57: Caught in an ambush and mind controlled!

Su Lei's speed gradually slowed, eventually stopping at the top of a sand dune, silently surveying the oasis below.

It was too quiet.

There were no roars of mutated beasts, nor any sounds of battle.

A strange, indescribable sense of oppression permeated the dry air, and even the sound of the wind seemed to be deliberately suppressed by some force.

"As expected, something is wrong..."

Su Lei sighed inwardly.

More than false intelligence, he was worried that the team itself had encountered a problem.

One Grandmaster, thirty High-Order Martial Masters.

If even such a lineup could be silently trapped here... he didn't know what person in this world could solve this trouble.

The next moment, an unusual shiver suddenly ran up his spine to the back of his neck.

— Someone was watching him.

Not with eyes, but with a more primitive, colder form of perception.

Like invisible tendrils slowly coiling around his nerves, attempting to probe his thoughts.

Su Lei's muscles instantly tensed, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he unconsciously held his breath.

"Beep beep beep—"

The electronic sound of the communicator suddenly rang out.

Su Lei didn't answer immediately, but instead scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Ten figures were rapidly approaching from the shadows of the sand dune.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized; the distance of each step, and even the height of each leg lift, were precise to the millimeter.

It was inexplicably eerie.

As they drew closer, their faces gradually became clear.

Each one was a comrade he knew: Zhao Yue from the Western Theater Command, Chen Feng from the Southern Theater Command... Just an hour ago, they were together at the military base, resisting the beast tide's attack.

But now... the ten of them stopped simultaneously, forming a circle around Su Lei.

Their eyes were hollow like Puppets, staring at him without any emotion.

"Su Lei..." Chen Feng, who was leading, spoke, but his voice was like dozens of whispers overlapping, with an eerie echo, "You've finally arrived."

Su Lei's body was taut, and he silently adopted a combat stance.

It was not an illusion.

Their Qi, the way their muscles exerted force, and even their breathing rhythm were no different from Immortal Masters.

The main pioneering team had indeed run into trouble... The next moment, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Are you the only one? Where are the other three?"

Su Lei's pupils suddenly contracted.

This was not spoken by anyone around him; it was as if a cold steel needle had directly pierced into his mind.

After a moment of silence, Su Lei looked around and retorted with a sneer:

"Where are the others? Where is Grandmaster Ye? Were they all defeated by you?"

The other party seemed not to have expected him to question back like this, falling silent for a moment, then sighing:

"Unfortunately, he is still resisting my control."

"After all, he is a Grandmaster; even if he hasn't specifically cultivated Mental Energy, his willpower far surpasses ordinary people."

Mental Energy control... Su Lei secretly noted this phrase, looking around warily.

There were no injuries on these people, and even their combat uniforms were as good as new.

It seemed that this main team hadn't even had time to fight before being controlled.

Completely annihilated without any power to resist... The only good news was that Grandmaster Ye seemed to still be resisting.

If that Grandmaster were to make a move, he would have no choice but to die.

Su Lei's gaze darkened slightly, and a faint thought of retreating emerged in his mind.

But before leaving, he had to confirm Grandmaster Ye's situation and gather as much intelligence as possible.

The Martial Skill, Treading Wind and Flowing Clouds, had already reached the second Realm; he could escape from here at any time if he wished.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and Su Lei said in a deep voice: "So, the previous beast tide was initiated by you?"

"That's right." The other party's tone carried confidence and a hint of disdain. "This is just a way to screen out the trash."

Su Lei's eyes instantly turned cold, and an indescribable anger boiled in his chest.

"They fought bravely against the mutated beasts in the defense battle and died heroically."

"You, you actually call them trash?"

The other party sneered.

"If they can't even deal with such low-level creatures, what else are they but trash?"

"However... you are different."

The voice suddenly softened, even carrying a hint of eerie appreciation.

"You are very strong; your performance has far exceeded my expectations, and I don't want to kill you."

"Wait patiently for a moment; soon, you will become one of them."

"Become... my slave!"

Su Lei, far from being afraid, let out a cold laugh.

"Wiping out the elites of the Western Theater Command and the Southern Theater Command in one fell swoop..."

"Such an event will inevitably attract high attention from the military."

"No matter how strong Your Excellency is, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle the encirclement of the Grandmasters, will you?"

"Who exactly are you?"

"You ask too many questions." The other party's voice suddenly turned cold.

In an instant, the surrounding air suddenly solidified.

A vast Mental Energy crushed down like a mountain!

Su Lei's vision instantly distorted, his temples throbbed wildly, as if countless steel needles were frantically stirring inside his skull.

His knees softened uncontrollably, and he almost fell to the ground.

Just as he was about to kneel, Su Lei let out a low growl, his internal Qi and blood erupted like a volcano, and the Meditation Technique automatically began to operate.

With waves of coolness, the external force suddenly receded like a tide, leaving only cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"You actually..." The voice in his mind fluctuated for the first time, "...can break free from Mental control?"

"So that's how it is." Su Lei gasped as he straightened up, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "It seems you used this method to control them."

"Too bad... it's ineffective against me."

"Do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"

With a cold snort, the ten people standing silently like sculptures around him suddenly erupted!

The leading figure expressionlessly drew the alloy saber from his back and strode forward.

Clang—

The metallic hum of vibration ripped through the air, and a sharp, cold glint flashed and disappeared.

This saber strike was as fast as lightning, aimed directly at Su Lei's throat!

Before the blade arrived, several strands of hair on his forehead had already been severed by the fierce wind.

The fierce Saber Qi even plowed a deep furrow in the ground, and sand rolled like waves to both sides!

"Good timing!"

Su Lei's eyes were like electricity; instead of retreating, he defiantly charged forward, meeting the blade!

A series of muffled thunderous sounds came from within his body.

His entire body's Qi and blood boiled, converging into his right hand.

His five fingers, like iron pincers, directly grabbed the blade!

"Clang—!"

The clang of metal on metal exploded, and a violent surge of Qi erupted around the two of them, blowing away sand within a three-zhang radius.

The sand beneath Su Lei's feet instantly collapsed, his right hand firmly gripping the opponent's blade, unable to advance another inch!

However, the true killing intent had only just arrived.

Almost at the same instant, the other nine people also moved!

Zhao Yue's Mountain-Splitting Palm, carrying the force to shatter mountains and crack stones, slammed towards Su Lei's back!

Before the palm wind arrived, the oppressive force already made his clothes cling to his skin!

Chen Feng's Wind-Chasing Leg swept horizontally like a steel whip, stirring up a sandstorm directly targeting his lower body!

The other seven unleashed their killing moves, with fist winds, finger energies, saber glints, and Sword Qi intertwining into a death net, completely sealing off all of Su Lei's escape routes!

The combined attack of ten Fourth-Order Martial Masters, even if a Grandmaster were present, would have to temporarily avoid their edge!