Firelight!

Following the instructions of the Nine Splendor Art, Lin Ye's cultivation of Gene Energy gradually deepened, and the speed at which he absorbed cosmic energy continued to accelerate.

At the same time.

Four hundred kilometers from Shelter No. 057, in the wilderness.

On the barren land, a full forty massive Silver Moon Giant Wolves were charging wildly across the open plains, stirring up gusts of wind with each stride.

Thick clouds obscured the moon, leaving the earth shrouded in darkness.

Beneath the heavy night.

These giant wolves sprinted at full speed like streaks of shadow, as if chasing something.

Dust flew as their limbs struck the ground, each landing leaving deep imprints, a long gray dragon trailing behind them.

If Lin Ye were here, he would surely notice that every Silver Moon Giant Wolf here was far too large in size.

Compared to the giant wolf he had slain before, they were at least twice to four times bigger.

The weakest among them was at the Primary Beast General level.

At the same time, Five kilometers ahead of the wolf pack, three men and one woman were also racing through the night.

The wind howled past their ears, and from the uniform War General badges on their arms, it was clear this was an elite War General squad.

But now, this elite squad seemed to have encountered some great calamity, their morale greatly diminished, far from their peak.

Regardless of gender, each bore injuries of varying severity, drops of blood falling from their wounds to the ground.

Once formidable Mid-tier War Generals, they were now stained with blood, forced to flee in disgrace under the pursuit of the Beast General wolf pack.

As their stamina rapidly drained, their speed slowed... the wolf pack drew closer and closer.

Yet, even under these circumstances, they did not give up.

Every second, they pushed themselves to sprint forward with all their might, allowing no reservation or slack.

Crossing wastelands, trampling through small groves, leaping over hills and slopes... the four martial artists raced on through this seemingly endless, pitch-black night...

"What do we do now?"

One of the thinner martial artists tore off a strip of clothing while running, binding his bleeding, severed arm, and gritted his teeth: "At this rate, we'll be surrounded by these beasts sooner or later!"

The night could conceal their figures, but it could not hide the scent of blood on them.

Following the trail, the Silver Moon Wolf Pack would hunt their prey to the end across the wilderness.

"Don't panic. The most important thing now is to get the message back to the human base, to tell them the Silver Moon Giant Wolves are quietly gathering."

"Their target is likely Shelter No. 057, Shelter No. 070, and the surrounding human shelters."

"Or even more likely, they intend to attack the South Bank Fortress after the shelters."

"We can die, but the message must get through, so the military can prepare in advance!"

"Otherwise, the massive Beast Tide led by three Lord Monsters will be another great disaster for Shan City."

"We cannot let such a tragedy happen."

The oldest in the team, a bald War General, spoke, each word resolute.

He was burly, with a massive iron hammer strapped to his back, looking very much like a blacksmith.

"Cough... cough, cough, cough."

"Second Brother is right. We must get the message back." Another male War General responded, blood seeping from his mouth, clearly suffering from severe internal injuries.

The female martial artist: "..."

In truth, they all knew in their hearts that these Beast General-level Silver Moon Giant Wolves, whose intelligence was no less than a human's, would never allow any of them to leave alive.

The only reason they had escaped this far was partly due to their teammates buying them a slim chance with their lives, and partly because these Beast Generals harbored a desire to toy with their prey.

Without a word, the four glanced at their shattered communicators, and couldn't help but think of their teammates who had been surrounded and fought to the death.

A deep grief and indignation welled up in each of their hearts.

No wonder this was a Silver Moon Wolf Pack that had birthed two Mid-tier Lords and one Primary Lord—they had chosen to lure the humans deep, then set an ambush, waiting at their leisure.

Most crucially, these Beast Generals had deliberately destroyed the human martial artists' communication devices during the fight, playing tricks to toy with them.

Such intelligence was indeed beyond that of ordinary monsters!

As the wolf pack's pursuit distance shrank, they could even hear the excited howls.

On a small hill, the group paused briefly.

A flash of resolve passed through the eyes of the bald leader, as if he had made some decision.

"Little Sister, you go first. Your Second Brother and I, along with Fifth Brother, will hold these beasts back."

"No. If we die, we die together. I've already lost Big Brother and Fourth Brother—I can't lose you all too!"

Third Brother let out a furious roar.

"Still not leaving? Do you want to die here with us, and let several shelters and fortresses be destroyed by the Beast Tide?!"

"Owww... wooof!!"

Behind them, the distant but all-too-clear howls sent a chill down everyone's spine.

At this moment, the gaunt man, utterly drained of stamina, barely had the strength to gasp for breath.

He reached out toward the woman and called out weakly, "Little sis... run... as long as you survive... our Sharp Blade Squad... still lives... go now... don't worry about us... go!!"

"..."

For a moment, there was silence. The female warrior took a long, hard look at her three brothers, then turned and sprinted away... Behind her came the bald War General's final words: "Little sis, don't die! Live... and avenge me and all our fallen brothers!!"

Thump, thump, thump!!

The wolves' footsteps grew closer, their howls now right at their heels, closing in...

"Brothers, are you scared?" the one-armed War General, Old Five, said with a grin, his smile icy and fierce.

On the hillside, three figures stood against the wind, facing the pursuing Beast Tide like three unbreakable Great Walls, rooted in place.

"Scared of what? Think these beasts will let us go if we're scared?" Bald-headed Big Brother spat out a mouthful of blood, his gaze growing ever more resolute.

He planted the massive iron hammer on the ground behind him, striking the pose of a man holding a pass against ten thousand. "Even if we die, we're taking some monsters down with us—something to kick around on the road to the Yellow Springs..."

"I'm not scared either. Since I chose to be a warrior, I've already put life and death aside.

"Besides, our Sharp Blade Squad already has a spark to carry on. I stopped fearing long ago."

"It's just a pity..."

The gaunt man gently wiped his Battle Saber, as tenderly as if he were handling a new bride.

The night was dim, and the saber reflected a matte black gleam, strands of murderous aura seeping from its blade.

He glanced back in the direction the female warrior had run and murmured softly, "It's just that we won't get to see our little sis get married. And I wonder which unlucky lad will end up with our little sis, that Ice Mountain beauty."

"Hahaha!!!"

The three men's hearty laughter scattered on the wind.

After the laughter faded, the three Mid-tier War Generals looked at the approaching wolf pack of Beast Generals in the distance and quickly set up a minefield around them.

After burying all their high-explosive grenades, the three stood shoulder to shoulder, exchanged a glance, and calmly stepped into the center of the minefield.

The vibration of giant wolves pounding the ground was right in their ears, and the excited howls grew closer and closer...

"Kill!!"

"Kill!!"

"Kill!!"

Amid the sky-shaking killing intent, the three male warriors swung their weapons at the wolf pack.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The explosions roared, flames shot into the sky, and several giant wolves that had charged into the minefield were instantly thrown back, their limbs blown off or bodies scorched.

Many nearby Beast Generals were also stunned on the spot by the sudden blast wave.

Amid the chorus of howls, the dry grass around them quickly caught fire, gradually engulfing everything in an ever-expanding sea of flames.

The young woman did not pause for a moment. On her face, usually veiled in frost, two long streaks of tears silently slid down...