Swallowing the Stars: The Birth of a Cosmic God King

"Should we pursue them or not?" Zhou Hai asked.

"What are you chasing?"

"Treat the wounds first, then collect the spoils. It's not worth the trip."

Zhou Hai chuckled twice, then winced in pain from his wound.

"The materials for a basic beast soldier set cost about five to eight thousand," Lin Xiaowan calculated.

"Five heads, around 40,000, divided among six people, each person gets a little over 6,000."

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

After risking their lives to kill five monsters, each person received six thousand yuan?

"Now you know how hard it is to make money, right?" Yan Ning said slowly.

The group fell silent for a moment.

"The teamwork was decent. For a first-time real-world test, this level of performance is acceptable."

The five people's eyes lit up.

"But there are also quite a few problems."

"Sun Haoran, your fire coverage is too narrow. Go back and practice your sweeping fire."

Zhao Meng, don't just hold your shield head-on; learn to move and kite.

"Lin Xiaowan, the firing interval is too long. Four seconds is enough time for the Ironback Wolf to pounce on your face."

Yan Ning glanced at the injury on Zhou Hai's shoulder: "You're too reckless."

That strike could have been delivered from the side; you're not Zhao Meng. Don't fight monsters head-on without a shield.

Zhou Hai scratched his head sheepishly.

"And you, Chen Fei."

"What use are you, a novice soldier, just another corpse if you rush in? Remember your position: resupply, provide emergency supplies, and finish off enemies!"

Chen Fei readily agreed.

"Alright, let's move forward. Remember how it felt just now, and aim for zero casualties in the next wave."

Over the next few hours, the team made steady progress.

With the experience gained the first time, the five of them became more and more coordinated.

Zhou Hai stopped rushing forward and used his speed to harass and pull the enemy.

Zhao Meng's shield learned to use angles to deflect force.

Sun Haoran adjusted the firing mode, significantly expanding the area of ​​fire coverage.

Lin Xiaowan's shooting rhythm was stable at one shot every three seconds.

Over a period of five or six hours.

During their journey, they encountered a mid-level armored lizard, and it took the five of them nearly ten minutes of teamwork to finally take it down.

"Beautiful!" Zhao Meng excitedly smashed the shield.

"This light crystal core alone is worth 20,000." Lin Xiaowan's lips curled up.

Sun Haoran adjusted his glasses: "The total winnings are about one million."

100 million.

The money was divided among six people, with each person receiving 160,000 to 170,000.

A fresh graduate, where would he have ever seen this much money?

Chen Fei, clutching his bulging backpack, beamed, "Captain, at this rate, we can break five million today!"

Yan Ning glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhou Hai wiped the blood off his sword, full of vigor:

"Once this mission is over, I'm going to buy an A4-grade battle sword! I'll continue training, continue slaying monsters! One day, I'll become a war god, ready to sacrifice my life for humanity!"

"Alright, let's get through this first."

"Let's go and keep pushing."

As they ventured deeper into the factory, they encountered more and more monsters, and their ranks also increased.

Groups of intermediate-level beast soldiers appeared, making it increasingly difficult for the five people to cope. Each battle consumed a lot of their stamina and ammunition.

Yan Ning still did not make a move, only giving instructions at key moments.

"Zhou Hai, the one on the left needs to flank around and get into position in advance."

"Zhao Meng, don't try to fight back. Take three steps back to the right and make it slip."

"Lin Xiaowan, shoot the big one first, and leave the small one to Sun Haoran."

Under his command, the five men overcame one tough challenge after another.

"Captain, you used to be a commander on the front lines, right?" Zhou Hai asked, panting, his eyes full of admiration.

"More or less."

"I feel like our fighting power has at least doubled with you by our side!" Zhao Meng chuckled.

Sun Haoran nodded: "The captain's battlefield awareness is at least three seconds faster than ours. That three-second difference can mean the difference between life and death."

Lin Xiaowan remained silent, genuinely trusting Yan Ning.

Yan Ning didn't relax; instead, he gradually became serious. The factory area was unusually quiet.

"Captain, there's something ahead!" Lin Xiaowan suddenly whispered.

From the ruins ahead, a gray figure, twice the size of an Ironback Wolf, slowly emerged.

Advanced beast soldier, Ironback Wolf King.

"Give it a try, five against one, you guys can do it."

The five men gritted their teeth and formed a battle formation.

But advanced beast soldiers are a completely different concept.

The Ironback Wolf King was incredibly fast; Zhao Meng's tower shield only withstood two hits before being forced to retreat repeatedly.

Zhou Hai's sword struck the scales, leaving only a white mark. Sun Haoran's Gauss machine gun fired at full speed, but the Ironback Wolf King narrowed its eyes, completely unharmed.

"No! We can't break through their defenses!" Sun Haoran exclaimed anxiously.

"The weak points are the abdomen and the eyes!" Lin Xiaowan shot an arrow, but the Ironback Wolf King dodged it by turning its head.

The five men were forced to retreat step by step, and their formation began to break down.

Yan Ning watched from the side, secretly assessing the situation.

Advanced beast soldiers are equivalent to advanced human warriors, and these five people are indeed barely qualified.

But if we wait a little longer, it's not entirely hopeless.

suddenly.

His brows furrowed sharply.

The mental power detected the unusual fluctuations several kilometers away.

Almost instantly.

A violent burst of energy.

Immediately afterwards, a deep, muffled roar came from afar, and the earth trembled.

Yan Ning's expression changed instantly.

The monsters around them began to rampage.

Amidst the ruins, in the underground passages, and inside the collapsed factory buildings, countless low roars resounded simultaneously.

Gravel rolled down, and dust flew everywhere.

The Ironback Wolf King also sensed this aura, and its movements became agitated, with its attack frequency suddenly increasing.

Can't delay any longer.

With a thought, Yan Ning sent out a silver blade silently.

The blade traced an invisible arc in the air, piercing through the Ironback Wolf King's eye socket and exiting through the back of its head.

The Ironback Wolf King's body stiffened for a moment before it crashed to the ground, not even having time to let out a howl.

Clean and swift, a single strike to kill.

All five of them were stunned.

The high-level beastmen, whose defenses they couldn't break through despite their best efforts, were easily defeated by the captain with a single flick of his wrist...

What were they doing all that hard work before?

Zhou Hai was speechless for a long time.

Zhao Meng's hands were trembling: "Captain, you...you are..."

And just then...

The communicators on several people's wristwatches rang simultaneously:

Urgent Notice:

The riot by the beast horde exceeded expectations, and the clearing mission in the K-17 area was terminated. All warriors below the rank of general were to immediately join the main force and retreat back to the base city along the designated route.

Repeat: Those below the rank of general, withdraw immediately.

Warriors of the General rank and above, please assemble at coordinates M-09 to carry out the second phase of the reconnaissance mission.

Yan Ning ordered: "Retreat according to orders, and return via the original route if possible."

"Then, Captain, you..."

The beasts rioted first.

A large-scale recruitment of generals is extremely dangerous no matter how you look at it.

Yan Ning is still a martial artist who retired due to illness...

Thinking of this, the five of them were filled with anxiety.

"Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourselves. Only after you retreat to the rear can I show my skills."

"When I first became a martial artist, I was taught by an old captain who guided me step by step."

"That old guy had a foul temper and a foul mouth, but he taught me one thing."

Those who know best when to retreat and when to advance are the ones who survive the longest.

"Get lost, newbies."

"The path of a martial artist is long and difficult."

Yan Ning waved goodbye to the five people and walked deeper into the area.

Done.

A surge of mental energy rushed in, propelling him to the fourth level of Apprentice Mentalist.

With a planetary-level arc blade in hand, even a high-level beast general is nothing more than a blade!