Ambush

Through the binoculars, Chu He saw the full appearance of the Frost Shadow Deer for the first time.

Unlike when it was in the mist, the Frost Shadow Deer before him had fur like the white frost of an autumn night. Under the sunlight, it seemed to reflect a faint silver glow, as if draped in a layer of silvery-white frost.

The antlers on its head were jagged and menacing in shape, yet they appeared exceptionally crystal clear under the sun.

Its limbs were muscular and powerful, with every step appearing solid yet nimble.

"So this is... a Frost Shadow Deer?" Chu He swallowed hard. "I wonder what kind of effect you'd get if you brewed wine using this thing's body materials?"

"That's right! It's a Frost Shadow Deer!" Hu Yonghua's voice rose by three octaves.

With the strength of the Jackal Squad, even counting Chu He, they wouldn't dare attempt to kill an Advanced Beast General Level monster.

It wasn't that they couldn't defeat one, but there would inevitably be a large number of low-level monsters surrounding an Advanced Beast General Level creature.

If they forced their way in, the Jackal Squad might... no, they would definitely suffer injuries, disabilities, or even accidental deaths.

Therefore, a Frost Shadow Deer—which was equal in value to an Advanced Beast General Level monster but significantly easier to kill—was undoubtedly a godsend for the entire Jackal Squad.

"Everyone, pack up quickly," Hu Yonghua said in a low voice, though he couldn't hide the excitement in his tone.

"Wei Xiaoping, Pang Song, Yang Yi, you go back and guard our temporary living quarters."

"Chu Yunpeng, Chu He, let's go intercept this thing!"

"Go, go, go!" Chu Yunpeng took the lead, leaping straight onto a three-story building ahead and sprinting in a straight line toward the designated location.

Hu Yonghua and Chu He followed closely behind.

Chu Yunpeng and Hu Yonghua were extremely fast, which led Chu He to use his Spiritual Force to assist his speed for the first time.

Although it wasn't as conspicuous as flying directly, it was quite simple to lighten a portion of his body weight.

The three of them moved like streaks of black lightning, advancing rapidly through the streets.

In this situation, it was best for Chu Yunpeng to take the lead.

On one hand, Chu He still lacked experience; on the other, Chu Yunpeng was the original scout of the Jackal Squad, and his coordination with Hu Yonghua was far more seamless.

"This Frost Shadow Deer is really cautious; it runs so fast." Chu He jumped onto a building and saw the Frost Shadow Deer in the distance toss its four hooves, heading toward the Mist Residential District.

Whoosh!

Chu Yunpeng, in the lead, made a sharp turn and leaped up, clearing a wall on the left to enter the dilapidated and desolate residential area. He took a shortcut along a diagonal line, chasing after the Frost Shadow Deer.

"Roar!"

Two Golden-Eyed Jackals that had been lying around leisurely saw Chu Yunpeng, immediately stood up, and let out low growls.

"Bang! Bang!"

The ground suddenly shook violently. Two Golden-Eyed Jackals came charging over with a thunderous rumble, but Chu Yunpeng, who was running, did not dodge at all, nor did he bother to.

Hu Yonghua, who was following behind, drew his blade!

Chu He could not see the trajectory of the blade light at all; he only saw a flash of cold light streak past. The eyes of the two Golden-Eyed Jackals were filled with terror, and soon, they lost their luster and dimmed into lifelessness.

"Rumble—"

The two sprinting Golden-Eyed Jackals collapsed directly to the ground, crashing through a courtyard wall.

The long blade in Hu Yonghua's hand did not have a single drop of blood on it as he sheathed it.

Swish!

Chu He leaped up as well, landing in the alleyway to the side. At a glance, he saw the Frost Shadow Deer about a hundred meters ahead at the end of the alley, blocked in front and behind by Hu Yonghua and Chu Yunpeng.

"Awoo—"

A cry rang out, sounding like a wailing infant, yet far more massive and shocking.

The Frost Shadow Deer kicked the ground restlessly.

Upon seeing humans blocking its path both in front and behind, it immediately let out a low roar.

Almost instantly, a faint blood-red light flickered in its eyes.

At the same time, right before everyone's eyes, its fur seemed to be infused with a strange energy, shifting from its previous grayish hue to a brilliant silver-white in an instant!

In a moment, the Frost Shadow Deer became dazzling and eye-catching!

Only the antlers on its head, which had been crystalline and transparent, turned blood-red!

A silver-white body with a blood-red crown.

This was the Frost Shadow Deer!

"Chu He!" Hu Yonghua addressed him by his full name, a rarity. "The rest is up to you!"

"In this form, the Frost Shadow Deer not only has speed and strength approaching that of an Advanced Beast General, but it also gains a skill similar to a Mental Shock."

"Last time we tried to surround and kill it, that kid Chu Yunpeng had a moment of distraction, got knocked to the ground, and let the thing escape."

"With you here this time, as long as you step up and use your Flying Daggers to harass it when it tries to break through me or Chu Yunpeng, we will handle the main attacks."

"Don't worry. Although it is equivalent to an Advanced Beast General in this state, it shouldn't last long. We just need to wait for the blood-red color on its antlers to fade."

Upon hearing this, Chu He immediately realized that he was the key link in this plan.

"Good!"

Chu He watched Hu Yonghua advance step by step, remaining vigilant at all times. Just as the distance between him and the Intermediate Beast General-level Frost Shadow Deer closed to fifty meters!

"Whoosh!"

The Frost Shadow Deer instantly transformed into a silver streak of light, charging right in front of Hu Yonghua in the blink of an eye!

"What? This kind of speed?"

Chu He's expression changed drastically, yet he saw Hu Yonghua react as if he had expected it all along. Raising his shield, he took the Frost Shadow Deer's impact head-on.

"Beautiful!"

Chu Yunpeng shouted excitedly. Taking advantage of the Frost Shadow Deer being held back by Hu Yonghua, he began to beat a dead horse, thrusting his spear faster and faster, aiming fiercely at the deer's head.

The Frost Shadow Deer dared not use its antlers to block the alloy spear head-on and could only struggle to dodge.

"Whoosh!"

Chu He was not just standing by watching the show. With a wave of his hand, three flying daggers instantly turned into three streaks of light, surrounding and attacking the Frost Shadow Deer from three different directions.

Of course, Chu He moved erratically and unpredictably on the battlefield. He did not engage the Frost Shadow Deer in close combat at all, merely hovering around the perimeter with his flying daggers.

The two men, the three flying daggers, and the Frost Shadow Deer became locked in a fierce struggle.

Although the Frost Shadow Deer was confident in its strong defense, it dared not easily allow the three of them to strike its vital points.

Therefore, whenever there was a risk of injury, it would unleash a Mental Shock.

But every time it did, those persistent flying daggers would intercept its escape route.

Having roamed the Wilderness Zone for many years, the Frost Shadow Deer naturally possessed high intelligence.

The moment it saw the flying daggers, it knew there was a Spirit Reader present.

Thus, the Frost Shadow Deer naturally understood that to escape successfully, it first had to severely injure that Spirit Reader!

Unfortunately, it could never find the opportunity.

Meanwhile, Hu Yonghua, Chu Yunpeng, and Chu He were conspiring among themselves.

As he approached Hu Yonghua, Chu He said repeatedly, "Uncle Hu, when you get a chance for a close-range attack later, use the Thrown Blade Technique!"

"Thrown Blade Technique? Understood!" Looking at the flying daggers blocking the Frost Shadow Deer's escape route, Hu Yonghua's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Chu He meant.

"Yah!"

Hearing this, Chu Yunpeng suddenly let out a low roar, his face flushing red.

Judging by the situation, the blood throughout his entire body had surged to its absolute limit.

In an instant, he seemed as if he had unleashed the legendary Blood Burning Technique, and the speed of the long spear in his hand suddenly exploded.

He charged toward the Frost Shadow Deer as if he had no regard for his own life, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of spear shadows thrust forward!

Bang! Bang!

Two of those dozens of spear shadows actually struck the right side of the Frost Shadow Deer's body with force.

"Quick!" Chu Yunpeng roared urgently.

Whoosh!

In that instant, Hu Yonghua, having reached the side of the Frost Shadow Deer, let out an angry shout: "Die!"

He used every ounce of his strength to swing the battle blade in his hand! The blade shot toward the Frost Shadow Deer's head like a cannonball.

The Frost Shadow Deer immediately dodged. Not far away, Chu He's eyes flashed; he focused all of his Spiritual Force onto the battle blade, and its speed increased instantly!

"Thud!"

Although the Frost Shadow Deer's dodge prevented the blade from hitting its head, it still struck the neck area!

With Hu Yonghua's peak strength combined with the assistance of Chu He's Spiritual Force, the impact of this strike was incredibly powerful, almost instantly carving a massive gash into the Frost Shadow Deer's neck.

"Pfft!"

Chu Yunpeng seized the opportunity. The alloy spear in his hand struck like lightning, directly bursting the Frost Shadow Deer's right eyeball and nearly piercing through its entire head!

The blood-red color on the Frost Shadow Deer's antlers faded, and the beast, dazed, couldn't help but collapse to the ground.

"Squelch!"

A black flying dagger burst out from the ground, shooting directly into the head through the gap created by the spear and the battle blade!

Two flying daggers rapidly pierced through the existing wounds, driving deep into the Frost Shadow Deer's skull and instantly shredding its brain into mush.

The Frost Shadow Deer had lost its life, yet its massive body continued to twitch and writhe unconsciously until, gradually, it lay perfectly still.

At this moment, the silver luster on the Frost Shadow Deer's hide also began to fade, revealing its original, slightly grayish fur.

"Haha!" Chu Yunpeng couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Beautiful," Hu Yonghua said, happily picking up his battle blade.

Chu He simply smiled as he retracted his two flying daggers.