Apocalypse Gachapon

The pursuit continued.

Although victorious, the First Regiment could not possibly kill every last mutated lifeform. After the Command of the Mountains faded, the Double-Tailed Gouwo side, no longer obstructed, had many escape. On the Huandu Wolf side, however, their tenacity earned the First Regiment's respect. Their Wolf King, severely injured by Ye Zhongming, could not move at all, so the pack gathered around it, refusing to flee under any circumstances.

In the end, they all perished under the First Regiment's siege.

If not for the fact that these prey themselves represented wealth, the First Regiment might have let them go.

"The final tally isn't out yet, but a decisive victory is certain—at least a hundred thousand!" Cheng Liujin was elated. He had not expected the battle to go so smoothly. Of course, this was thanks to the power of Ye Zhongming's transformed state. Both the black-mist giant itself and the abilities it unleashed were so formidable that they drove the mutated lifeforms to despair.

Cheng Liujin even wondered whether, after transforming, this guy might be unstoppable except by a top-tier expert.

"It's just that your ability was a bit too fierce. It shattered many of the weaker mutated lifeforms. We'll lose some of the spoils."

That was the Gold Order Leader's only regret.

Lost income!

Ye Zhongming grunted in acknowledgment. He was exhausted. Even though this transformation had not pushed him to his limits, the toll had been considerable.

"Was the Double-Tailed Gouwo killed?" Ye Zhongming was particularly concerned about this.

Cheng Liujin laughed heartily. "Speaking of that, it's quite interesting. That creature tried to flee when it saw the situation turning against it. But it didn't expect its position to have been overrun by the Huandu Wolves. At least a hundred wolves surrounded the Double-Tailed Gouwo, which had few guards left. Though powerful, it was unlucky—it ran into those desperate wolves. After killing seventy of them, it fell in battle. And the minions it controlled? They didn't lift a claw to help it!"

After speaking, the Gold Order Leader's expression grew more serious, and he sighed. "It's also fortunate that the Huandu Wolves happened to breach the Double-Tailed Gouwo's position. Otherwise, if we had been forced to deal with that creature ourselves, many would have died. One of its strongest abilities—a psychic blast—killed forty Huandu Wolves instantly. And those were elite wolves around the Wolf King, above-Level Nine existences with Furelai ratings of at least thirty thousand! Yet their heads just exploded, helpless."

Such a powerful ability could surely only be used once in a short period. To survive, the Double-Tailed Gouwo had used it on the bloodthirsty wolves, sparing the First Regiment from the attack.

"Order our people to stop pursuing. We need to clean up the battlefield quickly and leave. I'm worried about attracting the attention of other mutated lifeforms."

Ye Zhongming reminded him.

"I've already given the order for them to return."

Cheng Liujin had thought of that too. They needed to leave as soon as possible. The heavy scent of blood had likely spread far. Other enemies might come at any moment. If they attacked while the First Regiment's formation was still scattered, the losses would be severe.

Just as the two were speaking, an alert came from a sentry on one flank. Their hearts sank.

It wasn't that whatever they feared would come to pass, was it? Had another mutant group truly arrived?

But the sentry's next message reported that it was the Second Regiment!

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously opened their terminal communications.

Countless messages came pouring in—public and private.

"Headquarters wasn't optimistic about us. Not only did they send the Fourth Regiment, which was still at camp, but they also sent the Second Regiment, which had been fighting for three straight days."

Cheng Liujin said with a smile. He understood the headquarters' concern. After all, what they had done was quite risky.

They headed toward the direction from which the Second Regiment was coming. As they were coming to reinforce, it would be rude to neglect them.

But another sentry on the opposite flank reported that the Fourth Regiment had also arrived nearby, just in time to encounter some of the mutated lifeforms fleeing in their direction—a few thousand of them. They had already entered combat.

Cheng Liujin ordered First Regiment personnel to go assist them and also to guide them here to regroup.

When they saw the Second Regiment, both Ye Zhongming and Cheng Liujin sensed the mood of these allied forces—not exactly displeasure, but certainly reluctance.

If not for the fact that the First Regiment contained many of their clansmen, they would probably have refused outright.

Though they noticed this, putting themselves in the Second Regiment's shoes, they would not have wanted to come either.

So Cheng Liujin and Ye Zhongming maintained a cordial attitude. They also informed the Second Regiment that the Fourth Regiment was nearby. Then, together with the Second Regiment, they moved to link up with the Fourth.

When the three sides met, Duoduo looked at the First and Second Regiments with a complicated expression.

He had already learned from his son about the First Regiment's battle. He was at a loss for words regarding these people who had achieved what could be called a minor miracle.

Truly, fortune favors the bold! Those guys dared to do anything!

He had thought the Second Regiment would certainly emerge as the victor of this hunt, but now it seemed that was far from certain.

As a member of the Aofu Clan, Duoduo said what was on his mind. But his blunt honesty greatly displeased the members of the Second Regiment.

A force that had needed them to come to the rescue, even if they had eked out a victory, how much could they have gained?

Chen Ning frowned. "Since the First Regiment is safe, I'll take my leave."

Without waiting for the others to speak, he led the Second Regiment away.

Though Chen Ning had also heard from his subordinates that the First Regiment had won, he did not think their gains could rival his own. After all, if they had needed reinforcements, victory or not, their losses must have been heavy.

This was the result of information asymmetry.

Duoduo, having been told the full story by his son, understood. Chen Ning, relying only on what he had observed and his own inferences, felt slighted.

There was nothing to be done. After exchanging a few more words with Cheng Liujin and Ye Zhongming, Duoduo led his men off to hunt. The achievements of the First and Second Regiments had spurred him on.

The First Regiment cleaned the battlefield and began its return to camp.

The moment they entered the camp, the First Regiment's high-ranking members were summoned to the command post to report their gains.

Cheng Liujin and Ye Zhongming found it odd. It seemed rushed. But they assumed it was by order of the two Lords, so they said nothing and took their battle report to the command post.

Inside were not only the two Lords and the high-ranking personnel who had remained at camp, but Chen Ning as well. Even Leona of the Third Regiment and others had sacrificed some hunting time to hear the results.

When Cheng Liujin, Ye Zhongming, and the others entered, Chen Ning's expression clearly showed a trace of coldness.