Although the other three were technically Ying Yaoshi’s subordinates, besides Lin Mo and Chen Nan, Ning Xuan didn’t see them as being under her direct command. Since they would be traveling together for so ti, she decided it was best to lay down the rules now to avoid any confusion later.
The three had been sent to protect Ning Xuan, so naturally, they had no objections to her words.
In fact, they felt that working for Miss Ning was safer than their previous posts, and the pay and benefits were better. Though Miss Ning was young, her dical skills were superb, and she never hesitated to use dicine on her own people.
They had chosen this place as their temporary shelter because they had just eliminated seven Golden Scale Beasts, aning the vicinity should be safe for now. Still, since the place had been set up in a hurry, the other five took turns standing watch at night, with only Ning Xuan being exempt.
Ning Xuan took the largest of the seven caves, which had been ticulously cleaned by a housekeeping robot. She caught the faint, familiar scent of flowers wafting from the stone walls—her favorite incense. The furnishings were the sa as their previous hideout. A four-panel Warm Jade Screen stood in the center, and behind it was a large bed. Ning Xuan smiled at the setup. ’A Space Button really is convenient. Chen Nan actually brought the bed all the way here.’
This cave was certainly much cruder than their elaborately decorated cavern in Fog Hidden Gorge, but after the cleanup, it was at least dry and tidy. Ning Xuan had done a lot of mining today and felt a little tired. She rolled around on the large bed once before beckoning Chen Nan to co join her and rest.
Outside the valley, Su He switched his tactical goggles to night vision mode. The surrounding trees shimred with a white sheen in the pale green view. He deployed more than a dozen palm-sized reconnaissance drones in every direction. They had been brought from the interstellar battlefield by the Cold Admiral and were rumored to be able to detect any abnormal energy fluctuations within a thousand ters.
Three hours later, Zhao Qiu took over the watch. During the handover, Su He briefed him on all the deployed asures. Zhao Qiu listened intently. Su He also noticed a can of stimulant spray in Zhao Qiu’s hand; its citrus scent was laced with the sll of military-grade amphetamines.
Two hours into his shift, deep in the night, Zhao Qiu felt extrely drowsy. He opened the stimulant spray and aid it at his face. A cold, stinging sensation, like a block of ice slapping his skin, instantly jolted him awake.
The dozens of deployed reconnaissance drones were all equipped with bio-detectors. Now, the holographic display they projected cast a rippling light on the ground, revealing thirteen stable green dots scattered in the area outside the valley.
A chill ran down Zhao Qiu’s spine. The green dots represented living organisms. ’Are they people or Exotic Beasts?’
Zhao Qiu desperately wanted to get a closer look, but he rembered Ning Xuan’s orders when she had set the watch schedule: unless it was a dire ergency, do not shout or charge out blindly. First, inform the group, and then they would figure out a plan together.
Following her instructions, Zhao Qiu moved quietly back into the valley and inford Ning Xuan and the others about the biological signals detected on the periter.
Ning Xuan, who had been sleeping soundly in Chen Nan’s arms, was startled awake by the news. Her eyes, still hazy with sleep, sharpened. As her slender fingertip traced over one of the light dots on the display, a cold smirk touched her lips. "What’s your guess? Are these green dots people or beasts?"
Leng Yue stared at the thirteen green dots. They were spread evenly outside the valley, sealing off every possible exit.
"They have to be people," Leng Yue said. "Exotic Beasts wouldn’t form such a flawless encirclent."
No one else disagreed.
"If they’re people, they most likely spotted us while we were mining," Ning Xuan said, her expression calm.
"Are you saying, Miss Ning, that they’ve been watching us for a while but chose not to make a move during the day? That they waited until we were exhausted from a day’s work and had let our guard down at night to ambush us?" Leng Yue asked.
Leng Yue’s analysis was sound, and everyone agreed with the deduction.
"They want to be the oriole that catches the mantis. Well then, let’s give them a good show." Ning Xuan produced a weapons case from her Space Button, from which she took six walnut-sized tal spheres. In the darkness, the patterns on their surfaces pulsed with a faint, firefly-like glow. She gave the spheres a casual toss, and they vanished from sight.
She then had Zhao Qiu set up the Thunder Ropes and other defensive asures. Judging from the feed sent back by the reconnaissance drones, the thirteen green dots remained motionless. They seed to be very patient.
About another hour passed. At one in the morning, the ti when sleep is deepest, the thirteen dots began to move. The video feed showed them gradually tightening their encirclent.
The valley’s silhouette was reflected in the leader’s helt display. His night vision optics fed back every visible detail. Although he considered himself a patient man, the thought of the reward awaiting him upon success made him tremble with excitent.
’Even though the young lady is a good person, and a priceless Controller at that... in the face of such overwhelming fortune, none of that matters anymore.’
After tightening their circle, the thirteen converged at the valley entrance. Peering through his Night Vision Goggles, Lin Mo, who was hidden in the shadows, recognized the leader: it was Zhou Yi, the man who had been trailing Tang Xue during the day.
’This location is remote and well-hidden,’ Lin Mo thought, ’but since Tang Xue’s group showed up here and fought the Golden Scale Beasts, it’s highly likely they didn’t just stumble upon them. They must have followed a solid lead.’
’If that’s the case, it would only be natural for them to linger nearby after escaping the danger, refusing to leave the area.’
Zhou Yi led his team into the valley, and they imdiately stepped into the minefield Ning Xuan had prepared. A series of thunderous explosions erupted. In an instant, shockwaves radiated outward, sending shrapnel and rock fragnts flying like a torrential downpour.
Zhou Yi and the twelve people behind him activated their shields simultaneously, forming a continuous curtain of thirteen electromagnetic barriers at the valley’s entrance.
"Detonate!" Ning Xuan’s voice rang out. The next second, a searing white beam of light tore through the night sky.
After this initial exchange, the two sides quickly engaged in battle. Zhou Yi had chosen this ti to attack, believing Ning Xuan’s group would be completely defenseless. He never expected that they had already laid a trap and were waiting for him.
rely crossing the minefield had left half of their team injured. The wounded were terrified of being invaded by so foul energy and didn’t dare to fight aggressively. Ning Xuan’s side, however, fought with fearless abandon, throwing themselves into the fray as if their lives ant nothing.
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