...
On the Mysterious Small Island, shrouded in a vast white mist, Lin Li and the corpse of the Leopard Beast appeared before the Magical Little Tree.
"Even though that giant Wild Boar Beast at the Peak of the Second Order was heavily injured, the oppressive feeling from its Spiritual Energy Wave was still terrifying!" Lin Li recalled the encounter from a moment ago and muttered to himself.
While he was lamenting his bad luck for running into the defeated giant Wild Boar Beast, the Leopard Beast’s corpse he had brought to the Mysterious Small Island dissolved into streams of white mist and was absorbed by the Magical Little Tree before him.
The Magical Little Fruit, which had been just shy of ripening, was now completely mature.
A vividly colored red fruit hung from a branch. The faint Spiritual Light flickering across its surface became somewhat dazzling after it ripened, but this phenomenon was fleeting and didn’t last long.
Without hesitation, Lin Li reached out and plucked the ripened Magical Little Fruit.
Once Lin Li picked the egg-sized red fruit from the Magical Little Tree, it immediately released an incredibly alluring fragrance.
Having eaten the Magical Little Fruit several times already, Lin Li was quite experienced.
Looking at the red fruit in his hand, which exuded an irresistible aroma, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
"No matter how many times I’ve eaten it, I can never suppress the excitement I feel when I harvest a new Magical Little Fruit!"
After speaking, Lin Li popped the egg-sized red fruit into his mouth.
"CRUNCH, CRUNCH."
He crushed the fragrant red fruit in just a few bites. After swallowing, the experienced Lin Li prudently lay down on the spot.
’Now for the main event. Bring it on!’
After the Magical Little Fruit entered his stomach, it reacted quickly. A massive amount of Spiritual Energy burst forth, rapidly replenishing the Spiritual Energy Lin Li had expended in his previous battle.
After his expended Spiritual Energy was fully restored, Lin Li, who could now control the flow of Spiritual Energy within his body, guided the gushing energy into his Dantian.
He wanted to use his Dantian to refine the ceaseless flow of Spiritual Energy and avoid passing out from the sheer volume, as had happened the last few times.
Although harvesting the Magical Little Fruit grew progressively more difficult, its effects also grew stronger.
Compared to the white Magical Little Fruit he had harvested last time, this red one contained several times more Spiritual Energy.
The Spiritual Energy erupting from the Magical Little Fruit was like a tidal wave, crashing onto a beach relentlessly, one wave after another without pause.
His face flushed red, Lin Li did his best to refine the Spiritual Energy in his Dantian, trying to hold on and not faint. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable; he was once again knocked unconscious by the impact of the massive amount of Spiritual Energy from the Magical Little Fruit.
After he passed out, a pale golden Spiritual Light began to radiate from Lin Li’s body. It grew increasingly brilliant, eventually forming a dense, golden cocoon that enveloped him completely.
The wondrous effects of the Magical Little Fruit continuously enhanced Lin Li’s constitution and improved his cultivation talent. His Spiritual Energy Wave, originally at Second Order High Rank, began to rise, pushing toward the Peak of the Second Order.
...
Near the safe zone in the South District Suburbs, transport trucks arrived on the scene.
The relevant personnel loaded the collected Mutant Beast corpses onto the transport trucks one by one, then sent them to the Spiritual Energy Research Institute.
After all, these were all the strange Mutant Beasts that grew red mushrooms on their bodies. Handing them over to the researchers at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute would yield the greatest benefit.
The intensity of this battle to intercept the Exotic Beast Group wasn’t actually that high.
Overall, within this entire Exotic Beast Group, only the black gorilla beast with a Third Order Initial Stage cultivation base posed a significant threat to the human side.
Once it was contained, eliminating the remaining Mutant Beasts that had mutated under the influence of the blood-red full moon was only a matter of time.
After the battle, according to the report from the logistics staff, none of the Investigators or Exotic Beast Hunters who participated in intercepting the Exotic Beast Group had died on the spot.
Some of the critically wounded who were on the brink of death were no longer in life-threatening danger after receiving emergency treatment.
Although the seriously injured were still unconscious, as long as they were alive, it was only a matter of time before they made a full recovery. With humanity’s current advanced medical technology, they just needed to be sent back to the city hospitals for treatment.
Of course, the medical expenses for treating such critically injured personnel would certainly not be cheap.
However, there was no need to worry. The personnel who participated in the battle didn’t need to consider the cost of medical care at all. The government would reimburse all their medical expenses and provide corresponding rewards afterward.
The Exotic Beast Hunters from the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild who had assisted in the battle saw that the fighting had subsided and left the battlefield one by one.
To these Exotic Beast Hunters, this had been a thrilling, large-scale battle. Now that the fighting was over, all they wanted to do was meet up with a few friends and find a place to eat.
They’d brag over the dinner table, showing off their contributions to defending the city on the battlefield, and then go home for a good night’s sleep.
Now, only a few Investigators remained on the battlefield.
The reason they hadn’t left immediately was that the short Investigator with the Third Order Initial Stage cultivation, who had fought the black gorilla beast, had not yet returned.
After resting at the rear, drinking some water, and recovering some of their stamina and Spiritual Energy, Wang Jing and Liu Jialin returned to the ravaged battlefield, chatting as they patrolled the area.
"He’s been gone for so long. You don’t think something happened to him, do you?" Liu Jialin said with some concern.
"Probably not. In terms of strength, he should be a bit stronger than that black gorilla beast," Wang Jing replied.
The two chatted for a while when suddenly, a small black dot appeared on the horizon.
Someone spotted the small black dot and immediately observed it with a pair of binoculars. Then, they shouted in pleasant surprise, "Everyone, look over there! It’s Commander Liu! He’s back!"
Wang Jing and Liu Jialin, who were in the middle of their conversation, heard their colleague’s shout and immediately looked in the direction he was pointing.
The small black dot on the horizon gradually grew larger, and a figure covered in blood descended from the sky.
The Investigators still on the battlefield immediately surrounded Liu Min as he landed.
"Commander Liu, how did you get so seriously injured?" a female Investigator asked with a concerned look.
The short Liu Min caught his breath, then spat a mouthful of dark blood onto the ground in front of everyone. Afterward, his listless spirit, a result of his severe injuries, seemed to recover slightly.
"That black gorilla beast was no match for me. After I wounded it, it tried to flee, and I chased it deep into the wilderness.
Just as I knocked it out of the sky and was about to take its life, two other Third Order Initial Stage Mutant Beasts appeared, intercepted me, and attacked, trying to finish me off. In the end, I managed to escape, but at the cost of being severely wounded."
Listening to Liu Min’s explanation, the Investigators could all imagine how perilous the situation must have been for him to face two Third Order Initial Stage Mutant Beasts alone.
It could be said that Liu Min was quite lucky to have successfully escaped danger at the cost of heavy injuries while being besieged by two Third Order Initial Stage Mutant Beasts that were at their peak in both stamina and Spiritual Energy.
Had it been any other Cultivator with the same cultivation level, they likely would have met a bitter end under the siege of two Third Order Initial Stage Mutant Beasts.
"Damn Mutant Beasts..." an Investigator cursed hatefully.
"Alright, enough about the Mutant Beasts. This incident can be considered successfully resolved. Everyone, pack up and head back to the Bureau! I need to get treatment right away."
Seeing his subordinates’ righteous indignation, Liu Min raised a hand to signal for calm and then gave the order to withdraw.
As the supreme commander for this operation against the Exotic Beast Group, once Liu Min gave the order, all the Investigators could do was obey.
Then, the Investigators remaining on the battlefield followed Liu Min and left the area, which had been utterly wrecked by the fighting.
The Investigators entered the safe zone, boarded the Superpower Administration Bureau’s dedicated vehicles parked by the side of the road, and began their return to headquarters.
Wang Jing, who was riding in the same vehicle as Liu Min, turned to look at the scenery flashing past the window, her mind replaying her earlier battle with the giant Wild Boar Beast.
’It’s a shame I couldn’t finish that Mutant Beast. If I were just a bit stronger, I could have...’
...