Explorers never shy away from adventure, but adventure is never about recklessness.

Devils aren't that scary; they can be killed, and they have a huge weakness—they must rely on the red mist to survive.

Yezi once used a gongnu to kill a trapped devil, and Nightingale even killed an enemy under extremely unfavorable conditions. Lightning secretly cheered herself up, saying she could definitely do it too.

"We should report to His Highness first," Yezi said urgently, "Whether it's Nightingale or Ashes, they are much more experienced in dealing with devils than we are!"

"By the time they get here, the devils might have already left." Lightning checked the sniper rifle's chamber, ensuring every hole was filled with bullets. "Letting such dangerous enemies roam the border poses a greater risk."

"I... I can stay and keep an eye on them."

"What if they go out of your control range?" The little girl insisted, "If you try to stop them, you'll expose your existence. It's better for the three of us to work together."

Yezi fell silent, seemingly moved by her words.

"Goo goo!" Maisie stood on Lightning's head and flapped her wings.

"I know, I know," she scratched the pigeon's neck. "We'll each take one later."

"What did she say?" Yezi asked.

Lightning pouted, "She said she wants to crush their heads with her claws, then flatten them into meat patties with her wings, and finally roast them over a bonfire to see if they are edible."

"She only said two 'goo'!" The latter questioned.

"That's the general idea." The little girl nodded solemnly.

Excellent explorers should not only be courageous but also be able to motivate the entire team, making them relax a little when they are nervous and keeping them vigilant when they are relaxed. Papa, I'm trying my best to do what you said.

Lightning flicked her wrist, closed the chamber, and tried her best not to expose her nervousness, pretending to be calm and continued, "How far away are they?"

"About three hundred meters, to our right," Yezi replied.

If it weren't for the trees blocking the view, she would be able to see the enemies at this distance, she thought. She undoubtedly had the advantage of striking first, and the sniper rifle's range was not comparable to magic stones. "You can trap devils with vines, right? Just like in the wilderness."

"I think it should be fine for a short time."

"Then we'll attack from above," Lightning decided, "This direction is the hardest for the enemies to detect, and their attention will be temporarily focused on the vines. We can end the battle in a blink of an eye."

"I... understand." The leaves shook hesitantly, probably because the encounter with the Mutual Aid Society left too many shadows in Yezi's memory. But Lightning couldn't care less about these things at this moment. If she delayed any longer, the courage she had finally mustered would probably vanish into thin air—after all, she and Maisie were the ones directly facing the devils. And Yezi was completely hidden in the forest, no matter how the devils attacked the vines, it wouldn't hurt her at all.

"Then let's go!" Lightning took off.

"Goo!" The pigeon followed closely behind.

The forest instantly became a patchwork of green and white colors under her feet. The little girl pulled down the goggles His Highness had given her, feeling a surge of courage in her heart.

"They're there," after searching for a while, Maisie, who had transformed into a grey-tailed hawk, discovered the target—even a rabbit running in the snow couldn't escape her tracking under the hawk's gaze.

Lightning exhaled a long white breath, and the figures of Thunder and Roland flashed through her mind in turn. She shook her head, put aside her distracting thoughts, and held the gun handle tightly with both hands, "I'll take the left, you take the right. When we're halfway through the dive, you transform into a giant winged monster."

"Leave it to me, goo!"

"Go!" The little girl shouted, then began to dive. The cold wind howled past her cheeks, stinging her ears. She shrank her head into her scarf, recalling the shooting methods Nightingale had taught her, and held the musket flat in front of her. The effective range of the bullet was about one hundred meters, but to ensure hitting the target, it was obviously better to be closer. If Yezi's intelligence was correct, the iron gauntlets worn by the enemy must be inlaid with lightning magic stones, and the casting distance was about the same as a witch, within five meters. Therefore, approaching to seven meters to shoot was the best choice.

The enemy's figure became clearer and clearer, and she could already see the terrifying headgear and scarlet mask on the other person. Suddenly, one of the devils stopped and looked up sharply, shouting loudly towards the two of them. Had they been... discovered? Lightning's heart sank. Why did the other person's actions seem to be able to sense her existence? At the same time, countless vines suddenly rose up around the devil, entangling the enemy's legs and climbing upwards, completely surrounding them.

A flash of white light passed through Maisie's body, instantly transforming her into an extremely huge beast, making a high-pitched hiss as she dove, unwilling to be outdone.

Regardless, Lightning gritted her teeth and accelerated again. When she approached the enemy to fifty meters, she suddenly made a turn, like a falling meteor, plummeting behind the enemy—vertical shooting could only attack the enemy's head, while flat shooting could greatly increase the target's area. This was also what Nightingale repeatedly emphasized, that when there was no certainty, she should fire at the widest part of the opponent's body.

The devil struggled to raise its right hand, entangled by vines, and dazzling electric light burst out from between the iron gauntlets. Lightning pulled the trigger almost simultaneously, and a huge roar instantly resounded through the forest.

As she had expected, the magic stone's attack range was extremely limited, and the blue-white arc of light flashed and disappeared in an instant. A dark red cloud of blood mist burst out from behind the devil with the sound of the gunshot—the bullet not only penetrated its body, but also shattered the gas tank behind it.

Maisie's situation was much worse. The other devil's lightning struck the giant bird directly, emitting clusters of sparks. Her hiss turned into a scream, her wings shrank, and then she slammed heavily on the devil, raising a large cloud of snow. At the moment of impact, Lightning felt the ground tremble, probably because the collision was too violent, crushing the gas storage device on the other party. Red mist overflowed from under the giant bird, and the little girl's heart was immediately raised.

Yezi reacted immediately, combining dozens of vines into one and lifting Maisie away from the devil. The giant bird rolled twice in the snow, lying motionless on the ground.

Lightning rushed anxiously to her, holding her huge head and shaking it, "Maisie, wake up! Are you okay?"

"Goo... a little numb," Maisie opened her eyes, as if unable to maintain her magic form, and turned back to her original appearance, "What happened?"

Lightning checked her body up and down, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was unharmed, "It's good that you're okay."

It seemed that in the flying giant beast form, Maisie was not harmed by the blood mist, and after her body became huge, her tolerance to damage also increased. The electric arc only temporarily stunned her, and the devil served as a buffer when she fell to the ground. It seemed like a scary blow, but she was actually almost unharmed. It could only be said that it was a lucky escape.

"They look like they're all dead," Yezi poked half of her body out of the tree trunk, checking the two lifeless devils, "What should we do next?"

"Take the bodies back," Lightning said, "His Highness should know how to deal with them."