When Qin Jiulin and the others returned to the military camp, the news quickly reached Xia Liansheng. However, when Xia Liansheng went to find them, they had just left the camp.

Xia Liansheng only saw their departing figures, and they looked hurried, as if there was some urgent mission. They were really dedicated, but their dedication also brought some pressure to Xia Liansheng.

After all, the squads that bring more benefits to the army and complete more missions have more leverage when it comes to requesting rewards from the army.

At this moment, Xia Liansheng remembered to go and check on Xi Sihan, who was still recovering from injuries, and see if her attitude towards him had returned to what it was before.

If it were before, Xia Liansheng would probably feel partially responsible, but now he didn’t think it was all his fault. It was Cheng Tianxiang who landed, and she didn’t properly check the safety of her surroundings…

Oh well, now is not the time to think about that. Xia Liansheng slowly walked towards the tent, and coincidentally, Cheng Tianxiang came out from inside. When she saw Xia Liansheng, she let out a soft hum.

“Are you here to see Sister Sihan? I’ll give you credit for having a conscience. Go inside then. Sister Sihan just finished eating and she’s resting now. She’s not asleep, but don’t take too long.”

After saying that, Cheng Tianxiang left. She had just come to deliver the meal, and now that Xi Sihan had finished eating, she kicked Cheng Tianxiang out so she could quickly eat her own meal. She couldn’t stay here, so she had to go and fill her stomach first.

Xia Liansheng arrived at that moment, so he would temporarily stay here. When she finished her meal and came back, they would talk. “I’m leaving now, you go inside.”

Xia Liansheng nodded. “Okay, I’ll go in and see.”

Cheng Tianxiang said, “By the way, I hope you stay here until I come back, so that nothing goes wrong.”

Xia Liansheng replied, “I understand.”

With that, Cheng Tianxiang left with peace of mind. Xia Liansheng slowly walked towards the tent and as soon as he entered, he saw Xi Sihan lying inside, resting.

Xi Sihan heard the movement and opened her eyes to see Xia Liansheng. “You’re here? Come and sit.”

Xia Liansheng walked over and sat by the bedside. “Are you okay?”

Xi Sihan replied, “Nothing serious. The doctor said I just need a few days of rest. It will definitely delay the mission, though. I hope you don’t mind.”

“And also… she’s younger and can’t control her emotions and temper very well. I hope you don’t take it personally with a young girl like her. Given some time, she will understand.”

Xia Liansheng sighed and smiled slightly. “No problem, I understand. She’s young, I won’t take it to heart. Take these few days to rest well. It won’t be too late for us to go on a mission once you recover. Besides…”

“The army’s goals cannot be achieved in a short period of time. This first mission requires the team members to adjust and there may be some problems. It’s inevitable, but once we have better coordination in the future, it won’t be an issue.”

Xi Sihan commented, “Oh, I thought you would be mad when Tianxiang had a bad attitude before. I didn’t expect you to not care at all. You truly deserve to be a team leader.”

Xia Liansheng nodded, “Alright, you rest. I’ll wait for her to come back here. In the meantime, I’ll go out and check the situation. While you rest these few days, we can also plan for the next steps.”

Xi Sihan replied, “Sure, I’ll listen to the team leader.”

After tucking her in, Xi Sihan took a deep breath and closed her eyes to rest. Perhaps due to the sedative in the medicine she took, she quickly fell asleep.

Even Cheng Tianxiang didn’t notice when she came back. Xia Liansheng naturally returned to his own tent. He also needed some rest.

Although the mission wasn’t completed, it was almost done. If it weren’t for Xi Sihan’s injury, they would have finished in another hour or two. It’s just that unexpected things happen, after all.

If it were just the remaining tasks, Xia Liansheng might be able to handle them alone. This way, they could wrap up the first mission a few days earlier, without having to wait for so long to take Xi Sihan and the others with him.

With these thoughts in mind, Xia Liansheng left the military camp the next day. However, he left in a hurry and forgot to inform Xi Sihan and the others who were still recovering. As a result, they didn’t see Xia Liansheng for several days. Only when they asked the soldiers did they find out that he had left the camp.

As for where exactly he went, they had no idea. But Xi Sihan and Cheng Tianxiang could probably guess.

Cheng Tianxiang furrowed her brows slightly and said, “I don’t know what he’s thinking. Although there’s only the final part left, it’s not an urgent mission, right?”

Xi Sihan replied, “Let it be… since he’s so eager, let him go. We can just give him the highest contribution value for this mission. We’ll take a little less.”

Cheng Tianxiang said, “Stop talking about it. Focus on recovering from your injuries first before thinking about other things. You absolutely cannot wander around now, understood?”

Xi Sihan hesitated and said, “I feel like I’m not that seriously injured.”

Cheng Tianxiang stared at her.

Xi Sihan obediently lay back down, “Okay, I understand.”

Xi Sihan couldn’t resist and was directly suppressed. There was nothing she could do, after all, she was the injured one.

Xia Liansheng, who left the military camp, naturally hurried to the location of his mission with utmost speed. Since he was alone this time, he remained extremely cautious, maintaining a heightened sense of alertness.

After advancing a certain distance, he would repeatedly confirm if it was truly safe before taking any action. His dark figure flashed by in the corners and crevices, sometimes even hiding within them.

The Black Panther continuously launched surprise attacks on the few remaining half-beastmen from cunning angles. Surprisingly, without having to worry about others, his speed was even faster than before.

This made him entertain the idea that going on solo missions would be more convenient and efficient. However, it was just a thought. It was definitely not feasible for him to separate from the team and carry out missions alone.

After all, they were only wrapping things up now, which made it relatively simpler. But if the mission started or became more dangerous midway, and he was the only one present, it was clear that it wouldn’t be possible.

The situation with Xia Liansheng was completely unknown to Qin Jiulin and the others, who were currently observing the streets they were responsible for.

Qin Jiulin looked at the somewhat gloomy sky. “It seems like it’s going to rain.”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “It won’t rain heavily.”

Qi Yue chimed in, “I hate rain.”

Qin Jiulin agreed, “Me too.”

Liu Zhongyuan looked at the two animalistic team members. “I, on the other hand… quite like it.”

Qin Jiulin teased, “If you like it, then you like it, cold-blooded creature.”

Liu Zhongyuan defended himself, “Well… it’s just a snake form. I’m not a cold-blooded creature.”

Qin Jiulin changed the topic. “Alright, let’s not talk about that. It’s starting to drizzle already.”

Although it was drizzling, it couldn’t even be considered light rain. It was a fine, misty rain. Despite its small size, it was dense, causing tiny droplets to form on their bodies and hair in no time.

Qin Jiulin suggested, “Let’s move under the trees. The ground beneath the trees is dry.”

The three obediently stood under the lush trees. They realized that as soon as they reached the lower level, the fine drizzle couldn’t penetrate through.

Liu Zhongyuan reported, “It’s quiet on the street. It seems like some of the half beastmen have recently wandered over from a distance, but their numbers are few. No abnormal situations detected.”

Qin Jiulin concluded, “That means the rats over there are probably all gone or dead.”

Qi Yue added, “So, that means there’s no ambush?”

Qin Jiulin: “Yeah, there’s no ambush. Once we confirm it, we can hand over this mission. I wonder where we’ll be sent for the next mission.”

Qie Yue: “After the threat of the rat swarm is eliminated, the army here should be able to handle it on their own. It seems unnecessary for us to carry out such simple tasks.”

Qin Jiulin: “When we encounter formidable animals or half beastmen, that’s when we’ll come into action. We just need to wait.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Actually, for the army here, a few bombs would be enough to deal with the rat swarm.”

Qin Jiulin: “Can we understand it like this? Their firearm and ammunition supplies are insufficient, so they only bring them out when necessary?”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Well, what you said should be right. After all, the army now uses any available ordinary beastmen who come seeking refuge. They really don’t use firearms and ammunition much. At least, we haven’t seen much of it.”

Qin Jiulin: “When will this drizzle stop…”

They ended up waiting under the tree for three hours until the drizzle gradually stopped.

Qie Yue took off and flew high to observe the area. It was still quiet. Of course, some nearby half beastmen had started wandering over to search for flesh and blood. Qie Yue even spotted a half beastman with half its jaw missing, bitten off by something.

Qie Yue circled clockwise and counterclockwise in the sky.

Qin Jiulin: “Let’s go, let’s go take a look. Qie Yue said there’s no danger over there.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Alright.”

The two of them quietly approached the streets in their animal forms. Before entering the streets, they first observed the surroundings and didn’t find anything suspicious, which meant that the rat swarm here had indeed been completely wiped out, and any survivors had escaped.

They checked these streets several times, and in the process, they also killed some newly arrived half beastmen who were either disabled or of lower strength, driven out from other places. After confirming, they realized that they had successfully reclaimed this small area.

Qin Jiulin: “No problem, we can report the mission results to the camp now.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “But this only temporarily solves the rat swarm problem. These streets may seem safe now, but if left unattended for a long time, the surrounding half beastmen and many animals will reclaim them.”

Qin Jiulin: “We don’t need to worry about that anymore. We just need to report the completion of the mission. Let’s go, there’s no need for us to stay here once we confirm it’s safe.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Let’s go.”

After returning to the military camp, the three of them went to report the mission to the commanding officer.

Liu Zhongyuan: “Captain Gao, we have completed our mission. The rat swarm over there has been driven away, and most of them have been killed by the poison powder. The surrounding animals and half beastmen have also been cleared.”

Captain Gao: “Well done. I knew your team would handle it. In that case, we need to move a part of our camp over there.”

Qin Jiulin: “We have only cleared a small area. Won’t it be hasty and unsafe to move there now?”

Captain Gao waved his hand. “There’s no absolute safety anywhere now. Over there, we have buildings and houses. Although they have been occupied by the rat swarm and are a bit dirty, proper disinfection will solve the problem.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Speaking of which, living in a house is definitely better than living in tents. Let’s move, we’ll also live in the houses.”

Captain Gao: “By the way, this is the second mission for you. Take a look.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “No resting time?”

Captain Gao: “This mission is not particularly urgent. You don’t need to leave now. Rest for two days and then depart. In the meantime, help with the relocation. We will send some soldiers there. Of course, it will only be a temporary outpost for now.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “So, the second mission is simply protecting the people during their move?”

Captain Gao smiled but didn’t say anything.

Liu Zhongyuan knew that they couldn’t take that as the second mission. After all, it was too easy for them.

He picked up the content of the second mission that was placed on the table and started reading it. “Hmm?”

Qin Jiulin leaned over to take a look. “Are these fully atavistic animals?”

Captain Gao took a sip of hot water. “Yes, fully atavistic animals. They are similar to your beast form, Qin Jiulin. They definitely weren’t here before, so they must have escaped from the zoo.”

Qin Jiulin looked at the few photos. “This tiger has black and dual-colored stripes. It looks quite nice. I’m just surprised that its eyes are black.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “The description of its size seems similar to your beast form, right?”

Qin Jiulin: “Indeed, it’s quite similar. Dealing with such a big tiger would be quite difficult. Where exactly is it located? Is it close to the city?”

Liu Zhongyuan pointed to the content below and said, “Isn’t this location not too far from the city? Do we really need to go kill it? Why not just go further away?”

Captain Gao replied, “No, if we could coexist peacefully, I wouldn’t assign this mission. The problem is that this tiger seems to have a hostile attitude towards humans. Once it encounters people or half beastmen, it will definitely chase and attack them to the death. We had two squads with a total of over thirty elites, and they all perished in its jaws.”

Qin Jiulin nodded, “I see. That does pose a great risk. Although this location is not close to the city, it’s not too far either. It could discover people moving around here at any time.”

Captain Gao sighed, “Yes, if it breaks in, it would truly be like a tiger among sheep, killing indiscriminately. Although firearms, ammunition, and explosives would certainly cause significant damage to it, I won’t hide the fact that our reserves are insufficient.”

“We used up a lot while dealing with the half beastmen within the military and the journey to this side of the city. If we try to kill that fully atavistic tiger, we would likely suffer heavy losses.”

Qin Jiulin replied, “We can only do our best when the time comes. After all, a tiger with a similar power level to mine would definitely be a tough nut to crack.”

Captain Gao said, “Just do your best. If it really doesn’t work out, lure it to a place further away from here.”

They agreed to this second mission and left the tent. Over the next two to three days, one-fifth of the soldiers in the military camp moved away. They didn’t take the tents with them since there were many houses over there, and tents were unnecessary.

Qin Jiulin and the soldiers arrived at the cleaned-up streets and took the opportunity to kill and drive away any half beastmen or newly emerged animals that were nearby.

They made sure this area was secure before returning to help clean up the mess. Many people also scavenged undamaged and uncontaminated supplies from various places.

Qin Jiulin pointed at the supplies and asked, “Can we still eat these?”

One of the soldiers replied, “They are all vacuum-sealed and haven’t leaked any air. They are definitely edible.”

Qin Jiulin said, “That’s good. If there are any issues, make sure to discard them in a timely manner. These supplies do look good, but this area was previously occupied by a rat swarm and later treated with poison powder. Although much of it was washed away by the rain, the toxins won’t completely degrade naturally in a short period of time. So, you still need to be careful.”

“Thank you both, we’re aware of it.”

Qin Jiulin sighed, “Let’s go and check the surroundings again.”

Liu Zhongyuan directly grabbed Qin Jiulin’s hand and pulled him to sit on a chair. “If we need to check the surroundings, why don’t you go instead of us? Fly up to the sky and take a look. It will save time and be convenient!”

Qi Yue also didn’t want to stay here and eat dog food, so he said, “Alright, I’ll go and take a look.”

Once Qi Yue’s figure disappeared behind the door, Qin Jiulin finally pulled his hand away. “You’re lazy again, aren’t you?”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Oh, no, I’m not lazy. I just wanted to take advantage of this time to discuss the specifics of the second mission with you.”

Qin Jiulin said, “What else can we do? You did well the first time we met. You can handle everything on your own.”

“Well, there’s nothing you can do about the tiger’s claws against your thick scales. If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know and I’ll come to your aid.”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked. He realized that in those situations, he wouldn’t be able to speak in his giant snake form, right? No, he couldn’t! So that means whether there’s a problem or not, don’t bother him.

Well, that means Qin Jiulin is still holding a grudge against what he did the first time they met. He awkwardly touched his chest, feeling a bit guilty.

Oh, back then he didn’t mean it on purpose. He just thought that a completely atavistic tiger with black and red dual-colored stripes was really to his taste. He was also hungry and wanted to eat…

Well, it’s his own fault for not being able to differentiate between variant beastmen and completely atavistic animals.

Of course, if it were daytime, he would have no problem. But it was late at night, and he didn’t look carefully, which caused a huge misunderstanding.

Qin Jiulin said, “Hmm?”

Liu Zhongyuan awkwardly smiled. “It’s already this late… Why bring up something from so long ago?”

Qin Jiulin asked, “Why can’t we bring it up?”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “I didn’t mean it on purpose. After that, I did make an effort…”

Qin Jiulin said, “Are you referring to the few days you took care of me afterwards?”

Liu Zhongyuan sneaked up to Qin Jiulin with a playful smile and whispered, “How about I offer myself to you? What do you think if I give myself to you?”

“That way, you won’t be at a disadvantage, right? After all, with my abilities, a variant beastman like me, you won’t find a second one like me!”

“That guy surnamed Xia is no match for me at all. If you had to choose between the two of us, who would you choose?”

Qin Jiulin thought he was insane. “With my abilities, why do you think I have to choose?”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “Ah… you’re right. You’re also a variant beastman, so… do you think I still have a chance?

Qin Jiulin was about to speak, but he inadvertently noticed Liu Zhongyuan’s expression, which carried a seriousness that would go unnoticed unless one paid close attention.

So, is this person jokingly confirming if he has a chance with him?

Qin Jiulin sighed, “Is it based on whether I have a chance?”

Liu Zhongyuan’s eyes lit up, as if there was a tail wagging behind him.

“So, that means there is a chance?”

Qin Jiulin replied, “Is it useful to talk about this now?”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “No, it’s not.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Zhongyuan quickly sat next to Qin Jiulin, leaving no gap between them, their arms touching each other.

Qin Jiulin asked, “Hmm?”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “For the sake of our distant future, I think we need to cultivate our relationship.”

Qin Jiulin blinked, confused. Did he miss a step or something? How did Liu Zhongyuan become so forward?

Never mind, he thought about Xia Liansheng… something was clearly off, especially with what Liu Zhongyuan had told him before. If he guessed correctly, Xia Liansheng…

But if that’s really the case, why would Xia Liansheng like Qin Jiuzhen? Does his useless little brother really have something that can attract a powerful variant beastman like him?

Or is Qin Jiuzehen special, where Xia Liansheng is already powerful enough for him and he doesn’t need another strong person standing by his side to share his glory? He only needs a gentle and understanding companion, someone like a white rabbit who speaks like a white lotus flower, talk and chat with him, and understand him.

Note: There was a missing part so I have to edit!