Chen Yi killed the Demonized Beast with a single slash of his Combat Saber, then ordered someone to crack open the beast's skull, revealing a Source Crystal before their eyes.
He couldn't help but show a gleam of joy in his eyes.
"The third one, haha!"
"Captain, here." The young man handed the Source Crystal to Chen Yi, then asked a bit shyly, "Well, Captain, about this…"
Chen Yi laughed heartily, "Keep up the good work, I'll hold onto these Source Crystals for now, and we'll distribute them when we get back to the Sanctuary. Don't worry, there are plenty of Demonized Beasts, we'll get lots more Source Crystals."
His mood was very pleasant, which made him generously open-handed.
As far as he was concerned, this mission was like an easy extra-credit question.
They had encountered many Demonized Beasts, but many, after being bombarded by artillery fire, arrived before them barely clinging to life.
These Demonized Beasts could be slain without them barely lifting a finger.
Consequently, the spoils of war naturally belonged to them.
Chen Yi was excited, considering his first mission an encounter of destiny, truly fitting of the protagonist.
He had always believed that he was the main character.
His parents were gone, and he had a sister and a house.
Even though his sister weighed 180 pounds.
Even though the house was just a cramped space of a dozen or so square meters, nothing could stop the fact that he was the main character.
Three days ago, he was merely a low-level survivor. Though his living conditions were better than a relief shelter, his lack of strength and savvy meant he was always outcompeted for work.
Full of hope, Chen Yi stepped out of the Sanctuary to become a Scavenger.
Of course, that wasn't how he saw it.
He went out in search of opportunity.
And indeed he found it.
That day, as he wandered aimlessly and got lost, going further and further, he happened upon two terrifying monsters in combat.
He didn't know much about Demonized Beasts, but he did know that it was rare for them to fight each other.
This was a battle between a Demonized Beast and a Mutant Beast.
Both monsters were terrifyingly powerful, capable of easily flipping vehicles and their trampling could crack the very ground.
The two monsters were evenly matched, and in the end, both were badly wounded and on their last breath.
Chen Yi was astonished; scenarios he had only dreamed about in novels were unfolding before his very eyes.
Perhaps too excited, in an instant, he Awakened. He, whom the Awakening Headband had no effect on, had Awakened at that very moment.
He became a glorious Awakener.
After his Awakening, Chen Yi grew even bolder.
After several cautious approaches, confirming that both monsters were truly on their last legs, he bravely stepped forward and killed them both.
These two beasts provided him with vast soul power; just by refining this soul power, he had achieved the strength of a First Layer Peak Awakener.
He had bypassed the Basic Period's struggles in one fell swoop.
Chen Yi even harvested materials from the two beasts, especially from the Mutant Beast, which proved even more valuable than that of the Demonized Beast.
With this, he earned a considerable amount of Source Crystals and even managed to equip himself with new gear.
Tough and elastic hides, a Standard Battle Saber commonly used by the Military.
His combat strength skyrocketed, and in the following two days, he went out to hunt Demonized Beasts, smoothly advancing to Second-tier Awakening.
In Lindong, he could already be considered somewhat of an expert.
Chen Yi was even more proud at heart, such a rapid advancement rate was unmatched by many in Lindong.
Before long, he had formed his own Mercenary Corps, taking in underlings...
"In the future, I will surely become the number one expert in Lindong."
Chen Yi had no doubts and suddenly saw a light again, noticing another Demonized Beast appearing not far off.
With a broken leg, its breath was weak.
He shouted, "Step aside, I'll do it!"
Brandishing his saber, he was ready to strike down this Demonized Beast.
Suddenly, the ground shook.
Chen Yi felt a little unsteady.
In front of him, several dilapidated buildings collapsed with a thunderous crash.
He widened his eyes in horror as he looked into the distance.
the ground turned to sand, sinking layer by layer as if a vortex made of earth and sand was forming.
In the center of the vortex, two red tendril-like appendages drilled out.
These tendrils were enormous, appearing like whips reaching for the sky, their sweep fractured the ground into gullies, and the rising dust towered four to five stories high.
"What on earth is that?!"
Countless people panicked.
They saw that, following the two tendrils, a massive body also emerged from the vortex.
This body was larger than an entire building, like the most terrifying Demon God, coldly looking down upon them.
In its presence, humans seemed no more significant than ants.
"Captain… What kind of monster is this, is it also a Demonized Beast?"
The members' teeth were chattering.
Chen Yi was panicked, but to maintain his image as a towering team leader, he forcefully tensed his face, retaining a relatively calm demeanor.
"What's there to be afraid of, and besides, there's the military; yes, the military is here, this monster will be bombed to smithereens in minutes!"
As if to prove his words true,
several armed helicopters flew in from afar.
On both sides of the aircraft, the anti-tank missiles, whooshing as they were launched,
struck the colossal Demonized Beast with white smoke trails directly hitting it.
Flashes of fire sparkled.
"That must have killed it!"
All fixed their eyes on that distant, colossal Demonized Beast.
No, before the smoke even cleared, two red fleshy tentacles swept out from within it,
like swatting at flies.
two helicopters exploded into balls of fire, leaving nothing but scattered fragments falling from the air.
The remaining helicopters, seeing the bad turn of events, hastily ascended to gain altitude, attempting to retreat.
But how could their speed compare with those incredibly agile fleshly tentacles?
In mid-air, the red whips danced.
Explosions of fire bloomed.
Reflecting the panicked expressions of everyone.
In Maple Leaf Town, a makeshift command center had been set up.
Lu Jianjun's face looked terrible.
Having already conducted reconnaissance, he had not expected a Demonized Beast to be hiding beneath the sand, let alone one of such immense size.
If this Demonized Beast managed to break through their lines, the losses would be immeasurable.
"Have the results come out yet? What is the energy level?" he asked.
a middle-aged man operating the equipment, drenched in sweat, stammered, "Extremely, extremely high."
"Un-, unmeasurable; it's far beyond the limits of our detection."
This device, developed by the Science Academy, was used to detect the energy levels of powerful Demonized Beasts.
Now, it was of no use.
Lu Jianjun knew they were facing the worst-case scenario.
"Contact the base and deploy the remaining missiles," he ordered.
The Contact Person immediately took the command.
A moment later, several dark spots rose into the sky from Lindong Sanctuary, traveling swiftly.
The entire view was filled with piercingly bright light.
All that could be heard were the deafening explosions.
Compared to before, many Awakeners standing at the edge of Lindong, watching from afar, were shocked.
Now, situated within Maple Leaf Town and closer to the blast, they felt the power of these explosions all the more personally.
If they had been any closer, they would likely have been impacted as well.
And that Demonized Beast, taking a direct hit, no matter how strong, was surely doomed!
Chen Yi laughed heartily, seemingly venting the horror from within, "You see, I said with the military here, there's nothing to fear. Today we just need to pick up the leftovers, and we can earn enough points to not only move up to an elite squad but perhaps even a top-ranking one."
The team members let out cheers, only to abruptly stop.
One by one, they gawked in horror, looking past their team leader.
Chen Yi's back was drenched in cold sweat as he stiffly turned around, only to see...
Off in the distance, amidst the dust and smoke,
the colossal Demonized Beast, even though its carapace was pocked and scorched black in numerous places and many thick, viscous fluids oozed from its body,
However, this Demonized Beast...