After making their preparations, the group set out once more. The atmosphere was somber today, and hardly anyone spoke along the way. The road through the mist seemed endless.
They walked from dawn until nightfall, and it was time to set up camp again.
"Captain Hu, I'm not feeling well. I'm afraid I can't stand watch tonight." Su Chen raised a hand, clutching his stomach with the other, his face full of helpless bitterness.
He had decided to stick with the main group. There was no way he could act alone again; Hu Xiang was a Tier 2 Professional.
What was this guy up to...? Hu Xiang merely glanced at him and said flatly, "Understood."
He agreed that easily? Su Chen muttered inwardly. What exactly did Hu Xiang mean? Could he have some trick up his sleeve?
"Captain Hu... I stood watch for two shifts yesterday. Can I rest today?" Zhou Zong spoke weakly as well.
Hu Xiang frowned at him and barked, "You can't even endure this little hardship? Why did you come along?"
"They say a tiger's son can't be a dog, but I don't think that's always true. You're taking the first shift tonight!"
Zhou Zong's face turned pale and green. His cheeks burned as though he had been slapped.
This bastard's favoritism was way too obvious!
Among the crowd, squad leader Tang Chen felt a surge of anger. This idiot... He could only wait until Zhou Zong finished his watch before looking for the things on him.
Fortunately, they would not reach the delivery point for another three days.
The others were silent as cicadas and did not dare speak. They merely glanced at Su Chen now and then, unable to understand what was going on.
Hu Xiang was actually taking such good care of him?
Su Chen turned and returned to his tent, preparing to continue training. The others dragged their exhausted bodies away to take turns standing watch with the City Patrol Guard.
"Damn it, Hu Xiang. Once we get back, I'll definitely find a way to make you pay..." Zhou Zong cursed resentfully as the wind howled around them, making the night feel deeply unsettling.
The veteran beside him acted as though he had heard nothing. Once they reached their watch position, he seemed to turn into stone.
"And Su Chen..." Zhou Zong continued cursing. Just thinking about Su Chen resting comfortably in his tent made his fury boil.
"Keep your voice down..." The veteran beside him suddenly spoke in a low voice, startling Zhou Zong.
The veteran stared warily into the distant darkness. Years of city patrol experience had given him a faint sense of unease.
Suddenly, a pair of green eyes as large as an adult's head opened in the darkness, and a bloody stench rushed toward them.
"Not good!" The veteran's hair stood on end as he lowered his voice. "Zhou Zong, you..."
"Help! Enemy attack! Help!"
A miserable wail came from behind them, growing farther and farther away. The veteran froze briefly, revealing a helpless, bitter smile, but his face gradually drained of all color.
More green pupils opened in the darkness.
"Enemy attack!"
A shrill, hoarse voice that sounded vaguely familiar to Su Chen suddenly rang through the camp.
Su Chen's heart tightened. He shot out of his tent to find chaos outside. A panting Zhou Zong was gripping Hu Xiang's arm and saying something.
Boom!
Sparks exploded across the energy barrier outside the camp, and the Camp Pillars flew through the air. Their primary purpose was to block out the mist, so their defensive power was not particularly strong.
Roar!
A massive beast gradually emerged from the night. Its enormous azure eyes seemed eager to devour someone, and its outline slowly became clear. It was many times larger than the Glutton Wolf they had encountered before.
It stood nearly ten meters tall, with towering shoulder blades. Tense muscles bulged beneath scales covering its entire body, and a chilling pressure washed over them.
Su Chen stared gravely at it, his heartbeat gradually quickening.
"A Tier 2 mutant, an Azure-Scaled Giant Lion..." Hu Xiang sucked in a cold breath. "How did something like this break through the defensive perimeter?"
"Stay alert!" he roared. The City Patrol Guard had already begun moving. Their formation spread out, firearms were raised, Professionals stood at the front, and students were arranged at the rear.
His men reacted quickly, but Hu Xiang's expression grew increasingly grim. Behind the giant lion came smaller lions, one after another.
"A lion pack..." Sweat dampened Hu Xiang's palm. If there had only been one lion, he would have been confident in killing it. But this was a lion pack.
"What the hell is going on? What are the Fortress Guards even doing!?"
Roar! The giant lion's roar sounded like a call to attack. It charged forward like a small mountain, smashing rocks beneath its front paws. Its muscular spine was taut as a drawn bowstring, and its amber eyes reflected one terrified face after another.
Hu Xiang gritted his teeth. With a ringing metallic sound, he tightened his grip on his weapon. Crimson flames streaked across the air as he had no choice but to meet it head-on.
"Mom..."
"Help..."
"..."
The City Patrol Guard was well-trained and managed to maintain formation, but most of the students had already begun crying for their parents in blind panic.
There were not many Professionals among the City Patrol Guard, only seven. They stood outside the front of the formation, watching the lion pack slowly encircle them from both sides.
Whoosh!
A figure leaped from the crowd. It was Bai Fengxi, standing alongside the other Tier 1 Professionals.
Everyone jumped in fright, thinking she had lost her mind, only to discover a chill radiating from her body.
"She's already a Professional, and she even possesses elemental power?" Only then did the others understand.
"Fire!" At the command, sparks burst forth and bullets surged out like a torrent. Yet when they struck the azure scales of the Azure-Scaled Lions, they only produced a series of clanging sounds.
Boom!
A ball of fire exploded amid the lion pack. It was some kind of explosive.
Roar—
Before the flames and smoke had dispersed, shadows rushed out one after another. There were no fewer than twenty lions, large and small, wrapped in scorching air as they charged like cavalry, fierce and unstoppable.
Even if they were not all Tier 1 mutants, there were at least a dozen of them!
"Spread out! Spread out!"
The City Patrol Guard shouted loudly, not daring to remain gathered together. Even without being told, most of the students had already scattered while crying and screaming.
"Fuck!" Zhou Zong scrambled frantically. A giant lion no less than five meters tall had locked onto him. It was definitely a Tier 1 mutant, and terror gripped his heart.
"Don't chase me! Don't chase me!"
Zhou Zong ran straight toward the densest crowds, throwing one figure after another behind him.
He was only one final step away from becoming a Tier 1 Professional. His physical abilities were impressive, and few people present could stand against him. Cries of agony rose and fell around him.
"Su... Su Chen!" Amid the chaos, Zhou Zong spotted Su Chen standing in the distance, seemingly frightened senseless.
He found a target and fled directly toward Su Chen.
"Go die!"
As his long-cherished wish seemed about to come true, some of Zhou Zong's panic faded. A savage smile appeared on his face as he reached for Su Chen's arm, intending to throw him away.
Huh?
Zhou Zong's expression stiffened. Su Chen stood before him without expression, veins bulging on Zhou Zong's arm. He should have been able to toss Su Chen aside like a chick.
Yet it felt as though he had grabbed hold of a towering mountain. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move him in the slightest.
Boom!
The thunderous pounding behind him drew closer and closer. Zhou Zong had no time to think and instinctively tried to escape.
But an iron-like grip clamped around his arm. When he turned his head, Su Chen had seized him in return and was staring at him coldly.
"W-what are you doing!?" Zhou Zong tried to sound fierce despite his fear. The giant lion was right before him. "Madman! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"
Crack—
A streak of white light struck from the side. Bai Fengxi descended from the sky and kicked the charging giant lion away.
It staggered back as threads of ice spread across its scales. However, it merely shook its head and shattered the ice, having suffered no serious injuries.
"If you kill him in public, you'll have trouble." Bai Fengxi stood with her back to them.
Zhou Zong replied instinctively, "What trouble could there be?"
"Fine." Su Chen shrugged and casually threw Zhou Zong aside.
Zhou Zong stared in astonishment. What did that mean? Bai Fengxi had been speaking to Su Chen.
He could kill me?
How was that possible? I'm...
But as the thought crossed his mind, his entire body trembled. Only then did he realize that Su Chen had stood still just now, and no matter how hard Zhou Zong pulled, he could not move him at all.
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