47: Three weeks of disappearance, a complete transformation

Three days later, the dry rations he carried were all eaten.

Su Lei had already forgotten how many Vicious Beasts he had personally killed.

In this perilous primeval forest,

the Treading Wind and Flowing Clouds power exertion technique seemed to have become an instinct of his body.

To resist the omnipresent poisonous mist, he had been silently circulating the Nine Heavens Thunder Shocking Method.

Whether he was eating, traveling, or sleeping.

...

He didn't know how much time had passed.

Su Lei pushed aside several hanging poisonous vines, and the sight before him made him involuntarily hold his breath.

A giant creature was entrenched in the center of the swamp.

Its crown covered an area of a hundred meters, and every drooping branch dripped with viscous poison.

The tree trunk was over ten meters in diameter, exhaling large amounts of white mist as if breathing.

The most terrifying thing was the twisted "face" in the center of the trunk, with facial features naturally formed by the bark, which was now slowly opening its pus-flowing "eyes."

Not far away, numerous vines were wrapped around a disfigured Vicious Beast corpse.

As it was sucked, the mountain-like corpse visibly shriveled.

Su Lei stood before the tree, silently observing the enormous creature in front of him.

"I finally found you."

"The overlord of Zone H..."

As if responding to his arrival,

the "mouth" in the center of the trunk suddenly opened, spewing out a foul-smelling green mist.

Wherever the mist passed, the ground vegetation instantly withered and carbonized, and even the soil turned an eerie grayish-white.

Su Lei's eyes narrowed, and he stomped his foot hard on the ground!

"Boom!"

Mud exploded, and his figure shot up like an arrow, the poisonous mist barely missing his feet.

In mid-air, he gathered strength in his right fist, and his Qi and blood surged within his body like thunder.

"Dong—!!!"

The force of his punch tore through the air, forming a visible shockwave that heavily slammed into the "face" in the center of the tree trunk!

"Crack!"

The bark exploded, and wood chips flew everywhere.

The poisonous banyan let out a piercing shriek,

but in the next moment, the struck area began to reassemble at a visible rate.

"Regeneration?" Su Lei frowned slightly.

Before he could react, the entire swamp began to boil.

Countless vines twisted wildly, coiling towards him like giant pythons.

"Swish!"

Su Lei's body spun rapidly, his movement technique pushed to its limit, as he weaved and dodged among the vines.

The mud in the swamp bubbled, and a tree root as thick as a bucket burst from the ground, violently brushing past his shoulder.

His black Giant Shark combat suit was instantly corroded with a large hole.

An abnormal purplish-blue color appeared on his skin.

But in the next second, accompanied by a thunderous sound, the poison was forcibly expelled from his body!

"A bit interesting."

Su Lei rolled after landing, avoiding the sharp roots that thrust out from underground.

He suddenly closed his eyes, his Mental Energy fully extended, sensing the entire giant tree like a radar.

At a height of three meters on the right side of the trunk, an inconspicuous tumor was pulsating at a different frequency.

That was its core!

The poisonous banyan seemed to sense the danger; all its leaves trembled simultaneously, and tens of thousands of drops of poison rained down, completely engulfing the area within ten meters!

Now is the time!

Su Lei's leg muscles bulged, and a two-meter-diameter pit exploded in the ground.

His entire body shot towards the target like a cannonball, his right fist enveloped in a spiraling airflow—

"Boom!!!"

The five layers of strength, intertwining light and dark, instantly erupted.

It pierced through the trunk, shattering the core tumor!

...

Camp, Command Center.

"The, the mist has dispersed?"

The monitor stared at the plummeting poison gas index on the instrument, his voice trembling.

Outside the command tent, the assembled team looked at the suddenly clear sky.

Someone took off their gas mask, looking up in disbelief.

The white mist that had previously shrouded the forest was now dissipating at a visible rate.

Bright sunlight streamed down, casting mottled shadows all around.

"The commander has sent a message, all teams begin operations!" The communicator rushed out of the tent, shouting excitedly, "All teams, move out immediately!"

Li Qingchen ripped off his gas mask and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Fully armed soldiers advanced through knee-high humus, each step accompanied by a grating "crunch."

The path was strewn with countless insect and beast corpses.

When the vanguard team cut through the last patch of thorns, the sight before them made everyone's breath catch.

The thousand-year-old poisonous banyan, with a diameter of over ten meters, was broken in half at the waist, its fractured wood grain jagged.

The hollow chamber inside the trunk was exposed, its inner walls covered with purple vascular patterns.

Viscous sap continuously dripped, accumulating into steaming poisonous pools on the muddy ground.

Su Lei sat on the fallen tree trunk, examining a half-severed purple-gold sprout in his hand.

Although only about an inch long, the sprout glowed with a strange halo in the sunlight,

and each faint tremor caused ripple-like waves in the surrounding air.

Hearing footsteps, Su Lei slowly looked up.

Zhao Tian suddenly took half a step back, and the soldiers behind him unconsciously raised their weapons.

The nearest soldiers suddenly turned pale and stumbled to their knees.

At that moment, they suddenly felt an indescribable palpitation.

Su Lei stood up, his movements very light, yet the entire forest suddenly fell silent.

Rotten leaves silently turned to dust beneath his feet, and the surging Qi and blood twisted and steamed the air within three meters of him.

Li Qingchen's temples throbbed.

As a second-rank Martial Master, he felt that oppressive sensation more clearly than others.

It was like facing a savage Vicious Beast,

and under the influence of primal instinct, every cell in his body trembled!

"I'll leave this place to you all."

Su Lei's voice was soft, yet it shook the remaining leaves on the surrounding treetops, making them rustle and fall.

He put the sprout into the inner pocket of his combat uniform and turned to walk deeper into the dense forest.

It wasn't until that figure completely disappeared into the depths of the dense forest that the suffocating pressure instantly receded by more than half.

Everyone immediately felt a loosening in their chests and gasped for air.

...

Three weeks later.

Outside the camp.

The searchlight on the watchtower had just come on when the soldier on duty suddenly widened his eyes, looking in disbelief towards the entrance.

"Officer Su, Su?"

Su Lei was shirtless, his bronze skin crisscrossed with dozens of hideous scars.

The newest one slanted from his left shoulder to his right abdomen, a faint, unhealed pink.

His Giant Shark tactical suit was long gone, replaced by a loincloth made of beast hide, still stained with dried purple blood.

He walked slowly, as if strolling, yet each step strangely covered more than ten meters.

Footprints should have been left on the damp mud, but only a few withered leaves were stirred up where he passed, as if he walked on air.

"Cap, Captain?!"

Zhao Tian rushed out of the command tent, "Where have you been all this time? You didn't even bring your communicator; we couldn't contact you at all..."

He opened his mouth, his words suddenly getting stuck halfway.

The man whose eyes were once as sharp as knives was now as calm as deep water.

There were no outward Qi and blood fluctuations, no intimidating pressure, and even his breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zhao Tian would have even thought that a phantom stood before him.

Li Qingchen, who had rushed over, also stood frozen.

His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, then he suddenly shook his head with a bitter smile: "You... you've changed so much."

Indeed, it was a massive change.

Three weeks ago, Su Lei was like a drawn sword; merely approaching him would risk being cut by its sharpness.

But now, he stood there, seemingly integrated with the twilight.

If not for those scars reminding them of brutal battles, anyone would think he was just an ordinary person.

Li Qingchen hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask: "Captain, have you reached the Fourth Rank?"

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