Recaps

Lin Sheng arrived at the central core of Area 27 and annihilated Wan Shan, Greenfang, and the Ban Tu brothers before killing Su Mingquan, who had recognized him as Li Wei. The chapter ended with Lin Sheng erasing Su Mingquan and the vehicle in Purgatory Flame.

• Lin Sheng appeared before Wan Shan and Greenfang, and Greenfang attacked him but was killed with a single blow.
• Wan Shan and the Ban Tu brothers joined forces against Lin Sheng, but Lin Sheng broke through their attacks and killed the brothers.
• Wan Shan begged Lin Sheng to spare him and offered the Heavy Peak Martial Hall's resources and intelligence, but Lin Sheng killed him.
• Lin Sheng picked up Wan Shan's connected Communicator, while Su Mingquan watched the battle footage and suspected the fiery figure was Li Wei.
• Lin Sheng approached Su Mingquan's vehicle, questioned him about his fear, then crushed him and erased the vehicle with Purgatory Flame.

Marshall investigated the massacre in Contaminated Zone 27, rescued Yue Hongya, and began pursuing the unknown Inferno expert. Lin Sheng covered his role with the Guard Army’s purge and returned to the Iron Bone Martial Hall, where he worried the Fighting Association might expose him and considered leaving.

• Marshall found a buried vehicle and traces of pure infernal aura in Contaminated Zone 27, then discovered and rescued the badly wounded Yue Hongya.
• An investigation linked the dead martial artists to the ambush on Yue Hongya and identified the attacker as a newly advanced first limit break Inferno expert.
• Marshall learned that Greenwood City's Guard Army had swept away the gangs and Annihilation Forces, then ordered investigators to question Yue Hongya when she woke.
• Lin Sheng met Nora, asked her to monitor the Fighting Association, and obtained a Domain Energy Resonance Elixir in exchange for his vital blood.
• Lin Sheng returned to the Iron Bone Martial Hall and reassured Jelas and Meng Cheng, while they worried about Yue Hongya's fate.
• Lin Sheng reflected that Yue Hongya's survival could expose the Iron Bone Martial Hall and considered leaving.

Lin Sheng used a bottle of Domain Energy Resonance Elixir to strengthen his cultivation, then concealed his aura when Marshall searched the Iron Bone Martial Hall for the Inferno expert. Marshall found no proof, while Yue Hongya recovered and returned to Greenwood City under secret surveillance.

• Lin Sheng drank the entire bottle of Domain Energy Resonance Elixir and cultivated the Thousand Tribulations Ashen Wheel Sutra through the night, expecting to reach third-tier Combat Master after three more days.
• Marshall searched the Iron Bone Martial Hall with his perception, and Lin Sheng used his concealment arts to withstand three breaths of scrutiny without being exposed.
• Marshall left without finding the Inferno expert, and Lin Sheng resumed cultivation after concluding that the Fighting Association still suspected the martial hall.
• Marshall questioned the recovering Yue Hongya about the Inferno expert, but she could recall only his black-and-red flames, burning eyes, and overwhelming speed.
• Marshall told Yue Hongya that the Heavy Peak Martial Hall no longer existed and ordered her to report anything unusual at the Iron Bone Martial Hall.
• Yue Hongya headed for Greenwood City, unaware that a fleck of golden light had settled on her back and sunk into her skin.

After learning that a Judgment Squad equipped with a True Eye Crystal Core would arrive in five days, Lin Sheng left Greenwood City to avoid exposure and traveled to the Black Miasma Inferno Zone to strengthen himself. Marshall uncovered signs connecting local events to Mercury's Gaze and contacted the Affairs Bureau, while Lin Sheng's arrival in the danger zone drew out a powerful Inferno Void Beast.

• Yue Hongya questioned Lin Sheng about his rescue and told him that Marshall was investigating the Inferno expert and warning the hall about the Crimson Prison Society.
• Marshall ordered Zhang Hui to secretly investigate Mercury's Gaze after finding its aura on a pendant, and learned that Affairs Bureau investigator Lu Ku had visited Greenwood City.
• Nora warned Lin Sheng that the Judgment Squad would arrive in five days with a True Eye Crystal Core, and Lin Sheng decided to leave the city.
• Lin Sheng traveled to the Black Miasma Inferno Zone to absorb Inferno Power and incorporate powerful Purgatory Eerie Beasts into his body.
• Lin Sheng entered the zone with his Peak Master aura unleashed, and an enormous Inferno Void Beast emerged from the miasma.

Lin Sheng hunted Inferno Void Beasts in the Black Miasma Inferno Zone, strengthening his Inferno Affinity and abilities. Meanwhile, Marshall and Lu Ku identified him as an Extradimensional Creature disguised as Li Wei and prepared a trap in Greenwood City, with the Judgment Squad set to arrive sooner than publicly announced.

• Lin Sheng killed an Inferno Scale Bear and assimilated its Purgatory Affinity, Enhanced Regeneration, and Mountain-Shaking Power talents.
• Lin Sheng killed an Inferno Demon Wolf, discovered that his Inferno aura frightened other Void Beasts, and felt his Inferno Black Flame grow stronger.
• Lin Sheng traveled deeper into the danger zone, killed an Inferno Blood Bat, and gained increased agility and the Night Veil talent.
• Lu Ku gave Marshall intelligence connecting Li Wei to the Extradimensional Creature alert and the recent violence around Greenwood City.
• Marshall and Lu Ku concluded that Li Wei was an Extradimensional Creature governed by the Inferno Rules and planned to use false information to lure him into a trap.
• Marshall revealed that the Judgment Squad would reach Greenwood City in two days, while Lu Ku said he had brought three Erosion Martial Third Realm elites for the ambush.

Lin Sheng defeated six Inferno Void Beasts and, after sensing an early-stage Corrosion Beast, chose to fight it to test his strength. He overwhelmed the Three-Headed Eerie Beast and smashed its central head, beginning to absorb its blood.

• Lin Sheng killed an Inferno Giant Lizard and incorporated it as his sixth Void Beast, raising his Purgatory Affinity to pseudo-intermediate.
• Lin Sheng sensed an early-stage Corrosion Beast and charged toward its source instead of retreating.
• A three-headed dragon-like Corrosion Beast emerged and attacked Lin Sheng with flames, bone spikes, and poisonous mist.
• Lin Sheng released his Vortex Blood Seal, Blackflame Mark, 108 Blood Seals, and Inferno Heart Furnace, then grew to fifteen meters tall.
• Lin Sheng struck the Three-Headed Eerie Beast down, countered its attacks with Purgatory Flame, and burst its central head before gathering its blood.

Lin Sheng chased the wounded Three-Headed Eerie Beast into the depths of the Black Miasma Inferno Zone and killed it. The panel identified the beast as a Three-Headed Corrosion Dragon, a silent purgatory species.

• The Three-Headed Eerie Beast fled deeper into the zone, and Lin Sheng pursued it through the miasma.
• Lin Sheng kept attacking as the beast used the terrain to evade him and began regenerating its central head.
• After the beast hesitated at the dangerous depths, Lin Sheng increased his speed, caught up, and shattered its body with a powerful strike.
• Lin Sheng absorbed the beast's blood, and the panel identified it as a Three-Headed Corrosion Dragon of the silent purgatory species.

After integrating the Three-Headed Corrosion Dragon, Lin Sheng gained far greater inferno power but was nearly killed by a powerful beast deep in the Black Miasma Inferno Zone. He escaped, recovered, and later met He Ping, who was astonished by how much purer Lin Sheng’s inferno aura had become.

• Lin Sheng integrated the Three-Headed Corrosion Dragon and discovered that its talents strengthened his purgatory flames by more than fifty percent.
• A powerful beast attacked Lin Sheng in the depths of the Black Miasma Inferno Zone, and he survived by switching beasts and burrowing underground.
• Lin Sheng escaped to the zone’s outskirts, healed the inferno corrosion in his wounds, and resolved to avoid the danger zone until he underwent his first limit break.
• Lin Sheng met He Ping half a day later, and He Ping warned him that the Fighting Association and Guard Army had increased their vigilance.
• He Ping sensed Lin Sheng’s greatly refined inferno aura and was shocked when Lin Sheng credited his progress to He Ping’s potions and the Ancestral Idol.

Lin Sheng returned to Greenwood City, unaware that Marshall and Lu Ku had prepared a citywide ambush to capture him. The chapter ended with Lin Sheng trapped outside the Iron Bone Martial Hall, surrounded by elite forces and sealed Energy Barriers.

• Lin Sheng returned the Ancestral Idol to He Ping and learned that the Crimson Prison Society held its missing half.
• He Ping warned Lin Sheng about the Judgment Squad, and Lin Sheng left for Greenwood City after recovering from his injuries.
• Lin Sheng found the city unusually quiet, the Gloam Club closed, and Nora unreachable, so he headed to the Iron Bone Martial Hall.
• Lin Sheng realized the city's apparent normality was a coordinated trap when he saw bloodied training badges outside the silent martial hall.
• Nora warned Lin Sheng that Marshall and Lu Ku had joined forces and urged him to flee, while Yue Hongya also called for him to run.
• Marshall, Lu Ku, the Judgment Squad, and Bureau of Affairs experts surrounded Lin Sheng with sealed Energy Barriers and demanded his surrender.

Lin Sheng broke through the Judgment Squad’s blockade and fled Greenwood City while pursued by Marshall and Lu Ku. At the edge of the Inferno Danger Zone, he unleashed his suppressed inferno power, healed his injuries, and transformed further as his pursuers surrounded him.

• Marshall and Lu Ku ambushed Lin Sheng at the Iron Bone Martial Hall, where he transformed into an Inferno Demonic Beast and fought through their attacks.
• The Judgment Squad restrained Lin Sheng with sealing techniques, but he endured Marshall and Lu Ku’s strikes and broke through the energy barrier with Inferno Black Flame.
• Lin Sheng raced west while Marshall, Lu Ku, the Judgment Squad, and Bureau of Affairs experts pursued and encircled him.
• Lin Sheng crossed into the Inferno Danger Zone, stopped, and told his pursuers he had chosen the place to kill them.
• Lin Sheng unsealed his inferno power, drew energy from the danger zone to heal and grow, and unfolded a pair of enormous pale bone wings.

Nora escaped Greenwood City and contacted He Ping for help after learning Li Wei was trapped in an ambush. In the Inferno Danger Zone, Lin Sheng unleashed his full power, broke the Judgment Squad’s seals, and began overwhelming Marshall, Lu Ku, and their forces.

• Nora escaped the Judgment Squad through the Underground Tunnels and fled Greenwood City, then decided to help Li Wei rather than leave him behind.
• Nora called He Ping and told him Li Wei was in danger; He Ping took the Ancestral Statue and rushed to meet her.
• Lin Sheng transformed after absorbing the Three-Headed Corrosion Dragon and six other Void Beasts, and his Inferno Black Flame erased the Judgment Squad’s Grand Sealing Art.
• Lin Sheng killed two Judgment Squad members and slaughtered Bureau of Affairs fighters while their attacks failed to harm him.
• Marshall and Lu Ku attacked Lin Sheng together, but his flames dissolved their powers and shattered the Seven-Colored Energy Net.
• Lin Sheng seized Lu Ku by the head and taunted him for demanding that he surrender.

Lin Sheng killed Lu Ku and the Judgment Squad and Bureau of Affairs members before Marshall unleashed the Starfall Core. Lin Sheng survived the blast, killed Marshall, and was found badly wounded by Nora and He Ping.

• Lin Sheng burned Lu Ku to death and killed every member of the Judgment Squad and Bureau of Affairs except Marshall.
• Marshall crushed the Starfall Core, unleashing a silver-white beam that swallowed Lin Sheng and devastated the Inferno Danger Zone.
• Lin Sheng regenerated from the blast and crushed Marshall beneath his hand.
• Nora and He Ping arrived and saw the dead squad members, the ruined terrain, and Lin Sheng’s wounded giant form.

After killing Marshall and the Judgment Squad, Lin Sheng returned to Greenwood City, destroyed its protective barrier, and left its guards unconscious before secretly visiting Yue Hongya. He gave her Spiritheart Elixir and said goodbye, then checked that Li Suihan was safe at the Swift Shadow Martial Hall as Greenwood City remained under lockdown.

• Lin Sheng told Nora and He Ping that Marshall and Lu Ku were dead, then raced back to Greenwood City to handle unfinished business.
• Lin Sheng broke Greenwood City's protective magic array and used the Thousand-Eyed Nether Lord's fear devour talent to knock hundreds of guards unconscious, prompting Zhou Yuanhe to call for reinforcements.
• Lin Sheng secretly entered the Iron Bone Martial Hall and reunited with Yue Hongya, who was relieved to find him alive.
• Lin Sheng gave Yue Hongya Spiritheart Elixir, told her to answer investigators truthfully, and promised they would meet again before disappearing.
• Lin Sheng went to the Swift Shadow Martial Hall and watched Li Suihan train, confirming that she was safe and under little scrutiny.

Lin Sheng secretly left Tang Xue'er a phone message and one million Star Coins for Li Suihan before leaving Greenwood City. In Senluo Province, Prison Demon ordered Sha Lu to hunt for Lin Sheng and secretly investigate the Oath of Embers after the Ancestral Idol reacted there.

• Lin Sheng slipped into Tang Xue'er's room and left a phone with messages for Li Suihan and a Star Coin card worth one million.
• Tang Xue'er found Lin Sheng's gifts, realized he had trusted her to deliver them, and promised to pass everything on to Li Suihan.
• Lin Sheng left Greenwood City for the wilderness, reflecting that the Fighting Association and the Bureau of Affairs had made it impossible for him to stay.
• Prison Demon heard Sha Lu's report about Li Wei's power and ordered him to locate and capture the Extradimensional Creature for the Inferno Rebirth Plan.
• Prison Demon told Sha Lu that the Ancestral Idol had reacted in Senluo Province and ordered him to search for the Oath of Embers in secret until two more stewards arrived.
• Sha Lu ordered his agents to search around Greenwood City for Li Wei and to use Soul-Tracking Incense to find the Oath of Embers' hideouts.

After recovering in the Oath of Embers' Sea City outpost, Lin Sheng learned that the Fighting Association and Bureau of Affairs were searching for him, but that his acquaintances in Greenwood City were safe. He began cultivating in seclusion, unleashing such powerful Inferno energy that He Ping decided he must bring him into the organization.

• He Ping brought Lin Sheng to a hidden Oath of Embers outpost near Sea City, where Lin Sheng spent seven days recovering from his injuries.
• He Ping explained the destructive power of the Starfall Core and the restrictions on its use, while Lin Sheng learned that the Fighting Association and Bureau of Affairs had made him a target.
• Lin Sheng refused Nora's offer to join the Eye of the Dead, but learned that the Fighting Association and Bureau of Affairs had found his acquaintances in Greenwood City harmless and were only temporarily restricting their freedom.
• Lin Sheng began cultivating in seclusion, and the seven incorporated Inferno Ghost Beasts caused his body and Inferno heart furnace to release an immense surge of Inferno power.
• He Ping and A-Huan sealed the outpost with three layers of magic arrays, then A-Huan cultivated in the stirred Inferno energy as He Ping resolved to recruit Lin Sheng into the Oath of Embers.

Crimson Prison Society agents confirmed that the Oath of Embers remnant and Li Wei’s group had cooperated, and Sha Lu ordered them tracked down. After fifteen days of seclusion, Lin Sheng broke through to Peak Master and asked He Ping to explain cultivation in the Erosion Martial realm.

• Howl and Tes used Soul-Tracking Incense to trace the Oath of Embers remnant and the Extradimensional Creature to Greenwood City and nearby locations, then reported their findings to Sha Lu.
• Sha Lu ordered Howl and Tes to locate the group before Blood Claw and Red Bone arrived, planning to go after them himself.
• He Ping maintained concealment arrays at Fallen Leaf Reef while A-Huan recovered his cultivation and regained his confidence in reaching Peak Master.
• As Lin Sheng’s inferno power surged, He Ping and A-Huan used black jade crystals to suppress the fluctuations until they subsided.
• Lin Sheng completed the Thousand Tribulations Ashen Wheel Sutra at Peak Master, saw his attributes rise, and gained stronger control over purgatory flame.
• He Ping rushed to congratulate Lin Sheng, who asked him to explain cultivation in the Erosion Martial realm.

He Ping explained the immense resource costs and lengthy process of entering the Martial Corrosion Realm, then described the Endless Void as a way to accelerate rule condensation. Lin Sheng learned that reaching a void eye required both a suitable vessel and authorization to cross Sunstar’s Heavenly Net, leaving him with a possible route through one of the powers that held passage writs.

• He Ping told Lin Sheng that Martial Corrosion cultivation required costly potions and treasures to prepare the body, divine soul, and origin astral force for rule fusion.
• He Ping explained that condensing and nurturing rule fragments usually took years, prompting Lin Sheng to ask how he could speed up the process.
• He Ping said that cultivating in an eye of the void could reduce the process to months, but entering the Endless Void required a vessel capable of resisting its dangers.
• He Ping explained that Sunstar’s Heavenly Net blocked unauthorized travel and that only certain major powers held Interstellar Passage Writs.
• Lin Sheng considered seeking passage through one of those powers but decided to try ordinary rule cultivation before committing to the plan.

He Ping invited Lin Sheng to become the leader of the Oath of Embers, and Lin Sheng accepted to gain the faction’s resources and support. Seven days later, their spar revealed Lin Sheng’s strength against He Ping’s Second Limit Break, but He Ping lost control and Lin Sheng knocked him unconscious.

• He Ping offered Lin Sheng the leadership of the Oath of Embers and promised its resources, allies, and void-capable speedboat.
• Lin Sheng accepted the invitation and became the Oath of Embers’ new leader.
• Seven days later, Lin Sheng sparred with He Ping in the waters off Sea City to test his strength against a Second Limit Break.
• He Ping unleashed his full Divine Astral Force, which began to overwhelm Lin Sheng’s defenses and then drove He Ping into a loss of control.
• Lin Sheng let He Ping’s attack engulf him, forced his scaled hand through the Divine Astral Force, and knocked He Ping unconscious with a slap.

After He Ping collapsed from the backlash of his second limit break, Lin Sheng tried to condense an inferno true form but found his progress too slow to reach the martial corrosion realm. He explored ways to enter the Endless Void and, after the Eye of the Dead’s shuttle proved unavailable, heard He Ping recommend the Kane Group as his best route.

• Lin Sheng caught the unconscious He Ping after their spar and carried him to the Oath of Embers’ hidden base, where he helped stabilize his injuries.
• After three days of cultivation, Lin Sheng had condensed only a trace of an inferno true form and estimated that completing it would take three or four years.
• Lin Sheng asked Nora whether the Eye of the Dead could help him enter the Endless Void, but learned its void shuttle would remain unavailable until its leader returned.
• Lin Sheng asked He Ping for safer ways through the Heavenly Net, and He Ping explained the authorized routes through four major factions.
• He Ping ruled out the Guard Army, Fighting Association, and Crimson Lightning Company as unsuitable for Lin Sheng, then recommended the Kane Group for its freedom, resources, and frequent void voyages.

Lin Sheng chose to remain in Senluo Province and head to Forest City, while Howl and Tes tracked the Oath of Embers to Sea City. After days of searching, they found A-Huan and began following him, hoping he would lead them to the rebels’ hideout.

• Lin Sheng asked He Ping about the Kane Group’s branches and decided to go to Forest City rather than travel to another province.
• He Ping offered to contact an old friend in the Kane Group, and Lin Sheng accepted his help.
• Howl and Tes reached Sea City after tracking the Oath of Embers’ aura and sent word to Sha Lu to come from Forest City.
• Howl and Tes searched Sea City for several days but could not pinpoint the Oath of Embers’ hiding place.
• The Soul-Tracking Jade Incense locked onto a clear trail in the western trading-house district, where Howl and Tes spotted A-Huan leaving with purchased materials.
• Howl and Tes secretly followed A-Huan, hoping he would lead them to the Oath of Embers’ base.

A-Huan unknowingly led Howl and Tes to the Oath of Embers’ hidden base at the Fallen Leaf Reef Cluster, where Lin Sheng was waiting nearby. After finding the cavern, the pursuers were confronted by Lin Sheng, who recognized their inferno power and decided to kill them.

• A-Huan escaped Sea City by speedboat, but Howl and Tes followed him through the sea fog using the Soul-Tracking Jade Incense.
• Lin Sheng found that the Blackgold Body-Forging Art gathered flesh rules far more efficiently than inferno rules and planned to pursue a martial corrosion breakthrough with flesh-aligned Eerie Beasts and potions.
• Lin Sheng returned toward the Limestone Cavern as A-Huan arrived at the reef cluster and entered the hidden base with the cultivation materials.
• Howl and Tes traced A-Huan to the cavern and prepared to report its location to Sha Lu.
• Lin Sheng silently appeared behind Howl and Tes, recognized their inferno power, and said he would kill them.
• Howl and Tes realized Lin Sheng appeared to be only a peak master and dismissed him as a threat.

Lin Sheng killed Howl and Tes, then learned that the Desolate Bone Forbidden Zone might contain Flesh Rule mutants suited to his cultivation and set out with He Ping and A-Huan. As they flew toward central Senluo Province, Sha Lu tracked them down and attacked the Silver Shuttle from beneath.

• Lin Sheng killed Tes and Howl with his emberfire, then returned to the Limestone Cavern with their jade incense.
• Lin Sheng told He Ping and A-Huan that the Crimson Prison Society’s pursuers had been dealt with, then asked where to find beasts associated with the Flesh Rule.
• He Ping told Lin Sheng about Flesh Rule mutants in the Desolate Bone Forbidden Zone, and Lin Sheng decided they would head there before going to Forest City.
• He Ping and A-Huan packed the hideout, and the three left for an island where He Ping had concealed the Silver Shuttle.
• Sha Lu arrived at the deserted hideout, killed an attendant, used Blood-Soul Tracing to locate the fugitives, and pursued them.
• As Lin Sheng, He Ping, and A-Huan traveled in the Silver Shuttle, Sha Lu’s flaming skeletal hand burst through the waves and grabbed at the aircraft.

Lin Sheng fought Sha Lu, the Crimson Prison Society’s chief in Senluo Province, after Sha Lu attacked the Silver Shuttle and sought to devour Lin Sheng’s pure inferno power. Lin Sheng destroyed Sha Lu with a crushing embrace, though the chapter ended before his condition after the battle was revealed.

• Sha Lu trapped the Silver Shuttle with his White Bone Asura Hand, but Lin Sheng’s emberfire blocked the attack and let He Ping escape with A-Huan.
• Lin Sheng merged with the seven Purgatory Eerie Beasts and confronted Sha Lu, who decided to devour him to advance to the third-tier Limit Break.
• Lin Sheng overpowered Sha Lu’s Asura Bone Claw and shattered his Inferno Asura Domain, while Sha Lu used Asura Blood Drain to boost his speed and strength.
• Sha Lu pierced Lin Sheng’s chest and crushed his heart, but Lin Sheng trapped him in a bear hug and crushed his body, killing him.

Lin Sheng drove off Sha Lu and learned that the Crimson Prison Society could track its enemies through lingering Killing Intent. After returning to Forest City, he found that Xia Leisheng had returned to the Fighting Association, while two more Crimson Prison Society deacons arrived at the Third Public Hospital.

• Lin Sheng forced Sha Lu to flee, then assessed his strength and resolved to seek the Desolate Bone Forbidden Zone to advance further.
• Xia Leisheng returned from the Void River and told Mary to compile intelligence about the Extradimensional Creature who had killed Golden Light Marshall and a Bureau of Affairs investigator.
• He Ping warned Lin Sheng that the Crimson Prison Society could track opponents with its Blood Draw Tracking Secret Art and would likely send more experts into Senluo Province.
• Three days later, Red Bone and Blood Claw entered an underground space at Forest City's Third Public Hospital.

Sha Lu faced questions from Red Bone and Blood Claw about missing apostles and the Oath of Embers, while Lin Sheng traveled toward the Desolate Bone Forbidden Zone and considered the risks of cultivating both the Flesh Rule and Inferno Rules. Near the zone, he spotted a hunter squad under attack by a Blood-Armored Bristle Boar and prepared to intervene.

• Red Bone and Blood Claw confronted Sha Lu about the missing apostles and ordered him to resume the plan against the Crimson Lightning Company; after they left, Sha Lu tore apart a female corpse in anger.
• During the Silver Shuttle journey, Lin Sheng revealed that he had refined a special yuan gang aligned with the Flesh Rule, and He Ping warned that it could clash dangerously with the Inferno Rules.
• Lin Sheng resolved to keep pursuing the Flesh Rule and trust his strength and control to suppress the Inferno Rules.
• He Ping and A-Huan proposed stopping at Blackrock Outpost to seek information about Flesh Rule mutants, and Lin Sheng agreed.
• Lin Sheng spotted a hunter squad fleeing a Blood-Armored Bristle Boar, which killed and devoured two members and grew stronger; the squad's captain struggled to keep the survivors alive.