61: Chapter 61 The Imposter Appears

In the distance, Lin Mo’s team had already vanished into the woods.

The forest was denser than expected.

Lin Mo walked at the very front, the fallen leaves crunching softly under his feet. The three hundred people following him had spread out, forming a loose search line as they pushed deep into the mountain forest.

"Group Three reporting. We've spotted a Tier 1 Iron-Backed Wolf and are currently in pursuit."

"Group Seven reporting. Two Tier 1 Split-Claw Beasts discovered and slain."

"Group Twelve reporting. Three unranked fierce beasts discovered and dealt with."

Reports from the various groups kept streaming in through his wristband.

Listening to those voices, the corners of Lin Mo’s mouth curled up slightly.

Wu Feng was right.

Three hundred people meant three hundred pairs of eyes; what fierce beast could possibly hide from them?

Although he looked down on Tier 1 and unranked fierce beasts, it was fine as long as the team members were having fun killing them. What he wanted were those Tier 2 or higher.

Yi Xiaoyu, walking beside him, couldn't help but ask:

"Lin Mo, where exactly are the Tier 2 fierce beasts you're looking for?"

Lin Mo glanced at her.

"Deep in the mountains."

"So we're heading in now?"

"Don't be in a hurry. Wait for news!"

Yi Xiaoyu wanted to ask more, but a voice came through the communication wristband.

"Reporting to the Captain, Team One has a discovery! Energy fluctuations indicate it's above Tier 2!"

Lin Mo’s eyes instantly sharpened.

"Give me the coordinates!"

A string of numbers was reported over the communicator.

Lin Mo looked up, carefully discerning their current position.

"The rest of you keep pushing forward. Maintain formation."

Yi Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. "And you?"

Lin Mo didn't answer.

His figure had already vanished into the woods.

[God Speed] activated.

The wind whistled past his ears.

Trees blurred past like phantoms on both sides. His footsteps left shallow pits in the fallen leaves, which were quickly covered by new ones.

Lin Mo’s speed was too fast.

So fast that the Tier 1 students couldn't see him at all; they only felt a gust of wind sweep past before he was gone.

Thirty seconds.

2,500 meters.

The Tier 2 fierce beast appeared in his field of vision. It was a Black Tooth Beast, massive in size, with fur that shimmered with a metallic luster under the sunlight.

It was bowing its head, tearing at a rotting beast carcass.

Hearing a sound, it jerked its head up.

Then, it saw Lin Mo.

That figure had already charged in front of it. A flash of a blade—

*Puchi.*

The Black Tooth Beast's head flew off, blood spraying over ten feet high from its neck.

The corpse crashed to the ground.

[Ding! Slain an early-stage Tier 2 fierce beast, Black Tooth Beast. Obtained slaughter value +105.]

Lin Mo sheathed his blade and glanced at the corpse on the ground.

An early-stage Tier 2 fierce beast, 105 slaughter value points.

This pace was much faster than killing Tier 1 fierce beasts.

He turned and sprinted back the way he came.

When he returned to the team, Yi Xiaoyu and the others were waiting for him in place.

"So fast?" Yi Xiaoyu’s eyes widened.

"Killed it?"

Lin Mo nodded.

Shen Yi leaned in, her face full of admiration. "Lin Mo, you're so cool! It hasn't even been two minutes. Did you kill it in one strike?"

Lin Mo glanced at her.

"Two strikes."

Shen Yi: "..."

The group continued to push forward.

Half an hour later, the communicator rang again.

Another Tier 2.

Lin Mo left the team again and finished the battle in three minutes.

[Ding! Slain a Tier 2 Rock Python. Obtained slaughter value +125.]

When he returned, the way the students looked at him had changed.

That look wasn't admiration.

It was awe.

Another twenty minutes passed, and the detector rang for the third time.

Just as Lin Mo was about to move, an urgent voice came through his wristband:

"Captain! We found a Tier 2 fierce beast! But... but something's not right over here!"

Lin Mo frowned.

"What's not right?"

"I..." The voice on the other end paused, dropping even lower.

"I think I saw a figure flickering in the woods, but we're already seven or eight kilometers away from the camp. How could anyone be here?"

Lin Mo pressed the communication button, wanting to ask for details.

But there was no response from the wristband.

Only the harsh sound of static crackled through.

Yi Xiaoyu sensed something was wrong and leaned in to ask, "What is it?"

Lin Mo didn't answer.

He looked up toward the dense forest ahead.

The woods were very quiet.

Abnormally... quiet.

Just a moment ago, there were birds chirping and the rustle of leaves in the wind. But now, there was nothing.

A deathly silence.

Lin Mo’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Not because of fear.

But because—

[Warning! Dangerous aura detected approaching!]

[Distance: 50 meters! Approaching!]

[Energy Level: Late-stage Tier 3!]

[Ding~ Special challenge triggered: Path of Godslaying]

The system's notification exploded in his mind.

Lin Mo’s pupils contracted sharply.

Late-stage Tier 3.

He took a deep breath and turned to Yi Xiaoyu, his voice extremely low:

"Everyone, fall back! Stay away from me!"

Yi Xiaoyu was stunned. "What?"

"Go."

Lin Mo only said one word.

Yi Xiaoyu opened her mouth but ultimately asked nothing. She turned and waved to the students waiting behind her.

"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"

The students looked at each other, not knowing what had happened, but they couldn't disobey the Captain's order. They began to fall back—fifty meters, a hundred meters, two hundred meters.

Lin Mo stood his ground, unmoving.

He stared at the woods ahead, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.

A figure slowly emerged from the woods.

It was a man in military uniform, in his forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He looked honest and dependable.

In his hand, he held a standard-issue combat blade, its surface still stained with blood—whether it belonged to a fierce beast or someone else was unknown.

Lin Mo watched him.

He recognized this person.

A veteran of the Sixth Battalion, part of the patrol team. He didn't know the man's name, but they had met a few times. Each time, the man had been polite, nodding and smiling—the very picture of an honest man.

But now, there wasn't a hint of honesty in that man's eyes.

Only... a certain crazed desire.

"Lin Mo."

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The man spoke.

Lin Mo said nothing.

He just stared into the man's eyes.

Those eyes were slowly turning red.

The man took a step forward.

Suddenly, a crack appeared on his face.

Starting from the center of his brow, it extended downward, crossing the bridge of his nose, his lips, and his chin.

That wasn't a wound.

That was... skin.

He was tearing off his own face.

*Sssrip—*

A tooth-aching sound of tearing.

The entire human skin, from head to face, was torn off in one piece.

The human skin fell to the ground, collapsing into a limp pile like a discarded garment.

And the thing beneath the skin was not human at all.

It was a monster wreathed in a bloody aura.

...