Li Ce

Hong Yuan mechanically pressed the last capture ball onto the forehead of a giant desert scorpion.

This former hunting ground was now as quiet as a graveyard. Apart from the overly docile cheetah leader by their feet, not even the chirp of an insect could be heard.

"Is it cleared?" Hong Yuan's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"In the physical sense, yes." Yin Chen's spiritual power swept over the area one last time. After confirming there were no life signs above the fourth tier, he withdrew his perception.

How was this an assessment? This was like doing a species census for Battlefield Three and registering their extinction while they were at it.

Up on the high ground, Black Crow had already crushed the data pad in his hand.

Cracks spread across the screen. Just a moment ago, a backend programmer, doubting his own sanity, had sent a message asking if the equipment was malfunctioning.

He didn't reply.

He simply looked at the three students below who were preparing to change locations, his throat turning dry.

Having led so many batches of new students, he had seen the fierce ones, the smart ones, and the lucky ones.

But Chen Guan was the first one to turn a high-difficulty combat assessment into an armed parade, picking up a Tier 5 enforcer along the way.

The problem wasn't the equipment; it was Chen Guan himself.

Black Crow looked up at the sky.

He was starting to feel a little sympathy for the military's extermination unit.

When they arrived in three hours, let alone demonic beasts, they probably wouldn't even find a single intact strand of beast fur.

Black Crow also felt a pang of pity for himself.

When he got back this time, how was he supposed to write the report?

Squad One: Cleared all marked demonic beast nests in Zone C of Hunting Ground Three. Captured 73 Tier 4 demonic beasts alive, one Tier 5 demonic beast, and an unquantifiable number of Tier 3 and below demonic beasts, too many to count.

If he wrote that down, even he wouldn't believe it.

This was no longer an assessment; this was a strategic-level sweep operation. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were a professional squad from the Great Wall.

But he had seen it with his own eyes. This young man named Chen Guan was simply too outrageous.

A steady male voice rang out over the communication channel, interrupting his thoughts.

"Instructor Black Crow, we have entered the perimeter of Zone C and expect to arrive at the designated coordinates in ten minutes. What is the situation on the ground? Do you need heavy fire support?"

The voice belonged to the commander of this extermination unit, Colonel Li Ce.

Black Crow remained silent for a moment, glancing down at the three students who had already begun cleaning up the battlefield.

"Colonel Li, there's no need to rush."

"What do you mean?" Li Ce was somewhat puzzled on the other end of the line. He was already confused about this impromptu addition of students to the operation, but since it was a decision from above, he had no choice but to comply.

"I mean, you can treat this operation as an armed field trip." Black Crow rubbed his temples. "And bring a larger transport vehicle while you're at it. There are quite a few local specialties here, and you might not be able to fit them all."

The communication channel fell dead silent.

...

In the stone forest.

Chen Guan walked over to the cheetah leader, who had completely accepted its fate. The beast docilely rubbed its head against his pant leg.

Right at that moment, the roar of engines approached from a distance.

At the entrance to the ravine, several armored vehicles painted in military green camouflage came to a halt. The doors opened, and a squad of heavily armed soldiers quickly rushed in.

A middle-aged officer with a resolute face, bearing the rank of colonel on his shoulders, strode in accompanied by Black Crow.

His name was Li Ce, the commander of the extermination unit.

When he saw the scene before him, his pupils contracted.

His gaze finally settled on the creature by Chen Guan's feet, the Tier 5 Lightning Cheetah leader, which possessed a powerful aura yet was acting as tame as a house cat.

Li Ce's brows furrowed deeply, his entire body exuding the iron-blooded aura unique to a military man.

Black Crow stepped forward, blocking the space between Li Ce and the three students. His perpetually icy face now showed a trace of unnaturalness.

"Colonel Li, this is Squad One of this assessment."

"An assessment?" Li Ce's voice wasn't loud, but it had a steely quality. He glanced at the Tier 5 cheetah by Chen Guan's feet, then swept his eyes over the traces of the thoroughly cleaned demonic beast nests around them.

"Black Crow, you call this an assessment?"

His words contained only a confusion based purely on reality.

Was this some sort of military officer evaluation site?

Three students, in a short amount of time, had wiped out a demonic beast gathering place that would normally require the military to dispatch a reinforced company to handle, and they had even recruited the enemy's leader in passing.

This didn't sound like an academy assessment; it sounded more like a story made up by the theater command headquarters after having too much to drink while bragging.

No, they couldn't even make this up if they were drunk.

Hong Yuan, carrying her giant axe on her shoulder, took a step forward. She didn't like this feeling of being questioned. "Reporting to the commanding officer, we accepted the mission, and we defeated the demonic beasts. Is there a problem?"

Li Ce's gaze shifted to her, and the pressure made Hong Yuan tighten her grip on the axe handle.

"The problem is that you shouldn't have this kind of capability." Li Ce's words were blunt.

There had never been a precedent for this kind of thing. It would be stranger if he didn't question it.

Yin Chen stepped forward and pulled back Hong Yuan, who still wanted to speak.

He organized his thoughts, trying to make his phrasing sound logical. "Reporting to the colonel, we merely took advantage of the habits of these demonic beasts and formulated a relatively efficient tactic..."

Before he could finish, Li Ce raised a hand to interrupt him.

"A tactic? A tactic that can make a Tier 5 predator give up its dignity and obediently lie at your feet? Student, the Military Intelligence Department is in dire need of talents like you."

Li Ce's words were aggressive.

Yin Chen was left speechless. He couldn't exactly say that Chen Guan had used a single knife to scare this cheetah into surrendering on the spot.

In truth, even he couldn't explain it. The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

Everyone's gaze eventually converged on Chen Guan.

He was the absolute core of this squad, and the source of all these unreasonable phenomena.

Chen Guan raised his eyelids, meeting Li Ce's gaze.

"It simply made a smart choice."

Li Ce stared at him for a moment, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, before he finally withdrew his oppressive aura.

This student...

"Black Crow, the students you bring out have more personality than the last." He no longer dwelled on the process.

Black Crow shook his head. "They aren't my students, they're Jing's. Jing just had some business to attend to and asked me to cover for him. I don't have this kind of ability."

He was telling the truth. Although he was also an instructor in name, he and Instructor Jing were not on the same level.

The Great Wall had many internal divisions. For instance, Li Ce standing before him belonged to the Great Wall Military Department, while Jing was from the Special Operations Department. As for himself, he was in the Logistics Department, spending most of his time serving as a military academy instructor, which was comparatively a minor, background role.

Although his strength wasn't bad, their status was miles apart.

Li Ce's gaze shifted back and forth between Black Crow and Chen Guan, finally settling on Black Crow's expressionless face.

"Jing?" He repeated the name, his frown deepening. "From the Special Operations Department? No wonder."

A person's reputation was like the shade of a tree; this name explained a portion of the unreasonableness.