A minute later, thanks to the Phantom Squad's teamwork, they killed the last Elementary Beast General Level One-Horned Wild Boar that had tried to escape.
Of course, although none of Yang Wu and the others had suffered any life-threatening injuries, they were all exhausted by then.
But they had no choice but to force themselves to stay alert, because the Phantom Squad's captain was still fighting the Lord-level Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig.
Meanwhile, Chu Tian and the Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig, fighting not far away, were both in bad shape. Chu Tian had expended a tremendous amount of Spiritual Force and was about to reach his limit. The Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig was covered in wounds. They weren't fatal, but they had greatly reduced its speed and strength.
Watching the man and beast locked in battle, Zhou Zheng hurriedly ordered, "Old Zheng, Wang Zhi, Yang Wu, you three, quickly deal with the monster corpses. I'll go help the captain take on that Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig!"
Lord-level Monsters were astonishingly fast and strong. In the Phantom Squad, apart from Chu Tian, who was a Spiritual Master, only Zhou Zheng, an Advanced War General Level fighter, could engage a Lord-level Monster in combat.
As for Yang Wu and the others, if they were caught in a Lord-level Monster's attack, they would likely end up dead or crippled. Besides, their attacks couldn't inflict any meaningful damage on a Lord-level Monster.
"Yes!"
Knowing how serious the situation was, Yang Wu and the others answered at once.
Whoosh!
In a flash, Zhou Zheng shot toward Chu Tian and the Lord-level Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig, who were still fighting.
In fact, as Chu Tian and the Lord-level Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig fought, they had also kept a close eye on Yang Wu and the others.
When Chu Tian saw Yang Wu in danger, he had panicked. But once Yang Wu was out of harm's way, the Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig was the one with a headache.
Now that Zhou Zheng had rushed over, Chu Tian was overjoyed.
With Zhou Zheng and him working together, they had a good chance of taking down this Primary Lord Level Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig!
But the Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig was starting to grow fearful.
A single Spiritual Master had already given it more than enough trouble. It had no idea that Chu Tian was nearly out of Spiritual Force. If a skilled fighter at the Advanced War General Level joined the battle to support him, it would truly be in danger.
"Roar!"
The Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig let out a mighty roar, filled with boundless fury, deep resentment, and a trace of fear.
Whoosh!
The Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig instantly broke the sound barrier and fled northwest like a streak of light.
The Beast General Level Monsters under its command had all been slaughtered by those despicable humans. More importantly, its only child had also been killed by them.
It wanted revenge!
Lord-level Monsters were every bit as intelligent as ordinary humans. The Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig knew it would be difficult to avenge itself on that despicable human squad with its own strength alone.
So it planned to seek help from the more powerful Intermediate Lord Level Great Strength Demon Ape and borrow its strength to get revenge.
"It actually ran? Weren't Lord-level Monsters supposed to be vicious?"
Yang Wu, who had been watching the fight, stared in surprise as the Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig fled.
Perhaps noticing Yang Wu's confusion, Zheng Tao, who was collecting monster materials nearby, smiled and said, "Yang Wu, you have to understand that Lord-level Monsters are extremely intelligent. If the situation turns against them, they'll run quickly.
"With their formidable vitality, and the fact that you could run into a pack of monsters anywhere in the Wilderness Area, they have a good chance of getting away.
"Even many War God Level fighters usually choose to hunt Advanced Beast General Level Monsters. The captain and Brother Zhou can't match that Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig's speed, so it's perfectly normal that it escaped!"
"I see!" Yang Wu said, suddenly understanding.
Just then, Chu Tian and Zhou Zheng came over to join the others.
"The Fire-Scaled Three-Pronged Pig seemed to have fled in the direction of the Great Strength Demon Ape's lair. It's probably gone to ask the Great Strength Demon Ape for help!"
Chu Tian said gravely, "We have to leave at once and head back to the Base City!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The others answered one after another.
All six of them got to work, quickly gathering the materials from the Beast General Level Monsters. Then the Phantom Squad hurried southeast.
To avoid running into the Great Strength Demon Ape, they decided to take a detour back to the Base City.
Half a day later, the Phantom Squad had left the boundaries of City 023 and decided to take a short break. It was now the evening of August 31.
As luck would have it, Yang Wu and Zhou Zheng were on watch this time.
Beside a highway in the Wilderness Area, inside an abandoned service station, Zhou Zheng and Yang Wu sat by the entrance of a mostly intact room, keeping watch.
It was midsummer, and insects were plentiful outdoors. Fortunately, Yang Wu and the others had lit special incense, so none came to bite them.
Yang Wu sat cross-legged on a torn cushion, turning over everything that had happened that day in his mind.
That brush with death, and the chance he'd found to break through in the face of it.
Yang Wu wondered whether it had all been worth it.
"Today, my Movement Technique broke through to the Micro-Level in the face of death. I did gain a lot! But I almost died, too!"
Remembering the Intermediate Beast General Level Monster charging at him, Yang Wu felt a wave of lingering fear. If it had hit him head-on, he would have been doomed.
"With the Simulator, I can keep improving even if I stay in the Base City. Maybe it'll be slower, but at least I'll be safe!"
Yang Wu gently wiped down the Pojun Spear, which was already gleaming, still caught in a bitter struggle. "If I want to earn money to buy manuals and equipment, I can wait until I break through to the War God Level or even the Planetary Level before coming to the Wilderness Area to hunt monsters. I'll be able to earn money much faster then!"
The more Yang Wu thought about it, the more reckless he felt he'd been to come to the Wilderness Area now. He could have gotten stronger little by little, yet he'd insisted on putting himself in danger.
Gradually, Yang Wu began to think that once he returned to the Base City, he should leave the Phantom Squad.
No!
His thinking was all wrong!
Suddenly, Yang Wu began shaking his head.
Memory after memory surfaced in his mind.
Some came from his own experiences, some from the text the Simulator had displayed during his two simulations, and some from novels he'd read in his previous life...
That's right. Even the Base City wasn't absolutely safe! In the first simulation, he had died in the Base City. And in the second, he had most likely died at Li Yao's hands.
If he truly offended a powerful fighter, hiding in the Base City wouldn't make him completely safe!
The Golden Horned Beast, the Nuolanshan Family, and all the powerful beings who would covet Earth in the future...
Where in this world was truly safe? Even someone as powerful as the Founder of the Giant Axe could fall!
In the original story, even among the Virtual Universe Company's most elite geniuses, only a handful could break through to become Immortals! And he was nothing more than an ordinary person. Even with the Simulator, there was no guarantee he could become strong!
He couldn't rely on the Simulator alone if he wanted to keep getting stronger!
At that moment, Yang Wu's resolve became unusually firm.
"The path of the strong isn't one everyone can follow! If I shrink back, then even if the Simulator helps me become an Immortal, a Venerable, or a Universe Master, I'll be nothing more than a lucky man."
"A true strong person needs more than all kinds of external resources. More important than anything else is having a Heart of the Strong!"
Before you continue