Chapter 222: Chapter 20 Trap_1
"Retreat."
As soon as Xiao Xue spoke, she immediately turned and retreated towards the cave entrance.
Unfortunately, the trap was already set; it wouldn’t let the "fish" escape so easily!
Before they had moved 100 meters, their path ahead was blocked!
Three strange, black-robed figures stood there.
"Uncle Wang, you owe me an explanation!"
Xiao Xue glared at the three figures concealing their identities and couldn’t help but shout angrily at the soldier beside her, who was responsible for scouting.
Xiao Xue’s words, however, received no response.
From the boundless darkness behind them, three more figures slowly emerged.
"Come back."
A deep voice emanated from one of the black-robed figures in the middle.
Then, the scout walked from Xiao Xue’s side and stood directly before the black-robed man.
If Xiao Xue still didn’t understand she’d been betrayed and outmaneuvered, then she truly had lived all this time in vain.
"Whose pawns are you? Peng Jun’s? Or Li Haoran’s?"
Xiao Xue narrowed her eyes, directing her question to the figure in the center who had just spoken, all while scrutinizing the black-robed individuals surrounding them.
These individuals were completely enveloped in black robes, not a speck of skin visible, and a faint, foul odor emanated from them.
Hearing Xiao Xue’s question, the six black-robed figures remained silent.
The leader of the black-robed men placed his hand directly on Uncle Wang’s head. Then...
A white, gaseous substance began to seep continuously from Uncle Wang’s body, coalescing in the black-robed man’s hand until it formed a trembling, dough-like mass.
Uncle Wang stood motionless, uttering no sound. Once the white, dough-like mass had fully formed, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He was dead.
Witnessing the bizarre scene unfold before her, Xiao Xue remained silent.
Clearly, Uncle Wang had been controlled by someone, leading them all straight into this trap.
A trap, by its very nature, is dug as deep as necessary to ensnare its prey. Without the help of a Sequence Number 2, Xiao Xue held little hope for their survival.
"Perhaps we can talk. What is your objective? Are you trying to use me to threaten Commander Lin, or do you aim to achieve something with the military? I don’t believe fighting is the best way to resolve this. Maybe we can approach this differently."
"For instance, you could join Commander Lin’s forces. Believe me, for powerful experts like yourselves, the military’s terms would be exceptionally generous!"
After Xiao Xue finished speaking, an eerie silence once again descended upon the scene.
After a moment, the leading black-robed figure retracted the dough-like mass. He glanced at the soldiers before him, then turned to his companion.
"Wanping, is our target among these people?"
"No."
"Alright. Magpie, scout out the area and find Wen Yu’s location."
His voice was loud enough for Xiao Xue and the others, who were not far in front, to hear clearly.
Then, without Xiao Xue needing to give any command, the remaining soldiers immediately drew their weapons and attacked the three figures blocking their path!
Instantly, gunfire erupted.
"Interrupting someone when they’re speaking—how rude."
Watching the seemingly fierce battle unfold, the leading black-robed figure remained motionless, merely speaking to the individual beside him, code-named Magpie.
"Prepare to awaken Simba. Then, have your little darlings find Wen Yu’s location."
"Oh, by the way."
The black-robed figure seemed to recall something and shouted to his three companions engaged in combat with Xiao Xue and her group.
"Keep that woman alive! A Peak Level 3 professionist, and a tender young thing at that. Her taste... should be exquisite!"
As Wen Yu was about to descend the mountain, there was still no significant commotion in the distance.
Perhaps Simba really is gone, Wen Yu mumbled to himself.
"By the way, Cyclops, can you smell Simba?"
Cyclops shook its head.
"Forget it then. We won’t look for it anymore."
"WOOF WOOF."
"It really did a number on us last time."
Wen Yu immediately fell silent.
"Alright, we’ll search for one more week! This task is yours. If we still can’t find it by then, we must leave for other places. Increasing our strength is paramount!"
Just as Wen Yu was idly chatting with Cyclops, the entire mountain seemed to awaken.
Countless non-mutated insects and birds began to chirp incessantly, their calls creating a far-reaching wave of sound. At the same time, a faint Spiritual Fluctuation, mixed within these sound waves, swept directly over Wen Yu and his two soul pets.
Sensing the malicious Spiritual Fluctuation, Wen Yu frowned.
It seems we’ve dragged others into our mess, he thought.
Wen Yu was now certain: this was a trap.
However, even after Xiao Xue and her group had walked into it, the enemy still launched such a massive spiritual scan. Their true target was, therefore, self-evident.
Wen Yu hesitated for a moment, then entered a combat stance and turned back towards the cave.
Since the enemy had designed this trap for him, they were his foes. Eliminating this threat quickly was undoubtedly the best choice.
Hiding means ceding the initiative to the enemy, Wen Yu reasoned. It’s better to strike first, discover who orchestrated this, and send them to their graves! A dead enemy is a good enemy, and the sooner they’re dead, the better!
"Found him!"
Magpie, eyes closed, connected with the Spiritual Fluctuations of the small animals.
This ability effectively turned all non-mutated creatures within its range into his eyes.
The range was vast, but it could only sense a person’s location.
"He’s currently at the foot of the mountain, about to leave its perimeter. Wait... the target has turned back! He’s rushing this way—fast!"
The leading black-robed figure nodded and said, "Switch abilities. Assess the target’s strength!"
Magpie nodded and pulled a small bird from beneath his robe.
The bird was not mutated and extremely weak. However, its weakness meant its life fluctuations were also faint and thus difficult to detect. For reconnaissance, the more covert, the better.
Magpie slowly removed his hood, revealing the face concealed beneath the black robe.
He appeared to be around thirty years old, with ordinary features.
His skin, however, was unnervingly pale—not merely fair, but a deathly, sickly white.
Magpie gently took the small bird in his hand and held it before his eyes.
As their gazes met, a red glint in Magpie’s eyes abruptly intensified.
Soul Fusion (A-Class, Active Ability): Allows the user to separate a part of their soul and transfer it into a much weaker body, establishing a soul link between the two.
Once Magpie used this ability on the bird, it was as if he had deployed a mobile eye in the sky.
In terms of reconnaissance capabilities, this skill was indeed formidable.
"Go, my little one."
Magpie gently stroked the bird. The portion of his soul now inhabiting its body took control, maneuvering it to avoid the battle raging nearby and fly swiftly away.
The bird was swift, and Wen Yu was equally fast. Consequently, less than a kilometer from the cave, the bird under Magpie’s control had already spotted Wen Yu.
A faint Spiritual Fluctuation washed over Wen Yu, instantly putting him on alert.
Life Detection (C-Class, Active Skill): When activated, this skill can determine the life strength of a detected target.
And life strength indicated level.
The greatest strength of the Soul Fusion ability was that the host body could use the original user’s skills!
"Level 4! All three life signatures are Level 4!"
Sensing the information transmitted by the skill, Magpie broke out in a cold sweat.
This level... this number... something is terribly wrong!
They had thought their hook was strong and their line sturdy; only now did they realize they had hooked a great shark!
"Three Level 4s? Wanping, your intelligence was flawed!"
Hearing the leading black-robed figure’s accusation, Wanping slowly nodded.
"The intelligence was indeed incorrect. I never anticipated that the Level 4 mutant dog causing such a commotion in Mudanjiang recently would be our target. This dog’s evolution speed is astonishingly fast! Far beyond my predictions."
When Cyclops killed Wan’an, it was merely Level 2. Yet, in just two months, it had evolved into a Level 4 mutant beast.
It was precisely for this reason that Wanping had dismissed the possibility that the Level 4 mutant beast causing such a stir recently could be Cyclops.
"But that’s inconsequential now, isn’t it?"
Wanping slowly turned his head, looked at the leading black-robed figure, and asked calmly.
The leading black-robed figure was silent for a moment, then a slow smile spread across his hidden face.
"No, you misunderstand. I wasn’t blaming you at all."
"A Level 4 professionist... Tsk, tsk. Did you see that? I’m practically drooling!"