Before entering the Imperial Academy, the attackers had already prepared themselves mentally. They anticipated ambushers lying in wait, encounters with firepowder traps, and gunman snipers... They planned extensively to ensure they wouldn't react incorrectly to sudden situations.

However, when they saw this signpost, everyone couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"It seems the owner here has given us a challenge," the Grand Steward chuckled.

"Playing tricks! Nonsense!"

A man in black rushed forward and smashed the signpost with a punch, sneering, "Does he think this will scare us away—"

Boom!

The shattering of the signpost mixed the solid and liquid Luminous Firepowder buried beneath it. The heat generated by the lime powder and water ignited the firepowder, and a fountain of fire erupted, engulfing the man in black, with the fire dragon soaring into the sky, lighting up the night!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fragments of exploded bodies scattered nearby, and the site of the signpost turned into a large pit. Even the streetlamp was blown off, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

The sudden darkness and explosion, along with the enemy's precise awareness of their movements, not only disturbed the attackers but also instilled fear in those who were prepared to die!

Death was not to be feared, but they couldn't stand their deaths becoming a joke!

Buzz!

At that moment, the sound of wings suddenly vibrated in the darkness!

"What is that sound?" Those who were already tense immediately panicked, seeking the unknown crisis in the dark until someone screamed in pain!

"It's killer bees! The hemolytic killer bees of the ancient Canglan forest!"

"Run!"

Hearing the swarming buzzes approaching in the darkness, many already felt their scalp tingle. Caught in the night, they couldn't even muster a third of their skills. Coupled with their limited vision, upon hearing the call to escape, they hesitated not a moment, all dashing madly towards the path to the left!

As they neared the area illuminated by the street lamp, the person at the front even reached out to touch the light. As long as there was light, they could fight back, regain the initiative, they could...

Pop!

The street lamp, so close to them, went out!

Simultaneously, gunfire erupted densely on both sides!

"There's an ambush! It's gunmen!"

"Run to where there's light ahead!"

"Don't stop now!"

With killer bees behind and gunmen on the sides, the attackers had no choice but to keep their heads down and charge towards the light ahead! However, as they neared the streetlight, it conveniently went out, nearly making them spit blood out of frustration!

"Stop!"

With a loud shout, the Grand Steward raised a burning, glaring torch. The gunfire immediately targeted him, but the Grand Steward casually tilted his head to dodge the shots, loudly declaring, "Everyone focus on avoiding the shots! Curse Hunters to the left, Mowers to the right, Brotherhood warriors handle the bees, others stay put, black-clad team check casualties! Don't be afraid, it's just a bunch of bees behind us!"

In such chaos, a decisive and confident command easily gained everyone's agreement. Furthermore, with the Grand Steward holding a light source, many realized they had various ways to produce light even without street lamps, instantly calming down.

The Curse Hunters and Mowers followed orders, and the gunfire ceased. They soon returned, "Didn't catch anyone, they escaped quickly, but judging by the shadows, only two or three were sniping us."

Brotherhood members also reported, "It's just a swarm of ordinary bees, not the legendary hemolytic killer bees, and getting stung is harmless."

"Two or three on one side, combined maybe not even ten," the Grand Steward raised the torch and calmly said, "Not even ten gunmen, plus a swarm of bees, injured half of us, and even killed two..."

The bloodthirsty crowd couldn't help but bow their heads in shame. Many just realized they didn't even know what hemolytic killer bees were—as outsiders unfamiliar with the diverse and exclusive Canglan District, how could they know the details?

But in the darkness, hearing that terrifying buzz, followed by screams, almost instinctively they accepted the conclusion of 'hemolytic killer bees' without thinking, just following others in a mad dash.

"While hemolytic killer bees do exist, they only appear in the environment of the ancient forest. Anywhere else is impossible," someone among the Curse Hunters said, "We knew this, but at that moment, we were also deceived..."

"I don't blame you; it was a meticulously set trap," the Grand Steward responded, "First, using the signpost to confuse us, once someone attacked it, it would trigger an explosion, creating darkness. As we descended into chaos and fear, they timed the release of a swarm of loudly buzzing bees, causing us to lose our ability to think and only rush towards the light. It truly was..."

"...Quite interesting."

The Grand Steward looked towards the distant Platinum Tower, "No wonder Cha Huan gladly handed the Platinum Tower to Qin Le Yin. With Cha Huan's personality, he would definitely enjoy turning the Imperial Academy into an amusement park."

"When I find Qin Le Yin, I'll make sure he learns the Corpse Ghost torture of the sky," said a Brotherhood warrior coldly.

"There's much we can't say for sure, but making someone wish they were dead is precisely our specialty," added a Curse Hunter.

"There's something very odd," the Grand Steward suddenly scanned the area, "Why did the bees chase us? Do we have something that attracts bees on us?"

Among the crowd, Le Yin casually licked the 'bee attractant' clean from his hands, smacking his lips, perfectly eradicating evidence.

"What do we do next?" someone asked.

If before, everyone was merely 'willing' to follow the Grand Steward's orders, the calm command and adjustment he just demonstrated had now earned their respect and trust, and now they were fully confident in his plans.

"Retracing our original path is no longer an option," the Grand Steward said, glancing at the brightly lit road ahead, "Qin Le Yin must have a lot of exciting games waiting for us along this path."

"We'll take a slightly longer route, through the Nightmare and Catastrophe sectors."

The crowd nodded in agreement. Familiar with the map of the Imperial Academy, they certainly wouldn't get lost.

Le Yin also nodded to show understanding, then gripped the "Heart of Nesser" hanging around his neck, transmitting information to the Jun Seat.

Soon, Qin Yueyang, stationed on the sixth floor of the Platinum Tower, and Xian Chanchen, coordinating from the first floor, both received the route information from the Jun Seat via the "Heart of Nesser."

"Understood."

Xian Chanchen jumped down from the chair, left the Platinum Tower, and loudly called out to the nearby Flame Command agents:

"Execute the Nightmare Surge plan."

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