Hunter Lizard

The first night in the Winter Mountains was spent taking turns on watch. Nothing happened. When I woke up, the others were already up. We had a simple breakfast of leftover grilled fish from last night, and then began today's journey.

"Everyone packed up? Then the first order of business today is crossing the river. Let's move quickly!"

As he spoke, Rui Feng scooped up Rui Xin, compressed the muscles in his legs to their limit, and leaped with all his might, clearing the wide river in a single bound. He landed heavily and shouted back at us, "If you can cross on your own, do so. If not, follow Lin Bing. Don't dawdle!"

So, everyone showed off their unique skills: Mo Xiao Hong bent her body like a rubber band and sprang to the other side; Zhang Tian Luo controlled his own gravity, floated into the air, and "drifted" across; Li Cha was even more impressive, taking off into the sky and carrying two others with him as he flew across the river. His Supernatural Ability was flight.

And me? I considered using my blood to create a bridge, but I realized it would consume a lot of blood and wasn't safe. I couldn't yet use my blood to propel myself through the air, so I decided to follow Lin Bing.

Lin Bing was the youngest in the entire team, a girl of about 15 years old with pale skin and waist-length hair. She looked a bit like a Japanese doll. She hadn't spoken much along the way, to the point that I had completely overlooked her existence. Could her Supernatural Ability be spatial teleportation or something similar, to be able to ferry the rest of us across the river?

"Gather around."

She spoke, her voice barely audible. We all moved closer to her, forming a circle. I happened to be the closest to her, almost pressed against her delicate body, but I felt no impure thoughts. She emanated waves of cold, like a giant block of ice.

Seeing that we were all in position, Lin Bing slowly raised her hands. Hexagons like pale blue glass materialized from the void, piecing themselves together to form a hemispherical shield that enveloped us. I couldn't help but think of the AT Field from Eva. We followed her, walking directly onto the river's surface under the protection of the pale blue field. The moment the river water touched the field, it instantly froze into thick ice, strong enough to walk on. We crossed the river this way.

However, when we reached the center of the river, an anomaly occurred. No less than thirty Blood Tooth Fish burst from the water, lunging at us with their monstrous jaws wide open!

"Careful!" Just as I was about to summon my Blood Shield, Lin Bing tugged at my clothes, signaling me not to worry. The moment the school of fish touched the field, they were frozen into ice sculptures, their gaping mouths solidified in a rather comical display.

What a monstrous ability... I thought. If that's the case, wouldn't it be impossible to even get close to her in a fight? She's only fifteen. If she continues to grow like this... it's terrifying to think about.

Crossing the Blood Tooth River truly marked our entry into the Winter临 Mountains. The atmosphere of the entire team changed. The casual laziness the members had displayed on the outskirts vanished, replaced by seriousness and vigilance. The Rui siblings walked at the forefront. Rui Xin used sonic waves to scan their surroundings, while Rui Feng was responsible for clearing the path and guarding. He was now wearing a pair of metal armguards with sharp serrations along the edges, clearly a formidable Spirit Artifact. Lin Bing and I walked in the middle of the formation. She had her freezing field, and I had my Blood Shield; we could protect everyone in case of danger. Also in the middle was a man in his early thirties named Si Nanlong. Unlike the Rui siblings, Si Nanlong had genuinely inherited the bloodline of the Si Nan Family, and his Supernatural Ability was specialized in detection. In the Si Nan Family, only two types of people could bear the surname Si Nan: those with blood relation, or those who, despite originating from a smaller family dependent on the Si Nan Family, had made significant contributions. Bringing up the rear were Shi Tao and Lu Xiong, two burly men no less imposing than Rui Feng. One could control rocks, and the other could unleash lightning; both were valiant fighters. The strongest was Li Cha, who mostly flew overhead, acting as a lookout.

Our route was to proceed along a dry riverbed towards the eastern side of the main peak's mountainside, where we would rendezvous with other teams. According to the map, there were three suitable locations for detection along the way. Our plan was to visit them sequentially. Si Nanlong would deploy his large-scale detection field at each location. After visiting all three points, we would have completed our assigned area.

Our current destination was Location One: Salt Crystal Lake.

I frowned, trudging through the thick meadow with each step sinking into the soft ground. Although it was called a dry riverbed, the river had dried up hundreds of years ago. The channels left by the ancient river were now covered in lush grass and shrubs. Damp grass and vines occasionally snagged at my boots, and branches of bushes scraped against my pants. My hair was already full of leaves. The feeling was utterly miserable. This should be considered the north, right? Why is it so humid! Thinking about it, the first location was also strange. "Salt Crystal Lake"... it should be a saltwater lake that precipitates a large amount of salt during a certain season. Such lakes in China are mostly found in the northwestern Gobi Desert. Could there be a saltwater lake in a place like this?

Rustle, rustle, rustle, snap.

"...!"

Did I just hear a strange sound mixed with our footsteps?

I glanced to the sides with my peripheral vision. The dense forest blocked my view, but I was certain something was following us!

Just as I was about to alert the others, Si Nanlong suddenly patted my shoulder. He whispered, "Everyone's noticed. Don't make any moves yet. Let's talk when we reach the open area ahead!"

So, I suppressed my nervousness and pretended nothing was wrong, following along. As we were about to leave the meadow, suddenly—

CRACK! A gust of wind shot out from the dense forest, carrying a foul, fishy odor! "Careful!" Lu Xiong shouted from behind. A dazzling bolt of lightning flashed, striking directly at a seemingly empty spot in mid-air. Something fell to the ground, and a pungent smell of burning filled the air. I looked closely and saw it was a giant lizard, over two meters long, with grass-like green skin. Could it camouflage?

"It's a Hunter Lizard! Engage!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, about a dozen more Hunter Lizards burst from the bushes. Hunter Lizards had camouflage abilities like chameleons, making them difficult to spot with the naked eye in the dense forest. These Hunter Lizards didn't attack immediately. Instead, they split into two groups, skillfully avoiding the freezing field. One group infiltrated the front of the team, and the other infiltrated the rear, instantly splitting the formation into three segments! Only then did I understand their plan: to isolate us and defeat us piece by piece!

Mere lizards... they're quite intelligent!

A Hunter Lizard roared and lunged at me. I waved my hand, and a blood-red crescent flew out, bisecting the Hunter Lizard. Even though I couldn't see clearly, it didn't affect my combat! I abandoned aiming and flung the blood covering my hands. The blood droplets turned into a shotgun-like spray as soon as they left my hands, shooting outwards. I could see clusters of blood erupting in the air, and Hunter Lizards were revealed and fell to the ground one by one. Without their shell defenses, they were no match for the blood projectiles. Lin Bing, on the other hand, hadn't moved from her spot the entire time. The Hunter Lizards that lunged at her all hit her freezing field, turning into ice sculptures that shattered on the ground. Si Nanlong, lacking combat power, used his detection Supernatural Ability to perfectly evade all attacks and reached Lin Bing's side, hiding within the field.

Looking at the others, Rui Feng relied almost entirely on his combat instincts to pinpoint the Hunter Lizards' locations. His armguards, glowing with a deep blue luminescence, were swung back and forth by the roaring Rui Feng, smashing the Hunter Lizards into pulp. Rui Xin continuously released strange sonic waves, directly interfering with the Hunter Lizards' senses, forcing them to deactivate their camouflage and writhe on the ground. Rui Xin then took the opportunity to unleash sonic waves, striking them. Minor injuries included internal organ displacement, while severe ones resulted in internal organs exploding! Zhang Tian Luo controlled his gravity, crushing the Hunter Lizards like falling weights. Mo Xiao Hong, like a female Luffy, unleashed whip punches and sweeping kicks with ease. Shi Tao caused stone spikes to erupt from the ground beneath the Hunter Lizards, impaling them. Lu Xiong unleashed a barrage of lightning. The dozens of attacking Hunter Lizards were completely at their mercy, and in a flash, they were all slaughtered.

"Hah!" After smashing the skull of the last Hunter Lizard, Rui Feng wiped the blood from his body and confirmed everyone's safety. Seeing that no one was injured, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, we only encountered Hunter Lizards this time. Let's rest briefly and continue!"