Lightning Cheetah

The massive commotion was like pouring a basin of cold water into hot oil; the entire valley instantly boiled over.

Ear-piercing roars echoed from the caves in all directions.

One after another, giant lizards—each the size of a fully grown bull and covered entirely in black, rocky carapaces—charged out of the caves. Their scarlet eyes locked onto the intruder, Hong Yuan.

"Bring it on!" Hong Yuan's battle intent soared. With a sweeping strike of her giant axe, she knocked away the first two Black Rock Lizards that lunged at her. However, she deliberately held back her strength, only forcing them back without causing any substantial damage.

In an instant, over a dozen Black Rock Lizards surrounded her. Claw strikes, tail whips, and spewed acid rained down on her like a violent storm.

Relying on her immense physical strength and combat intuition, Hong Yuan defended herself flawlessly.

Just as the attention of all the Black Rock Lizards was entirely drawn to Hong Yuan, Yin Chen made his move.

He closed his eyes, and a majestic spiritual power expanded outward with him at the center. The temperature in the valley plummeted.

Crack!

Accompanied by his low shout, six thick walls of ice rose from the ground, completely sealing off the six cave entrances specified by Chen Guan. Not a single gap was left, ensuring that not even a fly could escape.

Realizing their retreat was blocked, the pack of Black Rock Lizards became even more frantic, their attacks growing increasingly fierce.

Hong Yuan's pressure sharply increased, and several acid burn marks had already appeared on her body.

Their intelligence was low; upon finding their retreat cut off, their only thought was to tear apart the enemy before them or escape through the sole remaining exit.

In the chaotic battlefield, no one noticed a dark shadow.

Chen Guan was like a ghost, silently weaving along the edge of the battlefield.

A Black Rock Lizard staggered after being struck by the flat of Hong Yuan's axe, exposing its defenseless nape.

Thud.

Chen Guan's figure flashed by, the butt of his scythe striking the nerve node on its neck.

The giant lizard's body stiffened, and its massive frame crashed to the ground, completely knocked out.

A one-hit kill... no, a one-hit lullaby.

Another Black Rock Lizard attempted to sneak attack Hong Yuan from the flank.

Thud.

With another muffled thud, it followed in its companion's footsteps.

Chen Guan's movements had no wasted effort. Every time he appeared, a Black Rock Lizard fell.

Physical anesthesia was great. His gray energy was unlike ordinary spiritual power and recovered slowly, so he had to save it to deal with potential dangers.

The scales of the battlefield began to tip at a visible rate.

Hong Yuan's pressure decreased steadily. By the end, she only needed to stand in place and swing her axe a few times to make some noise.

Yin Chen was dumbfounded.

He had thought it would be a bitter struggle, but under Chen Guan's coordination, it turned into an assembly-line operation.

Lure the enemy, control the field, harvest.

The division of labor was clear, and the efficiency was outrageously high.

Fifteen minutes later.

A pile of unconscious Black Rock Lizards lay scattered across the valley.

Hong Yuan leaned on her giant axe, panting heavily, but her face was full of excitement. Yin Chen leaned against the ice wall, recovering his expended energy.

"Done, let's wrap it up." Hong Yuan hoisted her axe onto her shoulder, preparing to go over and collect the loot with capture balls.

In the distance, a ripple appeared in Black Crow's eyes for the first time.

He had anticipated many possibilities, but he never expected such a textbook-perfect field clearing.

This newcomer named Chen Guan had an understanding of the battlefield and a grasp of psychology that far exceeded the scope of a freshman.

Even the sophomores and juniors in top academies might not be as skilled as him.

This kid was more than qualified to skip grades; keeping him in the academy was a waste.

The academy probably had nothing left to teach him.

In the valley, thirty Black Rock Lizards were piled together like small black mountains.

Yin Chen pressed the capture balls onto the foreheads of these giant beasts one by one. With a flash of light, their massive bodies were sucked into the small balls.

Hong Yuan leaned against her giant axe, her chest heaving violently, sweat soaking the hair on her forehead.

It was a heartily satisfying hunt, even though the role she played was more like a giant target.

Chen Guan stood to the side, wiping the butt of his scythe with the cuff of his combat uniform.

A faint sound of footsteps approached. Black Crow had walked up to them at some point.

He didn't look at the spoils on the ground; his gaze locked directly onto Chen Guan. "Fifteen minutes and seven seconds. Your team's execution efficiency is stronger than I expected."

"Your score will probably be the highest among all the groups this time. I don't think anyone can surpass you. Team One, you truly live up to your reputation."

Hearing this, Hong Yuan puffed out her chest, unable to hide the pride on her face.

But after Black Crow finished speaking, he showed no intention of leaving for the next location.

He took a data pad from his tactical vest, tapped it lightly, and a 3D projection unfolded before him.

In the projection appeared a strangely shaped demonic beast.

Its build resembled a cheetah, entirely pitch-black, but dark purple patterns flowed across its fur.

"Lightning Cheetah, Tier Four. The leader of the cheetah pack should be Tier Five. Innate ability: short-distance spatial traversal. Its speed and concealment are extremely high, making it incredibly difficult to track."

"Half a day ago, the Seventh Patrol Team lost contact on the outskirts of this area. According to their last transmitted intel, this pack of demonic beasts is the prime suspect. The military's extermination force is on the way, but they will need at least three hours to arrive."

His gaze swept over the three of them. "Normally speaking, this isn't a mission you should be handling. But your squad isn't quite normal."

Black Crow turned off the projection, looked at them, and presented a brand new option.

"Capture these guys alive. Do you accept?"

Black Crow's voice faded.

Hong Yuan licked her slightly chapped lips, her grip on the giant axe tightening. The exhaustion in her eyes was replaced by a new fervor.

Capturing Tier Four, or possibly even Tier Five demonic beasts alive—that was a real challenge. What skill was there in bullying a bunch of Tier Twos?

Yin Chen's gaze subconsciously turned to Chen Guan. He shared Hong Yuan's thoughts; only a mission like this had any real challenge.

Besides, even if they couldn't capture them alive, simply killing them wouldn't be too hard.

"Accepted."

Chen Guan spoke without the slightest hesitation.

"Now that's more like it!" Hong Yuan smashed a fist into her palm, making a dull thud.

Black Crow simply nodded and handed the data pad to Chen Guan.

"This is the topographic map transmitted by the Seventh Patrol Team before they lost contact, along with their estimated activity range for the Lightning Cheetahs. The margin of error won't exceed five kilometers."

He pulled his hand back, his voice returning to that flat tone typical of a soldier.

"Remember, the intelligence of a Tier Five demonic beast is no less than that of a human, perhaps even more cunning. They are natural-born hunters, and you are the prey trespassing into their hunting grounds."

Hong Yuan hoisted her giant axe onto her shoulder, her blood boiling with heat. "Whether we're the prey or the hunters, we'll only know after we fight."

Yin Chen didn't speak. This unknown danger pushed every cell in his body into a state of excitement.