The night dragged on, especially for the Quasi-Martial Artists facing the assessment. The ferocity of the demonic beasts was beyond anything they had imagined.
The Quasi-Martial Artists who had always been called geniuses in the training rooms were being mercilessly slaughtered by the demonic beasts.
Not many Quasi-Martial Artists could face a murderous demonic beast on their own, and some had begun to regret taking part in the combat assessment.
The fighting continued, and nerves remained taut all night. Just as everyone was exhausted, a cry pierced the night sky.
"Buddy, did I just hear something? Sounded like a bird?"
"Staying up all night made you stupid? The warriors cleared everything out within fifty kilometers of here. There isn't even a bird's nest left, so where would a birdcall come from?
"Unless some Beast General-level flying beast got bored and flew dozens of kilometers over here. Then our antiaircraft guns would finally have something to do again. Just watch me turn it into a sieve!"
In the town, Zhang Junbao, who was still honing his movement technique, suddenly sensed a hint of danger. Something seemed to have entered his range of perception.
A faint cry reached his ears, and warnings blared wildly in his mind.
He knew a deadly threat was coming from the sky. Without stopping to think, he used a gap between the attacks of the demonic beasts around him to slide beneath an Ironfur Boar.
Just as he completed the movement, a pair of iron talons swooped down from the sky. They missed their intended target and instead lifted the Ironfur Boar above him into the air, swiftly soaring upward.
The Ironfur Boar, which weighed nearly a ton, was lifted effortlessly by those sharp talons.
Only then did Zhang Junbao finally see where his sense of danger had come from.
He lay on the ground and looked up at the sky. A pair of enormous wings blotted out the heavens and whipped up a fierce wind. Just then, a beam of bright light shone on the creature, revealing its appearance fully to Zhang Junbao.
"That's... a Black-Crowned Golden Eagle, an Intermediate Beast General-level Black-Crowned Golden Eagle. What's it doing here?"
Zhang Junbao was shaken to the core. An Intermediate Beast General appearing at an assessment site full of Quasi-Martial Artists was a force capable of outright slaughter.
If it had been a land beast, they might still have been able to bury it under sheer numbers, but a group of Quasi-Martial Artists with no ability to fight in the air could do nothing against a flying beast.
At that moment, a long cry rang out across the town.
"Alert! Alert! An Intermediate Beast General-level Black-Crowned Golden Eagle has entered the town. Kill it immediately! All Warlord warriors, attention: kill it immediately!"
Alarms sounded nonstop in the monitoring room. The officer in charge wore a grave expression as he calmly issued orders.
"The Quasi-Warrior Assessment is suspended. All Quasi-Martial Artists, leave the town immediately!
"The Quasi-Warrior Assessment is suspended. All Quasi-Martial Artists, leave the town immediately!
"The Quasi-Warrior Assessment is suspended. All Quasi-Martial Artists, leave the town immediately!"
The Quasi-Martial Artists taking the assessment had all received the order. Some did not understand what was happening and were still hesitating over whether to obey.
"Open fire! We absolutely cannot let that beast attack the Quasi-Martial Artists. Where did this Black-Crowned Golden Eagle come from? Why did it enter the town during the assessment?"
"It seems to have a specific purpose, sir. Look, it abandoned the Ironfur Boar it just caught and is targeting the Quasi-Martial Artists taking the assessment. Our fences can only enclose the surrounding area; they can't block the sky.
"That's Zhang Junbao. The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle is attacking him!" the soldier monitoring the screens reported.
"Damn it. It's the season when the young hatch. Ordinary demonic beast meat is too tough for chicks, but human Quasi-Martial Artists are just about the perfect 'milk powder' for them. No wonder it's targeting them," the officer cursed under his breath.
"Report! The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle is too fast. Our firearms can't keep up with it!
"Requesting support! Requesting support!"
"Damn it, the warriors using firearms here are only Advanced Warriors. They can't keep up with the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle at all.
"Zhuge, Old Wang, you two come with me. We can't let this beast keep attacking the Quasi-Martial Artists."
With that, the officer rushed out, followed by Zhuge Tao and Old Wang, the supervisor from the Thunder Dojo.
"I hope Zhang Junbao can hold on," Zhuge Tao said through clenched teeth.
"That's an Intermediate Beast General-level Black-Crowned Golden Eagle. What can a Quasi-Martial Artist like him do?"
Zhuge Tao recalled Zhang Junbao's stunning performance during the test and hoped for a miracle. As long as Zhang Junbao held on for one minute, they could reach him!
The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle found the human on the ground rather troublesome. Zhang Junbao had dodged several of its attacks, while the guns nearby kept firing at it.
Seemingly aware that the human Advanced Warriors would soon arrive, the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle decisively gave up on Zhang Junbao and went looking for its next target.
Not far away, it remembered a human whose cries sounded like a pig being slaughtered. He seemed like a good source of nutrition too.
The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's target was Bai Zhan, the genius recruited by the Thunder Dojo! His roars had earned him a place on the eagle's list of backup milk powder.
Demonic beasts that reached the Beast General level possessed a degree of intelligence. They knew that human geniuses like these were excellent sources of nutrition for their offspring.
Zhang Junbao was also stunned for a moment when the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle stopped attacking. The demonic beasts around him had fled as soon as the eagle first attacked. The suppression of their very life instincts left them unable to muster even the slightest thought of resistance.
It's gone to attack someone else. Damn it, this Black-Crowned Golden Eagle is determined to catch humans! I'll go take a look. Maybe I can help save one or two people in the chaos.
After hesitating for half a second, Zhang Junbao made up his mind. Though he had little to do with the other Quasi-Martial Artists, they were all human. He had no reason to stand by and do nothing while a demonic beast attacked them.
Zhang Junbao no longer held back his strength, his figure leaving a long, dark shadow in the night. Fortunately, everyone's attention was on the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle, and no one noticed that his speed had surpassed the Intermediate Warrior level.
"Ah... let me go! Let me go!"
Not far ahead, Zhang Junbao saw the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle swoop down again. This time, it successfully caught a Quasi-Martial Artist.
That squealing like a slaughtered pig-it's Bai Zhan!
Fate worked in strange ways sometimes. Bai Zhan, who had been getting into the swing of the fighting, suddenly felt his shoulders pierced. Then he was lifted into the air.
The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's powerful talons had pierced straight through Bai Zhan's shoulders, easily lifting him into the sky.
Its objective achieved, the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle was ready to retreat for the day. But the milk powder dangling beneath it seemed to have some strength and kept struggling.
Afraid of being slowed down and caught by a powerful human, the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle tossed Bai Zhan upward and viciously pecked at his abdomen with its sharp hooked beak. As long as he didn't die, the nutrition would still be there.
But the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's peck missed. A dark figure flashed past him, bringing Bai Zhan down to the ground and fleeing at high speed.
"Ah, it hurts! Hurry, save me, save me!" Bai Zhan wailed incessantly.
"Shut up! If you don't stop yelling, I'll drop you!" Zhang Junbao snapped. This guy was far too noisy.
"It's you? You're the one who saved me?" Bai Zhan could hardly believe that Zhang Junbao was the one who had saved him.
"Stay still and don't move! That Black-Crowned Golden Eagle is still chasing us. If it catches up, I'll throw you out!" Zhang Junbao suddenly twisted to the side. A pair of bloody hooked talons narrowly swept past him, and the wind they stirred struck Bai Zhan's face like a sickle, making it sting.
P.S. I'm posting first and editing later. Readers who are good with language can help find typos.
Also, those of you who invested, hurry up. I've received a site message, and the first wave of investment rewards will be sent out soon. The rewards are free for the taking, so go for it!