Chapter 78: Exotic Beast’s Night Raid, Immovable
Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Exotic Beast’s Night Raid, Immovable
Having been stationed in the hunting grounds for many years, Captain Liu was well aware of the power of Exotic Beasts.
If a High-level Exotic Beast had truly set its sights on them...
Knowing its nature, it would surely launch a sneak attack at night.
If the ones standing guard were Martial Artists or Martial Apprentice-level Guards, they would likely be killed before they could even cry for help.
Even if Commanders Tang Wen and Zhou Bing woke up in time, it would still take them a moment to arrive.
That brief moment would be enough for an agile High-level Exotic Beast to wipe out their entire team.
His brow furrowed, and a sense of unease settled in his heart.
"No need to be so tense," Tang Wen said reassuringly.
He then stretched his arms and legs and began to practice the Eight Vajra Techniques at a steady, unhurried pace.
His expression was calm, and his every move held an indescribable rhythm.
Watching him, Captain Liu gradually began to relax as well.
"In that case, we’ll be relying on you two Commanders tonight. It’s getting dark, so I’ll recall the team now."
Captain Liu had no choice but to believe him.
After all, a man’s reputation precedes him.
Who was Tang Wen? He was the man who had faced the "Misfortune" Awakened from Black Mountain Camp, countered their ability, and killed them!
Everyone privately whispered that Commander Tang had an ability of his own: being Immune to Misfortune.
Otherwise, would he dare to be so close to Zhou Bing, the so-called "husband killer"?
Captain Liu resolved to be extremely cautious in his arrangements.
After dinner, Tang Wen resumed contemplating his Hidden Weapon Visualization Technique.
He pictured various scenes in his mind of modern weapons unleashing their power.
However, he dismissed things like pistols.
The muzzle velocity of a pistol bullet wasn’t even as fast as the speed of his Flying Stones.
There was no point in visualizing a pistol.
After his afternoon experiments, he was mainly focused on imagining the firing sequences of heavy artillery like the "Italian Cannon," howitzers, and self-propelled guns.
Before coming to this world, he had been something of an armchair general.
The kind who could impress someone who knew nothing about the military, but would be instantly found out by anyone even remotely knowledgeable.
Thanks to his enhanced Spirit Attribute, he could now recall his prior knowledge and the videos he had watched with near-perfect clarity.
He had an especially vivid memory of a famous scene from the Battle of Stalingrad.
The intense moment the Italian Cannon’s lanyard was pulled, firing and blasting apart the gatehouse, was still fresh in his mind.
But Tang Wen wasn’t after the explosion.
The Flying Locust Stones he used were, at the end of the day, just pebbles. It was impossible for them to explode; at most, they would shatter into pieces.
What he wanted was initial velocity!
An initial velocity several times faster than the speed of sound.
However, Tang Wen couldn’t quite figure out the energy conversion required for such initial velocity.
He was racking his brain when he was suddenly interrupted.
"Commander Tang Wen, Commander Zhou Bing, I’ve brought everyone back. For tonight, I’ll arrange for everyone to stay in the nearby courtyards. What do you two think?"
Although it was frustrating to be interrupted while trying to solve a difficult problem...
...work still had to be done. He nodded and dismissed Captain Liu with a few brief words.
He returned to his thoughts, trying to visualize the modern weapons.
Just as he was getting back into the right state of mind, a series of footsteps—thump, thump, thump, thump—sounded behind him.
The men who had been lying in ambush outside had returned.
Tang Wen felt a surge of irritation. He desperately wanted to go off into the mountains alone, find some peace and quiet, and properly work through his Contemplation Method.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t leave. To do so would be to act irresponsibly toward these Guards.
So much for freedom when you’re in charge.
The station bustled with activity as people came and went—cooking, roasting meat, stewing soup, and chatting amongst themselves.
Tang Wen shook his head with a sigh. For a moment, he actually found himself missing the days when he was alone in the wilderness, free to come and go as he pleased and train as hard as he wanted.
’I wonder if I’ll ever get back to that life.’
Seeing that it was impossible to think peacefully, he returned to his room, took out some jerky and meat paste, and began to interact with the Blood Crow in its cage.
"CAW CAW CAW, CAW CAW."
The Blood Crow cawed rhythmically.
Tang Wen poured it a small cup of warm, fresh Sand Wolf Blood.
Smelling the unique, coppery scent of the Exotic Beast Blood, the Blood Crow squawked in excitement a few times before immediately starting to lap it up. SLURP, SLURP, SLURP.
[Beast Taming Skill, Beginner (101→152/1000)]
’Whoa, all it took was a little Exotic Beast Blood to buy your loyalty?’
Tang Wen smiled, extending a finger to gently nudge the Blood Crow’s head.
But the Blood Crow couldn’t be bothered to play with its master. It pressed its small head firmly against his finger and drank its fill with loud slurps.
He spent a while bonding with the creature.
Tang Wen sat on his bed, observing the Blood Crow’s every move, and began to meticulously sketch its form in his mind.
The black feathers, the red eyes, the long tail, the short legs...
This was a special technique, a secret method taught to him in private by Elder Ya.
It allowed a Beast Tamer to form a closer bond with a Blood Crow.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!"
He was just about to finish the first outline when the knocking interrupted him.
"Commander Tang, the meal is ready."
"Mm."
He looked at the Blood Crow as it flapped its wings.
He suddenly had a thought. ’Ever since becoming a Commander, it seems I haven’t had a moment’s rest.’
’There’s always something, one way or another, interrupting my daily training regimen.’
For dinner, the table was laden with wild game.
Having bagged three wolves earlier in the day, everyone was in exceptionally high spirits.
It was as if they had forgotten they were in the middle of the wilderness.
"On your guard!" Tang Wen yelled amidst the lively meal. He leaped up, landing on the roof of the stone house.
Below, a clatter of panicked scrambling erupted.
"It’s a wild boar! A huge one!"
Tang Wen frowned. His instincts told him that while this boar was dangerous, the threat wasn’t immense.
It didn’t seem like the kind of creature that could pose a real threat to him personally.
"Sister Bing, why don’t you take care of it?"
"Alright."
Zhou Bing found it a bit strange but didn’t ask why.
Captain Liu had also climbed onto the roof by then. One look into the distance and his expression changed. "A Stone-toothed Wild Boar! Those things are tough to kill! Commander Zhou, don’t let your guard down!"
He turned his head and added, "Commander Tang Wen, aren’t you going to engage?"
Tang Wen glanced at him, and Captain Liu quickly explained, "This Stone-toothed Wild Boar isn’t your average Middle-level Exotic Beast. It’s bigger than a wild buffalo, and its thick hide gives it a defense on par with a High-level Exotic Beast."
"Even a Strong Bow with a draw weight of several hundred pounds can’t pierce its hide. The last time we ran into one, not only did we fail to kill it, but it also smashed through several of our stone houses and walls, injuring a number of our brothers."
While he was talking, Zhou Bing closed in on the Stone-toothed Wild Boar.
She swept her spear horizontally, smashing it against the boar’s front leg with a loud THUD.
The immense force that rebounded up the spear shaft shocked her.
The Stone-toothed Wild Boar roared at her, completely ignoring her attack. Its charge didn’t slow in the slightest as it continued to rush toward the Hunting Team’s encampment.
"Commander Tang Wen?" Captain Liu asked, looking at him anxiously.
’If he doesn’t act now, it’ll be too late by the time the Stone-toothed Wild Boar reaches us.’
Tang Wen asked calmly, "Is it a High-level Exotic Beast?"
"Well, no. But the threat it poses to our camp is no less than a High-level Exotic Beast’s!"
"Go down and help her."
"What? You’re still not going to fight?"
"Go down and help," Tang Wen repeated, his tone still calm.
Just then, Zhou Bing spun around and thrust her spear into the Stone-toothed Wild Boar’s hind leg, slowing its advance.
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade Tang Wen, Captain Liu had no choice but to lead his men to help Zhou Bing.
He couldn’t help but grumble to himself, ’This Tang Wen... did he push himself too hard during the day and still hasn’t recovered?’
’Hmph! And they call his stamina monstrous.’
"Men, with me! We’re supporting Commander Zhou!"
Seven or eight men leaped down from the stone wall.
Tang Wen slowed his breathing, trying to quiet his mind and feel everything in his surroundings.
A few minutes later, the Stone-toothed Wild Boar was about a hundred meters from the encampment’s stone wall.
It was on the verge of charging right into their living quarters.
Wu Tian and the others also jumped down to help.
Only Tang Wen remained, unmoving.
Not only did he not move, but he also held his breath, reducing his presence to the absolute minimum.
"Commander Tang Wen, we need support, quickly!"
The Stone-toothed Wild Boar was clearly drawn by the scent of blood from the encampment; it paid no mind to Zhou Bing and the others, refusing to get tangled up with them.
Relying on its thick hide, it simply barreled forward in a continuous, ferocious charge.
Zhou Bing had inflicted dozens of wounds upon it and had nearly torn its left hind leg to shreds.
But the Stone-toothed Wild Boar seemed to feel no pain as it continued its frenzied charge.
Despite the calls for aid, Tang Wen remained motionless, watching as the Stone-toothed Wild Boar drew nearer and nearer.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
His eyes lit up. ’It’s here!’
"Everyone, evacuate the camp immediately! A High-level Mutated Beast has broken through from underground!"
As if to confirm his words, a deafening RUMBLE shook the air, and the tallest stone house in the Hunting Team’s encampment collapsed!