52: rule!

Sparks flew, and gravel rained down like a storm.

The sky seemed to be covered in a layer of gray.

Immediately after, countless bits of gravel and dirt fell rustling down.

At the moment of the explosion,

the entire squad stumbled in unison.

The shockwave swept over, causing the muscles in everyone's legs to tear.

"Holy shit! Mo Xiaoyu!"

Ye Su shouted through gritted teeth.

"I couldn't help it, we were too close!"

Cui Hu also grimaced in pain.

Mo Xiaoyu took a deep breath.

Green light orbs continuously flew from her hands, landing on each person's head.

The green light flickered.

The healing energy took effect,

repairing the torn muscles.

Ye Su reached out a hand and tucked Mo Xiaoyu under his arm.

After this round of healing, Mo Xiaoyu's stamina was heavily depleted; he carried her to let her catch her breath.

"It worked, the Willow Tree King is spooked!"

Cui Hu said.

This was Stockholm Syndrome.

A few days ago, Great Xia had scared the Willow Tree King just like this.

After doing it many times,

the Willow Tree King became like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

It could only be said that

Li Qing and Zhang Zhenzhong had racked their brains for the strengthening potion,

all to make the plan more perfect!

Roar!!

A beast's roar!

The Willow Tree King was scared, but the beast tide was not.

In fact,

they were incited into an even more frantic ferocity by the fire and explosions.

Ye Su and Cui Hu looked toward the depths of the Shennong Forbidden Zone at the same time.

Damn it.

Could there really be some kind of conscious Beast King existence?

This beast tide seemed as if it were being commanded.

Wait...

Commanded!

That black panther!

A flash of inspiration struck Ye Su's mind.

In an instant, he burst forth with all his strength.

Just then,

a streak of dark light flared up, lunging straight for Rong Xi.

Animals have a special instinct—the ability to discover who is the weakest in a group.

Without a doubt,

in this squad, the ones with the weakest combat power were Rong Xi and Mo Xiaoyu.

But Mo Xiaoyu was by his side.

So—Impact Vigor!

In a split second, there wasn't much time to react, only the most explosive outburst.

Black waves of Qi billowed!

Faster than the dark light was Ye Su's saber light.

A massive amount of stamina was drained.

In a flash of the saber, the large head of the black panther was severed.

It wasn't until blood splattered onto Rong Xi's face

that she realized what had happened.

Instantly, her small face turned pale white.

"Fuck, this beast!"

Cui Hu was scared out of his wits and couldn't help but curse.

It was too fast; the anomaly had happened in the blink of an eye.

If Ye Su hadn't reacted,

Rong Xi would surely have died!

Phew...

Ye Su let out a long breath.

His heart beat rapidly, drawing oxygen from his lungs;

"The beasts in this place are no longer just beasts; they have a commander!"

"Let's go, quickly!"

Ye Su said.

Everyone composed themselves and sprinted rapidly.

The beast tide roared.

The sound of the ground trembling was already ringing in their ears.

"Rush to the buffer zone; the Combined Arms Brigade will cover us!"

Cui Hu shouted.

However—in the sky, several figures were falling rapidly.

Then they opened their parachutes and appeared in the buffer zone.

—A few minutes ago.

Imperial Capital Command Center.

"Satellite access granted!"

"Wait..."

"Flying objects have appeared around the forbidden zone."

"They... they have permits!"

A staff member shouted.

"How is that possible!"

Zhang Zhenzhong's expression changed.

The squad was in a critical situation; how could there be an intervention from others at this time?

"What's the deal with the permits?"

He asked urgently.

"Someone used a massive amount of merit points to apply for exploration of the Shennong Forbidden Zone."

"They aren't worthy..."

Zhang Zhenzhong looked at The Executor.

The Executor frowned.

Zhang Zhenzhong's heart sank.

Oh no.

Rules—in this world, whether it's a country or a person, behavior is within the rules.

The Executor had opened the exploration rules for the Shennong Forbidden Zone.

Then others could also use merit points to exchange for it.

In fact, Zhang Zhenzhong could say nothing, because this rule was something they had maintained.

If you use merit points to apply for exploration, then why can't I use merit points to explore?

As for the Combined Arms Brigade—well, thanks to the efforts of the Imperial Capital Research Institute and the Suhang Research Institute.

Zhang Zhenzhong took out his phone and looked.

A large sum of funds had already been injected into the Research Institute.

There was also a note.

[We owe your Combined Arms Brigade one.]

"Bastards! They dare play me!"

Zhang Zhenzhong was fuming.

The other party's behavior was both reasonable and legal!

It was obvious.

Someone wanted to reap the rewards without effort.

Because,

when a Professional meets another Professional, it triggers the rules established at the beginning;

unrestricted killing!

This rule had already been vividly demonstrated during the mycelium karst cave incident.

And official Professionals were also within this rule.

That was also why the official Professionals and independent Professionals were separated back at the mycelium karst cave!

Sigh...

Everyone likes to set unspoken rules, and they like to exploit loopholes in the rules even more.

Zhang Zhenzhong and Li Qing could only look grim at this moment!

"The Combined Arms Brigade..."

Zhang Zhenzhong muttered but stopped himself.

Killing between Professionals is legitimate.

Could the military really participate in a massacre?

Checkmated!

'Unity comes at a price.'

The Executor sighed inwardly.

Zhang Zhenzhong and Li Qing had sacrificed a lot to make this happen.

They did it for the sake of the future.

But there would always be some people who would latch onto them and suck their blood.

To put it bluntly,

a gentleman can be deceived by his own principles!

For the sake of the big picture, you're the honest man, and honest men are the easiest to bully!

They suck your blood.

They gnaw on your flesh!

So what?

Let the Combined Arms Brigade open fire, break the rules, and let the world descend into total disorder!

Go ahead!

See if I don't just use moral kidnapping on you and be done with it!

At this moment, even if Zhang Zhenzhong ground his teeth to dust,

he could only watch as a large number of figures jumped from the planes and reached the buffer zone using wingsuits.

Then they pulled out long sabers, waiting for Ye Su and the others to appear!

—"Ye Su, I'm sorry."

Li Qing's voice rang in Ye Su's ear.

This made Ye Su confused.

"What's the situation?"

Ye Su asked.

Then,

Li Qing told Ye Su everything; at the buffer zone, there were a large number of Professionals waiting for Ye Su and his group to walk into the trap.

"Director Li."

Ye Su's tone didn't seem to change much, only the sound of heavy breathing from physical exertion;

"You guys, you just have too many burdens."

"On a large scale, it's for the country and the people; on a small scale, it's about holding onto a bottom line."

"In this regard, you're not like me."

Li Qing: "You..."

"Someone wants to snatch my fruits? It's hard to appeal within the rules?" Ye Su's tone gradually turned cold;

"Then it's simple."

"Won't it be over if I just kill them all?"

"Professionals can kill each other within the rules, right?"

"So—"

"Just how many idiots can't see the situation and dare to stand against me?"

"Idiots are better off dead, so they don't waste any more rice!"

Like to bully honest people?

Too bad.

I'm the least honest of them all!

As he moved, strands of a violent aura gradually leaked out.

Mo Xiaoyu was the closest and felt it most deeply.

This scene

seemed familiar, like something she had seen at the entrance of a certain karst cave.