Chapter 29 - Slipped
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Tianyang sat down near the corpse of the lead dog. After killing the target, his whole body felt weak and sore. This was the result of the release of tension, combined with the excessive consumption of star energy and physical strength.
Through this battle, Tianyang had gained some understanding of the Assassin rank. He even wanted to summarize his experiences, but now was not the time.
However, after killing the lead dog, his sublimation progress had increased, but only by 4 percentage points, which puzzled him.
You see, when he killed Qin Wu, he gained a whopping 10 percentage points of sublimation progress. And now, after killing a lead dog, it only increased by 4 percentage points.
Could it be that Qin Wu was more formidable than the lead dog?
Of course not.
This may be due to the sublimation mechanism of the Avenger level.
Tianyang had a vague speculation before, and now, his idea was further confirmed through the lead dog.
The sublimation mechanism of his awakened level should be related to revenge; only this explanation made sense.
After informing the commander of the completion of the mission, Tianyang stood up and took out a set of material recovery tools from his portable toolkit to collect the lead dog\'s two eyeballs.
After dark creatures die, their bodies quickly decay, but certain parts or organs can be preserved.
These preserved items possess certain special properties. According to the fortress regulations, Ascenders who eliminate dark creatures have ownership rights over these remnants. They can choose to use them for themselves or exchange them for contribution points at the fortress.
After recovering the lead dog\'s eyeballs, the voice of the commander came through the communicator, "Tianyang, retreat immediately according to the planned route. The dogs no longer have a leader commanding them. We have repelled them. Be careful not to encounter any stragglers. I have arranged personnel to assist you on the retreat route. Hurry back."
"Understood, Commander. I\'m heading back now."
Ending the communication, Tianyang left the area and retreated according to the route designated by Lida.
Before long, he could already see the lights of the defense line in the distance.
Just then, a group of mad dogs suddenly emerged from the bushes, with seventeen or eighteen human-faced monsters spreading out, surrounding Tianyang.
Tianyang inwardly sighed and drew his particle warblade, preparing for a fierce battle.
At that moment, arrows formed from star essence shot through the air and swiftly struck several of the mad dogs.
The formation of the mad dogs immediately showed a gap, and Tianyang took the opportunity to break free.
Just as he escaped from the encirclement, a frenzy of roaring erupted behind him. Except for two monsters pierced by star essence arrows and no longer moving, the rest continued to bite onto Tianyang.
The young man picked up his assault rifle and turned around, firing a few shots to drive away the two closest pursuing mad dogs.
Just then, he heard a cry of alarm, followed by a gleam in the corner of his eye.
When he turned his head, he saw a grayish-white elemental spear hurtling straight toward him!
Without time to think, Tianyang quickly stepped and sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the spear grazing past his nose.
As it hit the ground, a small elemental storm was created.
Strong winds blew, pulling at Tianyang\'s figure until he backed away several meters before finally stabilizing himself.
Soon after, a Falcon combat vehicle approached from the front, and the energy cannon on the vehicle lit up. One star essence shell obliterated the remaining mad dogs.
"Sorry."
Someone jumped down from the roof of the vehicle. Under the car\'s headlights, Zhou Wang\'s face wore a insincere smile. "I slipped just now, luckily I didn\'t hurt you. You don\'t mind, do you?"
Slipped?
Tianyang wasn\'t foolish enough to believe that excuse. Looking at that smiling face, God knew how much he wanted to plunge his particle warblade into Zhou Wang\'s body.
That guy had clearly done it on purpose just now, even though a single elemental throwing spear wouldn\'t have taken his life. But there was still a pack of mad dogs chasing after him!
If Tianyang had been affected by the elemental spear, there was a great chance that the mad dogs behind him would have taken his life.
"Don\'t be like that, why are you looking at me like that? I\'ve already apologized. Besides, I didn\'t do it on purpose. Do you think I would go after my own comrade? That would be a serious offense." Zhou Wang\'s tone sounded wronged, but his eyes shimmered with a mocking glint.
From inside the vehicle, another member of the Gray Pigeon Squad popped out. "That\'s right, Tianyang. Zhou Wang wouldn\'t do such a thing, I can vouch for it. It was just a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding, definitely a misunderstanding!" Zhou Wang walked over, patting Tianyang\'s shoulder affectionately. "When we get back, I\'ll treat you to a drink as an apology!"
"What\'s going on?"
At that moment, Lida also approached. After all, Tianyang was part of the Raven Squad, and if something happened to him, the bald lady was worried about how to explain it to Han Shu.
She never expected that as soon as she arrived, she could sense that something was off.
Tianyang remained silent, giving Zhou Wang a deep look, and calmly brushed off the hand resting on his shoulder.
With a stern face, he passed by Lida and walked straight toward the plaza.
Zhou Wang briefly recounted what had happened just now, emphasizing that it was a misunderstanding. Then he shook his head and said, "Captain, these young kids nowadays all have such big tempers. I\'ve already apologized, yet he still gives me a cold look. He really doesn\'t know what\'s good for him."
Lida looked at him and said calmly, "Anyone would be unhappy if they were unexpectedly shot at. Zhou Wang, are you truly saying it was unintentional?"
Zhou Wang laughed and said, "Could it be that you suspect I did it on purpose, Captain? We have no grievances with each other, so why would I lay a hand on him?"
Lida nodded. "That\'s good."
The temporary commander turned around to leave but then turned back and said, "This time, I\'ll consider it unintentional, but don\'t let it happen again."
Zhou Wang tensed up all over, then gradually relaxed.
When Tianyang returned to the plaza, he found that Han Shu and the others had already come back. The rugged man waved him over as soon as he saw him.
As he approached, Han Shu slapped Tianyang\'s head and said, "Damn it, where the hell did you run off to? I told you to stay here, not wander around!"
"C-ough."
Fortunately, the bald lady arrived in time. "Captain Han, I\'m the one who sent Tianyang on the mission. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
Unexpectedly, Han Shu slapped again. "You fool, you do whatever people tell you to do. If anything happens to you, how can I... how can I explain it to your family?"
Lida finally understood why Han Shu didn\'t take Tianyang with him for the rescue mission. It turned out that someone was looking out for this child.
Although Tianyang received two slaps from this guy, he could feel the genuine concern this rugged man had for him.
He smiled and said, "I can take care of myself, and besides, I killed a leader of the mad dogs."
"Oh, very impressive, huh?" Han Shu wanted to slap him again but ultimately refrained, pushing the young man away instead. "Hurry up and go get checked by the medical team. Although I only taught you a lesson, you\'re still like half my student. Don\'t embarrass me by dying for no reason."
Tianyang originally wanted to say that he didn\'t need to get checked, but Han Shu widened his eyes, giving him a look that said, "If you don\'t go, I\'ll beat you."
Helpless, the young man could only force a smile and leave the spot.
Lida walked up to the man and whispered, "Who is this kid really? Isn\'t he at the War God level?"
Han Shu glanced at her. "Don\'t worry about his background, and don\'t spread it around."
The bald lady furrowed her brow. "Why not?"
The rugged man silently pointed upward.
Lida nodded understandingly. "I see."
Han Shu sneered. "You understand shit!"
Slap! Lida kicked him in the butt, sending him sprawling to the ground.