The sudden commotion—
Made everyone jump.
Pig King: "I knew it! There was something fishy!"
Blackstone Hammer King said tensely, "Careful. There's probably a zombie inside that vehicle… and it might be a Tank!"
That assessment made sense.
Among all known infected—
Only a Tank possessed that kind of raw power.
The four adventurers immediately spread out into combat formation.
Nekomi Momo: "The lord really did set a trap. I knew there was no way it'd be this easy to clear!"
Shirasawa Yukari frowned. "If it really is a Tank, this is going to be very hard."
Kaze Nemuri: "Tanks are strong, but we've beaten them before. There's nothing to be afraid of!"
Solitary Blade: "It's coming out!"
A massive figure kicked open the rear of the vehicle and leapt nearly ten meters in a single bound, landing right in front of them.
The adventurers froze.
This wasn't a Tank.
Nor was it any known infected.
It stood roughly 2.3 meters tall. Slightly smaller than a Tank, but still massive and powerfully built, with far more balanced proportions. Its appearance was unforgettable.
Its skin looked corroded, dark brown and black, with countless thin, twisted tendrils extending from its body. It wore a long coat made of some kind of black special material, and in its left hand it carried a huge, tube-shaped weapon.
Its face was grotesque and distorted, clearly stitched together. Teeth and gums were exposed. Most of its head was covered by the same special material, leaving only a pair of cold, emotionless eyes visible.
The oppressive, terrifying presence was overwhelming.
"What… is that thing?"
No adventurer had ever seen an infected like this.
It was completely different from Tanks or Witches.
There was an obvious sense of design and modification to it, like a humanoid weapon deliberately engineered by someone.
This was the Stage Two boss—
The Tracker.
Hakutsuru Sennin's expression darkened."Careful. That thing is extremely dangerous. Retreat immediately!"
With a single glance, the battle-hardened veteran saw through Kanzaki Ren's intent.
It also explained why the Stage Two safety door had been so easy to find.
It was bait.
If his judgment was correct—
This monster was even stronger than a Tank or a Witch.
Charging it unprepared meant almost certain failure, or at best a negligible chance of victory.
These young adventurers were far too naïve. They had actually believed a lord with top-tier design skills would make such an amateur mistake.
If anything, they deserved this brutal lesson.
The instant the Tracker appeared—
All four adventurers opened fire.
Ratatatat!
Due to limited exploration so far, they only had a few submachine guns and pistols.
The bullets struck the Tracker's body—
And did nothing.
They couldn't even penetrate the black coat.
The adventurers immediately realized something was wrong.
That black material had bullet-resistant properties, drastically reducing firearm damage. Their attacks were basically just tickling it.
Then—
Something far worse happened.
The weapon in the Tracker's left hand activated.
In the next instant, a ten-meter-long torrent of flame erupted forward.
None of the adventurers had ever seen a weapon like this.
And so, none of them had any chance to prepare.
"Ah—!"
Kaze Nemuri and Shirasawa Yukari were hit head-on. The high-pressure flames washed over them, instantly burning them into charred corpses.
They died on the spot.
"What the hell?!"
Nekomi Momo was stunned.
Solitary Blade was just as shocked.
Nekomi Momo: "It… it breathes fire?! That's insane!"
Solitary Blade: "Not breathing fire. That weapon can project flames."
The surrounding adventurers were speechless.
Blackstone Hammer King: "Holy shit… that's even worse! It's a zombie that can use weapons?!"
Hakutsuru Sennin: "Run!"
Yes.
Run.
This thing was far too strong.
Their weapons couldn't threaten it at all. Continuing the fight would just be meaningless suicide.
Better to retreat and rethink strategy.
As long as you're alive, there's hope.
Nekomi Momo and Solitary Blade turned and ran without hesitation.
They sprinted two full streets at breakneck speed. Even after feeling they'd escaped its attack range, they didn't dare relax, hiding inside a secluded shopping mall.
"We should be safe now…"
"We underestimated him. Kanzaki Ren still had something like this up his sleeve."
"No wonder he wasn't worried at all when we beat the Tank."
"This new infected has Tank-level physical strength and a flamethrower. Isn't that even worse than a Tank?"
"What do we do now?"
"Someone think of something!"
"..."
They had barely caught their breath—
When the wall behind them suddenly crumpled like paper.
A massive figure smashed through.
The grotesque face of the Tracker Tyrant appeared again.
This moment—
Didn't just shock the two involved.
Even the spectators outside were terrified.
"Holy—shit!" Pig King's eyes bulged. "It caught up to them!"
Solitary Blade didn't even have time to raise his gun.
A gigantic hand, larger than an iron clamp, grabbed his head like he was a chicken. With a single squeeze, his skull shattered. His body was tossed more than ten meters away.
The Tracker said nothing.
Made no sound.
As if discarding trash.
Its gaze remained cold and empty as it advanced step by step, unstoppable, toward Nekomi Momo, who was cowering in the corner.
"Mom—help! Someone save me!"
Nekomi Momo broke down crying.
The fear was suffocating.
From start to finish, the Tracker never spoke, never hesitated, never wasted a movement.
It was an efficient killing machine.
Compared to the larger, roaring, wildly smashing Tank, or the shrieking, eerie Witch, this thing's silence was far more oppressive.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
The Tracker activated its flamethrower again.
High-pressure flames engulfed Nekomi Momo.
In a spectacular firestorm, the last adventurer was incinerated.
Challenge Failed.
All four adventurers were forcibly ejected from the secret realm.
"What just happened?"
"We were hiding!"
"How did it still find us?"
"That thing was terrifying. It felt like it was exterminating pests."
Hakutsuru Sennin analyzed gravely,"That is no ordinary monster. It has extremely high tracking capability and combat intelligence. It can use weapons, lock onto prey, and pursue relentlessly."
Blackstone Hammer King: "So once it targets you… even if you run to the ends of the earth, it'll hunt you down?"
Pig King quickly suggested, "Then what about luring it away? Send one person to draw it off while the others open the safety door."
"Not that simple." Hakutsuru Sennin shook his head. "Its intelligence is too high. Guarding the safety door is likely its primary directive. It won't fall for such an obvious trick."
He paused, then spoke slowly.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is an elite Tier-Two monster."
"What?!"
"Tier Two elite?!"
"Are you serious?!"
"There are barely any known elite monsters in Blackstone Town!"
"Old Headmaster, are you sure?!"
"..."
"Don't talk nonsense," Hakutsuru Sennin snapped. "I've studied monsters and secret realms my entire life. Do you think I'd misjudge something this obvious? Not only is it Tier Two—it's an exceptionally strong one with outstanding overall performance."
He sighed.
"I never imagined this young lord was still holding a trump card like this. He's really given adventurers a brutal problem this time."
Miracle City's potential—
Was even greater than expected.
After processing this explosive revelation—
The adventurers stood frozen for several seconds.
Then the fear and shock in their eyes slowly transformed into excitement.
And greed.