Chapter 372 - 58: Beast Tide, a Fortuitous Coincidence at Nanyun Mountain

Soldiers of the City Guard Army, clad in camouflage, patrolled day and night. Radar vehicles operated around the clock, scanning for fluctuations in nearby beast packs. Dozens of armored vehicles and tanks were parked to one side of the camp area, where their hovercar was also undergoing refueling and rearmament.

In the central area, nearly a hundred neatly arranged tents had been set up, forming temporary shelters against the elements.

Searchlight beams occasionally swept in from the distance, marking the takeoff and landing of hovercars and helicopters. Wave after wave of support teams arrived, and a convoy of more than a dozen large trucks rushed in, delivering relief supplies.

"AHH!"

"Just bear with it. It’ll be over once you’re bandaged up."

"Someone, give me a hand!"

A cacophony of noise came from all directions.

Lu Chao’s brow was furrowed as he took in the scene, his mind preoccupied with the rescue plan for Sun Jiayuan and the others.

It wasn’t just the Superpower Bureau; the City Guard Army had also lost contact with many of its members. They had suffered heavy casualties, with many sacrificing their lives to fend off the Beast Tide.

Several large tents serving as medical bays were filled with the wounded, their heads, chests, and abdomens wrapped in gauze. Some had even lost limbs.

Busy, weary-faced doctors rushed back and forth, with IV bags of various medical fluids hanging by the bedsides.

"I’m afraid Lin Yuan and the others won’t be able to continue their training."

Gao Hu’s heart ached as he watched the same scene.

Lu Chao fell silent for a moment.

Lin Yuan was a captain from Team Four. Lu Chao had briefly met him once, through an introduction from Sun Jiayuan. Later, in his bid to join the circle of captains from East Port, he had gradually drifted away from them.

Just in the early hours of last night, they had picked up his team’s satellite signal, located them, and mounted a rescue.

But...

Looking toward one of the medical tents, Lu Chao could see him lying on a cot.

His left arm was severed at the shoulder, and his lower abdomen was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. He was on the brink of death, with several doctors surrounding him, administering emergency treatment.

According to his team members, after losing contact, they were targeted by a flock of Advanced Mutant Beasts—Iron-Armored Flying Hawks.

At first, they managed to hold them off with ammunition, but they gradually sustained injuries. The scent of blood attracted even more Mutant Beasts. If Lu Chao’s team hadn’t arrived when they did, they likely wouldn’t have made it out alive.

"If he wants to continue developing his Life Energy, I suppose his only option is to change his Superpower Path and choose cybernetic augmentation."

"But that path is far more expensive, and it places significant demands on one’s mental fortitude..."

Gao Hu’s voice trailed off into a sigh.

For any fighter, suffering an injury so severe that it destroyed their foundation was the cruelest fate imaginable.

Changing one’s Superpower Path usually meant it would be difficult to achieve any great success.

Lu Chao shook his head, once again struck by the immense destructive power of this Beast Tide.

It was no less devastating than a small- or medium-scale city-state war. In fact, because it had been so sudden, the casualties were even greater.

’I wonder how Captain Sun and his team are doing now.’

A sense of urgency tightened its grip on Lu Chao.

When facing a Beast Tide, the longer a team was out of contact, the greater the danger.

But now...

"Team Leader!"

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

His thoughts were interrupted, and he looked toward the hovercars being refueled.

Wang Dali came running over, shouting excitedly, "We’ve got news!"

"We’ve received a location signal from Captain Sun’s team!"

...

A bright moon hung high in the sky, suspended in the center of the night’s canopy.

It was surrounded by a thousand glittering stars, creating a vista unique to the wilderness.

Just then, a night breeze swept through.

The towering Nanyun Mountain stood like a blade in the darkness, exuding a strangely oppressive aura.

A steep, rocky ridge stretched down from the summit, ending in a valley.

Seven or eight Superpower Members in black combat suits were bound with special ropes, slumped back-to-back on the ground, unable to move.

Most of their faces were haggard, their lips dry and cracked.

A few were even deathly pale, blood constantly seeping from their wounds as their breathing grew fainter.

"These bastards!"

Sun Jiayuan’s eyes were shot with blood, and he ground his teeth as he watched.

Then, suppressing his rage, he glared toward the center of the valley floor.

Amidst the crackling of flames, a bonfire radiated light and heat. Gray smoke drifted up from it, melting into the darkness.

A three-meter-long Red-striped Bull Beast, impaled on a metal spear, was roasting over the flames.

In the firelight, a figure sat on an open folding stool. Warlord soldiers in green camouflage bustled around him, bringing him cuts of the roasted Exotic Beast Meat.

And on the perimeter,

a dozen more warlord soldiers patrolled, hidden in the shadows. Several pickup trucks were parked off to the side.

GULP!

GULP!!

The sounds of chewing and swallowing the Exotic Beast Meat filled the air. The figure on the stool had a buzz cut and was morbidly obese, his face a mass of coarse flesh.

He tore into a half-meter-long leg of the Red-striped Ox, devouring it bite by bite as grease dripped from his mouth. The rich aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air, causing many of the warlord soldiers to swallow their saliva in secret.

"Commander."

"The satellite signal has been sent out."

A trusted soldier approached from behind and reported.

"Mmph."

A muffled grunt escaped the fat man’s mouth. He quickly devoured the beast’s leg, then hefted the entire roasted carcass of the Red-striped Bull Beast.

The motion was like an ordinary person lifting a heavy weight, yet he immediately began tearing into the roasted meat, bite after bite.

In just over ten minutes, he had devoured the entire three-meter Red-striped Ox, leaving nothing but a pile of bones.

Such a sight would have astonished most people.

After all, even an Elite Level expert would struggle to consume that much in such a short time.

And yet, the surrounding warlord soldiers seemed completely accustomed to it. Sun Jiayuan, tied up off to the side, his face a mask of shock and rage, had recognized the man completely.

Wildman Di Xiong.

One of the commanders of the Iron Sand Army, a Superpower Level expert, who possessed a special ability called [Heat Conversion].

He could convert all his body’s heat into fuel to temporarily boost his own strength.

Rumor had it he had reached the Peak of Limit-Breaking long ago and was just a step away from the Exploration Level. His power was undeniable.

"Bring him here."

The deep voice rumbled.

Sun Jiayuan’s gaze hardened. The next second, he felt his body go weightless as two warlord soldiers lifted and carried him over to the bonfire.

"Which team are you from at the Superpower Bureau?"

the man named Di Xiong asked. Layers of fat were piled on his body, stretching his specially made combat suit taut.

Sun Jiayuan clenched his jaw, glaring defiantly at the man without a word.

The next instant.

THUD!

A heavy fist slammed into his chest.

A sharp CRACK echoed from his already injured body. Another one of his ribs was broken.

His face turned deathly pale in an instant, and beads of cold sweat trickled down his cheeks.

"I’ll ask again."

Di Xiong stared at him, his expression savage. "Which team are you from?"

"I’m your father!"

PTUI!

Sun Jiayuan cursed, spitting out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

He had his pride. How could a Superpower Captain ever bow his head to a mere warlord?

The atmosphere grew still for a moment.

The surrounding warlord soldiers stared at Sun Jiayuan as if he were already a dead man, while the other bound Superpower Members watched with worried expressions.

BAM!!

Sun Jiayuan was kicked to the ground.

A black combat boot stomped on his head, grinding it into the dirt like a cigarette butt. The pressure slowly forced his head into the sand, scraping it against the sharp gravel.

Sharp stones tore at his skin, and trickles of blood began to seep from his scalp, slowly staining the surrounding sand red.

"Which team?"

Di Xiong asked again. The bloody phlegm spat at him earlier had been stopped by an invisible barrier of energy, never getting close.

Even so, his eyes were cold as he glared down at his captive.

But.

"I’m your... father..."

The defiant answer came again, muffled and indistinct, mixed with sand and dirt.

Di Xiong’s eyes narrowed.

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, and he raised his boot.

He held nothing back, intending to crush the man’s head completely.

WHOOSH!!

Just then, red and blue lights flashed brightly, and a powerful searchlight beam shot down from the distant sky.

The darkness was torn asunder.

It skirted the peak of Nanyun Mountain, which towered like a blade piercing the clouds.

A hovercar appeared, flying from the distance until it was directly over the valley.