Early the next morning, before the sun rose, Denuchi led the suicide squad through the wastelands. Initially, the team chatted amongst themselves, some making dark jokes about the mission. But, they then grew increasingly quiet as they approached the tunnel. By the time they reached the tunnel, the party was utterly silent, and a heavy atmosphere hung over the group as each one came to terms with their potential mortality.

Rao Wu was affected by the dreary atmosphere. By this point, he knew for sure his life would be in danger once the mission began. He would be on his own for most of the mission without anyone to call for help. If he succeeded, then all was well, but if he failed, his life was forfeit.

Denuchi, as the leader, was no stranger to this atmosphere. He did not waste any words on encouraging his men. Instead, he chose to keep their minds focused on a singular task. An engaged mind was less likely to ponder on stray thoughts. “Alright, team, we’re here,” said Denuchi as Akeme pulled away the sand-covered cloth they used to hide the tunnel. “The main force will be attacking in the next thirty-odd minutes. So, once we enter that tunnel, consider the mission as started.” He paused and then glanced at Rao Wu. “Everyone remembers their tasks, right?” When the crew nodded, he sighed and then said, “Good. Then, I hope to see everyone back here in one piece. Is that clear?”

Boss!”

Following the unanimous shout, Akeme took out a few vials from his bag and handed them to each person with a grave expression. “There’s enough venom in there to kill thirty people. If you get caught, drink it.” He paused in front of Rao Wu, then, after a moment’s thought, also handed him one. “I hope you never have to use this.”

Rao Wu accepted the bottle and then flashed a pleased smile at Akeme. “Thanks. Also, don’t worry. I won’t get caught.”

With the suicide drinks handed out, Denuchi jumped into the tunnel and then called out, “Mission Start!”

Roughly thirty minutes later, Rao Wu split off from the group with Lekun, who commanded his Burrow Mole-Rat to drill a new tunnel that split off from the main one. Rao Wu, holding a burning torch, watched in admiration as the soul monster tore through the soil with ease and then pushed the earth aside to form a small tunnel.

Rao Wu was fine, but Lekun needed to duck to fit into the enclosed space.

As Rao Wu followed the Burrow Mole-Rat, he asked, “How come it took so long for you guys to build the other tunnel? He seems pretty fast.”

“Building a small tunnel like this is very different from building one for an escape route,” explained Lekun. “We expect heavy resistance, so we had to ensure we reinforced the walls to withstand impacts from fights or projectile weapons. This one, on the other hand, is easily collapsible. When fleeing, I suggest you either come here ‘after’ losing your pursuers or run very fast, else it might bury you inside.”

“Really?” Rao Wu jokingly swallowed a lump. “No pressure at all.”

Lekun, thankful for the child’s sense of humor, chuckled, “Yeah, no pressure.”

Fortunately, the duo did not have to remain in the tunnel for too long. Roughly fifteen minutes after they split off, the Burrow Mole-Rat stopped, indicating it had reached its destination. Only a thin layer of earth remained between them and the beastkins’ channel.

Lekun recalled the Burrow Mole-Rat and then looked at Rao Wu. “You’re on your own from here on out. I’ll be returning to the squad. Good luck. I hope we see you soon.”

“Thanks. Tell the Boss I said good luck,” replied Rao Wu, who then waved as Lekun retreated into the tunnels. The child waited for Lekun to recede from sight and then transformed with Phase-Shift, into a gray kafu.

Rao Wu admired his furry form as he flexed his fingers. “At least I still have a thumb.” Rao Wu’s fingers were meatier and thicker in his kafu-form, but fortunately, he still possessed an opposable thumb that allowed him to grasp and hold objects.

Rao Wu pulled out his bone dagger and then chipped away at the wall until it softly crumbled. Fortunately, the falling sand did not raise much noise, allowing Rao Wu to walk into the tunnel unchallenged.

“Ah, light.” Rao Wu was gratified to see the tunnels lit up by several torches and a burning groove that ran along the walls. Seeing as he no longer needed it, Rao Wu poured sand on his torch to extinguish the fire and then threw the stick into his tunnel. When he finished, Rao Wu took out cloth given to him by Akeme and draped it over the tunnel entrance.

“He was right. It really does blend in.” Fascinatingly, the dust-colored cloth blended with the cave walls, hiding the tunnel from sight. It did, however, have an inconspicuous black dot for easy recognition when Rao Wu returned. After securing his exit location, Rao Wu followed Denuchi’s earlier briefing and walked down to the right.

The tunnels stretched on for another thirty minutes or so before Rao Wu heard signs of life. Rao Wu did not find this odd since Denuchi said this was an old escape tunnel. Most likely, it did not see much use except during maintenance.

Rao Wu pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he arrived at a wooden door at the tunnel’s end. He gently pulled the door open and then walked out onto a walkway.

“…Woah.” Rao Wu marveled at the wondrous sight. A giant cavern sprawled out below him, with several beastkin running back and forth across small streets and primitive, stone buildings. The beastkin seemed to be seized by a panicky mood, as most of the males rushed toward a tunnel on the far opposite side of Rao Wu. It did not take a genius to know that was most likely the entrance.

“Hey! Child! What are you doing here!?”

Rao Wu blanched as he turned to see an angry lycan walking towards him. Like most beastkin, he wore a pair of leather shorts to hide his genitals but was otherwise naked.

The lycan slightly frowned when he saw Rao Wu’s shorts and shirt. Neither resembled typical beastkin clothing. Brows furrowing in confusion, he called, “What’s your name, child?”

Rao Wu glanced down the balcony. Jumping was not an option as the distance was too far. So, he instead feigned innocence as he looked at the lycan. “Me? I’m lost. I was looking for my friends.”

Although he was suspicious, the lycan fatally underestimated the child, so he approached without raising his guard. “This isn’t a place for children. Come, the chief’ll deal wi—urk!” The lycan stared at Rao Wu in shock as he clasped a new line drawn across his neck. “Y-you…” The lycan collapsed as he choked on his blood, unable to complete his sentence.

Rao Wu calmly watched the lycan sink to the ground and then sheathed his blade. “Sorry, it was either you or me.” The child picked up the lycan’s body and then softly dragged through the door into the escape tunnel. After stashing the corpse, Rao Wu took off his shirt and then jogged down the walkway.

Due to the main force’s attack, security was lax, allowing Rao Wu to pick off the guards one by one as he made his way out of the walkway. Fortunately, he did not need to travel too far before the walkway connected to the main cavern.

Once he was through, Rao Wu took to the back streets to avoid too much attention. Having already memorized which way the entrance was, he made a beeline for it, paying little mind to the beastkin he passed along the way.

For their part, some beastkin only viewed Rao Wu with curious eyes. Gray kafus were not common in their little town, but none of them were overly suspicious because he was a child. Also, it was not uncommon for new beastkin fleeing from humans to join the town. These factors contributed to Rao Wu’s smooth journey through the village.

Eventually, Rao Wu made it to the entrance, where two guards stopped him. The guards mockingly looked at the little child and asked, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Rao Wu knew it was make-or-break time. He could not kill his way through because there were too many eyes, but he needed to get past these guys to accomplish his mission.

“I’m going to fight, too!” Rao Wu said with bloodshot eyes as he glared at the guards.

One of the guards, a kafu, shook his head. “Forget it, kid. This isn’t pretend. The warriors are seriously fighting for our lives. Go home before we call the chief.”

Rao Wu shook his head, and hot tears burned in his eyes as he cried, “The humans killed my parents! I won’t rest until I’ve killed them all!”

The lycan guard looked at his kafu friend and sighed. “Listen, kid. We’ve all lost someone close to the humans. But you can’t let that cloud your judgment. Go home.”

“No!” Rao Wu lifted his claws to his throat in righteous indignation. “I won’t be a coward! If I can’t even face my parents’ killers, I’m better off dead.” As he spoke, his nails quickly dug into his throat, drawing blood.

“Wait, kid!” The shocked kafu left his post and then grabbed Rao Wu’s hand before reaching the jugular. “Are you crazy!? Life isn’t that cheap!”

“You’re right,” Rao Wu suddenly revealed a sinister smile as he grasped the kafu’s arm. “It’s not!” Rao Wu yanked the kafu’s arm in a display of incredible strength and then threw him over his head. Before the lycan could process what just happened, the youth stormed past, running into the tunnels.

The lycan stared at the child’s receding back in shock and confusion. What to do? Should he chase, or not?

*cough* *cough*

The kafu’s coughing made up the lycan’s mind. He would deal with the suicidal child later. First, he had to confirm his partner’s condition.

Meanwhile, within the tunnel, Rao Wu calmly wiped the tears from his eyes and then adopted a mischievous smile. Rao Wu did not know if it resulted from the Trickster Cultivation Technique, but he had never lied so smoothly before. The tears, expression, and cries came so naturally that it almost scared him.

“It should be fine as long as I don’t abuse it, right?” Rao Wu consoled himself as he ventured deep into the tunnel. Along the way, he passed by several beastkin, but the tense warriors, assuming he was a messenger, ignored him.

After a while, the tunnel opened into a small, burning village. Rao Wu spotted several beastkin battling against soul monsters and hybrids amidst the flames. Burning acrid smoke, accompanied by the smell of burning flesh, stung the child’s nose.

Rao Wu chilled as he listened to several dying screams and watched blood pour out of freshly-made corpses.

Rao Wu did not immediately engage but instead searched around for a high position. Fortunately, he spotted an unoccupied wooden guard tower a few dozen meters away from the entrance. A dead kafu with an arrow in its forehead was slumped over the edge, apparently sniped by a hybrid.

Rao Wu’s eyes flashed when he saw a bow dangling from the kafu’s hand and a host of quivers along the guard’s walls. Unfortunately, for fear of blowing his cover, Rao Wu could not bring the bow Olek made for him. So, he chose to improvise.

Having made up his mind, Rao Wu ran through the wreckage, dodging fights here and there until he made it to the tower. The child quickly climbed to the top and then took stock of the arrows.

There were five quivers, each with ten arrows, which gave him fifty shots. Rao Wu took the kafu’s bow and tested it. Fortunately, the string wasn’t too tough for him to pull, paying testament to his new strength.

After completing the inventory check, Rao Wu peeked above the watchtower’s rampart to observe the battle raging below. As expected, most of the humans were clustered near the village’s entrance, which forced the suicide squad to take the frontlines. Among the humans’ ranks, one man stood out in particular.

The man, who sat upon a Globe-Trotting Demon Steed, wore black, full-plated armor with a horned helmet. He resembled a reaper from hell, especially with the halberd held loosely in his right hand.

Rao Wu’s gaze narrowed as he observed the man. According to Denuchi, this man was Pilate Yeshua, Captain of the 25th Beast Extermination Squadron. Incidentally, he was also Denushi’s contractor. Yeshua was not his target at the moment. That would be saved for Fort Drakon.

Shifting his gaze from Yeshua, Rao Wu looked at the humans. Several revealed lackadaisical or scared expression as they watched the carnage. It was apparent from their nature that they weren’t hardened warriors, but instead, had been brought here to increase the number of contractors so they could keep the hybrids under control.

Rao Wu chose to target these fools first.

But, to make things more interesting, Rao Wu took out Akeme’s suicide vial. Feeling apprehensive, he cut off the dead kafu’s finger and then dipped it into the liquid. Ensuring it didn’t come anywhere near him, Rao Wu rubbed the venom over several arrowheads.

Fortunately, the venom lasted long enough to cover all fifty arrowheads, leaving only a few drops left.

Rao Wu put the vial in his pocket and then notched an arrow. Drawing a deep breath, the kid stood up and then pointed the bow at a parabolic arc. Having steeled his resolve, Rao Wu let out a soft cry as he released the bowstring. “…Fly.”