Now Zhou Lin was their backbone. Whatever Zhou Lin said, they would listen, and deep down, they firmly believed Zhou Lin would rescue them.
"What do we do? We're out."
"Captain, I'm out too."
"Me too, I'm out."
The mercenaries reported the grim news one by one. Captain Bai's brow furrowed, and he gritted his teeth.
"Professor Zhou Lin taught us that this substance is highly toxic. If we want to survive now, we have to run. Professor, hurry!" Captain Bai urged.
The students, the professor, and the mercenaries began to run for their lives. Fortunately, the palace seemed large enough to give them some space. However, they had been forced to do hard labor earlier, and their bodies ached terribly. Every time they ran, the soreness was unbearable.
"Ah... it hurts so much, this is going to kill me."
"I can't anymore, we have to run! One step slower and we'll die in here."
The students cried out as they ran.
Just then—
A student suddenly slipped and fell to the ground, his palms bleeding profusely.
"A Ming."
A classmate, after running a few steps, turned back towards the fallen student.
"Don't come near, run quickly!"
A Ming, hearing the buzzing of bees close behind him, shouted urgently. The student looked at the approaching bees, hesitated for a moment, and then rushed forward to pull A Ming up.
"I can't leave you alone. Hurry and help!" the student who pulled A Ming called out to the others.
Several students heard him, stopped, and helped A Ming to his feet.
"Oh no, they're here," Guo Liang said, his breathing growing rapid as he saw the bees behind the students.
Seeing the situation, the students prepared themselves for death.
At this moment—
"Seal."
Zhou Lin's voice suddenly echoed. The despair in everyone's eyes was instantly replaced with hope. They watched as the purple bees seemed to freeze, their wingbeats slowing. Finally, they landed steadily on the ground, covered in ice. White frost even appeared on the earth.
"Phew..."
The students looked at the bees at their feet and let out a long sigh of relief. They were finally saved, at least their lives were spared.
"I was so scared." A Ming's legs trembled, and his voice quaked. Before, it was the instinct for survival that kept him going, leaving no time for fear. Now that things had calmed down, the lingering terror washed over him.
"Fortunately, the professor intervened. Otherwise, forget you, we would all have perished here." Captain Bai, Professor Xuanxue, and Guo Liang, seeing that the students were safe and the bees dealt with, finally relaxed their tense nerves.
In the live stream:
"Holy crap, I was really sweating for those students just now. I thought they were dead for sure!"
"Who wasn't? I thought so too. It scared me to death."
"Thank goodness the big shot intervened. Strange, the ice seems to have frozen living creatures, but they're okay?"
"The big shot is now so powerful that he can choose what gets frozen?"
"It seems so, otherwise, why would he be the big shot?"
In the dean's conference room:
"Fortunately, Zhou Lin intervened. I was so scared just now." Professor Hu and the other professors let out a collective sigh of relief.
"This Samuel is truly useless. How did he become a professor? Can he just mess with things in here? He's just like that guy from the well." Professor Wen was furious and had no good feelings towards Samuel.
"I shouldn't have agreed to bring this guy out with me. He's always causing trouble." The dean regretted his decision deeply. If his students were harmed because of Samuel, how would he face their parents?
Just then—
The dean's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, his expression darkened. He then pressed the answer button.
"Dean Zhao, this is the dean of the Eagle Country Marine Biology Research Institute. I apologize for calling so abruptly." The other party's tone was gentle, starting with polite formalities.
"Spare me the pleasantries. What do you want? Speak." The dean had already put the call on speakerphone, and the entire conference room could hear him.
"It's like this, I apologize for Samuel's actions, but I hope you can ensure the safe return of Samuel, Jimmy, and Ralph. We will express our gratitude." The dean of the Marine Biology Institute said sincerely. Primarily, Samuel and the other two were very important and needed to be brought back safely.
"This matter... I cannot guarantee their safe return. You've seen how your people have been courting death on this journey, so I cannot guarantee their safety."
"And as for compensation, we don't need it. Because right now, all I want is for my students and colleagues to return safely. As for your lives... they are not within Great Xia's considerations." The dean clearly rejected the offer. He wasn't like Zhou Lin, who was so sensitive to money. Whether Zhou Lin would be willing to rescue Samuel was another matter. If they weren't from Eagle Country, they would have been beaten countless times by now.
"You'd better think carefully. Your Great Xia people initiated this invitation. If something truly happens, you won't be able to explain yourselves." The other party was clearly trying to leverage the situation against Great Xia.
"So what if we invited you? Even if they die, they will have brought it upon themselves. And if their deaths are attributed to Great Xia's actions? If they all die, then it's international compensation, which is the worst-case scenario." The dean was clearly unafraid. Threatening him with national implications was a pipe dream.
"Are you saying we can't negotiate further?" The other party's voice clearly turned cold.
"There was nothing to negotiate in the first place. If people from your Eagle Country die, it's their own doing, who can they blame? As for your request, I cannot guarantee it. I will not risk my people to protect yours, unless I've gone mad." The dean hung up the phone directly.
The entire conference room fell silent.
"Hmph, everyone knows I'm famous for being protective of my own. Now they're asking me to use my people to save theirs and guarantee their safety? They're dreaming." The dean's anger flared as he spoke.