Volume Two: Setting Forth on the Journey Chapter 9: It Seems Our Squad Has Struck Gold!

Wang Jue frowned, sinking into deep thought.

Su Yu’s speed and technique were nothing to boast about; in fact, they were even inferior to his own!

And yet, the results were undeniably excellent!

“Wang Jue, you have to understand that the best way to hunt star beasts quickly is to strike directly at their weaknesses!”

Jiang Yunxin walked over considerately and explained in a low voice, “For most star beasts, the vulnerable points are usually the eyes, throat, and mouth. The next most important target is the soft abdomen... and after that comes the neck, which you were attacking just now.”

“I know that.” Wang Jue nodded.

He was not lying. He truly did know.

It was just that star beasts moved so quickly that striking their eyes was extremely difficult!

Star beasts such as berserk boars and spotted cats generally kept their heads lowered, making it hard to pierce their throats.

Attacking the abdomen was difficult as well. Slashing at the back of the neck was the simplest option.

“Opportunities to attack a weak point are hard to come by. Star beasts aren’t stupid, either. They know how to protect their vulnerabilities.”

Jiang Yunyan also walked over. “When there’s no opening, we mustn’t simply give up. We have to create one ourselves!”

“Exactly. For example, I just used a sudden collision at an angle to throw the spotted cat off balance, causing it to expose its vulnerable neck for an instant. Then I thrust my blade beneath its shield and drove it into its throat, killing it instantly.”

Su Yu once again took the initiative to explain. “It was the same with my final strike. I attacked from beneath the shield, leaving the star beast no time to react!”

“I think I understand now.”

Wang Jue nodded thoughtfully. “But whether it’s really as I imagine will have to be verified in practice.”

“I acted just now so you could understand that when hunting star beasts, you have to make use of your own strengths.”

Su Yu patted Wang Jue on the shoulder and warned him, “Your footwork is excellent. In terms of attainment, no one in our team can surpass you. But you don’t need to show off your footwork every time.”

“When we hunt star beasts, the ultimate goal of everything we do is to kill them as quickly, simply, and efficiently as possible!”

Wang Jue nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

“Good. As long as you understand.”

A faint smile appeared on Su Yu’s face.

At that moment, Captain Shen Feng, who had remained silent until now, waved and called out with a smile, “All right, we should get moving!”

During the time that followed, whenever they encountered star beasts along the way, Su Yu and Jiang Yunyan would take turns making the first move, occasionally leaving one for Wang Jue to handle on his own.

Through their instruction by word and deed, Wang Jue learned some practical combat experience that had previously escaped him.

Yet Wang Jue did not disappoint them, either. His rate of improvement was astonishing.

Clearly, the four members of the Hurricane Squad had decided to train Wang Jue seriously as the team’s future backbone.

Even Shen Feng, who was on the verge of breaking through to the eighth level of the Crimson Star Realm, personally stepped in several times to teach him.

Whenever someone made a move, Wang Jue watched with unwavering concentration.

Gradually, he came to understand that killing star beasts meant ensuring that every attack achieved the greatest possible effect.

Those beautiful evasive maneuvers during his first battle against the berserk boar had actually been nothing more than showing off—completely ineffective.

When it was Wang Jue’s turn to attack afterward, his strikes gradually became sharper, more direct, cleaner, and more efficient...

As he watched Shen Feng and the others kill one star beast after another, Wang Jue felt increasingly depressed.

Although they were teaching him practical combat techniques, in Wang Jue’s eyes those star beasts were nothing more than walking sources of star energy.

Watching those precious star-energy points slip away right before him made him desperately want to shout, “Move aside and let me do it!”

To be honest, Wang Jue was beginning to wonder whether he should ask Shen Feng and the others to leave the wounded star beasts for him to finish off in the future.

“Stop!”

The group was advancing deeper into the forest when Shen Feng suddenly raised a hand and said quietly, “Everyone be careful. Something’s not right.”

Su Yu and the other two immediately assumed guarded positions. They looked ready to defend or attack at any moment.

Wang Jue, whose mind had been tangled in indecision, could only suppress those complicated thoughts for the time being. He crouched down with the others, gripping his battle sword as his gaze swept across the surroundings.

“Red-Eyed Gray Wolves!”

Shen Feng cautiously approached a large tree and crouched down, beckoning the others over.

The group gathered around him, their eyes falling on the object in the middle of the ground.

A pile...

Of dung!

Four handsome men and beautiful women crouching together in the dead of night, gathered around a pile of dung.

The scene was almost too beautiful for words.

Wang Jue very much wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but Shen Feng and the others all wore such serious expressions, without the slightest trace of joking, that he decided against it.

“The shape, the color, and the smell...”

Su Yu wrinkled his nose and nodded. “It is indeed from a red-eyed gray wolf.”

“Wang Jue, pay close attention and learn how to observe!” Jiang Yunxin reminded him thoughtfully.

“Mm. I will.”

Wang Jue nodded and committed the features they had just mentioned to memory.

“Everyone be careful. Judging by how fresh it is, they shouldn’t have gone far.”

Shen Feng’s expression grew solemn. “Red-eyed gray wolves move in packs. If we run into them, we’ll inevitably be in for some trouble.”

This time, rather than leaving the others and taking the lead alone, Shen Feng chose to remain with the group.

They continued forward.

Before long, they began to discover more and more traces of red-eyed gray wolves.

According to Shen Feng’s earlier estimate, at least a dozen red-eyed gray wolves were active and hunting in the vicinity.

“Red-eyed gray wolves aren’t particularly strong individually, but their claws, pelts, and fangs are all excellent materials.”

Jiang Yunyan carried her machine gun over one shoulder and spoke casually. “If we run into them, as long as there aren’t more than twenty, we can just charge in and wipe them out.”

“No. We can’t act recklessly.”

Shen Feng was more cautious. “We have Wang Jue with us now, and we still need time to coordinate as a team.”

“Captain, what level of star beast is a red-eyed gray wolf?” Wang Jue asked curiously.

“They’re usually second-level. The pack leader is third-level, and the wolf king is fourth-level.”

Shen Feng paused, then explained, “Generally speaking, a pack of a dozen or so rarely has a pack leader. As for a wolf king, it would require at least several hundred red-eyed gray wolves to accompany it. It’s practically impossible to encounter a wolf king traveling with its pack.”

“So you’re saying there might be a pack leader among this group?”

“Exactly.”

“Then that makes things easier.”

Wang Jue’s eyes lit up. “Captain, if we really run into them and there’s a pack leader, you don’t need to give me any special protection. I can handle ordinary red-eyed gray wolves.”

“Are you sure?” Shen Feng asked, somewhat surprised.

“Wang Jue, the star beasts on the frontier battlefield have lived among hordes of their own kind since birth. Their combat experience is incredibly rich, and they’re far fiercer and more troublesome than the star beasts in the safe zones. Don’t force yourself.”

Jiang Yunyan slightly furrowed her willow brows.

“Yan is right. The star beasts on the frontier battlefield are extremely difficult to deal with. The red-eyed gray wolf, in particular, is among the fastest second-level star beasts. They’re very troublesome to handle.”

Su Yu also frowned. “One is already difficult enough, let alone an entire pack. Unlike other star beasts, wolves know how to cooperate. Even we would have to put in considerable effort to deal with them.”

“Heh...”

Wang Jue gave a bitter laugh. It seemed everyone thought he was merely trying to appear stronger than he was, so he could only nod and say, “All right. I won’t force myself.”

The group continued forward, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings as they carefully watched for traces of red-eyed gray wolves.

Suddenly—

Swish!

Su Yu’s saber flashed through the air.

With a smack, a poisonous snake more than four meters long and as thick as a wrist, black and crimson in color, was cut in half and fell from a tree.

“Is everyone all right?” Shen Feng turned and asked.

“We’re fine. It was only a poisonous snake, not a star beast.”

Su Yu spoke dismissively.

Shen Feng nodded at that and was about to continue forward when he seemed to notice something. His expression changed abruptly, and he shouted, “Careful! Six o’clock! Waist and abdomen—claw strike!”

At the same time, he stamped hard on the ground and flashed to the right. The club-hammer in his hand swept through a half-circle before he swung it backward.

Hearing the warning, Su Yu’s expression shifted slightly, and he spun around with remarkable speed.

A streak of white radiance grazed his waist, missing him by a hair. Had it struck, it would have split him open.

With a thunderous crash, the white slash tore through the trees ahead. Two massive trees standing side by side were severed simultaneously and toppled to the ground.

A mournful wolf howl rang out from all directions.

Rustling sounds came from the grass as shadowy figures darted between the trees. Then greenish points of light appeared in the darkness.

Thirteen or fourteen black shadows burst from the forest, pouncing on Jiang Yunyan, Jiang Yunxin, and Wang Jue.

“Kill!”

Jiang Yunxin usually appeared shy and reserved, but the moment battle erupted, she seemed to become an entirely different person. Her beautiful eyes widened as she let out a fierce roar and charged forward, her long sword flashing in her hands.

With a tearing sound, a red-eyed gray wolf slammed headfirst into her sword and was instantly cleaved in two. It soon lay motionless.

Wang Jue wielded the Bloodthirsty Sword. His blade moved with astonishing speed, deflecting the white claws slashing toward him before thrusting straight at the wolf’s eyes.

With a wet stab, cold light glittered at the tip of the sword, blood sprayed through the air, and the red-eyed gray wolf died on the spot.

Elsewhere, Su Yu cleaved off the head of the red-eyed gray wolf that had launched the ambush. Moving with leisurely ease, he immediately advanced on a second.

Jiang Yunyan, meanwhile, leaped onto a large tree. Her heavy machine gun was strapped to her back, while she held a rune pistol in her hand.

Bang, bang, bang!

She began firing controlled bursts.

A red-eyed gray wolf beneath the tree dodged left and right with astonishing speed.

Unfortunately for it, neither Jiang Yunyan’s pistol nor its ammunition was ordinary. Both had been enhanced by runes.

Flames trailed from the bases of all three bullets as they shot forward.

Three shots.

That was all it took for Jiang Yunyan to finish it.

She then turned her gaze toward Wang Jue, intending to help him.

By then, the team’s formation had already been scattered.

Everyone dealt with their own opponents as quickly as possible before immediately turning to search for Wang Jue.

He was a newcomer and a novice, after all, so they were bound to take extra care of him.

Only those who had truly experienced the frontier battlefield could understand how dangerous its star beasts were.

Very soon, they found Wang Jue.

Yet what they saw was that his speed was in no way inferior to that of the red-eyed gray wolves.

In particular, whenever he brushed past one, the battle sword in his hand flashed with cold light, effortlessly ripping open its belly.

Fast, precise, and ruthless.

There was not the slightest trace of hesitation or wasted movement.

Elsewhere—

With a boom, Shen Feng smashed the head of a third-level red-eyed gray wolf pack leader into a pulp with a single blow of his club.

Then he swept the weapon horizontally, breaking the spines of two red-eyed gray wolves that charged in from the side and ending the battle in an instant.

He slipped the club into the sheath on his back without even looking at the wolves he had killed.

Instead, he walked slowly toward the others, his gaze filled with astonishment as it settled on the red-eyed gray wolf whose belly Wang Jue had torn open.

Unable to conceal his delight, he said, “It seems our team has found a real treasure...”