Great Victory

The exploration team members, in their panic, were drawn by Zhen Jin's laughter.

Zhen Jin immediately roared, "With me here, what are you panicking about? No matter how many flying squirrels there are, they will only be our food. Listen to my command, regroup, and kill all these flying squirrels."

"Yes, my lord!" the crowd responded in unison.

The formation quickly recovered.

Zhen Jin focused his gaze into the distance, his pupils contracting slightly. His physical fitness was a cut above the rest, allowing him to see more clearly than ordinary people. At this moment, with a quick glance, he saw seven Flying Squirrel Leaders and hundreds of ordinary flying squirrels swarming out.

Could it be that all the flying squirrels have come out?

As expected, bestial nature is hard to predict.

Zhen Jin had no thought of retreating; this situation was also within his expectations.

Before the hunt, Zhen Jin and the others had anticipated many scenarios.

The worst-case scenario was that Lan Zao's first attempt to lure the flying squirrels would alarm the entire colony.

Now, Zhen Jin had achieved a small victory, increasing his prestige, consolidating his position, and boosting the morale of the entire team.

It could be said that after the previous small victory, the entire team was completely refreshed compared to before.

This was already good.

"Prepare, shoot," Zhen Jin shouted.

Hearing the command, everyone's expressions turned stern, and they nocked arrows and drew their bows.

A thin curtain of arrows covered the area, and immediately, flying squirrels fell to the ground. There were many attacking flying squirrels, and they were very dense, so the result of this volley was the most successful ever.

However, the flying squirrel group was quite large, and not a single Flying Squirrel Leader was killed. Instead, the flying squirrel group was stimulated to become even more ferocious, erupting in chaotic squeaking sounds, and their charging speed seemed to have become faster.

Many people's faces turned a little pale.

After this volley, they saw the situation clearly. There were so many flying squirrels that even shooting seven or eight times might not kill them all.

Moreover, at this distance and the speed of the flying squirrel attack, let alone seven or eight volleys, even five or six volleys would simply not be enough time.

Soon, the second volley.

The third volley.

"Free combat!" Zhen Jin ordered afterward.

The arrow curtain largely compensated for the lack of accuracy. But now the distance was extremely close, and the archers' accuracy would greatly increase, while volleys instead limited their performance. This was especially true for a few relatively excellent archers.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Arrows successively cut through the sky, shooting into the rat group.

The rat group squeaked chaotically, extremely fierce, and their numbers were so large that it seemed they had not suffered much loss at all.

The rat group was close at hand, bringing immense pressure. Many people couldn't help but feel their hearts pound, their movements became distorted, and they lost their usual standard. Some took several attempts to nock an arrow, some dropped their arrows and only drew empty strings. Huang Zao even subconsciously used all his strength, breaking the bow arm of his short bow, and angrily threw away the broken bow in his hand.

"This broken bow!" he cursed, and then immediately drew out another short bow.

Because the short bows were crudely made, this situation was taken into account, so everyone had a spare short bow.

As for the crossbow, its firing speed was completely incomparable to a short bow. When the battle began, there was no time to reload it, so it could only be set aside.

Zhen Jin shot arrows continuously, hitting every single time!

But the short bow's power was too weak, its draw weight too low.

After shooting many times, Zhen Jin clearly felt the short bow in his hand loosen. He immediately threw away the short bow in his hand and switched to another spare bow.

In a short time, Zhen Jin had already changed three short bows. He alone had killed more than twenty Flying Squirrels.

But the remaining number of Flying Squirrels was still very large, at least fifty.

This was more than five times the number of Exploration Team members.

Ordinary Flying Squirrels were one thing, but the key was that there were a total of seven Flying Squirrel Leaders, and not a single one had died, which was a headache.

Even the powerful iron arrows fired from the crossbow couldn't harm these Flying Squirrel Leaders, let alone a short bow.

Zhen Jin felt as if a giant rock was pressing down on his heart. He knew very well: once this rat swarm charged in, the Exploration Team would suffer heavy losses.

The Flying Squirrel Leader charging at the very front entered the range of Zhen Jin's Flying Dagger.

In an instant, a sharp glint flashed in the young man's eyes, and his arm suddenly vibrated.

The dagger pierced the air, its speed so fast that everyone only saw a flash of brilliant light.

The light accurately struck the Flying Squirrel Leader. This Flying Squirrel Leader was originally flying in the air, and after being struck by the dagger, it was thrown out at an even faster speed. After falling far away to the ground, it lay motionless.

Seeing this scene, everyone's hearts trembled, but there was no time to cheer.

Because the rat swarm didn't pause for a moment, the other Flying Squirrel Leaders fiercely charged into the foremost line.

They were all Bronze-level magic beasts, and after crashing into the "Exploration Team members," they frantically tore and bit with their claws and large incisors.

The "Exploration Team members" who were brutally slaughtered fell to the ground one after another, with grass blades and branches flying out from their corpses, but no blood or minced flesh.

It turned out that those standing at the very front were all puppets.

These puppets were filled with straw, made into human form, and then used a potion temporarily made by Zi Di to deceive the Flying Squirrels' sense of smell.

Cang Xu had discovered through dissection long ago that the Flying Squirrels' eyesight was not outstanding, and they mainly relied on their sense of smell.

The Flying Squirrels' intelligence was also not high, so these puppets successfully attracted a wave of attacks.

A large number of ordinary Flying Squirrels also pounced on these straw and wood puppets. Some puppets attracted more than a dozen Flying Squirrels to attack, while others attracted five or six.

Seeing the rat swarm gathered together, Zhen Jin decisively ordered: "Set fire!"

Zi Di had prepared for this moment long before the battle began. She immediately took action and threw out a potion.

The potion bottle shattered on a rock, and the potion inside fell onto the grass, mixing with the previous potion. In an instant, weak flames began to burn, and then the flames expanded into fire snakes, spreading out with a whoosh, instantly burning a wall of fire in the front line.

The puppets in the wall of fire immediately burned fiercely, emitting thick smoke.

Some Flying Squirrels shrieked miserably as they were burned, while more Flying Squirrels were choked by the thick smoke, their eyes and noses streaming, their keen sense of smell doubling their pain.

Almost all the Flying Squirrels fled in panic in all directions.

The pressure faced by the Exploration Team plummeted.

Because even though there were still Flying Squirrels rushing towards them, their numbers were few, and they were only fleeing to escape the flames.

Arrows greeted them.

Nearly half of the Flying Squirrels were struck by arrows and fell along the way.

Bai Ya, Huang Zao, and Lan Zao performed steadily.

Zhen Jin, however, did not make a move. He stood still, concentrating, like a statue.

Suddenly, a Flying Squirrel Leader broke through the wall of fire and appeared in his sight.

Without any hesitation, almost simultaneously, Zhen Jin's Flying Dagger shot out and hit the Flying Squirrel Leader directly in the eye socket.

After falling to the ground, the Flying Squirrel Leader rolled a few times and died instantly.

But just as this Flying Squirrel Leader fell, the remaining Flying Squirrel Leaders rushed out of the wall of fire together.

They were not on fire; ordinary flames could not harm them, and even the thick smoke only made them uncomfortable.

The Flying Squirrel Leaders charged wildly.

Seeing this scene, Cang Xu and Zi Di's expressions changed.

There were still four Flying Squirrel Leaders left!

These were Bronze-level magical beasts.

Although Lan Zao and Huang Zao were also Bronze-level warriors, dealing with a Flying Squirrel Leader one-on-one was very dangerous.

Humans and wild beasts are different.

The combat power of most human extraordinary individuals comes from the use of Battle Qi and Magic.

But in this environment, they couldn't activate their Battle Qi.

Although Battle Qi could subtly enhance the physical fitness of human extraordinary individuals, this physical fitness seemed very poor compared to magical beasts.

Compared to wild beasts, humans are born with delicate skin and fragile bones.

Huang Zao and Lan Zao, relying solely on their own physical qualities, were certainly no match for these Flying Squirrel Leaders. One must know that even after death, ordinary swords and knives could not cut through the skin and bones of Flying Squirrel Leaders.

If this was the case for Lan Zao and Huang Zao, the other ordinary members were simply not opponents for the Flying Squirrel Leaders.

"Once the Flying Squirrel Leaders charge into the crowd, it will inevitably cause heavy casualties. The only hope lies with Zhen Jin; we have to see if this Temple Knight lord can quickly kill these Flying Squirrel Leaders!" Cang Xu's eyes flashed with worry, his understanding of the current situation was very thorough.

"Now is not the time to continue hiding your strength, my lord." Cang Xu stared at Zhen Jin, encouraging him in his heart.

He was a wise man and understood that being on such a Sea Island, he had more hope of survival only by relying on the strong.

It was precisely for this reason that he had actively planned and pushed for the entire Exploration Team to pledge allegiance to Zhen Jin.

Zhen Jin took a deep breath.

He knew everyone was anticipating his performance.

However, he couldn't activate his Battle Qi!

The battle was imminent, and Zhen Jin had little time left – he only had one chance with his Flying Dagger.

"Then I'll finish you all off at once." Zhen Jin's gaze was sharp and resolute.

He reached into his embrace with both hands, each holding two daggers.

The next moment, he shook both arms, and four daggers shot out simultaneously!

The force of the flying daggers was far greater than that of the crossbow bolts.

At the same time, each flying dagger was incredibly accurate, hitting its target almost in the blink of an eye.

"Ah!" Cang Xu had just opened his mouth to exclaim when he saw the Flying Squirrel Leaders fall to the ground one after another. Zhen Jin had already secured the victory!

"It's done." Zhen Jin's heart was excited, but his expression remained as firm as iron, showing no change.

His arm muscles, however, were subtly trembling non-stop.

With this strike just now, Zhen Jin had exerted his full strength, fully utilizing the exquisite technique brought about by his recovered memories.

A strong sense of numbness and soreness permeated both of his arms.

Since the start of the battle, Zhen Jin had first shot a large number of arrows, and then thrown flying daggers.

In order to kill the Flying Squirrel Leaders, Zhen Jin had put his full strength into every throw of a flying dagger.

By now, he had basically reached the limit of his youthful physical strength.

One must know that these flying daggers were ordinary weapons. The reason they could kill the Flying Squirrel Leaders was entirely due to Zhen Jin's astonishing accuracy in targeting fatal weak points, as well as the terrifying speed and power brought about by his frantic throwing.

"Solved?"

"Four hits in one strike!"

"These few Flying Squirrel Leaders couldn't even force out Lord Zhen Jin's true strength. Lord is truly too strong..."

Everyone's morale was greatly boosted, and just as they began to cheer, a Flying Squirrel Leader that had fallen to the ground suddenly "came back to life"!

It scurried across the ground at such speed that it left a faint afterimage behind it.

At the same time, its life aura completely erupted, no longer Bronze-level, but Iron-level!

"Be careful!" Zi Di shrieked.

This was a rather cunning flying squirrel. Its true strength was Iron-level, but it had disguised itself with a Bronze aura.

It had a unique method to conceal its aura, deceiving Lan Zao's detection!

It was the leader of this Flying Squirrel pack!

At this moment, Zhen Jin felt the aura of death once again.

Speaking of which, he had dealt with quite a few magic beasts.

The Silver-level Blue-haired Dire Wolf, Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear, and Blade Spider.

But dealing with the Blue-haired Dire Wolf was because the timing was too good, utilizing the crazy python green vines in the river.

The time with the Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear was when the brown bear was severely injured. Even so, Zhen Jin almost died, his life was practically picked up from the brink.

Killing the Blade Spider was even more so because the spider was paralyzed by carelessness, and at the same time, Zhen Jin himself mutated, hitting the spider's vital point in one go. If one were to truly discuss strength, Zhen Jin was definitely not a match for the Silver spider.

The human body is quite fragile.

Compared to fierce beasts, humans lack claws as sharp as knives, thick fur, extremely strong physiques, and bones as hard as iron.

Typically, humans can't even outrun a dog, can't breathe underwater like fish, and can't fly in the air like birds.

In terms of strength, Zhen Jin being able to suppress a Bronze-level Head Goat greatly surprised Cang Xu, who speculated that Zhen Jin might possess Gold-level cultivation.

The greatest advantage of humans lies in their intelligence.

Humans can use their intelligence to create and utilize tools.

Although humans forge swords and blades to rival the claws and fangs of fierce beasts, they also research Magic and Battle Qi to enhance their own strength.

However, on this Sea Island, low-level Magic and Battle Qi are forbidden.

Magical beasts cannot use their innate abilities but retain their powerful and fierce physiques. Without Battle Qi and Magic, the inherent frailty of the human body is immediately exposed.

Therefore, a Black Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader can certainly pose a fatal threat to Zhen Jin.

"Its speed is much faster than mine, and it's extremely agile!"

"Even if ordinary swords and blades hit it, they can't cause effective damage. However, in this regard, I still have weapons made from Blade Spider Edges."

"But what's truly terrifying isn't its agility, nor its skin, bones, claws, or fangs, but the terrifying electric current it can release."

Zhen Jin frowned tightly.

As crisis approached, he discovered he possessed a certain excellent quality of a seasoned warrior – the more critical the situation, the faster he thought, and the clearer his thoughts became.

The Flying Dagger had just been tested and could not harm the Black Iron-level Flying Squirrel Leader.

The Blade Spider Edge weapon in Zhen Jin's hand was the best weapon to kill it, but at the same time, the electric current released by the Flying Squirrel could instantly take Zhen Jin's life.

"Unless I can instantly unleash Battle Qi! Only with Battle Qi protecting my body can I defend against the electric current."

A fierce glint flashed in Zhen Jin's eyes.

Battle Qi, he desperately needed Battle Qi.

"Saint Brilliance Great Emperor, my God! Please listen to the prayer of Your believer, let me awaken my past memories, let me regain control of Battle Qi!"

Zhen Jin roared in his heart.

But the divine being still gave no response.

"Damn it." Zhen Jin gritted his teeth fiercely.

Without Battle Qi, he had no way to defend against the electric shock. Both sides in the battle were strong in offense and weak in defense; it depended on who could successfully unleash their fatal attack method on the other first.

Closer.

Even closer.

"Roar."

Just as Zhen Jin was preparing to charge, he suddenly heard a mysterious beast roar.

"Are there other magical beasts?!"

"Wait, that beast roar sounds a bit familiar."

The next moment, Zhen Jin suddenly froze.

Zhen Jin sensed it – deep within his heart, there was a small, smooth sphere hidden.

This sphere was only the size of a thumb, but it was entirely bright red. Its surface wasn't smooth, resembling an extremely delicate small walnut with intricate, crisscrossing fine lines. However, in terms of texture, it had a faint transparency, like crystal, and seemed to be radiating light from within.

The bright red sphere trembled slightly, emitting waves of invisible power.

This powerful force permeated his blood, quickly spreading throughout Zhen Jin's body, constantly vibrating his chest.

The sphere's bloody light rapidly diminished.

Zhen Jin's arms were originally extremely sore, but as this power flowed in, his arms quickly recovered, and his muscles bulged, rapidly expanding.

Zhen Jin's clothes and armguards creaked under the strain. Although covered by clothing, Zhen Jin clearly felt thick black fur.

His bones and muscles transformed from human arms into a pair of bear arms!

In just an instant, Zhen Jin's arms not only recovered to their original state but became several times stronger than before!

"This feeling?!" Zhen Jin's heart pounded violently.

This feeling was clearly the same as when his hands underwent a strange transformation during his surprise attack on the Silver Spider.

Only this time, it wasn't his hands, but his arms that had undergone the strange transformation.

Without time to dwell on it, Zhen Jin pulled out his dagger and threw it with all his might.

Bang.

A slight explosive sound occurred. It turned out the young man's throwing motion was too violent, directly bursting the air!

The flying dagger pierced through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Everyone saw a brilliant silver line flash and disappear in mid-air, accurately piercing through the Black Iron Head Rat, then its speed greatly decreased, embedding itself deeply into the grass.

The Black Iron Head Rat that had been charging forward fell backward, lying motionless on the ground.

Its entire head had been pierced through, and blood quickly stained the surrounding grass.

The battlefield fell silent.