165: Chapter 165 The Ambush of the Red-Scaled Earth Lizard

Yinpinglu is only a little over twenty kilometers in a straight line from the Wuji Army camp.

However, the mountain roads of Beimang Mountain are not meant for people; they wind, undulate, and break. Although it looks like it's just behind the mountain ahead, getting there actually requires a long detour.

Qin Ce led his team for an entire morning, and two canteens in their packs were already empty before they finally caught sight of Yinpinglu's outline.

The atmosphere in Beimang Mountain along the way was clearly off.

There were many more traces of fierce beasts than usual, and all of them seemed restless.

By the roadside lay the carcass of an Iron-Spine Wolf that had died recently; it had no external injuries, its eyes were wide open, and its mouth was full of white foam.

It wasn't killed, but died from energy disorder within its body.

Jiang Mo squatted down to examine it, then looked up at Qin Ce without speaking.

But Qin Ce understood the meaning of that look perfectly.

Although the aura of the God-level Ruins had only leaked for an instant, it had already caused some abnormal changes in the fierce beasts in this area.

Moreover, the danger wasn't limited to fierce beasts.

The complexity of the transient population was also continuously increasing.

They had already encountered several groups of reconnaissance teams on the road; some wore plain clothes, some displayed family crests, and some didn't even change out of their uniforms, brazenly driving military vehicles on the mountain roads.

When they saw Qin Ce's team, some avoided them from afar, some stopped to observe, and some directly followed.

They followed without getting close, just trailing far behind, like a swarm of flies that had smelled blood.

Qin Ce paid no attention.

Before the ruins emerged, these people wouldn't go too far.

His current focus was solely on the mission.

And now, Yinpinglu was almost there.

The territory of the Red-Scaled Earth Lizards was easy to identify.

The rocks changed from grayish-black to dark red, a smell of sulfur permeated the air, and the vegetation became increasingly sparse, eventually leaving only low-lying shrubs growing close to the ground.

Qin Ce ordered the team to stop, intending to take Tianlu and advance a few dozen meters, then use Nine-Star Insight to formulate a comprehensive strategic deployment.

However, before he could even move, and before the entire unit had entered the Red-Scaled Earth Lizard's territory,

Three Red-Scaled Earth Lizards suddenly burst out from a patch of bushes less than fifty meters ahead, brazenly charging into the middle of the road, like three dark red boulders.

Their bodies were a full size larger than recorded in the data, the edges of their scales gleamed with an abnormal dark golden luster, and their eyes were not the murky yellowish-brown of common Earth Lizards, but a faint blood-red.

What's going on?

The next moment, under Nine-Star Insight,

These Red-Scaled Earth Lizards had actually undergone slight mutations.

Qin Ce's heart sank.

The intelligence for the one-star mission stated that the Red-Scaled Earth Lizards of Yinpinglu were a Black Iron species, generally at Black Iron Mid-grade, with leaders not exceeding Upper Bronze Rank.

But these three in front of him, just by their aura, had already touched the threshold of Black Iron High-grade.

Was the intelligence outdated, or was it inaccurate to begin with?

Was it because the fierce beasts in the North were undergoing unpredictable changes under the influence of the God-level Ruins' aura?

Or was the Wuji Army's intelligence inherently flawed?

Qin Ce turned around, his expression calm, but his voice was lower than usual: "There are three Earth Lizards ahead, Black Iron High-grade, slightly mutated. Prepare for battle."

Jiang Mo was the first to react, turning to signal to the people behind him.

Twenty-four people simultaneously summoned their Pet Beasts; lights flashed, and twenty-four Pet Beasts appeared in front of the team.

The new recruits' Pet Beasts were smaller and stood at the back, while the veterans' larger Pet Beasts stood at the front.

The formation was one Qin Ce had practiced repeatedly: young beasts in the middle, adult beasts on the outside, ranged attackers to the rear, melee attackers to the front.

Although their movements weren't fast enough and their positions weren't precise enough, at least there was no chaos.

Just as the formation had barely taken shape.

...

Swish! Swish! Swish!...

Over a hundred Red-Scaled Earth Lizards emerged from behind rocks, from bushes, from cracks in the mountain wall, and from piles of rubble underfoot.

They appeared one after another, as if rising from underground, filling the field of vision.

They weren't standing haphazardly, but were closing in with layers and angles.

Left flank, right flank, front, and even behind.

Qin Ce looked back; a few were also crouching on the path they had come from, blocking their retreat.

Ambushed and surrounded?

Qin Ce's eyelid twitched.

Red-Scaled Earth Lizards were not pack-hunting fierce beasts, at least according to the data.

They habitually hunted alone, at most two or three together, and there had never been any record of them fighting in groups.

But this scene clearly showed an organized, premeditated encirclement.

And not just dozens, but hundreds.

The dense, dark red scales gleamed blood-red under the hazy sky, and the sulfurous smell was chokingly strong.

Someone in the team gasped.

The new recruits' faces turned pale; some instinctively took a step back, some tightly hugged their Pet Beasts, and some were trembling.

...

In the distance, on the hillside.

Several Wuji Army scouts lay behind a large rock, holding binoculars and chewing on grass stems.

They had followed Qin Ce out—not to help, but for a bet.

The bet at the mess hall entrance was open: how many from the Seventh Squad would return.

Some bet five, some bet three, some bet only Qin Ce, and a few bet on "total annihilation."

They were sent out to witness the outcome firsthand.

"Damn, over a hundred Earth Lizards?" A scout put down his binoculars and rubbed his eyes. "Is this really a one-star mission?"

"Look at the size of those Earth Lizards; they're more than just Black Iron High-grade. Many of them are probably Bronze Rank already."

Another scout took the binoculars and looked, his face changing. "More than Bronze Rank, look at the one furthest inside; it's two sizes bigger than the others, and its scales are almost black—bronze peak, perhaps close to Silver Rank."

"A one-star mission with bronze peak? What are those people in the intelligence department doing?"

"Intelligence department? Our Wuji Army's intelligence has always been like this. Who among those who issue intelligence cares about the life and death of the Wuji Army? And as soon as that light pillar ruin appeared, all the fierce beasts in the North went wild. The intelligence became even more inaccurate. Not to mention Yinpinglu, it's said that Star-Glow Rank beasts are even escaping from the rift."

The few of them fell silent for a few seconds, then all sighed simultaneously.

They weren't sighing for Qin Ce, but for their own bets.

"Should've bet on total annihilation. The odds were one to five; I thought it was too low then, so I didn't bet. Now it looks like a sure win."

"Yeah! Just watch, if that young master soldier can survive the first wave, he's lucky."

In another direction, on the other side of the hillside, several modified off-road vehicles were parked.

There were no markings on the vehicles, but judging by the license plates and paintwork, they belonged to certain families from Fengling City.

They were also here to investigate the ruins, and passing by Yinpinglu, they saw troops gathering and stopped to watch the show.

"Which unit is that? The uniforms look like Wuji Army."

"It's the Wuji Army. Look at the leader; his epaulets say captain, but he looks young, not like a veteran."

"Probably a noble scion here to gain experience? How dare he bring new recruits on a mission like this?"

"Look at his soldiers; the new recruits' Pet Beasts have only just passed their infancy, and some can barely stand steady. If a fight breaks out, they'll be the first to fall."

"Not just the new recruits. Look at the Pet Beasts of those veterans; their aura is unstable, clearly recovering from a serious illness. If they really fight, they won't last long."

"Why isn't their leader summoning his own Pet Beast? Just bringing a small lion? That little lion looks like it just passed its infancy, right?"

The few of them exchanged glances, then all shook their heads simultaneously.

"Total annihilation."

"Definitely total annihilation."

"Let's go, there's nothing to see. The smell of blood will be too strong later, might attract other fierce beasts."

However, in the next moment, none of them left.

It wasn't because their minds had changed, but because they noticed that in such a desperate situation, the young man had actually walked to the very front of the team.

...