Assassination Operation Begins

Inside Monster Town.

In front of a dilapidated two-story residence, a fierce battle was underway.

Two Quasi-Warriors were surrounding and attacking an H-class monster, a Tiger Mastiff.

The monster's body was covered in wounds, blood dripping from the crisscrossing gashes.

"Roar—"

The Tiger Mastiff's blood-red eyes fixed on the two humans before it as it continuously growled low in its throat.

Suddenly, it lunged at the human on the right. Its forepaw gleamed coldly; if it struck a person, it would surely tear away a massive chunk of flesh.

At that moment, the Quasi-Warrior on the left swung the sledgehammer in his hand in a fierce arc, smashing it toward the Tiger Mastiff as it leaped through the air and exposed its belly.

Bang—

With a dull thud and the crunch of shattering bones, the Tiger Mastiff was sent flying nearly five meters.

Its body slammed into the ground. It twitched and strained, but could not get back to its feet.

The Quasi-Warrior on the right quickly stepped forward, raised his saber high, and brought it down hard on the Tiger Mastiff's neck. Its head was cleanly severed.

At that moment, a searchlight from the town's outer wall swept over, illuminating the two Quasi-Warriors.

The one who had just beheaded the Tiger Mastiff was Li Wei, while the one wielding the hammer was Li Qiang.

Seeing Li Wei finish off the Tiger Mastiff, Li Qiang quickly walked over to its still-bleeding head, pulled out the small knife at his waist, cut off its left ear, and placed it in his backpack.

Li Wei shook the blood from his saber, looked at the Tiger Mastiff's corpse on the ground, and said with satisfaction.

"This is the ninth monster. With my strength, these H-class monsters in the assessment are no challenge at all."

Hearing this, Li Qiang immediately echoed, "Young Master Wei's saber technique is incredible. We already have nine monster left ears. We're certain to pass the assessment, and it's all thanks to Young Master Wei."

But inwardly, he scoffed. He needs me to gang up with him on the weakest H-class monsters. What does he have to be proud of?

For this assessment, Li Wei's family had specially arranged for a genius Quasi-Warrior recruited by the HR Alliance this year to accompany him and ensure his safety.

At that moment, he stood off to the side, watching silently.

After obtaining four monster left ears and securing his own passage through the assessment, he would not intervene unless there was a crisis, leaving Li Wei and Li Qiang to battle the monsters.

Just then, Li Wei's communications watch vibrated. He raised his arm and glanced at it, finding that he had received a message.

After reading it, a flash of joy crossed his face. He said to Li Qiang, "Only by experiencing fighting monsters alone can we grow into strong warriors in the future. We'll act separately from here on."

Li Qiang froze. Only after seeing Li Wei gesture with his eyes toward the communications watch did he understand.

Xia Zhi's coordinates had finally been confirmed. The hidden plan was about to begin.

"Young Master Wei, then we'll meet outside the town tomorrow morning."

After speaking, Li Qiang glanced at the message he had just received on his communications watch, then rapidly sprinted into the distance.

Watching Li Qiang leave, Li Wei glanced at the warrior standing guard beside him and said, "Let's go. We're leaving the town. This assessment is meaningless now."

With his prominent status, he would never allow himself to be placed in danger, even if there was only the slightest risk.

Three in the morning.

On the rooftop terrace of an eight-story building, several dark figures surrounded Xia Zhi and attacked him without pause.

Xia Zhi seemed to be taking a stroll. Even under the combined attacks of seven monsters, they could not touch even a trace of his body.

That night, Xia Zhi had spent nearly all his time tempering his movement technique, training his body to develop an instinct to evade. Only when it became as natural as a bodily reflex could a Microscopic-level movement technique be considered truly mastered.

"Hmm? Not good."

The strolling rhythm was suddenly disrupted.

Two monsters attacked from behind. After Xia Zhi dodged them, four monsters around him attacked simultaneously.

Among them, a Shadow Cat that had been hiding in Xia Zhi's blind spot suddenly appeared before him.

Its sharp claws were about to strike Xia Zhi.

Yet strangely, Xia Zhi, who should have been unable to exert any more strength, shifted sideways another five centimeters despite having nowhere to push off from, narrowly avoiding the claw.

His Mental Power had acted upon the Hexagonal Shield on his left arm. At the critical moment, it produced a burst of force that allowed Xia Zhi to evade the attack!

"That's about the limit. Let's end this."

The Blood Shadow Battle Saber in Xia Zhi's hand, which had only been used to block attacks until now, swung swiftly.

Dazzling saber light combined with his swift movement technique, leaving the monsters without the slightest chance to resist.

Like a gust of wind, Xia Zhi swept past the seven monsters in an instant. Blood sprayed out in succession, and all seven monsters died on the spot.

"Under the pressure of H-class monsters, there isn't much point in continuing to temper and improve."

"Once I enter the Wilderness Zone, there'll be plenty of opportunities to fight monsters." Xia Zhi revealed a faint smile.

He casually cut off the left ears of the dead monsters and tossed them into his backpack. By now, Xia Zhi's backpack was nearly full of monster ears.

They were the spoils he had collected from monsters killed while honing his movement technique throughout the night.

Just as Xia Zhi prepared to head toward the town exit, a figure abruptly appeared in his field of vision.

As the figure drew closer, Xia Zhi realized that it was Li Qiang.

Looking at the monster corpses scattered across the ground, Li Qiang's heart trembled.

He thought in disbelief, Did he kill all of these?

There were seven monster corpses on the ground, and the blood spilling from their wounds was still steaming. Everything indicated that the battle had just ended.

Touching the device in his pocket whose button had already been pressed, he thought to himself, That trash's strength improved this quickly? Good thing he's destined to die here today.

Li Qiang steadied himself and said to Xia Zhi, "I didn't expect to run into you here."

"What are you doing here?" Xia Zhi watched the suddenly appearing Li Qiang, inwardly on guard.

At that moment, roughly a kilometer away from the residential building where Xia Zhi was located.

Inside an abandoned supermarket, a monster that had been lying on the floor suddenly twitched its ears several times, then opened its eyes. A bloodthirsty, crazed gleam shot from them.

The monster was covered in golden-yellow fur. Its muscles were knotted and coiled beneath its skin, brimming with explosive power.

When it rose onto all fours, its body stood even taller than an adult human, an intimidating sight.

It was an F-class monster Tiger Mastiff King, possessing strength comparable to that of a human Advanced Warrior level expert and even infinitely close to the Warlord level.

It lowered its head and sniffed the bloodstained black cloth before it, then let out a furious roar.

Boom—

The supermarket's large glass window shattered completely as the golden-yellow figure charged in a single direction.

Its powerful limbs pounded the concrete, smashing out cracked pits one after another as it raced forward.

"Beep! Beep!—Warning! Warning!"

"A monster exceeding H-class strength has appeared in the town."

"A monster exceeding H-class strength has appeared in the town."

The piercing alarm suddenly rang throughout the room, and the previously calm atmosphere instantly became tense.

Among the many surveillance screens covering the walls, several were flashing red and emitting piercing alarms.

The officers operating the town's surveillance systems immediately began working. Soon, they locked onto the rapidly sprinting golden-yellow figure on the screens.

"Report! An F-class monster Tiger Mastiff King has suddenly appeared in the town. Requesting instructions," one of the officers immediately reported to the higher-ups behind him.

"Notify the Emergency Rescue Team immediately. Act at once! Do everything possible to ensure the safety of the assessment participants."

Major General Dong Hao, who had risen to his feet as soon as he heard the alarm, strode to the surveillance screens and gave the order while staring at them.

"Yes. The Emergency Rescue Team has received the order and is expected to reach the location in ten seconds," the officer reported after pressing a button on the device before him.

Although the Emergency Rescue Team was on standby throughout the assessment, in an emergency, receiving the order, confirming the coordinates, and then setting out and arriving all took time. Those ten seconds might determine whether someone lived or died.

"How could a monster stronger than H-class suddenly appear? Is this how your Northern Military Region does its job?" Wang Zhihong, the head of the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School, demanded loudly.

Most of the Quasi-Warriors participating in the assessment possessed only Beginner Warrior level strength.

Facing an F-class monster with Advanced Warrior level strength, the Quasi-Warriors taking the assessment would face nothing but slaughter.

Thinking of the many Quasi-Warriors from the Thunderbolt Martial Arts School currently inside the town taking the assessment.

Wang Zhihong could no longer suppress the anger rising in his chest.

"There's no use questioning them now. Deal with this monster first, then investigate the matter thoroughly."

Zhuge Tao's tone was grave, and his eyes were ice-cold.

During a practical warrior assessment meant to uncover more of humanity's armed strength.

Such a major oversight had occurred. It was no wonder the higher-ups of the various factions were enraged.

"If this was deliberate, then hmph!" Wang Zhihong said, barely suppressing his fury.

Facing the questions and anger from the other organizations, Major General Dong Hao said nothing. His eyes remained fixed on the Tiger Mastiff King racing across the screen.

Being killed during the assessment by a monster of the same level meant one's own strength was lacking.

But if these Quasi-Warriors, humanity's future reserve of combat power, were accidentally killed for other reasons, that would be a serious matter.

I hope it's not too late... he thought.

Today's Chapter Two. I'm working hard to write and maintain steady updates. These past few days, I've truly come to feel how difficult it is for online novelists. Updating every day while keeping the plot coherent is just too hard. Before every update, I have to review what I wrote before. If there are any mistakes, I hope everyone will go easy on me. You can point them out or criticize me, but please don't remove this book from your favorites. I can revise it. New writer, new book—I need everyone's support!