Chapter 78

Yu Hai remained motionless, crouching in the damp, hot underbrush, his eyes intently focused through the gaps in the leaves, rainwater dripping down his cheeks, soaking through his gray attire.

Bending his body, he knelt on one knee, so engrossed that his other foot was deeply embedded in the murky mud.

"It should be here, right? Why..."

His brows furrowed, Yu Hai couldn't understand why it was so unusually quiet, which was far from normal.

What was going on?

"I clearly followed the trail of that water dragon and saw it roar and dive down with my own eyes. Why... why is there no sign of the intense scene I imagined?"

This was too strange, and Yu Hai could sense a hint of something eerie.

His heart beat nervously, and at this moment, the sound of the rain seemed negligible.

Slowly raising his arm, he used his index and middle fingers to widen the gap in the underbrush, allowing him a clear view of the surroundings.

This should have been a simple action, but it was now abnormally difficult.

Yu Hai was a cautious person. He was unsure if there were any unknown experts hiding nearby, and even more uncertain if the powerful mage who could summon a water dragon was still around.

"What a powerful mage, probably at the level of a Mage Reverend. Such a powerful mage would surely be treated as a distinguished guest in the 'Flying Tiger Mercenary Group'!"

Enviously smacking his lips, Yu Hai wished to meet such a strong person.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, he let out a gasp, his gaze fixed on a point sixty degrees to his left.

"What is that?"

Following his line of sight, a coconut-sized object, glowing green, was seen bouncing up and down at a regular frequency a few dozen meters away. From a distance, it looked like a sinister ghost fire, inexplicably eerie.

Staring at the ghost fire for three minutes, Yu Hai suddenly exclaimed as if he had an epiphany.

"Could this be a necromancer's spell? Why... why would there be a necromancer here?"

A drop of clear water trickled down his nose, unsure if it was rain or cold sweat.

Necromancers had a bad reputation.

Although Yu Hai had never seen a real necromancer before, he had heard about them multiple times from other mercenaries.

It was said that necromancers always wore black robes, had peculiar temperaments, and used extremely cruel methods...

If a necromancer wanted to kill you, you might never know what they looked like until you died.

Worse still, if you died, you would become a tool for the necromancer to manipulate and play with.

This often led to a situation that many mercenaries found unacceptable and infuriating.

In battle with a necromancer, a comrade who was fighting alongside you one second could become a bloodthirsty, indestructible enemy the next!

There was no more terrifying opponent than one you couldn't kill!

"Could it be that a mage and a necromancer were fighting here just now?"

It seemed very likely.

Yu Hai's heart raced even more, and just imagining the clash between two such powerful figures was enough to make his blood boil. After all, powerful mages were very rare, and necromancers even rarer. Their confrontation was something one might never see again.

Being able to witness the battle between these two powerful figures was undoubtedly lucky, but also extremely dangerous.

Yu Hai's heart beat even faster, and he hesitated about whether to stay or...

At this moment, a new discovery influenced his next decision.

Through the strange green light, he saw a small figure lying flat under a nearby tree.

"Isn't this a student from the Grassroots Vocational School? What is she doing here?"

"Why is she lying there? Could she already be..."

A look of surprise flashed across his face, making the entire situation even more bizarre and complex.

As a mercenary and with his connection to the "Grassroots Vocational School," Yu Hai could not afford to back down.

"Maybe things aren't as bad as I imagine?"

He reassured himself and slowly emerged from the underbrush, his sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, remaining vigilant.

The distance of a few dozen meters was not far, but Yu Hai moved abnormally slowly, feeling his heart throb with each step forward.

Ten meters, nine meters, eight meters...

The surroundings were very quiet, with no sign of anyone, but Yu Hai did not dare to be careless.

The eerie nature of necromancers was not just a rumor; they operated from the shadows, controlling undead and skeletons to attack from a distance, which had to be guarded against.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened. The only thing that startled Yu Hai was the increasingly intense green light.

Looking at the still motionless little girl before him, Yu Hai did not immediately take any action to help, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know how.

Just as Yu Hai bent down to pick up the little girl, a sudden sense of danger came from behind, like a bone-chilling wind, almost instantly penetrating his bones.

Instinctively, the protective aura around his body surged to its peak, and at the same time, Yu Hai's body leaped up like a toad.

But, he was still a step too slow.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion, like a thunderclap, rang in his ears.

The burning pain in his back was nothing compared to the shock in his heart.

Yu Hai's body shot out like an arrow, struck and sent flying.

Who was this person?

"What incredible strength! To break through my aura armor!"

Yu Hai glanced sideways, but only saw a vague small figure, holding what seemed to be a highly incongruous weapon...

After striking Yu Hai with one hammer, Dong Fangxiuzhe quickly knelt down to check Wang Junqi's condition.

Seeing that she was fine, Dong Fangxiuzhe let out a sigh of relief, even though he himself didn't understand why he was so concerned about her.

Perhaps it was because Wang Junqi was his first friend!

"Ghost Lady, you've done well!"

Dong Fangxiuzhe beckoned to the green light, which happily jumped into the small chest, looking very satisfied.

With a flick of his wrist, he threw the souls of the "Three Corpse-Eating Ghosts" to the Ghost Lady, and his gaze fell on Yu Hai, who was slowly approaching.

He hadn't used his full strength in that hammer strike, as he didn't know if Yu Hai was friend or foe.