Chapter 127: Snake Valley Ambush
In the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month, the north wind howled as goose-feather snow filled the sky.
The wilderness forest was already cloaked in silver, heaven and earth submerged beneath vast stretches of white snow.
In such a harsh winter season, almost no hunters would venture into the wilderness, because the probability of death would rise sharply.
Yet amid the swirling goose-feather snow, within a mountain ravine several kilometers from Snake Valley, a fully armed hunter squad was advancing stealthily toward Snake Valley. They wore white cloaks and rode Gale Wolves over two meters long.
Not only were all members of this unknown squad Beast Tamers, but every Beast they rode was a Gale Wolf. Judging by this alone, they clearly came from a major power.
The frigid wind roared, thick layers of snow already covering their bodies, yet their advancing formation was not disrupted in the slightest.
Their eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, fingers resting on triggers at all times, a sharp and battle-hardened aura emanating from them.
At a distance of one kilometer from Snake Valley, the well-equipped squad suddenly halted. The leader at the front removed his windproof goggles and mask, sweeping his gaze across Snake Valley ahead.
“Check your equipment. Stay alert.”
“A Hai, activate the biological magnetic field scanner.”
After giving instructions to his subordinates, the leader issued another order to the burly man beside him who carried something resembling a radio on his back.
“Yes.”
A Hai immediately took out a display device that looked like a tablet and began operating it.
As the costly biological magnetic field scanner on his back began to run, changes appeared on the display in A Hai’s hands, with small red dots emerging one after another.
The biological magnetic field scanner was the most advanced technological product within the Alliance, capable of detecting the location and level of biological entities within a five-hundred-meter radius.
It could also be adjusted according to settings, filtering out ordinary creatures by modifying the magnetic field level parameters.
“Boss, it’s safe.”
After confirming that there were no Ferocious Beasts nearby, only some ordinary mutated creatures hidden beneath the snow, A Hai immediately reported the situation.
“Proceed on foot.”
Although safety was confirmed, the leader did not relax. He immediately ordered his subordinates to dismount from the Gale Wolves.
Soon after, the dozen-member hunter squad advanced slowly toward Snake Valley, each staying close beside their own Beast.
At this moment, they resembled infantry and armored units operating in coordination.
If any unexpected situation occurred, they could immediately launch a counterattack using their Beasts as defensive points.
Although the physical strength of Gale Wolves was still insufficient to ignore all long-range thermal weapons, the lives of Beast Tamers were even more fragile.
Just as they approached the entrance of Snake Valley, A Hai, who was responsible for operating the biological magnetic field scanner, detected an abnormal situation.
The display in his hands filled with densely packed red dots. The biological magnetic field level showed mutated animals, but their distribution was far too dense.
“Boss, something’s wrong.”
A Hai immediately handed the display over to his leader.
As the squad leader, he immediately sensed that something was amiss. Any anomaly always had a reason behind it.
Without thinking for long, he immediately drove his Beast to pounce toward a spot ten meters ahead.
A half-meter-long Ironthread Snake, slender in build with tightly packed scales, was dug out of the snow by the Gale Wolf.
However, before he could make a judgment, the red dots on A Hai’s display began moving rapidly, converging toward a single location like rivers flowing into the sea.
The next moment, something shocking occurred.
Hundreds upon thousands of Ironthread Snakes gathered together. The writhing snake mass merged, eventually forming a ten-meter-long giant python.
Its entire body was dark gold in color, its scales no larger than soybeans, shimmering with a metallic luster that gave an impression of indestructibility.
“Open fire! Open fire!”
Seeing hundreds of mutated-animal-level Ironthread Snakes fuse into a Ferocious Beast–level giant python, the hunter squad leader decisively gave the order.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The piercing gunfire shattered the silence of the wilderness. Muzzles spat flames as a curtain of bullets swept toward the giant python ahead.
Yet when the bullets struck the snake scales, aside from conspicuous white marks, only the sound of metal clashing echoed back.
“Heavy machine gun! Armor-piercing rounds! Hurry!”
Realizing that the giant python’s scales far exceeded expectations, the leader urgently urged the members behind him.
However, just as the heavy machine gun weighing dozens of pounds was set into position, countless snowflakes were stirred up once again in the distance.
Another ten-meter-long silver giant python appeared.
It looked as though it had been cast from liquid silver, its body lacking any trace of bulkiness, charging toward them like a flying sword.
“Command your Beasts to block it. Heavy machine gun and sniper, provide support. Everyone else, switch to tungsten-core armor-piercing rounds.”
As soon as the words fell, more than ten Gale Wolves split into two groups, exhaling white mist as they charged madly toward the two giant pythons.
“Boom…”
Like thunder exploding, a Gale Wolf was suddenly blasted backward through the air as it approached the silver giant python, crashing heavily into the thick snow.
“Thunder Type-2 Revolver. The enemy has a Gunfighter. Disperse and find cover.”
Gunfighters not only wielded Thunder Type-2 Revolvers, but also possessed terrifying shooting precision. Without the cover of Gale Wolves, they could easily become live targets.
Yet the sudden changes were not over. A three-meter-long giant snake appeared in the snow like a blood-red streak.
Its speed was like lightning. Each time a dazzling blood glow flashed, a Gale Wolf was either disemboweled or had its legs severed.
As for the other two giant pythons, because the Beast Tamers failed to support the wolf pack in time, they directly slaughtered three or four Gale Wolves with tail sweeps, strangulation, and savage bites.
The sharp claws and fangs of the Gale Wolves could only inflict superficial wounds on the giant pythons before them.
In less than a minute, half of the hunter squad that had appeared at Snake Valley had already lost their combat capability.
Just as the remaining members prepared to counterattack, Ironthread Snakes began emerging from the snow beneath their feet.
By relying on the snake species’ winter hibernation to enter a state of suspended animation, they had successfully evaded detection by the biological magnetic field scanner.
“Ah—”
Poison fangs like steel needles pierced hands and necks that were not protected by combat suits. Wails instantly erupted within the squad.
Although some reacted in time, drawing daggers from their waists to sever the Ironthread Snakes that ambushed them,
there was still a one-meter-long Ironthread Snake whose crimson fangs ignored the protective suits and launched attacks on the remaining people.
In the distance, as the roar of the Thunder Type-2 Revolver rang out once more, the Gale Wolves were swiftly exterminated as well.
When the battle ended, a figure walked out from afar. It was Zhou Ming, who had stayed in Snake Valley for over a year.
“So they still found this place?”
Looking at the corpses beneath his feet, Zhou Ming murmured to himself.
Over nearly a year and a half, in order to make use of Star-glow Spirit Liquid and to perfect the Half-Beastman class advancement, Zhou Ming had repeatedly purchased the required equipment from shops and the Black Market within Qinshan Base.
Such abnormal behavior had already attracted the attention of certain forces.
Zhou Ming had long noticed this. Relying on the Radar Sensory Domain, he had successfully shaken off the covert surveillance, never expecting that they would still find the place where he conducted his experiments.
However, judging from the armed squad they dispatched, they most likely had not pinpointed his exact location and had probably only sent out several search teams.
Zhou Ming pondered silently for a moment, then watched as they began to deliver finishing shots, leaving only the leader alive to extract information.