The clever little tools at the bottom of the trap instantly pierced the Death Soldier's body.
Looking at the Death Soldier's unyielding corpse,
Huo Lie felt little satisfaction. Instead, a deep chill crept over him.
His back was drenched in cold sweat.
What kind of being was secretly targeting the Flame Mercenary Group, one capable of making people throw themselves into danger without hesitation?
Even with little strength, they were willing to drag him into the trap with them.
Even the most foolish person knew that doing so meant paying with their life.
Yet the man before him, dead with his eyes still open, had jumped down without the slightest hesitation.
All to drag him into the trap, hold him up, and reduce his chances of escape.
He had given his life just to delay Huo Lie.
Even a ruthless man like Huo Lie couldn't help fearing the unseen being's utter disregard for life.
Fear rose in Huo Lie's heart, but so did a measure of confusion.
What had the Flame Mercenary Group done to deserve being targeted by such a being?
As soon as the question surfaced, Huo Lie shifted his attention to the Fire Wolf King Cub in his arms.
It had all started with that being called A-Liu.
And A-Liu had appeared precisely when the Flame Mercenary Group's scheme to seize the Fire Wolf King Cub had failed!
Was the unseen person after the Fire Wolf King Cub?!
In an instant, Huo Lie understood what had happened.
He couldn't help regarding the Fire Wolf King Cub in his arms with greater importance.
If the unseen person valued it so highly, the Fire Wolf King Cub must have a secret even he didn't know about.
Huo Lie tucked the suspicion away and quickly used his weapon to try to escape the trap.
After all, the howls outside the trap were drawing closer and closer!
But just as Huo Lie was about to climb out, another figure plunged down from above.
Huo Lie sneered inwardly.
Did they think the same trick would work on him again?
He was just about to strike when the man hurled the broadsword in his hand, sending it straight toward the Fire Wolf King Cub in Huo Lie's arms.
Huo Lie hurriedly raised his hand to block it. Dou Qi burst forth, knocking the broadsword away.
But that brief delay was enough for the Death Soldier to seize Huo Lie and drag him back into the trap.
"Madman!"
Huo Lie couldn't help cursing at the man's actions.
He almost wanted to ask what the unseen person had offered them to make them so willing to throw their lives away.
After his outburst, Huo Lie did as before and used the Death Soldier as a cushion, keeping himself from being injured by the weapons at the bottom of the trap.
This time, Huo Lie didn't waste a moment. The instant he had something to push off from, he began climbing toward the top of the trap.
But it was already too late!
After being delayed twice, the Fire Wolves had surrounded the entrance to the trap.
As soon as Huo Lie emerged, he saw a huge Fire Wolf staring right at him.
A bone-deep chill swept over him.
Huo Lie hurriedly clutched the Fire Wolf King Cub tightly, keeping the Fire Wolf King from acting rashly.
The low growls of the Fire Wolves rose and fell around him, and cold sweat poured down Huo Lie's body.
In this situation, one mistake could cost him his life.
Clutching the Fire Wolf King Cub, Huo Lie slowly backed away.
As Huo Lie retreated, the cruelty and fury in the Fire Wolf King's eyes burned ever brighter.
A trace of reluctance flashed in its eyes.
"Roar—"
At the Wolf King's extremely low growl, Huo Lie immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Sure enough, the surrounding Fire Wolves charged at him without regard for their own lives.
Even the fact that Huo Lie held their Wolf King's cub in his hands made no difference. This was the Wolf King's command.
Perhaps the Fire Wolf King believed that if its child was taken by humans and tamed by them,
and its child eventually had to command the Fire Wolves to serve humans, it would be better for the cub to remain by its side forever.
"Some beast you are! You don't even care about your own child!"
Huo Lie cursed, on the verge of losing his composure.
It was as if he wanted to get one last insult in before he died.
But his curses didn't make a single Fire Wolf hesitate.
Led by the Fire Wolf King, the Fire Wolves came at him in an endless stream, fearless of death.
Knowing he had no hope of surviving, Huo Lie released a surge of Dou Qi from his hand, a cruel smile on his lips.
"You want me dead? Then your child can die with me!"
Huo Lie roared, then threw the Fire Wolf King Cub away.
He was still making one last desperate attempt, hoping to distract the Fire Wolf King.
But it was useless. The Fire Wolves had completely surrounded him.
Even a Dou Master would have little chance of survival against a pack of First Order Magical Beasts.
And there was also a Tier 2 Magical Beast among them.
Seeing that it was finally over, Lin Ze opened his eyes.
He pressed his temples, easing the ache in his mind.
Although Lin Ze had controlled things from afar in Fire Wolf Town this time, it hadn't been easy.
He'd had to keep controlling the Death Soldiers and watching through their eyes, doing his best to make sure the plan unfolded as he'd intended.
Lin Ze had no numerical limit on how many Death Soldiers he could control, but his own strength still limited him.
At his current level, controlling several Death Soldiers at once was already difficult.
But this plan had required him to operate on multiple fronts.
That was why Lin Ze felt his mind—and even his Soul Perception—had been pushed past its limits.
The Wolf Pack was still hunting down members of the Flame Mercenary Group. By the time the pursuit ended, fewer than one in ten of those who had taken part in this operation would likely remain.
After all, both of the Fire Wolf King's cubs were gone. Someone would have to bear the Wolf King's wrath.
"I wonder if the Fire Wolf King will lead the Wolf Pack in attacking Fire Wolf Town?"
"Still, the Fire Wolf Pack suffered losses in this operation too."
"When many mercenaries are on the verge of death, they'll unleash one final attack. Even if they can't kill a Fire Wolf, they should at least be able to wound one."
"Besides, the Fire Wolf King's rampage has disturbed the other Magical Beasts. The Magical Beast Mountain Range near Fire Wolf Town is in complete chaos now."
"The Fire Wolf King probably won't have time to lead the Wolf Pack in an attack on Fire Wolf Town."
"Phew... The gains were huge, but the losses were heavy."
Lin Ze took a while to calm his mind, then began reviewing the gains and losses from the operation.
This time, aside from the team in Qingshan Town and the Death Soldiers guarding him, Lin Ze had deployed every one of his Death Soldiers.
The gains were huge: he had taken down two Mercenary Group commanders!
The heavy losses were the Death Soldiers' casualties.
The Wolf Pack's pursuit, the other Magical Beasts roused by the commotion, and even the other mercenaries in the Magical Beast Mountain Range could all have harmed the Death Soldiers.
Lin Ze had lost more than a dozen Death Soldiers in this operation!
And that was only because most of his Death Soldiers had stayed far away to observe. Otherwise, he would have lost even more.
He had only thirty-two Death Soldiers left under his command.
Thankfully, the Blue Rare Death Soldier with the Hunting Skill hadn't died in this operation.
"Even though the losses were heavy, that felt great! Really great!"
"After Mu She's death, even if the Wolf Head Mercenary Group doesn't fall apart, it'll at least be thrown into turmoil."
"The Wolf Head Mercenary Group used to scheme and seize things from the Iron Blood Mercenary Group. Now they've gotten a taste of their own medicine!"
Before you continue