Tch. Jing Shu gave Xiao Dou a look full of disappointment. The fat chicken had fallen in love with her new toy again. What kind of dumb excuse was she even trying to make this time? The moment Xiao Dou lifted her tail feathers, she already knew what that hen was planning. All this fuss just for American eggs? She was sitting on them like some prized treasure, her feathers puffed out as she settled her weight. In the past, Xiao Dou would have been clucking away, her legs blurring as she ran off the moment she saw something fun.
So what, were foreign eggs somehow better? The moon might look rounder overseas, but an egg is still an egg.
Jing Shu shook her head. What a wasted chance to show everyone how terrifying this chicken really was. This was the perfect moment to remind them Xiao Dou wasn't some docile old hen but a full-blown battle chicken. Yet here she was, fussing over foreign eggs like a fool.
While everyone else prepared for reconnaissance, Tank was off to the side doing squats and stretches, his joints popping with every movement. Xiao Hei's stomach was growling again, and watching Xiao Dou only made him start daydreaming about roasted chicken. Ling Ling adjusted her sniper rifle, the special lens glinting faintly. Jing Shu knew that lens could spot living things even in total darkness.
Snake Spirit kept flicking his tongue, his hands busy collecting ingredients for his venom. Apparently, he was making fresh poison on the spot.
Jing Shu sat on a big rock, the surface cold and uneven. She chewed on her snacks while fiddling with her Rubik's Cube. Without Zhen Nantian's soul-piercing eyes constantly watching her, she felt way more at ease. She needed to push herself harder, though. If she could upgrade her Cube Space before finishing this mission, she would get more room for supplies. The noble Americans all hoarded high-end goods, and she couldn't wait to grab some for herself.
The earthquakes around Sacramento were happening more often now, though they were still weaker than those back in Wu City. The ground gave a dull, rhythmic shudder every few minutes. So far, there hadn't been any large-scale disappearances. Ten minutes later, Monkey returned with Ah Huang. Ling Ling's parrot flew back through the dark, and Snake Spirit's Thai python slithered home too.
Monkey spoke first. "The diamond mine has got only one entrance, right at the canyon mouth. We have got two ways in. First, climb over the mountain from the back, which will take about an hour. Second, go through the front canyon, just ten minutes, but it's definitely trapped. Ah Huang caught the scent of other creatures, and there are quite a few."
Snake Spirit quickly drew a rough sketch on the ground. "Here, my snake picked up heat signatures. These are living beings hiding near the mine entrance, and this is the layout deeper inside. There are four guards and seven beasts at the gate, and seven more people inside."
Ling Ling spoke next. "They're heavily armed and on alert. My parrot has already found a spot with a full god view. It saw one machine gun and several rifles. There are no snipers, no rocket launchers, and no heavy weapons. I didn't see any surveillance cameras either, but we shouldn't get too close. The traps at the gate couldn't be identified for some reason."
As the appointed leader for this mission, Tank asked, "So what is the plan? We climb over or hit them head-on?"
Monkey said, "Climb. It's safer."
Snake Spirit hissed softly. "I will release some poison first, kill everyone, then we go straight in from the front. These guys are barely C-tier; there's no challenge at all."
Ling Ling lowered her head. "I will stay outside and cover you from the high ground. My parrot has already found a spot with a full god view."
Tank turned to Jing Shu. "What do you think?"
She squinted slightly. She had intentionally held back her snake and poison bees this time. One reason was to see how capable her teammates actually were. The other was to avoid letting the snake-born Snake Spirit notice anything strange. That meant she didn't have any direct intel on the inside. Still, she wanted to see how the others performed. "Front route," she said. "Quick and clean."
She was starving and planned to cook once they were done. Ever since coming to America, she hadn't had a single proper meal alone.
"I agree," Tank said. "Let's take them head-on. If we finish fast, we can take another job and hit C-tier right away. We don't have time to waste." He gave her a nod. "That secret medicine of yours really works. I'm starting to trust you now."
Jing Shu smiled faintly. "You will trust me more and more."
The teammates from the capital were strangely confident. It was a kind of calm that only came from countless battles won.
Xiao Hei stayed behind to guard the RV, while the rest advanced on foot.
Snake Spirit released his Thai python into the tall, dry grass. "Let's go. By the time we get there, my little snake will have handled everyone."
A man who could control snakes and spread poison so quietly was terrifying. No wonder he was rated A+. Wherever he went, people just died. Jing Shu couldn't help wondering how exactly he managed to poison entire groups without anyone noticing.
Thank goodness she had worn her knee-high sheepskin boots. Each step squelched in the thick mud, but the moisture didn't seep in. Ling Ling wasn't as lucky. Her shoes had fallen off a few times already, and her bare legs were streaked with dark dirt. Jing Shu even saw a few bugs crawl up Ling Ling's thighs before she smacked them dead with a wet thud.
Even in the dim light, streaked with mud and the grim evidence of the jungle, those long legs still looked damn good. A treacherous thought whispered in Jing Shu's mind: How could something so graceful exist in this hellhole? While her own practical boots felt clunky, Ling Ling's bare-legged struggle had a raw, unvarnished elegance to it that was impossible to ignore.
Soon, Ling Ling split off from the group. She climbed up a nearby slope until her figure vanished into the darkness of the high ridge. Snake Spirit sighed. "Too bad; I can't see a thing now."
As they neared the canyon entrance, everyone crouched low against the jagged cliffside. The gorge was pitch black and silent. There were no birds, only the occasional eerie cry echoing in the distance.
"They're all dead," Snake Spirit whispered. "Only seven beasts left. I won't waste my venom."
"I will handle it," Tank said, cracking his neck. "One swing of my iron ball will smash them all. Hell, I could crush them bare-handed."
Jing Shu almost clapped. Now this was what top-tier elites from the capital looked like. Missions like this were child's play for them. She was happy enough to just tag along quietly, acting as the team's unnecessary little doctor—and maybe she would sneak some loot later.
"I will go with Ah Huang to trigger the traps first," Monkey said. "Once we clear them, I will lure those creatures out."
As usual, the scout handled traps. The simplest way was also the most brutal: walk into the trap, trigger it, then destroy it from within.
Jing Shu frowned as she watched faint shadows moving in the canyon. Something about them felt familiar, but the distance was too far. Even with her night vision, she couldn't see clearly.
Then everything went wrong.
Just as Ah Huang and Monkey stepped into the canyon, a massive iron gate slammed down from above. The screech of metal on rock was deafening. It sealed the entrance completely. Their team was split in two. Monkey and Ah Huang were trapped inside, while Jing Shu and the others were locked out.
At that exact moment, gunfire thundered from the mountainside. It was the sharp, unmistakable crack of a sniper rifle. Ling Ling had fired. She had spotted danger.
Jing Shu's group didn't hesitate. They bolted toward the canyon, the sound of Ah Huang's furious barking and Monkey's pained screams echoing through the dark.
Ling Ling's sniper rifle kept firing, shot after shot. Snake Spirit switched on a blinding flashlight. The beam was a solid pillar of white light, several thousand watts strong. It cut through the gloom like a blade, illuminating the canyon at last.
And what they saw inside made everyone freeze.