This was bad.
They were fooled.
Exposing themselves out in the open to attract their attention, waiting for them to make the first move, and then overpowering the barrier to show that they weren't weak.
This was all planned, and they were clueless all along.
What does White Eye want to achieve by doing all this? Chief Li was confused since this wasn't how things would usually go. The sudden turn of events slightly caught him off guard.
It was far from his expectations. From how he imagine, White Eye should only be finding a source of blood to prey on, which was why they were able to locate his position.
However, seeing all this happen, it might not be the case. Chief Li might be wrong about his initial thought.
Was it them who was hunting White Eye, or was it White Eye who was hunting them?
Now that the blood-sucking bats broke out of the barrier, Chief Li had no idea how would the situation proceed from this point on.
The Awakeneds that set out to catch White Eye initially planned to use the barrier as the primary method for his capture.
Since it showed to be a failure, they should be currently in retreat according to the plan agreed on.
But that never answered his question. What was their reason for doing all this? Could it be that it was all a coincidence? White Eye wasn't expecting this to happen and only reacted how he should have?
No! There has to be another explanation.
As he waited at their designated meeting location, Chief Li recalled everything he could about White Eye.
This Awakened had been contained in their facility for quite an amount of time. His understanding of White Eye and his skill can be said to be significant enough to form some ideas about him.
Chief Li knew that consuming blood would make them stronger. This was the main reason behind White Eye's strong desire for it, enough that he would attack countless villages to consume it.
Blood Energy. They believed that there was something in the blood that White Eye wanted, which would contribute to the growth of their power.
They have determined that there is a high chance that it was Blood Energy. It was another kind of energy that a particular group of Awakeneds use.
This energy is mysterious, and even their department didn't know much about it.
From what they have understood, the bats consume the energy from their targets to grow stronger, and it was the only way for White Eye to advance in ranks.
That was the only condition for him to be more powerful, and he would not let anyone stop him from taking it.
It would explain why White Eye was so intent on sucking out blood to the last drop without leaving anything even at the expense of their target's life.
However, what if there came a time when they discovered something better than the Blood Energy they currently had access to?
If there were indeed something better, without a doubt, White Eye would surely do everything he could to get a hold of it.
This made Chief Li remember something.
Awakeneds.
Awakeneds were stronger beings, having a set of individual skills and a superior enhanced body.
The blood energy White Eye could extract from them should be many times better than ordinary people. If that were true, then it would be more attractive for the blood-sucking bats.
If White Eye were to consume them, he would surely gain more benefits that he wouldn't otherwise get from non-Awakeneds.
Chief Li had been thinking about the White Eye's actions for a long time now.
Why was he only attacking secluded villages? There were a lot more possible areas available with a lot more people, but why would he choose to target those villagers?
Chief Li had a lot of answers for that question; however, he was leaning towards one, which he found to be the most logical.
It could be that White Eye realized that this was the best way he could slowly build up his power and grow unhindered without having to risk anything.
If White Eye went to a more populated area, they would risk angering some people and be led to an unnecessary battle that would endanger himself.
With the bats' uncontrollable actions when around people, White Eye was concerned that he would lose more, than how much he would gain.
Why would he take that risk when he could consume tens of secluded villages in the mountains without much effort?
If he added all those up, it could be said to be more than what he would get by going to a more populated location.
This also made Chief Li think that White Eye knows how to plan things ahead and would not do something stupid as to get caught soon after he had just escaped.
And it also made him think that maybe White Eye didn't really like to prey on villages, it was more like he had no choice since with the current power of his skill, it was the only thing he could do.
But, what if he had someone to assist him? Would he still go through the same course of action? Or would he change his target to a more attractive one like, for example, an Awakened?
Expecting someone to be stupid was the last thing Chief Li would do. Through the years, this habit proved to be useful as it made his life easier in many ways.
This also required him to think of the worst possible proceedings which he would then meticulously prepare for.
After he got himself out of his thoughts, Chief Li had enough reason to believe they're the ones that might be in trouble.
He hoped it wasn't the case, but his thoughts kept replaying and telling him that they just sent themselves into a trap.
Chief Li turned his head around and looked everywhere. The trees which surrounded him seemed to become unusually chilly now that he found himself alone.
Each sound that gets transmitted to his ears made him turn, checking every single area for any movements. His eyes became extremely vigilant as his senses attempted to merge into the environment.
Why were they taking a long time?
Once they saw the barrier disappearing and the bats escaping out, they should have retreated and gone back to this location long ago.
Where are they? The Awakeneds that were sent out were trained and experienced in tasks like this.
They were chosen among all others because of their excellent coordination and familiarity with each other. It was impossible for them to be confused about their next move.
Chief Li readied himself for the worse. His communication device was never turned off and was waiting for anyone to contact him.
He had been trying to contact them multiple times; however, no one answered.
This told him that they currently have a situation. The only thing he had to do was prepare himself for anything that might occur.
There were three of them together, and he was the one who was alone. Those three getting in trouble was unlikely.
He, on the other hand, was alone. Luckily it was bright outside, and the vast open land he was currently in, had excellent visibility of its surroundings.
Placing a Magic Gun on his side, Chief Li tightened his brows, wondering why they were taking so long.