Chapter 135: A Narrow Escape

"Boom!"

A massive figure wreathed in the power of plague charged out from the city gate like a runaway train. The nearest person was struck by the Plague Knight, sent flying like a cannonball for tens of meters. A staggering damage figure exceeding ten thousand erupted in the air, killing them instantly.

The Plague Knight, moving with the fluidity of an armored tank, shifted laterally in a blur and swept its lance, smashing another figure away. Though the damage wasn't as exaggerated as the first, it was still a one-hit kill.

Panic seized everyone nearby; they wished they had extra legs to run faster. Those with speed buffs used them, others activated movement skills to flee, and the once-organized team instantly disintegrated.

Outside the inner gate, a tide of undead surged forth, including a detachment consisting entirely of Death Knights. Among them were two Death Knights with level 40+ terror-tier templates, along with several elite-tier Death Knights.

"Damn it! We charged the city without even finishing the reconnaissance? This is a total death trap!"

The communication channel was filled with curses, and players began dropping from the team one after another.

Chu Cheng had already fled a great distance. His squad had been in the rear, and after activating Phase Walk, his speed was peerless. He quickly widened the gap, broke free from the Plague Knight’s aggro range, and leaped onto a building.

However, he stopped not long after. He noticed that Fang Xi's team hadn't made it far and were currently within the Plague Knight's pursuit range—they had become the creature's new target.

He immediately sent a message: "The Plague Knight is targeting you. Do you have any displacement spells?"

"My Blink and Dimension Door were just used. Teleportation has a casting time, and the Plague Knight reacts too quickly; it prioritizes killing casters."

"How long does the Teleportation take to cast?"

"Five seconds."

"I'll block for you for five seconds. Prepare the spell."

Fang Xi was surprised, a hint of emotion stirring in her heart. She quickly asked, "Can you hold it for five seconds?"

"Yes!"

"Don't take risks."

"I'm not taking risks."

Chu Cheng cut the connection, popped a bottle of potent healing potion into his mouth, and activated "Solidify" in advance. Charging for a second, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot into the sky, crashing toward the Plague Knight like a meteor.

"Chu Cheng, what are you doing?" Lei Ming, Yao Ning, and the others nearby exclaimed in shock.

"Saving people!"

He had already slammed into the Plague Knight.

The Plague Knight, having just knocked away another "Descender" with its lance, nimbly shifted ten meters to avoid the thunder-shock impact. It returned as if unaffected by momentum, the green light on its lance flaring as it thrust forward like lightning.

The speed was too great. Chu Cheng’s nerves reacted, and he quickly raised his swords to parry, but he wasn't fast enough to block the blow.

The lance pierced straight through his chest, the immense force knocking him back over three meters as a "-1258" damage number floated up. Seeing the damage, Chu Cheng knew "Solidify" alone wouldn't hold for five seconds, so he decisively activated Blade Storm.

The Plague Knight showed no emotion. Its lance struck in rapid succession—three strikes in one second—forcibly piercing through the spinning blades and stabbing him. The massive force sent him reeling backward, triggering several more damage ticks of around two hundred.

Solidify reduced damage by 40%, and with the 30% reduction from Blade Storm, the incoming damage was finally suppressed to a manageable level.

"Where did that warrior come from?"

Though they didn't understand what had possessed him, it didn't stop them from seizing the chance to flee. As soon as Chu Cheng landed, Fang Xi immediately began casting the portal. Seeing her cast, the nearby survivors—including Xu Mingli and his teammates—rushed over to protect her. All six survivors were now gathered there.

Three seconds later, sensing his health had dropped below half, Chu Cheng bit the seal off the potent healing potion in his mouth. The liquid restored 2,000 health, and he continued to back away while weathering the Plague Knight's frenzied attacks. Fortunately, only the first two strikes from the knight had been powerful combat skills; the subsequent ones were basic attacks dealing about 5,000 damage, which, after the two layers of reduction, only dealt about 200 damage to him.

Five seconds passed in a flash. The portal finally took shape, and Fang Xi waved to Chu Cheng, shouting, "Chu Cheng, the gate is open! Come quickly!"

To avoid blocking others, she immediately dived into the portal and disappeared. The device could only transport one person at a time.

The others protecting the perimeter immediately crowded toward the portal, slipping through one by one. Chu Cheng moved toward the portal as well. Two seconds later, Blade Storm ended. His dual swords rose by reflex, and with a thunderous "clang," the massive force sent him flying over ten meters back. Directly behind him was the portal.

He rolled backward, lunging toward the portal. Four people were still squeezing through when they saw the Nightmare Steed rear up and the Plague Knight level its lance for a charge. Xu Mingli slammed his staff into the ground: "Repulsion Field!"

An invisible force exploded, knocking everyone gathered at the portal away. His gaze fell on Chu Cheng, who was being targeted by the Plague Knight. With an expressionless face but a flicker of coldness in his eyes, he turned and dived into the portal, vanishing.

Wang Bo, the muscular man beside him, shoved others aside and was the second to enter the portal.

The people who had been knocked back were furious, but they had no time to dwell on it. They scrambled toward the portal, but the joy on their faces froze as they fell into an abyss.

"Damn it, they set it to party-only mode! We can't get in!"

Chu Cheng’s brows furrowed. Before the Plague Knight could initiate its charge, he rushed to the portal and pressed his hand against it.

A notification appearing at the corner of his eye made his expression darken. Recalling Xu Mingli's gaze, he immediately understood what was happening.

"Watch out!"

Before the warning from the side could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. An unimaginable force carried him over twenty meters, slamming him hard against the stone wall. The thick lance pinned him deep into the rock, a massive damage figure erupted, and he was instantly reduced to near-death.

"Chu Cheng!"冯Lingxing, hundreds of meters away, saw this and felt his scalp go numb.

But the next second, his pupils dilated in astonishment.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Cheng, pinned to the lance, had simply vanished. One moment he was nailed to the wall, and the next, he was gone, leaving only the Plague Knight with its lance embedded in the stone, its head tilted forward in what looked like shock.

Time Wander (Awakened): Enter the river of time, appearing at any location within a 1,000-meter radius. Trigger an attack that forces all attack effects to proc against all enemies within 5 meters of the destination, and cancel all damage and negative effects received in the last 3 seconds.

Chu Cheng had already appeared on the gate tower a kilometer away. He was completely unharmed; there were no wounds on his chest or abdomen, as if the horrific scene moments ago had never happened.

He dared to risk saving people because he had a trump card—he wouldn't have gone if it were a pure suicide mission.

He looked down, the channel filled with his teammates' shocked inquiries.

"I'm fine, I escaped."

He then added in the channel: "Fang Xi opened the portal to get us out, but after they got in, Xu Mingli used his captain permissions to change the party mode. Those not in their party can't use the portal."

"He dared to do that at a time like this?"

"We'll find Fang Xi later. She can share the data; we'll see it clearly."

Just then, Chu Cheng received a transmission from Fang Xi, her voice laced with anxiety: "Xu Mingli used his captain permissions to change the party mode just now. I changed it back immediately. Did you escape?"

"As expected!"

Chu Cheng took a deep breath to suppress his anger toward Xu Mingli and said softly, "I'm fine. Where are you? I'll come find you."