Wei Liang dropped the second patrol member with a controlled strike before the man even finished his swing, Void root answering fast despite the numbers pressing in from three directions.
"Six left," Liu Che called out, disabling another with efficient precision. "They're not retreating."
"They know what we just learned," Shen Yue said, driving her blade into an attacker's shoulder to force him back. "Can't let us leave with it."
Wei Liang caught the next strike on his forearm, redirecting it hard into the attacker's own chest, dropping him instantly. The remaining patrol members regrouped, clearly recognizing the fight wasn't going their way, but pressed forward anyway with grim determination.
"They're stalling," Xu warned suddenly. "Watch the treeline behind them."
A seventh figure
