"Zhou You took a few seconds to mourn for it, and when the meat was cooked, he cleaned and sectioned the fish to stew. The aroma soon permeated the air."

"The meat of the advanced mutant beast felt different. In a short while, Zhou You felt a surge of warmth in his body. As Shao Qi began to meditate, he instructed Xiao Bai to play nearby before sitting cross-legged himself."

"Zhou You's recent cultivation has been very smooth, even seemingly more effective than usual. He thought he would remain at the fifth level of inner strength for a long time due to lacking the latter half of the Taiyi Heart Sutra. But recently, he's felt the signs of a breakthrough."

"He tried to complete the latter part himself, but the texts of inner power cultivation are cryptic. Whatever he devised seemed off, more like a new technique than a continuation."

"However, he didn't give up trying. For now, his approach seemed right, as he hadn't faced any adverse reactions. He wondered if a breakthrough was possible."

"The little white tiger lay between the two, glancing from one to the other. After a yawn, it closed its eyes and slept. The spiritual energy converged around the duo, and the tiger, being close, could distinctly feel two separate powers."

"The fish soup was eventually consumed as a late-night snack. After simmering for hours, it became rich and creamy, exuding a delightful fragrance. Shao Qi decided to catch more fish the next day."

"Around 4 am, Zhou You monitored information on mutant beasts while standing guard. Shao Qi slept in the tent. After spending more time with him, Zhou You realized how much Shao Qi valued comfort and quality, even when outdoors."

"A fire suddenly lit up a nearby mountain peak. Zhou You looked up and thought he heard gunshots."

"Shao Qi emerged from the tent, fully dressed, quickly packed up the tent and said to Zhou You, "Let's go check it out."

"Holding the sleeping little white tiger on his lap, Zhou You followed Shao Qi to their vehicles and asked, "The spot looks like it's on the mountain top. Can our vehicles make it?"

"Driving would make too much noise. We'll drive to the mountainside, then walk up. Hopefully, we'll still be on time."

"One drove the armored car, and the other the truck. After parking halfway up the mountain, they started ascending in tandem."

"On the way up, they encountered many wild animals fleeing downhill. Seeing humans, the creatures didn't attack, sparing Zhou You some energy."

"Both climbed swiftly, faster than any vehicle could have managed. Nearing the summit, they found a human corpse beneath a tree."

"Most of the body was devoured by wild animals, but remnants of clothing suggested the deceased was from the Dragon Team, whom they had encountered wearing the same uniform."

"Seems they've been close to us all along."

"Given our departure times, it's not surprising we crossed paths within two days. Let's see what trouble they've run into." As Shao Qi finished speaking, a person fell from the tree, landing in front of them. Missing an arm and covered in blood, the man was barely alive."

"Shao Qi knelt and applied a coagulating gel to his wounds, asking, "What happened? How many are left?""

The man had originally hidden in the tree, hoping to escape danger, but he fainted and fell from it. The fall did rouse him, but due to excessive blood loss, he was still dazed.

As he saw someone approaching, he weakly clutched at Shao Qi's pant leg, gasping, "Help... save me... up the mountain..."

Shao Qi gently propped him up against the tree trunk and placed a pill into his mouth, telling him, "This will keep you alert for an hour. Take care of yourself; we must go now."

"Thank... thank you."

As Zhou You passed by, he left the man with a handgun, then quickly headed up the mountain.

As they neared the summit, they were taken aback by the scene before them. From a distance, a bright light had been obscured by thick trees, but now the area was in chaos. Trees were ravaged, with half engulfed in flames and the other half a battlefield. A mutated brown bear swung a massive tree trunk at a group of people.

"Move out of the way!"

Illuminated by the fire, Zhou You saw the group battling the bear. As the tree trunk hurtled down, eleven people scattered in different directions. One member was about to be hit when Long Gan dashed forward, slicing the tree in half and dragging his comrade to the ground.

With each thud of the bear's footfall, it felt like an army was marching. Long Gan shouted, "I'll hold it back! Get the injured out of here. Go, now!"

"Captain!" They were reluctant to abandon Long Gan, knowing that the bear was beyond their capabilities.

"Go!" Long Gan forcefully shoved a teammate away, charging at the bear with his large blade. He caught a glimpse of Zhou You and Shao Qi and yelled, "Stay back! Help them escape!"

Long Gan knew that even he stood little chance against a high-level mutated creature, especially one as tough and powerful as this bear. All he hoped for was to buy enough time for his team to escape.

"Such a foolish move. Why provoke such a massive mutated beast?" Among mutated creatures, the flying white tiger was considered the apex, but there were a few that humans instinctively fled from. The description of these creatures in the database could be summarized as: Absolutely no weak points!

This brown bear, standing seven or eight meters tall, would undoubtedly weigh an immense amount. Legends spoke of a mutated bear that decimated a hundred-man expedition, earning its fearsome reputation.

Though the bear wasn't particularly fast, each step it took sent shivers down one's spine. Several bodies on the ground were crushed into pulp beneath its feet, a gruesome sight.