The two jeeps rolled to a halt at the outskirts of the desolate town. Rice spoke in a low, commanding tone, "Brothers, ready your gear. Tonight, we engage in serious business—an E-Class beast is no trifling matter."
Xiao Feng loaded a bullet into his Blood Phantom rifle, then turned to Alice with grave seriousness. "Alice, no matter what happens, don't stray from my side."
Alice gave a slight nod, her eyes gazing steadily into the darkness ahead. What others saw as pitch-black emptiness, her enhanced vision perceived in vivid clarity, as though filtered through an infrared lens. She had already spotted several beasts lurking within the shadows.
Her view was no longer a mere reflection of light and form—it was a complex overlay of coordinates, classifications, and figures, courtesy of the state-of-the-art technology embedded in her artificial eyes. A compact radar system had been integrated into them, and now, as she surveyed the scene, lines of glowing text emerged beside each creature.
"Mutant Hound. Class G Beast. Power: 250. Weight: 200 kg. Speed: ..."
Though surprised at first, Alice quickly smiled. With this new ability, she knew she could become an invaluable asset to Xiao Feng.
After a final check of his Blood Phantom rifle, Xiao Feng brought its infrared scope to his eye. While not as advanced as Alice's vision, it was sufficient for his needs.
Inside the jeep, Rice continued puffing on his thick cigar. Behind him, the brawny Old White examined the twin massive shells loaded into his hunting rifle. Cook busied himself organizing the bullet chain for his newly acquired heavy machine gun, while Viper Turner removed a magazine from his assault rifle to inspect it.
In the second vehicle, the rest of the X Mercenary Corps readied themselves. A mounted anti-aircraft gun dominated the jeep, its shells each over twenty centimeters long—more than enough to tear through an E-Class beast's hide. Rocket launchers were also secured in place, and two warriors were bristling with grenades and explosives. Clearly, Rice had planned this operation with utmost precision.
Seeing that all were prepared, Rice raised his hand. "Fatty, drive."
Brada gently pressed the accelerator, and the jeeps began to creep into the heart of the ruined town.
The air vibrated with the roars of beasts from all directions. Xiao Feng, seated in the vehicle, kept his right eye glued to the scope, scanning his surroundings with unrelenting vigilance.
"There's a church at the center of the town," Rice murmured. "That's where we're headed."
"A church?" Brada echoed in surprise. Then, as if summoned by his words, a towering structure emerged before them—a belfry crowned with an enormous cross, silhouetted against a haunting full moon.
Xiao Feng spotted the bell tower as well. He leaned toward Alice. "Stay sharp. An E-Class beast can be lethally dangerous. If you lose control of the situation, we're in deep trouble."
Alice's beautiful face turned solemn. "Don't worry, Brother Xiao Feng. Leave it to me—I won't be a burden."
The jeeps came to a halt in front of the crumbling church, their headlights casting stark beams into the oppressive darkness.
One by one, the mercenaries leapt from the vehicles, checking their weapons for the last time. Warily, they eyed the colossal church before them—a structure oddly out of place in such a derelict town.
Rice took a drag from his cigar and muttered, "Why would a church this big exist in a place like this?"
Old White, lifting his heavy hunting rifle, felt a growing unease rooted in his instincts as a seasoned hunter. He furrowed his brows. "Stay close. Don't spread out. We stick together."
Cook, Turner, and the other muscle-bound men instinctively moved nearer to him.
Without hesitation, Xiao Feng stepped forward, leading the way into the church with Blood Phantom in hand. Alice followed closely, her vision revealing several hulking beasts cloaked in darkness. Each had already been identified by her system as F-Class creatures. She stayed close, not out of fear, but out of concern for Xiao Feng's safety.
The group moved into the cavernous church.
Through his infrared scope, Xiao Feng, too, spotted the monstrous beasts. "Alice, if they charge, try to control them," he said quietly.
Her eyes glowed faintly with sapphire light as she nodded resolutely. "Understood, Brother Xiao Feng."
But Xiao Feng's worry proved justified.
Suddenly, a piercing scream split the silence within the church—a shriek so sharp, so unearthly, it could have belonged to a witch from ancient times.
Alice let out a startled cry and clutched her ears, panic momentarily overtaking her. "Ah!" she whimpered, her voice trembling. She was, after all, still a young girl.
Xiao Feng scanned the shadows, his voice calm but firm. "Be on guard!"
Out of the gloom, the F-Class beasts stirred. They had been alerted and now charged with terrifying speed toward the mercenaries.
Xiao Feng had never seen beasts like these before—mutated wildcats, grotesquely enlarged, each over two meters in length. Their crescent-shaped pupils glowed with a venomous green hue as they howled and lunged.
Without hesitation, Xiao Feng dropped to one knee. At this range, he needed no scope. His eyes locked on the nearest beast as he pulled the trigger. Bang! The bullet struck square between its eyes, dropping the creature instantly.
In one fluid motion, he cycled the bolt, chambered a new round, and fired again. Bang! A second beast was struck down.
The two shots were fired in such rapid succession, they were barely half a second apart.
By the time he fired a third round, the rest of the mercenaries had begun to spot the charging beasts. They raised their weapons, taking aim at the advancing threat.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Alice, her head bowed and eyes tightly shut, reached out her hands toward the beasts. With a cry of effort, she released a wave of energy.
In that instant, every F-Class beast froze, locked in place mid-charge, as though time itself had halted for them.
The first beast, already slain by Xiao Feng, tumbled to the ground, its body skidding forward until it stopped a mere three meters from his feet.