Chapter 57: The Plan in Motion

“Bang.”

“Bang, bang.”

That night might have been one of the few lively nights in the Green Mist Jungle.

Fortunately, the Dragon’s Might emanating from the Wyvern had already frightened away the surrounding mutated beasts and Ferocious Beasts. The few remaining ones encircled the Wyvern, constantly looking for an opportunity to strike.

Otherwise, judging by Zhou Ming’s way of doing things, even without using high-explosive grenades, he might have once again triggered a riot among the Ferocious Beasts and mutated animals.

“Bang, bang…”

It was already past midnight. The rattling sound of the heavy machine gun had faded away—Zhou Ming had run out of bullets.

That was the flaw of heavy machine guns—the rate of ammunition consumption was simply too high. Without a team to carry extra rounds, even small squads could only use it in critical moments.

“Damn it, I told you we should retreat, but you, Wu Lao’er, just had to be greedy! You insisted on waiting until dawn to deal with that hidden killer first, and then take down the Wyvern.”

“And now? You want to drag us all to our deaths?”

Inside the camp, after Zhou Ming’s repeated harassment, a lean man with a sinister gaze, dressed in a combat suit, was furiously scolding another person inside the tent.

“Poison Wolf, watch your mouth. If it weren’t for you insisting we pick a spacious location, would we be this passive now?”

“And didn’t you say the enemy had some close-range assassin?”

Wu Lao’er, radiating a murderous aura, was nothing like his rustic name implied—he immediately snapped back.

“Hmph, then what do you suggest?”

“Retreat.”

“Now you want to retreat?”

Poison Wolf clearly didn’t believe that someone as greedy as Wu Lao’er would willingly give up on the Wyvern.

“I checked outside. The enemy keeps harassing us, but there are only two of them.”

“Except for that Scorpion-Lion that showed up earlier, the other one shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“They’re probably afraid of the armor-piercing heavy sniper and heavy machine gun we have—both can seriously threaten that Scorpion-Lion. That’s why they’re trying to force us back into the dense forest where the terrain favors them. Since that’s the case, we’ll play along and lure them out.”

Hearing Wu Lao’er’s analysis, Poison Wolf narrowed his eyes and silently mulled over his words.

“You mean… deal with that Scorpion-Lion?”

He seemed to understand something.

“Yes. Tonight, we’ll hide our snipers in position. Once dawn comes and the light favors them, we’ll pretend to break through quickly. The moment the Scorpion-Lion shows up, I’ll engage it directly and give our snipers the opportunity they need.”

“As long as we eliminate that Scorpion-Lion, we’ll seize control of the situation. Then, we can have one of our Beast Tamers with strong sensory beasts guard against close-range assassins from the other side. After that, we can focus on taking the Wyvern at ease.”

“If this works, we might not have to remain hunters anymore. Becoming Official Rank Beast Tamers might not be impossible.”

After listening to the plan, Poison Wolf analyzed it again. Seeing that it was the only feasible option, he immediately nodded in agreement.

After all, the profit from success was immense. And if he somehow managed to claim the Wyvern’s spoils alone… he could live with being the last man standing.

Truly, his name might have been poorly chosen, but his nickname fit perfectly. Poison Wolf was already entertaining thoughts of eating alone—whether Wu Lao’er shared the same idea was another matter.

The two men soon left the pitch-black tent to begin arranging their plan against Zhou Ming and his companion.

……

“Still want to keep harassing them?”

From behind a rocky outcrop, the Scorpion-Lion asked Zhou Ming for his opinion.

According to their earlier plan, the enemy had temporarily given up chasing the Scorpion-Lion, which was hard to locate at night and less threatening in the dark. They were focusing instead on striking Zhou Ming, the one recklessly sweeping their camp with a heavy machine gun.

However, the Scorpion-Lion had seized an opening, charging into the camp and killing one hunter in an instant. Yet, the experienced hunters had quickly recovered and used their armor-piercing heavy machine gun to force it back.

Seeing the plan’s effectiveness, the Scorpion-Lion’s opinion of Zhou Ming subtly shifted.

“No need. Those hunters are seasoned veterans. They’ve already guessed our intentions. But our objective is achieved, so there’s no point in wasting more effort.”

“What we should do now is scout the area and see if the gunfire has drawn anyone else over. I don’t want to deal with these people, only to have another predator waiting behind us.”

“Didn’t expect you to be this cautious.”

The Scorpion-Lion looked at Zhou Ming. He already knew that in a direct confrontation, Zhou Ming wasn’t his match—but in a guerrilla fight, the man was dangerous.

Noticing the look, Zhou Ming calmly said,

“Because I’ve been the predator behind the predator.”

To be precise, the hunter behind the yellow sparrow, Zhou Ming added silently in his heart.

“So sinister. We’ll meet again here at five-thirty.”

After speaking, the Scorpion-Lion left first.

Zhou Ming, seeing this, immediately moved off in the opposite direction.

An hour later.

The two met again at their agreed spot and exchanged reports on their reconnaissance.

“How is it?” Zhou Ming asked.

“No hidden enemies found.”

“Same here. Then let’s proceed with the plan.”

At once, they both acted according to the plan.

From above, their routes diverged—

The Scorpion-Lion headed toward the more open ground, while Zhou Ming moved behind the camp, toward an area cluttered with rocks and tall grass.

Ten minutes later, per plan, the Scorpion-Lion struck first.

“Roar!”

The Scorpion-Tailed Lion let out a thunderous roar and charged into the camp. This time, the Scorpion-Lion didn’t ride his beast, instead supporting it with his Storm-series assault rifle from behind.

“Didn’t expect them to have a plan too—but this time, they’re walking right into it.”

As Zhou Ming prepared to move, his Radar Sensory Domain immediately detected two men hidden among the rocks and weeds—no Beast Tamers guarding them.

Just one thought, and Zhou Ming instantly realized their intent.

With a cold smile, he sent out two Ironthread Snakes, both having taken Blood Ignition Potions. Time was of the essence—the longer this dragged out, the greater the danger for the Scorpion-Lion.

The foot-long Ironthread Snakes slithered rapidly through the grass, quickly reaching the targets Zhou Ming had sensed.

Upon his command, the two soon-to-die Ironthread Snakes attacked like assassins—fangs bared, injecting venom wildly into the bodies of the two snipers.

“Urgh…”

The ambushers had become the ambushed. Both men collapsed on the spot, paralyzed and awaiting death.

Meanwhile, Zhou Ming, using the distraction caused by the Scorpion-Lion’s assault, quickly approached the camp—his eyes fixed on the gunners behind the defensive beasts.

“Vermilion Jade, it’s up to you.”

Spotting the gunners firing at the Scorpion-Tailed Lion, Zhou Ming immediately sent Vermilion Jade, whose speed and lethality could end the fight in an instant.

The two gunners manning the heavy machine gun were surrounded by several Beast Tamers—none of whom were mere bystanders, and none unarmed.

If they delayed Zhou Ming even for a moment, that rampaging heavy machine gun would surely turn and cut him down.

“Swish.”

Under Zhou Ming’s command, Vermilion Jade flashed forward like a crimson shadow just as the first rays of dawn broke the horizon.

“Someone behind us!”

A Beast Tamer with cultivated Spiritual Power had far sharper senses than ordinary people, and since beasts specialized in perception, that ability reflected onto their masters as well.

One of the Beast Tamers immediately shouted a warning to his teammates and turned to fire at Vermilion Jade.