, and the dry grass in the cracks of the battlements was shaking back and forth.

Erniu clutched the cold battlements tightly, his knuckles digging into the grain of the bricks and stones. He leaned almost half of his body out, his neck stretched out, his eyes wide open, staring at the morning mist-shrouded front.

Ahead, the mist seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, with thick smoke and dust surging from bottom to top. Black and yellow dust columns shot straight into the sky, dyeing the morning sun a turbid dark red.

"coming..."

Erniu's Adam's apple rolled violently, and his voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper.

The fishy smell contained in the smoke and dust became increasingly thicker, mixed with faint roars, like an invisible giant net, slowly closing in on Huanggang City.

He suddenly turned around and looked towards the city, and his heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

The crowd on the main street was still in chaos. Several wealthy families' carriages were parked in the middle of the road, and their servants were still desperately stuffing boxes and valuables into the carriages, blocking the already narrow passage.

The yamen runners waved water and fire sticks and beat people, but they could only barely maintain a little order. At least half of the people were still crowded inside the city gate, and their cries and shouts could be heard clearly through the city walls.

Erniu gritted his teeth, veins showing on his cheeks. He knew that if they turned around and retreated at this moment, with their elite Sheep Camp, they might be able to avoid this army of monsters and escape.

But... once they leave, the hundreds of thousands of people stranded in the city will surely become lambs to be slaughtered by those monsters.

That’s hundreds of thousands of lives!

Erniu's fists were clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound, and his nails dug deeply into his palms.

Although he was born into an ordinary peasant family and had little education, he did not understand the profound principles. However, he was kind-hearted, and during his time in the Sheep Camp, he was influenced by the people there, which made him more aware of the responsibilities he must bear as a soldier.

Because of this, he really couldn't abandon the people of the city and run away alone!

But when he turned around and looked at the brothers around him, he felt a little reluctant. Did he really want to let these brothers who had been with him through thick and thin to die here with him?

The inner struggle was like two knives cutting his heart repeatedly, and Erniu's face turned pale and blue.

At this moment, he felt several gazes falling on him. Turning around, he saw that the brothers of Team 17 were all looking at him. There was fear on everyone's face, but there was no sign of retreat in their eyes. Instead, there was a determination to fight to the death.

The youngest, Xiaodongzi, licked his cracked lips and forced a smile, but the trembling in his voice was unmistakable. "Captain, what was the slogan of our Sheep Camp? I can't remember it clearly..."

Erniu was slightly startled. Before he could say anything, the brothers beside him suddenly took a step forward together. Their hoarse but resounding roars shook the tiles on the wall again and fell: "Yanghuanying! Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death and never retreat!"

Xiao Dongzi also roared, his flushed face full of the stubbornness of a young man, and the trembling just now disappeared.

This shout was like a thunderclap, splitting the hesitation in Erniu's heart and making a decision for him!

"it is good!"

Erniu slammed his fist against the battlement and roared. Then, he slammed his legs together and raised his voice sharply, "Yanghuan Camp, Squad 17, listen up!"

"To!"

One hundred voices came in unison, without any delay, and the chaos below the city wall was instantly stopped.

The common people looked up and saw the men on the city wall, all in full armor, with their heads held high and their chests puffed out. Their broadswords gleamed coldly in the morning sun. Although there were only a hundred of them, they exuded the momentum of a mighty army.

Erniu's gaze swept across every familiar face and finally fell on Xiaodongzi - the child's eyes were still red, but he gritted his teeth and refused to show weakness.

He slowly drew the machete from his waist, pointed the blade at the swirling dust outside the city, and roared like thunder: "Line up! Follow me out of the city!"

There are monster birds among the monsters, which makes defending the city a futile talk. Now the only way to buy time for the people of Huanggang City to evacuate is to go out of the city and fight.

But they all knew that if they went there, they would definitely die.

Faced with these 100,000 demon soldiers, it would be a fantasy for the 100 people in Yanghuanying to stop them, let alone survive.

However, among the hundred people, including Erniu, not a single one showed any sign of retreat.

They quickly walked down the city wall and saw the prefect of Huanggang City running towards them.

The prefect looked at Erniu and the others, knowing full well that they were prepared to sacrifice their lives to buy time for their evacuation. For a moment, the prefect's eyes flushed red, his lips trembling. He wanted to say something, but the sob in his throat prevented him from uttering a single word.

Erniu laughed instead. At this moment, he didn't care about the rules and hierarchy. He reached out his hand, patted the prefect's shoulder, and said in a calm voice, as if he was talking about family matters: "Prefect, don't be so fussy. Organize the evacuation of the people as soon as possible. As many people as possible will go. We..."

He paused, his eyes sweeping across the smoke and dust outside the city that was getting closer and closer, his smile becoming more resolute: "How long can we hold it off? That's how long!"

 …

"Huh—"

Li Zhi exhaled heavily, his eyes fixed on the dozen or so letters spread out on the desk.

Without exception, those letters were all covered with glaring vermilion wax, which was the mark of the expedited documents from the Night Tour Bureau. Each letter recorded the unrest in a certain place.

Some members rebelled, while others were attacked.

In addition to the unrest caused by the Yeyou Division, there were also unrests on the military side, and even some local forces and many gentry and wealthy families responded to the uprising.

All this unrest happened overnight!

Such tacit understanding, anyone with a discerning eye can see that someone must be behind the plot, but...

Being able to manipulate so many forces, and even instigating rebellion from the Yeyousi guardians and royal family members, the person behind this is definitely not simple!

Just as Li Zhi was thinking, there was a light knock on the door, followed by a respectful call: "Master Dai, everyone is here!"

Li Zhi's eyes flashed, and he replied, "Okay, I understand."

That was the person Zhao Wuji specially arranged to assist Li Zhi. This made Li Zhi a little dazed. Did he have a team again?

Suddenly, a strange thought came to his mind.

It seems that no one who forms a group with him has a good ending.

Li Zhi smiled bitterly. For some reason, he inexplicably thought of the honest boy from the past.

"I don't know how Erniu is doing now..."

Li Zhi muttered to himself, then walked out of the room.