Before Hu Tong could speak, Liu Wen said coldly, “That Young Master Lin is participating in the mission to the Tiger Canyon. How can he have a share of the military merits we picked up along the way?”
“That’s right. We already specially asked A'bi to protect him to keep him safe. I will be the first to disagree with him receiving any military merits we received on the way!”
Other members also expressed their discontent one after another.
They all had an instinctive disgust towards freeloaders.
Hu Tong couldn’t help frowning. He wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of battling enemies on the battlefield, but the current situation was a bit of a headache to him. He was caught in the middle between his comrades who had followed him for many years and a young master with a special status.
“Don’t worry, everyone. I refuse to accept an undeserved reward. If I want military merits, thenI will earn them by myself.” Lin Xun uttered coldly, irritated by the constant disgust and contempt he received on the way.
But now, they were deliberately giving him a hard time over some military merits. Did they think that Lin Xun was there to take advantage of them?
“Young Master Lin, please calm down.” Hu Tong’s expression changed. He and Lu Wenting had reached an agreement to take care of Lin Xun. How would he dare to anger him?
He signaled at A'bi with a wink, asking her to persuade Lin Xun.
But A'bi snorted, “Boss, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but they have gone too far! From the moment that Young Master Lin joined us, he has become one of us. He should have a share of any benefits, that’s only fair! But now...!”
“Fair?” Liu Wen’s face turned livid. He couldn’t believe that A'bi was still speaking for Lin Xun at such a time. “He needs our protection every time there is an operation! Is that fair? Is it fair that he gets to enjoy military achievements while we fight with our lives?”
“Yes, if he wants us to be fair, then why don’t he join the operations? I don’t think he has the guts to do so!”
“Don’t count on it. All the pampered young masters are extremely afraid of death. How would he risk his life to fight like we do?”
“Didn’t he just say that he refuses to accept an undeserved reward? Even he feels ashamed of claiming military achievements!”
The other members mocked, taking the opportunity to express their long-suppressed dissatisfaction.
“Enough!” Hu Tong thundered, his face as cold as water. Everyone fell silent, but their expressions made it clear that they were still very dissatisfied.
“Boss Hu, don’t worry. I don’t want to make things difficult for you. I mean what I say. I guarantee that I won’t take someone else’s military achievements!” Lin Xun’s calm voice broke the silence. “Besides, I am too lazy to pursue what happened earlier. But if something similar happens again in the future, don’t blame me for being rude.”
Being rude?
Everyone snickered to themselves. A pampered young master dares to threaten us!
Hu Tong sighed. That was all he could do.
The little incident soon ended and the group of people continued onwards.
However, the atmosphere remained tense. Lin Xun didn't utter a single word, and even though A'bi wanted to say something several times, no words would come forth when she saw Lin Xun’s unusually calm expression.
She was also a little upset. What is going on today? Can they really not tolerate a youngster? He didn’t do anything unacceptable along the way!
……
Two hours later, the group neared the Tiger Canyon.
It was a desolate mountain range that resembled a tiger lying on the ground and one of the canyons looked like a tiger’s mouth. Hence the name the Tiger Canyon.
The fog was particularly thick, creating an oppressive and unsettling atmosphere.
The squad’s goal was to slaughter the Magi Brute experts stationed in the Tiger Canyon and take away the rare Meteor Star Steel ore which was unique to the canyon.
“Intel says that there are three Enlightened Spirit experts watching over the area. They possess strength comparable to Cyclic Derivation cultivators. Additionally, an elite team of around fifty people of the Fire Tribe is also distributed around the canyon.” Hu Tong drew a deep breath, and his face bore a look of ruthlessness and determination. “Guys, this will be a tough battle. I’ll take care of the three Enlightened Spirits and I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Everyone nodded.
But before they started the operation, Hu Tong said after a little hesitation, “A'bi, your task is to protect Young Master Lin. You must make sure he is safe.”
A'bi didn’t mind the order, but Liu Wen, Yang Xiong and others all scrunched their brows with contempt and disgust.
In the end, the kid still needed their protection.
However, in the face of enemies, they were in no mood to continue to ridicule and criticize Lin Xun. They quickly followed Hu Tong and cautiously approached the Tiger Canyon.
“You should go too. I know you are itching to fight.” Lin Xun glanced at A'bi who was standing beside him.
”No, I have to stay by your side. If anything happens to you, Boss will kill me.” A'bi shook her head.
Lin Xun sighed in his heart. He had already come to the decision to leave immediately after the mission was over. He would rather act alone than continue to be mocked and alienated by others.
The two also headed towards the Tiger Canyon, trailing far behind the rest of the squad.
Pu! Pu! Pu!
Following a series of muffled noises, Hu Tong slaughtered the Magi Brute experts guarding the Tiger Canyon without even stirring the wind.
It was a good start.
Hu Tong and the others’ spirits were lifted. But they had years of battle experience, so they wouldn’t easily let their guards down and continued to advance cautiously.
Inside the Tiger Canyon was a vast stretch of sandy beach and a winding gully formed from a dried-up river.
Additionally, many caves and tunnels had been excavated. They were mining holes created to dig for precious ores such as the Meteor Star Steel.
Contrary to what Hu Tong and the others expected, they snuck into the depths of the Tiger Canyon almost without any obstacles.
They had killed a group of Magi Brute guards along the way, but they were all insignificant characters not worth mentioning.
“Could those Magi Brute bastards have run into the mine to hide because they knew we were coming?” Liu Wen teased.
The others also grinned, and only Hu Tong furrowed his brows. He had a feeling that something was wrong. The enemy’s defense was not as strong as reported.
“Hawk, can you detect traces of the enemy nearby?” Hu Tong suddenly asked.
Hawk was a stick-thin young man and the scout in the team. He shook his head and answered, “No.”
A bad feeling rose in Hu Tong’s heart.
At that moment, a figure appeared at the entrance of a mine in the depths of the canyon. It was a Magi Brute guard. He immediately screamed at the sight of Hu Tong and the others, “Enemy attack! Enemy attack—”
Pu!
An arrow pierced the air and skewered through the throat of the guard, spraying a jet of warm blood. The guard died an instant death.
Yang Xiong put away his bow and arrow, and said with a smile, “Sure enough, as Liu Wen said, those bastards are hiding deep in the mine like cowards.”
“Be ready to fight!”
Hu Tong drew a deep breath, cold killing intent gleaming in his eyes. The mission had reached its critical stage. As long as they managed to pass this stage, they would be able to return victorious.
Soon, figures emerged one after another in the various mines throughout the depths of the canyon, like rats burrowing out of the ground.
They roared with murderous intent.
However, as soon as they appeared, they suffered head-on attacks from Hu Tong and the others and died on the spot.
This excited Hu Tong and the others and made them bring out all their strength and abilities to completely slaughter the Magi Brute experts.
“It seems like this mission will end soon,” A'bi remarked from the entrance of the Tiger Canyon, her lips curled upwards in a relieved smile.
But Lin Xun suddenly narrowed his dark eyes. “It doesn’t feel right.”
His words took A'bi aback.
A majestic but ice-cold voice boomed out, “You despicable human bastards, how dare you come here to ruin our great plan!”
At the same time, different voices rang one after another, all of them chilling and sinister.
“Everyone, let’s hurry and act together. We can’t let them inform other people. Today, no one will be allowed to escape here!”
“That’s right!”
Voices reverberated throughout the Tiger Canyon, agitating the wind.
At the entrances of the mines, threatening figures appeared one after another, filling the area with a terrifying aura and oppressing the air.
“There are a total of nine Enlightened Spirits!” Hu Tong’s face turned grave, and his heart thumped violently.
Liu Wen, Yang Xiong and the others, who were in high spirits, also couldn’t stop their faces from blanching.
How come…
Didn’t the intel say that there are at most three Enlightened Spirits here? Where did the other six come from?
Worst of all for Hu Tong and the others was that the nine Enlightened Spirit experts were accompanied by groups of elite Magi Brute forces.
In total, there were at least a thousand of them!
“This is bad!”
“Run!”
Hu Tong and the others had fought years of bloody battles. How would they not understand that they were faced with imminent danger? Almost subconsciously, they chose to retreat.
“Hahaha, do you want to escape? It’s too late!”
Following a thunder-like roar, a mysterious totem array suddenly enveloped the entire Tiger Canyon!
A terrifying glow suffused the entire Tiger Canyon as the cryptic blood-colored totem spread, producing a bizarre restriction force.
Boom!
Within seconds, the entire Tiger Canyon seemed to have disappeared under the shrouding of the blood-red totem array!
All escape routes had been cut off even for Lin Xun and A'bi, who were at the entrance of the Tiger Canyon.
Hu Tong and the others were chilled to the core, and their faces became deathly pale as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
How could this be?
Was the intel wrong?
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