I will be stronger after the remake

The unusually calm voice of Tang Ping pulled Ling Chong out of his tangled thoughts.

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

"The first wave of Zerg attacks on the medical team could be attributed to their discovery that we were treating the wounded, their perception that we were a lot of burdens and the weakest overall, and thus they chose us as the best target. But what about now?"

"What's going on now?" Ling Chong's mind hadn't quite caught up yet.

"We only have two wounded soldiers here who are unable to fight, and only one of them is unable to move. If you, Captain, carry the wounded soldier who has lost a leg, and then everyone runs in different directions, how can the enemy chase us?"

“There are many of them, so we can easily disperse and pursue them…” Gradually, Ling Chong came to his senses. “Without the leader’s command, the insects alone are not a threat. Even if we can’t win in a head-on battle, it’s not difficult to escape. Probably only the unlucky ones who are targeted by the leader can’t escape. But what if they don’t come after us and instead go after Yun Yanzi’s group?”

"Yunyanzi and the others have long since disappeared. I don't think these insects can lock onto their target from that distance."

"You mean, they came specifically for us?"

Ling Chong still felt that something was wrong.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Another Execution

“That doesn’t make sense. Besides us, there are also logistics and reconnaissance teams outside the formation. In terms of numbers, they are definitely more than a handful of us. If their goal is to eliminate as many humans as possible, they shouldn’t be targeting us,” Ling Chong questioned.

"So the answer is simple: they're not after us, but something we have," Tang Ping said.

“We don’t have any precious treasures…” Ling Chong paused mid-sentence, realizing something, and looked down at the Dao Seed in his hand. “You mean, they came for this?”

Tang Ping, however, said cautiously, "I can't guarantee 100%, but logically speaking, it's the most likely. For example, they might have sensed the aura of the Dao Seed, or they might want to retrieve their brother's belongings. Anyway, it all sounds reasonable, doesn't it?"

"Then let's throw away the Dao Seed and leave quickly."

Although Dao Seeds are precious, this is from the organization's perspective. For psionicists, Dao Seeds that are incompatible with their own attributes are just pretty stones if they cannot be used to exchange for rewards.

Even if he could hand it over to the organization to exchange for a reward, it wasn't worth risking his life. Ling Chong wasn't someone blinded by greed, and he could easily distinguish between what was more important and what wasn't.

Tang Ping's expression was not so optimistic. She reminded him, "If the other party is after the Dao Seed, throwing down the item will indeed temporarily get rid of the pursuit, but what happens next?"

"Just say what you want to say. My mind is a bit of a mess... Well, even if it's not messy, I'm not exactly smart either. Analyze it for me."

“After obtaining the Dao Seed, it’s impossible for the other side to just stop and do nothing. I think there are only three possibilities. The first is that they will go back to attack the Three Talents Trapping and Killing Formation and try to break the formation’s blockade from the outside. The second is, as you said before, Captain, that they will attack the team with the most people outside the formation. The third is that they will chase after you and me. After all, you and I have both come into contact with the Dao Seed and may have been tainted by some kind of scent, making us targets.”

Tang Ping felt that since the toad bee possessed the spiritual ability of "getting to the bottom of things" by tracking through pheromones, the other insect demons, being his adopted sons, would most likely also have similar spiritual abilities.

After hearing the analysis, Ling Chong immediately abandoned the idea of ​​throwing away the Dao Seed. He could not accept the first and second guesses, and the third guess would not make any difference whether he threw away the Dao Seed or not, since the enemy would continue to hunt him and Tang Ping anyway.

"Once you identify the problem, analyze it, and then it's time to solve it. Do you have any good ideas?"

Tang Ping held up three fingers and said, "It's three fingers in total. First, throw away the Dao Seed and run as far away as possible in different directions. If the enemy chooses to hunt us down, then the guy who gets targeted by the insect demon leader is out of luck. If the enemy chooses to attack other teams or formations, then we choose to trust our companions' strength."

"The second option is still to escape. You and I take the Dao Seed and run in opposite directions. We can even find two companions, give each of them a Dao Seed and run in different directions to delay as much time as possible until reinforcements arrive or the central battlefield is decided. Then we can leave our lives to fate."

"Thirdly, like before, you and I can cooperate to carry out another decapitation tactic. As long as we kill the leader, the remaining insect demons will be nothing but a disorganized mess."

Without hesitation, Ling Chong asked, "Are you confident you can find the leader within the swarm?"

Tang Ping said confidently, "Yes, but I personally suggest choosing the second method. You are in charge of the battle. In your current state, I don't think you can kill the target smoothly in one wave like before. If the first wave of attacks fails and the opponent catches up and commands the swarm to attack, you will be doomed."

"And you, if this humble monk fails, are you confident you can escape?"

Ling Chong didn't care about his own life or death at all.

"On the way here, I saw a lake. If we choose that lake as the battle location, and I point out the enemy, I can jump into the lake immediately. I should have a 60-70% chance of surviving."

"Let's do it that way!"

Ling Chong acted decisively, omitting the key points, and announced his next move to the others, ordering them to escape in different directions.

The crowd exchanged glances, but no one objected. Some hesitated, seemingly wanting to stay and help, but couldn't think of any way they could be of any help and would probably just be a burden.

As for those time-wasting scenes like "No, I'm not leaving," "Let's go together," and "We'll die together," those are just for show in movies and TV shows. In reality, anyone with a brain wouldn't do that. Before long, everyone scattered and disappeared.

Ling Chong and Tang Ping also ran towards the nearest lake. On the way, Ling Chong turned his head and glanced at the dark cloud of insects on the horizon. He found that the insects had also changed direction and were drifting quickly toward him. He sighed and said, "You guessed it. They were indeed coming for you and me."

"As expected."

Reaching the lakeside, the two stopped to recover their strength while observing the approaching swarm of insects and estimating the time until they made contact.

When they were less than three minutes apart, Ling Chong suddenly said, "Brother, I must apologize to you. It is this humble monk who has wronged you."

Tang Ping didn't turn his head and said, "Why did you suddenly think of saying that?"

"I made the decision without consulting you and dragged you into this risky situation. You could have chosen a safer method."

“If I hadn’t wanted to, I wouldn’t have mentioned this method in the first place, nor would I have come here with you.”

"That's true, but in the end, it's still my selfishness that's causing this."

With a "smack," Ling Chong slapped himself hard.

Tang Ping turned her head and said, "There's no need. I did it voluntarily."

"This humble monk understands, so this slap is a lesson to myself: don't underestimate others, and don't think that you are the only hero. That kind of thinking is too arrogant."

What else could Tang Ping say but, "Self-reflection is a good thing."

"By the way, I remember you're a psionicist from the provincial security bureau?"

"Ah."

"What were your leaders thinking? How could they assign someone as talented as you to the security department? Does your unit have that many talented people already?"

"It's a matter of personal preference. I'm not ambitious and prefer a stable and peaceful life. Today was just a coincidence, and I had no choice but to step forward. If someone had taken my place, I would have backed down long ago."

“This humble monk understands. This is called ‘a strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and turmoil reveals the hero.’ In ordinary times, one should keep a low profile and step forward in times of crisis. Only by accomplishing one’s task and leaving without a trace, concealing one’s merits and fame, can one truly show the nature of a great hero.”

Tang Ping waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, I haven't reached that level. If I make a contribution, I must be rewarded accordingly. If I'm not rewarded, I will publicly demand my back pay."

"Haha, how about you switch jobs and come work for us? We'll use the special talent introduction channel, and I guarantee you all the best benefits. I'll also apply to higher authorities to help you develop your spirit and advance to the second stage as soon as possible."

Ling Chong truly cherishes talent. Someone as brave, resourceful, and principled as him, who can calmly analyze situations in times of crisis, is a treasure no matter where he is. Putting him in the security department would be a waste.

"Let's not talk about that. The enemy is coming. Be prepared."

"Alright, let's get through this ordeal and then discuss the future."

The two fell silent, clearing their minds of distractions and focusing on their enemy.

Chapter Thirty-Six: On the Brink of Despair

Seeing that the swarm of insects was less than a hundred meters away, Ling Chong's body glowed with golden light as he took the initiative to meet them.

He tucked all four Dao Seeds into his bosom, and sure enough, the insect demons charged toward him, ignoring casualties and advancing wave after wave, completely disregarding the soup screen hidden in the lake behind them.

Tang Ping cast an underwater breathing spell on himself, his whole body hidden in the lake water, with a lotus leaf on his head, only his eyes and above were exposed. He was using his spiritual energy "Three-Eyed Spiritual Radiance" to search for the insect demon leader.

Although he believed that the other party would definitely regard the Dao Seed as their primary target and would most likely ignore him, a first-stage spiritual energy user, he should still be cautious in everything he did. He should hide if he could, and not care about losing face if he could increase his safety.

In addition, a lotus leaf floated in front of Tang Ping's eyes, with a small square box on it. It barely managed not to sink. This was a walkie-talkie that a psionicist with hands-on abilities had handcrafted in the Illusionary Realm. It looked very rough, but it was extremely useful and also had waterproof and drop-proof functions.

Amidst the wildly swarming insects, Ling Chong wielded his staff with great force, its golden light gleaming, sweeping away a large number of insects wherever it went.

In order to conserve his spiritual energy, he stopped using Lion's Roar and Fire Dragon Dao Techniques as before and relied on hand-to-hand combat as much as possible. This approach naturally reduced his killing efficiency. However, he never intended to kill all the insects. His goal was to delay them and hold out until Tang Ping discovered the insect demon leader.

He knew very well that the key to the success or failure of this operation was the insect demon leader; killing more of the other insects would be meaningless.

Wave after wave of insect demons crashed into Ling Chong, using suicidal impacts to weaken the golden light covering his body, unfazed by the damage.

He didn't know how much time had passed—it could have been three minutes, or it could have been ten. Ling Chong's breathing became erratic; the intense fighting made it impossible for him to accurately perceive the passage of time.

During a break, Ling Chong had taken a spirit-replenishing potion, but this stuff could only replenish spiritual power, not physical strength.

"Why hasn't Tang Ping discovered the insect demon yet?" "Is he even confident?" "Could he have already slipped away quietly?"...

Similar negative thoughts kept surfacing, making Ling Chong feel upset. Fortunately, his spiritual essence, "Vajra," had a certain ability to suppress inner demons and chaotic thoughts. In addition, he usually practiced meditation, so he managed to maintain a little bit of clarity and not fall into madness. However, he could not guarantee how long he could hold on.

Just as Ling Chong was silently praying, the walkie-talkie hanging around his neck transmitted a heavenly voice:

"Found it! Right at a 30-degree angle clockwise, there's a dead tree with a brown wax insect on it. It's covered in black spots and has many sharp spines along its edges. You need to look closely to spot it."

[Kun Yao: Applying Wax]

[Psychic Powers: Insect Leader, Thorough Investigation, Disturbed and Annoyed]

[Insect Leader: You can send your thoughts to nearby insects and force them to obey your commands]

[Getting to the bottom of it: Once you've locked onto the target's pheromones, you can accurately sense their location within a 30-mile radius]

[Disturbed and disturbed: You can use sound waves to disrupt someone's mental state, causing them to fall into a state of anxiety, fear, and despair.]

Ling Chong quickly followed the directions and soon spotted the dead tree. However, it took him a while to find the target, whose skin color was almost blended into the tree bark, making it extremely difficult to identify.

How did this kid find out?

Ling Chong was very puzzled. He had received clear instructions, but it still took a lot of effort to lock onto the target. How did Tang Ping manage to find the target so precisely among hundreds of thousands of flying insects?

But now is not the time to think about this problem. Ling Chong focused his mind, quickly channeled his spiritual power, and used the same trick again, leaping out and slapping the white wax insect clinging to the withered tree with a palm.

Mo La was clearly caught off guard, not expecting the other party to discover his location. He had no time to dodge and was struck by a palm, sending him flying.

"The universe is boundless, and the wind and thunder receive orders!"

Since the same combo works, there's no need to change it. Ling Chong activates the palm thunder, hitting Mo La from a distance and paralyzing him. Then, holding the Zen staff, he leaps up and smashes it down with great force, while preparing to summon the Arhat statue to deliver the final blow.

Bang!

The staff struck its target, but Ling Chong's expression suddenly changed, and his eyes widened in panic.

Because the force didn't hit the target squarely, but only grazed it, the target's resistance to the lightning's paralysis exceeded his expectations. At the last second, the target regained mobility and avoided the area of ​​strongest attack.

As expected, the wax moss that was hit did not fall straight to the ground like the toad wasp, but instead suddenly rose in an arc just before hitting the ground.

Ling Chong, still holding his staff, was about to pursue when Mo La, sensing the aura of death, vibrated its membrane wings, emitting a mental wave that struck straight to the heart, causing his vision to darken and his movements to halt.

When he regained his senses, the insect demon leader was nowhere to be seen; the leader had disappeared back into the swarm of insects.

He'd messed up! Ling Chong's heart sank into an icy abyss.

The next moment, countless insects rushed towards him like a madman, no longer caring about harming the Dao Seed on his body. They pounced on the golden light, gnawing and biting, piling up layer by layer, trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers and completely engulf his figure.

Ling Chong realized that he was unlikely to escape alive, but no matter what, he shouldn't drag Tang Ping down with him; if he could save one person, that would be good enough.

He channeled his spiritual power and roared, "Run!"

The powerful sound waves killed the surrounding insects, creating a brief blank area, which was quickly filled by the insect demons that rushed in afterward.

Hidden in the lake, Tang Ping watched Ling Chong, whose golden light was obscured by the insect cloud, clenched his fists, and tried hard to think of a way to save him.

After much deliberation, the conclusion was still that there was nothing that could be done.

Even with the best card skills, you have no chance of winning if you're holding a bunch of random cards with low numbers.

Just as he was convincing himself to leave, a shimmering red light suddenly appeared on the lake's surface. Before he could figure out why, a firestorm swept across the lake, setting his hair ablaze.

The swarm of insects was no match for the scorching flames. When the crimson storm swept through, they were all reduced to charred remains and fell to the ground. The hundreds of thousands of insects did not serve their intended purpose.

Ling Chong shook his body, shaking off all the insect corpses that were pressing on him onto the ground. He and Tang Ping looked up together and saw a large, crimson bird engulfed in flames flying through the air.

As the large crimson bird passed by, it suddenly swooped down and stretched out its claws to grab the ground.

With the help of the information tag, Tang Ping keenly realized that Mo Wax had been caught. Then, he saw the burning bird claw press inward, and the information tag disappeared.

Clearly, the wax-smearer was killed by that claw.

He murmured, "Who is this deity?"

Ling Chong revealed a relieved expression and said, "Finally here, the awakener of the spirit 'Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird,' the fourth-level spirit cultivator Gu Linglong."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Power of the Fourth Turn

When a major crisis occurs in the Realm of Illusion, it will naturally be reported and a request will be made for a fourth-level psychic to take action. However, the fourth-level psychic's position is rather special, and the country cannot use a forceful order.

In addition, no one has yet mastered long-distance spatial teleportation psionic abilities. Even a fourth-order psionicist must travel diligently, which inevitably takes some time.

But regardless, from Tang Ping and Ling Chong's perspective, they ultimately arrived in time.

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise are the Four Symbols that have been passed down in Chinese civilization for a long time. Perhaps in many Xianxia and cultivation novels, these four can only be considered as average characters with mediocre strength, but in the Spirit Rank system where reputation equals strength, these four are undoubtedly the top-level Spirit Ranks.

Besides the Four Symbols, there is also the concept of the Five Sacred Beasts: the Azure Dragon of the East, which governs wood; the Vermilion Bird of the South, which governs fire; the White Tiger of the West, which governs metal; the Black Tortoise of the North, which governs water; and the Yellow Dragon of the Center, which governs earth.

In some games or novels, the Yellow Dragon is the most respected, surpassing the Four Symbols. However, the Yellow Dragon is actually a later addition, and its concept was only proposed in the Han Dynasty.

The Huainanzi states: "The center is earth, its emperor is the Yellow Emperor, its assistant is Houtu, who holds the rope to control the four directions; its god is Saturn, its beast is the Yellow Dragon, its musical note is Gong, and its day is Wuji."

The concept of the Four Symbols existed as early as the pre-Qin period, corresponding to the Twenty-Eight Mansions. Even going back to the Five Emperors period, corresponding artifacts can still be found, originating from the ancient people's primitive worship of stars.