Lu Taobao rolled her eyes at the remark, "Sister-in-law, isn't that stating the obvious? If there were an easy solution, would we be struggling here like this?"
"I'm stating the obvious, but it's also the truth."
Zheng Wei chimed in, "If it were a straightforward fight, we might not lose. But the current problem is that we can't see our surroundings clearly. If we could see, things would be much easier."
Everyone agreed with this sentiment, but resolving their current predicament was far easier said than done.
Suddenly, Zheng Wei had an idea. He looked at Shen Xiaoyan and asked, "Mimi, do you have any more of those novel items?"
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a moment. She recalled having some large fans, but wasn't sure if they would be useful.
With this thought in mind, Shen Xiaoyan produced the large black floor fans she had collected. These fans were typically used in open-air food stalls. While not particularly aesthetically pleasing, they boasted powerful airflow.
Upon seeing the sudden appearance of the black objects, Zheng Wei and the others looked on with curiosity.
"What is that?" Yizixie asked.
"That's a fan. It works as long as there's electricity, and the wind power is very strong."
Lu Taobao scoffed dismissively, "How strong can the wind be? Can it even blow away this fog?"
Shen Xiaoyan didn't bother to explain. After all, actions spoke louder than words.
Zheng Wei understood this perfectly. He expertly connected the power to the fan, and the blades began to spin rapidly. In what felt like an instant, a powerful gust of wind erupted.
The direct force of the wind hit Lu Taobao, who was caught off guard and nearly blown into the sea. Once she regained her balance, Lu Taobao moved aside, saying, "Sister-in-law, I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you. Please don't blow towards me anymore, or before this fog is dispersed, I'll be blown into the sea and eaten by monsters."
Shen Xiaoyan wasn't upset. It was natural for people to disbelieve what they didn't understand. Besides, the more pressing matter was whether the fog could actually be dispersed.
Shen Xiaoyan looked up and saw that in the direction the fan was blowing, the fog was indeed starting to dissipate. Just then, a monster leaped out of the water and charged towards them.
This sight was as if they had seen a ghost. Until now, these creatures couldn't fully emerge from the water. But now, they were flying and attacking. It was truly terrifying.
If the dense fog hadn't cleared, they wouldn't have witnessed this. They might only have realized the danger when one of them was already injured. Fortunately, everything was happening now.
Despite her thoughts, Shen Xiaoyan didn't hesitate. Zheng Wei reacted the fastest, one hand operating the fan while the other unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck the monster accurately. Crackling sounds filled the air as black smoke billowed from the creature's body. After its entire form was scorched, it fell back into the sea.
In truth, if Zheng Wei had unleashed his lightning directly into the sea, these monsters would have had no escape. However, their boat was conductive, and that would have put them in grave danger. This was why Zheng Wei had hesitated to use his powers earlier. The monster being airborne at that moment had conveniently provided him with an opportunity.
Seeing the monster dealt with, Shen Xiaoyan wasted no time. She produced three more fans and positioned them around Zheng Wei, blowing in four directions.
"Ah Wei, you just need to ensure these fans maintain their speed."
Shen Xiaoyan's words were met with a nod from Zheng Wei, who understood. With the combined force of four fans, the dense fog in the surrounding area quickly dispersed. This revealed a horrifying sight.
Countless monsters, forming a vast net, made one's skin crawl.
"How can there be so many?" Nana Mu Zhong frowned as she looked at the creatures charging towards them. Despite living for centuries, she was still a woman, and the sight of such creatures was naturally nauseating.
Although Shen Xiaoyan had witnessed similar scenes in the apocalypse, she still felt overwhelmed. She wondered if she was drifting further and further away from the life she desired. Was life so uncontrollable, preventing one from living as they wished?
Even though it wasn't the time for such reflections, after an initial moment of stunned disbelief, Shen Xiaoyan and the others unleashed their fiercest attacks.
Zheng Wei took this opportunity to survey their surroundings. He noticed that the monsters in the water had all risen into the air. If they could increase their speed, they could quickly charge in a specific direction. The prerequisite, however, was to eliminate all the monsters in their intended path.
"Let's continue forward. I'll start accelerating soon. Lu Taobao, you and Yizixie will cover our rear. Mimi, you and Nana Mu Zhong will take the lead. If we coordinate well, we might be able to break through."
The others readily agreed and quickly repositioned themselves, focusing on their respective tasks. The reason Shen Xiaoyan and Nana Mu Zhong were assigned to the front was that advancing was less difficult than covering the rear. Advancing only required dealing with one direction, whereas covering the rear meant facing three directions simultaneously. Even with Yizixie's presence, there was no need for excessive worry.
As one monster after another fell, the number of creatures ahead gradually decreased, suggesting they might be able to break through.
At this moment, the monsters in the other three directions seemed to have received some command. They abandoned their attacks on Yizixie and Lu Taobao and turned to charge towards the front. This caused Zheng Wei, who had been constantly monitoring their surroundings, to narrow his eyes. It was just as he had suspected; things were not that simple. These monsters clearly had a leader. Either that leader was among them, or hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity. Regardless of which scenario it was, it was not good news for them.
"Yizixie, Lu Taobao, hurry up! Don't worry about the rear anymore, come to the front."
Yizixie and Lu Taobao had also sensed something was amiss. Following Zheng Wei's command, they quickly flashed to the front and joined Shen Xiaoyan and Nana Mu Zhong in their attack. Shen Xiaoyan, controlling hundreds of long vines, continuously whipped at the monsters in front of them. During this time, she finally got a clear look at the creatures' appearances.