The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

As Deng Yuqi watched the green signal light representing Lin Yin, Feng Chengxiu, and Yang Yuxin's team on the screen gradually stabilize after flashing intensely, and even begin to suppress their respective sixth-tier monster opponents, the heavy pressure in her heart finally eased slightly.

The warriors of the Special Forces Department used their flesh and blood, wisdom, and top-notch magical equipment to stand firm against the terrifying power of the sixth-order monster, and even gained the upper hand!
"Very good!" She loosened her clenched fist slightly, her eyes sparkling with pride and satisfaction.

There was a time when, when facing bizarre or eccentric cadres of the fifth rank or higher, the Special Operations Department could only resort to sacrificing lives, except for Shen Ge, their pillar of strength. Now, the warriors of Rong City can finally stand up to these walking disasters head-on with their own strength.

"Report! Xiao Qi, the deputy classmate, has broken through the Ox's interception and re-locked onto the target 'Crow,' closing the distance to 800 meters! The speed is increasing!" Tu Doupi's excited voice came through.

"Keep tracking! All areas on high alert to prevent other members of the twelve branches from providing support!" Deng Yuqi's spirits lifted, and the scales of victory seemed to be tipping in Rong City's favor.

With its blood-red wings, the crimson armor tore through the viscous air disrupted by the "Skynet" and relentlessly pursued the black raven shadow that was faintly visible in the night.

800 meters!
500 meters!
The distance was rapidly closing. Xiaoqi's core logic efficiently calculated the best attack path and energy output. The body made of blood spiders vibrated at a high frequency, preparing to close in and deliver a decisive blow.

At this critical moment——

boom!
A very faint thud, almost muffled by the sound of air friction!

A completely invisible "psychic sniper bullet," without any energy fluctuations, accurately hit the core of the high-speed-flying sub-armor.

There was no fire, no explosion, only a strange power that seemed to have "erased" a small part of space itself, which suddenly erupted!
"The core structure has been attacked by an unknown type of psychic energy. 13% of the energy transmission nodes have been forcibly stripped away, and the physical structure integrity has decreased by 42%!" Xiao Qi's alarm message instantly exploded on Shen Ge's and the command center's screens.

The cluster of blood spiders that made up the core area of ​​the sub-armor disappeared in an instant, as if erased by an invisible eraser. The entire structure of the sub-armor instantly became unbalanced, and like a bird with broken wings, it tumbled and plummeted from thousands of meters in the sky.

"What?!" Deng Yuqi and Tu Doupi exclaimed at the same time.

The armored vehicle crashed heavily onto the roof of an abandoned cargo terminal warehouse on the edge of the southwestern urban area, smashing a large hole in the rusted roof before falling into a messy container yard.

Countless blood spiders attempted to reassemble, but the damage to the core caused severe disruption to the energy cycle, making the condensation speed of the secondary armor extremely slow.

"Zi la——!"

Blinding searchlights instantly illuminated the area from all directions, making it as bright as day. Two figures appeared like ghosts, appearing at the highest point and in the shadows of the container yard.

A slender figure, dressed in a tight-fitting black combat uniform and wearing a monkey mask with a grinning expression, crouched on the highest container, holding a strangely shaped long-barreled sniper rifle with a barrel that shimmered with an eerie luster like transparent crystal.

It was this weapon, which ignored conventional methods of detecting supernatural abilities, that dealt Xiaoqi a "fatal" blow.

Another figure stood at the edge of the shadows, tall and imposing, dressed in a magnificent, feather-woven golden robe, and wearing a jewel-encrusted chicken-shaped mask covering half of his face.

He held no weapon, yet exuded a powerful mental pressure, as if he could see through everything. Behind him, a dozen or so members of a strange squad, dressed in identical black uniforms, with blank stares but swift movements, stood like statues, radiating a chilling aura.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the famous Shen Ge's 'little pet' is nothing special." The strange man with the back curtain chuckled, his voice sharp and piercing.

“The boss is right. To deal with such a sophisticated creation, we have to use some ‘unreasonable’ methods,” another person wearing a chicken-shaped mask chimed in.

These two, along with the Ox, Snake, and Sheep, are all cadres of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Monkey (申), Rooster (酉).

As the Rooster spoke, it gently raised its hand.

The freak squad behind him activated instantly, like a machine receiving a command. They unleashed speed and power far exceeding that of ordinary people, wielding specially made melee weapons with high-frequency energy vibration blades and guns that sprayed highly corrosive slime. Like a black tide, they rushed towards the sub-armor that was struggling to condense.

"Analysis of targets: Monkey (申猴), Ghostly Energy Level - Tier 6; Rooster (酉鸡), Ghostly Energy Level - Tier 6. Threat Level: Extremely High." Xiao Qi calmly reported, while simultaneously controlling the remaining secondary armor and scattered blood spiders for defense and counterattack.

The blood spiders transformed into countless sharp spikes and tough webs, clashing fiercely with the onrushing monster squad. Sparks flew everywhere, and corrosive liquid and blood mist filled the air.

However, the core of the deputy armored force was greatly reduced due to the damage, and it was immediately caught in a fierce battle when facing an elite squad led by two sixth-level cadres. It was divided and surrounded, and the situation was extremely precarious.

Just as Xiaoqi was being sniped and ambushed, the black crow shadow that was escaping at high speed was flying towards a seemingly empty suburb in the southwest.

Sudden--

boom!
The space ahead was like a calm lake to which a huge rock has been thrown, suddenly rippling violently.

An invisible, transparent barrier appeared out of nowhere, blocking the way in front of Raven Shadow. She didn't even notice the barrier's appearance and crashed into it unexpectedly.

The violent impact caused the barrier to vibrate violently, emitting a deep, thunderous roar.

The dark blue flames on the black crow's body dimmed instantly, and its massive body was thrown back by the enormous reaction force, spinning as it plummeted downwards.

The moment it landed, the black mist churned and contracted, condensing once again into the form of a woman wearing a dark red and gold patterned cheongsam and a raven mask.

She staggered slightly, her eyes beneath the mask filled with shock, anger, and bewilderment. The barrier had appeared without warning, completely bypassing her perception of the strange space.

"Sorry, this road is blocked." A calm, emotionless voice came from the shadows beside the tree.

Shen Ge's figure seemed to emerge from the darkness itself, slowly walking out.

He was still wearing that ordinary Special Operations Department uniform, but the eerie aura emanating from him, as deep and oppressive as an abyss, made the surrounding air seem to freeze.

He held no weapon in his hand, simply standing there casually, yet his gaze was like a cold blade, piercing through the mask and staring directly into "Raven's" eyes.

"Shen Ge? How could you possibly have predicted this place?" The voice behind the mask was sharp with disbelief. Her carefully planned escape route and ambush had actually been seen through by the other party?
Shen Ge did not answer her question. His gaze swept over her, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Its temperament, the frequency of its strange energy fluctuations, the subtle way its energy flows... are subtly different from the crows I've seen before.

Although the disguise was extremely convincing, these subtle differences could not escape his "cunning eye".

"You are not 'Crow'." Shen Ge's voice was cold and certain. "Or rather, you are not the 'Crow' I've seen. The leader of the Twelve Zodiacs has actually resorted to the trick of using a substitute?" "Crow," exposed, stiffened slightly. Then, a low, strangely rhythmic laugh escaped from beneath the mask: "Hehehe... As expected of Shen Ge, your perception is indeed terrifyingly sharp. That's right, I am not the true 'Chief'. You can call me... 'Feather'. I am merely the leader's feather, but that's enough to deal with you."

Is it really a stand-in?
Shen Ge raised an eyebrow, only to see that "Yu" seemed to have given up on escaping, and her posture had become elegant again as she gently straightened the folds of her cheongsam:

"But does it matter? My mission was to attract your attention and create an opportunity for 'Monkey' and 'Rooster' to capture that interesting creation. It seems they're doing very well. Now that you've lost that secondary armor, Shen Ge, you've lost one of your 'eyes' and 'tentacles'."

?

Upon hearing this, Shen Ge's expression became somewhat tense. It seemed that the Twelve Branches still knew too little about him, and didn't even know that Xiao Qi was currently only controlling a "secondary armor".

Seemingly oblivious to the change in Shen Ge's expression, Yu's tone still carried a hint of smug satisfaction at his successful plan: "As for me... do you think you can leave behind a space ability user who only wants to leave?"

A spatial ability user?
If Shen Ge hadn't previously seized quite a few of the twelve teleportation devices, he might have actually believed it. Most importantly, to prevent the other party from escaping, Shen Ge had already activated the "Out of the Ghost Domain" technique.

Unless Shen Ge lets them pass, even if the Ghost King comes, he might not be able to escape from the Ghost Realm. Otherwise, the word "escape" would be meaningless.

Shen Ge's lips curled into a cold smile: "Is that so? It's as if those two chickens and monkeys you sent could actually take my things."

He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread wide, his palm pointing at the woman who called herself "Yu": "Besides, who told you that I chased you here just to catch you?"

Before he finished speaking, an invisible force suddenly erupted from Shen Ge's palm.

Invisible and formless, a dual realm of mystery—

open!

Centered on Shen Ge, the rivers, forests, and sky within a radius of several hundred meters were instantly enveloped by an absolute, all-consuming dual ghost domain.

"What? You actually...you also mastered the power of space?" Yu's elegance and composure vanished instantly, and her voice behind the mask was filled with shock.

She attempted to initiate a spatial jump, only to be horrified to discover that the spatial structure of this eerie realm had been completely distorted, anchored, and solidified.

Her spatial abilities were like being stuck in the thickest asphalt, making it impossible for her to move an inch!

"Yu" was unaware that her spatial abilities required the use of magical equipment to activate, and that Shen Lin's magical domain was itself a space.

Meanwhile, less than a kilometer away from where Shen Ge and "Yu" were fighting, Xiao Qi's secondary armor was already badly damaged by Shen Hou's precise shots and interference with core repair, You Ji's erosion and suppression of its control precision, as well as the monster team's frantic siege. Large sections of the blood spiders that made up its body were destroyed or peeled off.

"Core monster energy is below 30%... Physical structure is on the verge of collapse... Affected by the monster energy erosion, it cannot connect with the main armor, and its self-healing ability is temporarily impaired." Xiao Qi completed the self-check of the secondary armor in the blink of an eye. Facing two sixth-tier monsters at the same time, the strength of the secondary armor was still too high.

Just as the Rooster's eyes flashed with golden light, unleashing a powerful energy shock in an attempt to completely dismantle the secondary armor's control core, the Monkey grinned maliciously and once again raised its energy sniper rifle, aiming at the secondary armor's final core energy node—

A sudden change occurred!

The blood spider remains that were affected by the Rooster's strange energy shockwave, or even partially "erased" by the Monkey, suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light!

They were not out of control, but were taken over by a more powerful and sophisticated will. These red lights spread like a virus to all the remaining blood spiders in an instant!

The damaged body of the armored creature suddenly erupted with a strange energy fluctuation far exceeding its previous level. Instead of trying to defend or condense its energy, it actively sprayed the blood spiders that made up its body like bombs at the surrounding monster team, as well as Shenhou and Youji.

Since we can't save it, let's destroy it!

The Blood Spider, modified by Xiao Qi, is itself a high-explosive phantom energy bomb. The secondary armor with so many Blood Spiders gathered together is actually a mobile super bomb!

boom! boom! boom!
Countless tiny blood spider bombs, compressed from high-purity psychic energy, exploded violently the moment they hit their target. Although the power of a single bomb was not enough to seriously injure a sixth-tier cadre, their sheer number and suddenness were their greatest strengths!
"Damn it!" Shenhou yelled and rolled away to avoid it.

The Rooster's phantom energy shield fluctuated violently, disrupted by the impact of the explosion and the phantom energy turbulence.

Those members of the weirdo squad were blown up and suffered heavy casualties!

"Damn it! It just exploded!" Shenhou was furious.

The eyes beneath the rooster mask were incredibly gloomy: "Shen Ge is really willing to go all out, but no matter what, we've at least completed half of our mission."

As they spoke, their gazes involuntarily turned to a direction a kilometer away, where the terrifying energy fluctuations emanating from made their hearts tremble.

"'Yu' is in trouble, let's go help!"

"Yu" was like a moth caught in a spider's web, passively taking hits under Shen Ge's dual-domain suppression. If Shen Ge hadn't wanted to capture her alive, she would have died ten times over by now.

"puff--"

"puff!"

"Yu" originally intended to use her high-speed mobility to attack Shen Ge from behind and catch him off guard, but who would have thought that as soon as she got close, she was slapped to the ground by several tentacles that stretched out from his back.

"Ah!" With a cry of pain, "Yu's" shoulder blade shattered instantly, her dark red cheongsam was torn apart, revealing a charred wound underneath. The edges of the wound were constantly being eroded and spread by the eerie energy, which also caused the eerie energy aura on her body to become chaotic instantly.

"No, impossible. Your armor was clearly ambushed a thousand meters away, how could it possibly be here?" Yu said in surprise.

Shen Ge twisted his neck and looked at Yu with pity: "Who told you I only have one suit of armor? Sorry, I can have as many of these as I want. Our Special Operations Department is that rich and powerful."

"..."

The reality before her left Yu no choice but to believe it, but she couldn't escape Shen Ge's grasp. (End of Chapter)