Danger Lurks

Having decided to venture into the wilderness, Luo Feng didn't hesitate. That afternoon, back home in Yangzhou's Mingyue Residential District, he informed his parents and brother. Ever since Luo Feng chose to become a free Warrior, his father and the others had already mentally prepared for his frequent departures from the Base City.

...

Night fell, starlight piercing through the square glass into the Training Hall. On its white walls, a video played, projecting a figure battling a colossal bear monster, roughly eight or nine meters tall, in a forest. Wherever the man and beast clashed, thick trees toppled, rocks shattered, and the earth split open—a terrifying scene of cataclysmic destruction. The figure moved with lightning speed, blade light faintly carrying the roar of thunder. The video's narration echoed through the Training Hall. This was one of the videos from the disc accompanying the 'Ninefold Thunder Blade' secret manual.

'It's an A-level monster, the 'Giant Rock Bear Venerable'! Such a massive body, yet its movement speed reaches the speed of sound!' Luo Feng listened to the explanation, his heart filled with shock. This was a combat video between a master of the 'Ninefold Thunder Blade' and an A-level monster, the 'Giant Rock Bear Venerable,' which ranked second among bear-type monsters. According to the grading system—H, G, and F-tiers were Soldier-level beasts. E, D, and C-tiers were General-level beasts, categorized as beginner, intermediate, and advanced, respectively. B, A, and S-tiers were Lord-level! As an intermediate Lord-level entity, this Giant Rock Bear possessed boundless strength. Its entire body was covered in rock-like skin, harder than diamonds, impervious even to large-caliber artillery shells! Despite its immense size, its movement speed could reach the speed of sound. Of course, among Lord-level monsters, reaching the speed of sound wasn't particularly remarkable. However, the speed at which the Giant Rock Bear swung its paws was far greater than its movement speed.

'Boom!' After a prolonged battle, accompanied by a thunderous roar, the Giant Rock Bear's massive head was sent flying. 'Is the video done? When the disc sells, don't forget my royalties.' The super-strong individual who killed the 'Giant Rock Bear' spoke with a teasing voice, emanating from the speakers next to the Training Hall. As for the super-strong individual's face, it had clearly been obscured, appearing blurry and unrecognizable. Click! The video ended, and the projection screen on the wall returned to the main menu, displaying a long list of videos. 'When will I reach such a level? To be able to cleave even a Giant Rock Bear with a single strike!' Luo Feng mused. The fact that this super-strong individual filmed his battle with the Giant Rock Bear Venerable suggested he was supremely confident, able to kill it with such ease. He was likely a high-level War God. Many of the videos on the disc accompanying the 'Ninefold Thunder Blade' were forbidden from being circulated online. Among them were numerous combat videos of peak powerhouses, all practitioners of the 'Ninefold Thunder Blade.' However, only one of those videos featured Lei Shen himself. It showed Lei Shen practicing his blade techniques alone in the Training Hall, a simple scene from which Luo Feng couldn't discern anything particularly special.

'Clearly, there are quite a few peerless powerhouses practicing the 'Ninefold Thunder Blade' across the globe.' Luo Feng looked up at the sky, seeing the infinite starry expanse through the skylight. Tomorrow, his arduous training would begin. With a thought, Luo Feng turned off the projector in the Training Hall and headed downstairs. The door to his brother's room on the first floor wasn't fully closed. Luo Feng immediately saw his brother, Luo Hua, in his wheelchair at the computer desk, but his gaze wasn't on the screen; he was engrossed in his phone. 'Luo Hua,' Luo Feng gently knocked. Luo Hua looked up, turning his head to see Luo Feng outside the door, and said helplessly, 'Bro, aren't you going to knock anymore?'

'You're the one who didn't close the door properly,' Luo Feng said with a smile, pushing the door open and then closing it behind him. 'What are you up to? Texting your girlfriend?' 'Yeah,' Luo Hua replied, a faint smile spreading across his face as he chuckled and nodded. Seeing his brother's goofy expression, Luo Feng understood that Luo Hua genuinely liked the girl named Xiao Nan. What kind of person was Xiao Nan? Luo Feng wasn't entirely sure, but his father and mother had both met her when they pushed Luo Hua's wheelchair to the park. And their impression had been quite good. When it came to judging character, parents with life experience were clearly superior to him. Since his parents thought highly of her, Xiao Nan was probably a good person. 'Has Xiao Nan introduced you to her parents yet?' Luo Feng asked. 'Not yet,' Luo Hua replied, shaking his head with a smile. 'Xiao Nan just started her first year of university; she still has three or four years until graduation. She's not in a hurry to tell her parents. Besides... I'm disabled. Xiao Nan will have to find a subtle way to tell them; telling them directly would be too troublesome. After all, most parents don't want their daughter marrying a disabled person.' Seeing the hint of bitterness in his brother's expression, Luo Feng felt a pang in his heart. His disability... it was always a scar on his brother's heart. No matter how strong he was, in front of Xiao Nan, his brother always harbored a trace of insecurity. Or rather, an inferiority complex! 'Hmm, take your time. I'm sure her parents will be understanding,' Luo Feng comforted him. 'There's no rush anyway.'

After a long chat with his brother that night, Luo Feng rested well. The next morning, fully armed with his backpack, shield, and combat blade, he once again embarked on his journey to the wilderness—this time, Luo Feng was alone!

...

Jiangnan City, North Military Region. As the train pulled into the military region station, Luo Feng and a group of other Warriors disembarked one after another. 'The wilderness,' Luo Feng murmured, taking a deep breath. Alone, he walked along the Warrior passage towards the supply base, which soon came into view. 'Luo Feng, just you?' At the base entrance, the guard checked the scanner's information, then looked at Luo Feng with surprise. 'You were with the Fire Hammer Squad before, weren't you? Why are you alone now? Entering the wilderness by yourself is extremely dangerous.'

'Haha, am I looking for death? I've been to the wilderness before; I know the dangers. Just give me the key,' Luo Feng chuckled. 'True, you've been to the wilderness, you know the risks.' The guard smiled, handing over a key. 'H322. Since you're alone, you're assigned a small townhouse.' Previously, the Fire Hammer Squad as a team was allocated a larger villa, so a solo Warrior's accommodation was naturally much smaller. 'By the way, my surname is Wang; just call me Brother Wang. If you hunt any monster materials, Luo Feng, you're welcome to sell them to me. I'll definitely give you a satisfactory price.' 'Alright,' Luo Feng said, taking the key and heading towards his lodging.

In the supply base, from a second-story window of one of the villas, several men watched Luo Feng walk by below. 'It's Luo Feng!' 'It's Luo Feng from the Fire Hammer Squad, Captain, should we find an opportunity to take him out?' The speaker was Zhang Zehu, a member of the Tiger Fang Squad. The Tiger Fang Captain walked to the window, silently glancing down. Luo Feng quickly moved out of his line of sight. The Tiger Fang Captain said coldly, 'Why is Luo Feng alone? Where are the other members of the Fire Hammer Squad? Did any of you see them?' 'We didn't see them either,' the other squad members shook their heads. 'Just Luo Feng,' Zhang Zehu confirmed. 'I saw him enter through the main gate of the supply base; I didn't see anyone else.' Zhang Zehu's eyes lit up. 'Captain, we attacked the Fire Hammer Squad last time. The crucial thing is, they already know it was us. We're sworn enemies now. You always say, we must root out our enemies to prevent them from threatening us in the future.' 'Hmm,' the others nodded. In the wilderness, ambushing someone wasn't scary; what was scary was if the target survived and uncovered the mastermind! 'Don't rush,' the Tiger Fang Captain said coldly. 'We do need to root out our enemies, and we'll definitely eliminate the Fire Hammer Squad when we get the chance. However... right now, it's just Luo Feng. He's just an ordinary Soldier-level Warrior! If he enters the wilderness alone, he'll surely stay in a relatively safe area.' 'If we kill him now, there's not much benefit for us, and it might alert the others.' The other squad members nodded slightly, agreeing that the Captain's words made sense. 'The real threat from the Fire Hammer Squad is Gao Feng, the Twin Wind Hammer!' the Tiger Fang Captain stated gravely. 'Gao Feng himself is very strong, not much weaker than me. Plus, he's been adventuring for over a decade and has extensive connections. He knows many powerhouses... if he truly goes all out against us, we'll be in a lot of trouble!' 'So, if we don't act, fine. But if we do, we must kill Gao Feng first! Only then will we deal with those other small fries,' the Tiger Fang Captain said indifferently. Clearly, he didn't consider the other members of the Fire Hammer Squad worth his attention. 'The Captain is right,' Zhang Zehu nodded, then gave a cold smile and glanced downstairs. 'Let Luo Feng, that little shrimp, live a bit longer by sheer luck.'

...

The H322 townhouse in the supply base had three bedrooms, two living rooms, and an extra-large bathroom spread across two floors. Luo Feng stripped off his combat suit and gear, showered, and put on a loose bathrobe. 'Hello, I'd like meal number 12, three dishes and one soup, and please change the drink to tea.' Luo Feng hung up the phone and lay on the sofa. 'After lunch, I'll head to County 0231.' A thought suddenly struck Luo Feng. 'I plan to train rigorously for about two months. In that time, traveling back and forth between the supply base and the county, I might just run into the Tiger Fang Squad. Hmph, if I spot them, I'll secretly follow them!' The thought of them ambushing his squad filled Luo Feng with boundless killing intent! There was no hesitation in his murderous resolve. 'When the time comes, in the wilderness, I'll wipe them out directly!' Luo Feng's gaze swept out the window. 'Tiger Fang Squad... I hope I run into you within these two months!' Luo Feng didn't even consider the Tiger Fang Squad a threat. With his current strength, he was confident he could sweep them aside!