The Hunt

At three in the afternoon, the five members of Eagle Strike Squad geared up and set out to hunt the Bayonet Turtle.

"The Bayonet Turtle laid its eggs inside this large supermarket. There are four residential buildings around it, but none of them are very tall, so they won't offer much cover." Zhang Taofang pointed at the map.

"I'm confident I can hit the target with one shot from up to 1,500 meters. Beyond that, my rifle won't be enough."

The farthest building also had the best view. It was 800 meters from the turtle's nest, a suitable distance, so they would start by heading to its top floor.

With that, Zhang Taofang put away the electronic map and waved them on. "Let's go."

The five members of Eagle Strike Squad approached the supermarket slowly, but the journey was far from smooth.

Perhaps because the Bayonet Turtle was weakened from laying eggs, there were noticeably more Mid-Level Beast Generals around the supermarket. They all wanted to take over the territory while the turtle was vulnerable.

"This way." Zhang Yan made a hand signal, then slowly moved out from behind the corner. Anyone looking down from above would have seen that there was at least one Mid-Level Beast General within 500 meters of Eagle Strike Squad. The monsters were packed densely together.

The five of them carefully made their way past garbage cans and along walls. Even with all that caution, they still came face-to-face with a Low-Level Beast General Tiger Mastiff that suddenly appeared around a corner.

The Tiger Mastiff had barely appeared and hadn't even had time to roar when Zhang Yan slammed into it, knocking it off balance. Right after that, Li Ke, at the rear of the group, flicked his wrist. A streak of light shot through the air and pierced the Tiger Mastiff's eye.

"Roar!"

The Tiger Mastiff finally let out a sound, but before it could finish roaring, Ji Yun and Naili thrust a spear and a sword into its eyes, ending its life.

Zhang Taofang, who hadn't joined the fight, hurriedly cut valuable materials from the Tiger Mastiff. "We've drawn attention. Move!"

Zhang Taofang threw down a smoke bomb to mask their scent, then led the five of them out to the side. They changed direction and approached the supermarket from another angle.

Half an hour later, Eagle Strike Squad picked up the pace and covered two kilometers, finally reaching the residential building they had chosen as their target.

As soon as they entered, Ji Yun and Naili rushed ahead and quickly cleared the Beast Soldiers from the stairwell. After making sure it was safe, they signaled the other three to come up.

The three received the signal and hurried up without hesitation, rejoining Ji Yun and Naili before entering the apartment they had chosen.

Using a special tool, Zhang Taofang cut one corner of a pane of glass without making a sound. Then he took the backpack off his shoulders and pulled out a wooden case.

Inside the wooden case lay several gun parts. Zhang Taofang quickly assembled them.

A moment later, a heavy sniper rifle nearly two meters long, black from end to end, was fully assembled. He attached the optical equipment, including the scope.

Zhang Taofang loaded a blood-red Advanced Armor-Piercing Bullet into the magazine and set the rifle on the makeshift firing position they had prepared. Then he lay down and took aim at the Bayonet Turtle's nest, not moving a muscle.

While keeping watch, Ji Yun and the others repeatedly used binoculars to survey the area and the supermarket, in case anything unexpected happened.

Half an hour passed. The sun was sinking, and the sky was about to darken. Gradually, the Bayonet Turtle's nest grew blurry to the naked eye.

"Roar!"

An angry beast's roar suddenly came from inside the Bayonet Turtle's nest. The turtle crawled out of the supermarket, furiously chasing a Land Crocodile.

"Hm? The Bayonet Turtle's come out." Ji Yun immediately focused his attention.

Land Crocodiles were natural enemies of turtle-type monsters. They could prey directly on less ferocious turtles, and even liked to sneak up on the eggs of more aggressive turtle monsters.

The Bayonet Turtle, two meters tall and six meters long, chased after the Mid-Level Beast General Land Crocodile. Neither the turtle nor the crocodile was fast on land, but the crocodile was a little quicker. Gradually, it pulled away from its pursuer.

"Roar! Roar!"

The Bayonet Turtle stopped chasing, unwilling to give up. It didn't dare stray too far from its nest, so this was as far as it could go.

Zhang Taofang lay by the window, his heavy sniper rifle resting in position. The deep-black barrel reflected not a single glimmer of the setting sun. It had clearly been coated with a special finish to prevent it from giving away their position. He held out a hand to sense the wind, carefully tested and calculated, then adjusted the optical scope. The four people beside him didn't dare make a sound.

The moment the Bayonet Turtle let out two furious roars, Zhang Taofang fired.

"Bang!" A deep, powerful report rang out.

Almost instantly, the bullet had crossed the distance and struck. The alloy armor-piercing round was astonishingly powerful, traveling several times faster than sound. But because it was moving so much faster than sound, the sonic boom followed the bullet and reached the Bayonet Turtle's ears only afterward.

The bullet entered through the Bayonet Turtle's eye, blowing a bloody hole through it.

"Argh!" The Bayonet Turtle roared in pain and rage, staggering sideways for a couple of steps. Once it regained its footing, it pulled its head into its shell and quickly crawled back toward its nest. Turtles were exceptionally resilient. Unless something unexpected happened, it might survive the shot, though its rank could drop. That was what made monsters so tenacious.

"Got it," Zhang Taofang growled.

"We shouldn't go down yet. The valuable part of the Bayonet Turtle is its carapace, and the shot won't damage that. After we kill it, the nearby Beast General Rank monsters might come to fight over it. It's too dangerous. We'll wait until they're done fighting before we go collect it."

"Yes, Captain," Ji Yun and the others replied solemnly.

"Roar!"

The Land Crocodile, which had just been chased by the Bayonet Turtle, was the first to realize something was wrong. It turned around, caught the scent of the turtle's blood, and roared excitedly.

The Land Crocodile stopped fleeing and turned to chase the Bayonet Turtle.

The Bayonet Turtle's blood scent didn't escape the notice of the several Mid-Level Beast Generals nearby. They followed the smell and charged toward it. When they sensed how weak the turtle had become, they grew even more excited.

Six Mid-Level Beast Generals surrounded the Bayonet Turtle, but none dared charge in. With blades covering its body, the Bayonet Turtle was truly dangerous; one careless move could leave them pierced through.

The six Beast Generals surrounded the Bayonet Turtle, each leaving plenty of space between itself and the others. They were clearly wary of one another, too.

The Land Crocodile that had been chased earlier was the first to lose patience. It attacked the Bayonet Turtle.

The crocodile rushed toward the turtle with its jaws open nearly ninety degrees, trying to bite its short leg. But before it could reach the leg, the Bayonet Turtle lowered its shell, driving the spikes on its carapace into the Land Crocodile's mouth.

The Land Crocodile cried out in pain and let go of the carapace. Before it could attack again, the Bayonet Turtle suddenly thrust out its head, moving with the speed of a High-Level Beast General, and bit into the Land Crocodile's side.

The Land Crocodile also had a hard shell, but its belly was relatively soft. The Bayonet Turtle's sharp teeth pierced it from below and clamped down.

The two monsters grappled with each other.

Seeing the pair clash, the other five monsters charged in as well, ready to deal a fatal blow to the Bayonet Turtle and the Land Crocodile.

The seven monsters fought all night. At dawn the next day, the battle finally ended.

The winner was a Mutated Forest Python. It had kept circling at the edge of the fight, then finally dealt a fatal blow to the Bayonet Turtle and the other monsters. But it had paid a steep price: most of its scales had fallen off, and its tail had been severed. The scales would grow back after its next molt.

The five members of Eagle Strike Squad hadn't let their guard down for a moment all night. They had watched the monsters intently until the battle was decided. Zhang Taofang said,

"Let's go. Everyone, move out."

Since Zhang Taofang was also a close-combat War General, he hadn't brought a machine gun this time. He drew two short blades and went down with the others.

After its victory, the Forest Python swayed as it swallowed the corpses of the other six monsters. Its condition looked wretched, but its aura had grown even stronger. Even the Low-Level Beast Generals and Beast Soldiers that had gathered afterward didn't dare approach.

"Same as before."

Zhang Taofang turned to his deputy, Li Ke. "Once we draw the Forest Python's attention, try to kill it with a throwing knife. Its head is already injured, so the knife should be able to pierce it easily."

"Okay," Li Ke replied without hesitation.

"Move!" Zhang Yan shouted, charging out with his shield raised.

The Mutated Forest Python saw five humans suddenly rush out and immediately dropped the food in its mouth. It twisted its body and attacked Zhang Yan.

"Bang!"

Zhang Yan's shield slammed into the snake's body. But the Forest Python was close to High-Level Beast General rank, and Zhang Yan's physical strength, which was only around Mid-Level War General, was no match for it. Zhang Yan was sent flying five or six meters, but the Forest Python also froze for a second.

The Forest Python was about to chase the tiny human who had dared to ram into it when a streak of light suddenly shot out from behind the shield. The Forest Python was startled and twisted its head aside with all its strength. The throwing knife had been aimed at its eye, but failed to enter through it. Instead, it struck the wound on the Forest Python's head and sank in.

Even so, it was a fatal wound. If the Forest Python kept fighting, it would die.

In pain, the Forest Python began thrashing its body.

Its waist-thick tail lashed toward Ji Yun and Naili like lightning. Naili leaned backward, narrowly dodging the blow. Zhang Yan got back to his feet and caught Naili as she lost her balance. Ji Yun wasn't so lucky. He was faster, so he was closer to the Forest Python, and the tail was aimed mainly at him. It swept through a tree, snapping it in half, then came rushing toward Ji Yun.

Knowing he couldn't dodge in time, Ji Yun held his breath and unleashed the strength of a Mid-Level War General, swinging his spear at the tail.

"Clang!" The tail smashed Ji Yun away, sending him crashing into a tree.

"A-Yun!" Naili shouted.

"I'm fine. Keep going."

Ji Yun slid down the tree, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. Before he could take in the situation, the snake's tail lashed toward him again.

The Forest Python understood the principle of finishing off an injured opponent.

With a tree behind him, Ji Yun had nowhere left to retreat. As the tail came flying at him, the whistle of the air it cut through pierced his ears.

If that blow landed, Ji Yun's Low-Level War General physique meant he'd be lucky to survive with only half his life.

Ji Yun drew a deep breath, steeling himself. The muscles throughout his body tightened.

He stared at the snake's tail and thrust his spear forward through gritted teeth.

Between life and death, terror brought out his full potential. Under the threat of death, Ji Yun unleashed the second level of Fierce Wind: 24-Fold Force! And that wasn't all. He once again approached the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man in the Spear Path. A whirlwind gathered around the spearhead, as though it were slicing through the air.

A force of nearly 25,000 kilograms was perfectly concentrated on the spearhead, which struck the snake's tail.

The Wind Lifter Spear was sharp enough for a War God to wield. It pierced the tail and pinned it to the ground.

"Good!" The other four, who had been about to rush to Ji Yun's aid, shouted. They seized the opportunity and attacked the Forest Python's head.

The Forest Python's tail was pinned, and its head was already wounded.

"Thud!" After slashing at the Forest Python once, Li Ke flicked another throwing knife from his hand. It pierced right through the Forest Python's eye! The Forest Python was already dead, but its huge body continued to writhe and convulse unconsciously, until at last it stopped moving.

Ji Yun held the Forest Python's tail down until it stopped struggling. Bracing himself against the shaft of his spear, he breathed heavily.

"Naili, protect A-Yun. Zhang Yan, keep watch. Li Ke and I will harvest the materials." Zhang Taofang gave his orders quickly. Then he and Li Ke began collecting materials from the High-Level Beast General and the six Mid-Level Beast Generals.

Ten minutes later, Ji Yun had recovered a little. He was with Naili and Zhang Yan, holding back several Low-Level Beast Generals and a group of Beast Soldiers as they gradually closed in.

"Let's go. We're pulling back." Zhang Taofang's voice rang out.

"Retreat!" Ji Yun stopped fighting and followed the others down a winding path. After a series of turns, they shook off the monsters and returned to their previous resting place: the presidential suite at the Wanda Realm Hotel.