Chapter 71

Li Yi gasped for breath, drenched in blood, as he watched the three-meter-tall man-bear lie motionless before him; the fury in his heart gradually subsided.

This thing was too hard to kill.

It wasn’t even comparable to the beast I faced before; if I hadn’t been wearing this armor made from Qiu Dragon hide, I wouldn’t have stood a chance—I’d have been crushed in a single clash, let alone killed it barehanded.

But no matter what, Li Yi won in the end; the ferocious beast had fallen.

“Li Yi, are you okay? Are you hurt? Should we call an ambulance?”

“Where are you injured? How’s your shoulder? Still bleeding?”

At that moment, Chen Hao immediately dropped his sniper rifle and rushed over, urgently asking: he saw Li Yi covered in blood and felt something was wrong, fearing Li Yi might collapse like the man-bear.

“I’m fine. I don’t think I’m badly hurt—this blood isn’t mine. I confirmed it: the beast is dead. The fight’s over. Go check on He Xiong—he hasn’t moved at all. I’m afraid he won’t make it.” Li Yi waved off their concern.

At that moment, Zheng Gong had already reached the unconscious He Xiong, quickly examined him, and said: “He Xiong isn’t dead—he’s still breathing—but his injuries are severe. His arm is nearly broken, and his head seems badly damaged. I recommend immediate hospital treatment.”

Wang Jian walked over, his steps unsteady: “Don’t rush—the danger isn’t over. Chen Hao, search the surrounding area for traces of that giant spider-man. If you spot it, shoot immediately. Zheng Gong, keep watch. Li Yi, we owe you our lives—without you, we’d all be dead. Can you still move?”

“No problem.”

Li Yi stretched his body; apart from muscle strains and some bruising, he was otherwise unharmed.

“I’m sorry—I’m injured and can’t move well. Could you carry He Xiong and the man-bear’s corpse to the vehicle? The blood smell here is too strong—we can’t stay. We must leave quickly.” Wang Jian clutched his chest, sweat pouring down his face—he was clearly badly hurt.

After all, he hadn’t worn armor made from Qiu Dragon hide; even one hit from the man-bear was unbearable.

“It’s nothing. As long as everyone’s safe, that’s all that matters.”

Li Yi nodded, without hesitation, carefully lifted He Xiong, and placed him inside the motorcycle compartment.

The man-bear’s corpse was the mission’s trophy—they couldn’t leave it behind—so he shoved it into the cargo area too.

At that moment, Chen Hao, still holding his sniper rifle, spoke gravely: “The giant spider-man has vanished. I checked the surrounding buildings—no trace. It must’ve been startled by our fight and fled.”

“What a shame—we didn’t get off that shot in time to eliminate the threat. I have a feeling that thing will cause disaster.” Wang Jian clenched his teeth, feeling he’d missed a golden opportunity.

They’d been seconds away from sniping the strange spider-man—then a man-bear appeared out of nowhere. Without Li Yi, they’d have been the mantis caught by the oriole.

“There are no other dangers nearby—it should be safe now,” Zheng Gong, who had been keeping watch, added.

“Ferocious beasts have territorial instincts—usually only one such creature inhabits a region. But we can’t slack off on vigilance. The noise we made was too loud—I’m worried something else might be drawn here.” Wang Jian took a deep breath; the pain in his chest intensified.

Unsurprisingly, his ribs were broken. Under these conditions, he was no longer combat-capable.

They had to retreat.

Thinking this, Wang Jian spoke again: “Zheng Gong, you drive. This mission is suspended—we need to return and regroup.”

The others said nothing, only nodded.

Bad start—there was no choice but to turn back.

Everyone immediately boarded the vehicle, turned around, and swiftly retraced their route back—no hesitation, no delay.

Inside the cabin, the stench of blood was thick—both from the beast and from He Xiong.

Everyone sat in grim silence.

But Wang Jian suddenly said seriously: “Li Yi, thank you—really. You saved us all. Without you, we’d have been slaughtered by that man-bear.”

“Encountering ferocious beasts is unavoidable. I just did what I could,” Li Yi replied. “We’re teammates—we help each other.”

“No—I saw everything. You were the first to open the door and rush out to draw the beast’s attack. Without that, we’d never have escaped the cabin—we’d have been trapped like rabbits and killed slowly.” Wang Jian insisted, earnest.

“That’s true. Li Yi, you saved all our lives. I won’t say thanks—I’ll just say this: if you ever need anything, just ask. I won’t refuse.” Chen Hao nodded in agreement, his gaze toward Li Yi filled with respect and gratitude.

It’s said that true character shows in hardship.

Only when facing such peril do you learn who’s trustworthy, who’s worth relying on.

And they were all grateful to have Li Yi as a teammate.

“You’re too kind. I only dared act because I had this armor made from a supernatural creature’s hide—I’m not as heroic as you make me out to be.” Li Yi smiled modestly.

Still, despite his words, the others’ gratitude for him remained unchanged.

At that moment, Zheng Gong, who was driving, spoke apologetically: “I’m sorry—I didn’t help at all. I held everyone back.”

“Don’t say that. Didn’t you also try to lure the beast away alone to give us a chance to survive? You’re brave too—you just need more experience.”

Wang Jian patted his shoulder, encouraging the rookie not to lose heart.

But just then, Wang Jian’s investigator phone rang again.

He picked it up—and his face changed.

“What happened?” Li Yi asked, seeing his expression.

“Zhang’s team ran into a special situation—they need backup,” Wang Jian’s face remained grim.

“Is it serious?” Li Yi frowned.

Wang Jian whispered: “Senior Captain Zhang Lei and several colleagues got trapped inside a building while hunting ferocious beasts. They lost contact. Other investigators risked entering to search—they vanished too, just like Zhang Lei.”

“The situation is strange. Other investigators are converging on the site, trying to mount a rescue.”

“Did they encounter a supernatural creature?” Chen Hao pressed.

Wang Jian said: “We don’t know. No battle sounds came from the scene. No traces of supernatural creatures. Only going there will reveal the truth. Even though we’re not combat-capable now, this is too big to ignore—I want to go see.”

“Wang Jian, under these conditions, we can’t move. Let the others handle it,” Chen Hao advised.

“You’re right—we’re in no shape to continue,” Wang Jian didn’t argue, only nodded slightly.

“Actually, we’re not completely immobilized. If we take He Xiong to the hospital, we still have mobility—others only have minor injuries, nothing serious.” Li Yi said, then asked: “The key is your condition—can you still move? Do you want to keep going?”

Wang Jian touched his chest: “I can move, barely—but I can’t fight. Li Yi, you’re the strongest here—what do you suggest?”

Li Yi shrugged: “I’m just an employee—I take missions for pay. If I face something I can’t handle, I’ll still suggest running. But if you just want to check the situation, I’ll go with you.”

Wang Jian fell silent, thinking.

After a moment, he spoke again: “Head to the training base. We’ll drop He Xiong there—someone will take him to the hospital. Then we’ll switch vehicles, rest briefly, and proceed to support Senior Captain Zhang Lei. I’m sorry to drag you all along again.”

He sincerely apologized to everyone.

No one objected—they silently accepted the mission would continue.

Because they’d contacted ahead, several instructors and medical staff were waiting at the gate when they returned to the training base.

The moment the vehicle stopped, people rushed over to carry He Xiong away; doctors also came to examine Wang Jian.

“Three of your ribs are broken—one nearly pierced your heart. Fortunately, it’s not critical. I’ll use bone adhesive to stabilize it—but no strenuous activity, no fighting. If you push it, the injury will worsen—dangerous.”

The doctor, experienced, quickly diagnosed Wang Jian and began emergency treatment.

“As long as I can move, that’s enough. Thank you, doctor,” Wang Jian sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, Li Yi was in good condition—just covered in blood. He found a fire hydrant nearby, opened it, and washed himself off.

With a shake of his body, the water flew off—he was completely dry.

“By the way, can you help me get another vehicle? Mine reeks of blood—it’s impractical to drive.” Wang Jian then turned to an instructor.

One instructor recognized Wang Jian and immediately said: “Take mine. Be careful.”

“Thanks,” Wang Jian nodded.

The group didn’t linger. After brief rest and a vehicle swap, they prepared to depart again.

Li Yi was about to move when the doctor who had examined Wang Jian suddenly approached, slipping a small vial of liquid into Li Yi’s hand.

Li Yi was startled—he didn’t recognize this doctor.

The doctor whispered: “Good for the body. Military-grade.”

Clearly, the doctor had seen during the brief rest that Li Yi had turned the tide—killing the man-bear and saving everyone—and wanted to help within his means.

Though the doctor’s voice was low, nearly everyone present was a cultivator—they all heard. But they all pretended not to.

“Thank you,” Li Yi said gratefully, accepting the vial.