In an instant, the gargoyle’s gaze sharpened.
It didn’t dodge—there was no time. That would cost it the last chance to strike.
But… It adjusted its position slightly, shifting away from the weak spot on its left wing, a chilling gleam rising from its claws. Even “Spirit Guardian: Protection” would be torn apart in a single moment.
Then, the energy spheres whizzing in suddenly spun, curving from their straight trajectory into arcs. The gargoyle, having turned sideways, had just raised its claws when its left wing was struck by a sphere grazing past them.
Boom!!!
The erupting energy kicked up clouds of dust. The little fire crow spread its black wings, shielding Su Hao from the shockwave.
The silkworm stood firm in front, its big eyes fixed unblinkingly ahead.
Through the dust, a gray figure skidded diagonally across the ground not far from Su Hao, carving a crack into the road.
It was the gargoyle. A chunk of its left wing had shattered. It lost balance and tumbled from the air, but still rose with savage ferocity, poised to lunge.
Then, the Mountain Moving Ape finally arrived.
It pounced with full fury, straddling the gargoyle.
One punch, two punches… each blow hammered down.
The road surface fractured into countless cracks. The gargoyle was pummeled to pieces, utterly lifeless.
It was dead.
As for the other attacking spirits— the Flame Bat was quickly pinned down, the Golden Roar Lion had long gone cold, and the rest were either barely breathing or finished off with final strikes.
Only a few attackers remained, surrounded by spirits.
“You okay?” Old Chen walked over and asked.
Su Hao shook his head. “What about the others?”
“Just a few students with minor injuries. A couple of spirits got caught in the crossfire—pretty badly hurt, but they can still be saved.”
“Teacher, who were those attackers?”
Old Chen hesitated, then spoke. “I don’t know the specifics, but you can think of them as spies, moles, or fanatics.”
Bear Instructor approached and patted Su Hao on the shoulder.
“Good work. I heard you intercepted that energy sphere just in time—otherwise, a lot of people might have died. “That last move against the gargoyle even startled me.”
He was still shaken.
“It was the least I could do,” Su Hao said.
“Gu-nuo~!” The silkworm chimed in beside him.
Bear Instructor looked at it and laughed. “You’re the big hero, no doubt. Once we’re back, the Guild will have a reward for you.”
“Gu-nuo? Gu-nuo-nuo!” The silkworm instantly turned into (????).
After Su Hao left, Bear Instructor’s face darkened as he surveyed the wreckage.
He turned to Luo Jinghong. “Did you spot that leader?”
Vice President Luo shook his head.
The captured attackers’ spirits were only at entry-level intermediate or advanced—not the contractors of the Stone Giant or the Gargoyle.
That contractor was likely the leader the attackers had mentioned!
But he had never shown himself.
He was probably commanding from a distance!
Even after the gargoyle’s death, he had used a summoning method to take the Stone Giant away.
“The Stone Giant’s huge—to have it ambush here, that leader must have been nearby at some point. I’ll notify the relevant departments to check the area’s surveillance,” Bear Instructor said.
Vice President Luo nodded. “I’ll ask a Illusion Master to try and pry useful clues out of these people.”
But he didn’t hold out much hope.
The leader might know something, but these attackers… from their eyes, Luo Jinghong could tell they were just brainwashed underlings.
Still, questioning was necessary.
Soon, a team from the nearby Spirit Contractor Guild arrived.
Together with the local police, they handled this major attack.
They escorted the students all the way back to An City.
…
An City, it was already past four in the afternoon when they returned.
As involved parties, they still needed to go to the Spirit Contractor Guild to give statements.
Because of the incident, none of the students felt like chatting or joking. After leaving the Guild, they all went home.
Su Hao was kept behind.
He received a “Commendable Act” certificate and a reward of two hundred thousand yuan.
According to Bear Instructor, the amount was the maximum allowed by regulations.
But besides the monetary reward, there was also a special treat for the big hero silkworm—high-grade, delicious jade powder.
(Silkworm: ???)
“Instructor, about this…” Su Hao asked after receiving the reward.
Bear Instructor said, “This has been classified as a spirit terrorist attack. “Other schools’ convoys were also attacked, but we were unlucky—we got the worst of it.”
Su Hao thought for a moment, then asked, “Are these attacks common?”
Bear Instructor weighed his words before replying. “In the past, no. But in recent years, this kind of terrorism has become a bit more frequent—on a global scale, at least. This time, it was mainly because all of An City’s new spirit contractors were gathered together, making it an opportunity for them. “Are you asking why? All I can say is, our world isn’t peaceful. There are terrorist organizations stirring up trouble in the shadows. “Want to know more? Then get into a Spirit University. Once you become an elite-level spirit contractor, you’ll find out what you need to know.”
Su Hao felt frustrated.
That kind of half-answer was begging to get someone punched.
Too bad he couldn’t beat Bear Instructor.
He could only nod gloomily.
“I heard the attackers’ leader hasn’t been caught yet. Instructor, will I be attacked again?”
Bear Instructor shook his head. “The chances are slim. Still, try not to leave An City for a while, and avoid remote places… If you’re still worried, I can have Clay Golem stay with you temporarily.”
Clay Golem was Bear Instructor’s entry-level advanced spirit.
“If possible, I’d like my family to be protected.”
Su Hao wasn’t too worried about himself.
He would immediately work on evolving the silkworm—after evolving, the little guy would be no pushover.
But his parents were ordinary people. He had to assume the worst about those fanatical, terrifying attackers.
“That’s simple,” Bear Instructor said. “You’ve already won the joint exam championship. An City’s officials will probably reward you with a house in a high-end spirit contractor community, with full-time spirit contractors on guard 24/7.”
Su Hao felt much relieved at that.
Then it hit him—wait, they were rewarding him with a house!
A house in a high-end residential community!
Sure, An City wasn’t a big city—a house there was worth at most two million, nowhere near the value of an Attribute Core.
But it still blew his mind.
If he became the top scorer in the college entrance exam, what then?
“It’s just a house. An City gave me a villa before. You’re a promising student—you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff.”
Su Hao: “…”
Even though that sounded like a compliment, why didn’t he feel happy at all?
“Oh, right. Your silkworm just broke through to entry-level, so you haven’t registered as an official spirit contractor yet, have you? “Since you’re here at the Guild, get it registered now. Saves you an extra trip.”
Bear Instructor said.
Su Hao’s mood lifted again.
Junior spirit contractor: three thousand monthly subsidy. Intermediate spirit contractor: six thousand monthly subsidy.
That was already decent.
And best of all—it was free money.