Someone exclaimed.
At that moment, Hua Jun was on the city wall, speaking impressively to the people below, leaving a deep impression on many guards who recognized him at a glance.
"Oh my God, President Hua actually came!"
"Is he going to stand on the front line with us?"
"No, President Hua doesn’t seem to be at the front; the one at the very front... is it?"
Some sharp-eyed people noticed this scene and widened their eyes in shock.
"Could it be Chairman Li?"
"Chairman Li? Is it really Chairman Li?"
"The one who let us live inside the city?"
Immediately, the atmosphere on the city wall boiled over.
Those newcomers who had felt uneasy and even regretful now felt invincible.
If it was indeed Chairman Li of the Awakened Association standing at the forefront resisting the Beast Tide, what did they have to fear?
The previous guards were equally elated.
They knew well the power of Awakeners, as they were the main force in past city defense battles.
Chen Fan did not pay attention to the gazes around him. He climbed to the highest point of the city wall and looked out towards the north.
Hua Jun stood behind him, looking into the distance, and cautiously asked, "Will the Beast Tide really come?"
Even at this moment, he still held a glimmer of hope.
After all, his family was also in the city. If the Beast Tide came and Anshan City fell, his wife and children would be doomed.
Chen Fan said nothing, standing still like a statue, silently waiting.
Despite his calm exterior, he was actually a little nervous inside.
Though he had faced thousands of Fierce Beasts before, this time was different.
It was unclear how long had passed when the ground began to tremble. The movement was slight, but everyone could feel it.
In an instant, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.
The guards around the telescopes wished they could dive into the lenses.
The tremors became more noticeable, to the point where even ordinary people in the city began to notice.
"Was that an earthquake?"
Someone asked uncertainly.
"An earthquake? Can Anshan City even have earthquakes?"
"Doesn’t seem like it. It seems more like... the Beast Tide has erupted?"
"The Beast Tide?"
In an instant, all the discussions around ceased.
Everyone turned to look towards the city gates.
No way, right?
Was the Beast Tide really erupting?
And so quickly? A notification just went out yesterday, and now it’s here this afternoon?
In a residential building, Meng Xue stood by the window, gazing into the distance.
"Sister."
Meng Yu walked over and gently took her hand, her eyes filled with worry.
Meng Xue squeezed her hand and softly said, "Don’t worry, Chen Fan can hold it."
"Yes!"
Meng Yu nodded heavily.
In a hot pot restaurant, Wang Lingling was about to put a piece of cooked beef into her mouth when suddenly, the chopsticks and the meat fell onto the table.
"It’s over, the Beast Tide is here after all."
She instinctively stood up, wanting to turn and run but then sat back down with a troubled expression.
Her Longevity Technique was still in the hands of that Li guy.
True, she could leave and come back in three days, but what if that Li guy died during the fight?
If she returned by then, it would be too late.
If she stayed, she could maybe find a chance to recover the body if he died.
As for the Martial Arts Association, the guy named Chen Fan...
Wang Lingling pouted. Since she had agreed, she would help him out a bit, but if some powerful Fierce Beast appeared, she wouldn’t bother.
On the street, an elderly man with gray hair looked towards the city wall with a pained expression.
The Beast Tide had finally erupted.
He knew that Anshan City was just one of many small peripheral cities, and the arrival of the Beast Tide here meant that other small cities were also under attack, or had already fallen.
"That little guy should be on the wall now too."
His gaze swept over the people on the wall, seeing many familiar faces from the Martial Arts Association, including Sun Wei, as well as Martial Artists arriving continuously.
"Strange."
Old Wang looked twice but did not see the familiar figure.
Suddenly, as his gaze swept over the highest point, he paused.
That aura?
His face showed a trace of shock.
It seemed like that little guy’s aura? But wasn’t that the president of the Anshan City Awakened Association, Li Ping?
He had heard some stories about this man and had some admiration for him.
Then it clicked.
"I see."
A smile appeared on his face.
The two men’s styles were so similar that he should have realized they were the same person.
This little guy had some tricks up his sleeve.
A sudden exclamation erupted from the wall.
"Fierce Beasts! Fierce Beasts are coming!"
More voices rose, one after another.
"So many Fierce Beasts!"
"The Beast Tide! It’s the Beast Tide!"
"The Beast Tide is here!"
Each voice was like a hammer striking everyone’s hearts.
Many people started trembling, barely able to hold their guns.
"Damn it!"
Hua Jun’s face turned pale.
The largest telescopes on the city walls had a viewing range of about a hundred kilometers. The maximum range of the cannons was fifty kilometers, so anything beyond that was pointless.
With the speed of Fierce Beasts, a hundred kilometers could be covered in about an hour. Once within cannon range, they could reach the walls even faster, in a matter of minutes.
"How many are there?"
He turned and shouted.
"Too many," someone replied bitterly. "We can’t count them all."
"At least hundreds of thousands!"
"So many Elite-level Fierce Beasts, at least ten thousand, and three Commander-level Fierce Beasts!"
Everyone exchanged glances at these words.
The largest Beast Tide that Anshan City had faced in the past was about this size.
This time, the initial wave was already as strong as the worst before?
"President, this time, it looks really tough," Xu Jie said with a bitter smile.
"No matter how hard, we must hold," Sun Wei gritted his teeth. "We have no choice."
"Yes, we have no choice. If the city stands, we live; if the city falls, we die," Gao Shan and the others nodded, their eyes filled with determination.
"Eighty kilometers! The Beast Tide is eighty kilometers away!"
A few minutes later,
"Seventy-five kilometers!"
"Seventy kilometers!"
"Sixty-five kilometers!"
Each announcement marked one step closer to Anshan City.
On the vast city wall, the atmosphere grew so silent that one could hear everyone’s heartbeat clearly.
"Fifty kilometers! Only fifty kilometers!" an anxious voice rang out.
"Prepare!"
Hua Jun shouted.
Instantly, the sound of pulling back gun locks rang out.
Everyone gripped their weapons, fully alert.
"President! Forty kilometers!"
Hearing this, Hua Jun looked at Chen Fan, "Chairman?"
"Hmm."
Chen Fan nodded.
Though he didn’t need the artillery support, it was a good exercise for everyone behind him.
After all, this was just the beginning.
"Fire!" Hua Jun roared.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Hundreds of cannons fired simultaneously, the roaring sound deafening, like a thousand thunderbolts exploding at once, shaking the heavens and the earth.
In the blaze of fire, the shells seemed like wild dragons breaking free, dragging long flames, whistling through the sky towards the distance.