Commander-in-Chief Chen Zihan

The roar of the "Venom Queen" shook the entire Corrosive Fungal Forest, causing the phosphorescence on the enormous cap to flicker wildly.

Thick, dark green poisonous fog with a pungent, sour smell surged out from the depths of the fungus forest like a living thing, corroding even the hard rocks with a hissing sound and emitting white smoke.

"Back off! Keep your distance! This poisonous fog is highly corrosive and has a nerve-paralyzing effect!"

Kong Yan'er shouted sharply, her Clone and main body moving in perfect sync, retreating instantly.

Qingqiu Ze's face turned pale as he retreated, shouting into the live stream equipment, "Did you guys see that? This is the oppressive feeling of a B+ grade mutant! This poisonous fog, even a tiny bit of it would melt you! Top follower, please send a shield to save the streamer!"

Yang Shan stood at the forefront, his energy shield fully activated, barely managing to withstand the corrosive effects of the poisonous fog, but the shield's light was dimming at a visible rate.

Murong Xue and her team members were in even worse shape. They were already in poor condition, and now, under the pressure of the poisonous fog, they had almost lost their fighting ability and could only retreat in fear.

Only Luo Li stood still, her Bloodblade Enma pointing diagonally at the ground, dark red light flowing across the blade, silently swallowing and annihilating the approaching poisonous mist.

The property of "[Blood-Drinking Revival]" seems to also provide some resistance to toxins in this energy form.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his [Spacetime Perception] penetrating the thick fog to lock onto the massive figure that was moving rapidly.

It was a giant spider, the size of a minibus, its entire body covered in a colorful, constantly secreting mucus-like keratin layer. Its eight compound eyes gleamed with a cruel red light, and with each opening and closing of its menacing mouthparts, the dripping venom corroded deep pits into the ground.

"Found you."

Luo Li whispered something, and her figure suddenly blurred.

The next moment, he appeared directly above and to the side of the "Venom Queen," Bloodblade Enma, with a shrill whistling sound that tore through space, slashed fiercely at its relatively fragile joints.

However, the "Venom Queen" reacted incredibly quickly!

Its seemingly clumsy body twisted violently in a way that defied the laws of physics, and a segmented limb covered with bone spurs lashed out at Luo Li in mid-air like a steel whip, so fast that it left a blur.

At the same time, its massive abdomen suddenly contracted, and a concentrated, dark green jet of venom, like a high-pressure water gun, shot towards Luo Li.

A flash of silver light appeared in Luo Li's eyes, and the flow of time around her instantly changed.

The detached limbs and the spraying venom seemed to slow down in his eyes.

With a flick of his wrist, Enma transformed from a slash into a parry.

Clang!

Sparks flew—a tremendous force came from the blade, and Luo Li used the momentum to somersault backward, narrowly avoiding the direct blast of venom.

Venom grazed his combat uniform, sending up corrosive smoke and a burnt smell from the fabric.

"Such strength and reflexes!"

Luo Li landed, her heart filled with dread.

This "Venom Queen" is even more troublesome than described in the information.

"Li Zi, keep it occupied! Yan Ge and I will find an opportunity!"

Yang Shan roared and tried to approach, shield in hand.

Kong Yan'er and his Clone moved like two ghostly figures through the poisonous fog. [The Trickster Hands] continuously condensed energy short blades, harassing the "Venom Queen's" compound eyes and mouthparts, among other sensitive areas.

Qingqiu Ze roamed around the perimeter, unleashing sonic shocks as if they were free. Although they couldn't cause any real damage, they successfully disrupted its perception.

The remaining members of Murong Xue's team gritted their teeth and unleashed ranged attacks from afar, doing their part in the small way.

The battle reached a stalemate.

The "Venom Queen" has extremely high defense, swift attacks, and a ranged poison mist, making her incredibly difficult to defeat.

Luo Li continuously used [Time Retardation] and [Space Folding] to dodge and launch surprise attacks. Enma struck its body several times, but could only leave deep cuts on its hard shell, failing to kill it with a single blow.

Its regenerative ability is also astonishing; the granulation tissue at the wound site wriggles, and the bleeding stops and the wound heals quickly.

"This won't do! Its core is located below its abdomen, protected by layers of defense!"

Kong Yan'er's voice carried a hint of anxiety.

Just as Luo Li was about to use [Causal Tracing] to find its weakness—a sudden change occurred!

A figure appeared without warning in the center of the battlefield.

Right above the "Venom Queen"!

The person appeared so abruptly, as if they had directly torn through space to descend.

He was dressed in a crisp, dark green military uniform without any rank insignia. He looked very young, probably not even thirty years old. His face was handsome but expressionless, and his eyes were as indifferent as a millennium-old glacier as he swept over the fierce battlefield below, as if watching a silent play that had nothing to do with him.

What is most striking are his hands—long and slender, with distinct knuckles, and a faint, silvery sheen that seems to pulsate beneath his skin.

"That's...?" Qingqiu Ze's live streaming equipment immediately captured this uninvited guest.

Before anyone could react, including the "Venom Queen" who was attacking frantically, it happened.

The young man in military uniform moved.

He simply stretched out his right hand towards the enormous, menacing creature below.

Then, the five fingers slightly closed.

There was no earth-shattering energy burst, no dazzling skill effects.

It was as if he had simply brushed away some dust from the corner of his clothes.

The next moment, something chilling happened.

The Venom Queen's massive, incredibly tough body, starting from her head, collapsed, twisted, and deformed instantly, like a fragile model being squeezed by an invisible giant hand!

The sounds of shells cracking, bones breaking, and internal organs squeezing blended into a strange, teeth-grinding noise.

It didn't even manage to let out a scream before the red light in its eight compound eyes dimmed instantly.

Less than a second.

The once ferocious B+ grade mutant, before everyone's astonished eyes, was transformed into an irregular, slightly twitching mass of flesh mixed with carapace fragments and viscous liquid, which crashed into the swamp with a "plop," splashing up a large amount of filthy water.

The thick, poisonous fog, having lost its source, began to slowly dissipate.

The battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

All that remained were the gurgling sounds of swamp bubbles bursting and the heavy breathing of the crowd.

Wow... that's incredible!

Overwhelmingly strong!

Crushing a B+ grade mutant with bare hands?! Is that something a human could do?!

Kong Yan'er's pupils contracted, and for the first time, her cynical smile disappeared, replaced by deep shock and fear.

Yang Shan's mouth gaped open, and he forgot to close it.

Qingqiu Ze's live streaming equipment almost fell to the ground, causing a momentary vacuum in the chat before being flooded with "???" and "Holy crap".

Murong Xue and her team members were completely petrified, staring at the lump of flesh and then at the young man in military uniform who was slowly landing, their eyes looking up at a god or demon.

Luo Li gripped Enma tightly, her heart pounding.

This level of power... absolutely surpasses A-rank! S-rank? Or even higher? Moreover, the opponent's control over power has reached a point of effortless mastery, a return to simplicity!

The young man in military uniform landed, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the entire area before finally settling on Luo Li.

His eyes remained expressionless, as if he were assessing an item.

"Reaction speed is acceptable, spatial ability utilization is rough, weapons... are interesting."

He spoke, his voice as emotionless as he was—cold and direct.

Luo Li frowned slightly but didn't reply. This person exuded too much pressure.

The young man in military uniform turned his gaze to Kong Yan'er: "The coordination rate between the Clone and the main body is 92.7%, and the energy condensation efficiency of ' Trickster Hands ' is low, resulting in serious waste."

Kong Yan'er's lips twitched, but she didn't dare to refute.

Then, he looked at Qingqiu Ze: "The sound wave frequency is scattered, with less than 30% effective attack; it's just noise."

Qingqiu Ze: "..." He silently turned off the live streaming device.

Finally, his gaze swept over Yang Shan, Murong Xue, and the others without pausing, as if they were merely insignificant background figures.

"Clean up the battlefield and return to base."

He left those words behind, turned and walked away, seemingly with no intention of explaining his identity or purpose, nor of caring about the reactions of the crowd.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Murong Xue didn't know where the courage came from; perhaps it was the relief of surviving a disaster coupled with the humiliation of being ignored, but she couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me... who are you?"

The young man in military uniform paused, but without turning around, he simply uttered three words: "Chen Zihan."

Then, his figure seemed to merge into the air, slowly disappearing from the scene as if he had never been there.

Only that name remained, exploding in everyone's minds like a thunderclap.

Chen Zihan!

The youngest fortress commander among the five surviving nations of Longxia, and the supreme commander of the "Ironwall" fortress! Legend has it that his strength is unfathomable, and he is known as the supreme powerhouse known as the "Human-Shaped Calamity"!

Wow... so young? And... he personally took down the "Venom Queen"?

"Commander-in-Chief..." Yang Shan murmured to himself, his face showing a dreamlike expression.

"Chen Zihan... it was him..."

Kong Yan'er let out a long breath, her expression complex. "No wonder... this strength, this style of doing things... it's exactly as rumored."

Luo Li was also deeply shaken.

He had heard of Chen Zihan's legendary status; at only twenty-something years old, he had taken command of a fortress and possessed unparalleled combat prowess.

I never expected that he would be like this—powerful to the point of despair, and also... cold and direct to the point of being almost inhuman.

"Did he just... say I was noisy?" Qingqiu Ze realized belatedly, his face falling.

Nobody paid him any attention.

All eyes were fixed on the remains of the "Venom Queen," and they recalled Chen Zihan's seemingly casual yet terrifying grip, their hearts filled with indescribable shock.

The Commander-in-Chief suddenly appears and casually crushes the mission target... What does this signify?

Luo Li put away Enma and looked in the direction where Chen Zihan had disappeared, her eyes deep.

This young commander-in-chief seems more interesting than I imagined...

He looked down at the task status that had just been updated on his personal terminal—[Completed].

The contribution points have been credited to your account.

However, the way this task was completed was truly... unexpected.

Let's go.

Luo Li called out, breaking the silence.

"I'm going back."

This trip to the "Rotting Swamp" yielded more than just contribution points.

There was also a fleeting glimpse of the frontline elite forces and that mysterious commander-in-chief.