Aquatic Monster

Six days later.

At midday, on a dilapidated national highway, the five members of the Eagle Strike Squad advanced forward.

Ji Yun even spotted a few Green Wolves at the border between the city and the fields.

"A-Yun, come on, let's hurry into the city! Wolves are pack animals. Those few you saw have probably already spotted us, and they'll soon attract a wolf pack." Naili's voice carried a hint of grimness. The five members of the Eagle Strike Squad finally reached their destination—City 091, Dongying City.

"A-Yun, over these three days of travel, we've been following the expressway, passing through desolate areas," Naili said in a low voice as they walked. "Most monsters live inside cities, in densely built areas! Urban districts, metropolises—those are the truly dangerous places!"

Although monsters preferred the openness of the wilderness, it was far too dangerous.

In the long war between monsters and humans, monsters had discovered that if they lived in open, desolate areas without cover, human armies and martial artists could lock onto them from a distance, using heavy sniper rifles or even missiles for long-range attacks!

As long as monsters hid in densely built areas, sniper rifles had little chance unless the sniper entered the city itself. And once human armies entered the city for street-to-street combat, monsters held a massive advantage. Densely built areas were a monster's paradise.

Dongying City was different from other ordinary cities. It was coastal, and the Yellow River flowed through the urban area, so aquatic monsters were extremely abundant.

Because it was near the sea, the monsters were all stronger!

Because of the freshwater river, there were also many amphibious monsters!

"Everyone, pay attention," Captain Zhang Taofang said in a low voice.

"In Dongying City, not only are there many large animals, but the main threat is the abundance of mutated snakes and frog monsters. These monsters aren't huge, but the key is that they carry deadly poison. Once you're hit, it's hard to deal with."

"If you encounter such monsters, kill them in one strike. If you can't, don't linger—retreat immediately. These monsters aren't pack animals, which is one good point."

"Our squad's target is naturally Beast General-level monsters. But..." Zhang Taofang warned quietly, "Beast General-level monsters already have a certain level of intelligence, not much different from humans. Almost every Beast General-level monster will command a large number of Beast Soldier-level monsters to gather around it and obey its orders. Around every Beast General, there are plenty of Beast Soldier-level monsters, so killing a Beast General is very difficult."

"There are quite a few Beast Generals in Dongying, and although the surrounding Beast Soldiers aren't numerous, there's still a fair number."

The suburbs and urban areas were far more dangerous than the desolate wilderness outside.

Amid the broken ruins and scattered rubble, the Eagle Strike Squad advanced cautiously.

"There's a High-Level Beast General Poison Frog ahead. Let's go around it and avoid drawing attention. Frog-type monsters have weaker perception than other monsters; we can just bypass it."

After carefully avoiding over a dozen encounters and instantly killing six ordinary Beast Soldier-level monsters, including one Low-Level Beast General monster, Ji Yun and the group finally reached their first destination—the Wanda Realm Hotel. The reason this hotel was set as the first destination by the Eagle Strike Squad was that it had 20 floors. Moreover, it was surrounded by many buildings, making it less likely to suffer a large-scale monster attack.

"Don't go to the rooftop. Let's find a presidential suite on a high floor with an intact door and enter."

Ji Yun and the others cautiously slipped into the hotel through the back entrance. The hotel lobby also had quite a few monsters, which could easily make noise.

"We'll take the fire escape. The fire escape structure is sturdy, and the passage is narrow, making it unlikely for large monsters to appear."

"Roar—" A harsh, grating sound echoed faintly through the floors. The Eagle Strike Squad frowned. Zhang Yan, at the front, said in a low voice, "It should be from upstairs. Everyone, be careful." All of them held their weapons, ready to strike at any moment. Zhang Taofang, who used firearms, was protected in the center.

Before the Eagle Strike Squad could ascend, a snake as thick as a tree trunk slithered down, raising its head toward the five of them.

"Hiss, hiss."

This was a Low-Level War General Sparrow Python, non-venomous, but its bite force and physical strength were astonishing, no less than other land animals. The Sparrow Python shook its flat head and, with a whoosh, lunged at Zhang Yan, who was at the front.

Zhang Yan's movements were extremely fast. His only weapon was a large, sturdy shield, extremely hard, with sharp blades on the edges.

"Bang!"

The moment the Sparrow Python moved, Zhang Yan raised his shield and charged head-on into the snake's head. The snake's head collided with the shield, and with Zhang Yan's strength behind it, the snake's head was knocked backward.

At that moment, a flash of light streaked by. Li Ke, at the back of the group, threw a flying knife, which precisely struck the Sparrow Python's head.

"Thud!"

The snake's head was hit by the flying knife, and the powerful impact carried it backward until it was pinned to the wall of the fire escape.

"Old Li's flying knives are still as sharp as ever," Zhang Yan said with a chuckle.

"Alright, take the snake scales and fangs. Let's continue upstairs," Captain Zhang Taofang directed.

During this ascent, the Eagle Strike Squad encountered only two monsters, which was considered good luck. Perhaps it was due to the Beast General's territory, but the climb was surprisingly quiet. Ji Yun and the group smoothly reached a presidential suite on the 16th floor.

This suite was interesting—the door was locked, but the key card was lying casually on this floor. Probably, the room's owner had gone out to check the situation and was killed by a monster in the hallway, dropping the key card.

Zhang Taofang swiped the key card over the lock. A faint click sounded, and the door opened.

"Everyone, get in quickly. Make sure to close the curtains. Dongying City is near the ocean, so there are plenty of flying monsters. Don't get spotted."

Once all the Eagle Strike Squad members were inside, Zhang Taofang installed a button-sized camera on the ceiling of the hallway outside the door, connecting it to his Communication Watch. Then he entered and closed the door.

"Whew, finally a chance to relax." Naili rarely showed a smile, plopping directly onto the soft sofa and pulling high-energy food and water from her backpack.

"A long trek on foot for four or five days really tests your endurance," Li Ke agreed. Clearly, now that they were in a relatively safe place, everyone let their guard down a little.

The presidential suite was indeed quite luxurious, covering 200 square meters. It was arranged as a double suite, divided into two rooms, each with its own bathroom and small spaces.

"Everyone, rest for the night. Tomorrow, we'll sweep this building first, then search for monsters."

"Yes, Captain," the group responded.

The night passed without incident.

Early morning, Ji Yun got up from the bed, stood by the window, and looked through the curtain at the ground below.

"A-Yun, today's your first day. Stay here and make sure monsters don't destroy our shelter." Zhang Taofang walked over, patted Ji Yun on the shoulder, and smiled.

"We're going to clear this building today. I estimate it'll take the whole morning."

"You can also use the binoculars to look around for any suitable Mid-Level Beast General rank monsters. That's our main target. If there's a lone High-Level Beast General, even better."

"Mm, yes, Captain."

Ji Yun picked up the binoculars and looked down below.

Zhang Taofang set the machine gun down inside the room and drew two short blades. "Using a gun in such a cramped space isn't ideal, and it's too loud. I'll just use these."

"Let's move. Stay alert."

Maintaining the same formation, Zhang Yan raised his shield, Li Ke drew his battle blade from behind, and Naili and Zhang Taofang both gripped their weapons, carefully beginning to clear the building.

Ji Yun silently noted the positions of the Beast General rank monsters he'd observed from the room, then opened his Communication Watch, found his father Ji Shan's number, and dialed.

Soon, the call connected.

"Hey, A-Yun?"

"Dad, it's me." A faint smile appeared on Ji Yun's face.

"Hold on, let me get your Uncle Luo over here." Ji Shan called out, "Old Luo, A-Yun's on the phone."

"Coming, coming." Luo Hong's voice drew closer, clearly from a fast approach.

"A-Yun, how is it? Still safe?" Ji Shan asked.

"Dad, we've already reached Dongying City. It's pretty safe. I'm holding the base today while the captain and the others clear the building. They'll be back by noon." Ji Yun replied.

"Dongying City," Ji Shan thought for a moment, then said, "There are a few Lord Rank monsters near the river in Dongying, but most of the rest are Beast General rank. It's not too dangerous. As long as you stay away from the river and the coast, the highest you'll see is High-Level Beast General."

"Still, be careful in everything. Dongying is too far from the military district. Don't provoke any Lord Rank monsters."

"A-Yun," Luo Hong's voice came through.

"Xiao Yue misses you. Come back safe."

Ji Yun thought of that lively young girl, Luo Yue, and a warmth flowed through his heart. He smiled and said, "Of course. This place can't keep me."

"Good. Just be careful in everything. That's all." Luo Hong handed the phone back to Ji Shan.

"Dad, I'll hang up now. You go ahead with your work."

Ending the call, Ji Yun continued scouting for monsters.

Soon, the morning passed, and the four who had gone out to sweep the building returned.

Click—the sound of the door opening came. Ji Yun immediately raised his gun, staring warily at the entrance.

"It's us, A-Yun." Zhang Taofang and the other three smiled. "No need to be tense."

"Captain, how did it go?" Ji Yun lowered his gun and sat back down on the floor.

"Didn't expect there to be a Low-Level Beast General rank monster in this building, but we killed it. The rest were just Beast Soldiers, nothing to worry about."

"Let's rest a bit first. A-Yun, how's your monster scouting going?" Zhang Taofang asked.

Ji Yun pulled out a map and pointed to a few spots. "I won't bother with the Low-Level Beast Generals. As for Mid-Level Beast Generals, they've appeared in these areas. Not only that, but over here, there's a High-Level Beast General rank Bayonet Turtle."

"Oh, a High-Level Beast General rank Bayonet Turtle?" The group's expressions shifted.

"This Bayonet Turtle probably built its nest somewhere around here," Zhang Taofang analyzed. "There are too many monsters near the river, so it's unsafe. Building a nest on land is much safer."

"The Bayonet Turtle excels at defense, not speed. Its strength is decent. And it's not a pack animal. We can give it a try," Li Ke said.

The Bayonet Turtle had thick limbs, a hard shell, and scales on its head, tail, and limbs, all of which could retract into the shell. Crucially, it had a single blade-like horn on its head and sharp blades around its shell, making it covered in spikes. Most animals wouldn't bother hunting this kind of turtle. After all, who would want to hunt a turtle that's hard to kill and covered in spikes?

However, the Bayonet Turtle's eggs had no offensive capability and were easy prey, so the turtle usually stayed near its nest to protect the eggs until the hatchlings emerged.

"Captain, let's do it. It's not like trying will be dangerous," Naili added. "This Bayonet Turtle has laid eggs, so its strength has probably dropped. More importantly, it's not fast. On land, it only moves at the speed of an ordinary Mid-Level Beast General. After laying eggs, it might only be as fast as a Low-Level Beast General. Even Zhang Yan could dodge it easily. Its defense is formidable, but with your marksmanship, you have a chance."

Zhang Taofang was tempted as well.

"This Bayonet Turtle isn't that strong, but turtle-type monsters are generally rare, and its materials are valuable. If we succeed, we could probably sell it for close to the price of a Lord Rank monster."

"Still, the Bayonet Turtle's nest isn't that far from the river. We might run into amphibious monsters, and those are tough to deal with." Zhang Yan was a bit hesitant. He had never been good at speed, and he struggled against poisonous amphibious monsters.

But soon, Zhang Yan stopped hesitating. The river was at least four or five kilometers from the Bayonet Turtle's nest, so it wouldn't attract the attention of aquatic monsters.

"Alright then. Today at three in the afternoon, we'll go check out this Bayonet Turtle."

Zhang Taofang looked at the group. "Any objections?"

"No."

"Fine."