Chapter 23: Life and Death (Part I)

"Captain, three people are approaching quickly, moving fast, at least senior war general level!"

Zhu Xia's frantic call rang through the communication headset!

"Senior war general!"

Lei Hong and Zhou Yang and the others exchanged glances, their faces all clouded with gloom.

After the Great Nirvana, humanity's power was confined to the various base cities.

In this unregulated wilderness, it is not uncommon for Warriors to slaughter each other over grudges or plundered treasures.

Under normal circumstances, when two unfamiliar Martial Artist Squads meet in the wilderness, they tacitly keep a certain distance, fearing unnecessary conflict from misunderstandings.

These two stand on opposite sides, subtly following the one in the middle as leader.

Moreover, with the ability to fly using Spiritual Thought Power, they are virtually invincible from the start.

Zhou Yang glanced forward and saw that the one standing in the middle was a short, middle‑aged man with a tuft of short whiskers under his jaw, clad in a full set of black alloy combat armor, his right hand gripping a short alloy blade that looked like a knife and a sword.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yang's mind kept churning.

"Huh? Never seen, never seen. We've been operating around this sector all the time, never gone elsewhere."

It seems they're just gathering intel, probably nothing serious, and besides they likely aren't interested in our meager haul.

Even Zhou Yang and the others behind relaxed a little.

The black‑faced middle‑aged Warrior seemed to ask casually, without much expectation.

"Senior war general, you'd better not harbor any ill intent toward me, or else"

Only one of them looked slightly pale, while the other had a darker complexion.

Zhou Yang and the members of the Chasing Wind Squad gripped their weapons tightly, forming a strict formation.

"Zhu Xia, stay concealed, keep the sniper aimed, everyone be ready; if things really go wrong, split and run immediately—no one should hesitate!"

Lei Hong's pupils narrowed slightly, then he abruptly looked up at the people opposite.

"Rules?"

Zhou Yong said nothing more, lightly patted his shoulder and stepped aside.

"Th—that's not a lord‑level monster!"

His gaze shifted, involuntarily sliding toward the short middle‑aged Warrior standing in the middle opposite, his eyes narrowing unnaturally at the corners.

"We are the Jiangnan Base City Li family's hunting team, currently tracking a silver‑horned rhino. Please keep an eye out; if you spot it, inform us. Our Li family hunting team has contact info on our official website."

"Hmm."

Thinking of that, his heart tightened instantly.

"Shan Ben. Is that person Xiao Baga?"

Having finally and luckily crossed into this world, luckily gaining caring parents, luckily meeting like‑minded teammates, he would never easily abandon these rare, precious bonds.

Only a handful of elite personnel managed to escape, taking refuge in survivor base cities of other nations.

He frowned at Lei Hong, his tone harsh, and asked, "Have you seen an injured silver‑horned rhino nearby, about five meters long, tail broken, with wounds on its body?"

Zhou Yang was startled, then recalled that on the way to County 02011 last time, Lei Hong had indeed reminded them of many precautions.

"Never seen?"

Lei Hong quickly averted his gaze, hurriedly replied, and felt a slight ease inside.

But these people are restless, spending their days dreaming of restoring the nation, often scheming shady plots like making eggs from borrowed chickens or outright seizing others' nests.

The black‑faced middle‑aged man thought briefly, then shook his head, apparently unfamiliar with the Chasing Wind Squad's name.

Only, while we here aim to keep the peace, the other side seems to have no such intention.

After hearing the black‑faced Warrior's words, the short middle‑aged Warrior from the suspected Sakura Nation, Shan Ben, said nothing.

The three opposite first stared at the Chasing Wind Squad members for a few seconds, then the black‑faced middle‑aged man on the far right spoke first.

The Chasing Wind Squad members exchanged glances, and finally Lei Hong stepped forward, casually clasped his fist at the unexpected guests, and loudly said:

"We are the Chasing Wind Squad under Jixian Wuguan; I am Lei Hong, captain of the Chasing Wind Squad. Friends, is there anything you need help with?"

In his previous life, Zhou Yang had almost never experienced what people call family ties or friendship.

It is said that the White Elephant Federation actually has a small base city, which they opened up with a large amount of money, gaining partial jurisdiction.

Before the Great Nirvana, Huaxia and the Sakura Nation had tense relations, with deep historical hatred between them.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely inform you if we get any news."

"Do you still remember the rules the captain told you the first time you went into the wilderness?"

In normal combat, a Spiritual Thought Master can essentially be invincible against peers.

His sharp, sinister, triangular eyes flicked over the corpse of the spider‑faced ghost on the ground, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

And the first rule is that when an unmanageable danger arises, everyone must flee at once with all their might, and not waste goodwill on meaningless deeds!

Lei Hong's face heavy, he barked low.

Whether in his past life or this one, Zhou Yang harbors no goodwill toward this race.

But can I really do it?

In just a moment, an answer formed in his mind!

No, he can't.

The black‑faced middle‑aged man nodded slightly, seeming quite pleased with Lei Hong's attitude.

Dad's words were a reminder that if danger comes, don't worry about them—just run yourself?

"Mr. Shan Ben, shall we go elsewhere and keep looking?"

That tiny island nation fell immediately, and the Sakura Nation was outright annihilated.

Of course, he wouldn't recklessly charge to his death.

The black‑faced middle‑aged Warrior looked impatient, let out a cold snort and urged them.

Zhou Yang's father Zhou Yong slowly walked to his side, forced out a thin smile, and whispered:

"At worst, we just expose our Spiritual Thought Power!"

Right now we had just finished a big battle, and the opponent is boldly closing in on us at speed—most likely not a good sign!

At this point trying to evade them is unrealistic; the members of the Wind-Chasing Squad can only grip their weapons in tight formation, ready for conflict.

In the blink of an eye, three male Warrior figures in combat uniforms appeared before them.

In less than a minute, they heard the rapid sound of wind being broken.

Beside him stood two male Warriors of similar appearance, looking about thirty‑five or thirty‑six years old.

Now his physical condition has reached the Junior General level; normally his Spiritual Thought Power would be two ranks higher than his physique.

Hearing the dark‑faced middle‑aged man's address, Zhou Yang and the others were slightly surprised and curiously glanced at the short middle‑aged Warrior.

After the Great Nirvana erupted, endless marine creatures began to evolve and started attacking humans madly.

But he still added a remark to Lei Hong.

"Silver Horn Rhino!"

"Are we asking you something, have you seen it before?"

His words were spoken with a commanding tone.

"Jixian Wuguan? Wind-Chasing Squad"

After all, a Spiritual Thought Master can levitate weapons for aerial attacks, even turning abruptly mid‑air, truly unpredictable.

But Lei Hong didn't want to tangle further with them, and he laughed repeatedly while agreeing.

In other words, his Spiritual Thought Power level is now comparable to the Senior General rank!

He wasn't wearing a combat helmet; his pair of triangular eyes looked rather vicious, and when Zhou Yang and the others caught his gaze, they instantly felt like a poisonous snake staring at them.

However, the current situation was unclear, so he naturally couldn't cause more trouble.

He gradually made up his mind.

"Which squad are you from?"

He turned to look at the short middle‑aged Warrior standing in the middle, and a faint, ingratiating smile appeared on his face.

Then a terribly awkward sentence in Chinese slipped from his mouth.

"You, leave your backpacks behind."

(End of chapter)