Lin Wang, drenched in sweat, gazed bitterly at the entrance of the mountain valley, remaining silent for a long while.
He felt both fortunate and disappointed.
His armor bore more than a dozen injuries of various sizes.
Fortunately, none of these injuries were fatal or particularly serious.
Beside Lin Wang, Bei Lihui crouched on the ground, panting heavily, his eyes full of lingering fear.
Bei Lihui also struggled to keep his head up, looking toward the valley.
His eyes showed a mix of anxiety, ongoing anticipation, and a sense of desolation.
The four of them had been resting here for more than ten minutes, and the other two hadn’t emerged, likely meeting a grim fate.
Si Mawan appeared much better, only slightly disheveled.
A large section of her combat suit on her thigh had been torn open, revealing a gash about a foot long extending from her hip bone down to her knee, but it had already been sprayed with coagulant, and the wound wasn’t deep enough to show bone.
Beside them, there was a jetski burned down to its frame, and Ren Zhong lay nearby, injured and groaning.
Ren Zhong’s helmet was cracked, and his exoskeleton had several severe damages.
Among all present, he appeared to be in the worst condition.
Lin Wang walked over to Ren Zhong and sat down beside him, "Pan Fenglian and Song Qianlian are probably dead."
Ren Zhong showed a look of lingering fear, then said gloomily, "Alas, what a pity."
Lin Wang shook his head self-reproachfully, "It’s my fault."
Ren Zhong struggled to sit up straight, raising his hand to pat Lin Wang’s shoulder, "Captain, it’s not your fault. Who could have known? Manager Yang told us to hurry back, and we were just following orders. After all, who would have thought that there would be a Legion Beast in this valley? It’s truly not your fault."
Lin Wang ground his teeth in anger, losing his usual composure, and cursed aloud, "It’s all Ma Dafu’s fault, that bastard. Starfire Town has no future, that’s a sure thing. It’s only logical for Manager Yang to prepare for early evacuation. Damn it, I don’t know what Ma Dafu was thinking, inciting those lower-class Scavengers to cause trouble."
Ren Zhong asked puzzled, "Aren’t there two professional teams in the town? Can’t they handle those Scavengers?"
"After all, it is indeed Manager Yang’s fault, and others are just surrounding the company demanding an explanation without firing any shots. We can’t just start a massacre in town, that would just give Ma Xiaoling an excuse to create trouble. Manager Yang wanted me back early because I’ve gained some reputation among the lower-class Scavengers, hoping I’d come back to mediate, but who would have thought... sigh."
Ren Zhong patted Lin Wang’s shoulder again, showing concern, "Captain, sometimes plans can’t keep up with changes, so stay calm and composed."
"Speaking of which, it’s also thanks to you, Ren Zhong. If you hadn’t turned the tide, both Bei Lihui and I would be in danger today. I still don’t know how you did it, but you really dared."
Lin Wang mused again.
He recalled the sudden surge of beasts covering the mountains and plains, and still felt a chill of fear.
The Legion Beast, as a peculiar Ruined Beast with no tier restrictions, possessed intelligence comparable to humans and could forcibly control all Ruined Beasts within a certain range lower than its tier, unleashing destructive power similar to that of a human army.
Its appearance shattered the usual image of the Ruined Beasts, often easily exterminated by humans, as foolish and dull.
It has always been listed as one of the highest threats, consistently topping the Ruined Beast wanted lists.
In a sense, the Legion Beast poses an even greater threat than the Descending Demon Baby.
No matter what level the Legion Beast is, once discovered, it must be exterminated immediately.
Under the relentless hunting of human top Professionals, the Legion Beasts haven’t surfaced for a long time.
Even if some survived by chance, they are wise enough to know the dangers posed by humans and stay hidden, rarely showing themselves.
But no one would have thought that Lin Wang’s seemingly random decision to take a shortcut would lead the team to a head-on encounter with a Legion Beast, resembling a human but lacking eyes, nose, and ears, having only a blood bowl for a mouth, squatting outside a tree hole, gnawing on food.
At the time, no one paid much mind, and the quick-reacting Bei Lihui raised his hand and fired a shot, which the creature easily dodged by turning its head, looking back.
Seeing that eerie face, Lin Wang immediately realized it was a terrifying Ruined Beast with human intelligence.
As it rose, Lin Wang’s armor sensors went into a frenzy, and the detected Energy Level Index quickly rose, surpassing twenty thousand points.
Lin Wang, leading the front, turned the jetski around and fled without a second thought.