A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1457 - 986: Racing Against Time

Chapter 1457: Chapter 986: Racing Against Time

July 22nd, 10:20 PM.

For Nedai Shinpei and the Shadows, this was the starting line.

Duanmu Huai’s concern wasn’t unwarranted. The defeated Shadows, now aware of Duanmu Huai’s existence, would inevitably aim to kill Nedai Shinpei in order to reset the timeline, giving them more opportunities to deal with this suddenly emerged formidable enemy. For Duanmu Huai, he was naturally unwilling to let the timeline reset again—spending so much effort to fight all the way to the boss’s doorstep, only for the server to roll back and eject him from the dungeon. There’s nothing more infuriating than that.

While Duanmu Huai was searching for the boss’s lair, Nedai Shinpei and the others remaining at the school also faced a significant dilemma.

Of course, they could hide at the school and wait for Duanmu Huai to take down the boss, but...

"I’m worried the opponent might act recklessly."

Nedai Shinpei’s expression was grim.

"We know their intentions, and they now know we have a powerful ally on our side. However, the problem is—this ally is just one person."

"You mean, the enemy might create more Shadows to attack other townsfolk and replace them?"

Minami Rizhu quickly understood Nedai Shinpei’s meaning, and the latter nodded.

"Exactly. We all know how important the festival is for the enemy. During the festival, there are many people gathered, allowing that creature to devour everyone in one sweep to restore its Strength. But now, I’m worried she may not wait until the festival..."

"Feasting in one gulp is eating; biting piece by piece is also eating..."

"Precisely. Mr. Duanmu is undoubtedly powerful, but it’s precisely for this reason that Botao might opt for a more roundabout approach—after all, her goal is simply to consume enough people to regain Strength. If she can’t wait until after the festival, she might act directly tonight...!"

At this point, Nedai Shinpei clenched his fists. He had experienced the nightmarish festival and knew how the enemy fed. The Shadows killed their original selves, replaced them, and then merged with the Shadow known as Botao. The festival was chosen because it had the largest crowds, allowing her to devour everyone in one go.

But now, because of Duanmu Huai’s presence, Botao may no longer wait until the festival—she might even fear she won’t survive the night!

In this scenario, her best strategy would be dispatching numerous Shadows to kill and consume the town’s residents. Though fewer would be consumed than during the festival, it would still allow Botao to regain a certain level of Strength. Otherwise, with her current level of Weakness, trying to confront Duanmu Huai would be a death sentence.

"Miss Christie."

Nedai Shinpei looked towards Mary, who was seated nearby, his expression stern.

"We have a plan..."

"A plan?"

"Yes. We want to protect this town and the people in it! I understand the reason you’re staying here, but... I can’t just sit back and watch everyone die!"

"This..."

Hearing Nedai Shinpei’s plea, Mary paused to think for a moment before standing up.

"Alright, I understand. I’ll help."

After all, she didn’t want to see innocent people suffer either.

While Nedai Shinpei and the others were initiating their plan, Duanmu Huai was... well, stuck at the entrance of a sewer.

"I said I couldn’t fit, and I really can’t fit..."

Duanmu Huai looked helplessly at the sewer opening below him. At this moment, his entire lower half was in the sewer, while his upper body was stuck outside—yep, couldn’t fit meant couldn’t fit.

"This damn place is really..."

Looking around, Duanmu Huai sighed. It was already late at night, and the small town had long since fallen silent, with most residents already deep in slumber. Duanmu Huai stood back up from the sewer opening, took a deep breath, and raised his fist towards the ground in front of him.

"Whatever, I’ll just smash it open! Such a waste of time!"

With these words, Duanmu Huai clutched his fist tightly and slammed it down onto the ground with all his Strength!

"Boom———————!!"

In an instant, the ground shook violently.

The entire small island quaked as lampposts blinked on across the previously pitch-black town.

"What happened?!"

"Was that an earthquake?"

"It’s not a tsunami, is it?!"

For the Japanese people, earthquakes were commonplace, but the sudden tremor still scared them. Fortunately, they were highly experienced in earthquake safety protocols. Though surprised by the unexpected quake, everyone rushed out of their homes towards designated evacuation shelters.

Of course, Duanmu Huai couldn’t care less about this. He looked up, satisfied with the large shattered hole before him, and nodded in approval.

"Perfect. Now I can go down."

With that, Duanmu Huai leapt into the hole.

"......What the hell just happened?"

Meanwhile, Nedai Shinpei and the others stood in bewilderment as they looked outside. They had originally planned to act proactively to prevent the Shadows from harming the townsfolk. But unexpectedly, the sudden earthquake caused everyone to rush to the school for safety!

Now, all the residents were gathered together, eliminating their initial concerns!

"Uh... this was probably Mr. Duanmu’s doing."

Mary wiped sweat off her forehead nervously, having a pretty good idea of what Duanmu Huai might have done. She just hadn’t expected him to actually go through with it.