Chapter 290

Chapter 290: Attack!

Standing amidst the clouds, Lin Qingliu pondered for a few brief seconds, and a plan to contribute to the chaos in Hope City that night swiftly took shape in his mind.

Amidst the howling brought by the three pairs of wings, the scales on Lin Qingliu’s head began to slowly transform, extending forward to form a structure resembling a beak.

His body once again began to reshape, and the last vestiges of human-like features completely vanished. In that moment, only an unprecedented extraordinary beast existed in the sky.

It was a griffin with three pairs of wings, a creature born from a blend of myth and fantasy, emerging from tales through a combination of various abilities.

A sharp cry echoed through the night sky, seeming to create invisible ripples that collided with the edge of Holy Shield’s domain.

In the next moment, Lin Qingliu saw bright red flashes erupt on the grey-black central spire.

Indeed, the anticipated alarm was triggered; now it was a matter of how much respect Hope City would show him.

—

Central Spire, in a dark room.

The square-faced man, who had been asleep, felt his right arm suddenly twitch, a piercing pain quickly spreading throughout his body.

A big problem—without a doubt, a huge problem.

Instinctively trained, as soon as he woke, he clenched his right fist and vigorously swung it toward a red button by the edge of his bed.

In the next moment, the lights in the dark room suddenly illuminated, and the alarm sound blared, sending red lights flashing in every corridor and passage, symbolizing a serious situation.

As the square-faced man ran outside, he equipped his communicator.

Indeed, as soon as he placed it on his ear, a cacophony of noise came through:

"Red alert? What level?"

"What’s happening? There are no signs of an attack in the inner or outer city."

"It’s ‘Holy Shield’ that has been triggered."

Two hatch doors swiftly opened in front of the man. Though it was deep into the night, the noise from the hydraulic levers and mechanical structures seemed utterly insignificant.

The man stepped into the elevator that awaited him, swallowed hard, and said into the communicator in a slow, deliberate manner:

"Fifth Level."

As if hearing something incredible, the previously noisy communication channel fell into extreme silence for a moment.

"Extraordinary beasts at the Fifth Level, and there are no precursors of the beast tide…"

A voice murmured:

"Why hasn’t the city defense army sent any messages?"

The square-faced man had already risen a significant distance in the elevator. Hearing the questions from others, he replied lightly:

"The signal is coming from the sky."

On the other end of the communicator, there was once again a pause, then a calm voice began issuing orders:

"‘Infinite Scroll’ to the lowest level. ‘Fortress’ on the first floor, other members gather at the High Platform."

"Yes."

A clearly resolute feminine voice responded.

"I am already in the elevator."

The Square-faced man also responded:

"Maintain communication; I will conduct observations shortly."

The elevator doors opened, and Hope City, bathed in moonlight, was fully revealed before Holy Shield.

At the same moment, far above in the clouds, Lin Qingliu also noticed that a Square-faced man had appeared on the wedge-shaped platform near the top of the central spire.

His expression was grave, but his gaze swept over the ground and sky like a lion surveying its territory.

In the next moment, his eyes locked onto the extraordinary beast hovering in the sky, their gazes meeting with neither willing to back down.

Just a few seconds later, two figures appeared behind Holy Shield.

One was gaunt, yet his eyes sparkled with a sharp brilliance, unmistakably the El that Lin Qingliu recalled seeing at the bottom of the spire.

The other was a woman who appeared to be of similar age to Ink Drench, though she seemed somewhat neglected, as faint lines on her face were clearly visible even from such a distance.

Seeing the three people gathered, Lin Qingliu began to speculate about their identities.

Based on his exchanges and investigations with Luke, Lin Qingliu vaguely guessed that the presence opposite him was a member of the elusive first team.

At this moment, he wanted to swoop down and engage in a polite conversation with the three, expressing his admiration for them.

Unfortunately, as an "extraordinary beast," he naturally had to act in accordance with his beastly identity.

So, what is the style of action for a beast?

Of course, it’s to fight without hesitation!

With a mighty flap of his three pairs of wings, the surrounding air roared from the compression.

The griffin’s body shot up over ten meters, like a predator preparing to strike.

Immediately after, the extraordinary beast, which had never appeared in any records, wrapped its body with its wings and began to rapidly rotate and descend toward the central spire, like a piercing projectile aimed directly at its target’s heart.

"How are we going to fight? Do we have a plan?"

Watching the rapidly accelerating Fifth Level extraordinary beast, the three superpowered individuals remained unbothered.

"Connect to the city defense army channel; confirm at all times whether a beast tide is approaching."

"Shrink Holy Shield to the area surrounding the spire; let it in."

"Guide it to the ground, so ‘Fortress’ can also join the battle."

"Understood."

"Yes."

The commands came from the gaunt man’s mouth, and a simple yet effective plan immediately began to take shape.

As Lin Qingliu rapidly descended, he used his abilities to continuously multiply his scales.

Layers of armor, harder than most metals, stacked upon each other, causing the griffin’s form to gradually disappear, resembling a conical projectile.

An illusory shattering sound echoed through Lin Qingliu’s consciousness space as he forcefully broke through Holy Shield’s defenses.

This was entirely within his expectations.

After all, he had had extraordinary experiences communicating with both Holy Shield, and he knew a bit about the strength of this ability.

Before reaching the Fifth Level, it would be difficult to restrain him even with full force; moreover, when diluted to cover the entire Hope City, the warning function outweighed the defensive function.

Lin Qingliu could see that they were luring him to land for a decisive battle, or at the very least, they wanted to control the battlefield at an ultra-low altitude not far from the ground.

With a sneer in his heart, Lin Qingliu chose to turn the tables.

With a thought, the griffin’s penetrating projectile spin accelerated again.

The "extraordinary beast’s" breakthrough was evidently anticipated by Holy Shield, who did not show any disappointment. After exchanging glances with his two teammates, he leaped down from the High Platform.

A shield began to shimmer around him, preventing any unexpected occurrences.

At the same time, the gaunt man jumped down as well. Unlike Holy Shield, his nearly skeletal body erupted with a powerful force, allowing him to run down the walls of the spire with great strides.