Chapter 58: Clearing Operation Successful
Unfortunately, the movements of an Apprentice Beast Tamer could never compare to the speed of a Ferocious Beast.
A crimson light flashed like the blade arc drawn by a peerless swordmaster—gorgeous yet filled with a deadly aura.
Vermilion Jade lashed her tail midair, slicing through the back of a gunman’s neck, then, as another Beast Tamer prepared to fire, her tail whipped again, darting toward a second gunman manning a heavy machine gun.
The other gunman reacted just in time, quickly turning his weapon and opening fire on Vermilion Jade, who threatened his life.
“Die!”
The scent of death made the last gunman roar in terror, frantically pulling the trigger to vent his fear.
However, against Vermilion Jade’s speed and massive size, such close-range fire was utterly meaningless. On the contrary, with the suppression gone, the Scorpion-Tailed Lion began to display the dominance befitting a low-tier Ferocious Beast overlord.
“Boom!”
Just as a Six-legged Venom Wolf was about to assist the heavy machine gunner, a thunderous crack exploded in everyone’s ears—it was Zhou Ming, who had taken advantage of the chaos to move in.
“Ah!”
The Six-legged Venom Wolf’s master, the Venom Wolf Tamer, fell to the ground with a miserable scream.
At that instant of intimidation from the roaring gunfire, Vermilion Jade took the opportunity to drive her bone blade straight into the gunman’s heart.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
After firing the Thunder Type-2 Revolver, Zhou Ming didn’t stop. Instead, he drew the Blood Hunter Type-1 Handgun with his untrained left hand, while Inkband joined in the slaughter.
“Ah! Ah!”
Without suppression, the Scorpion-Tailed Lion began to massacre the enemy beasts, and the agonized cries that followed came from their tamers as their beasts perished.
Victory was decided in mere moments. Once the snipers among the hunters were swiftly eliminated by Zhou Ming, their fates were already sealed.
Looking at the corpses scattered before him, Zhou Ming recalled Vermilion Jade to the Beast Space and, together with Inkband, walked toward the Scorpion Lion.
To prevent any surprises, he fired an extra shot into the fallen hunters.
“What about those two snipers?”
Bringing his beast over, the Scorpion Lion asked curiously as Zhou Ming was finishing off the wounded.
“In the pile of rocks behind us. They originally wanted to lure us out by pretending to take the bait, but they didn’t expect us to strike first.”
“Guess that’s luck?”
Realizing their enemies had fallen right into their trap, the Scorpion Lion couldn’t help but feel a bit fortunate.
“I’ve always been lucky,” Zhou Ming replied smugly, then shifted his attention to the Scorpion-Tailed Lion. He noticed several armor-piercing rounds embedded halfway into the creature’s flesh, stopped before they could pierce through.
“Secret Technique?”
Other than that explanation, Zhou Ming couldn’t think of another reason.
“Hardened Skin combined with Muscle Reinforcement. But A Yue hasn’t fully mastered them yet, so he can only barely withstand it,” the Scorpion Lion explained frankly, not hiding anything after witnessing Zhou Ming’s combat power.
“Clang, clang…”
Having achieved its purpose, the Scorpion-Tailed Lion flexed its muscles, squeezing out the armor-piercing bullets.
Seeing this, Zhou Ming’s face, hidden under his gas mask, twitched violently twice.
A Scorpion-Tailed Lion already possessed the most powerful attack among low-tier Ferocious Beasts, yet the Scorpion Lion had even taught it two defensive secret techniques.
Was this ruthless or just outrageously extravagant?
Zhou Ming felt it was the latter—extravagant beyond reason.
As for bringing a partner, perhaps it was only to prevent his beast from being injured; otherwise, the Scorpion Lion could probably have wiped out all the hunters alone.
“Looks like your earlier promise wasn’t an exaggeration. I’d better pray that Wyvern really has a Dragon Crystal,” Zhou Ming said.
“Do you want me to wait while you kneel down and pray first?”
The usually cold Scorpion Lion unexpectedly teased.
“Forget it. Given this environment, I’ll just count myself lucky if nothing goes wrong.”
“Let’s move. Only the Wyvern is left. We’ve wasted too much time already.”
Although they were still within the outer region of the Green Mist Jungle, that didn’t mean high-tier Ferocious Beasts couldn’t appear.
And while few hunters ventured this deep, that didn’t mean none did—otherwise Zhou Ming and his team wouldn’t have needed to perform a clearing operation.
Understanding Zhou Ming’s meaning, the Scorpion Lion mounted his Scorpion-Tailed Lion and set off. The damage from the armor-piercing rounds was merely superficial.
Watching the Scorpion Lion’s confident figure, Zhou Ming looked down at Inkband on his left shoulder and flicked its head.
“Why is it that with you, things always turn around?”
Inkband had no idea why it was suddenly caught in the crossfire.
Moments later, Zhou Ming and the Scorpion Lion arrived at the ravine where the Wyvern had crashed.
Before Zhou Ming even got close, he personally experienced the weight of a higher lifeform’s presence—a suffocating pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Even severely injured, the Wyvern still exuded the aura of a fallen king.
“How do we deal with this?”
Staring at the sight before him, the Scorpion Lion habitually asked Zhou Ming.
Although Dragon Might exerted tremendous mental pressure, Zhou Ming gradually adapted after a few moments.
Hearing the question, he turned his head and replied, “Isn’t this your job? I’m support—you’re the main force.”
Corrosive Giant Python, Green-furred Spider, Blood Leopard…
Almost all of the strongest low-tier Ferocious Beasts of the Green Mist Jungle had gathered here. The Corrosive Giant Python alone was a dominant ruler among them.
Yet, instead of fighting one another, these beasts surrounded the Wyvern in eerie silence, cautiously probing its condition.
“I can step in—but you’ll have to take a smaller share of the spoils,” the Scorpion Lion said, cutting straight to the point.
“You’re ruthless.”
Seeing the Scorpion Lion already bargaining, Zhou Ming reluctantly pulled three potions from his backpack.
“What are you doing?”
The Scorpion Lion didn’t believe those potions could solve the current standoff.
“Didn’t you notice they’re about to lose patience? I’ll give them a little push.”
Without further explanation, Zhou Ming gathered strength and hurled the potions like iron balls toward the rocks.
The glass vials shattered instantly on impact, splintering into fragments.
The sound of breaking glass immediately drew the attention of the surrounding beasts, but when nothing else seemed to happen, they returned their focus to the Wyvern.
“What potions did you throw?”
“Beast Berserk Potions—but low-quality ones, not like your premium stuff.”
The Scorpion Lion was well aware of the Beast Berserk Potion’s effects, but he couldn’t see what good it would do in this situation.
“Low-grade Berserk Potions not only damage a beast’s potential but also affect its temperament—driving them mad.”
“Useful? You just threw them on the ground.”
Though he understood Zhou Ming’s intention, he couldn’t help but notice all the potions were simply spilled across the area.
“To ignite a powder keg, all you need is a spark. If it fails, well—you’re my backup. I don’t mind losing a bit of loot.”
With insurance like that, Zhou Ming didn’t mind taking the risk.
“Looks like their patience really has run out. Sit back and watch.”
“Roar!”
As Zhou Ming’s words fell, the Blood Leopard finally snapped.
A whiff of the Berserk Potion’s scent reached its nose, like the last straw breaking a camel’s back. A spark ignited the entire powder barrel.