Thunder Bead! (Seeking Collection)

Out in the wild, somewhere in A-zone.

"Is it there?"

A man with a scar across his face pointed at a spot deep within the ruins.

Beside him, a shifty-eyed middle-aged man nodded vigorously, his face full of fawning.

"That's right, Brother Dao, right there. Last time, I stumbled upon it by accident."

"You're sure that thing inside is a Thunder Bead?"

"Positive."

"Anyone else know about this?"

The man called Brother Dao asked, a flicker of malice flashing in his eyes.

"No one else. Last time, I slipped and fell in, found a big pit underground, and that thing was inside. But three Peak Fourth Rank Thunder Horned Giant Wolves were guarding it, so I didn't dare make a move."

"Mm, good."

"Heh heh, so Brother Dao, about what we discussed earlier..."

"Don't worry. Little Tiger, pay him."

Brother Dao said with a chuckle, glancing at the middle-aged man.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man's face lit up with obvious delight.

But the moment he turned to look at Little Tiger, a sharp blade shot out from behind, slicing across his neck with lightning speed.

"You... gurgle..."

The middle-aged man's eyes bulged in shock. Clutching his gushing throat, he only managed to glance back at Brother Dao before his body crashed to the ground.

"How could I let word of a treasure like this spread?"

Brother Dao sneered, wiping the bloodstains off his blade, and cast one last glance at the corpse.

"Move out!"

With a wave of his hand, Brother Dao's squad of eight dashed swiftly toward the ruins.

Arriving at the confirmed spot, a quick search revealed a hidden hole around a corner.

The group exchanged glances, then cautiously entered.

Descending all the way down, they dropped about ten meters before hitting the bottom.

It was pitch black inside, with only faint rays of light spilling in from the entrance, barely enough to see.

Brother Dao and his men had all put on night-vision goggles by now.

They had come prepared, after all.

"Let's go. Stay sharp."

The eight of them slowly searched deeper inside.

Before long, following the route the middle-aged man had described—twisting and turning several times—they finally spotted a faint glimmer of light.

"Almost there. Everyone be careful."

Brother Dao said quietly. In the dimness, his face was already brimming with excitement.

A Thunder Bead—the Companion Bead of a Lightning-type Mutant Beast.

Once ingested, there was a high chance of gaining a Lightning Ability.

Among martial artists, through special means, it was possible to acquire certain unique abilities, including Elemental Power.

With such an ability, one's combat prowess naturally surpassed peers of the same rank, crushing them outright.

Among these Elemental Powers, the Lightning Element boasted the strongest explosive force and devastating damage.

A Companion Bead, as the name implied, was a bead formed when a Mutant Beast was born.

Some held Fire Elements, others Water Elements.

But the odds of this were one in ten thousand—extremely rare.

Thus, among martial artists, only a very few could ever obtain Elemental Power.

And those with the Lightning Element were even rarer, nearly extinct.

"This time, if I get my hands on that Thunder Bead, I'll be set."

Brother Dao, a Peak Fourth Rank martial artist, could barely contain his excitement.

Once he obtained this Companion Bead, swallowed it, and refined it, he would not only have a high chance of comprehending the Lightning Element but also a strong possibility of breaking straight through to the Fifth Rank and beyond.

"Brother Dao, it's really there!"

The lackey walking ahead suddenly gasped in a low voice.

Hearing this, Brother Dao strode over quickly and peered inside.

In the distance, a roughly built wolf den held a bead shimmering with purple light. Inside the bead, currents of electricity could be seen flickering from time to time.

"It really is a Thunder Bead!" Brother Dao was overjoyed.

At the same time, he spotted three Thunder Horned Giant Wolves lying around the den. Based on the patterns on their silver thunder horns, he could confirm they were indeed Peak Fourth Rank. The horns of a Thunder Horned Giant Wolf bore three purple lines. Those with no lines were First Rank, one line meant Second Rank, and so on—three lines indicated Fourth Rank.

"That bastard didn't lie to us. Two men per wolf. Little Tiger, you hold the line. I'll grab the bead. Go!" "Yes!" The other seven responded and struck immediately.

As the eight of them moved, their auras instantly roused the three Thunder Horned Giant Wolves. "Awooo!" The three giant wolves roared at once, baring their fangs at the intruders. The massive horns on their heads crackled with a "zzz" sound, silver currents tinged with purple flowing around the horns.

"Boom, boom, boom~" Several bolts of lightning materialized out of thin air, blasting toward the group. The eight men dodged nimbly, evading the lightning strikes as they charged at the three Thunder Horned Giant Wolves.

This time, all the underlings Brother Dao had brought were at Fourth Rank. But facing the three Thunder Horned Giant Wolves, none of them underestimated their foes. At the same rank, Mutant Beasts surpassed humans in combat power and endurance. And these Thunder Horned Giant Wolves also had a talent attack—lightning. Getting hit by that would leave one numb and tingling all over, a very unpleasant experience.

"Roar!" Failing to land a hit, the giant wolves roared again, and four smaller wolves leaped out of the den. From a distance, they had only seen the glowing Thunder Bead and missed these four pups. But these cubs were merely Second Rank—nothing to fear!

"Little Tiger!" Brother Dao shouted, charging in first with his blade. His Peak Fourth Rank strength made him incredibly fast, allowing him to break through the three giant wolves' line and cut straight to the rear. Little Tiger didn't hesitate either, unleashing his full Fourth Rank Mid strength as he followed closely, heading for the four cubs.

At the same time, the remaining six men split into pairs, directly engaging the three giant wolves in battle. The three wolves, tied up and unable to defend their den, roared repeatedly, swinging their massive claws wildly and lashing their whip-like tails at the martial artists.

"Hmph!" These martial artists were clearly experienced in combat. With a cold snort, they easily dodged the giant wolves' attacks and began a hit-and-run fight. Their goal wasn't to kill the three wolves—just to hold them off until Brother Dao could grab the Thunder Bead.

"Pfft, pfft!" How could Second Rank cubs stand against a Peak Fourth Rank fighter like Brother Dao? In a single exchange, two cubs had their heads pierced and collapsed to the ground.

"Awooo!!" Seeing this, the giant wolves were enraged, roaring incessantly! But they were helpless, pinned down by Brother Dao's men and unable to break free.

Just as the last two cubs were about to be taken out by Little Tiger, the three giant wolves' bodies blazed with blinding light. "Watch out, scatter! They're going to self-destruct!" In an instant, everyone shouted in alarm and tried to retreat. They hadn't expected these Thunder Horned Giant Wolves to be so fierce, choosing to self-destruct outright. The explosion of a Fourth Rank Thunder Horned Giant Wolf would be terrifying. Not even Brother Dao's underlings—or Brother Dao himself at Peak Fourth Rank—dared face it head-on.

But what they didn't expect was that, as they retreated, the anticipated self-destruction didn't happen. The three giant wolves twisted their bodies and charged at Brother Dao all at once.

"Damn! These beasts can actually bluff?" Everyone was stunned.