First Battle in the Wilderness

Jiangnan Base City's Northwest Military District, Sixth Supply Base

This was Cao Bing's second time visiting the military district. His first had been during the practical combat assessment.

However, there was no difference between the military district he saw this time and the last. It was still a fortress of steel and iron, armed to the teeth with guns and cannons.

"Sixth Supply Base. We'll restock here today, then head out to hunt tonight." After receiving the lounge key from a military district sergeant, Captain Yan Ying addressed the group.

"No problem. It has been a long time since I last came to Sixth Supply Base." Xie Hongxin laughed heartily.

"Uncle Xie, didn't you come this way before?" Cao Bing asked curiously.

"Mm. There aren't any cities west of Sixth Supply Base where large numbers of monsters gather. Usually, the teams that come here are either relatively weak ones or newcomers like you."

"Our squad is fairly strong, so most of the time, we operate around Ruins 003 and Forest 017!" Xie Hongxin said without any modesty.

Cao Bing scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. Wasn't that basically saying they had come this way because they were bringing along a rookie like him?

"Enough chatter. Hurry up and stock up on supplies; we still have to leave tonight." Yan Ying said with a stern expression. "I'm going to see an old friend and ask about the recent situation around here. Old Fang, come with me."

"Haha, the captain is still as cautious as ever."

"Caution is a good thing. Otherwise, who knows how many times we'd have died already?" Song Shengnan shot Xie Hongxin a disdainful look.

"I never said being cautious was wrong!" Xie Hongxin did not dare argue after Song Shengnan shut him down, merely muttering under his breath.

By evening, the sun was gradually setting. After eating and drinking their fill, Cao Bing and the others began advancing into the wilderness.

"Although our squad is here to let Little Cao get some experience, with our strength, there's no need to go to those ordinary small towns. Our target this time is Ruins 132, several dozen kilometers away. According to friends here, the ferocious beasts in City 132 have been developing rapidly lately. There are quite a few Advanced Beast Soldiers and ordinary Beast General Level ferocious beasts there, making it highly suitable for us to hunt." Captain Yan Ying spoke to the group.

"City 132? It has been a long time since I went there. The last time, I had only just become an Advanced Warrior!" Song Shengnan said softly.

"Yeah, I was an Advanced Warrior back then too," Xie Hongxin said loudly.

"Aren't you still an Advanced Warrior now?" Song Shengnan rolled her eyes at Xie Hongxin again, leaving him speechless.

"Quiet. Something is approaching." Guan Yong suddenly spoke.

The others immediately lowered their voices. Before long, a four-legged crawling creature with two horns on its head emerged from the darkness and entered the Divine Arrow Squad's field of vision.

"Tch, I thought it was something serious. It's just Pan-Horn Sheep!" Xie Hongxin curled his lip when he saw the creature.

Pan-Horn Sheep only possessed the strength of beginner beast soldiers, and they were herbivorous ferocious beasts at that. Most of the time, such ferocious beasts existed as food for other monsters. Humans also bred them on a large scale for meat. Cao Bing often bought their meat to cook at home.

Of course, being herbivorous did not mean they would not kill people. Whenever they encountered humans in the wilderness, they would also launch vicious charges.

"Not just one." Yan Ying suddenly said. As a master archer, his eyesight was excellent. "Twenty-six! Prepare for battle. Deal with them quickly; don't let them delay our journey."

"Yes!" The moment Yan Ying finished speaking, everyone instantly obeyed.

Guan Yong vanished from where he stood and circled around from the flank.

Meanwhile, Song Shengnan had her horse-chopping saber in hand. Judging by the size of that enormous blade, no one would have thought its wielder was a petite woman under one meter seventy tall.

Cao Bing was fast as well. At the same time Song Shengnan charged out, he gripped a Blood Shadow Saber and rushed forward in an S-shaped path.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The first to achieve results was neither the fastest Guan Yong nor the fiercely charging Song Shengnan, but the calm and composed captain, Yan Ying. A dark alloy arrow pierced through two Pan-Horn Sheep in an instant before pinning the third to the ground.

What a fast arrow! Cao Bing was startled. He had not even seen the shadow of the arrow Yan Ying had fired.

However, Cao Bing had no time to think further. Song Shengnan had already engaged the Pan-Horn Sheep ahead. Her horse-chopping saber cut through those Pan-Horn Sheep as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.

With a casual swing, she could take several Pan-Horn Sheep's lives. Cao Bing grew anxious as he watched. This was his first battle since joining the Divine Arrow Squad. He could not possibly leave without accomplishing anything, could he?

Seeing that the herd of Pan-Horn Sheep was about to be slaughtered in only a few blinks, Cao Bing suddenly accelerated. In two breaths, he charged to the very front.

With one slash, he cut it in two.

A Pan-Horn Sheep's head flew off beneath Cao Bing's saber.

Cao Bing secretly let out a breath of relief.

At least he had killed a monster.

The battle ended quickly. In less than two minutes, the group had slaughtered every Pan-Horn Sheep, leaving behind nothing but a pile of corpses.

"Let's go. No need to linger." Yan Ying wiped clean the alloy arrows he had fired and put them away before turning to the group.

"Captain, aren't we collecting the spoils?" Cao Bing asked in confusion.

"Haha, Little Cao, you're still too inexperienced. Monsters like Pan-Horn Sheep take up space and aren't worth much, so there's no value in collecting them," Xie Hongxin said with a laugh.

"No value?" Cao Bing did not understand.

"Pan-Horn Sheep can be raised artificially. What value could they have? Farms can produce as many as you want," Xie Hongxin explained.

"That makes sense." Cao Bing gave a bitter smile. His first battle had turned out to be against a group of worthless creatures. He could not help feeling disappointed.

"Little Cao." Guan Yong walked over to Cao Bing's side.

"Uncle Guan."

"Little Cao, I watched your fight just now. Overall, you did quite well, but there are still many areas where you need improvement." Guan Yong patted Cao Bing's shoulder with one hand and spoke with a genial smile.

"Please tell me, Uncle Guan." Cao Bing humbly sought his guidance. He had long known that his greatest weakness was his lack of experience. Now that these elders were willing to point out his shortcomings, he was naturally delighted.

"First, and most importantly, you must never be impatient while hunting in the wilderness. Earlier, you were too anxious, which exposed many openings in your defense. The consequences of that can be extremely dangerous. You need to learn to keep a cool head under any circumstances."

Guan Yong glanced at Cao Bing as he spoke. Seeing him nod, clearly having taken his words to heart, Guan Yong continued, "Also, the angle of your swings is wrong. Although you were aiming for the Pan-Horn Sheep's weak points, look—if you swing like this, you can use at least one-third less strength than you did, and you won't have to worry about your blade getting caught in the bones."

As he spoke, Guan Yong swung his saber again, demonstrating the technique for him. Cao Bing listened with great focus, rapidly absorbing every tip. The others did not interrupt them. Instead, they slowed their pace, allowing Guan Yong to help Cao Bing get started as quickly as possible.