Chapter 65

Wu Xiaode looked in the direction they were pointing.

He saw a long, massive rock lying motionless in the mountain ravine several hundred meters away, showing no signs of anything unusual.

It blended seamlessly with the surrounding rocks, indistinguishable in color, texture, or pattern.

Could this be a monster?

It’s hard to tell.

He unconsciously stopped in his tracks.

"What’s wrong?" the team leader asked.

Wu Xiaode whispered, "In the ravine, that long rock is a monster."

The team leader was startled and immediately made a gesture.

Everyone immediately went on high alert.

"Falcon, fire a shot," the team leader said.

"Fire? Fire where?" Falcon asked, puzzled.

"That rock, in the ravine, the long one," Wu Xiaode said.

Everyone looked over.

"Damn, this thing is huge. It was actually lying in ambush here, what a sneaky bastard," Falcon blurted out.

He immediately set up the cannon and quickly adjusted the settings on the electronic screen with his hands.

One breath.

Two breaths.

The massive rock moved restlessly.

But it was too late.

A blinding laser shot out from the cannon, instantly severing half of its body.

The rock was left with only half its body, but it immediately sprouted a dense array of long legs, hissing as it charged towards the group.

"I’ll go first!"

Wu Xiaode shouted and charged at the monster.

Beside him, dozens of soldier spirits chattered:

"It has venomous fangs."

"Those long legs will grab you, and when the fine spines pierce your body, you’ll lose all sensation."

"It bites very fast!"

"Exactly, you won’t even have time to react!"

"Be careful, it bit through my spear without making a sound."

Wu Xiaode understood.

He ran for several dozen meters, then suddenly planted his feet and assumed a boxing stance.

—He couldn’t let it get close.

This thing, with its venom, fast attack speed, and sharp teeth, was indeed a tough opponent.

One misstep, and he could be bitten to death.

So, he had to—

Wu Xiaode took a deep breath, and his hands glowed with a light that seemed like steel.

The monster charged over.

It did indeed look like a rock, but up close, one could see a pair of fierce compound eyes under its thick carapace, a body covered in long, thin legs, and a mouth filled with sharp, fine teeth.

He couldn’t let it get any closer...

Wu Xiaode gathered all his strength, and two golden lines flashed on his arms, as if the sound of piercing metal and stone echoed through the air.

"Die!"

He roared, his hands moving like a blur, hammering forward like a cannon—

An invisible force, like a surging flood, burst from his hands.

Iron Wire Fist · Iron Hand Blocking the River!

Dong—

A dull sound.

The monster was hit from a distance, its entire body rising up, momentarily dazed.

A laser shot through, piercing the monster’s body.

Then, various ranged attacks came pouring in.

Sssss—

The monster let out a defiant cry, thrashing wildly on the ground.

It was still not dead!

Another intense beam of light struck, completely obliterating its head.

The monster finally stopped moving.

Falcon cheered, "I killed it!"

The others put away their weapons and sighed.

"Really jealous, looks like Falcon will be the first to return," the marksman said.

"No choice, his weapon is fast, making it easy to land the final blow," Eagle laughed.

"Hey!" Xiao Baihong shouted at Wu Xiaode, "Find a few more monsters, let me finish them off when they’re almost dead. Remember, I saved you, don’t leave me behind!"

Everyone laughed.

"Want to eat something before we continue?" Falcon suggested.

"Good idea!" Xiao Baihong immediately said.

Wu Xiaode’s forehead veins throbbed.

A nuclear bomb was coming in thirty minutes, and they were thinking about a picnic?

...But he couldn’t tell everyone.

Should he reveal that he was a man returned from death, who could see spirits?

He couldn’t reveal his trump card unless absolutely necessary.

Suddenly—

"Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang!"

A series of sounds came from all around.

Wu Xiaode turned to see the soldier spirits looking at him, smiling.

"Brother Xiaode, thank you for avenging us."

"The truck is on the other side of the ravine."

"There’s a mountain path hidden there, you need to hurry."

"Brother Xiaode, take care."

"Goodbye."

Wu Xiaode looked at these spirits and asked mentally, "Are you leaving? To the realm of the dead?"

"We don’t know, we’ve never died," the leading soldier spirit frowned.

"…That’s true," Wu Xiaode said.

"Speaking of which, there’s something you need to be careful about," the soldier spirit said.

"What?"

"On that mountain path, there’s a strange summoning force. We dare not pass through there, and you should be careful too."

"Is it a monster?"

"No, monsters don’t target us spirits… Anyway, no one who went there ever came back." The soldier spirit’s face showed fear.

"Got it, I’ll be careful," Wu Xiaode said.

The soldiers all waved at him, their forms fading and disappearing into the void.

The Book of Spirits quietly opened.

Rows of icy small characters appeared on the pages:

"You have earned the admiration and recognition of 271 soldier spirits."

"This book has resonated with their souls, granting you the following skills:"

"Basic combat, basic reconnaissance, basic firearms use, Level 1 rock climbing, mortar operation, radio guide, bayonet fighting basics…"

"These are all common skills, unable to be sacrificed to the Silent Mist, and can only be mastered by you."

"Start mastering!"

Wu Xiaode felt a pain in his head.

"Ugh…"

He groaned, covering his forehead.

"What’s wrong?" the team leader asked sharply.

"Nothing, I just remembered my phone. It’s broken and can’t be used anymore," Wu Xiaode lied.

Countless military knowledge and skills flooded his mind, and he immediately mastered them.

After all, his physical condition had been nourished by soul power, and he had mastered "Arcane Knowledge," making it easy for him to grasp both knowledge and skills.

"Don’t lie, the emperor gave you a special phone for watching videos. You’re still pretending here," Xiao Baihong said.

"The emperor gave him a phone? What’s that about?" Falcon asked, interested.

Xiao Baihong proudly explained the situation.

Everyone found it amusing.

The team leader, however, said seriously, "You must take good care of the phone given by His Majesty."

"Why?"

"Others may think the current emperor acts whimsically and carelessly, but his every move has a deeper meaning," the team leader said, hinting at something.

"Got it, I’ll be careful."

Wu Xiaode finished speaking, grabbed Xiao Baihong, and ran forward quickly.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Xiao Baihong couldn’t help but ask.

"Keep moving," Wu Xiaode said coldly.

"I need to eat, to restore my soul power, so I can fight!" Xiao Baihong protested.

"Keep moving! We’ll eat later!" Wu Xiaode said.

He took the lead and ran.

The others in the team immediately followed.

After all, the martial artist had moved, and in such an environment, he might have some considerations that he didn’t have time to explain, so everyone needed to form a coordinated response immediately.

After running for a while,

Wu Xiaode suddenly saw several lush, large trees.

The soldiers’ knowledge immediately came to mind.

"This is a natural hiding place… suitable for ambushes and rest. Has anyone been here before?"

Wu Xiaode thought for a moment, then climbed up a tree to look.

Sure enough.

There were several automatic rifles and some supplies hidden in the tree.

—Definitely left by those soldiers.

Xiao Baihong, seeing this, asked, "Is there an army here?"

"Unknown, we should keep moving and see," Wu Xiaode said.

He suddenly had a premonition and was about to look up when the Book of Spirits suddenly flew up and opened directly in front of him.

As if written in fresh blood, small characters appeared on the page:

"Don’t look at it! Don’t look at it! Don’t look at it!"

"You must pretend not to see it."

"You must ignore it!"

"Please engage in normal conversation with your companions and leave here with a reasonable excuse as soon as possible to save your life!"

"This book has entered isolation mode, making it undetectable by any spirits!"

What does this mean?

Wu Xiaode was surprised, and then—

He saw the most terrifying thing he had ever seen.

On the opposite towering tree, a black, roughly two-meter-tall thing, resembling a giant eagle.

A tattered black robe covered its body, so Wu Xiaode could only see its face.

On both cheeks, rows of eyes, and on the front of its head, a large mouth with countless fangs protruding, piercing various remnants of flesh and organs.

On this monster’s body, long, fleshy spines swayed in the wind.

Each spine was knotted, hanging spirits in mid-air, unable to move.

The spirits’ faces were filled with despair, as if suffocating, all with their mouths wide open, as if screaming silently.

The monster hung upside down, motionless.

A new line of blood-red small characters appeared on the Book of Spirits:

"Discovered alien ‘god’:"

"The Hanged Death."

"Warning: Do not attract its attention, or it will sense the death force within you, and your soul will become its nourishment."