LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Rover Beast
Tier-three Insectoid, Rover Beast.
This was completely different from the tier-three Red Flame Beast that Han Zhen had previously fought to the death to kill.
Even among tier-three creatures, there were differences.
A fully grown Rover Beast was far stronger than a Red Flame Beast, easily equivalent to three times the power of tier-three spirit contractors combined.
"Letting the City Guardians handle this mission? Isn't that inappropriate?"
"It's clearly beyond the standard difficulty level. Shouldn't this be handled by military forces from the war zones?"
"They say it's a juvenile Rover Beast. No one knows how it ended up here."
Even as a juvenile, a Rover Beast was still tricky to deal with.
Considering this, the authorities offered a hefty reward of 1,000 points and imposed no restrictions on taking the mission.
"So, should our Team 0527 take this mission or not?"
"Gather at Xixia Road and discuss it face-to-face."
Han Zhen hung up the communicator. After explaining the situation to Li Shutong, he left in a hurry with Xia Youwei for the team's meeting point.
Watching the villa courtyard grow quiet again, Li Shutong refilled his cup and took a sip.
"Sigh, so now I've really become a lonely old man," he chuckled wryly to himself.
"A Rover Beast, huh?"
"Truly a season of turmoil…"
As he muttered, the butler, Ah Fu, stepped out from the shadows behind him.
"Master, Miss Lingzhen has been found, but she refuses to return to see you."
"Where is she?"
"In Canghai City."
Li Shutong glanced in the direction where Han Zhen and the others had departed, pondering for a moment.
"Then let's go to Canghai City and visit her."
———
[Xixia Road, the headquarters of Team 0527]
The four members of Han Zhen's team had barely gone their separate ways that evening before reuniting again shortly after.
Yi Fan reeked of alcohol and looked drowsy, likely dragged here by Bai Shuang against his will.
"So, are we going or not?"
"My suggestion is we don't go," Bai Shuang spoke first.
"The Rover Beast is classified as a 3+ threat. Even if it's just a juvenile, it's still too risky. I think we should skip this mission and wait for another opportunity."
"Go! Why wouldn't we go? Of course, we're going."
No sooner had Bai Shuang finished speaking than Yi Fan raised his hand and shouted.
"The sooner we start, the sooner we finish. Why not go?"
Still drunk and nonchalant, Yi Fan flopped onto the table and resumed snoring.
Xia Youwei remained silent.
She didn't need to speak; she always followed Han Zhen's lead.
The decision ultimately rested with Han Zhen.
If they were solely chasing points, it would indeed be more prudent to pass up this opportunity.
However, Han Zhen noticed something that no one else mentioned.
The red alert.
Why hunt the Rover Beast? Not for points, not for rewards, but to protect the city.
This was the true essence of being a City Guardian.
Point-based missions had made Guardian teams more profit-driven, to the extent that they'd forgotten the meaning behind their title.
Han Zhen sighed.
He wasn't a saint, but as someone who had awakened an SSS-grade talent and crossed into this world, who wouldn't have a dream of becoming a hero and saving the world? [T/N: 🙋🏻]
Besides, only through continuous battle could the strong hone themselves—like rowing upstream: stop, and you'll fall behind.
'My path…'
"
'Is it the path of a hero?'
Han Zhen faintly grasped a realization. Though the road ahead still seemed like a mirage, unclear and uncertain, at this moment, he had made up his mind
"We'll take this mission."
———
At the outskirts of Deep Blue City.
The area had been cordoned off with long lines of caution tape, strictly off-limits.
From a distance, it looked as though the place was shrouded in black mist. A massive, inverted black dome concealed everything within.
"It's the Rover Beast's innate skill, Black Veil."
"It isolates all senses, creating a world unto itself."
"Anything caught inside the Black Veil, whether living or not, will age, decay, and ultimately perish."
"The Black Veil's range is still expanding. If it breaches Deep Blue City, the absorption of massive life energy will only accelerate the Rover Beast's growth and maturation, resulting in an irreversible Zerg disaster."
"We must stop it."
Zhang Xiaobei led Deep Blue City's elite First Squad to the scene. He spoke firmly.
"If the authorities sent us, the First Squad, to handle this, why bother issuing a public mission?" one squad member asked, puzzled.
Zhang Xiaobei exhaled heavily and uttered three words: "Cannon fodder."
"The Black Veil can only be disrupted from the inside. Even as a juvenile, the Rover Beast's enhanced power within the veil is unimaginable. No need for further explanation, right?"
"We need a large number of people to draw its attention and firepower."
This was Zhao Hu's plan.
For those with grand ambitions, small sacrifices were acceptable. Eliminating a Rover Beast would bring unparalleled prestige to Deep Blue City this year.
"Anyway, the Guardians have become a dumping ground for trash in recent years. Getting rid of some of it won't hurt," sneered another squad member, lowering his binoculars.
The squad remained hidden on the city walls, awaiting their moment.
---
Han Zhen's Team 0527 also arrived at the scene.
Looking at the enormous Black Veil covering over a hundred kilometers of land, they hesitated to enter immediately.
"This is the Rover Beast's skill, Black Veil."
Having studied Lin Jingxuan's notes, Han Zhen immediately recognized the massive black dome.
"Are you ready? Once we step into the Black Veil, there's no turning back."
"Let's go!" Bai Shuang nodded.
Yi Fan shrugged nonchalantly. "This thing doesn't affect me. I don't care."
Xia Youwei seemed a bit nervous, clenching her fists slightly.
Suddenly, a large hand reached over and grasped her sweaty right hand.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine."
"Mm!" Xia Youwei nodded, reassured by Han Zhen's touch. "It's just… I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling."
"It's probably the strong Zerg aura around the Black Veil. It's messing with your senses," Bai Shuang offered as reassurance.
Hearing this, Xia Youwei nodded again.
"If no one has objections, let's go inside," Han Zhen said, stepping into the Black Veil with Xia Youwei.
Bai Shuang and Yi Fan followed closely behind.
———
"Hiss…"
A faint, indistinct sound echoed through the air, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared.
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