Chapter 74 - 72: Fog Beast, Part 2
"What is this?!" Lu Zheng seemed to realize the origin of this big dog, his usually composed face suddenly changed.
"Fog Beast!"
"Fog Beast?" Song Changming echoed what Lu Zheng blurted out; it was the first time he’d heard of it.
What is a Fog Beast?
Around them, the Patrol Guard had already started shooting arrows, targeting this fierce big dog that appeared out of nowhere.
However, the dog’s skin, flesh, and even its fur were incredibly tough, and ordinary crossbow arrows couldn’t even make a dent!
No wonder Lu Zheng’s expert Patrol Guard members were retreating.
This didn’t even look like flesh and blood anymore, it was simply a monster forged from steel.
The big dog grew more furious, intending to leap at the Patrol Guard around it.
But then, from the alleyway came the sound of subtle footsteps, causing the dog to retreat and stand protectively by the side of the person who emerged from the alley.
Also wearing a conical hat and raincoat, this person had several normal-looking fierce dogs in their right hand.
The left hand was stained with bright red blood; it seemed the palm held something engulfed in blood, making it impossible to discern what it was.
"You killed my gang members, you all deserve to die!"
The person muttered, and the object in their left hand suddenly glowed, releasing a mist of red and yellow, like flames ambiguously burning within.
The mist dispersed and transformed into wisps of smoke arrows, penetrating another fierce dog’s body.
The next moment, the dog’s body released a thick red smoke, and amidst the convulsions, it rapidly transformed.
The fur grew denser and longer, the body became sturdier, revealing fangs, as sharp claws extended, and its eyes turned a dull gray.
Although much smaller than the first big dog, the mutated fierce dog still appeared terrifying and difficult to handle.
"Is this the Fog Beast?" Seeing the man-made monster, Song Changming became more curious about what this evil object in the person’s hand was.
Afterward, the dogs in his hand all transformed into what Lu Zheng called Fog Beasts.
There were five in total!
"Go, kill them all!" At the command, the five Fog Beasts went berserk instantly, charging in every direction, seemingly eager to tear apart every living being in sight.
"Five in a group, advance and retreat together!" Lu Zheng shouted, quickly stabilizing the panic among his men.
Song Changming had Liang Zhao Long lead all Patrol Guard teams to withdraw slightly, organizing into groups of ten to resist the fierce beasts.
These formations were previously practiced in the General Department, and now was the time to put them to use.
Song Changming chose to act alone, his eyes locked onto these unheard-of Fog Beasts.
Someone needed to breakthrough and eliminate the most formidable foes!
Lu Zheng had already moved, alone attracting the largest and fiercest Fog Beast.
Perhaps only he had the strength to face this Fog Beast; for others, the odds were grim.
Song Changming suddenly turned his gaze to the person standing silently at the alley entrance, controlling the five Fog Beasts.
Without further thought, he directly exercised the Light Body Skill, gliding like a swallow close to the ground towards that person.
However, as he approached, one of the Fog Beasts blocked his path, opening its jaws to bite, appearing rabid.
Song Changming halted, raised his blade, swung his arm, unleashing vigorous energy, a flash of silver!
The Dragon Pattern Saber precisely struck the Fog Beast’s head.
With a crack, he clearly saw the Fog Beast’s head split open, as if the sound of bones shattering could be heard.
Song Changming utilized the rebound from the blade, gripping the long saber with both hands, stepped forward, shouting out, exerting all his might, and slashed again!
A chilling wind followed the long blade, as if to tear the space apart!
Soul-Shocking Slash!
This time, at the original wound, Song Changming’s Dragon Pattern Saber dug straight in, scattering large amounts of flesh and bone fragments, sending the dog’s head flying.
Song Changming’s powerful slaying of a Fog Beast even made the otherwise composed Beast Summoner retreat a few steps in shock.
He hadn’t expected that the steel-strengthened Fog Beast could be killed so swiftly and cleanly.
He realized he somewhat underestimated the combat prowess of this Patrol Guard team sent by the General Department.
In fact, these uniquely originated Fog Beasts were indeed challenging to deal with; had it not been for the Dragon Pattern Saber in hand being strong and sharp enough, normal blades would struggle to penetrate the Fog Beast’s defense despite Song Changming’s brute strength and Sword Skill.
The advantage of this top-grade Treasure Saber was evident here, and the Swordsman’s pursuit of famous blades is understandable.
Sometimes, a handy good blade significantly boosts personal combat strength.
Without pausing, Song Changming continued to charge towards the Beast Summoner.
Just by capturing this guy, these ordered Fog Beasts would likely cease to be a threat.
"Devour him for me!"
The man retreated back into the alleyway, commanding the remaining Fog Beasts.
Thus, aside from the largest Fog Beast being restrained by Lu Zheng, the remaining three simultaneously lunged at Song Changming, attempting to tear him apart on the spot.
Song Changming’s entire body was covered in goosebumps; the feeling of fighting beasts was entirely different from fighting people.
Especially these few fierce beasts that seemed frenzied, Song Changming had no doubt that if he were knocked down, the chances of escaping would be slim.
Immediately, he performed his Light Body Skill to the extreme, leaping into the air to avoid the nearest Fog Beast’s attack.
The long saber struck out again, employing the Flying Swallow Technique, the blade like a swift swallow precisely pecking into the eye socket of the second Fog Beast, blinding it.
Simultaneously borrowing strength to hover in the air, he narrowly avoided the third Fog Beast, turned over and landed, once again charging into the alley in pursuit of the Beast Summoner.
The three Fog Beasts growled lowly, attempting to squeeze into the alley to tear into Song Changming.
At this moment, Lu Zheng arrived suddenly, his two-meter-tall burly figure blocking the not-so-large alley entrance with a long saber, preventing the Fog Beasts from chasing Song Changming.
Though it was their first time working together, and they hadn’t exchanged many words, their division of labor and cooperation was rather effective.
Song Changming was responsible for the pursuit, while Lu Zheng and his team were responsible for fending off the remaining Fog Beasts.
Boom!
The largest Fog Beast crashed head-first into one side of the alley wall, knocking down the thick wall.
"Trying to get through!"
Lu Zheng glared, his fierce aura no weaker than the Fog Beasts’. His two-meter stature made him look like a berserk beast in human form!
With a sweep of the long saber, he directly swept all the Fog Beasts trying to squeeze into the alley away.
In fact, it was the lion-like Fog Beast that Lu Zheng found somewhat troublesome.
If it weren’t for the strongest Fog Beast entangling them, this battle wouldn’t be so difficult.
"How many people were killed, how much Blood Essence used, to create such a Fog Beast!" Thinking this, Lu Zheng felt increasingly irritable.
Just then, the roaring Fog Beasts suddenly quieted down, no longer frenzied, their gray eyes looking into the alley, circling on the spot.
Hearing footsteps from behind, Lu Zheng turned to look.
It was Song Changming returning from the chase.
He was dragging the unconscious, blood-covered Beast Summoner, with a severed arm hanging from the other side of his saber.
This arm had its palm facing up, fingers curled, and the mysterious object previously displayed was still held in the palm of this severed arm.
Not knowing what this object was, Song Changming, out of caution, did not touch it.
Seeing that the person giving commands was gone, the Fog Beasts settled down, confirming that capturing the Beast Summoner first was the right move.
This person’s strength was similar to that of the core members of the Incense Burning Gang, and wasn’t a full match for Song Changming.
"The person is not dead yet." Song Changming said, throwing the Beast Summoner he was holding outside the alley.
"Well done." Lu Zheng nodded, expressing his approval of Song Changming’s calm handling.
Song Changming then raised the saber in his hand and asked, "What is this?"
He was naturally referring to the strange object the Beast Summoner had just used.
Thinking Lu Zheng, with his seniority in the General Department, might know something.
"This is Mist Gold." Lu Zheng’s face turned cold, slowly picking up the item covered in blood, and said.
A thin piece, irregular in shape, extremely hard, resistant to fire.
"Once Mist Gold is activated, it releases a phenomenon called scorching mist. Ordinary beasts that absorb this scorching mist become like the Fog Beasts you just saw.
The only way to control these Fog Beasts is to possess this type of Mist Gold."
As Lu Zheng spoke, he spread the Mist Gold in his palm towards the Fog Beasts.
"Listen to my command, lie down."
As soon as he spoke, the remaining four Fog Beasts obediently obeyed Lu Zheng, lying down on the ground, not daring to even wag their tails.
They seemed to fear this so-called Mist Gold, even though the Mist Gold itself was not aggressive.
"Such a strange thing exists in this world." It was the first time Song Changming had seen or heard of it, thinking the Mist Gold might be more mysterious than he imagined.
The scorching mist released, what kind of energy it was, to have such an effect.
He astutely observed that these ordinary dogs, after becoming Fog Beasts, not only had thicker skin and more fur but seemed to have gained intelligence, becoming significantly smarter, possessing more complex emotions and thoughts, no longer acting purely on instinct like beasts.
"Chief, this person is also a core member of the Incense Burning Sect." A Patrol Guard verified the Beast Summoner’s identity and confirmed.
"Why did he have Mist Gold?" Lu Zheng asked with a frown.
"This, I don’t know..." The Patrol Guard shook his head, as there was no relevant information in their previous investigation of the Incense Burning Sect.
"Lock up all these Fog Beasts." Holding the Mist Gold, Lu Zheng approached the Fog Beasts and instructed the other Patrol Guards, planning to bring them all back first.
The appearance of Mist Gold complicated the mission further.
Because of the special nature of Mist Gold, it would undoubtedly attract more attention from the higher-ups, even likely alarming the Governor’s Mansion and possibly the Governor himself.
Not for anything else, but because Mist Gold had stirred bloodshed within the Da Han Dynasty multiple times, causing the deaths of many, whether ordinary citizens or highly skilled martial artists.
They couldn’t afford to ignore it!