Chapter Twelve: Dividing the Forces

Dust still hung in the underground reservoir, stirred up by the recent explosion and the collapse of the walls. All ten members of the group found themselves on the edge of peril. Ma Mingming stood frozen, Lee Forth’s words striking him in that instant like a bell in a hollow mind—a sound so profound and exhilarating it left him in awe.

Nearly at the same moment, Ma Mingming felt a weight press down on his shoulder. A shadow flashed overhead—only the tattered hem of a black robe remained as it swooped toward the lead weasel-wolf poised above Ma Qiqi.

Ma Mingming’s view was blocked, but from across the chaos, Lynx saw everything with perfect clarity.

Just as the lead weasel-wolf’s fangs were about to sink into Ma Qiqi’s throat, Lee Forth, both hands gripping his frost-laden Tang sword—Autumn Waters—twisted the blade upward. In a single, fluid motion, he slid it through the narrow gap between the beast’s monstrous maw and Ma Qiqi’s neck, then, using the momentum of his charge, hooked up and struck.

The icy frost coating Autumn Waters was Lee Forth’s innate power—bitterly cold, penetrating to the bone. Even though it missed Ma Qiqi’s neck by a hair’s breadth, she shuddered, jolted back to clarity from the terror that had gripped her when Lynx lost his arm.

For the first time, the mocking sneer on the lead weasel-wolf’s face contorted into shock. It had no time to retreat; in desperation, it summoned its own innate power. Instantly, both rows of jagged fangs were coated in an earthy, stone-like layer, petrifying its maw, and instead of biting down on Ma Qiqi, it clamped onto the blade of Autumn Waters.

Steel clashed against stone with a resounding clang. The force of Lee Forth’s upward sweep was unstoppable, yet the beast’s fangs were granite-hard, the sound ringing out like metal striking rock.

Lee Forth only sneered at this. Autumn Waters was a demon blade passed down through his family, and his cold aura burst forth through the blade into the creature’s mouth. As he thrust upward, he twisted the handle with a precise jerk, snapping the petrified teeth like brittle stone.

Even rock, frozen through, will shatter at a single strike.

With a single twist, the upper row of petrified teeth broke clean off, and the force of the upward strike—though shifted in angle—was undiminished. Lee Forth had intended to split the beast’s skull, but instead, he sliced off the tip of its snout.

The force lifted the weasel-wolf’s head; Lee Forth kicked it hard in the chest, sending it flying, then, wasting no time, darted forward with lightning speed. He deliberately expelled all the air from his lungs, and as he dove into the poisonous green mist spewed by another weasel-wolf, he inhaled deeply, drawing the entire toxic cloud into his mouth.

All this took but an instant—so swift that even the speed-gifted weasel-wolf could not react. Lee Forth saved Ma Qiqi, then temporarily relieved the four “driver” employees from the poisonous cloud, sparing them a death by asphyxiation in their stupor. Still moving with relentless momentum, he charged at the toxin-spewing beast.

Lee Forth had tracked the explosions to a neighboring channel, guided by Ma Mingming’s shout. That was how he broke through the wall to their rescue.

The battle had been swift, a testament not only to Lee Forth’s strength but also to his keen instincts and experience—each decision in those critical moments was precise and calculated.

The half-demon’s talent tree applied to monsters as well. The lead weasel-wolf’s gift seemed to be an earth-element derivative—petrifying its body to enhance defense. The green-furred weasel-wolf, like Lee Forth, was a wind-element type, but its talent was poison mist, not cold.

As for the blue-furred one, its abilities were yet unclear, but it likely belonged to the speed-enhancing branch of the talent tree.

Thus, when Lee Forth inhaled the poison and feigned an attack on the green-furred weasel-wolf, his attention was entirely focused on the blue-furred one that was speeding toward him.

The blue-furred weasel-wolf, famed for its speed, appeared beside Lee Forth without warning, just as it had previously intercepted Lynx’s dynamite throw, jaws gaping to bite.

Lynx could not follow its movement—he was only human—but to Lee Forth’s half-demon eyes, its powers were plain to see, though still surprising. He thought, “Is this… short-range teleportation?”

Though the distance was short, for such a rare ability to appear in a low-level monster was nearly unheard of. In most packs, any young monster with this potential would be killed by the leader to prevent any future threat.

Either the pack’s leader possessed a gift that countered speed or was a formidable and cunning “overlord” with the vision and ambition to tolerate such a subordinate.

As this thought flashed by, Lee Forth continued analyzing the environment and the monsters, seeking clues about the weasel-wolf king’s level of power.

The blue-furred weasel-wolf, now beside Lee Forth, bared its teeth, ready to snap his neck, never noticing the mocking glint in Lee Forth’s sidelong gaze.

“I’ve been waiting for you to try that!” Lee Forth thought, and suddenly exhaled, spewing the poison mist he had inhaled directly into the creature’s face and body.

“Icebound!” he called.

In the next instant, his chilling aura followed the poison, freezing the green mist into crystalline shards. They rained down along with the weasel-wolf, which landed in a convulsing heap, its mouth foaming, dead from poison or cold—who could say which came first.

“There are countless innate abilities. It’s not strange for a weasel-wolf to spew poison, but if the whole pack were immune to it, now that would be remarkable.”

Lee Forth finally halted, no longer in a rush to kill the last weasel-wolf. He smirked at it. “A gift offered with borrowed flowers—impressive, you’re still alive.”

He paused in surprise; the lead weasel-wolf, its snout entirely sliced off, was still clinging to life. The wound where its upper jaw had been was clean-cut, white bone protruding amid the torrent of blood, its rodent face now more terrifying than ever. Nearly two meters long, it crouched protectively before the green-furred beast, poised to attack, hatred burning in its eyes as it glared at Lee Forth.

Meanwhile, Lynx and the bloodied Bull Mountain dragged the four “driver” employees to safety and checked them for injuries. Bull Mountain, who had struck his own chest with the blunt side of his axe and spat up a mouthful of blood, was lucky his strong build had spared him broken ribs.

Ma Mingming and the woman in black were unscathed, steady enough to support the shaken Ma Qiqi, while the new employee, Forty-Seven, was so weak in the knees he could no longer stand.

Lee Forth seemed to be attempting to communicate with the two intelligent weasel-wolves, coaxing them: “You two should know the law of the jungle. You’ve seen my strength. Take me to your leader—if I kill it, maybe I’ll consider letting you live as my lackeys.”

Ma Mingming, long holding back his frustration, stepped forward to challenge Lee Forth’s disregard for the rules.

But the noseless weasel-wolf also stepped forward at the same moment, posture declaring, “If you want my leader, you’ll have to get through me first.”

Ma Mingming, no longer as prideful as before, had learned a bit of caution and swallowed his words, uncertain of what was to come.

Lee Forth caught all these subtle exchanges and played along. “Ma Mingming, attack it. Oh, but… do you dare?”

Stung by the challenge, Ma Mingming’s pride surged. With a roar, he charged at the wounded weasel-wolf from behind Lee Forth.

The noseless beast activated its power, petrifying its limbs and head. The bleeding stopped at the stone-encased wound, but with its upper jaw and fangs gone, it could no longer bite. It leapt high, aiming to smash Ma Mingming—once considered mere prey—with a swipe of its forepaw.

At the same time, the green-furred weasel-wolf, hiding behind its wounded companion, seized the chance to dash for the hole Lee Forth had made—fleeing in desperation.

Lee Forth curled his lip, unconcerned, and focused on Ma Mingming’s fight with the wounded beast.

Though injured, the weasel-wolf’s towering form was formidable. Ma Mingming, lacking an innate power, relied on his altered body and steel combat knife—enough to bully fledgling monsters, but the gulf to this tier was vast.

“Bend your knees and lean back!” Lee Forth barked, warning Ma Mingming to duck beneath the slower beast’s lunge.

“Now stab its belly, idiot!” came the next shout.

Ma Mingming dodged, but still caught a scolding. Though proud, he could admit fault, and his face flushed red with embarrassment.

On the other side, the weasel-wolf, though unable to understand Lee Forth’s words, sensed the insult. Its petrified jaw could make no sound, but its hideous face flushed with a cartoonish rage.

Man and beast, each nursing their own fury, clashed again, Lee Forth continuing his pointed instructions.

“Sidestep!”

“Weasel-wolf, weasel and wolf—hard head, iron skull, but a belly like tofu! Go for its rear!”

“Idiot, did you learn martial arts from online videos? Get on its back, like the hero with the tiger! Haven’t you read the story?”

…

What should have been a savage fight for survival, under Lee Forth’s guidance, became almost farcical—a scene that left Lynx and the others torn between laughter and tears.

At last, as man and beast hurled themselves at each other one final time, Lee Forth flashed forward, and as the weasel-wolf’s strength failed, he brought Autumn Waters down, cleaving off its petrified head, which landed squarely in Ma Mingming’s arms.

“Remember this face well. This is your most valuable first kill. From now on, use your head—less recklessness will keep you alive for years to come.”

Lee Forth regarded the panting Ma Mingming with calm assurance.

“Ma Qiqi, enough of gawking at your brother. Use your power to track that poison-spewing beast—it’ll lead us to the weasel-wolf king.”

Lynx stepped forward, Lee Forth glancing at his severed arm. “Can you go on?”

Lynx shrugged. “It’s nothing. If I make it out alive, the Border Marker owes me a lifetime of care!”

He added, “Will that fleeing weasel-wolf really lead us to the king? Did you find anything earlier?”

Lee Forth nodded. “I arrived before you. Apart from swarms of younglings, I ran into two low-tier adults, but their strength was far less than these three—‘newbies’ who’d just awakened their intelligence. It seems they misjudged our numbers and sent their stronger beasts here.”

Suddenly, Lee Forth’s tone grew grave. “This pack won’t be easy. There are a huge number of younglings, and even the adults are many and gifted with all kinds of powers. As for the king, I’ve seen no sign, but one thing is clear: its intelligence is unusually high.”

Lynx’s heart sank at his words. He stammered, “So… what do we do? These people… do we keep going?”

Lee Forth hesitated, then analyzed, “Seven ordinary people. Three rookie half-demons. Whoever goes… dies. Truthfully, I only need Ma Qiqi. The rest can choose. I’ve scouted the area and can lead anyone unwilling or unable to continue to the nearest exit.”

Lynx wanted to protest, but the reasons were too complex. The Border Marker prized honor above all; with so many witnesses, there would be disagreements. Anyone who turned back—even if they survived—would face scorn, especially the employees. Take Forty-Seven, for instance: after today’s display, “weak in the knees” would follow him for at least a year.

More seriously, if Lynx or the woman in black returned while Lee Forth died below, they’d be branded cowards—a fate worse than death in their world.

Suddenly, Lee Forth clapped Lynx on the good shoulder, stepped forward, and swept his gaze around, his tone commanding. “Wake up! Enough sleepwalking. It’s time for a crucial assignment!”

Other than the four unconscious “drivers,” everyone turned their attention to Lee Forth.

“This ‘Bloodstain Operation’ and the ‘Red Response’ have turned out far tougher than expected, with too many unknowns. We need to split up. One team will follow me and Ma Qiqi, tracking the poison beast to the king. The other will return topside—bring back our intel, get medical help for the fallen, and request reinforcements. Even if we find the king, our odds of slaying it alone are slim!”

Lynx sighed with relief; Lee Forth’s plan gave him an honorable way out.

Among the group, Ma Qiqi, named for the hunt, remained silent, unable to meet her brother’s eyes, torn with worry that he might not go.

Ma Mingming immediately declared he would not abandon his sister.

Bull Mountain, after a moment’s hesitation, insisted on joining the hunt for the king.

Forty-Seven was in no condition to argue, and the woman in black looked to Lynx.

Lynx surveyed the group and said to Lee Forth, “If that’s the case, I’ll lead the team topside. But by protocol, an enforcer or employee must accompany us—that’s the rule…”

Lee Forth cut him off. “Enough about rules. This is an emergency. Tell Simple to send down two capable half-demons—if not, I’ll come back to scratch up his pretty face myself.”

Lynx stared, bemused. Simple, the assistant to the Kyoto regional manager Sky Chill, was famous for his beauty. If Lynx relayed this threat, forget lifelong care—Simple would make sure Lynx was hounded for life.