"Yunlong, Zhaozhao, Qin Tian, are you all okay?"
Qin Dadi quickly got up and breathed a sigh of relief after seeing his teammates were safe and sound.
"I'm fine."
"I'm fine too."
The few of them cautiously gathered, their gaze falling on the arrow that had sunk into the ground.
The arrow shaft was thick and long, the feathers were a bright crimson, and cracks spread ten meters around it like a spider's web, affecting the nearby special squad as well.
Fortunately, they weren't at the center, just blown away by the shockwave, looking a bit bedraggled.
"That was close, Qin Tian, thanks for the warning just now."
Xiao Yunlong wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, still shaken.
"How did you sense it in advance?" Liu Zhaozhao asked, her chest heaving, still in shock.
Qin Tian replied slowly, "Just a feeling."
To be precise, it was the green talent of [Danger Perception] that allowed him to sense the danger in advance, coupled with the super reflexes and explosive power granted by [Shadow of the Spirit Cat], enabling him to dodge in time before the danger struck.
A feeling?
Qin Dadi pondered, on the battlefield, there indeed were such people who could always avoid all sorts of deadly crises and survive safely until the end.
And this couldn't always be attributed to luck; it was more likely due to their extremely keen perception of their surroundings, almost to the point of being battlefield prophets.
Clearly, Qin Tian was such a person.
Powerful shooting talent, excellent physical prowess, sharp battlefield instincts...
If the military could mass-produce clones like Qin Tian, the Royal Army would be invincible on lower-level battlefields, unstoppable.
Of course, that's just a fantasy.
Qin Tian was a special product of genetic mutation, whereas most clones were mediocre at best, used merely as cannon fodder.
"Qin Dadi, you almost got me killed!"
"Me too, thank goodness I dodged quickly."
The special forces members affected nearby were still fearful, complaining verbally but keeping their distance, afraid of suffering collateral damage again.
Qin Dadi clasped his hands together, apologetically, "Sorry, everyone, we didn't expect what just happened either. I'll treat you all to drinks as an apology after the war ends."
Seeing Qin Dadi's sincere attitude, the others said nothing more.
After all, it's the battlefield. Even without the Earth Dragon Team, sooner or later they'd clash with the enemy to the death.
Qin Tian gripped his rifle tightly, gazing toward the direction the arrow came from, soon spotting the culprit.
It was an exceptionally burly four-armed Beastman, with a broad face and wide nose, golden lion's mane on his cheeks, with arms several times thicker than a grown man's thighs, holding a sword in one hand, a shield in another, a bow in the third, and an arrow in the fourth. The arrow feathers were red as fire, exceptionally vivid.
Underneath the Beastman was a silver-white giant beast, carrying him across the battlefield effortlessly.
"That's a Royal Court Warrior, a Sphinx Beastman."
Xiao Yunlong stood beside Qin Tian, eyes serious, "They're natural Spirit Warriors, trained as warriors from a young age, and most awaken their spiritual energy upon adulthood. Judging by that arrow shot earlier, his spiritual ability level is at least Tier Three and possibly approaching Tier Four."
"The beast he's riding is called a Skyborne dromabeast, agile in movement, strong in endurance, and with a hard scale armor. Most importantly, it has its own storage space, able to carry the knight's weapons and supplies."
Qin Tian observed closely, and indeed, the Sphinx Beastman usually only held three or four arrows at a time. When an arrow was shot, he would gently stroke the Skyborne dromabeast's head, and new arrows would appear in his hand.
The Sphinx Beastman's arrows were fast and powerful; anyone hit looked as if struck by a cannon, with flesh flying everywhere, incredibly gruesome.
Witnessing this scene, Xiao Yunlong, Qin Dadi, and Liu Zhaozhao couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines, fear lingering in their hearts.
"Qin Tian, it seems you've killed too many Green Skinned Orcs just now and caught the Sphinx Beastman's attention."
Xiao Yunlong swallowed, speaking softly, "Maybe we should lay low for now. If we're hit by another arrow, I'm afraid none of us will survive."
"Alright."
Qin Tian nodded. Although being narrowly missed by an arrow left him unhappy, he knew that danger perception wasn't infallible. If he reacted a moment late, it could cost him and his teammates their lives.
Besides, he had earned quite a few evolution points, so for now, it was better to prioritize survival and seek new talents when the opportunity arose.
Just as Qin Tian put down his gun, the situation suddenly changed.
Two military Spiritualists charged in from the rear, surrounding the Sphinx Beastman from left and right.
Battle swords clashed with battle swords, longswords collided with shields, and a storm of spiritual energy swept outward, instantly clearing a space on the battlefield.
"Haha, finally, experts from the military are taking action."
Xiao Yunlong clapped and cheered. The Beastmen have Royal Court Warriors, and we have Bloodline Warriors on our side. They can't remain arrogant forever.
Qin Tian observed carefully; the Sphinx Beastman and the two military Spiritualists were far superior to Xiao Yunlong, moving as fast as the wind, and even with his current dynamic vision, it was hard to perceive their actions.
In terms of sheer strength, the Sphinx Beastman was superior to the military Spiritualists, coordinating his four arms to fight two opponents without falling behind in the slightest. His mount, the Skyborne dromabeast, was also highly intelligent, darting in and out, often using its tail or claws to help its master relieve pressure from the siege.
Bam~~~
The Sphinx Beastman raised his battle sword high, bright yellow spiritual energy clinging to the blade. The Skyborne dromabeast lifted its front hooves, delivering a powerful blow akin to cleaving through a mountain, forcing one of the Spiritual Warriors to his knees.
The warrior gripped the hilt of the longsword with both hands, holding it firmly, an unusual flush appearing on his face.
Seeing this, the Spiritualist beside him immediately thrust out the longsword, electricity entwining it, striking directly at the orc's back.
The orc swung the shield backhandedly, blocking the direct thrust of the longsword, standing as steady as a mountain.
"Hiss, how do I feel like they're unable to defeat this Sphinx Beastman."
Xiao Yunlong drew in a sharp breath, worried about his own warrior.
Qin Tian's eyes glimmered, pulling a new magazine from the combat pack.
"This is... an Armor-Piercing Incendiary Bullet, Qin Tian, you..."
The three members of the Earth Dragon Team noticed Qin Tian's actions and immediately understood what he intended to do.
"Captain, is it okay?"
Qin Tian replaced the magazine, squinting one eye, aiming the gun barrel at the target.
Qin Dadi gave a wry smile: "You're already in position, what else is there to consider? Go for it!"
With that, a hint of ferocity appeared in his gaze as well. The orcs were the Empire's great enemy, many of his friends had died at their hands. If he could kill a Royal Court Warrior, what would a little risk matter?
"Qin Tian, I view the Sphinx Beastman as a Tier Four Spiritualist, even with Incendiary Bullets, it wouldn't harm him," Xiao Yunlong reminded.
Qin Tian placed his index finger on the trigger, softly saying:
"I know, so my target isn't him."
If not him, then could it be...
Xiao Yunlong immediately turned his head, his gaze landing on the silver-white giant beast, his eyes widened quickly.
Whoosh~~~
Qin Tian held his breath, focusing intensely, the world seeming to quiet down, with his eyes on one single target.
Skyborne dromabeast.
The Skyborne dromabeast was clearly no ordinary beast; with its hard scales and formidable strength, it could even exchange several blows with two Spiritualists.
Its reactions were agile, always managing to evade critical hits with an animal's instincts or use its hardest parts to withstand attacks when Spiritualists attempted to strike critical points.
Therefore, Qin Tian only had one opportunity.
He must seize that fleeting moment.
In the crosshair, the Skyborne dromabeast was full of battle spirit, raising hooves, swinging claws, lashing its tail, causing significant trouble for the two Military Spiritualists.
Roar!!
Just as the Sphinx Beastman swung his battle sword, cleaving at the top of a Spiritualist's head, it also extended a giant claw, striking directly at the enemy's chest.
Now's the time!
Qin Tian's eyes flickered, decisively pulling the trigger.
Bang~
The gunshot echoed unexpectedly.
In an instant, the Skyborne dromabeast's corner of the eye twitched violently, its eyelids closed reflexively, with the scales on its eyelids guarding its eyes like iron plating.
However, this time, Qin Tian used a more penetrating Armor-Piercing Incendiary Bullet surpassing even armor piercing.
The armor-piercing warhead struck the eyelid, like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples, and immediately after, the warhead tore through the scales, pierced the eyeball, entered the brain, and the incendiary gas exploded violently, destroying all nerves.
In a flash, the Sphinx Beastman only felt a weakness beneath him, most of his strength sapped. He turned his head angrily and looked in a direction, meeting a pair of cold and calm eyes.
"Great marksmanship!"
A loud cheer came from the side, a longsword thrusting in; the Sphinx Beastman awoke with a start, subconsciously twisting his body.
Pfft~
The sword blade pierced his shoulder, penetrating into the flesh.
The Sphinx Beastman grunted, swinging his shield in a circular motion towards the side, yet it was skillfully dodged by the Military Spiritualist.
Clang clang clang~~
The sounds of weapons clashing were continuous, and without the Skyborne dromabeast's assistance, the Sphinx Beastman's strength suddenly fell by two levels, appearing somewhat unsteady facing the two Military Spiritualists, showing his instability.
"Qin Tian, you did it!!!"
Xiao Yunlong excitedly pumped a fist, feeling elated at seeing the Sphinx Beastman that almost killed him struggling and beginning to get hurt.
A slight smile curled the corner of Qin Tian's mouth, and in his mind, a deep blue light orb shimmered.
[Name]Spatial Bag (Blue)
[Type]Active Talent
[Introduction]Actively collects and stores items in the Spatial Bag, current size of the Spatial Bag: 41.6m³