"Get in the vehicles now!" urged Shao Qi, as he raced back to his own. Sang Liwu took the wheel while Shao Qi took a position on the roof, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings. They had long been noticed by the Black-scaled Crocodiles, which were now undeniably approaching them.

A streak of lightning illuminated the horizon, momentarily revealing the imposing figures of the Black-scaled Crocodiles. At a standstill, they blended seamlessly with the muck. Their pitch-black bodies, accentuated only by their large, glowing green eyes, rapidly advanced, closing in on the convoy.

Shao Qi found a relatively solid patch of ground and ordered the vehicles to halt. "Prepare for battle! Arrange the convoy in a U-shape. Two atop each vehicle armed with lightning cannons, the rest should aim from inside. Remember, attack from a distance of at least twenty meters. Close range blasts could jeopardize the ground we stand on."

Everyone sprang into action, grabbing the necessary weapons, awaiting Shao Qi's signal to commence firing.

The blasts from the lightning cannons intertwined with the sound of thunder, enraging the crocodiles further. Already agitated by the storm, they now had a new target for their fury: the humans.

Perhaps their aggressiveness was also due to an impending snowfall, which would deplete their food source of insects. They might be looking to feast before the snow covered the ground.

The cannons' firepower was insufficient to kill the creatures; their scales were incredibly resilient, limiting the damage from the explosions.

"Aim for the eyes!"

A series of gunshots followed, interspersed with metallic dings as bullets ricocheted off the crocodiles. Even precise shots aimed at their eyes were thwarted as the creatures instinctively shut their eyelids, rendering their skin impenetrable.

Still, a few bullets found their mark. Xuan Jue cheered, "Channel your inner energy into the bullets to amplify their impact; it's the only way to pierce these thick-skinned beasts."

"Easy for you to say, Xuan. Not all of us have mastered that energy." For many, harnessing inner power was as elusive as deciphering a cryptic ancient text.

Those proficient tried Xuan's technique, and while it was effective, it quickly drained their energy, leaving them feeling weak after only a few shots.

"I can't keep this up. My arms are too tired," lamented Miao Miao. Amongst those present, likely only Zhou You, Shao Qi, and Xuan Jue had profound inner energy.

Suddenly, a Black-scaled Crocodile lunged from the mud, mere meters from Long Gan's vehicle. Reacting swiftly, he grabbed a nearby mallet, leaping high and striking the creature's head. His immense strength drove the beast back into the muck.

"Retreat ten meters from the third vehicle!" Shao Qi shouted, pulling Long Gan to safety. In mere moments, Long Gan's vehicle was swallowed by the marsh, disappearing from sight.

Seeing this, the other vehicles hastened to put distance between themselves and the unstable ground. If they lost all vehicles, completing the mission would become impossible.

This was the second vehicle they'd lost. Shao Qi dispatched a crocodile emerging from the pit and used its carcass as a stepping stone to move forward.

"All warriors of the 'General' rank, step forward!" At Shao Qi's command, a group of elite fighters, including the top competitors of a recent contest, assembled.

A single 'General' rank warrior could handle a high-level mutated beast. This method proved more effective than their previous tactics, though the crocodiles, with their thick hides and adept evasiveness, still posed a significant challenge. If one retreated into the mud, it was nearly impossible to trace.

"Ah..." A sudden scream echoed from behind. To their horror, a crocodile ambushed the convoy from below. An unsuspecting middle-aged man was caught, the crocodile severing his lower half with a single bite. People nearby instinctively shot at the beast but could only watch as the crocodile disappeared into the mud, dragging the body with it.

"Damn it! Watch out for this wretched creature! Spread out and watch your steps!" Xuan Yue had barely finished his warning when Zhou You approached, stopping where the crocodile had just attacked. He gestured for others to step back and, raising his crossbow, closed his eyes.

Though a crocodile submerged in the mud was hard to spot, Zhou You's psychic powers allowed him to sense its movements. However, with the thick mud concealing the creature, his bolts might not deliver a fatal blow. The best approach was to lure it out.

Zhou You shot an arrow into a spot in the mud. It vanished without a trace. He then shot several more bolts in rapid succession, but to no apparent effect. They seemed no more effective than bullets.

Just as someone was about to assist, Zhou You suddenly adjusted his aim and fired three bolts in another direction. The first missed, but the second pierced the crocodile's head, embedding halfway. The third hit its left eye, sinking fully. The black-scaled creature, which had barely emerged from the mud, was taken down by Zhou You's precise prediction.

"Awesome!"

"Were all his previous shots meant to drive that crocodile out? Could he actually see the creature's movements beneath the thick sludge?"

"He's a psychic controller!"

"Gosh... We have two psychic controllers in our team! We'll surely complete this mission!"

Others had also killed the remaining crocodiles. Three were injured: one had a chunk of his calf bitten off, another had a broken leg from a tail swipe, and the last, Cheng Suyan, suffered an abdominal scratch while trying to retrieve his sword from the mud.

"Mount up! Let's move on! Those who are injured, get bandaged up." Their wounds weren't severe. With mutual aid and the rapid healing capabilities of warriors, even a broken leg could recover in days.