In the battlefield.

A bloody massacre began.

Those humans, recovering from the magic effects, drew their sabers and engaged in close combat with the enemy.

However...

The beastmen all wore steel armor, stood over 2.5 meters tall, had arms as thick as tree trunks, and wielded great swords.

Anyone who tried to block their attacks started to fall into a pool of blood...

"Retreat! It's a trap! Retreat! Squad Six, cover us! We will remember your sacrifice!"

The commander shouted and then ran towards his own fragments, while other soldiers fled in panic.

Among them, the soldiers of Squad Six exchanged sorrowful glances, then charged into the battle.

The commander's orders must be obeyed immediately, without question, even if he orders you to shoot yourself.

The enemy's numbers were ten times those of Squad Six, but they still fought with all their might. If they were destined to die, they would fight till the last moment.

"These beastmen really are hard to... kill!"

A soldier shouted as he used his skills to pierce through a massive enemy's steel armor.

This strike left a terrible wound on the side of the beastman, yet it continued to fight.

"Aim for the head! You need to hit their heads..." another soldier shouted before his head was chopped off from his shoulders.

Meanwhile, about six hundred humans fled through the forest, pursued by at least a thousand enemy warriors.

But as soon as they left the edge of the woods, they saw... the beastmen whom they thought were already dead.

Three hundred beastman warriors blocked their path, ready to fight despite their many wounds.

Actually, they craved battle, eager to let their enemies taste the pain they had suffered.

"Damn... stop! We've lost! There's no point in fighting anymore..."

The commander said as he threw down his weapon and kneeled on the ground.

All the other soldiers immediately followed suit.

In the Sea of Space-Time, invaders usually didn't kill everyone.

If the enemy surrendered, they were typically captured, then exchanged for redemption.

Large Arks would always pay ransom for their people, but no one would truly care about the lower races' Arks.

Thus, many unknown members were often killed on the spot.

With no one to pay ransom for them, they were only fit to be food or slaves...

"Damn Taru people! When did those beastmen learn to use strategies?!"

The commander spat, feeling wronged in defeat.

A pale-faced soldier asked, "Commander... have we lost? Will they capture us?"

"Those beastmen have no idea who they're messing with! Don't forget our leader, don't forget the second battalion, shut your mouth and wait for them to rescue us."

The commander shouted, but he and his men were quickly surrounded by over a thousand steel-armored beastmen.

As the commander said, these were tall Taru beastmen, different from their kin.

Their equipment was better, and they could use various skills—

Most importantly, they were damn smart!

The injured beastman warriors glared at these captive soft-skinned people angrily, but they knew they couldn't touch them—killing unarmed people was dishonorable.

However, they could make a fortune from ransom and strengthen their tribe.

A hundred Taru youths quickly ran to the captives and tied them up.

The humans' weapons and equipment were confiscated, and the injured received first aid.

These steel-armored beastmen marched towards the Ark city wall with the human captives.

But the firearm bullets and magic expected by the captive commander did not appear; what greeted them was—

An open gate!

The commander was stunned and completely bewildered; their fortress had already fallen!

A giant creature, a wolf-dragon hybrid, lazily lay above the fortress gate, with several semi-human, semi-beast Taru warriors standing in front of it.

The beastmen army resolutely marched into the fortress, the human captives finally plunged into complete despair.

Their comrades had been slaughtered, and their leader was barely alive.

Out of a thousand soldiers in the second battalion, only two hundred and fifty survived.

"How's the progress... Ter Liu?"

Terghai, reverting to Taru form, asked.

He seemed a bit weary, for the human Ark's leader truly was a formidable opponent.

"Great leader... we've won. Almost... no casualties."

The beastman warrior replied with a smile, clutching a level-3 axe gained from a reward nut.

This warrior was also equipped with various accessories to enhance his attributes and mastered some rare skills.

"Good! Very good! Call the doctor. Tell them to... give these captives... first aid."

Terghai revealed a terrifying smile.

Besides strategy, Lin Yi taught him this unsettling sinister grin.

Soon, all the captives were gathered in the center of the fortress.

These humans were utterly terrified, for they were usually the ones holding captives.

It was the first time in the century-long existence of their Ark that they were defeated and reduced to captives.

[Alert!]

[The captain of Expedition Team 277 has surrendered to the chief of the Taru Race's Ter Tribe!]

Surrender Terms:

1. Complete submission.

2. Transfer all Coins and valuable items from the survivors to the Taru Race.

3. Disable all Ark functions except for mobility.

[Terms established!]

The human Ark possesses 1.5 million Coins, which is a considerable amount for a tribe traveling in the Sea of Space-Time.

Terghai was extremely delighted with this enormous gain, eager to see Lin Yi's expression when he realized how wealthy he had become.

"Great Chief... bad news! We've discovered... prisoners of the Taru Race!"

"Bring them before me!"

The beastman chief roared, staring at the pale-faced human leader, as anger surged within him at the thought of witnessing the forthcoming tragic scene.

About a hundred young females and two hundred young males of the Taru Race were brought before the chief.

These young warriors were starving and haggard, while the girls appeared like zombies.

Upon interrogation, these soft-skinned humans explained that they had occupied the Taru Race's territory, killed many, and enslaved some.

They treated the young warriors as slaves, hardly providing any food, and often amused themselves at their expense.

As a result, only half of the five hundred captives survived until now. As for what they did to the female beastmen, it was unspeakable.

Terghai swung his sword, slicing open the human Ark Lord's stomach, killing him on the spot.

Terghai roared, "Kill them all! Blood for blood!"

"Kill them all! Blood for blood! Kill them all! Blood for blood!" The warriors responded to his cries again and again.

At this moment, Teruo stepped forward with a serious expression.

"Great Chief... don't kill these females, we need... new warriors."

"Are you suggesting... that thing?" The chief asked uncertainly.

In his life, he had only ever asked Teruo to do that "thing" twice, and the Shaman refused both times, considering it a sin.

"Yes, we will perform... that ritual. Then they will give birth to... many warriors for us, blood for blood..."

On the chief's orders, the Taru people took away all the females, dragged them back to their city, killed the males, and fed their bodies to the Xidi beasts and omnivorous rabbits.

The Ark was ransacked and then abandoned.

This was rare; unclaimed Arks would eventually become havens for zombies, which would quickly evolve there.

Terghai had no intention of merging this Ark with his own.

The main reason was that it would be tantamount to publicly admitting his tribe had killed members of the human race, which would bring brutal revenge from the beastmen...

~~~~~~

Early in the morning.

Lin Yi woke up early as usual.

Chen Youyou was beside him,

The girl appeared defenseless, awakening the beast in Lin Yi's heart once again.

Chen Youyou breathed lightly, not opening her eyes, just softly calling out, which only excited Lin Yi more, and eventually, he pounced on her...

Two hours later.

Lin Yi barely made it to breakfast.

Chen Youyou arrived a little later than he did, girls always needed more time to groom and dress.

Her sister, along with Solomon's family, came together as she spent the night at their house.

Lin Yi asked, "Where's Natasha?"

"Still sleeping. She worked all night, and left a list next to her laptop."

Melanie answered, as she usually checked the surveillance cameras before breakfast, noting that everything in Lille was normal.

"Got it. She works too hard, should I get her a gift or something? Unlike some people I know, who only know how to slack off..."

He said, glancing at Annie.

Annie pouted, angrily looking away and found a topic to ask about: "Where's Mary?"

"She'll be here soon, she's just looking for... a new outfit, after all..."

Nurse Martha said, serving a pancake to the boss.

As usual, after issuing the day's orders, Lin Yi began to eat breakfast.

About fifteen minutes later, a woman walked into the cafeteria, mysteriously eyeing everyone.

Annie shouted, "Mary?! Oh my gosh!"

"I didn't think you'd still recognize me!" Mary replied, slightly annoyed.

Lin Yi burst out laughing, "Your prominent fang and large tummy are just too obvious."

Last night, Mary had used her skills to slightly alter her appearance.

She had turned her hair fiery red and grew a few centimeters taller. Her face became cuter, with fuller lips and a more prominent nose, no longer looking quite so... peculiar.

But that fang, and massive tummy, ah!

At this time, Annie had been pestering Martha for a long time.

She wanted her to become her twin so they could fool others, but her back of the head was slapped hard by Orianna...

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