Malice

Hongning Base City.

At Limit Martial Hall headquarters, in a silvery-white corridor.

As Zhou Hao strolled leisurely, he murmured inwardly, System check-in.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host... You have obtained the 'Blood Shadow' secret technique!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host... You have obtained Spirit of Plants - Thousand-Year Black Wugen!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host... Mental Master Talent +10."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host... Warrior Talent +10."

Another four-in-a-row.

No surprise showed on Zhou Hao's face. Aside from the first time he checked in at Limit Martial Hall headquarters and got a six-in-a-row, the remaining five days had basically all been four-in-a-rows. The rewards had not changed much: the first was a warrior secret technique, the second was either Dragon Blood or a Spirit of Grass and Wood, while the latter two were Mental Master Talent and Warrior Talent.

Still, he was not disappointed. Judging from the past five days of check-ins, the rewards were not set in stone. If he kept checking in, perhaps there would be an unexpected surprise. Since he was checking in at headquarters anyway, he might as well squeeze it for all it was worth.

He returned to the residential complex at noon as usual.

After lunch, Zhou Hao went to the Wilderness Zone to practice the Control Chapter of Fundamentals of Mental Power Master. He had maintained this habit for the past five days.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thirty-two Series 9 Flying Daggers shot through the air like cannonballs, producing bursts of sonic booms. They easily killed a Low-level Lord-class Monster in the center of the western district.

After five consecutive days of practice.

He could now control one hundred flying daggers at once with the same level of power. With his current Combat Power, even if he faced a Planetary Level Warrior who had only recently broken through, he could easily defeat them.

Landing beside the Lord-level Monster's corpse, he swiftly used the flying daggers to carve off the valuable materials. Series 9 Flying Daggers were not cheap; buying thirty of them had cost him quite a bit. Fortunately, he harvested materials from High-level Beast Generals and Lord-level Monsters every day.

Time to check on my sister! With that thought, he stepped onto his shield and shot into the sky.

Not far from City No. 085, a disc-shaped fighter rapidly flew in from the horizon and landed beside a house in the suburbs.

Soon.

Several figures emerged from the disc-shaped fighter one after another.

They were Cheng Jin and the Sabertooth Tiger Squad.

"Cousin, will this really work?" Cheng Jin asked hesitantly.

Cheng Shuli, whose perfect figure was accentuated by her combat uniform, raised her delicate brows. "What are you afraid of? With me here, and the Sabertooth Tiger Squad as well, what danger could there be in triggering a small-scale Rat Tide?"

Cheng Jin hurriedly said, "Cousin, there is always the chance of an accident. This is the peak season for Rat Tides. If we attract a large-scale Rat Tide, I'll be finished!"

"Hmph, timid as a mouse. You'll never amount to anything!" Cheng Shuli coldly rebuked him. "I am a Mid-level War God. When I go all out, I can rival a High-level War God. Even if we encounter a large-scale Rat Tide, I can hold out for several hours. That is more than enough time for you to safely get into the fighter. What are you worried about?"

Hesitation still filled Cheng Jin's face. "B-but what if someone finds out... I-I won't be able to get away!"

Cheng Shuli said with a look of frustrated disappointment, "You fear wolves ahead and tigers behind. You truly disappoint me. Fine, go back. As for Zhou Ying'er, don't even think about having her!"

With that, she reentered the fighter.

The moment Cheng Jin heard Zhou Ying'er's name, he clenched his teeth. "Fine, I'll do it!"

Cheng Shuli's expression softened somewhat. "Captain Qiu, protect my cousin."

"Yes!" Qiu Cheng nodded solemnly.

On the rooftop of an abandoned Shopping Mall Building.

Every member of the Rose Squad rested with exhausted expressions. Their foreheads and faces were covered in sweat, and quite a bit of blood still stained their armor. Clearly, they had just gone through an intense battle.

"Taking the risk to hunt a Mid-level Beast General nearly cost us our lives!" Shen Hong slumped gracelessly onto the ground, panting heavily.

Zhang Yi was exhausted as well. Although he was a sniper, toward the end of the hunt, he had no choice but to toss aside his sniper rifle and fight large numbers of High-level Beast Soldiers, helping Shen Hong and the others retreat safely.

"Thankfully, the haul was worth it. This Mid-level Beast General alone can sell for at least seventy million. Adding the other materials, our squad made over a hundred million today alone!" Zhou Ying'er took a large gulp of water and smiled after catching her breath.

Hearing this.

Shen Hong and the others all smiled as well.

With their squad's strength, hunting Low-level Generals was relatively easy. The reason they had taken such a risk today was mainly because they had sensed something wrong with the environment and wanted to make one last score before leaving.

Fortunately, they had succeeded, and no one had been injured.

"We cannot continue this kind of risky operation until our squad has a third General Level member!" Shen Hong swept her gaze over Zheng Ru, Li Min, and the others, her voice low. "Many elite squads get a taste of success and keep taking risks until they throw away their lives. Our squad must never follow in their footsteps. If this opportunity had not been so rare, I would not have taken the gamble either."

Zhou Ying'er and the others nodded heavily.

They all understood how dangerous the situation had been.

If Zhang Yi and Shen Hong, the two Generals, had not fought desperately this time, the four of them would definitely have suffered severe injuries or even died.

Zhang Yi smiled. "Captain, don't make it sound so serious. Our squad has great potential. Zheng Ru and Li Min are not far from General Level, and Ying'er is improving quickly. I believe she will break through after a while too. As for Brother Cao..."

Cao Yingchun cut him off with a smile. "My potential was exhausted long ago, but don't worry, everyone. I have saved quite a bit of money following the captain over the years. If I take a chance and buy a Gene Potion, I should be able to break through to General Level."

Shen Hong clapped her hands. "All right, everyone, work hard. Strive to break through to General Level as soon as possible. Once we are all Generals, we can head to larger cities to explore and hunt."

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a series of sounds came from nearby.

Shen Hong and the others vigilantly looked toward the source.

They saw a team of warriors rapidly retreating in their direction.

"It's the Sabertooth Tiger Squad... and that young master from the Cheng Family!" Zhang Yi said as he raised his sniper rifle.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shen Hong, Zheng Ru, and Li Min could not help turning to look at Zhou Ying'er.

Zhou Ying'er gently shook her head. "I don't know why Cheng Jin came to the Wilderness Zone either."

"Captain, they seem to be in trouble. Should we help them?" Zhang Yi turned and asked.

Shen Hong frowned. "Help if we can, but don't invite trouble."

Zhang Yi made an OK gesture, then fired.

Bang!

The sniper shot tore through the sky, and the bullet precisely pierced through an Advanced Beast Soldier lunging at Cheng Jin.

A moment later.

The Sabertooth Tiger Squad and Cheng Jin arrived on the rooftop of the Shopping Mall Building.

The moment Zhou Ying'er saw Cheng Jin, she coldly said, "Cheng Jin, what are you doing in the Wilderness Zone?!"

Cheng Jin explained, "Ying'er, something has seemed off lately. A Rat Tide may break out, and I was afraid something might happen to you, so I had the Sabertooth Tiger Squad come with me."

"Our Rose Squad was already preparing to withdraw from this city. Now that you are here, don't lead the monsters over here!" Li Min said bluntly.

"If a High-level Beast General attacks, our Sabertooth Tiger Squad will hold it off. You escape first," Qiu Cheng said blandly.

Li Min snorted and said nothing more.

At that moment, Shen Hong asked, "Cheng Jin, did you come here in person because you received some news?"

Cheng Jin nodded. "The weather has been unusually hot and stifling lately. The Rat Tide will probably break out within the next few days."

The moment those words fell.

Zhang Yi, Zheng Ru, and the others' expressions changed drastically.

Shen Hong narrowed her eyes at Cheng Jin. Seeing no change in his expression, she immediately said, "In that case, we cannot delay. Pack up, and we will withdraw at once."

Zhang Yi, Cao Yingchun, and the others moved swiftly, slinging their backpacks of materials over their shoulders before turning and rushing down the Shopping Mall Building.

Cheng Jin and the Sabertooth Tiger Squad followed behind. However, just as they were about to rush out of the mall's entrance, Cheng Jin gave Qiu Cheng a meaningful look.

Qiu Cheng understood. He took out several green glow-stick-like Special Hormones and tossed them into the mall behind them.

As the Special Hormones released their scent signals.

The Mutated Rat Beasts in the underground tunnels of City No. 085 began to stir. Some High-level Beast General Mutated Rats let out waves of shrill squeaks.

The sounds rapidly spread to the surrounding county towns through a special energy signal.