I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

Lin Mo quickly translated Arya's tearful warning into the communication channel, word for word.

"She begged me not to go, saying I would die."

The channel was deathly silent, save for the team members' steady breathing.

Long Fei's voice followed closely behind, calm and devoid of any emotion.

"Roger that. Eagle Team, maintain posture. Snow Wolf and Tiger, raise perimeter alert level, be on alert for any large creatures approaching."

"The village target has been initially identified as friendly. However, threat intelligence has been confirmed, and there may be roaming goblins or even tauren in the vicinity."

The command was given through the headset, and the team members in the distance did not move an inch, but Lin Mo felt that the muscles of the entire team tensed up.

Lin Mo looked at the tearful girl in front of him, and then at the villagers behind her who had poked their heads out after hearing the noise, their faces filled with fear and unease.

He knew that talking was useless.

He loosened his grip on Arya's arm, pointed to the Eagle Squad behind him, picked up his pen again, and quickly drew stick figures standing side by side on the back of the paper with the minotaur drawn on it.

Each stick figure is drawn exceptionally robust, and each holds a square weapon.

He drew many stick figures, densely packed together, and finally, next to these stick figures, he drew a heavy arrow pointing towards them.

The meaning is clear.

We are numerous and powerful.

Arya stared blankly at the drawing on the paper, then looked up at the silent figures standing behind Lin Mo.

The team member, completely shrouded in black combat gear, showed no less fear on her face; instead, a hint of confusion appeared on her face.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

Iron Fist, the blacksmith, had stopped his work at some point. He walked over, carrying his hammer, his thick arms bulging with muscles.

He craned his neck curiously to look at the drawing on Lin Mo's paper, and then at the cold metallic feel of the rifles in the hands of the team members.

He spoke in a deep, resonant voice in the local dialect.

"Your weapons... look very strange. Are they faster than the knives I forged?"

Lin Mo immediately translated the sentence.

"Captain Dragon, the blacksmith is asking if our weapons are faster than the knives he forges."

After Lin Mo finished speaking, he raised his head and looked directly at Long Fei.

"I suggest we show it to them."

Long Fei's gaze swept over Aria and the blacksmith's faces, and then over the timid villagers in the distance.

He nodded.

"Can."

Without wasting any words, Long Fei swiftly and decisively pulled a Type 92 pistol from the holster on his thigh.

This action caused Arya and the blacksmith to instinctively take a step back, their faces showing tension.

Long Fei ignored them, raised his arm, and aimed his gun at an old tree as thick as a water bucket not far from the village entrance.

He didn't even have time to aim; the instant his arm was raised, his index finger pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A loud explosion.

The sound was completely different from the crisp sound of a hammer striking an anvil; it was short and explosive, carrying an undeniable majesty that instantly shattered the long silence of the swamp forest.

Everyone in the village was shaken by the loud noise.

Arya let out a short scream, covered her ears with her hands, and curled up into a ball.

The blacksmith's hammer clattered to the ground. He stared dumbfounded at the small lump of iron in Long Fei's hand, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it.

The villagers who had been hiding behind the house and peeking through the cracks in the door were now in an uproar, with a buzz of terrified chatter filling the air.

Long Fei expressionlessly sheathed his pistol and put it back in its holster, the whole movement flowing smoothly.

The Eagle team members behind him remained on alert, as if the loud noise they had just heard was nothing more than a trivial commotion.

Lin Mo didn't speak; he simply pointed to the old tree.

Everyone's eyes unconsciously followed his finger and fell on the tree.

On the tree trunk, about a person's height above the ground, there was a dark hole.

The opening was small, only about the thickness of a thumb, and its smooth edges were somewhat eerily smooth.

A wisp of smoke was rising from the small hole, carrying the pungent smell of gunpowder.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Arya lowered her hands from her ears and stared at the bullet hole, her clear eyes filled with disbelief.

Blacksmith Forging Stone stumbled over, extending his rough fingers to carefully touch the edge of the hole.

As soon as his finger touched it, he pulled it back sharply, hissing as the wood at the entrance of the hole was still scorching hot.

He lay on the tree and peered into the hole, trying to see what was inside, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything.

This completely ignited the villagers' curiosity and awe.

They stopped hiding and came out of the house one by one, gathered around, pointed at the small bullet hole, and discussed it animatedly.

"My God, what is that?"

"It...it went right through?"

"I saw a light! Is it magic?"

The loud noise also alerted people deep within the village.

A wiry man with an old scar on his face strode out of a wooden hut, carrying a heavy hardwood longbow in his hand.

It was none other than the hunter captain, Raine.

His sharp gaze swept over Lin Mo and his group at the village entrance, and then he saw the villagers gathered around a tree, their faces showing a complex mix of surprise and fear.

He frowned and strode over.

"What are you all doing gathered here?" His voice was deep and authoritative.

The villagers automatically made way for them.

When Aria saw him, she seemed to have found her pillar of support. She quickly ran over, grabbed his arm, pointed to the bullet holes in the tree, and then pointed to Lin Mo, explaining rapidly in a rapid-fire manner.

She recounted everything about Lin Mo's drawing of the minotaur, their intentions, and the terrifying loud noise they had just heard.

As Ryan listened, his expression grew increasingly serious.

He walked up to the tree, carefully examined the bullet hole, and even stuck his finger in to check its depth.

When he discovered that his knuckles were completely submerged yet he still couldn't reach the bottom, his hawk-like eyes finally revealed utter shock.

He slowly straightened up, turned his head, and his gaze, no longer scrutinizing, became complicated, falling back on Lin Mo and Long Fei.

He watched them in silence for a long time.

I glanced at the black weapons they held, which I had never seen before, and then at their tightly fitted combat uniforms.

Finally, he walked up to Lin Mo.

The village fell silent again, and all the villagers held their breath, watching their hunter captain.

Renn's gaze swept over Lin Mo, then past him, and looked at the silent, mountain-like team members behind him.

He took a deep breath, as if he had made an extremely important decision.

He spoke, his voice hoarse, yet every word was crystal clear.

"My father died by the stone axe of the minotaurs."

"I've always wanted to avenge him, but I can't do it on my own."

He raised his head and stared intently at Lin Mo.

"You... if you really want to challenge those monsters."

"I'm willing to show you the way."

"I know where their nests are, and I know their patrol routes."

"I have only one request: let me personally cut off the head of the first minotaur!"

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat as he listened to the real-time translation on the system panel.

He immediately repeated Ryan's words over the communication channel at top speed.

"Um, Captain Long, he said he's willing to lead the way! His father died at the hands of the minotaurs, and he's seeking revenge! He also knows the minotaurs' lair and patrol routes!"

Looking at the hunter before him with his resolute gaze and the flames of vengeance burning in his eyes, he was momentarily at a loss for words to express his excitement and gratitude.

He opened his mouth, but found that any words seemed inadequate.

In his desperation, the image of Arya throwing herself into his arms flashed through his mind.

Lin Mo followed suit, stepped forward, opened his arms, and gave Raine a big, tight hug.