223: Hunter Squad

On a winding country road between hills and fields, abandoned vehicles were scattered here and there, and weeds had stubbornly poked their heads through the cracked asphalt surface.

A team of over a dozen people was moving quickly through the area, their target being Hongdu, hundreds of kilometers away. Unlike the steel torrent of large-scale armies converging on Hongdu from all directions, they were more like a group of silent ghosts.

In the team, a pretty girl with a ponytail—Miao Lili—looked around somewhat uneasily. She lowered her voice and spoke to Wang Kai, who was walking beside her, tall, carrying a long axe, and whose skin had a faint rock-like luster: "Brother Kai... we've come to Hongdu secretly like this without reporting to the Association... if we're found out, will we be punished?" Her voice carried the characteristic softness of a young girl and a trace of fear.

"Uh..." Upon hearing this, Wang Kai helplessly held his forehead and replied in a gruff voice, "Lili, can you stop saying such discouraging things? We're out here to hunt and hone ourselves, so why do you make it sound like we're being thieves?" A hint of embarrassment showed on his bronze-colored face.

"Blehh—" Miao Lili playfully stuck out her tongue and hid behind another female companion beside her.

Zhu Lingyun, who was walking near the front of the team and holding a uniquely shaped two-handed greatsword surrounded by black demonic flames, heard the conversation. He turned his head, his handsome face showing a touch of composure and helplessness as he explained: "Lili, it can't be helped. The army is advancing too fast and clearing everything too thoroughly. The high-value missions released by the Association for private Demon Hunting Squads like us are becoming fewer and fewer. To allow the brothers and sisters of 'Dawns First Light' and 'Sword of Hope' to reach Rank 2 as soon as possible, we must find new hunting grounds. Risks and rewards often coexist."

Several other young male and female team members beside him nodded silently, their eyes showing both alertness toward the unknown and a competitive drive that refused to admit defeat.

"Big Brother Zhu is right!" a clear voice rang out. It was Li Xueli, the captain of the Sword of Hope Demon Hunting Squad. She was tall, wearing a neat military anti-stab combat suit, and her ear-length short hair made her look heroic and spirited.

"The bold feast while the timid starve! Always following behind the army to clean up the battlefield is safe, but we'll only ever pick up scraps. Since we chose to become unfettered private hunters and want true freedom and power, we must dare to take risks and constantly challenge stronger enemies! One day, we will also become existences like those top experts in the military!" Li Xueli's words were full of power, carrying a resilient spirit. Her heroic female warrior aura and pretty face caused several young men in the team to steal glances at her.

This team consisted of the two most famous Demon Hunting Squads from the Lujiang Base Hunter Association—'Dawns First Light' and 'Sword of Hope'. As the earliest established private Demon Hunting Squads, they had experienced countless trials of blood and fire, and now the team already possessed seven Rank 2 experts!

These included the captain of Dawns First Light, Zhu Lingyun, who could transform into a Magic Swordsman; Wang Kai, who had incredible defense and great strength and could petrify his skin; Yan Xin, the Flame Longbow with precise archery and arrows imbued with fire Superpowers; and Zhao Dun, the Light Shield Warrior who held a light-element shield and a light-element battle blade.

On the Sword of Hope side, there was the captain, Li Xueli, a Summoner who could summon a powerful Polar Ice Bear; Yang Yiyu, a Summoner who could summon an Azure Water Spirit Beast with multiple abilities for support, field control, and area attacks; and Wang Sheng, a Paladin with both offensive and defensive capabilities.

The other members of the two teams had all reached the peak of Rank 1, only one step away from a breakthrough.

These two squads were well-known figures in the hunter circles of Lujiang and even the entire Xijiang Province Red Alert Legion controlled area. They had cooperated many times and shared seamless chemistry.

However, in the team, Yang Yiyu, with her clear, pretty face and gentle temperament, always carried a hint of lingering worry. She pulled on Li Xueli's sleeve beside her and whispered: "Xue... I'm still a bit worried. The situation in Hongdu is unclear. What if... what if something happens?"

Li Xueli looked at her best friend's eyes, which were as soft as water but filled with unease. She gently grasped her slightly cool hand and slowed her tone, yet remained firm: "Yu, have you forgotten your goal? Haven't you always wanted to become stronger and no longer just be a protected character? If we always stay in the safe zones designated by the army, when will we ever truly be able to stand on our own and grow quickly?"

"But—" Yang Yiyu subconsciously stroked the silver bracelet on her left wrist with her right hand. It was extremely exquisite and set with a small sapphire, her eyes somewhat dazed. "I don't want... to cause him trouble..." This bracelet was given to her privately by Commander-in-Chief Jiang Xin. It wasn't a powerful weapon, but had only one function—it could directly connect to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Lei's private communication channel. This was clearly an "assist" created by Jiang Xin for his good brother. Natasha had also received a bracelet, but because she had been following Zhang Lei on campaigns, she hadn't needed it. However, Yang Yiyu had never actively dialed that number. In fact, since she was saved by Zhang Lei after being injured last time, she hadn't seen that figure, who was as dazzling as a deity in her heart, for a long time.

"Sigh, you're a hopeless little fangirl—" Li Xueli looked at her best friend's appearance, feeling both amused and pained. she suddenly reached out both arms, hugged Yang Yiyu tightly in her arms, and vigorously rubbed her hair until her smooth long hair was a bit messy before letting go. She gently patted her back like soothing a small animal, "Don't worry, we're here!"

This scene of intimate closeness fell into the eyes of the male members of the Demon Hunting Squads, causing a burst of well-meaning low laughter and clicking tongues in admiration. Both were school-beauty level beauties, yet one was devoted to that high-and-mighty ice fire divine lord, a hardcore "fangirl"; the other had a special fondness for fluffy animals, and her sexual orientation was even more of a mystery. This was simply a "huge waste" of high-quality resources!

"Don't worry, Miss Yang," the steady Wang Kai also spoke up to comfort her, "Our two teams have cooperated so many times, what kind of scene haven't we seen? This time we'll only move on the periphery, hunting lone zombies and small groups of corpses to collect crystal cores. It won't be much of a problem."

Just as Wang Kai said, Dawns First Light and Sword of Hope had cooperated many times, and their members' abilities were extremely complementary, forming a near-perfect small tactical system: with a powerful melee Magic Swordsman like Zhu Lingyun and Li Xueli's Polar Ice Bear as the frontal spearhead; Yang Yiyu's Azure Water Spirit Beast providing healing, field control, and buff effects; Yan Xin providing precise long-range fire coverage from the rear; Zhao Dun's light shield and Wang Sheng's holy light protecting the core; while agility-type Superpower users like Ma Tianfeng and Wang Sheng were responsible for flanking and key finishing... Except for an early danger at Heihe Village due to lack of experience, no major casualties had occurred since.

"Exactly! Can you big shots stop being so pessimistic!" A lively voice sounded. It was Ma Tianfeng, the Gale Warhorse Summoner in the team. He performed a flourish with his knife, his face full of confidence. "Who are we? We are the top-tier Demon Hunting Squads sitting firmly in the first and second seats on the Lujiang Hunter Association rankings! The zombies that have died under our two teams' joint hands, if not ten thousand, there must be several thousand, right? We're not stupid; we won't burrow into Corpse King nests like the city center. We'll just hunt in the periphery. What's there to be afraid of?"

"I think Old Ma's words make sense!" Sword of Hope's Paladin Wang Sheng crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. He was dressed in silver-bright light armor that reflected the faint light in the sparse sunlight.

"Haha! Sheng'er, you're the one who suits my taste!" Ma Tianfeng laughed loudly and habitually wanted to put his arm around Wang Sheng's shoulder.

"Get away, you gay guy—who suits your taste!" Wang Sheng quickly dodged with a look of disgust, causing another burst of loud laughter from everyone. The two of them bantering back and forth lightened much of the originally slightly tense atmosphere in the team.

In this state where relaxation and alertness coexisted, this elite Demon Hunting Squad was like fish in a stream, skillfully weaving through the abandoned country roads and dense forests. Occasionally encountering small groups of dozens or even over a hundred corpses was, for them, nothing more than "snacks" delivered to their door and moving "crystal core warehouses."

When battle occurred, Magic Swordsman Zhu Lingyun led the charge, demonic flames wrapped around his blade, every swing easily killing zombies. Li Xueli would summon a massive Polar Ice Bear emitting a piercing cold aura to charge into the enemy ranks. Ice crystals splashed with every strike of its paws, easily tearing apart the zombies' formation.

The Azure Water Spirit Beast summoned by Yang Yiyu would sometimes condense water shields to protect teammates and sometimes release water rings to slow down enemies. The healing water mist occasionally sprinkled down refreshed the team members' spirits. In the rear, Yan Xin's bowstring rang repeatedly, each burning arrow like a shooting star, precisely sniping agility-type zombies trying to approach. Ma Tianfeng and Wang Sheng rode the Gale Warhorse and Paladin Warhorse, roaming the edges of the battlefield, specifically cleaning up fish that slipped through the net and enemies trying to sneak attack from the flanks...

Their coordination was as smooth as flowing water, as if practiced a thousand times. It could be said that even facing an ordinary corpse group of a thousand, this elite squad was fully capable of fighting and winning, or retreating calmly.