“Let me see. It looks like there are still three Contractors remaining, and the plot characters mentioned in the mission seem to be alive. Seven people, but only five transport slots. No choice then, two plot characters will have to be abandoned. (Web)”

He then looked at Bai Langsi, whose body was also covered in blood (his previous conversation with Moga Sha was via Nightmare Imprint communication), and said apologetically:

“Bai Langsi, I am very sorry I couldn't take better care of your two brothers… Two damned rare elite Hydralisks suddenly burst out from underground!”

Bai Langsi nodded, saying mournfully:

“I heard everything through the communicator in my helmet. They were good men. This is not your fault, Lieutenant. Thank you for avenging them.”

Fang Senyan didn't speak, but focused his gaze outside… In the afterglow of the setting sun, across the vast and eerie wilderness, that tiny Host was already hurtling down toward the Zerg swarm of Zerglings, a terrifying sea stretching for at least tens of kilometers below, accompanied by a heavily wounded Broodling Flyer beside it. These mere two creatures, against the backdrop of that dense swarm numbering in the tens of thousands, possessed an unwavering, unstoppable momentum, as if charging forward alone against a million foes!

At this moment, the Zerg swarms on both sides began to converge rapidly. Among the group desperately running ahead, someone inadvertently glanced back and immediately shouted out in alarm… Perhaps it was because the black Host and the black Flyer stood out so starkly against the surrounding environment that they were exceptionally visible. These people had been fleeing purely on survival instinct, their minds blank, but now, in this situation, hope, while strengthening their will to live, undeniably left more room for thought. Such distraction was hardly a good thing!

In less than ten seconds, both Fang Senyan and Moga Sha frowned simultaneously, because the situation had become glaringly obvious: in another minute at most, the Zerg swarm would catch up to the running group ahead, and then the Host would take at least ten more seconds to catch up. And a ten-second time difference… was enough for those frenzied Zerglings to attack too many times! Fang Senyan could certainly hold them off during those ten seconds, but those exhausted plot characters and Contractors absolutely could not! In this race against speed, it was the Zerg who ultimately laughed last!

However, Fang Senyan only paused for a moment before signaling Moga Sha to take off his combat armor for him to wear, while simultaneously organizing the Prometheus 444 Flamethrower and downing the last swig of potent vodka to restore his strength. Moga Sha took a deep breath and looked out at the sea-like, endless Zerg swarm:

“Boss, are you really going down there? You need to think this through. You can't use that prototype Electromagnetic Cloud-Burst Bomb here. First, those plot characters might not withstand such an indiscriminate explosion. More importantly, only Zerg creatures burrowed underground would be immune to the shockwave, which means it could affect the Host we’re riding! If it were stunned for ten seconds while flying, our fate would be as miserable as the Red Stripe tribe Broodling Flyer you calculated against.”

Fang Senyan replied calmly:

“I know.”

Moga Sha frowned:

“Then don't go!”

The sunlight illuminated Fang Senyan’s left cheek, horribly scarred and ravaged by corrosion, revealing a terrifying grimace, yet overlaid with a stillness as unshakeable as a towering mountain!

“A man does what he must and what he must not! To me, ten thousand Zerglings are no different from sixteen. Regardless, the surviving Contractors are people we once fought shoulder to shoulder with, depending on each other for life and death. If I have the ability to save a sliver of hope for them while ensuring my own safety, I will absolutely not give up!”

Moga Sha lowered his head, sighed, and said no more. But just then, the situation ahead underwent another dramatic shift. A small, slender figure suddenly stumbled a few times at this critical juncture and fell to the ground! Although the combat armor concealed most of her physical features, Moga Sha and Fang Senyan recognized her instantly.

Tulip.

The woman who had always maintained a low profile and mystery!

The woman so vicious that even when cornered, she never forgot to drag others down with her!

She was instantly abandoned by the main group, and the Zerg horde surged in from the front, left, and right like a tide.

But at that very moment, another figure broke away from the fleeing main group and rushed back to offer aid. This figure was tall and sturdy—it was Reef, covered in blood. His chest was a mess of crisscrossing wounds, a large patch of flesh torn away, revealing the white bone underneath, even dangling long ligaments and white tendons. Despite such severe injuries, he managed to grab—

Tulip and continued to drag her along, his gaze still determined and fixed ahead, his voice hoarse as he urged:

“Don’t give up! Don’t give up! Hope is just ahead!”

Before being pulled up by Reef, Tulip’s face had been pale and dejected, but she suddenly changed expressions as if revitalized, a blank scroll quietly floating from her hand. She smiled slightly at Reef and said:

“Yes, Commander Reef, our only hope rests on you!”

Reef suddenly froze, an icy chill rising from his feet and shooting straight through his bones, chilling him to the marrow! His running speed instantly plummeted, not because he was too exhausted to run, but because a layer of gray-white stone suddenly began to cover his body surface!! His limbs slowed dramatically, as if he had instantly turned into a stone statue!

That’s right, under the mandatory team-up rules of this world, one indeed could not attack teammates! But this vicious woman, Tulip, actually used a beneficial scroll ability on Reef at this moment…

Stone Skin!

This spell significantly increased the target’s defense, boosting it by 600%, but the price was a severe reduction in movement speed and a 30% decrease in attack speed!!!

Evidently, Tulip had assessed the situation clearly, understanding that their group would not last until the rescue from behind arrived. She had no idea that Fang Senyan was capable of such monstrous feats as surviving and clearing out enemies within a Zerg swarm. Therefore, the only thing she considered was sacrificing one person to hold back the Zerglings from the rear, left, and right to buy time. And this person had to be able to last long enough under the frenzied onslaught of the Zerglings—at least long enough to survive those crucial ten seconds.

Clearly, Reef was the only one among the survivors who fit this condition. Thus, his personality weakness was completely exploited!!!!

The depth of Tulip’s scheming, the venom of her intent, and the extent of her understanding of human nature! Even Moga Sha, who was observing from the sidelines, felt a deep sense of dread.

Just then, as the distance between them closed, Tulip, while turning to flee, sent a message through the Nightmare Imprint in the temporary team channel:

“In the current situation, this is the best choice I could make to preserve all the plot characters! Remember, the mission-required Lieutenant Johnny Rico, Sergeant Tici Floris, Sergeant Levi, and Commander Ritch are all still alive. Saving us will secure the full reward!”

“Oh? You calculated that too?” Fang Senyan said lightly.

Tulip gasped for air, managing a breathless, ingratiating smile: “I was so foolish. How could a man who commands the unwavering loyalty of a powerhouse like Golden Moga Sha only be capable of brewing potions? M-Master, can you hurry? A few of our plot characters might not be able to run much further, and I am quite useful too.”

By now, the insect tide would fully surround them in another five seconds at most, and the escapees below had split into two groups.

Reef, afflicted by Stone Skin, stood motionless where he was, allowing the attacking Zerglings to bite and tear at him madly, offering no resistance, no movement, yet the sight of his clenched fists still conveyed a sense of a lonely hero, standing in tragic solitude.

Twenty meters away from him, Tulip and a few key plot characters had not yet encountered the insect tide. Their path forward was cut off, like survivors on a deserted island, surrounded by raging, swirling floods, ready to engulf and swallow them alive in mere seconds!

At this moment, Fang Senyan could only make a choice between the two:

: Reef : Tulip and all surviving plot characters.

Saving Reef, whose function overlapped with his own, would not only yield no benefit—as Tulip suggested—but would also create a potential rival in the team with a similar defensive talent. Furthermore, it would mean completely forfeiting the main quest reward and suffering the terrifying penalty of a minus 3 to all attribute points!

If he chose to save Tulip, regardless of her personal loyalty, the woman was undoubtedly capable, otherwise she wouldn't have survived this long. She must have hidden abilities that would be vital to this temporary team.

More importantly, saving her would simultaneously save the key characters required for the main quest, Lieutenant Johnny Rico, and could also save Sergeant Tici Floris, Sergeant Levi, and Commander Ritch, securing the maximum possible bonus rewards. The mission completion evaluation would certainly be at least S-rank!