Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

Three o'clock in the morning.

A chemical plant in the suburbs of Shanghai.

A dark red crack floated in the air above the factory area. Liu Feng led the first squad to hold their ground here.

The First Squad was the first combat squad formed when Dawn was first established. Its captain was Liu Feng, who was also Dawn's chief instructor.

Over the past six years, dozens of official members have emerged from this squad, and now they all lead their own independent squads, scattered across battlefields around the world.

Liu Feng and his team members guarded the rift and had already killed more than thirty apprentice-level monsters.

The rift in mid-air suddenly rippled violently, and a first-tier venomous scorpion squeezed out of it.

Liu Feng hurriedly ordered the other team members to disperse.

Unlike the previous monsters, the Poison Claw Scorpion doesn't just charge around aimlessly.

It has a pair of eerie green compound eyes, its tail hook is raised high, and corrosive liquid drips onto the ground as its pincers open and close, burning out pits.

It didn't rush to attack, but instead slowly circled around Liu Feng, as if testing its opponent.

  

Liu Feng pushed off with his feet and charged forward, thrusting his twin blades straight at the scorpion's head.

The venomous scorpion dodged to the side with astonishing speed, its tail hook stabbing out from the side like a venomous snake.

Liu Feng twisted his waist forcefully in mid-air, the hook tip grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his combat uniform and exposing his skin.

The excruciating pain made him groan, but he had no time to check his wound. The moment he landed, he swung his sword back and slashed at the scorpion's side.

The blade got stuck in the scales, only two inches in, and a thin line of black blood seeped out. The scorpion cried out in pain, and its pincers snapped shut on his left arm.

Liu Feng had no time to dodge. He felt as if his left arm was being clamped by an iron clamp, his bones creaking. The intense pain almost made him unable to hold the knife.

He gritted his teeth, plunged the short knife in his right hand into the scorpion's mouthparts, and twisted it forcefully. It howled and released its pincers, but its tail hook simultaneously swept across his right leg. Liu Feng knelt on one knee, the sound of his knee hitting the ground dull and muffled, like bones cracking.

He knelt on the ground, unable to lift his left arm. The numbing sensation of the scorpion venom was spreading from the wound to his shoulder, and his skin was being corroded by the venom, causing waves of excruciating pain.

He glanced at the rift—monsters were still pouring out, and the other team members were scattered and already overwhelmed. If they didn't contain this first-tier monster, the defensive line behind them would surely collapse.

The Venomous Claw Scorpion attacked again, this time even faster than before.

Liu Feng dodged the pincers with his sidestep, thrusting his short knife at the venomous scorpion. The scorpion's tail swept across again. This time, he anticipated this and suddenly crouched down. The stinger grazed his scalp, the force of the gust making his scalp tingle.

He didn't waste the opportunity. Ignoring the excruciating pain, he grabbed one of the scorpion's pincers with his left hand and plunged a knife into the joint at the base of the pincer with his right.

The blade sliced ​​into the crevice, and the pincers drooped helplessly.

But the scorpion's other pincer struck him hard in the side, sending him flying and crashing into the abandoned equipment behind him, denting the metal casing.

Liu Feng felt a sharp pain in his back, a sweet taste in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The dagger fell three steps away, and Liu Feng lay on the ground, struggling to crawl over.

The venomous scorpion let out a piercing hiss, its pincers, which Liu Feng had crippled, dragging on the ground, but the remaining pincers and tail hooks were still deadly.

It charged towards Liu Feng, its tail hook raised high. Every step it took felt like the footsteps of death, striking his heart.

Liu Feng recalled the afternoon he first met the gentleman—it was the gentleman who changed his destiny and gave him a second life.

"I haven't finished repaying you yet," he hissed, his fingers digging into the rubble.

At this moment, his vital energy had been condensed to its peak. Under the immense pressure of life and death, his vital energy surged through his body like a tidal wave, tearing and rebuilding every muscle. The numbness in his left arm was relieved by the flow of vital energy, and the pain in his right leg was also improving.

First-order Qi and Blood Realm.

The tail hook pierces down.

Liu Feng flipped and leaped up, grabbing the tail hook with his left hand, his five fingers digging deeply into the carapace. With his right hand, he picked up the short knife from the ground, channeling his qi and blood into the blade, causing a faint red glow to appear on the edge.

He let out a low growl, plunged the blade into the seam connecting the scorpion's head, and then twisted it sharply, tearing a bloody hole in the side of the scorpion's neck.

Black blood splattered on his face, burning painfully.

The scorpion let out a mournful hiss, its remaining pincer snapping at Liu Feng. He drew his short knife, dodged to the side, and with a backhand slash, severed the pincer. The scorpion was completely powerless to resist; its tail hook drooped limply, and its body crashed to the ground.

Liu Feng stood in front of the corpse of the Poisonous Claw Scorpion, panting heavily.

The hand holding the knife was still trembling slightly.

He glanced at the corpse, then turned to face the other monsters.

---

Luzhou residential area.

Zhang Heng was supported by two reserve team members, one on each shoulder, while a Tier 1 Gale Wolf followed closely behind.

The emergency response team's machine gun ammunition belts were being used up rapidly, and the loader's hands were trembling.

Ten minutes ago, Zhang Heng led the sixth squad to guard this place.

They killed more than twenty apprentice-level monsters, including two bat-winged demon birds, but everything changed after the appearance of first-tier monsters.

The Gale Wolf was extremely fast, and its first charge sent a reserve member flying.

Seeing this, Zhang Heng shot an arrow at the eye of the Gale Wolf, which it easily dodged.

The swift wolf charged forward, and Zhang Heng dodged to the side but was struck in the chest by its tail. He was sent flying three meters away, his back slamming into the roller shutter of a shop on the street, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He got up and created some distance. The reserve players tried to help, but he yelled at them, "Back off! Hold them off from a distance!"

Now, his right leg hangs limply on the ground like a lifeless rope, and the reserve team members are supporting him as he tries to run.

Zhang Heng bit his tongue, using the pain to awaken the last vestige of consciousness. "Put me down," he said.

"team leader--"

"lay down!"

The two reservists released their grip, and Zhang Heng staggered to his feet.

The power of the first-tier monster far exceeded his imagination; if no one drew the fire, it would definitely cause huge casualties.

Zhang Heng endured the excruciating pain, raised his composite bow, nocked an arrow, drew the string, and aimed at the Gale Wolf.

His eyes were fixed on the demon wolf, completely absorbed.

In that instant when he was on edge, the world suddenly changed—the Gale Wolf's pounce slowed down, as if it were being dragged into viscous amber; the sand and dust in the wind, the splattering blood droplets, the cracks on the monster's scales—every detail was incredibly clear.

Deep within his mind, an invisible door suddenly swung open, and his spiritual power surged forth like a tidal wave.

He has practiced meditation for many years.

At this moment, I have entered the state of mental concentration.

The mental energy, like invisible tentacles, instantly locked onto the demonic wolf. The moment the arrow left the bowstring, its speed suddenly increased, as if it had been pushed by an invisible hand, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.

The arrow, imbued with spiritual power, pierced precisely into the right eye of the Gale Wolf, penetrating its skull.

Its body froze in mid-air, its attack abruptly halted. The corpse, propelled by inertia, slid forward and crashed down a meter in front of Zhang Heng, raising a cloud of dust.

Zhang Heng stood before the corpse of the Gale Wolf, glancing back at the two reserve team members. Tears still clung to their faces.

"What are you crying about? You're not dead yet," he said.

Then he laughed, the movement pulling at his wound, making him wince in pain.

He turned and walked toward the crevice.

A faint white light had already begun to appear on the distant horizon.

Dawn is approaching.