Chapter Thirty: A Crisis of Life and Death

As dusk fell, the members of the Fire Hammer Squad, rested and refreshed after a hearty meal, took turns gazing below with binoculars. Only Luo Yuan remained seated, immersed in his cultivation.

“Captain, look—Beast Commander class tiger cat,” Luo Feng, who had been keeping watch, suddenly called out.

Luo Yuan’s eyes snapped open at the sound, and together with the others, he looked down. Along the edge of the street, over a dozen beasts had appeared, their bodies adorned with spots. At first glance, they resembled tigers, but they belonged to the feline beast clan known as the tiger cats. Each was large and imposing, but one stood out—a tiger cat with two tails.

“It really is a tiger cat! They’re known to dislike congregating, and that’s no exaggeration. Around the Beast Commander tiger cat, only sixteen ordinary Beast Soldier level monsters,” Gao Feng laughed heartily. “Brothers, get ready for action.”

“Let’s move.”

At Gao Feng’s command, the group immediately left the rooftop. This time, they didn’t fire ahead of time—they didn’t want to risk scaring off the tiger cat before killing it. A Beast Commander class monster leading only a dozen underlings was a rare sight in a small county town.

The seven descended, watching the two-tailed tiger cat leisurely stroll with its followers. Luo Yuan sneered.

“Captain, let me handle this Beast Commander tiger cat. My hands are itching after being cooped up on the rooftop,” Luo Yuan said.

Gao Feng glanced at Luo Yuan’s confident expression and nodded. With Luo Yuan’s strength, killing this tiger cat would be no problem.

Whoosh!

The moment Gao Feng nodded, Luo Yuan’s figure vanished and instantly appeared before the tiger cat group.

“Roar~~” The leader—the two-tailed tiger cat—bristled, fur standing on end, and bellowed furiously. The sixteen tiger cats around it also let out wild, enraged roars, echoing off the street, their voices shaking the sky. One after another, the agile and powerful tiger cats lunged at the human before them.

“Out of my way, trash!”

Luo Yuan unleashed his “Streamlight” movement technique, seemingly teleporting amidst the sixteen tiger cats. As his Blood Shadow War Blade was drawn, dozens of blade lights crisscrossed, slaughtering the Beast Soldier tiger cats. Blood splattered everywhere—their heads fell before they could react, eyes fading even as their faces remained twisted in ferocity.

Luo Yuan raised his Blood Shadow War Blade and turned to the wary, ready-to-bolt two-tailed tiger cat.

“Now it’s your turn!” Luo Yuan knew that Beast Commander monsters possessed some intelligence; he did not intend for this prize to escape.

He raised his Blood Shadow War Blade horizontally, recalling the eighteen blade techniques of the first tier of “Ninefold Thunder Blade.” He decided to test their power on this Beast Commander tiger cat.

“Creature, die!”

With a swift step, Luo Yuan appeared beside the two-tailed tiger cat. His blade flashed in a cold arc, slashing upward at its throat. The tiger cat tried to block with both its claws, but they were no match for the sharp A9 Blood Shadow War Blade. Its claws were severed cleanly, falling to the ground. The immense power of the blade split its head from jaw to crown, brain matter splattering.

Bang! The massive body of the two-tailed tiger cat crashed to the ground, lifeless and silent.

The members of Fire Hammer Squad stared in shock. From Luo Yuan’s first move to the end had taken only a few breaths. His technique was swift, efficient and ruthless.

“Brother Luo Yuan, you’re incredible!” Luo Feng exclaimed with genuine admiration. He could tell Luo Yuan had just used the “Streamlight” movement and “Thunder Blade” from the first tier of Ninefold Thunder Blade, and mastered them far better than himself. In Luo Yuan’s presence, Luo Feng dared not call himself a genius.

“The tendon in the tiger cat’s tail is quite valuable,” Luo Yuan said, slicing open the tail with his Blood Shadow War Blade and extracting the transparent tendon—the very reason he had split its head.

“All right, everyone hurry up and collect the materials,” Chen Gu called out with a smile, urging the Fire Hammer Squad to start dissecting the tiger cat corpses.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Luo Yuan tensed. He sensed danger; with his reflexes, proven in the ‘Neural Response Test’ where he could dodge rubber bullets, he instantly recognized—a blurred distortion in the air ahead was a bullet!

It was at least ten times faster than the rubber bullets from the test! Luo Feng, nearby, sensed it too, fear flashing in his eyes.

A life-or-death crisis!

Survival instinct pushed Luo Yuan’s body and mind to their peak in an instant.

“Thud!”

An armor-piercing round tore through the air, aimed straight at Luo Yuan and Luo Feng’s heads.

In that critical moment, Luo Yuan raised his B6 shuttle-type shield from his back to cover both of them.

“Clang~Clang~”

The two armor-piercing bullets struck the shield, sparks flying, but Luo Yuan managed to block them.

“Sniper rifle rounds!” Luo Yuan’s anger surged as he glanced at the bullets embedded in the wall nearby.

Gao Feng reacted with a furious roar, “Enemy attack!”

“Which bastard is it!” Wei Tie and Wei Qing shouted in rage.

Almost simultaneously, all members of Fire Hammer Squad began to move quickly—no one dared stand exposed under a sniper’s aim.

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”

Four shots in succession!

“There!” Gao Feng, Luo Yuan, Luo Feng and the others all stared angrily toward the source of the gunfire.

In the distance, shadows flickered across a rooftop and quickly disappeared.

“It’s the Tiger Fang Squad!” Gao Feng snarled. “Tiger Fang!!!”

“Tiger Fang Squad? They actually dared to ambush us—courting death!” Luo Yuan growled, killing intent radiating from his eyes.

“This is bad!” Gao Feng’s face changed dramatically. “Run!”

Tiger Fang Squad had fired six bullets—two at Luo Yuan and Luo Feng, and four at the surrounding beast group. Now, angry beast roars echoed from all around, and Fire Hammer Squad immediately understood why Tiger Fang Squad had fired the extra four shots.

“How treacherous.”

“They want us all dead.”

“Run!”

“Rumble~~” Ahead, the street was suddenly flooded with massive Iron-haired Boars, hundreds of them charging together like an earthquake. Many of them were Beast Commander level. The Fire Hammer Squad was stunned, about to change direction, when a violent tremor sounded from behind.

Even more beasts approached—along with unicorn boar packs, there were even more lion mastiff dogs. Altogether, the beast horde numbered over a thousand, led by what was likely a high-level Beast Commander.

Gao Feng and the others stared in despair.

“It seems I can’t hide my strength any longer. Otherwise, today may be our last. Tiger Fang Squad, get ready to pay for this,” Luo Yuan thought. He removed his gold-trimmed black robe and placed it in his backpack, revealing six Series 9 flying knives at his waist.

PS: The pace has been slow, but things are about to heat up. Dear readers, please support with rewards, favorites, and monthly tickets! Luo Yuan thanks you all!