Chen Bugu and the others walked into the side room and found that although the facilities in the room were simple, they were clean and tidy.
The large communal bed was covered with several layers of soft monster fur, and lying down on it brought a feeling of complete comfort.
The most pleasant surprise was that there was also a partitioned area in the room, containing a huge wooden tub, clearly intended for washing.
Lin Xiaoxiao and Lin Lin were overjoyed at the sight.
Because outside the side room, in the open space, there was also an iron bucket placed over a pile of firewood.
This meant that everyone could take a good hot bath, which was a rare luxury for Chen Bugu and the others, who had been constantly in forests and secret realms.
So, Chen Bugu was responsible for making the fire, Lin Xiaoxiao for carrying water, and everyone spent a total of three hours taking a refreshing hot bath.
After washing up, everyone had a simple meal and then lay down one by one.
Bai Ting was responsible for the first half of the night watch, and Yan Kuan for the second half.
Actually, based on Chen Bugu's understanding of the Unyielding Hall, he felt it was a bit redundant, but better safe than sorry, and since it was their habit, they still arranged for people to take turns on watch.
Who knew, just as everyone was sleeping in the middle of the night, the door of the side room was suddenly pushed open.
Bai Ting stood up abruptly, looking at the newcomer, electricity arcing between his palms, ready to strike at any moment.
Chen Bugu also sat up from the bed immediately, looking towards the door.
The newcomer was none other than Elder Zhou, dressed in a dark mandarin jacket, still with a smiling face, like a gentle spring breeze, but his words were not so pleasant.
"It's really bad timing, everyone."
"The beast tide is about to arrive. The Town Chief has ordered that all Awakeneds must resist the beast tide and defend Obsidian Town."
"After the Hall Master returned, he already ordered all members of the Unyielding Hall to assist in defending the East and South City Walls. The Unyielding Hall will have no one left behind, so I'm afraid we can't let you stay here. I hope you understand."
Chen Bugu was slightly stunned; they had just arrived in Obsidian Town not long ago, and he didn't expect the beast tide to come so quickly.
"Everyone, after the beast tide ends, you are welcome to visit the Unyielding Hall again, if you are all still alive then."
Elder Zhou smiled, and without giving anyone time to react, he hurried away after speaking, as if he had only come to announce a trivial matter.
"Beast tide? Is that old man serious?" Yan Kuan suspected he had misheard.
"It should be true. His emotions haven't changed, and his expression doesn't look like he's lying."
After breaking through to Black Iron Four Star, Han Badou's new ability was "Emotion Perception."
Except for a few individuals with exceptionally strong willpower, most people tend to have emotional fluctuations when lying.
This ability, combined with micro-expression observation, now essentially made Han Badou a walking lie detector.
"Let's go, whether it's true or false, they've already given us the boot."
Chen Bugu got up and walked out of the room.
As he reached the doorway, he happened to see Hong Ziyu hurrying out of the main gate of the Unyielding Hall. Behind him were some fully armed members of the Unyielding Hall.
Chen Bugu and the others watched for a while, only to find that everyone was rushing out the door in a hurry, then heading towards the east of the city.
"The emotions displayed by those people are primarily anxiety and worry. It seems highly likely that a beast tide outbreak has indeed occurred," Han Badou said slowly, glancing at the departing crowd.
Elder Zhou was the last to leave. He slowly closed the archway leading to the inner courtyard and turned to see Chen Bugu's group.
"You all haven't left yet. Then I, this old man, will nag one more sentence: I suggest you quickly choose a city wall to help defend."
"The beast tide concerns the survival of Obsidian Town; all Awakeneds must go to the battlefield. This has always been the rule of Obsidian Town."
"Later, the Storm Clan will conduct a city-wide inspection. Anyone who avoids the battle will be expelled at best, and executed at worst."
Although Elder Zhou hadn't yet figured out the background of these few people, if they were truly newcomers to the town, then as fellow Chinese, he didn't mind giving these youngsters the most basic reminder.
"Since that's the case, let's go with you, Elder. Anyway, we originally planned to join the Unyielding Hall after finding our friends. Defending with you will not only make it easier for us to find our friends but also for us to receive the Unyielding Hall's care."
Chen Bugu clasped his hands. He hadn't been through a beast tide before; in fact, he died in a beast tide in his previous life, though he wasn't in Obsidian Town at that time.
However, Chen Bugu clearly remembered that he had only experienced one beast tide in Obsidian Town that required city-wide defense. That time, the number of Magic Lizards was no less than a hundred thousand, besieging the town for three months, almost leading to its destruction and the loss of lives.
Although this current beast tide had ended by the time he arrived in Obsidian Town in his previous life, he had heard about it. He remembered it was a fifty-thousand-level beast tide. A scale like that shouldn't require city-wide defense.
"Hahahahaha, your calculations are quite clever, young man, but they suit my taste. What's your name?"
Elder Zhou's eyes darted around twice, then he looked at Chen Bugu again.
"This humble one is Chen Bugu, the 'Bu Gu' from 'Ren Xin Bu Gu' (the human heart is not ancient/the world has changed for the worse)."
After Chen Bugu finished speaking, he also introduced Bai Ting and the others.
"Bu Gu, hahahaha, that goes quite well with my 'Unyielding.' My name is Zhou Sheng, but you can just call me Elder Zhou."
"Come with me to the South City Wall. I hear this beast tide won't be easy to deal with."
After Elder Zhou finished speaking, he closed the outer gate of the Unyielding Hall, motioning for Chen Bugu and the others to follow.
Walking through Obsidian Town, Chen Bugu and the others became even more convinced of what Elder Zhou had said.
Although it was the middle of the night, the entire Obsidian Town was brightly lit. Awakeneds of various races were hurrying, fully armed, towards the various city walls, causing Chen Bugu and the others to unconsciously quicken their pace.
More than half an hour later, Chen Bugu and the others finally followed Elder Zhou onto the South City Wall.
At this moment, numerous Awakeneds were already standing by on the city wall, ready for battle.
Boulders, lamp oil, trebuchets, large crossbows, magic cannons, and various strange and wonderful tools were constantly being moved onto the city wall.
On the city wall, every two hundred meters, a huge war drum was placed.
The South City Wall stretched for ten li and was more than fifty meters wide. Looking out now, the number of Awakeneds from various races gathered was no less than three thousand.
All of this strongly resembled ancient warfare, making Yan Kuan and the others somewhat nervous.
Standing beside Elder Zhou, Han Badou did not speak casually but chose to transmit his voice to Chen Bugu.
"Most of the defenders on the city wall are generally Black Iron Four Star and Black Iron Five-Star in strength. This should be the current average combat power of Obsidian Town. The number of Six-Star and Seven-Star strong individuals is relatively small, and I haven't seen any Eight-Stars yet."
Chen Bugu nodded inadvertently, indicating that he already knew.
The defenders on this section of the city wall were mainly Magic Lizard Clan and Dwarf, accompanied by a small number of other races. The number of humans among them was not large, roughly estimated at around two hundred people.
Within his line of sight, Chen Bugu did not see Old Liu, Lin Ye, or Wang Bin among the crowd.
Hong Ziyu and the human Awakeneds who had rushed out of the Unyielding Hall earlier were also not here.
It seemed that the main force of the Unyielding Hall had gone to the East City Wall, and even the primary defensive position for human Awakeneds should be there.
He looked at Elder Zhou in front of him, knowing that although the old man spoke nicely, he still didn't fully trust them.
Indeed, it was a wise choice to keep themselves at a distance from the main force of the Unyielding Hall without fully understanding their background.
Chen Bugu could understand Elder Zhou's choice. After all, the various major forces were not as harmonious as they appeared on the surface, and even at such a critical juncture, necessary precautions could not be omitted.
As time passed, the Awakeneds on the city wall gradually quieted down, all staring into the distance.
The cold glint of swords and blades became even more dazzling under the firelight. A grim atmosphere grew increasingly thick on the city wall.
As a sliver of dawn appeared on the horizon, everyone's nerves tensed.
At daybreak, a black line formed by countless Magic Lizards appeared in the distance.