Three heavy armored assault vehicles, reinforced with runes, roared out of the final defensive gate of Panshi Fortress like steel beasts, crushing the barren scorched earth as they sped towards Jiu'an City.
The vehicle's outer shell was emblazoned with The Boulder military emblem and the 'Dawnbreaker' squad's codename, reflecting a cold, hard glint under the dim, yellow sky.
Inside the command vehicle in the middle, the atmosphere was oppressive and tense.
Captain Li Fan sat in the co-pilot's seat, his posture straight, like a cold statue.
He wore a special general-grade combat uniform, his epaulets displaying his former identity as an Air Force commander. Even now, having transferred to frontline special operations, the prestige and iron-blooded temperament from his long-held high position remained undiminished.
His face was resolute, his gaze sharp as an eagle's, but deep in his eyes, a trace of unresolvable grief and almost fanatical hatred lay dormant.
His good brother and close friend, Xiong Yan, had died tragically at Ling Chen's hands; this vendetta was etched into his bones.
His ability, 【Bianwei (Discern Micro)】—an extremely rare and powerful dragon-type beast transformation ability—granted him extraordinary strength, defense, and a hint of a true dragon's rage, but it also made his temperament increasingly hateful of evil and vindictive.
Driving was a silent veteran, skilled and scanning the road ahead with alert eyes.
In the rear of the compartment, Li Mingyu, Lin Wei, Chen Xue, and Zhou Yunguang sat facing each other.
Li Mingyu meticulously wiped his terrifying, giant power gauntlets, "Earthshaker," a gruesome scar on his dark face twitching slightly with his muscles.
He had lost his friend Sun Qiang, and that pain had settled into a deeper silence and a more frenzied break out in combat.
His 【Buli (Brute Force)】 ability was stirring, as if eager to tear something apart.
Several light screens unfolded before Lin Wei, displaying real-time energy distribution maps of the Jiu'an City area and predicted mutant activity data streamed from headquarters.
Her 【Bianwei (Discern Micro)】 ability was in full operation, trying to filter out valuable clues from the chaotic information. Her delicate brows were furrowed, her eyes focused and calm, occasionally exchanging whispers with Li Fan, appearing capable and reliable.
The cataclysm a year ago had stripped away all her innocence, leaving only a warrior's keenness.
Chen Xue lowered her head, her slender fingers unconsciously fiddling with a high-efficiency tranquilizer, her face somewhat pale. She was the team's only healer; her 【Silver Shepherd's Light】 could effectively soothe mental trauma, but her own emotional wounds were difficult to heal.
Ling Chen's betrayal was like a thorn, deeply embedded in her heart, making her exceptionally sensitive and fragile to everything. Only when healing her teammates could she find a sense of purpose.
Zhou Yunguang sat in the corner, his face the most somber. He clutched his ornate light-energy longbow, "Dawnlight," but the light flowing over the bowstring appeared somewhat dim and erratic.
He struggled to regulate his breathing, trying to calm the restless and unstable spiritual energy within him—a hidden injury left by Ling Chen. Each use of 【Angel's Gaze】 brought a backlash of pain, severely reducing his strength and making it unpredictable.
His hatred for Ling Chen was mixed with an unspeakable fear and self-doubt.
"Based on the last transmitted images and energy residue analysis," Lin Wei broke the silence in the compartment, her voice clear and calm, "Zhuang Han's strength is stable at the early Hundred Forms Realm, but his fighting style is wild, and he is suspected of possessing the ability to rapidly recover or even strengthen himself through devouring.
He has at least four Bone Eater Stage Peak leaders under his command, specializing in speed, defense, venom, and area interference, respectively.
The number of low-level mutants... cannot be accurately estimated, but it is extremely high."
"Devouring evolution..." Li Fan snorted coldly, his voice metallic.
"As expected, it's the scourge left by that venomous snake Ling Chen! An evil path passed down through generations!" At the mention of Ling Chen's name, the temperature in the compartment instantly dropped a few more degrees.
"Our mission is to clear the Linghui Academy nest, prioritizing the elimination of Zhuang Han and his main leaders."
Li Fan's gaze swept over everyone.
"Headquarters requires us to collect their combat data, especially... whether they exhibit strange abilities beyond their conventional level, similar to 'that kind of existence.'"
He avoided directly saying "Ling Chen," but everyone understood what he meant.
"Understood," they responded in low voices.
Li Mingyu looked up, battle intent burning in his eyes: "As long as they are flesh and blood, my fists can smash them!"
Zhou Yunguang gritted his teeth: "My holy light will purify this filth!" But his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner unease.
Chen Xue quietly added: "I will... I will protect everyone, especially against mental impacts."
The vehicles continued deeper into the wasteland. In the distance, the distorted silhouette of Jiu'an City's ruins began to appear on the horizon, and the spiritual energy fluctuations in the air became more chaotic and... violent.
A faint scent of blood seemed to begin to permeate the air.
"Raise your guard! We've entered a high-risk area!" Li Fan said in a deep voice, his 【Bianwei (Discern Micro)】 ability slightly activated, his pupils vaguely showing signs of golden vertical slits, and his perception greatly enhanced.
Suddenly!
Boom!!!
The ground ahead exploded violently!
Dirt mixed with rubble shot into the sky!
A colossal, terrifying figure covered in dark red tumors and bone spurs, like an earth dragon, burst forth from underground, opening its fanged maw and biting fiercely at the leading assault vehicle!
That was a mutated Earthworm! A Bone Eater Realm! Enormous in size, with astonishing strength!
"Watch out!" Li Fan roared, reacting like lightning!
He didn't even open the car door, directly shattering the reinforced glass beside him with a punch! He shot out like a cannonball!
In mid-air, his arms instantly underwent a terrifying mutation!
Covered in dark green, metallic-glowing dragon scales, his fingers transformed into sharp claws, and his arms swelled and thickened. With a shriek that tore through the air, he fiercely clawed at the Earthworm's head!
【Bianwei (Discern Micro)】 · Dragon Claw Rend!
Tear—!!!
A grating tearing sound erupted!
The Earthworm's tough hide and bone spurs were like paper before Li Fan's dragon claws, being violently ripped open in a large section! Foul-smelling blood and tissue fluid splattered out!
The Earthworm let out a pained shriek and abruptly retreated underground!
But the attack was not over!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
From the ruins on both sides of the road, dozens of incredibly fast dark figures suddenly darted out!
They were another type of humanoid mutant!
They ran on all fours like hounds, their bodies covered in bulging muscles and short, stiff fur, corrosive saliva dripping from their mouths, and their eyes gleaming with hunger and madness!
They charged directly at the three assault vehicles!
"Enemy attack! They're 'Corroding Fang Hounds'! Bone Eater Realm early stage! Extremely fast! Their saliva is highly corrosive!" Lin Wei quickly reported the information!
"Get out! Engage the enemy!"
Li Fan landed, his dragonized arms hanging naturally, sticky blood dripping from his claws, his eyes coldly scanning the surrounding mutants.
The car doors opened, and the team members quickly rushed out, forming a simple defensive formation around the vehicles.
"Perfect timing! Let's collect some interest for Sun Qiang's revenge!" Li Mingyu roared, his 【Buli (Brute Force)】 ability fully erupting! His entire body's muscles instantly swelled, veins bulging! His gloved fists collided, producing a dull thud, and he charged proactively into the pack of hounds!
"Earthshaker · Mountain Collapse!"
He slammed a punch at the leading Corroding Fang Hound! The hound was fast and tried to dodge, but Li Mingyu's punch carried a terrifying oppressive force, as if locking space itself!
Boom!
The fist accurately struck the hound's flank! Terrifying power instantly erupted!
Pfft—!
The hound didn't even have time to shriek. Its entire body, as if hit by a heavy truck, instantly exploded!
Flesh, bones, and organ fragments splattered everywhere! The power of a single punch was this terrifying!
Pure strength! Extreme violence!
More hounds lunged!
Their sharp claws and teeth tore at Li Mingyu's heavy armor, producing grating scraping sounds. Corrosive saliva dripped onto the armor, emitting sizzling white smoke, but for a moment, they couldn't break through his defense!
Li Mingyu was like a humanoid tyrannosaur, crashing through the pack of hounds, swinging his fists. With every strike, a hound was inevitably sent flying or blown apart!
The physical strength he displayed was in no way inferior to that of mutants of the same rank! It even surpassed them!
On the other side, Zhou Yunguang endured the discomfort in his body and drew his light bow, "Dawnlight."
"Holy Light! Purify them!" He gritted his teeth and shot a scorching light arrow!
The light arrow accurately struck a hound. The sacred energy clashed fiercely with the mutant's vile power. The hound let out a shriek, white smoke rising from its body, and its movements immediately slowed considerably.
However, the power of the light arrow seemed weaker than expected, failing to directly purify and eliminate it.
Zhou Yunguang's face paled, and his spiritual energy became chaotic, the pain of the backlash making him almost unable to hold his bow.
"Yunguang! Conserve your spiritual energy! Just pick them off!" Lin Wei keenly noticed his abnormal state. While warning him, she moved quickly, her energy pistol firing precise shots, specifically targeting the hounds' eyes and joints—their vulnerable spots—to relieve pressure on Li Mingyu and Li Fan.
Her 【Bianwei (Discern Micro)】 ability always allowed her to find the most suitable attack timing and angle.
Chen Xue stood in a relatively safe position, her hands raised, and the gentle 【Silver Shepherd's Light】 enveloped her teammates in front, enhancing their mental resistance (against the mental interference caused by the mutants' bloodthirsty roars), and ready to heal at any moment.
Li Fan did not join the melee. His dragonized eyes coldly scanned the battlefield. Suddenly, he abruptly turned his head and looked at a section of ruins on the flank!
"Underground! There's something else! Something bigger!" He warned sharply!
No sooner had he spoken!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several loud bangs! Three even larger and more grotesque mutants burst out of the ground!
One of them, nearly three meters tall, was covered in thick, granite-like keratin, its arms mutated into giant bone hammers. It was Zhuang Han's defensive leader—The Boulder!
Another was slender, with limbs like sharp bone blades, moving like a phantom, leaving trails of afterimages. It was the speed-type leader—Shadow Thorn!
The last one was covered in pustules, constantly dripping dark green venom, melting the ground wherever it passed. It was the venom-type leader—Corrosive Sac!
Three Bone Eater Stage Peak mutant leaders appeared simultaneously!