If it were just a single Level 3 Gu Witch, even with 90% experience toward the next level, the official walkers could rely on sheer numbers to kill them. Capturing alive would be difficult but doable.
But now, they were facing four formidable enemies. The situation had changed. Who was the hunter, and who was the prey? That was no longer clear.
Zhang Yuanqing remained alert, recognizing the severity of the situation without panicking. He silently moved closer to Li Dongze and Guan Ya. He had plenty of trump cards at his disposal. If things took a sudden turn for the worse, he would prioritize protecting those two.
Captain Qingteng's face was grim. Her gaze swept over the four Gu beasts before she gave her orders in a low, steady voice:
"Bailong, Big Guy, the two of you work together to pin down Hengxing Wuyi. Li Dongze, your evasion is top-notch — take on the Spider Woman. I'll handle the insect. Tang Guoqiang, the snake is yours.
"Guan Ya, your marksmanship is excellent — provide suppressive fire. Yuanshi, focus on ambushing — you're free to act as needed. The rest of you, pair up with a squad leader. Balance the lineup.
"Once we take out the three beasts, we'll gang up on Hengxing Wuyi."
Everyone responded in unison: "Understood!"
Big Muscle was the first to move. Flames burst to life in his palm. He gripped the fireball, took a step forward, and hurled it with all his might.
Hengxing Wuyi didn't move, merely tilted his head slightly. The fireball, seething with heat, grazed past his neck and exploded against the wall behind him.
Boom! Sparks exploded outward — not dissipating, but instead coalescing into a tall, burly figure — Big Muscle himself.
This was a Level 3 Fire Master's active skill: Fire Walk.
Within twenty meters, one could travel via fire — functionally a teleport.
Closing the distance instantly, Big Muscle's body ignited with scorching flames. His aura turned ferocious as he launched a flurry of punches at Hengxing Wuyi.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fists slammed into the Gu Witch's chest, abdomen, and face, sending out sparks and staggering him backward.
Thud thud thud... Hengxing Wuyi steadied himself and caught Big Muscle's wrist. He grinned.
"Not bad. That actually hurts a bit!"
With that, he drove a knee into Big Muscle's gut.
Big Muscle flew like a football kicked by a World Cup striker, crashing into the far wall of the corridor with a resounding boom.
It wasn't a lack of skill — it was pure disparity in strength. The Gu insect assimilated by Hengxing Wuyi specialized in defense and brute force.
As Big Muscle was sent flying, Bailong rode a stream of water to the second floor, skipping the stairs entirely.
She didn't use the long blade strapped to her arm. Instead, she conjured two spheres of water in her palms and slammed them toward Hengxing Wuyi.
"Courting death!"
To Hengxing Wuyi, such an attack was riddled with openings — practically suicidal.
He reared his fist back, muscles bulging, and punched directly at her head.
Splash!
Her head burst into a spray of water droplets — and reformed the next instant.
Bailong didn't slow down. She shoved the water spheres into his chest.
Sssss! Steam hissed violently as the flame-scorched scales on his torso reacted. The red-hot patches started emitting thick smoke.
Bang! Bang! Two gunshots rang out immediately after.
Hengxing Wuyi felt a sharp pain in his chest. His supposedly indestructible scales now cracked under the bullets.
Alternating heat and cold had made them brittle.
"You bitch...!"
Furious, he turned his amber, vertical-pupiled gaze toward the living room — toward Guan Ya.
Guan Ya ignored him. She didn't keep shooting either, conserving her shots for more crucial moments.
The scene in the spacious living room had turned chaotic.
The only Night Wanderer remained in a corner, calmly observing the battlefield, displaying the patience of a seasoned assassin.
To the west, the Spider Woman faced off against Li Dongze, two Earth Walkers, and two Wood Spirits.
The Spider Woman stood high, four of her limbs acting as spears, stabbing rapidly with afterimages.
Li Dongze held the frontline, parrying with his cane — deflecting, swinging, thrusting — somehow blocking all attacks coming at him from all angles with a single stick.
It was as if he could predict her movements. When blocking wasn't feasible, he relied on his nimble footwork to dodge, always escaping death by a hair.
The agile Wood Spirits circled the Spider Woman, firing at her swollen abdomen and head. Each bullet tore through her dark, bloated body, releasing sickly yellow-green fluid.
She lacked strong defense but had horrifying regeneration and decent agility. Wounds healed in seconds.
The squad leader's close combat skills are this strong? Damn, I take back everything I said about him being 75 coins' worth of deadweight... Zhang Yuanqing was nearly dumbfounded.
On the south side of the living room, Level 3 Wood Spirit Qingteng, with two Water Ghosts and two Fire Masters, was engaged in a brutal melee with the Insectoid.
Chairs shattered, the ground cracked — the elegant qipao-clad woman possessed terrifying strength, not inferior in a brawl. With her team's support, she even had the upper hand.
The quietest duel was between Tang Guoqiang and the snake-bodied humanoid. The middle-aged man in a miner's helmet hugged the snake's tail, feet planted firmly, drawing strength from the earth, immovable.
The giant snake coiled around him, muscles tensing, trying to crush his bones — but the Earth Walker was like an iron block.
It tried biting him, injecting poison through fangs, but the miner's helmet projected a yellowish barrier each time, deflecting the strikes.
A stalemate.
Guan Ya moved like a machine turret — switching angles, shooting the Spider Woman one second, the Insectoid the next.
Big Muscle and Bailong were already being overwhelmed. They wouldn't last long. The three Gu beasts had to be eliminated fast... Zhang Yuanqing analyzed the enemies, evaluating which item to use.
Dream Charm? Life-saving — reserved for emergencies. The summoned being was a Lord-level evil profession — last resort only.
Red Wedding Veil? Also precious — once used, it's gone. Same with the Red Dancing Shoes — effective at suppressing but too slow for a quick kill, and it would expose his possession of a rule-based item.
Back when he killed Ou Xiangrong, the Red Shoes only slowly ground down the Gu-Temptress over time.
Its true terror lay not in burst damage, but in endless, unavoidable pursuit.
They haven't used any items yet... Not every Spirit Walker has one, after all. Mine were earned with blood. Even Xie Lingxi's three artifacts came from an S-rank trial — and she's a heiress...
Another oddity: they haven't used any skills. These things should be Spirit Walkers. Could the transformation have cost them the ability to control their powers?
While thinking, he saw danger — Li Dongze was in trouble.
The Spider Woman's abdomen convulsed, head rearing back.
Sensing something amiss, Li Dongze leapt sideways — his original position was immediately webbed over by a sticky mass.
He rolled continuously, barely evading as clumps of webbing chased him.
Finally, one shot hit, pinning both his legs to the floor.
The Spider Woman's crimson eyes blazed. Two spear-like legs rose, ready to strike.
Bang! Bang!
Two Wood Spirits fired at her head.
Her skull jerked sideways, body staggering — saving Li Dongze's life. One leg missed entirely, the other stabbed into the floor beside his waist.
Hisss!
Furious, the Spider Woman turned on the Wood Spirit who had shot her.
Two Earth Walkers dragged Li Dongze to safety.
"Ahh..." Li Dongze gasped — his shoulder burned, but his ankles felt like they'd been scalded with boiling oil.
The webs were corrosive — possibly toxic.
"Squad leader, you alright?" Zhang Yuanqing moved in.
Covered in blood, looking disheveled, Li Dongze replied wryly:
"Do I look alright? This is completely undignified.
"I can't keep fighting. Level 2 Earth Walkers can't block her strikes. Yuanshi, your evasion's subpar — you can only ambush, not hold her head-on."
The two Wood Spirits were near collapse. They were fast but lacked predictive abilities.
They'd only lasted this long thanks to Guan Ya's suppressing fire.
"Go help them," Li Dongze said, frowning.
This change drew the attention of Tang Guoqiang and Qingteng. All the official walkers felt a chill.
Losing Li Dongze's control over the Spider Woman meant the balance would tip. They'd have to worry about flanking now.
If someone got picked off, the tide would turn fast.
Plus, the battle upstairs was still raging. Who knew how long Bailong and Big Muscle could hold out?
"Squad leader, leave it to me," Zhang Yuanqing said confidently. "I've figured her out."
He opened his inventory and pulled out a long willow blade — forty centimeters of gleaming steel.
To Li Dongze's shock, Zhang Yuanqing stabbed it into his own thigh.
In that instant, the bloodthirsty weapon — once belonging to the Gu-Temptress — awoke, greedily drinking his blood. Zhang Yuanqing immediately felt his strength draining...
The Spider Woman had regeneration. Ordinary attacks wouldn't last.
But Bleed effects? Perfect counter.
"Guan Ya, cover me!"
He entered Night Wanderer form — fading from sight inch by inch.
Guan Ya twisted her feet, rotated her hips, swung her arms. Her aim locked onto the Spider Woman. Trigger pulled.
Unlike the Wood Spirits' "pray and spray," her shots were precise — drilling into the Spider Woman's head, shoulders, and chest, splashing blood everywhere.
The Spider Woman staggered.
The Wood Spirits, relieved, made their escape — barely holding on.
As they ran, they saw the Spider Woman's long, pale neck suddenly slice open from one side — like a blade had cut her throat.
Her body shifted — eight limbs drumming madly — forcibly dragging her a few inches to the side, barely avoiding decapitation.
A silhouette appeared midair in front of her.
Guan Ya adjusted her aim, preparing to cover Zhang Yuanqing again—
But the Spider Woman's mouth — already blood-red — split open to her ears. She threw her head back and screamed.
A screeching wave of sound blasted through the villa. Everyone, including the Gu beasts, went slack-faced, dazed.
At that instant, the Spider Woman raised her forelimbs — and struck down!
Shit, she's a Musician... Zhang Yuanqing cursed. At the last second, he redirected the disorienting effect into the little freak inside him.
The curled-up baby spirit twitched violently — like jolted awake from a nightmare.
Zhang, mid-air, couldn't dodge. Calmly, he summoned the Pearl of Stability.
The sharp leg slammed into his body — but the earthen-yellow barrier held.
Zhang landed safely, stowed the pearl, rolled aside, and vanished again — slipping into Night Wanderer state.
He'd confirmed it: these monsters still had access to their original skills, but they'd lost the rationality to use them precisely — only instinct remained.
He reappeared behind the Spider Woman and drove the Bloodthirsty Blade deep into her swollen abdomen, slashing viciously.
Her ugly-patterned belly burst, spewing yellow-green ichor and mangled organs.
Shrieking, she jumped back and screamed again — another sonic wave.
Her artery continued spurting blood. Her belly spasmed, trying to regenerate — but the Bleed effect halted the process.
All she could do was desperately feel her life force draining.
Her death throes had begun...