Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

With that thought, Chu Zhou withdrew his gaze and continued cultivating.

Moonlight streamed down over Heilong Lake, the blue lotus in the heart of the lake swayed gently, and the surroundings fell into tranquility once more.

Meanwhile, in the northern border of Kyushu, outside the Changbai Mountains.

As night fell, snow fell heavily.

A temporary command center was built at the foot of the mountain.

Numerous military vehicles were parked in the snow, and searchlights swept across the distant mountains and forests.

A chilling atmosphere filled the air.

This is no longer an ordinary mountainous area.

Instead, it was listed as a high-risk area for Level 1 clearance.

Changbai Mountain Tiger King, Hunting King Plan.

It officially begins tonight.

Inside the command center, Lei Zhenyue stood solemnly in front of the electronic map.

Behind him were the elite Awakened squad from the Northeast Branch of the Ninth Bureau, as well as military special forces personnel.

Among them, three awakened individuals possessed the strongest auras, all reaching the peak of the third tier.

The remaining dozen or so people were mostly in the late stage of the second tier to the mid stage of the third tier, which is one of the strongest combat forces that the Northeast Theater Command can currently mobilize.

Lei Zhenyue's gaze swept over everyone as he spoke, "Target: Changbai Mountain Tiger King. Based on intelligence, the target is currently between the peak of the third and fourth tiers and is extremely aggressive. It has already attacked villages and devoured a group of alien beasts. Headquarters orders that it must be eliminated before it breaks through to the fifth tier."

Silence filled the meeting room; everyone's faces were grave, for they all knew this was no ordinary extermination operation. This was humanity's first truly proactive hunt against a high-level forbidden zone lord.

A operations staff officer said, "General Lei, the first reconnaissance team has discovered traces of Tiger King's activity."

"It's 37 kilometers from here. The target appeared in the Baishigou area two hours ago."

Lei Zhenyue asked coldly, "What about the drone footage?"

The staff officer immediately operated the screen, and soon, a valley covered in snow appeared on the large screen.

The valley was littered with the carcasses of strange beasts: black bears, snow wolves, bison, and giant deer.

The ground was stained crimson with blood.

Even through the screen, everyone could feel the overwhelming stench of blood.

In the center of the image, a huge tiger paw print, as big as a millstone, is deeply embedded in the snow.

A third-tier Awakened One couldn't help but frown: "This claw mark is way too big."

The staff officer said in a deep voice, "Based on the claw marks, the target's length is at least fifteen meters."

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew even heavier.

Fifteen meters tall—this is no ordinary tiger; it's a true monster.

Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, all living things around the world have been undergoing mutations, and these terrifying creatures are truly frightening.

Lei Zhenyue snorted coldly and said, "Being big doesn't mean you can't be killed. Order the first squad to enter from the east side."

"The second squad will blockade from the south, while drones will continue reconnaissance."

"Keep long-range firepower on standby. Once a target is spotted, do not engage in close combat rashly. Use heavy firepower to weaken it first."

"clear!"

After the order was given, teams began to enter Changbai Mountain.

In the snowy night, military boots crunched on the snow.

The Awakened Squad quietly advanced into the depths of the mountains and forests.

They were all wearing psionic detection helmets and the latest lightweight runic protective suits.

Although this equipment is still in the experimental stage, it can already resist some attacks from low-level alien beasts. However, the further into the mountains you go, the more uneasy the atmosphere becomes.

It was so quiet; I couldn't hear any insects chirping, birds singing, or even the sounds of ordinary wild animals moving around.

The entire mountain forest was utterly silent.

Zhao Haichuan, the captain of the first squad, frowned. He was a peak third-tier awakener with the ability of rock armor enhancement, which made him extremely strong in defense.

At that moment, he raised his hand to signal the team to stop.

"etc."

A teammate behind him asked in a low voice, "Captain, what's wrong?"

Zhao Haichuan looked around and said seriously, "It's too quiet."

The team member was taken aback: "Isn't this normal? If the Tiger King is active in this area, all the other beasts must have run away."

Zhao Haichuan shook his head and said in a deep voice, "It couldn't have come here by chance. The Tiger King should have killed all the strange beasts in this area. Everyone, be on your guard and pay attention to safety."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Suddenly, a corpse appeared in the snow ahead. It was a snow wolf, over two meters long.

His abdomen had been ripped open, and his internal organs were scattered all over the ground. Zhao Haichuan stepped forward, squatted down, and examined him.

The next second, his expression changed drastically: "The corpse is still warm."

The voice just fell.

Suddenly, a piercing static came through the communicator, followed by a gasp from the second squad.

"Traces of the target found! Numerous footprints discovered on the southern hillside!"

"We are tracking it!"

Zhao Haichuan's expression changed: "Don't chase them!"

However, it was too late. A violent explosion suddenly came through the communicator, followed by screams.

A scream came from the other side: "There's an ambush! It's not the tiger king, it's a pack of beasts! Requesting backup!"

The sound stopped abruptly.

Zhao Haichuan's pupils shrank sharply, and at the same time, countless low roars echoed from the distant mountains and forests.

Pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness—snow wolves, black bears, giant deer, and even a large number of mutated lynxes.

These strange beasts did not flee, but hid deep in the mountains and forests, waiting for humans to approach.

Zhao Haichuan's heart sank. He could tell at a glance that this was a trap. He never expected that in such a short time, these beasts would become so clever.

"All personnel on high alert, prepare for battle!"

No sooner had Zhao Haichuan finished speaking than a snow wolf suddenly pounced out from the darkness.

Zhao Haichuan roared, and his body was instantly covered with rock armor.

He threw a punch.

boom!

The snow wolf was blasted away on the spot, and as the snow wolf was blasted away, more strange beasts rushed out from all directions.

Densely packed, at least a hundred of them, the entire snow-covered forest instantly transformed into a battlefield.

At the same time, alarms suddenly sounded in the temporary command center.

"Alert! First squad attacked by a pack of beasts; second squad communications lost; drone signal jammed!"

Lei Zhenyue's face instantly darkened: "Where is Tiger King?"

The operations staff officer said urgently, "We haven't found the Tiger King's true form yet."

Lei Zhenyue stared at the screen, and suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his expression changed slightly: "No, it's leading us in."

He had just finished speaking when a deep tiger's roar echoed from afar outside the command center. The roar was muffled and reverberated through the snow-capped mountains, sounding like rolling thunder.

Upon hearing the tiger's roar, everyone trembled with fear.

Lei Zhenyue suddenly turned his head and saw a huge black shadow standing silently on a snow-capped ridge in the distance.

Amidst the wind and snow, a pair of cold, tiger-like eyes gazed down at the command center below the mountain, their gaze filled with greed.

Since the spiritual energy has been restored and Changbai Mountain has awakened, humans, as weak beings, have become a rare delicacy in the eyes of strange beasts.

The blood and qi of powerful awakened beings are also highly nourishing, making them very attractive to powerful beasts.

When Lei Zhenyue saw the Tiger King appear, his expression turned cold. He ordered, "It's finally here! Long-range fire, lock on, open fire!"