"The Endpoint" 043. (The Day-Keeping Forest Chapter) Strategy

It turned out to be the special forces that had imprisoned the six of them since this morning!\ The six cautiously approached, lying between two massive rocks, watching intently. These special soldiers were indeed well-trained; after enduring two intense shockwaves, they had no casualties at all, aside from slightly disordered breathing.\ “Keep up your steps! Don't act more cowardly than me!”\ An extremely authoritative female voice suddenly rang out in front of the group. The soldiers were startled in both body and mind, their faces showing some bitterness, but their steps did not falter; they even quickened slightly.\ “Hehe, this boss lady is quite fierce!” Qingyan chuckled softly to himself.\ “Nonsense! As the only woman in this entire special forces unit, and even a squad leader, how could she stand her ground without such a formidable attitude?!”\ Duguxiao Xuan still gave Qingyan no friendly glance, seizing the chance to retort.\ Qingyan didn't even notice Duguxiao Xuan's words; his mind was distracted by the elf-like figure of the boss lady, and he internally chuckled lustfully. Yet his face remained expressionless, and he seriously asked:\ “What should we do now? We were all tricked here by you, so you must take full responsibility.”\ “Hmph!” Duguxiao Xuan's face darkened. She had finally found the opportunity to strike back at Qingyan, but he seemed completely indifferent—truly a thorough scoundrel!\ However, despite her anger, Duguxiao Xuan had learned the lesson from her previous impulsiveness. She thought seriously for a moment, then her large eyes mischievously blinked before she lightly smiled and answered: “We just need to quietly follow behind this special forces team.”\ “Why?” Qingyan looked at the direction in which the special forces were marching; it was clear that their destination was the smoking volcano not far away, which was precisely the place where the Fire Puppet was about to appear!\ The four men shared the same doubt, turning their heads to gaze at the thick black smoke. But Uncle Tian suddenly widened his eyes and whispered, “Could it be…”\ “Yes, the Fire Spirit Crystal vein is inside that volcano!” Duguxiao Xuan confirmed.\ “Then we can wait until that so-called Fire Puppet emerges and only then go in; after all, the Fire Spirit Crystal vein isn't going anywhere…” Uncle Tian pondered for a moment and spoke seriously.After all, the terror of the Heavenly Wonder Flame is something that people of their caliber simply cannot face, let alone a fire golem ten times stronger than the Wonder Flame. Rushing in at this moment would clearly be a death wish, wouldn't it?

Qingyan also nodded, but seeing the still confident Dugu Xiaoxuan, his brows furrowed slightly.

"No, when that time comes, we won't even get the chance to think about it!"

Dugu Xiaoxuan clearly had a deep understanding of the nature of the Wonder Flame. Many things she knew were unheard of even by those men who had roamed the martial world for years, yet she seemed to have complete knowledge. She spoke a bit anxiously:

"Because the Fire Spirit Veins are born from the Heavenly Wonder Flame, and the power of the Wonder Flame is something our strength cannot even approach. Under normal circumstances, we might not even see the Fire Spirit Crystals before being incinerated to ashes by the fire!"

"Then…" Qingyan felt somewhat confused.

"Normal circumstances? You mean the unusual circumstances refer to…" Uncle Tian, clearly hearing the concern in Dugu Xiaoxuan's words, spoke in a deep voice, his mind racing.

Dugu Xiaoxuan's lips curved slightly, and she softly continued:

"Unusual circumstances… mean the half-hour after the fire golem breaks free from the constraints of the Wonder Flame! During that half-hour, the power of the Wonder Flame is greatly diminished. As long as we seize the timing, we can easily obtain the Fire Spirit Crystals! As for that powerful fire golem…"

"Leave it to the special forces!"

Qingyan and the other four men, including Uncle Tian, quickly reacted and shouted in unison with laughter. In this way, Dugu Xiaoxuan's proposal was unanimously approved.

Although the mountain brown bears had completely submitted to Dugu Xiaoxuan, their bulky bodies were clearly unsuited for the technical work of tracking, especially since the target to follow was a group of special soldiers. So, Dugu Xiaoxuan parted ways with them here. The six of them intentionally concealed their forms and followed the back of the special forces from a distance, swiftly heading toward the nearby volcano.

That volcano didn't seem far, and the marching speed of the special forces was very fast. However, it still took more than one full hour to truly reach the destination at the foot of the volcano.However, after an hour had passed, the third shockwave still did not appear. Clearly, this soon-to-be-born Fire Puppet was not particularly powerful. This fact made Qingyan and the others somewhat worried. The stronger the Fire Puppet, the longer it would take to entangle the special soldiers, and naturally, the chances of their group successfully obtaining the Fire Spirit Crystal and escaping would multiply.

In contrast to this situation, what was strange was Dugu Xiaoxuan; she seemed completely unconcerned, and after realizing this, even appeared somewhat excited!

This inevitably stirred the doubts in Qingyan's heart. As he looked at Dugu Xiaoxuan, a layer of suspicion crept into his gaze. At the same time, he seemingly unconsciously created some distance between himself and Dugu Xiaoxuan.

After all, a person with too many secrets naturally gives off a feeling of being untrustworthy.

Qingyan and his group were currently hiding behind a huge rock, watching from afar as the special forces finally stopped. The six of them exhaled long and relieved breaths, calming themselves and slowly regulating the chaotic energies within their bodies.

Especially for Qingyan and Dugu Xiaoxuan, after rapidly moving along such rugged mountain paths while carefully concealing their tracks for an hour, their energies had been completely disrupted, and even their breathing had become rapid. The other four men were also struggling, their faces somewhat pale.

In contrast, the disciplined special soldiers showed no signs of fatigue; their energies remained steady, and their expressions were perfectly natural. Evidently, marching on such terrains was not a first for them! This situation made Qingyan gasp inwardly, thinking: How terrifying must their training be?

The volcano before them was still bellowing thick black smoke, and the heat it radiated made the air within several hundred meters thick with a burning sensation. Even their moods were unwittingly affected, feeling an inexplicable irritability.

“Crack!”

Suddenly, as Qingyan's guard slightly relaxed, he misstepped and stepped on a round stone, which quickly slid down from the rock he was hiding behind!

Although Qingyan and the others were already some distance from the special forces, just who were these elite soldiers?Even the slightest rustle of the wind and grass could not escape their sensitive spiritual awareness!\ Two special forces soldiers, following the signal of one of the squad leaders, cautiously activated their mystical power and slowly approached the huge rock where Qingyan was hiding.