"Big brother, what's wrong?"
Seeing Ye Feng frowning and pacing around, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but ask.
"It's nothing... I just feel that it's a bit unreasonable for such a city to suddenly appear in this hilly area..."
"And this city is ridiculously clean... It looks dilapidated, but there's no clutter... It's like it was just built not long ago..."
Ye Feng looked around and said slowly.
"Indeed..."
Xiao Xiao nodded. "And there are no signs of zombies here... Logically, there should be many zombies in the city..."
After speaking, Xiao Xiao walked to the top of the steps, climbed onto the stone lion at the bank entrance, and looked around.
"Xiao Xiao, be careful!"
At this moment, Ye Feng shouted at Xiao Xiao urgently, because the stone lion Xiao Xiao was standing on suddenly cracked.
"Huh?"
Xiao Xiao clearly sensed something and immediately looked down.
Her face changed as she looked. The stone lion she was standing on was inexplicably covered in cracks, as if it would split open at any moment.
"Crack, crack~ Crack~!"
Just as Ye Feng was about to tell Xiao Xiao to come down, dense small noises suddenly came from all around them.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the surrounding tall buildings had all become covered in cracks, looking as if they were about to collapse and disintegrate...
"This..."
Ye Feng's expression was solemn, and he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
"Big brother, these... insects are flying out from inside the stone lion..."
"Wait... Big brother, this stone lion is made of many insects!"
At this moment, Xiao Xiao, who had jumped down from the stone lion, said with great surprise.
"Ding! Detected Mirage Worm, location 0 meters!"
"Mirage Worm: Gregarious creatures, fond of consuming arcane energy, adept at disguise. Large numbers of Mirage Worms can cause widespread mirages. Mirage Worm swarms are extremely dangerous!"
Ye Feng had only taken a couple of steps towards Xiao Xiao when a system prompt sounded in his mind.
"Extremely dangerous?"
While Ye Feng was thinking, his lower leg was already entangled by something like clay. Upon closer inspection, that clay was actually made up of countless tiny insects...
"Big brother... Around... Around!"
At this moment, Xiao Xiao's slightly panicked voice sounded.
Because the sky above their heads suddenly darkened, but it wasn't nighttime, nor did dark clouds drift over to block the sun.
Instead, the tall buildings around them had collapsed and disintegrated, and a swarm of insects from all directions had surrounded them circle after circle...
As the surrounding light became dim, suddenly, a couple of star-like flashes appeared around Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao.
One point... two points... three points...
Within a few breaths, Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao were surrounded by dense flashes.
"Extremely dangerous... This arcane energy fluctuation... Could it be..."
Ye Feng looked at the firefly-like lights flashing around him, recalling the system's prompt, and a thought that made his forehead sweat arose in his mind.
"Xiao Xiao, use your arcane energy to protect yourself!"
After speaking, Ye Feng's entire body surged with arcane energy, and he hugged Xiao Xiao tightly.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Rumble! Bang!"
Almost simultaneously, the flashing Mirage Worms, almost glued to Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao's bodies, exploded.
A large amount of blinding fire instantly engulfed Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao, and the deafening explosions made their ears ache severely.
"These guys... The residual arcane energy from the Mirage Worms' explosions was absorbed by other Mirage Worms?"
Ye Feng was very surprised.
He had intended to seize the opportunity of the shockwave generated by the Mirage Worms' explosions to push away other Mirage Worms and escape with Xiao Xiao, but he hadn't expected...
"Xiao Xiao!"
After observing for a while, Ye Feng called out to Xiao Xiao.
"Mhm!"
Xiao Xiao immediately understood. She nodded, pushed her hands outward to her sides, and a fire-elemental arcane energy shield instantly appeared, protecting her and Ye Feng.
Seeing this, the Mirage Worms did not continue to explode. Instead, they retreated slightly, and then a large number of non-flashing Mirage Worms swarmed forward, directly covering Xiao Xiao's arcane energy shield and began to devour the arcane energy.
After devouring until their bodies glowed, the Mirage Worms would retreat, and then another batch of Mirage Worms would come to devour...
Before long, the arcane energy shield created by Xiao Xiao had become thin...
"Xiao Xiao, no need to replenish arcane energy!"
Seeing Xiao Xiao mobilizing arcane energy to strengthen the weak spots on the shield, Ye Feng called out to stop her.
Xiao Xiao didn't ask any further questions, but instead stared vigilantly at the weak spot on the shield.
"Sizzle~!"
The moment the arcane energy shield was breached, Ye Feng's eyes narrowed. Arcane energy on his hand surged, rapidly condensing into the shape of a saber, and he slashed forward.
"Buzz!"
"Zing!"
The arcane energy saber condensed by Ye Feng instantly sliced through the Mirage Worms that had entered the shield, and at the same time, the saber's might intensified, the arcane energy great saber continued to grow larger, and it directly slashed towards the swarm of Mirage Worms in front.
"Bang! Buzz!~"
"Rustle~ Crack~!"
A fifty-meter-long arcane energy great saber killed a large number of Mirage Worms, creating a significant gap in the wall formed by the Mirage Worm swarm in front of Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao.
"Xiao Xiao, let's go!"
Ye Feng swung the arcane energy great saber a few times forcefully and then charged forward.
Xiao Xiao shot several fiery orbs behind her and to her sides, momentarily distracting the swarm, and then followed.
"Clang!~"
Just as Xiao Xiao reached Ye Feng's side, a crisp metallic collision sound rang out. It was the arcane energy cannon Ye Feng had recently finished crafting.
"Bang! Rumble!"
A large mass of bullet-shaped fire-elemental arcane energy instantly struck the Mirage Worm swarm in the path of Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao.
A large number of Mirage Worms instantly turned to ash, and the wall formed by the swarm was covered in flames, causing the entire wall to bulge outward.
"Hmm?"
Ye Feng, running, frowned slightly. The arcane energy cannon in his hand fired again.
Because he couldn't see sunlight penetrating through, it meant that the previous attack had not broken through the encirclement of the Mirage Worm swarm.
"Pow! Rumble! Bang bang!"
As Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao advanced, the arcane energy cannon in Ye Feng's hand continued to fire. He took out arcane energy coins from the cannon's slot and replaced them with new ones...
Before long, the Mirage Worm swarm ahead was engulfed in flames, and the bodies of Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao were covered in the ashes of the Mirage Worms...
"Big brother, there are more and more Mirage Worms ahead... And they are starting to connect with each other, distributing the damage from the arcane energy cannon!"
"The arcane energy cannon's attack can only penetrate the surface of the Mirage Worm swarm's wall, and new Mirage Worms will quickly replenish..."
Xiao Xiao's expression was somewhat anxious. "Big brother, to the rear left..."
"Xiao Xiao, rear left, attack!"
Before Xiao Xiao could finish speaking, Ye Feng shouted sternly.
...