Deflating bravado, making peace

The standoff in the woods remained frozen in place.

The stench of blood had not yet dissipated from the depression. The corpses of six Bronze Green Demon lay scattered on the ground, their blood soaking through layers of decaying leaves, enveloping the entire woodland in a heavy aura of slaughter.

Luo Qi gripped the bowstring tightly with his five fingers, his knuckles turning white, and his body leaned slightly forward.

The aura of the Silver Tier spread out steadily, without deliberately exploding or exerting pressure, but always maintaining a tense state of being ready to unleash its power.

He just publicly declared his determination to protect the people of this low-lying area; his words have been spoken, and his stance is now firmly established.

Faced with his teammates and survivors, as the only Silver Tier member of the squad, he had no room to back down and could only brace himself for the fight, maintaining a stalemate.

Lu Heng stood quietly in the open space, his expression calm and indifferent, without the slightest ripple in his eyes.

From beginning to end, he did not provoke any trouble; he was simply settling accounts for a baseless framing and murder.

The cause and effect that should have been settled was abruptly interrupted by outsiders. The unnecessary confrontation and interference caused layers of annoyance to pile up in my heart.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the tiny Mycelium of the Blood Taisui had already quietly spread the moment the standoff began.

Following the damp soil and rotting leaves, the roots intertwined and moved silently along the gaps between the tree roots, densely covering the entire depression.

All space for movement, dodging, retreating, and maneuvering is completely blocked by invisible networks, leaving no blind spots.

The entire battlefield had long since fallen into Lu Heng's absolute control without anyone knowing.

Just a second before he was about to raise his hand to activate the Mycelium and end this pointless standoff.

The spiritual energy that was spreading outwards suddenly detected several orderly and rapid auras of living beings.

More than one person, moving in unison and in an orderly fashion, quickly converged from branching routes around the dense forest, their target precise, pointing directly at this depression.

Lu Heng instantly suppressed his attack.

There was no commotion, no surprises, just quiet standing still, waiting for the person to appear.

He raised his eyes, his gaze landing directly on Luo Qi, who was stubbornly maintaining his fighting spirit. His tone was calm and straightforward, directly piercing through all of Luo Qi's confidence:

"No wonder you were so cocky and confident. Turns out you weren't alone, you had companions, a complete team?"

A single sentence was uttered.

Luo Qi's heart sank suddenly, and his chest tightened instantly.

His team moved stealthily throughout, deliberately minimizing all footsteps and the rustling of clothing, and approached from the side forest, avoiding detection by monsters and humans at all times. They were still dozens of meters away from this place, so it was theoretically impossible for them to be detected in advance.

But this person not only sensed someone approaching, but also accurately determined that he had a team.

In an instant, Luo Qi fully grasped the situation.

The stranger before him possessed a range of perception, covert methods, and a depth of hidden cards that all exceeded his expectations.

This is not an easy match where the opponent easily wins; it is a real, tough battle with unknown dangers.

But he was already in a difficult position.

The arrogance of Silver Tier, the dignity of the team, and the harsh words just spoken were all laid bare.

Now that things have come to this, even if we know our opponent is formidable, we must not back down or retreat even a step.

The atmosphere of confrontation instantly became extremely tense.

Behind the depression, after a betrayal and a life-or-death struggle, only two of the original three survivors remain.

One person was severely injured, losing an arm and suffering a lacerated, bloody wound on his shoulder, barely managing to support himself with his remaining strength.

A person was covered in blood, with blood constantly seeping from a deep wound on the side of their leg, and was swaying slightly as they stood.

A horde of monsters has already taken their only companion.

The two of them were fully awake. This conflict had started with them, and no one could escape it or get away from it.

The rest of his life, which he had only survived by chance, was already inextricably linked to the rescue team in front of him.

There is no longer the hysterical clamor before, and there is no luck in succeeding in harming others.

All that remains is the tension of fighting for survival in a desperate situation.

The two men raised their hands and simultaneously drew their personal weapons.

The cold iron broke free of its sheath, producing a low, dull metallic clang.

A standard, heavy Black Iron longsword, its blade dark and its edge sharply polished, is a standard Black Iron Tier weapon.

A broad, heavy Black Iron battle axe, its blade solid and sharp, possessing immense destructive power.

The two gripped their weapons tightly, their arms trembling slightly, yet they remained steadied and silently retreated behind Luo Qi.

They stood silently, using this Silver Tier archer as their last line of defense, awaiting the impending battle.

A few breaths passed in the blink of an eye.

From various entrances and exits of the deep, dense forest, figures steadily emerged.

There were five people in total, and everyone was present.

The team's positioning was well-organized, with the front line absorbing damage, the middle line dealing damage, and the flanks launching surprise attacks. Their tacit understanding, honed through years of team battles, was immediately apparent. Their movements were steady, their eyes alert, and their landings silent. They were a seasoned survival team, having fought in Hill Valley and deep in the forests for a long time.

Lu Heng coldly surveyed the five people, taking in their equipment, weapons, roles, and combat strength.

Luo Qi, the only Silver Tier combatant in the entire squad, carried a hardwood longbow on his back and had a full quiver, serving as the core of ranged suppression.

A heavily armored warrior stands in the front row, his entire body covered in patchwork iron armor. He carries the weight steadily, gripping a thick tower shield tightly in his hand. The shield's surface is covered with claw marks and dents from monsters, a testament to his years of resilience in the front line. He is dedicated to absorbing damage, holding his position, and protecting the entire team.

In the middle row of the team, a member held a strangely shaped wooden staff. The staff's texture was twisted and gnarled, a growth pattern unique to the Goblin race. It was likely Goblin Mage's staff, a ranged weapon exclusively for magic-based damage dealers.

The right-hand melee fighter, with his arms tightly gripping modified metal claws, gleaming coldly, his sharp, long claw blades conforming to the contours of his forearms, specializes in close-quarters attacks, breaking through defenses and locking down opponents; his fighting style is fierce and cunning.

The last member, dressed in minimal armor (bare metal), was extremely agile and swift, responsible for roaming, scouting, filling in gaps, and providing backup, thus making up for all the team's weaknesses.

It possesses all five roles: tank, warrior, archer, mage, and assassin, and is adept at both offense and defense.

In the resource-scarce and unevenly equipped Hill Valley, such a well-equipped and highly coordinated squad can be considered a top-tier combat force in the region.

Upon seeing this, the heavily armored shield warriors in the front row immediately stepped forward, raised their hands, and firmly pressed down on Luo Qi's slightly tense shoulder, stopping his impending battle intent.

His tone was calm, with deliberate restraint:

Luo Qi.

The simple name instantly calmed the tense, competitive atmosphere within the team.

After stopping his teammate from taking action, the shield warrior took a half step forward, facing Lu Heng, deliberately softening his posture and trying to smooth things over, attempting to resolve the stalemate with the bigger picture in mind.

"Dude, it's all a misunderstanding."

"We're all just trying to survive in this forest area; there's no need to push things to the extreme."

"The Portal to the entire Hill Valley remains unresolved, monsters continue to multiply, the outer areas are under daily attack, and everyone is struggling to withstand the cataclysm. At this critical moment, internal strife and fighting among ourselves will only waste our resources and be utterly meaningless."

"Whatever grudges or misunderstandings we have, let's talk it out face-to-face and have a good chat."

Lu Heng looked at him quietly, his eyes calm and expressionless.

All that remains in my heart is utter absurdity and speechlessness.

One second ago, tensions were high, both sides were on the verge of a direct confrontation, and it seemed like they were about to start fighting.

The next second, seeing that he was not sure of the situation, the other party immediately backed down and made concessions, offering platitudes about the big picture, unity, and coexistence.

They dared not wage a full-scale war, yet refused to back down or admit defeat.

They only know how to use empty rhetoric to save face and use so-called "saving face" to argue with each other.

Naïve, superfluous, and meaningless.

He never cared about the overall regional situation or about survival and unity.

He only considers the cause and only discusses cause and effect.

To be framed for no reason, to be dragged into a dead end for no reason, to have one's life disrupted and one's reckoning interrupted for no reason.

Since trouble has already arisen and a standoff has been established, let's settle it in the most direct way.

There's no need for idle chatter or maneuvering.

At this moment, all five enemy members arrived and stepped into the depression covered by Mycelium.

All escape routes, all evasive maneuvers, and all escape angles had already been completely blocked by the pre-laid network of defenses.

Lu Heng no longer wasted any more energy; his spiritual power surged forth, instantly sweeping across the entire area.

With extremely precise perception of levels, it instantly penetrated everyone's aura barriers and drew clear conclusions.

Of all the people present, only Luo Qi possessed a refined and powerful aura, reaching the Silver Tier standard.

The remaining four team members—the heavily armored shieldbearer, the staff mage, the arm-clawed raider, and the bare-metal roaming soldier—are all firmly stuck at the Bronze Tier level.

Despite their seemingly formidable top-tier squad, only one person truly poses a threat.

The remaining fighting force is insignificant to him now.

"What's the point of talking to you guys?"

With his mind made up, Lu Heng no longer hesitated.

He raised his hand, the movement was calm and relaxed, without any unusual sounds or lights, no burst of powerful energy, or any showy gestures.

It was just a simple thought that prompted it.

The next second, countless hidden Blood Taisui Mycelium were instantly activated throughout the entire depression.

The originally silent, soft, and inconspicuous filamentous veins suddenly taut, tightened, and exerted force.

An invisible and intangible binding force instantly covered the entire area.

The five-person team, who had just been standing there calmly, trying to mediate and negotiate, suddenly changed their expressions.

There were no warning signs of wind, no warning signs of energy fluctuations, and no visible attacks.

I suddenly felt my limbs sink.

Ankles, calves, wrists, waist, knees—all joints that could exert force were tightly bound, locked, and fixed by cold, tough, invisible threads.

His body froze instantly, his center of gravity completely locked.

No matter how much they tensed their muscles and struggled with all their might, their legs remained rooted to the ground, completely immobile. Raising their hands, taking steps, turning to the side, or dodging—all their movements were ineffective.

The air froze instantly.

The two survivors hiding behind suddenly narrowed their eyes, their hands gripping the Black Iron knives and axes tightened abruptly, their knuckles turned white, and their arms stiffened.

The last vestige of hope shattered completely, a bone-chilling cold shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his face was filled with disbelief and terror.

Luo Qi's muscles tensed instantly to the extreme, his hand gripping the bow clenched tightly, and all composure vanished from his eyes, replaced by genuine fear and solemnity for the first time.

The conciliatory look on the heavily armored shield warrior's face vanished completely, replaced by extreme vigilance and panic.

He could clearly sense that his entire body's strength was sealed, and his heavy iron armor was completely immobile. His proud defense was utterly useless in the face of this invisible constraint.

The magic power at the fingertips of the magic-wielding team members instantly froze, their surging magical energy becoming stagnant within their meridians, unable to be mobilized in the slightest.

The clawed attacker tensed his body, trying to lean forward and break through, but his body was firmly locked in place, unable to move an inch.

Only at this moment did everyone finally realize the truth.

It began with the standoff, from the moment they stepped into this depression.

The other party never considered reconciliation, negotiation, or compromise.

The so-called stalemate, the so-called waiting,

It was never a matter of hesitation, fear, or a reluctance to fight.

They were simply waiting quietly for everyone to take their places.

Once everyone has entered this invisible cage that has already been woven.

The forest was deathly still, with only the lingering scent of blood slowly rising in the air.

The five-person team stood frozen on the ground, completely under control.

The silence was eerily profound.

Delayed negotiations, a false sense of grand strategy, and an arrogant facade.

Faced with absolute control, it utterly degenerated into a laughable farce.

The liquidation has officially begun.