Qi Shan paid no mind to the thoughts of the ten young warriors of the Yue clan. His sole duty was to eliminate any unnatural creatures encroaching on the battlefield and ensure these young fighters stayed alive.
This was also the reason Xu Que assigned him as captain.
As the battle raged on, the Yue siblings grew increasingly weary, and soon Yue Xiaoqin was on the verge of exhaustion.
Just as she struggled to swing her long blade, a hulking claw from a bear-like creature struck her squarely in the chest.
"Bang!"
Yue Xiaoqin tumbled across the ground like a kite with a severed string, rolling twice before losing consciousness.
"Roar!"
The bear-beast roared with exhilaration and lunged towards her fallen form, its claws poised to strike again.
"Yue Shan!" Yue Qing's voice rang out, a furious command.
Yue Shan turned instantly, channeling his spiritual energy. A pale blue glow flickered to life around his gauntleted fists.
"Boom!"
With a forceful punch, he smashed into the creature's skull.
The bear-beast staggered, blood streaming from every orifice, before collapsing heavily to the ground.
"Watch out!"
Yue Gang wielded his spear with deft precision, rushing toward Yue Shan.
"Bang!"
Another bear-beast swung a massive claw, sending Yue Shan hurtling backward.
"Slash!"
Yue Gang's spear plunged into the monster's head with deadly precision.
"We can't keep this up. Fall back and close ranks for defense and counterattack!" Yue Qing called out, voice urgent.
"Pull Dahan and Xiaoqin to safety—under no circumstances let these beasts break through our defenses!" Yue Yun commanded.
As they tightened their defensive circle, four bear-beasts charged in at once.
"Bang!"
When one tried to strike Yue Feng with a powerful claw, Yue Qiang intercepted with his large shield, blocking the blow instantly.
"Now!"
Seizing the moment Yue Qiang created, Yue Feng's spear thrust forward in a blur.
"Splat!"
Blood erupted from the creature's head.
But before Yue Feng could even withdraw his spear, another bear-beast opened its jaws, snapping toward his left arm.
"Die!"
Just as the creature's fangs were about to reach him, Yue Yun's twin daggers sank into its eyes.
With the last of the bear-beasts vanquished, a swarm of enormous twin-tailed scorpions surged toward them.
Seeing the six imposing scorpions, Yue Qing took the lead, sword drawn to distract one.
"Yue Qiang!" Yue Gang shouted.
Dragging his shield, Yue Qiang struck at the scorpion's front pincers with a crushing blow.
"Target the one attacking Yue Yun first!" Yue Gang directed swiftly.
With his command, four of them launched an immediate assault on the scorpion besieging Yue Yun.
Qi Shan watched as the eight young warriors were steadily pushed back. He knew it was time to step in, yet as he moved forward, Xu Que's words echoed in his mind.
"Only intervene at the edge of life and death."
Qi Shan glanced at the two unconscious youths, sighed with reluctant sympathy, and stepped back.
Qi Shan was no stranger to the razor's edge between life and death, nor was he blind to the kind of strength Xu Que demanded from these young warriors—sometimes, mercy was a luxury they could not afford, even if it cost them their lives.
As the eight fought with mounting tension, Yue Gang made a bold decision.
"Die!"
With a ferocious thrust, his spear pierced the scorpion's skull just as its pincers seized him, trapping him in its vice grip.
"Help him!" Yue Shan roared.
Seeing this, Yue Qing abandoned his own adversary and dashed toward Yue Gang.
"I'm fine!" Yue Gang called out, gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his chest.
His ribs were already fractured, one even impaled by the scorpion's serrated pincer.
Yue Qing didn't hesitate. Planting himself before Yue Gang, he braced against the giant pincer, managing to free him quickly.
"Don't worry about me, help them!" Yue Gang yelled, despite his agony.
"Hang in there!" Yue Qing, eyes brimming with tears, turned and charged at another scorpion that had broken loose.
After finally defeating one scorpion, the four warriors quickly faced the assault of a second. Although the pressure had eased, they knew that if they didn't finish this quickly, death was their only outcome.
"Damn it! Why did I come here?" Yue Yun cursed as he stabbed at the scorpion's tail.
Yue Shan gritted his teeth and leaped onto the scorpion's back, striking with all his might.
"Watch out!"
Just as Yue Yun warned, the scorpion's twin stingers lashed at its own back, aiming for him.
"Slash!"
Caught off guard, Yue Yun took a glancing blow, a jagged cut forming on his shoulder.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Now on the edge of madness, Yue Yun lunged at the scorpion, unleashing a frenzy of strikes.
As the scorpion's legs faltered, Yue Yun found his moment. Like Yue Shan before him, he leaped onto its back, striking its head with a deadly blow.
His dagger pierced the scorpion's skull, drawing forth a blue torrent of blood.
The creature, writhing in pain, prepared to strike with both its stingers.
Yue Yun rolled off just in time, landing heavily on the ground below.
With the scorpion's dying screams fading, Yue Yun barely had time to catch his breath before hearing Yue Qing's shout.
"To Xiao Qiang!"
Yue Shan, though exhausted, rushed forward. Gritting his teeth, Yue Yun withdrew his daggers and followed.
Meanwhile, on the perimeter, corporate employees watched in stunned silence, each wondering if they'd fare any differently in such a battle.
"What do you think? Could you hold your own like that?" Cao Bin asked Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao shook his head. "I'd be completely spent just dealing with one—how could I possibly fight like they do?"
"Captain Huang Bo led you last time, right?" Cao Bin asked.
Uncertain of Cao's intent, Zhang Hao nodded.
"How many did you kill?"
Zhang Hao held up three fingers.
Patting Zhang Hao's shoulder with a meaningful smile, Cao Bin remarked, "Now I see why we aren't captain material."
"What do you mean?" Zhang Hao asked, puzzled.
"Those ten fought alongside us once. It was only their second battle, yet each of them killed over twenty of those creatures. Think that's a good enough reason?"
Zhang Hao's mouth twitched, shocked at the conditions for promotion to captain.
What neither knew, however, was that captaincy wasn't determined by raw skill alone; it required proof in the aftermath of every battle.
As for these ten members of the Yue clan, Xu Que had known of them in a previous life.
As the final skirmish concluded, the eight young warriors at last felled the last scorpion that Yue Qing had engaged.
Qi Shan, smiling broadly, approached them with a black garbage bag in hand.
"So, how's it going? All right?"
Seeing this twisted sadist approaching, their faces collectively fell.
"Brother, if you want to finish us off, just say the word—we won't even resist!" Yue Qiang blurted out.
"Oh? You still have the energy to talk?" Qi Shan beamed with a disturbingly sweet smile, swinging the garbage bag slightly.
Resigned, Yue Qing lay down, bracing himself for whatever torture awaited.
"Just kidding." Qi Shan lowered the black bag and called to the company staff nearby, "Hey, get over here! Take these warriors out for a half-hour rest!"
A chance to rest?
The eight young Yue clan members who were still conscious stared in disbelief, wondering if they'd misheard.
But as a dozen men hurried over to assist, they couldn't hold back any longer, breaking down in exhausted tears.
Qi Shan shook his head knowingly. He understood their weariness well and knew exactly why Xu Que had pushed them so relentlessly.
Just as they took their first few steps, Qi Shan nonchalantly tossed the black garbage bag into a dimensional rift.