Chen Shi'an slowly swept his gaze over everyone and said quietly, "Tomorrow, I'll give you a day off. Go home and say a proper goodbye to your families.
"But don't tell them about Blackwater Ridge, lest they worry too much."
At these words, everyone's expression grew grave.
Pi Hou chimed in, "Boss, that tone of yours is pretty scary. You make it sound like we won't be coming back.
"We're not going to hunt the Blazing Fire Lizard, just scout it out. As long as we're careful, there shouldn't be any problems."
"Exactly. We might be no match for the Blazing Fire Lizard, but if we can't beat it, can't we run?
"Anyway, if we spot it from a distance, we'll just slip away," someone added.
Chen Shi'an's expression grew solemn. "Have any of you ever seen a real demon beast?" he asked gravely.
Everyone fell silent. No one answered.
Chen Shi'an continued, "You haven't seen a demon beast, but you should have seen a ranked martial artist fight, right?
"For example, you were all there when Commander Ye fought Gu Qingyao. You should remember that.
"Let me ask you this: if you were facing Commander Ye or Gu Qingyao, could you withstand a single blow from them?"
Everyone fell silent again.
Chen Shi'an added, "But Commander Ye and Gu Qingyao are only second-rank martial artists. If they encountered the Blazing Fire Lizard and didn't flee immediately, death would be their only road.
"By the time you see the Blazing Fire Lizard, it will probably have already locked onto you.
"A third-level demon beast is incredibly fast. Once it locks onto us, death is our only road."
After hearing this, the men finally realized how serious the problem was, and their expressions grew tense.
Chen Shi'an's gaze swept around. "This