50: King of Willows!

Five minutes.

The path-clearing ceremony lasted for five minutes.

The continuous roar of the explosions disturbed this primitive region.

Countless beastly roars rang out.

Carrying wails and fear, they quietly retreated into the deepest depths of the Shennong Forbidden Zone.

"Indeed, when exploring a primeval forest, the significance of military action is far too great."

Ye Su thought to himself.

Without this kind of heavy firepower to clear the way, one would be exhausted by the time they reached their destination.

It's also possible they would encounter dangerous situations, such as mutated beasts and the like.

But with firepower clearing the path...

Not only did the road become smooth, but many mutated beasts were also scared away.

"Prepare to move!"

Cui Hu said;

"Ye Su, a team cannot have two voices. I will be in command this time."

Ye Su indicated that there was no problem.

This wasn't just a Professional team operating; there was also a modern joint combat model in play.

Whirr—Dozens of large drones flew overhead.

They were respectively responsible for early warning, surveillance, signal connection, fire support, medical support, logistics, and other purposes.

And after the drones passed...

The jungle swayed.

Over a hundred all-terrain robotic wolf unmanned combat units acted as the vanguard, scouting the way ahead.

Cui Hu listened to the reporting voices in his earpiece;

"Orbital satellites have locked onto the position!"

"Fighters and attack helicopters have arrived at their designated coordinates."

"Let's set out!"

The next second.

The team moved instantly.

Ye Su swallowed hard, clicking his tongue... This was the mighty power of the state machine in motion.

From the sky to the ground, they crushed forward layer by layer!

They crossed a hundred meters of shrubs.

The team stepped onto the scorched earth.

Dust rolled, and the ground was scorching hot.

The true foundation of war was finally exposed before Ye Su.

High in the sky, large drones were like black hawks, overlooking the entire field.

On the ground, robotic wolves charged forward frantically, scouting and clearing the area.

And at an altitude of about a hundred meters, there were swarms of drones; they were extremely fast, and each drone was equipped with a self-destruct unit.

In this kind of scene, would anyone really dare to come and snatch the fruits of their labor?

Ye Su didn't believe it!

"Go!"

Cui Hu said.

Everyone advanced through the dust.

This firepower-cleared zone was a full thousand meters long.

And at its end...

Lay Great Xia's most mysterious existence—the Shennong Forbidden Zone!

Through the dust, they could vaguely see it looming like a mountain range.

It wasn't because of its altitude.

But rather, some ancient trees had now truly grown to tower into the heavens!

It was as if they were the Jianmu Tree from ancient myths and legends.

Looking at that region...

Even though everyone present was among the most elite and powerful Professionals, their scalps still tingled!

The scorched earth was a safe zone.

The thousand-meter distance was quickly crossed.

Ye Su glanced back.

He couldn't even imagine how much money had been spent just for this thousand-meter safe zone.

But the road ahead would reveal true horror.

The mutations brought about by the global profession change...

Would be displayed to the fullest in this primeval forest!

"Everyone, the drones are entering the forest, and the robotic wolves have already started taking losses," Cui Hu said;

"Be extremely careful!"

After saying that, Cui Hu was the first to step into this mysterious region.

In just a few steps, Ye Su caught up to walk beside him.

Rong Xi and Mo Xiaoyu, as Support Class Practitioners, were surrounded by the team and protected at the very center.

"The air quality report is in." Cui Hu's voice rang in everyone's ears through their earpieces;

"There is miasma, but..."

"Guan Li, report your visual observations."

"There is an ancient tree thirty meters away, estimated to be over a hundred meters tall. There are small purple flowers at the base of the tree. I can smell a faint floral fragrance, suspected to be Osmanthus..."

"That's enough. No hallucinogenic components. Continue advancing."

This was experience gained from the mycelium incident.

Cui Hu's level of eliteness made Ye Su feel a bit ashamed.

As expected, Professional matters should be left to Professional people!

The team continued to advance.

"Careful, robotic wolf losses are increasing significantly. The drones have captured footage—it's a black panther!"

"It's over five meters long, and its speed... its speed exceeds 200 kilometers per hour!"

"It's coming towards us!"

"Prepare for battle!"

Shing—long sabers were unsheathed.

Ye Su and Cui Hu held their long sabers in hand.

Their Aura suddenly surged.

However, the next second.

"Damn it!"

"It's stopped moving; it's hiding in the vicinity."

"It's suspected that the flora and fauna here possess conscious entities!"

Cui Hu said.

Everyone's expressions turned grim.

The flora and fauna were mutating, and they were mutating faster than anything else.

The only flaw was that they hadn't birthed a life consciousness.

But once a life consciousness was born...

They would no longer be simple plants and animals, but—another race!

This was what humanity least wanted to see!

The black panther's behavior led Cui Hu to this judgment immediately.

Destroying the scouts and then becoming a scout itself.

This kind of complex, human-like wartime behavior was not something that could be driven by mere instinct!

"The drones are searching. A large drone has discovered a herd of beasts moving towards us."

"Predicted arrival in 10 minutes."

Cui Hu looked at Ye Su;

"Retreat or fight?"

"Fight!"

Ye Su said almost without thinking.

If there really were conscious entities, then this was a surprise attack; they weren't prepared yet.

If they retreated...

It would give them time to prepare.

The grass had already been disturbed to startle the snake.

Time was life!

"Understood!"

"Everyone, full speed ahead!"

Cui Hu issued the command.

Subsequently.

The team's speed suddenly increased.

They quickly traversed the regions that the robotic wolves and drones had already explored.

"Another thousand meters and we will arrive at the Willow Tree King's location."

"Once we cut a branch, the mission will be complete!"

Everyone took a deep breath.

They had known the mission since they were on the plane.

It was to break into the Shennong Forbidden Zone and cut a branch from the willow tree.

It sounded simple.

But this region was special, and in actual practice, it was extremely difficult.

At the very least...

The army couldn't do it.

It had to be Professionals.

It wasn't that they hadn't tried to use a large army to forcibly crush their way in before.

The result?

That willow tree could burrow into the ground!

Only a small team of Professionals would have the chance to get close to it.

--- "How is it going?"

In the Imperial Capital, at the Combat Laboratory.

The Executor frowned as he looked at the screen and asked.

Zhang Zhenzhong was also there, his expression exceptionally solemn;

"The Willow Tree King hasn't run away. It seems our prediction was correct; it is very interested in the flesh and blood of Professionals!"

"Only a Professional team truly has the possibility of obtaining its branch."

The Executor pinched the bridge of his nose and said helplessly;

"Luoyang's side raised this prediction long ago."

"They even proposed an evolutionary theory."

"If the Willow Tree King absorbs a large amount of Professional flesh and blood, it might very well evolve."

"Zhenzhong, you are opening Pandora's box!"

Zhang Zhenzhong's face turned slightly ferocious.

"Pandora?"

"How many divisions does Pandora have?"

"The Willow Tree King had better know its place!"

"I've seen the configuration of this Heavy Combined Arms Brigade. Executor, don't tell me..."

"...that the burrowing Tactical Mushroom is just a decoration!"

The Executor shook his head helplessly.

As the helmsman of Great Xia...

Behind his gentle and refined demeanor was a responsibility toward Great Xia!

The Willow Tree King had better obediently leave a branch behind.

If it has any other ideas!

Then don't blame Great Xia for being ruthless!

(Some parts involve reality and won't be written very deeply; things will be much better later during [Rain Water] and [Awakening of Insects].)