Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Mo Fan noticed every floor of the huge hotel was crowded with people. It was obvious that the person in charge of the district had gathered many of the survivors at the hotel so it was easier to manage them.

There were a lot of tall buildings in the district, but if the people were scattered across the area, it would be difficult to keep track of their numbers. They would need extra manpower to evacuate each building, too. As there were several hundred units in a single block, it was unlikely they could take care of everyone.

Mo Fan reached the higher floors and saw the people of the Hongling Division, Qinling Division, and South Wing Platoon gathering at a balcony. The fierce wind and rain were just a few meters away, greeting them with a cold mist.

“We can’t help it, there’s isn’t anywhere else to stand inside, so we shall discuss here,” an elder of the Donghai Magic Association named Zhuang Hong said.

“There are so many people here. Are the food, water, and medicine enough?” Shen Qing asked in a worried voice.

The entire Sheraton Hotel had become an emergency shelter for around twenty thousand people. The situation was now under control, but these people would need a huge supply of food and water to feed everyone. The seawater had sealed off the roads for around a day. Many people could survive without food for a day, but it was unlikely they could go for another one without complaining mightily.

“The Shoreline Alliance estimates that the seawater will rise to a dangerous level of fifteen meters in eight hours. When it happens, a species called the Armor Antenna Sea Monster will be able to reach the island. The species is very unique. They strongly favor meat and they have a pair of antennas on their heads that can detect human heartbeats. If we don’t evacuate the city and bring these people inland in time, it will be a bloodbath in eight hours,” Elder Zhuang Hong said sternly.

Everyone immediately straightened their faces.

Which kind of demon creatures were the biggest threat to Mages in the wild? Was it the kind with outstanding strength?

The Hunters who spent most of their time in the wild clearly knew that the biggest threat was always the species with sharp senses who could pick up the presence of humans from miles away!

If it was a powerful creature, people could just try their best to avoid it. They could still flee for their lives if they were unable to defeat it.

However, demon creatures with sharp senses were like hunters. They would pursue their prey endlessly once they set their focus on them. They would often wait patiently for the humans to lower their guards. They would torture their prey with their menacing glares and finally kill them all!

Among the species with sharp senses, one kind that would even make the face of experienced Hunters turn pale were those with the ability to sense a human’s heartbeat!

It was possible to cover your scent with certain methods. An experienced Hunter even knew how to trick the demon creatures with a keen sense of smell. The demon creatures would eventually lose track of their prey, but there was no way to conceal a person’s heartbeat!

Every human’s heart was beating continuously. The faster it was beating, the easier it was to alert the demon creatures. Since the area was now drowned in water, it was harder for smells to spread, so it was impractical for the demon creatures to track their prey via scent. Therefore, certain species of sea monsters had developed the ability to sense heartbeats instead!

The Armor Antenna Sea Monster was one of them. They had long segmented limbs. When they stayed still while the antennas on their heads were swinging around, it meant they were searching for the heartbeats of creatures in the nearby waters or along the seabed.

It was meaningless for humans to hide from the Armor Antenna Sea Monster inside buildings. They could easily track down the people inside a building without having to raze it to the ground. If those savage Armor Antenna Sea Monsters reached the island, horrible things would occur in every corner of the city!

“We only have eight hours left, but before then, the vanguards among the sea monsters will continuously invade the city too…” Elder Zhuang Hong continued.

“The sea monsters have already entered the city. We stumbled into one on our way here. It was a Huge-Pincered Sea Monster, a brute-force species that is able to move freely in shallow waters,” Lingling chimed up.

Zhuang Hong frowned. “They came quicker than we expected. It seems like we might not have eight hours left after all. The government has done everything it could to gather the victims in buildings that won’t be destroyed easily.”

“The whole city is drowned in seawater. We don’t have enough flying equipment. The streets are submerged too. How are we supposed to evacuate so many people?” Chu Mingxi of the Hongling Division asked.

It was not like the man was being pessimistic. Everyone was well aware of the situation the city was under. Xiamen was not that big, but it still had a diameter of twelve kilometers from the south to the north, with streets densely and unequally packed alongside one another. The Hongling Division had helped evacuate a few towns amid disasters, but it was their first time doing so in a place that was basically out in the ocean. They had no experience with this whatsoever.

That being said, fighting the sea monsters was still the most important part of the operation. It did not mean they were not good at fighting in water. Xiamen was a prosperous city with fewer old houses and more tall buildings. There was plenty of space for them to fight the sea monsters.

The only problem was that they were not familiar with sea monsters at all. Which species was capable of spitting poison, which species were able to move swiftly, which species had some kind of deadly moves… they were utterly clueless. They would end up with a lot of casualties without the necessary information.

“Don’t worry, we’ve already organized everything. We didn’t call you here to place you fully in charge of the operation. We are just telling you the details,” Zhuang Hong said.

“What should we do then?” Zhang Xiaohou asked.

“We want to know the exact species that have invaded the city. The Armor Antenna Sea Monsters aren’t the only species that can deliver a devastating blow to us. The Shoreline Alliance has only warned us about the possibility of them invading the city in eight hours, but we are still clueless about the rest of the species that might show up before that. Our men are fully preoccupied with the evacuation operation. The Donghai Magic Association, Southern Military, and the local government are asking for your help in eliminating every potential threat to the operation before the crisis in eight hours!” Zhuang Hong said.

The operation to evacuate the city!

The crisis in eight hours!

The people of the Hongling Division, Qinling Division, and South Wing Platoon were Advanced Mages on average. They did not have high numbers, but they were capable fighters. It was unlikely they could evacuate the entire city, but they were entrusted with a more difficult mission: eliminating all threats that might hinder the operation to evacuate the city!

No one knew what species of sea monsters would show up. They would be facing the unknown for the next eight hours…