Chapter 141: The Eagle Guard

Bang!

With a deafening roar, the fireball struck squarely against the chest of the old man wielding the staff.

Though his previous injuries had been agonizing, none were life-threatening, but this direct impact from the fireball delivered such a devastating blow that the old man was sent flying horizontally through the air.

He only came to a halt after smashing through a tree. The old man with the saber feinted a move and rushed directly to the side of his staff-wielding companion.

"Old bastard, how are you holding up?"

The staff-wielding old man’s gaze was somewhat unfocused, yet he managed a faint smile. Clearly, the two of them were lifelong rivals who constantly bickered and competed with one another, but at this moment, his eyes held only a desperate hope.

"Hurry... hurry up and leave. I'll hold him off. Don't even think about calling for backup to take revenge; that punk didn't use his full strength... If you don't run now... you won't be able to escape..."

Their voices were hushed, but Zhou Yi heard every word clearly. Sophia seemed intent on pursuing them, but Zhou Yi gave a slight shake of his head, causing her steps to halt.

These hunters were evidently not targeting them; they were likely here to deal with the black panther. Buying a moment of delay was enough. To truly hunt them down might actually forge a lasting blood feud.

Naturally, there was no way to explain all this in detail, but fortunately, Sophia did not press the matter.

Right at that moment, a flash of golden light erupted from the black panther. No one knew what technique he employed, but his twin crescent blades instantly executed the five remaining hunters.

Without even pausing for a breath, the black panther dashed straight toward the saber-wielding old man, having already hurled one of his crescent blades forward. The saber-wielding old man naturally heard the commotion, only to turn around and see the flying crescent blade bearing down on him.

Had he dodged backward, his staff-wielding companion would have inevitably been struck and killed by the blade. He hurriedly raised his long saber to parry, but the moment his blade made contact with the crescent weapon, the flying blade actually magnetized onto his saber, spinning continuously around the hilt.

In an instant, the momentum of the saber-wielding old man was completely neutralized. Just as he struggled to shake off the control of the twin blades, the black panther was already upon him. The remaining crescent blade in the panther's hand slashed directly toward the old man's neck.

Supporting his wounded companion with one hand and parrying with his saber in the other, the old man narrowly evaded the lethal strike. By this point, the staff-wielding old man seemed to have reached the absolute limit of his strength. He hurled his iron staff at the black panther with a howling gust of wind.

Then, he pressed his palms together and shoved hard against the chest of his companion.

The saber-wielding old man was sent flying more than a dozen meters away, while the staff-wielding old man spat a mouthful of blood, a bleak, bitter smile touching his lips.

"Old bastard, run! I'll hold him off!"

Roaring at the top of his lungs, he slammed his palms hard against the ground and hurled his entire body toward the black panther.

When a person embraces a mortal resolve and unleashes their utmost fury, even the black panther dared not take it lightly. He hurriedly raised his twin crescent blades to defend himself while shouting toward Zhou Yi and Sophia:

"What are you standing around for? After him!"

Sophia glanced at Zhou Yi, and both of them gave chase to the saber-wielding old man, though they refrained from leaping forward at full speed. The saber-wielding old man wiped away the aged tears on his face, running blindly ahead while glancing back from time to time at Zhou Yi and Sophia.

He could sense that these two were not pursuing him with their full strength. Soon, he reached the edge of a cliff where the black panther was completely out of sight behind them.

The saber-wielding old man spun around, cupped his fists in a salute toward Zhou Yi and Sophia, and glanced briefly at the black panther and the staff-wielding old man in the distance.

"This old man acknowledges the courtesy. Farewell!"

With those words, he turned and plunged headfirst over the edge of the cliff. Zhou Yi was startled. Was this some kind of desperate suicide because he couldn't win? That hardly seemed likely.

He rushed hastily to the edge of the cliff and looked down. Just as the old man was falling, a luminous portal materialized directly beneath him, and with a swift whoosh, he vanished inside it. Zhou Yi stood frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded.

What the hell? Are the Hunter clan's specs this overpowered?

They didn't need to go through the miserable trouble of messing with control panels and portal discs the way he and Sophia had to—it was indescribably annoying. These people could just open a door and leave right on the spot, in any terrain whatsoever. Envy was practically written all over his face.

Sophia let out a breath of relief, unburdened by Zhou Yi's chaotic train of thought.

She was genuinely exhausted. Ever since descending into the mine tunnels and making two grueling round trips, followed by consecutive battles with the water rats—each encounter more ferocious than the last—she had hoped to rest upon getting into the vehicle, only to run into the Hunter clan instead. Her physical strength was completely depleted.

Zhou Yi quickly stepped closer. Seeing the black panther and his men approaching, he bent down to support Sophia and lowered his voice:

"Don't blow our cover. The black panther is here."

Sophia murmured an affirmative response. As Zhou Yi reached out to steady her, the two of them stood up just as the black panther and his subordinates arrived before them.

Noticing their condition, the black panther hurried over.

"Injured?"

Zhou Yi knew this question wasn't directed at him. After all, Sophia and the panther were hometown acquaintances of a sort; even if they served different masters, exchanging pleasantries was only human nature. He kept his head lowered and said nothing.

Sophia shook her head and gestured toward the cliff below.

"I'm fine, just truly exhausted. That old man jumped off the cliff, and then a luminous portal appeared and he vanished. This is my first time witnessing the Hunter clan's teleportation method. It is undeniably much faster and more convenient than ours."

The black panther snorted.

"If that old man hadn't fought tooth and nail to block us, he wouldn't have gotten away. But never mind the chase; our harvest has been plentiful. These aren't your ordinary run-of-the-mill hunters. Judging by the insignia on their hands, they must belong to the Eagle Guard of Oblivion Hill."

"Eagle Guard? What kind of people are they?"

Without answering immediately, the black panther waved a hand at his subordinates.

"Go clean up the bodies, pack them away, and bring them back to the base. As for the staff-wielding old man, just chalk it up as a kill by Deputy Commander Sophia and her team."

Sophia hastily waved her hand in refusal.

"There's no need to credit us with that. You..."

The black panther raised a hand, cutting off Sophia's protest with an air that brooked no argument. By this time, the rest of the group had already moved some distance away.

"Don't dwell on it. I don't need that kind of military merit; on the contrary, I should maintain a lower profile. As for those small fry, leave them to my subordinates. That old man is no ordinary individual, and bringing him back will earn you commendations from Times City.

"As for the Eagle Guard, they are an organization within Oblivion Hill, effectively a private unit controlled by the local authorities. Whenever major events occur, the Eagle Guard assists ordinary hunters in tracking down and eliminating Chosen Ones.

"Their appearance here could mean one of two things: either they sensed our proximity, or they were pursuing another group of Chosen Ones—having either succeeded or lost the trail—and thus laid an ambush here.

"Still... never mind. The rest is unimportant and not worth analyzing. In any case, if you ever encounter anyone bearing the Black Eagle tattoo on their hands in the future, you must be careful. By the way, Sophia, the people you chose are quite interesting. That little chubby fellow has a rather formidable talent for swaying people."

Sophia gave a soft assent, the previous hostility in her demeanor having faded.

"What are our next steps? Are we still going to look for the settlement?"

The black panther hesitated. His losses had been the most catastrophic. Of the twelve people he had brought out, three were dead, nine remained, four of those were wounded, one was severely injured, and only four combat-ready members were left.

This place was infested with either muskrats or hunters—and directly affiliated Eagle Guards at that.

Had the enemy not been outnumbered and grown careless, they might truly have perished here today.

"Where were you staying before?"

"In the capital. We rented a villa. We encountered a tsunami the moment we arrived, barely escaping with our lives, and found a villa to recuperate in before coming out to have a look around. We never expected to miss out on finding jade and run into you instead."

Sophia's words were laden with resentment. Had she not crossed paths with the black panther earlier, the four of them might have already left and avoided encountering the Eagle Guard entirely.

The black panther hastened to offer words of comfort, realizing that his own paranoia was what had triggered the subsequent chain of events.

"Alright, don't be upset. We still need to find the settlement. Returning to the capital right now is unrealistic; several of our people are too heavily injured and desperately need a physician to look at them. Otherwise, if I suffer too many casualties, the commander will reprimand me."

Sophia let out a cold huff and said no more, though her expression remained undeniably grim.

The three of them rejoined the rest of the party and began walking down the path. Once inside the vehicle, Zhou Yi took the driver's seat as before. This time, the black panther acted reasonably enough, providing precise coordinates—evidently a location they had previously secured.

The vehicle bumped along the rugged road for three hours before finally arriving directly before the gates of the settlement.

The moment they drew close, someone atop the watchtower shouted out in a booming voice:

"Kamajama aykui!"

Zhou Yi nudged Sophia, utterly bewildered. He had not understood a single word—what on earth did that mean, and how were they supposed to respond?