Chapter 4

The mountain path was not steep, but it was difficult to navigate due to the abundance of weeds and thorns.

As they ventured deeper into the mountain forest, the weeds gradually disappeared, and the trees on both sides became densely packed. Each tree was extremely tall, with many as thick as a person’s embrace. The branches extended to cover the entire path, making it almost impossible to move forward without cutting them away.

The trees formed a vast green network, completely blocking out the sun, creating a somewhat dark environment. Only occasionally did a few rays of sunlight penetrate the gaps in the green canopy, forming patches of light on the ground. Walking through this, it felt like being in a deep, old forest.

This once barren hill had become a paradise for animals. The air was filled with the sounds of insects and birds, and occasionally, one could see wild animals like pheasants and rabbits. Luo Yuan used his hand to push aside the branches, cut the thorns on the ground, and moved them to the side, continuing to walk forward.

“Ding! After prolonged practice, you have mastered the art of swordsmanship.”

Luo Yuan felt a surge of energy. It seemed that the initial swordsmanship skill was much easier to master than driving. He opened the attribute panel and saw that the last skill in the list was now Swordsmanship 1.

He looked at the remaining four skill points, thought for a moment, and allocated all of them to swordsmanship. The skill immediately increased to level 5. In the past, he would never have allocated them this way. After all, in modern society, apart from chefs who needed knife skills, there was no practical use for them. For self-defense, his four points in unarmed combat were sufficient.

But the world was changing, and no one could predict the future. With the F+ mission, there might be danger. At this moment, improving his swordsmanship was very necessary.

As soon as he allocated the skill points, a mysterious feeling rose in his heart, like a sudden enlightenment. His mind instantly filled with countless illusions, but they were blurry. The entire process was fleeting, and he only felt a slight dizziness. Then he felt that his grip on the knife was extremely awkward, and his muscles were very stiff.

He instinctively adjusted his posture, standing with his feet slightly apart, his muscles relaxed yet tense. The way he held the knife also changed. As soon as his posture aligned, he felt a sense of ease. He subconsciously swung the knife, and the flash of the blade shredded the leaves in front of him.

Huang Jia Hui, who happened to see this, covered her mouth and said, "Xiao Luo, have you practiced martial arts?"

"Ah, yes, I practiced a bit in the past," Luo Yuan replied, regaining his composure.

"I practiced散打 (sanshou) at the police academy, but I didn't practice with knives. Nowadays, sword techniques are more for show and can't be used in real combat," Wang Fei said, his lips curling. Showing off in front of women was a natural instinct for men, even if the woman wasn't someone he admired, he didn't want to be outdone by others.

"Did I see things, but I think it was amazing!" Huang Jia Hui, who had seen it with her own eyes, naturally didn't believe it.

In fact, with Luo Yuan's agility, which was 1.5 times faster than that of an average person, combined with his level 5 swordsmanship, his combat effectiveness was already astonishing. If a fight broke out, an ordinary person might not even react before being hit.

Agility didn't refer to running speed but to the nervous system's reaction ability. A reaction ability 1.5 times faster than that of an average person was almost the limit of human capability.

After that, Luo Yuan's pace of clearing the path became much faster. Previously, his grip on the knife and his posture were incorrect, and he only used brute force when slashing, which was inefficient and drained his energy.

Slash, chop, flick, cut, stab!

The insights in his mind quickly merged, and his swordsmanship became more fluid, almost instinctive.

A yellowish-green branch fell from a tree. Without looking, he slashed it with a diagonal cut. As soon as the knife touched the branch, he felt something was wrong. It seemed soft. He looked closely.

"Snake!"

He quickly stepped back, his scalp tingling, and his legs feeling weak. The snake was green, with a slightly larger, triangular head, a slender body as thick as a child's arm, and about two meters long.

The snake had already been cut by his knife, almost severed in half, with only a thin layer of flesh connecting its body. It writhed in pain, rolling on the ground, its mouth open, revealing two translucent fangs, and making a hissing sound.

"What's going on?" Team Leader Chen, seeing Luo Yuan stop, took out his gun and walked up.

"There's a snake, it seems to be venomous, but I've already cut it," Luo Yuan said, stepping aside.

"A bamboo pit viper, everyone be careful. If your pants aren't tight, tie them up," Team Leader Chen said seriously, using a branch to push the snake away. He was secretly alarmed; bamboo pit vipers are usually less than a meter long, and a two-meter-long one was unheard of. If bitten, the consequences would be dire.

He then looked at the somewhat shaken Luo Yuan and said, "Xiao Luo, are you okay? Do you want to switch with someone else?"

Luo Yuan glanced at Wang Fei, who seemed to be backing off, and Zhao Qiang, who was silent and pale. After some thought, he decided against it: "No, I'm fine. Just be careful, it should be okay."

If any of these police officers were to get into trouble, even if he was unwilling, the search would have to end. Without their assistance and firepower, it would be much more dangerous for him to search alone. Although he was afraid of snakes, his current abilities and reaction speed made him much more capable of self-defense than an average person.

And without the knife, he would be even more dangerous!

"Alright!" Team Leader Chen's stern face showed a hint of a smile. When Luo Yuan insisted on coming, he was somewhat reluctant, but now it seemed that he was not a burden but more useful than anyone else.

"Maybe I should give you my police cap, Xiao Luo, be careful!" Wang Fei said, somewhat awkwardly, his eyes slightly avoiding Luo Yuan's.

"No need, I heard that bamboo pit vipers usually attack from trees, so I'm not much more dangerous than you. At least you have a police cap for safety," Luo Yuan said with a smile, not taking it to heart. Seeking safety and avoiding danger was a human instinct. Even he, if not for the mission, would not have come to this dangerous forest.

Wang Fei's face turned pale, and he no longer insisted.

Huang Jia Hui's face turned even paler.

Luo Yuan regretted his words, fearing they might back out. He stopped talking and continued walking forward.

Huang Jia Hui, who was walking in the middle, quickened her pace and walked behind Luo Yuan. She had seen his swordsmanship and knew it wasn't just a show. Although she didn't see much at the time, only a flash of movement and shredded leaves, she later realized how mysterious and unpredictable he was. She felt that among these people, only by staying close to Luo Yuan would she be the safest.

By this point, there was no path left, even the traces of a small path were covered. They could only rely on him to clear a way.

At this moment, a black animal flashed through the forest and then stood in the distance, coldly watching the group.

It was the size of a dog, with a cat-like shape, a smooth and silky coat like silk, amber eyes with a cold and cruel gleam, and fresh blood still visible in its mouth. Luo Yuan immediately stopped, holding his knife in front of his chest, on guard.

"It looks like a leopard," Huang Jia Hui said, her voice trembling, as she moved closer to Luo Yuan.

Luo Yuan's first thought was that it was a leopard, but then he wondered how a leopard could be here.

"Bang! Bang!" Everyone tensed up. Team Leader Chen and Zhao Qiang reacted quickly, immediately raising their guns and firing.

The animal was startled, let out a cry like a baby, and quickly disappeared into the forest.

"It was probably a wild cat, unfortunately, we didn't hit it!" Team Leader Chen looked far away, seeing no blood, and said grimly, "Everyone be careful, wild cats have a strong sense of revenge and might follow us!"

"Better it doesn't come, I've never eaten a mountain cat before. But this animal looks so much like a leopard, it scared me." Wang Fei's face improved when he saw it was a wild cat. He had an instinctive fear of apex predators like leopards, but not of wild cats.

Just like how people fear wolves but not dogs, no matter how big or fierce a dog is, even if it can kill a wolf, its intimidation is far less than that of a wolf.

"You're brave now, but don't wet your pants when the time comes!" Zhao Qiang said disdainfully, his voice distorted by his swollen face.

"It's just a wild cat, what's there to be afraid of!" Wang Fei, knowing his earlier performance was poor, said loudly.

Team Leader Chen didn't speak, his face serious. He was from the older generation and had lived in a nearby village as a child, knowing the ferocity of wild cats. A wild cat this size could even fight a tiger. Without a gun, being targeted by such an animal would mean certain death.

Luo Yuan continued to cut the branches in front of him. The deeper they went, the denser the forest became, as if the trees were competing for survival space. After ten minutes, he was exhausted and stopped.

He could continue cutting for a while, but exhausting himself here would be dangerous. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to suggest a rest when he saw a black shadow flash in the corner of his eye. He felt a chill and said softly, "Be careful, it's back, behind you."

Everyone quickly raised their guns, looking around, but saw no sign of it.

"Xiao Luo, did you see it wrong?" Wang Fei raised his gun and turned back, trying to be brave.

"Be careful!" Team Leader Chen suddenly pulled Wang Fei and fired several shots at his back. The bullets whizzed past his ear, carrying a strong sense of death. Wang Fei's face turned pale, and he fell into a thorn bush, his face instantly cut with several bloody scratches.

But no one had time to help him.

"Roar!" A piercing scream came from the forest, and the bushes violently shook. The next moment, a black shadow pounced at Team Leader Chen, who had fired the shots.