"Trust me, I will save you..."
Yun Manman stood behind Yan Xi, extending her mental power to connect with the beastman soldier on the verge of turning into a Beastfiend. She focused intently on mending his crumbling mental sea.
Yan Xi vigilantly protected Yun Manman, while the surrounding soldiers remained on guard as well.
Their eyes reflected sorrow and a glimmer of hope. They knew their comrade was in the process of turning, and they had never heard of a counselor being able to bring back someone who was becoming a Beastfiend. Yet, they clung to the hope that this counselor might bring about a miracle, allowing their comrade to return to them.
Time ticked by slowly. After half an hour, the eyes of the beastman soldier about to turn gradually cleared, and his form returned to normal.
As he quietly fell into a slumber, Yun Manman withdrew her mental power and wiped the sweat from her face. "Alright, he's stabilized now. He won't turn into a Beastfiend."
With her mental power now elevated to A-rank, counseling had indeed become more manageable, and she was less likely to suffer from mental exhaustion.
After a moment of silence, the surrounding soldiers erupted in cheers.
"It worked!"
"It worked! He didn't turn!"
"As expected of the general's daughter!"
"We don't have to fear turning anymore!"
The soldiers gathered around Yun Manman, encircling her.
"Eh? What's happening..." Yun Manman felt a bit panicked as her body was lifted into the air.
The excited beastman soldiers tossed Yun Manman up and caught her, chanting, "Oh! Thank the Beast God! Thank Your Majesty! Thank you, Miss Yun!"
Infected by their excitement and joy, Yun Manman couldn't help but giggle along.
It felt so good to be able to help them.
After counseling Yan Ye a few times, Yun Manman headed to the front lines.
She would have been safer staying in the rear, where she could still counsel the beastmen. But Yan Xi was at the front, and the beastman soldiers fighting there day in and day out needed counseling even more.
So she resolutely boarded the hover car and, led by beastman soldiers, found her way to Yan Xi.
When Yan Xi saw Yun Manman, she didn't scold her. Instead, after a moment of surprise, she patted her head and praised, "Our Manman is so brave."
There weren't many vampires on the battlefield, but when combined with the Beastfiends, their numbers were considerable.
They drove the Beastfiends to attack the beastman soldiers. When beastman soldiers on the battlefield turned into Beastfiends, they were once again controlled by the vampires.
It was utterly despicable.
Yan Xi was exhausted both physically and mentally, but she persevered in leading the soldiers to fight at the forefront, protecting the rear. She was determined to drive out these shameless vampires.
Although the beastman soldiers fought bravely and fiercely, seeing their comrades continually turn into mindless Beastfiends left them with an underlying sense of unease.
They feared that they might be the next to return to the Beast God's embrace.
Would they become one of the enemy before even striking down a foe, turning to harm their own teammates instead?
Yun Manman's arrival was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the dark clouds that had long shrouded the soldiers' hearts. It gave them the courage to fight the Beastfiends to the bitter end.
No longer fearing the possibility of turning into Beastfiends, they could charge forward without hesitation, willing to bleed and be wounded for their families and country.
The vampires, as if aware that the rainy season was coming to an end, intensified their attacks. They seemed determined to seize the tail end of the gloomy weather to break into Kafier City.
Their attacks were mostly concentrated in the afternoon and evening, forcing the beastmen to adopt a nocturnal lifestyle.
In the morning, after a brief spell of rain followed by some sunshine, the vampires wouldn't launch an attack in such weather, allowing the beastmen to rest.
Yun Manman stood beside Yan Xi, watching her tally up yesterday's casualties. She couldn't help but ask, "Mom, do you know where Lu Qi went?"
She had thought Lu Qi would be at the front lines too, but she hadn't seen him.
Yan Xi put down her pen and met her daughter's worried gaze. "He probably has other assignments."
In the past two days, fewer vampires controlling Beastfiends had appeared on the battlefield. She wondered if it had anything to do with Lu Qi.
Yun Manman sighed, her heart filled with unceasing worry.
Yan Xi stroked her head and said, "Do you like him?"
Yun Manman nodded, a pink blush spreading across her fair cheeks. "Yes, Mom."
Noticing her mother's somewhat evasive gaze, she carefully asked, "Mom, do you dislike Lu Qi?"
Yan Xi, who had just fought with Lu Qi recently, immediately denied it. "No, I could never dislike anyone you like."
Seeing her daughter's confused expression, she added, "What I mean is, objectively speaking, he's a decent beastman."
"But he's not good enough for you."
My little one is so outstanding, even if Lu Qi is the child they watched grow up, he's still not good enough.
Yun Manman's heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton candy. She hugged her mom and cooed, "Mommy..."
Yan Xi pinched her daughter's cheeks and suddenly remembered something. "Sweetie, I just recalled something I haven't told you. I wasn't planning to say it, but after thinking it over, I think I should..."
Yun Manman: ? What's this about saying or not saying?
In a temporary military camp in the dense forest.
"Report—"
A rain-soaked bat flew in. "Your Majesty, our magic powder reserves are nearly depleted."
The Holy Gold Country King, with white hair and purple eyes, sat at the head of the table. "Then go mine more from the caves! Do I need to tell you that?"
The bat shrank back, answered "Yes," and flew out again.
A vampire elder beside him analyzed the current situation. "We had estimated that our magic powder reserves would be enough to take Kafier City, but now it seems that's not the case..."
Magic powder was made from magic crystals and other chemical drugs. The vampires used it on Beastfiends to accelerate the turning of beastmen who fought with them.
"Moreover, Lu Qi hasn't shown up yet, and the Yunzheng Beast seems to still have strength to spare..."
The Holy Gold Country King grew impatient. "Can you stop dampening our morale and boosting theirs?"
"What's the big deal about Lu Qi? Didn't we easily deal with his parents back then?"
"What did you do to my parents?!" An icy voice rang out, accompanied by a thunderous explosion that echoed in the vampires' ears.
The screams of vampires and the roars of beastmen overlapped, signaling that beastman soldiers were taking over the vampire camp.
The vampire elders, who had been sitting comfortably just moments ago, panicked and transformed into giant bats to flee. The Holy Gold Country King also changed into a bat, intending to fly away in the chaos. But just as he flew out of the tent, he was caught by a massive snake's tail.
Lu Qi's voice was as cold as ice, filled with overwhelming fury. "Tell me, what did you do to my parents?!"