Azure Silken Threads Reappear

At 4:00 PM, the Fire Hammer Squad, having received sufficient rest, continued their search for commander-level monsters, occupying a vantage point with binoculars and occasionally scanning the area below.

Luo Zhe, however, did not participate, choosing instead to sit in a corner, eyes closed, as he practiced his Genetic Origin Energy.

During the morning's operation, to neutralize the charge of those four Iron-Haired Wild Boars against Gao Feng, Luo Zhe had risked using his shield to exert counter-force against the bellies of the beasts.

Although he successfully disrupted the momentum of the Iron-Haired Wild Boars, his left hand, which held the shield, suffered muscle and bone bruising from the recoil. Fortunately, the injury was not severe, and the swelling and pain had been greatly relieved by the special medicinal wine provided by Gao Feng.

Even so, Gao Feng did not arrange for Luo Zhe to carry out the task of searching for commander-level monsters while injured, telling him to rest well instead. In the Wilderness Zone, fighting while injured is the greatest taboo; any wound can become a fatal vulnerability during an intense battle.

Therefore, from the moment he began resting, Luo Zhe found a secluded corner and started his practice of Genetic Origin Energy.

Over the past three months of training, Luo Zhe had discovered that practicing Genetic Origin Energy not only effectively improved a martial artist's physical fitness but also had a miraculous effect on the recovery of injuries.

Although it was daytime and he was in the Wilderness Zone, where the cosmic energy was not as dense as in the Dimensional Space, after entering a deep state of meditation, the cosmic energy absorbed into his cells and the resulting Genetic Origin Energy greatly soothed the injury in his left hand.

In particular, as cosmic energy continuously flowed into his cells and transformed into Genetic Origin Energy, spreading throughout his body, Luo Zhe gradually began to feel a tingling, itchy sensation in the injured area of his left hand.

Furthermore, he vaguely felt that most of the cosmic energy absorbed through his left palm was being intercepted by the cells in his injured left joint. It was as if a greedy gluttonous monster had opened its bloody maw, frantically devouring most of the cosmic energy passing through his palm.

Unknowingly, Luo Zhe seemed to have entered the scene he had witnessed in the Dimensional Space once again. However, unlike the Dimensional Space, in Luo Zhe's meditative world, the surrounding space was pitch black. He could only faintly perceive wisps of pale cyan threads drifting with the surrounding cosmic energy within the range of his five hearts. It was nothing like the Dimensional Space, which was filled with colorful threads crisscrossing at will.

In Luo Zhe's perception, these pale cyan threads actually began to wrap around the joints of his left hand, like water weeds drifting in a riverbed, unconsciously entangling passing creatures.

As more and more of these pale cyan threads intertwined, from Luo Zhe's perspective, his left hand looked like a large "zongzi" wrapped in a mass of pale cyan threads.

Although these pale cyan threads appeared to have no weight at all—and as they drifted with the cosmic energy, Luo Zhe even felt they were somewhat light and airy—

When these seemingly weightless threads actually wrapped around his hand, Luo Zhe felt an inexplicable sense of heaviness. Yes, heaviness; there was none of the lightness he had experienced in the Dimensional Space.

As more and more pale cyan threads appeared, Luo Zhe felt his left hand becoming heavier and heavier, to the point where he could no longer maintain the Five Hearts Towards Heaven posture. Helpless, he had to open his eyes and exit the meditative state.

Subconsciously looking at his left hand, it was empty; there were no pale cyan threads wrapped around it, nor were there any traces of them.

Only the distinct feeling of heaviness in his left hand proved that what Luo Zhe had sensed was not an illusion. And as he ended his meditation, he gradually felt that the heavy sensation began to slowly dissipate.

Once the heaviness in his left hand completely vanished, Luo Zhe stood up and moved his body slightly, especially the previously injured joint in his left hand. After performing a few movements, he discovered that his left hand was no longer a problem.

He raised his hand to check the time; it was already 6:00 PM. At dusk, he looked around and saw that everyone, including the sniper Chen Gu, was diligently searching for signs of commander-level monsters.

He walked over to the team leader, Gao Feng, and said in a low voice, "Captain."

Gao Feng was lying on the edge of the rooftop with binoculars, staring intently at the street below. Hearing Luo Zhe's voice behind him, he turned and saw Luo Zhe standing there.

"How is it? Feeling better?" Gao Feng chuckled.

Luo Zhe nodded, "I'm fine now. By the way, have you had any luck during this time?"

"It's not that easy." Gao Feng shook his head and sighed, "It's been two hours. Although we've seen two commander-level monsters, unfortunately, each one is guarded by a large number of soldier-level monsters!"

Not far away, Chen Gu also moved his binoculars and interjected, "The city center is better. In the city, although there are more commander-level monsters—and even 'lord-level' monsters exist!—the ordinary soldier-level monsters are mainly concentrated around the lord-level monsters or the powerful commander-level ones. Many commander-level monsters are lone wolves."

Chen Gu had tried firing his sniper rifle at the two commander-level monsters they had encountered earlier!

But his luck hadn't been as good as last time!

Those two shots had almost no effect on one of the commander-level monsters he hit. The other was severely injured but didn't die! Most importantly, they were both protected by a large number of ordinary monsters, leaving no opportunity to finish them off.

"That's the downside of a county town; even ordinary commander-level monsters can lead a large group of monsters," Zhang Ke also said helplessly.

"However, at least the county town is safe."

Gao Feng spread his hands and smiled, "In the entire County 0201, there are only one or two high-level commander monsters. And they are surrounded by a massive number of ordinary monsters, so we won't run into them. As for the ordinary monster groups, with our team's strength, we can charge right through them! We don't have to worry about being suddenly surrounded by several commander-level monsters."

In the city, there are more commander-level monsters, and it is easy to be surrounded by multiple commander-level monsters, making it much more dangerous!

Luo Zhe nodded in agreement. With their team's current strength, even if they were surrounded by two commander-level monsters at once, as long as they weren't swarmed by a massive horde, they had the strength to escape.

"Hmm?"

Just as the group was complaining about their lack of results, Luo Feng, who had been silently watching through his binoculars, suddenly spoke up, "Captain, I think I've found a target!"

At the edge of the street below, more than a dozen monsters suddenly appeared. These monsters had spots and, at first glance, resembled tigers. They were the 'Tiger Cat' species among the feline monsters. Moreover, these dozen or so Tiger Cats were all quite large, and one of them even had two tails!

Hearing this, Luo Zhe and the others immediately rushed to Luo Feng's side and picked up their binoculars to look down.

"A Two-Tailed Tiger Cat! It's a commander-level!"

In the Tiger Cat species, the tail is the hallmark of their strength: two tails mean a low-level commander, three tails mean a mid-level commander... five tails mean a low-level lord... seven tails mean a high-level lord... and eight tails mean it has surpassed the lord level, making it the most peak existence among the Tiger Cat species.

As for felines, nine tails are already a legendary existence... Any nine-tailed cat is a Nine-Life Cat Demon (Nine-Life Cat King), the most terrifying existence among all monsters on Earth!

"It really is a Tiger Cat! It seems that Luo Zhe and Luo Feng joining our squad really makes them our lucky stars. How long has it been, and we've already found two big fish!" Zhang Ke said happily, his words making both Luo Zhe and Luo Feng feel a bit embarrassed.

"I've heard that Tiger Cats don't like to live in groups, and it's true. This commander-level Tiger Cat is only surrounded by sixteen ordinary soldier-level monsters." Gao Feng laughed, "Brothers, get ready to move."

"Sixteen ordinary monsters, I can handle them alone," Chen Gu chuckled, and all the team members felt relaxed.

"Let's go."

At Gao Feng's command, Luo Zhe and the others immediately left the rooftop. This time, they didn't fire their guns in advance... for fear of scaring the Tiger Cat away if they failed to kill it! A commander-level monster with only a dozen minions is a rare sight in a small county town.