...
At the entrance to the Secret Realm—
Selena’s phone was on the ground, projecting a hologram upwards.
It showed a tall, brawny, bald-headed man. Even the largest size of the Alliance Member uniform couldn’t hide his explosive, powerful muscles.
Name: Ke Yan
Alliance Member ID: 00111313
At this moment, the bald man had his chin slightly raised, looking at Selena with a slightly cavalier gaze.
The Cold and Refined Beauty, meanwhile, had her arms crossed. Her delicate brows were slightly raised, and her purple eyes were as calm yet sharp as blades.
You can’t hide the look in your eyes when you want to kill someone.
The Flying Shadow Alliance’s Leader, Chopper, was also present. Although he’d been through some unpleasantness last night, he had quickly composed himself and was back in work mode.
"That’s how it is. Secret Realms 0045 through 0049 are temporarily off-limits, so the resources available for the summer camp are a bit tight.
"For this exploration, our Cui Feng Alliance and your Flying Shadow Alliance will be sharing the Land of Flash Gold Secret Realm. I hope you have no objections."
Ke Yan’s tone wasn’t one of negotiation, but of notification.
"Sorry, I can’t quite accept that."
Selena smiled amicably and tilted her head. "Why don’t we do this according to the Cui Feng Alliance’s rules? Whoever has the stronger fist gets the final say."
Ke Yan laughed. "Let’s not. Although our Cui Feng Alliance is more martial, most of our members wouldn’t raise a hand against a lady..."
"But I have no problem raising my hand against a man."
Selena’s laughter turned cold. "Especially a man who likes to start trouble."
Even though it was just a holographic call, the air between them was thick with tension, as if a fight was about to break out.
Seeing this, Chopper quickly coughed softly. "Xiaosai, forget it, forget it... Um, Ke, you’ve worked hard, too! You should get back to your team."
"Haha, Alliance Leader Qiao is straightforward, as always. See you around!" Ke Yan’s hologram vanished.
Selena bit her lip and shot Chopper a dark look.
Chopper took two tactical steps backward.
The guy from the Cui Feng Alliance was a hologram, so he could act as high and mighty as he wanted without issue. Chopper, on the other hand, was standing right in front of Selena and could get beaten up at any moment...
"Xiaosai, you should calm down, too... HISS!"
Before he could finish, Selena lifted her boot and kicked him hard.
"And you have the nerve to tell me to calm down? The Land of Flash Gold has always been the Flying Shadow Alliance’s summer camp Secret Realm. The Cui Feng Alliance asks to borrow it, and you just... let them?"
"If you want to make a fool of yourself, do it on your own! Don’t drag the Flying Shadow Alliance down with you!"
A complete reversal of her usual cold public persona, Selena fiercely chewed out her own Alliance Leader.
After a while, seeing that she had stopped yelling, Chopper tentatively approached and took out a blueberry-flavored lollipop.
Selena turned her head away, not taking it, but glanced at it from the corner of her eye.
After another long moment, seeing that no campers had returned yet, the Cold and Refined Beauty snatched the lollipop and popped it into her mouth.
Chopper breathed a sigh of relief and leaned closer. "Xiaosai..."
"I’m sorry. I failed to consider the bigger picture, and I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you."
Selena apologized stiffly, the lollipop still in her mouth.
Chopper gave a helpless smile. "The Cui Feng Alliance’s navigating Alliance Members have limited clearance; they aren’t aware of the situation. But I can tell you... Do you know the real reason Secret Realms 0046-0049 were closed?"
Selena raised an eyebrow.
"During a routine inspection, technicians from the Divine Strategy Alliance detected fluctuations of Abyssal Energy in those four Secret Realms," Chopper said softly.
Selena froze on the spot.
"Are they coming again?"
"I don’t know either." Chopper looked into her purple eyes, his gaze calm.
"But if they dare to come, they’ll find that we’ll be the first ones they face, not unarmed civilians."
"...I’m sorry. I failed to consider the bigger picture, and I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you."
After a long moment, Selena lowered her head slightly, her tone softening.
Chopper didn’t reprimand her, only patting her shoulder reassuringly.
"But! That doesn’t mean I don’t have my own opinions."
Selena pouted again.
"Even if the Cui Feng Alliance needed to share a Secret Realm, they could have borrowed from another alliance. It didn’t have to be us."
"You know the Cui Feng Alliance’s style better than I do. Their summer camp recruits are all aggressive hotheads who only respect fists, not rules. If our campers share a Secret Realm with them, they’re bound to be at a disadvantage."
Chopper chuckled. "Didn’t you say you don’t like babysitting? Why does it feel like you actually care about them a lot?"
Selena fell silent, concentrating on her lollipop.
"Learning to resolve conflicts is also a part of growing up, isn’t it? You can’t keep them protected under your wing forever. They need to learn to grow, too."
Chopper said earnestly, then glanced toward the Flash Gold Forest in the distance and gave a funny smile.
"Besides, who’s going to be at a disadvantage is still up in the air."
...
"Achoo."
In the jungle, Su Zhi suddenly sneezed.
He didn’t think much of it, though, and scanned the six Cui Feng Alliance campers around him.
Yu Bao was standing on the Blazing Colt, wearing sunglasses and looking like a total boss.
The few Cui Feng Alliance campers standing opposite Su Zhi had long since lost the aggressive edge they had when they first started trouble. One by one, they were breaking out in a cold sweat and whispering among themselves.
"Even with Attribute Suppression, this is too..."
"How is this mutt’s Energy Value so high? It’s gotta be fake, right?"
"Should we just pick someone else? This guy feels like way more trouble than he’s worth..."
Someone mentioned leaving, and suddenly the desire for a "strategic retreat" was stronger than ever.
Noticing this trend, the dark-skinned boy in the lead shot a fierce glare and casually smacked the person behind him.
"Pick someone else? The hell we will! Five of you, scared into this pathetic state by one guy? Don’t you fucking dare go out and say you’re from the Cui Feng Alliance!"
Then, his gaze fell on Su Zhi again, but this time with more caution.
"You’ve definitely got some skills, but—"
"Yu Bao, Furious Sand Blade."
"Woof!"
"?!" The dark-skinned boy was stunned. Seeing sand and dust gathering around Yu Bao, he hurriedly summoned his Pet Beast to block.
As a silver Beast Taming Light Array lit up, a giant, deep blue beetle with a thick carapace and six sturdy legs appeared with a RUMBLE, positioning itself in front of the dark-skinned boy—
[Pet Beast: Iron Wall (Deep Blue Armor)
Attribute: Fighting Element
Race: Middle Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 1974]
"BANG!" The Furious Sand Blade slammed into the back of the Deep Blue Armor, creating a spiderweb of cracks.
The giant beetle shrieked in pain, but its carapace quickly healed, soon becoming as smooth as before.
The dark-skinned boy glared at Su Zhi. "Fuck! I wasn’t even done talking and you attacked!"
"This is a fight. Who the hell cares about what you have to say."
Su Zhi said in a low voice, "Yu Bao, keep up the pressure!"
"Woof!"
Yu Bao lifted a paw and snapped. More and more Furious Sand Blades continuously formed around it, shooting toward the opponent.
"Fuck! You’re asking to die!"
The dark-skinned boy waved his hand, and the others all summoned their own Pet Beasts.
Faced with the relentless assault of Furious Sand Blades, the various Pet Beasts showed their Divine Abilities: some combined their Defense Skills to nullify the attacks, some used their high mobility to evade, and others used ranged attacks to detonate them from a distance.
And under the dark-skinned boy’s command, the five Pet Beasts quickly formed a pincer formation and surrounded Yu Bao:
The Deep Blue Armor relied on its thick hide to engage Yu Bao in head-on combat; two Sand Wolves alternated between using Wind Blade and Sandstorm, maintaining their distance from Yu Bao.
Leo and the Cyan Feathered Falcon circled and pressed from the air, continuously launching diving attacks from above, preventing Yu Bao from focusing on the enemies on the ground.
Su Zhi quickly used his phone to scan the Pet Beasts before him. Most were between High Level Extraordinary and Low Level Elite Races, with Real-time Energy Values ranging from 1400 to 1700.
He frowned.
’Unlike my last field training experience, these guys are well-coordinated and well-trained. They’re going to be tough to deal with.’
’But my Yu Bao is no pushover, either!’
"Yu Bao, clear the field with Sandstorm, then link into Sand Shadow Guard and Desert Concealment to break away! Don’t give them a chance to surround you!"
"Woof!"
Yu Bao immediately understood, pulling back to dodge a Jab from the Deep Blue Armor.
It activated Tier Two Sandstorm! Without any warning, a squall of sand and wind erupted from Yu Bao’s body and blasted outwards!
The Deep Blue Armor was too close to evade and was instantly knocked over. The two Sand Wolves also retreated hastily, fearfully dodging a Sandstorm that was much more powerful than their own.
The Leo and Cyan Feathered Falcon in the sky also quickly climbed higher to avoid it.
Taking advantage of the Pet Beasts’ confusion, Yu Bao launched a fierce counterattack.
Three Yu Baos simultaneously unleashed Furious Sand Blades, and the swift attacks covered the already narrow jungle clearing.
One Sand Wolf failed to dodge in time and was hit squarely in the rear, letting out a piercing howl of agony. The Deep Blue Armor was hit repeatedly, and although it avoided having its Armor Pierced thanks to its excellent dodging skills, it was still in a sorry state.
The five Cui Feng Alliance Members had long since backed far away, afraid of being caught in the aftershocks of the battle.
Even though they were mentally prepared, they had still underestimated Su Zhi and Yu Bao’s combat prowess.
What was even more baffling was that throughout the fierce battle, Su Zhi had always stood together with Yu Bao, never retreating even half a step.
’Isn’t he afraid of getting hurt?’
"Woof!" Yu Bao’s bark suddenly became grave.
Su Zhi also looked at the dark-skinned young man opposite them—the moment the boy raised the back of his hand, the Pet Beasts that had been on the verge of collapse suddenly recovered and methodically resumed their initial tactics!
"This is my Beast Taming Talent—Organize and Motivate the Army. I can stabilize the morale of nearby Pet Beasts, allowing them to return to their optimal fighting condition!"
Seeing that Su Zhi’s expression was no longer calm, the dark-skinned boy showed a somewhat smug smile.
"I admit, you’re strong. But two fists are no match for four hands! Under our assault, it’s only a matter of time before you collapse!"
Su Zhi snorted lightly, his brows furrowing slightly.
’This Black Egg is actually right. This is a one-on-five, not a complete steamroll.’
’If Yu Bao hadn’t managed to overwhelm them at the start by taking advantage of the information gap with its Skills, it would be very difficult for it to make a comeback once they adapted to its rhythm.’
’Their formation is actually very comprehensive, with air, rear, and melee units. No matter which one Yu Bao focuses on breaking, it will be intercepted by the other two.’
’Although Yu Bao isn’t at a disadvantage yet, if this drags on, they really do have a better chance of winning in the end.’
"Stop right there!"
A furious shout suddenly came from not far away.
Everyone turned toward the sound, only to see rows of trees being flattened by a force that could only be described as berserk.
A burly Stone Armor Rhinoceros suddenly charged out from the shadows. With unstoppable power, it rammed savagely, sending the two Sand Wolves in the rear flying on the spot.
Then, it turned and charged toward the Deep Blue Armor.
The Deep Blue Armor, which had been entangled with Yu Bao, was forced to turn and raise its fists to block the Stone Armor Rhinoceros’s impact.
Seeing the crimson patterns flowing over the Stone Armor Rhinoceros’s body, Su Zhi’s eyes lit up.
Turning his head again, he saw Xu Jianzhi, with the same crimson patterns flowing over his face, parting the jungle foliage and running quickly toward him.
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