The night was like water.A cool breeze swept across the dark plains.The Earth Dragon Squad, four individuals wearing multi-functional helmets, activated their night vision and chatted as they walked."Speaking of which, we've been walking for three or four hours now, but there's not a single clue."Xiao Yunlong said dejectedly.Qin Tian frowned slightly. At first, he could still smell faint traces of blood along the way, but at a certain point, the scent suddenly vanished. After that, they could only randomly choose a direction and continue forward."Why don't we find a place to rest first?"Xiao Yunlong looked at the desolate and lonely surroundings and said, "It's not safe to travel at night.""Alright."Qin Dadi nodded.The group found a small hill and sat on its leeward slope. Qin Dadi took out some instant food and mineral water from his backpack and distributed them to everyone."Captain, I forgot to ask, which legion do the squads we're looking for belong to?" Xiao Yunlong asked while eating.Qin Dadi unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip of water, and replied, "The White Tiger Legion.""The White Tiger Legion's Special Forces Squads~"Xiao Yunlong was astonished, "It's them! This mission feels increasingly dangerous.""That's why we need to be even more vigilant."Qin Dadi said solemnly, "If you notice anything amiss, contact headquarters immediately. Do not try to be a hero.""Mmm, I definitely won't try to be a hero. I'm a coward."Xiao Yunlong shrugged.Qin Tian ate the compressed biscuit in small bites. It tasted much better than he expected, like chocolate, though it was a bit dry and needed to be eaten with water.Just then, an extremely faint sound came from afar, instantly catching his attention.After listening carefully for a while, Qin Tian narrowed his eyes and said,"There are people nearby."People?Upon hearing this, the three immediately became alert.Qin Dadi asked in a low voice, "Where?"Qin Tian pointed in a direction, "Over here, about two kilometers away.""No way, you can hear sounds from two kilometers away?"Xiao Yunlong's mouth hung open as he said in shock, "What kind of ears do you have? Are you a bat?"It's a cat. A cat's hearing is also very strong.Qin Tian answered inwardly. His current Shadow Muscle and Bones were obtained from a fourth-tier Shadow Cat People, and the talent light cluster had reached a deep blue.His hearing, smell, and night vision abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people.Moreover, they were currently on a plain, with no miscellaneous noises except for the whistling wind, so it wasn't surprising to hear movement from two kilometers away."Qin Tian, are you sure it's people? Could it be some small animals?" Qin Dadi asked cautiously."I heard talking," Qin Tian said.Liu Zhaozhao said, "Could it be other squads?""No."Qin Dadi shook his head. "For this mission, each squad has a designated area. I'm certain this area only has our Earth Dragon Squad.""If it's not a special forces squad, then that means..."A hint of pleasant surprise flashed in Xiao Yunlong's eyes: "We've found our target!""If Qin Tian didn't mishear, then it should be them."A smile appeared on Qin Dadi's face. The military headquarters attached great importance to this mission and offered a very generous amount of military merit points. And they had successfully found the missing personnel in just half a day.This operation was unexpectedly smooth~"Let's go~"The Earth Dragon Squad immediately moved, running quickly, and soon they arrived in front of a cave entrance."Is anyone inside?"Xiao Yunlong stood at the entrance and called out."Someone! Someone!"An urgent and somewhat weak voice came from inside.There really is someone!The group exchanged glances, turned on their flashlights, and walked into the cave.The cave was dark, with a distinct damp smell. Besides that, there was a faint scent of rust."We're here~"A voice came from ahead, and Qin Dadi quickly turned his flashlight towards it.They saw two men in special forces uniforms sitting on the ground, leaning against the cave wall. Their clothes were tattered and stained with dark red blood, and their lips were somewhat pale. They looked to be in very poor condition."Which special forces squad are you from?" Qin Dadi asked.A man with a flat top haircut said weakly, "My name is Xue Lin, and his name is Wang Tiancheng. We are both members of the White Tiger Legion's Sky Wind Squad."Xue Lin, Wang Tiancheng.Qin Dadi compared them to the missing personnel list and their faces. After confirming their identities, he nodded and said in a deep voice,"We are the 319th Legion's Earth Dragon Squad, ordered by the military headquarters to search for personnel who went missing a few days ago. We have now confirmed your identities. I will contact headquarters now to bring you both back to base.""Thank you."Wang Tiancheng spoke, his voice very hoarse and also weak. "Brother, could you get us some water first?""No problem."Xiao Yunlong immediately took out two bottles of water from his backpack and handed them to the two men."Thank you."The two men, as if they had found a treasure, quickly unscrewed the caps and tilted their heads back, drinking gulp after gulp without a moment's pause."Don't rush, drink slowly, I still have..."Before Xiao Yunlong could finish his sentence, the two men had already finished a full bottle of water...."...a few more bottles~"Xiao Yunlong's voice trailed off."Are your injuries alright? Do you need any medicine?"Qin Dadi noticed the multiple wounds on their bodies, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes."No need. We'll just treat them back at the base."Xue Lin declined Qin Dadi's kind offer."Could you give us something more to eat?" Wang Tiancheng said hoarsely.Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunlong quickly rummaged through his backpack, put the hard-to-swallow compressed biscuits back, and took out two energy bars."Thank you."Wang Tiancheng handed one to Xue Lin, then slowly tore open the packaging of his own, took a small bite, and chewed it with difficulty.Just then, Qin Tian suddenly spoke:"What's going on with your injuries?"Hearing this question, Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng paused their movements, and simultaneously looked up at Qin Tian."Let me explain."Xue Lin sighed, "A few days ago, several of our squads °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° received a mission to investigate the disappearance of Steel Company 7. After arriving at the scene, since we couldn't find any valuable clues, the squad leaders agreed to split up and exchange information daily.""Later, our Sky Wind Squad searched in one direction, and unexpectedly, we encountered a group of Serpent Humans along the way."Serpent Humans?In Qin Tian's mind, a classic image of a Serpent Human immediately appeared—Medusa."These Serpent Humans weren't very strong; we quickly killed most of them. However, just as we were about to wipe them out, a fourth-tier Poisonous Serpent Human suddenly appeared.""Poisonous Serpent Human!"Xiao Yunlong exclaimed, and Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao also showed expressions of shock."That's right, a Poisonous Serpent Human."Xue Lin said with a bitter smile, "After he appeared, the situation immediately reversed. Our entire squad combined was no match for him. In the end, our captain burned his bloodline power, forcefully holding him off and creating an opportunity for a few of us squad members to escape.""At that time, we split into pairs and fled. Tiancheng and I were together. We encountered many Serpent Humans on our escape route. We fought with all our might to break through the encirclement and found a safe place to hide.""But both of our communicators were lost during the battle, so we couldn't contact the military headquarters. Fortunately, the military headquarters didn't give up on us."After listening to Xue Lin's account, Xiao Yunlong and the other two were secretly alarmed. A Poisonous Serpent Human was several times more terrifying than the Shadow Cat People they had encountered before.To think that Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng could still be alive after encountering a Poisonous Serpent Human, it truly goes to show how incredibly lucky they are~Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the Poisonous Serpent Human, Qin Tian felt that something was not quite right.What was it?Qin Tian's gaze swept over Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng. Suddenly, a detail caught his attention.Wang Tiancheng's leg!Xiao Yunlong and Qin Dadi's flashlights were aimed at the two men's upper bodies, while their lower bodies were hidden in the dark environment.However, Qin Tian possessed powerful night vision and could see everything very clearly.Wang Tiancheng's leg was severely injured, seemingly contaminated by something highly corrosive. A large patch of skin was rotten, extending from his calf to his ankle.His previously well-developed calf muscles now looked as if a large chunk had been gnawed away.With such severe injuries, even walking would be difficult, so how could he have broken out of the Serpent Human's encirclement?Is he lying?But why would he lie?Qin Tian frowned slightly. Just then, his vision suddenly blurred, and a faint sensation of dizziness appeared in his brain.Thump~Thump~The sound of bodies falling reached his ears. Qin Tian turned his head and saw Qin Dadi, Xiao Yunlong, and Liu Zhaozhao all collapsed on the ground.He was instantly startled and glanced to the side.He saw Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng staring intently at him, their eyes filled with an indescribable mix of helplessness, struggle, and guilt.Qin Tian's thoughts raced. He covered his head, stumbled two steps unsteadily, then his body went limp, and he fell into a coma.Tens of seconds later.Rustle, rustle, rustle.A faint rubbing sound echoed from deep within the cave, as if something smooth was scraping against the ground.Not long after, several tall figures appeared.Their upper bodies were bare, muscular and strong, with dark green hair. Their faces combined distinct human and snake features, and their sharp yellow eyes had pupils like thin slits, similar to snakes.Their lower bodies had thick snake tails, with scales shimmering faintly in the dim light, appearing dark greenish-black.

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