Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 039

“What is it?” Xiao Yan carefully wrapped the black crystal fragments with energy, put them away, and meticulously memorized the energy fluctuations of that imprint.

He carefully wrapped the black crystal fragments with energy and put them away, then slowly stood up, his face ashen.

Just then, a faint vibration came from the encrypted communicator on his wrist—it was Lin Wei attempting to establish a single-line connection. Evidently, the main team was getting anxious.

Xiao Yan answered the call, not enabling video, and simply said in a low, cold voice, “It’s me.”

“Captain!” Lin Wei’s urgent voice immediately came through, laced with unconcealed anxiety, “How’s the situation? Eighth Squad, they…”

“…Gone.” Xiao Yan’s voice was devoid of emotion, yet it carried a bone-chilling coldness. “All perished. Their state… very strange, like they were drained dry.”

“What?!” On the other end of the line, Lin Wei’s voice instantly rose, filled with shock and disbelief! Immediately after, Xiao Yan could clearly hear several uncontrollable gasps and sharp intakes of breath in the background! Clearly, the other officers in the command vehicle had also heard the grim news!

All perished! And their deaths were so horrifying!

A chilling coldness instantly swept through everyone in the command vehicle! The morale and confidence that had just surged from Xiao Yan slaying the Shadow Nightmare Demon were instantly extinguished, replaced by a deep dread of the unknown terror!

“What… what did this?” Lin Wei suppressed the horror in her heart and pressed on.

“Unclear.” Xiao Yan’s voice remained calm. “Not many traces were left at the scene, only some extremely faint clues. Based on residual energy and imprints, it’s an unknown demonic creature, possibly… an insect type.”

Unknown! Possibly an insect type! Drained into mummies!

These keywords combined made the atmosphere in the command vehicle even more solemn and oppressive.

Just then, another slightly hoarse, anxious voice came through the communication channel: “Captain! This… this enemy is too strange and powerful! We know nothing about it! My subordinate believes… we shouldn’t delve any deeper! The top priority is to retreat immediately, report the situation to the Division Headquarters and Command, and request intelligence support and higher-level combat intervention! There’s no need to put our squad’s brothers at such unnecessary risk!”

This squad leader’s suggestion immediately received low-voiced affirmations from several other squad leaders. Indeed, facing an unknown entity that could silently wipe out a scout squad in an instant, rushing forward blindly was tantamount to suicide. Preserving strength and bringing back intelligence was the most prudent choice.

Xiao Yan listened to the voices on the other end of the communication, silent for a moment.

His gaze swept over the ten gruesome “mummies” on the ground. Although there was anger in his heart, there was more calm deliberation.

Revenge? Uncover the truth?

These were important, but as that squad leader said, without fully understanding the enemy’s strength and background, forcing their way in with the entire squad was too risky.

More importantly… he had the “More Children, More Blessings” system. His future held infinite possibilities, and patiently developing was the way to go. There was no need to clash with an extremely dangerous unknown entity under such unclear intelligence.

Putting oneself in danger for a moment of impetuousness was the most foolish act.

Being cautious, gathering intelligence, and settling accounts after his strength grew was the best strategy.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan had already made his decision.

“I agree.” His voice returned to the command vehicle through the communicator, startling Lin Wei and the others, who then sighed in relief. “Order: The entire team will immediately execute Plan B, abandon the original clear-out objective, and return to the safe zone along the original path at the fastest speed! Maintain the highest alert level! Communication silent, no contact unless in an emergency!”

“Yes! Captain!” Lin Wei immediately responded, her voice carrying a hint of relief.

After issuing the orders, Xiao Yan took one last look at this eerie death zone, his figure flashing. He too transformed into a stream of light and swiftly sped towards the main team, needing to return immediately to oversee the retreat.

…

The return journey was unusually calm, even the scattered Bloodthirsty Demon Wolves they had encountered earlier did not reappear. It was as if that desolate area truly isolated all dangers within.

It wasn’t until the convoy passed back through the towering alloy defensive wall, entered the City Defense Army’s exclusive passage, and returned to the heavily guarded camp that everyone truly breathed a sigh of relief. Their taut nerves relaxed, and fatigue washed over them like a tide.

…

Back in the Captain’s office, Lin Wei immediately began writing a detailed report on the operation.

She meticulously and objectively recorded the entire process: the Ninth Squad’s encounter, the Eighth Squad’s annihilation, Xiao Yan slaying the Shadow Nightmare Demon, the discovery of clues to an unknown demonic creature, and the final decision to retreat. She particularly emphasized the strangeness and danger of that unknown terrifying entity.

The report was quickly submitted to the Division Headquarters via encrypted channels and soon forwarded to the City Defense Army Command.

The reply from higher-ups came quickly, almost without delay.

The content of the reply was concise and clear: [Report received. Situation noted. Regarding the unknown threat target five kilometers south of the city, it will be handled by the Alliance’s direct special operations unit. Third Division Special Operations Brigade’s actions in this operation are noted, decisive and properly handled, avoiding greater losses. No further intervention in this area’s investigation is required.]

Seeing this reply, Lin Wei understood and was completely relieved.

The Alliance’s direct special operations unit… this likely referred to the mysterious “Guardian” sequence that Commander Liu had mentioned!

This level of unknown threat indeed exceeded the capabilities of a regular City Defense Army Special Operations Brigade. It was only natural for it to be handled by more professional and powerful forces.

Xiao Yan’s heart stirred slightly when he saw this reply.

“Guardians, huh…” he murmured to himself, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

It seemed the Alliance was deeper than he had imagined. Those truly core forces that dealt with the highest-level threats were indeed hidden from ordinary sight.

However, this was also good.

That unknown, possibly insect-like, terrifying entity was no longer his concern for now.

The threat of the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf pack was also indirectly “resolved” by the appearance of that terrifying entity—at least for a short time, no demon wolves would dare to step into that area.

Although slaying the Shadow Nightmare Demon yielded a Abyss Crystal worth tens of millions, it was not enough to compensate for the sacrificed soldiers, which was a regret for Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan’s gaze fell on the data concerning the threat targets in the area south of the city, precisely settling on the second one—the “Berserk Iron-Armored Bull Herd” entrenched in the western abandoned mine.

This target, according to the data, while possessing astonishing defense and terrifying charge power, did not have the Shadow Nightmare Demon’s bizarre speed and stealth abilities, nor the unknown insect-like creature’s terrifying draining ability.

Their threat came more from their sheer numbers and their frontal impact, like heavy tanks!

This… was practically a “target” tailor-made for Xiao Yan!

…

The half-month rest period passed in a flash.

The Special Operations Brigade reassembled. This time, the objective was clear—the western abandoned mine, the Berserk Iron-Armored Bull Herd!

Since the Ninth Squad was still in its recovery period, Xiao Yan only brought eight squads, including the First Squad, totaling over eighty elite warriors, for this expedition.

The convoy traveled across the barren land for most of the day, and they were less than ten kilometers from the abandoned mine. According to the plan, they would set up a temporary camp here and send out scout squads to investigate the mine’s situation first.

However, just as the convoy drove into an area with relatively open terrain, scattered with jagged rocks, an unexpected event occurred again!

“Awoooo—!!!”

Piercing and furious wolf howls suddenly erupted from all directions! Immediately after, the ground trembled slightly, and hundreds of dark red figures surged out from behind the strange rocks and from under the slopes like a tide!

It was the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolves!

“Enemy attack! It’s a wolf pack! Scale… no more than a hundred! All units, prepare for battle! Form a circular defensive formation!” Lin Wei reacted incredibly fast, issuing commands through the communication channel immediately!

The warriors of the eight squads moved instantly! Having experienced the previous ambush, they were already mentally prepared and moved with practiced skill. The heavy armored vehicles quickly converged, forming a sturdy steel barrier. The warriors, armed with swords, axes, hammers, and shields, formed several defensive nodes around the vehicles, their eyes sharp as they stared at the surging wolf pack.

“Roar!”

The wolf pack did not hesitate, launching a fearless charge under the roaring command of the alpha wolf! They dashed towards the steel defense line like red lightning!

Clang, clang, clang! Bang, bang, bang!

Intense close-quarters combat erupted instantly!

Flashes of blades and shadows of fangs clashed wildly! The warriors, relying on their excellent equipment, skilled coordination, and iron will, held their ground firmly. Although the demon wolves were fierce, the warriors’ heavy weapons and tight formation effectively inflicted damage upon them. For a time, blood splattered, roars and shouts intertwined, and the battle fell into a fierce stalemate!

Xiao Yan stood on the command vehicle’s roof, his gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield like a hawk. He easily pinpointed the largest wolf in the rear of the pack, its fur almost dark purple, with a scar on its forehead—the Alpha Wolf!

Beside the Alpha Wolf, two equally robust and significantly stronger Level Nine guards, whose aura far surpassed that of ordinary demon wolves, vigilantly protected it.

With the Alpha Wolf’s blessing, the wolf pack would be extremely ferocious.

But once the Alpha Wolf died, the entire wolf pack would collapse.

So, in a situation of overwhelming power, the best way to deal with the demon wolves was to kill the Alpha Wolf first!