"Yunlong, Zhaozhao, Qin Tian, are you guys okay?"
Qin Dadi quickly scrambled to his feet, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that his teammates were safe and sound.
"I'm fine."
"I'm okay too."
The few of them cautiously gathered closer, their gazes falling upon the arrow that had buried itself deep into the ground.
The arrow shaft was thick and long, and its fletching was a vibrant, fiery red. Cracks resembling spiderwebs spread outward for ten meters around the impact site, and the nearby Special Forces Squad had also been caught in the aftermath.
Fortunately, they weren't right at the center and were only blown backward by the blast wave, leaving them looking rather disheveled.
"That was close. Qin Tian, thanks to your warning just now."
Xiao Yunlong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
"How did you sense it in advance?" Liu Zhaozhao asked, her chest heaving as she fought off the lingering terror.
Qin Tian said slowly, "It was just a feeling."
To be precise, it was the green talent [Danger Sense] that allowed him to detect the danger beforehand. Coupled with the superhuman reflexes and explosive power granted to him by [Shadow of the Spirit Cat], he was able to dodge in time before Danger Descends.
A feeling?
Qin Dadi looked thoughtful. On the battlefield, there really was a certain type of person who could always evade all kinds of fatal crises and survive safely until the end.
This couldn't always be chalked up to sheer luck; it was far more likely that they possessed an extremely acute perception of their surrounding environment, earning them the title of battlefield prophets.
Clearly, Qin Tian was just such a person.
A formidable shooting talent, outstanding physical fitness, and a sharp battlefield intuition.
If the Military Department could mass-produce clones like Qin Tian, the imperial army would be invincible and unstoppable on low-level battlefields.
Of course, that was just a fantasy.
Qin Tian was a special product of genetic mutation, while the vast majority of clones possessed only mediocre aptitudes and could only be used as cannon fodder.
"Qin Dadi, you guys almost got me killed!"
"Me too. Good thing I dodged fast."
The nearby special operations members who had been caught in the blast lingeringly panicked. Though they complained, they stood far away, terrified of getting dragged into another disaster.
Qin Dadi cupped his fists, apologizing, "Sorry about that, everyone. We didn't expect something like that to happen either. Once the war is over, I'll treat you all to drinks to make up for it."
Seeing Qin Dadi's sincere attitude, the others didn't say anything more.
After all, this was a battlefield, and even without Earth Dragon Squad, they would sooner or later have to fight the enemy to the death.
Qin Tian gripped his rifle tightly, looking out toward the direction from which the arrow had been fired, and quickly located the culprit.
It was an exceptionally bulky Four-armed Orc with a broad face and wide nose. Golden lion manes grew along his cheeks, and his arms were several times thicker than an adult's thighs. He held a war blade in one hand, a shield in another, drew a bow with the third, and nocked an arrow with the fourth. The fletching of the arrow was fiery red and exceptionally vivid.
Beneath the orc was a Silver White Giant Beast that carried him galloping across the battlefield as if stepping through uninhabited territory.
"That's a Royal Court Warrior, a Sphinx Orc."
Xiao Yunlong stood beside Qin Tian with a solemn look in his eyes. "They are born psionic warriors, trained as warriors from childhood, and basically awaken psionic energy upon reaching adulthood. Judging from that arrow just now, his psionic rank is at least third order, possibly even approaching the fourth order."
"The creature he's riding is called a Sky Camel Beast. They are agile, possess strong endurance, and have tough scales. Most importantly, they come with a built-in storage space capable of carrying the rider's weapons and supplies."
Qin Tian narrowed his eyes to observe, and sure enough, the Sphinx Orc usually only held three or four arrows. When an arrow was shot out, he would gently stroke the head of the Sky Camel Beast, and a new arrow would subsequently appear in his hand.
The Sphinx Orc's arrows were fast and fierce. Anyone struck by them looked as though they had been hit by a cannonball, with flesh and blood flying in an extremely miserable scene.
Seeing this, Xiao Yunlong, Qin Dadi, and Liu Zhaozhao all felt a chill run down the backs of their necks, a wave of lingering fear gripping their hearts.
"Qin Tian, it looks like you killed too many green-skinned orcs just now, and the Sphinx Orc noticed you."
Xiao Yunlong swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "How about we lay low for a bit? If we get shot by another arrow, I'm afraid none of us will survive."
"Mhm."
Qin Tian nodded. Although he felt extremely annoyed at almost being sniped to death, he also knew that Danger Sense wasn't omnipotent. If his reaction had been half a beat slower, he and his teammates would have lost their lives.
Anyway, he had already earned quite a few Evolution Points. From here on out, self-preservation took priority, and he could seek out new talents when the opportunity arose.
Just as Qin Tian lowered his gun, the situation suddenly changed.
Two Military Psionic Users suddenly burst out from the rear, surrounding the Sphinx Orc from the left and right.
War blades clashed with war blades, and long swords struck shields. A psionic storm swept outward, instantly creating an empty patch on the battlefield.
"Haha, the military experts have finally made their move."
Xiao Yunlong clapped and cheered. The orcs had their Royal Court Warriors, and their side had bloodline warriors; there was no way they were going to let these guys keep acting so arrogantly.
Qin Tian observed closely. The strength of the Sphinx Orc and the two Military Psionic Users far surpassed Xiao Yunlong's, moving as fast as gale-force winds—something difficult to capture even with his current dynamic vision.
In terms of raw strength, the Sphinx Orc was stronger than the Military Psionic Users. His four arms coordinated as one, and even fighting two opponents at once, he did not fall behind in the slightest. Furthermore, the Sky Camel Beast he rode possessed great intelligence, running and stopping as it frequently used its tail or claws to help its master dissolve the pressure of the encirclement.
Clang~~~
The Sphinx Orc raised his war blade high, bright yellow psionic energy coating the blade, while the mount beneath him lifted its front hooves. With a mighty and heavy splitting-mountain strike, he forced one of the psionic warriors to his knees.
The warrior gripped the hilt of his blade with both hands, desperately resisting the long sword as an unnatural flush appeared on his face.
Seeing this, the nearby psionic user immediately thrust out his long sword. Lightning wound around it, striking straight at the orc's back.
The orc whipped his shield backward in a backhand motion, blocking the direct sword thrust while keeping his body as steady as Mount Tai.
"Hiss, how come I feel like they might not be able to beat this Sphinx Orc?"
Xiao Yunlong sucked in a breath of cold air, couldn't help but worry for his side's warriors.
Qin Tian's gaze flickered as he pulled a new magazine from his combat pack.
"This is... an Armor-Piercing High-Explosive Round. Qin Tian, you..."
The three members of Earth Dragon Squad all noticed Qin Tian's action and instantly understood what he wanted to do.
"Captain, is this okay?"
Qin Tian swapped the magazine, squinting one eye as he aimed the muzzle at the target.
Qin Dadi gave a bitter smile. "You've already struck your pose, what's okay or not okay? Do it!"
With those words, a trace of ruthlessness also surfaced in his eyes. The orcs were the mortal enemies of the empire, and many of his friends had died at their hands. If they could kill a Royal Court Warrior, what was taking a little risk?
"Qin Tian, I see the Sphinx Orc is a Fourth-Order Psionic User. Even switching to high-explosive rounds won't be able to hurt him," Xiao Yunlong reminded.
Qin Tian hooked his index finger around the trigger and said softly,
"I know, so my target isn't him."
Not him? Then could it be...
Xiao Yunlong immediately turned his head, his gaze falling upon the Silver White Giant Beast as his eyes widened rapidly.
Whoosh~~~
Qin Tian held his breath and concentrated, his focus reaching its absolute peak. The world seemed to grow quiet, and his eyes held only a single target.
The Sky Camel Beast.
The Sky Camel Beast was clearly no ordinary wild beast. Relying on its tough scales and formidable strength, it could even trade blows with two psionic users for a few rounds.
Its reactions were also extremely agile. Whenever the psionic users attempted to attack its vital spots, it would always use a beast's intuition to dodge in advance or use its toughest parts to take the hits head-on.
Therefore, Qin Tian only had a single chance.
He had to seize that fleeting moment.
Through the scope, the Sky Camel Beast was brimming with fighting spirit, lifting its hooves, swinging its claws, and whipping its tail, causing no small amount of trouble for the two Military Psionic Users.
Roar!!
Just as the Sphinx Orc brandished his war blade to hack down toward the psionic user's head, the beast also extended its giant claws, striking straight at the enemy's chest.
Now!
Qin Tian's gaze flashed as he decisively pulled the trigger.
Bang~
The gunshot rang out abruptly.
In an instant, the Sky Camel Beast's eyelids twitched wildly, closing instinctively as the scales on its eyelids protected its eyes like sheets of iron.
Yet this time, Qin Tian was using an Armor-Piercing High-Burn Bullet, which possessed even greater penetration than ordinary armor-piercing rounds.
The armor-piercing bullet head struck the eyelid like a stone dropped into a lake, stirring up layers of ripples. Immediately afterward, the bullet head tore through the scales, pierced the eyeball, shot into the brain, and the high-burn gas violently detonated, destroying all nerves.
In a split second, the Sphinx Orc felt the body beneath him go limp, most of his strength suddenly draining away. Filled with shock and anger, he turned his head to look in a certain direction, locking eyes with a pair of cold, calm eyes.
"Nice marksmanship!"
A loud shout came from the flank as a long sword thrust forward. The Sphinx Orc snapped back to his senses, instinctively twisting his body.
Swish~
The blade's edge pierced his shoulder, driving deep into the flesh and blood.
The Sphinx Orc let out a muffled grunt and swung his shield in a wide arc toward the flank, but it was nimbly dodged by the military psionic user.
Clang clang clang~~
The sound of weapons clashing continued. Having lost the assistance of the Sky Camel Beast, the Sphinx Orc's strength plummeted by twenty percent, and facing the two military psionic users once more, he appeared somewhat strained and utterly flustered.
"Qin Tian, you did it!!!"
Xiao Yunlong waved his fist in excitement. Seeing the Sphinx Orc—who had almost killed him just moments ago—fall into a bitter battle and begin sustaining injuries, his mood couldn't possibly have been more exhilarating.
The corners of Qin Tian's lips curved upward slightly as a deep blue orb of light flickered brightly in his mind.
[Name] Space Bag (Blue)
[Type] Active Talent
[Description] Actively take in and store items within the Space Bag. Current Space Bag size: 41.6m³
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