Guardian Boss

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!" Mai Xiao Wen, who was drinking water beside him, heard this and almost spat out her water.

She quickly covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents, her shoulders trembling slightly from suppressing her laughter.

"Keep pretending! You keep pretending!"

Jin Shan's eyes widened as he looked at Xu Feng's unhurried, slow-chewing, and harmless-looking expression. He then glanced at Mai Xiao Wen, who was trying to suppress a smile but couldn't help but let her gaze drift towards Xu Feng.

He suddenly felt his teeth itch.

He pouted and grumbled in a sour tone, "Tch, you're just relying on being good-looking, aren't you?

Back in the day, when I was your age, the girls chasing me could line up from the Association entrance all the way to the training grounds!"

"Oh? Really?" A voice laced with laughter chimed in from the side. "Then, our handsome Jin, how many girlfriends did you have back then? Tell us so we can be envious."

"Hmph, that would be at least this many!" Jin Shan raised his head, held up two hands, and gestured with an arrogant expression.

But the next second, his expression froze. His neck stiffly turned towards the source of the voice.

Luna was already standing behind him, holding up her phone. The screen clearly displayed the [Recording] icon.

She had an extremely mischievous smile on her face and dangled her phone.

"Tsk tsk, more than ten? Jin the great Casanova's history is truly glorious.

Tell me, what interesting things do you think would happen if I 'accidentally' sent this recording to your Ya Han?"

"No! Sister Na! My dearest aunt! I was wrong! I was talking nonsense! I was young and reckless and bragging! Please, please don't let that woman... uh, please don't let Ya Han hear!"

Jin Shan panicked instantly, cold sweat about to break out on his forehead. He clasped his hands together and pleaded repeatedly.

"Hoh? Woman what? Tigress, right?" Luna's eyes lit up, and her fingers quickly tapped on the screen. "This part needs to be recorded too. The full version sounds more interesting."

"Aow! Sister Na! Show mercy!"

Jin Shan wailed and tried to snatch the phone, but Luna skillfully dodged him.

Piao Zhi Yong watched his team members' playful banter with a chuckle, not intervening.

The pressure of clearing the underground city was immense. Moderate relaxation and jokes helped to relieve tense nerves and maintain team morale.

Of course, as the captain, his mental perception constantly enveloped the surroundings, vigilant for any potential danger.

Xu Feng's performance had truly exceeded his expectations by a large margin.

Generally speaking, newly awakened Hunters, regardless of their potential, needed a period of time, short or long, to adapt to the sudden power they gained and the magic surging within them.

During this phase, they were often unable to exert their full strength and might be hesitant when facing Monsters due to inexperience.

Even Hunters of the physical type, who adapted more quickly, required practical combat experience.

But Xu Feng... he seemed to have skipped this phase.

Not only did he show no discomfort or fear when facing bloody battles, but he was also able to quickly immerse himself in them, even displaying an almost instinctive combat excitement and an efficient killing rhythm.

"He's simply... a natural-born warrior." Piao Zhi Yong's heart stirred, and his gaze towards Xu Feng held even more admiration.

Seeing that the team members had rested enough, the assistants responsible for logistics had already harvested and packed the valuable Monster materials from the battlefield. They were now leaving through the teleportation gate with large bags.

Piao Zhi Yong retracted his smile and looked at Luna.

"Luna, what's the situation with the surrounding reconnaissance? Are there any other Bull herds gathered?"

Luna quickly switched from her playful state back to professional mode and replied seriously:

"Captain, according to the feedback from the 'Vision Eye,' the scattered Bull herds in this area have been cleared by us.

Only the Bull Leader in the central area of the underground city remains.

It's likely a typical territorial leader Monster. Reconnaissance shows no other Bulls active within a considerable radius around it, so it's probably solitary."

Xu Feng listened quietly from the side, understanding dawning on him.

In the afternoon, at the expedition team's office, he had already crammed a lot of common knowledge about underground cities.

Every established underground city had a "leader" at its core, also known as a "boss."

Only by defeating the leader could the core energy structure of the underground city be dismantled, its connection to the real world completely severed, and the clearing completed.

And underground city leaders were usually the absolute kings among Monsters of the same species in that area, or unique mutated individuals.

They were often larger in size, with far greater defense, attack power, and even magic contained within them compared to ordinary individuals.

Although their magic level rating might still be within the same major class, their actual combat power could often transcend class levels.

For example, in a D-class Low-grade underground city, the leader's overall strength might reach D-class High-grade, or even C-class Lower Rank.

This was also why the Hunter Association strictly stipulated that a certain scale of team must be formed to challenge an underground city.

Clearing minor Monsters might not be difficult, but defeating an enhanced leader often required precise tactical coordination and sufficient firepower.

"It's still sleeping, Captain. We can set up first."

Luna shot another reconnaissance arrow with a flashing red tip. The arrow lightly embedded itself in the shadows in the distance.

Through the vision fed back by the arrow, she reported calmly.

"Alright, let's proceed with the original plan."

Piao Zhi Yong nodded slightly, then made a series of concise and clear hand gestures.

The team members understood tacitly, quickly and quietly spread out, and began pre-battle preparations.

The seven people maintained their tactical formation, slowly and cautiously advancing towards the central area where the Bull Leader was located.

Xu Feng and Jin Shan were still at the forefront, their muscles tense, always ready to deal with the leader's sudden attack if it sensed a threat.

But when the distance closed to about a hundred meters, the team stopped.

At this distance, Xu Feng finally clearly saw the full appearance of the Bull Leader, and couldn't help but shudder.

It was like a replica of a prehistoric behemoth!

Even though it was just lying on the ground, curled up and resting.

Its shoulder height was estimated to be over five meters, and its massive body was likely over ten meters long from head to tail.

Like a mountain of flesh covered in dark brown thick skin and ferocious bone spurs!

With every breath, thick, hot white mist, like small pillars of air, violently erupted from its nostrils, which were the size of a human head, emitting a low "huff" sound.

Even in its slumber, an invisible pressure, originating from its life level and immense energy, still spread outwards from its body like a tide.

Making the air feel stagnant and heavy.

Piao Zhi Yong turned his gaze to Li Ze Yuan, who understood and nodded gently.

The tip of the earthy yellow staff in his hand pointed to the ground, his movements carrying a certain rhythm.

Instantly, on the flat ground ahead, fist-sized clumps of uniform, moist soil silently rose, suspended in mid-air, slowly rotating.

Piao Zhi Yong stepped forward, flicked his fingers, and tiny seeds emitting a soft green glow fell into each clump of suspended soil.

The moment the seeds touched the soil, the green light flashed slightly, as if activated.

Then, these soil clumps, wrapped around the seeds, sank into the ground as if alive, without a sound, leaving behind almost imperceptible small bumps.

These bumps then began to move towards the sleeping Bull Leader and spread out at an extremely slow speed, almost without vibration.

Eventually forming a hidden encirclement around it and the expedition team.

At the same time, Kuang Lei had quietly retreated to the predetermined sniping position two hundred meters away.

He sat down cross-legged, placed the staff inlaid with a scarlet gem horizontally on his knees, closed his eyes, and his lips moved at an extremely fast frequency, muttering a long and complex incantation.

As the incantation progressed, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the fire element aura surrounding him became more violent and intense.

The red gem at the top of the staff glowed brighter and brighter, as if lava was churning within.

When the incantation reached a critical point, the gem suddenly erupted with a dazzling red light.

A ball of condensed, extremely potent scarlet fire, only the size of a fist, suddenly appeared above the gem.

This fireball did not launch immediately but hovered quietly.

As Kuang Lei continuously poured his own magic power into it.

It began to expand and grow visibly, its internal energy fluctuations causing palpitations.

Luna and Mai Xiao Wen were not idle either.

Luna drew several arrows from a specially made quiver. They were dark purple all over, with unstable arcs of electricity flashing on their arrowheads, and carefully nocked them onto the bowstring.

But she did not draw the bow, only preparing to fire at any moment.

Mai Xiao Wen wielded her pale white staff, continuously casting soft but lasting halos of light on her teammates.

Xu Feng and Jin Shan, as the front line, received the most significant buffs, with dense white light almost enveloping their upper bodies.

"Sustained healing and status buffs?"

Xu Feng carefully felt the power of light flowing over him, understanding.

This not only healed minor injuries quickly but also seemed to alleviate fatigue to some extent and enhance the body's recovery ability.

Like all his teammates, he held his breath, his gaze fixed on the sleeping Bull Leader in the distance, quietly waiting for Kuang Lei to charge up.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

Only the Bull Leader's heavy breathing and the faint energy hum from the increasingly massive fireball in front of Kuang Lei could be heard.

But soon.

The violent magic fluctuations in the surrounding air, caused by the team's charging and preparations.

Ultimately startled the slumbering behemoth.

The Bull Leader irritably shook its massive head, its heavy breathing becoming rapid.

Then, its giant eyes, like blood-red lanterns, suddenly opened!

The moment its scarlet gaze locked onto the human figures a hundred meters away--