Once preparations were complete, the team set out again. The atmosphere today was somber; hardly anyone spoke on the road, and the path through the fog seemed endless.
The group walked from dawn until dusk, and it was once again time to make camp.
"Captain Hu, I'm not feeling well. I'm afraid I can't stand for the night watch today," Su Chen said, raising a hand. He clutched his stomach, a helpless, wry smile on his face.
'I've made up my mind to stick with the main group. I can't act alone again; Hu Xiang is a Tier Two Professional, after all.'
Hu Xiang merely gave him a cool glance. "Understood."
'He agreed so easily?' Su Chen wondered inwardly. 'What on earth is Hu Xiang thinking? Does he have some other trick up his sleeve?'
"Captain Hu... I stood for two shifts in a row yesterday. Can I please rest today?" Zhou Zhong also spoke up, his voice weak.
Hu Xiang frowned and barked, "If you can't even handle this little bit of hardship, why did you bother coming along?"
"They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but I'm not so sure. You're on the first shift tonight!"
Zhou Zhong's face turned deathly pale, and his cheeks burned as if he'd just been slapped.
'That bastard! Could he make the favoritism any more obvious?!'
In the crowd, squad leader Tang Chen was inwardly furious. 'That moron. I'll just have to wait for his watch to end before I can get that thing from him.'
'Good thing we won't reach the delivery point for another three days.'
The others were scared into silence, not daring to speak. They could only steal glances at Su Chen, completely baffled.
'How did he get such special treatment from Hu Xiang?'
Su Chen turned and returned to his tent, preparing to continue his training. The others, meanwhile, dragged their exhausted bodies to stand watch in shifts with the City Patrol Guard.
"Damn it, Hu Xiang... After we get back, I'll definitely find a way to make you pay..." Zhou Zhong cursed. The wind howled around them, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
The veteran soldier next to him paid no mind. After they reached the designated watch point, he became as still as a statue.
"And Su Chen..." Zhou Zhong continued to curse. The thought of Su Chen resting comfortably in his tent made his anger boil over.
"Keep your voice down..." the veteran beside him suddenly muttered, startling Zhou Zhong.
The veteran stared into the distant darkness, his expression alert. His years of experience with the city patrol had taught him to recognize the scent of danger.
Suddenly, a pair of green eyes, each the size of a grown man's head, opened in the darkness. A foul wind rushed over them.
"This is bad!" The veteran's hair stood on end. He lowered his voice. "Zhou Zhong, you..."
"Help! Ambush! Help me!"
A miserable wail sounded from behind him, growing more and more distant. The veteran froze for a moment, a helpless, bitter smile on his face, which then quickly drained of all color.
In the darkness, more green eyes opened.
...
"Ambush!"
A piercing, hoarse, and vaguely familiar voice suddenly echoed through the camp.
Su Chen's heart skipped a beat. He shot out of his tent to find the camp in chaos. A panting Zhou Zhong was grabbing Hu Xiang's arm and explaining something.
BOOM!
Sparks flew from the Energy barrier outside the camp as the Camp Pillars were sent flying. The barrier's main purpose was to keep out the fog; it wasn't very strong defensively.
ROAR!
In the night, the figure of a colossal beast emerged. Its huge cyan eyes seemed to be searching for prey to devour. As its silhouette took shape, it was clear it was many times larger than the Gluttonous Wolf they had encountered before.
It stood nearly ten meters tall, with massive, high-set shoulders. Taut muscles rippled beneath the Scale Armor that covered its body, and an oppressive chill washed over them.
Su Chen watched with a grave expression, his heart beginning to beat faster.
"A Tier Two Mutant Species... a Cyan Scale Lion..." Hu Xiang gasped. "How could a creature like this get through the defensive perimeter?"
"Positions!" he roared. The City Patrol Guard was already moving, forming ranks and raising their firearms. The Professionals took the front, with the students arrayed behind them.
His men reacted with extreme speed, but Hu Xiang's expression only grew graver. Following the giant beast was a pack of smaller lions.
"A pride..." Hu Xiang's palms began to sweat. If it were just one lion, he was confident he could kill it. But this was an entire pride.
"What the hell is going on?! What in the world are the Fort Guards doing!?"
ROAR! The giant lion's roar was like a signal to attack. It charged forward like a small mountain, its front paws shattering the rock beneath them. The knotted muscles of its back were taut as a drawn bowstring, its amber eyes reflecting a sea of terrified faces.
Hu Xiang gritted his teeth. With a clang, he gripped his weapon as scarlet flames blazed around him. He had no choice but to charge forward to meet the beast.
"Mama..."
"Help me..."
"..."
The City Patrol Guard was well-trained and held their formation, but most of the students had already burst into tears, crying for their parents in a panicked frenzy.
There were only seven Professionals among the City Patrol Guard. They stood at the front of the formation, their resolve wavering as they watched the pride of lions gradually surround them.
SWOOSH!
A figure leaped out from the crowd. It was Bai Fengxi, taking her place with the other Tier One Professionals.
Everyone jumped, thinking she had lost her mind. But then they noticed a chilling aura emanating from her.
"She's already a Professional? And she has Elemental Power?" The others finally understood.
"Fire!" At the command, muzzle flashes erupted and a torrent of bullets shot out. But they merely ricocheted off the cyan scales of the Cyan Scale Lions with a series of metallic clangs.
BOOM!
A fireball exploded in the middle of the pride; it was some kind of explosive device.
ROAR—
Before the smoke and flames could even clear, shadowy figures charged out from within. The pride numbered at least twenty lions of various sizes. Wreathed in scorching air, they were like a cavalry charge—ferocious and unstoppable.
Even if they weren't all Tier One Mutant Species, there were at least a dozen!
"Spread out, spread out!"
A City Patrol Guard yelled, warning everyone not to cluster together. He didn't need to; most of the students were already scattering, screaming and crying.
"Fuck!" Zhou Zhong scrambled away frantically. He'd been targeted by a lion that was at least five meters long—definitely a Tier One Mutant Species. He was terrified beyond belief.
"Don't chase me, don't chase me!"
Zhou Zhong deliberately ran toward the densest parts of the crowd, using the people in his path as human shields to slow the beast.
He was just one step away from becoming a Tier One Professional, so his physical condition was excellent. Few people there could resist him, and miserable cries rose one after another in his wake.
"Su... Su Chen!" In his panic, Zhou Zhong spotted Su Chen standing in the distance, seemingly frozen in fear.
He had his next target. He fled straight toward Su Chen.
"Go die!"
Seeing his goal within reach, Zhou Zhong's panic seemed to subside. A savage grin spread across his face as he reached for Su Chen's arm, intending to throw him to the lion.
Hmm?
Zhou Zhong's expression froze. He stared at the expressionless Su Chen in front of him, veins bulging on his own arm. He should have been able to fling Su Chen aside like a chick.
But it felt like he had grabbed hold of a mountain. Even with all his strength, he couldn't move him in the slightest.
BOOM!
The thundering footsteps behind him grew closer. Zhou Zhong had no time to think; his only instinct was to escape.
But an iron grip clamped down on his arm. He turned his head and saw that Su Chen had grabbed him in return and was now staring at him coldly.
"You—what are you doing!?" Zhou Zhong blustered, though he was terrified inside. The giant lion was almost upon them. "You lunatic! If you want to die, let go of me!"
CRACK—
A flash of white light shot in from the side. Bai Fengxi descended from above and kicked the charging lion, sending it tumbling.
The beast staggered, and tendrils of ice spread across its scales, but they shattered when it just shook its head. It wasn't seriously injured.
"You'll be in trouble if you kill him in front of everyone," Bai Fengxi said, her back to them.
Zhou Zhong replied instinctively, "What kind of trouble could there be?"
"Alright then." Su Chen shrugged and casually tossed Zhou Zhong aside.
Zhou Zhong was stunned. 'What does that mean? Bai Fengxi was talking to Su Chen.'
'He can kill me?'