Chapter 27: The Beloved One

“However, entrusting him with this task might be a bit premature,” Lin Wanfeng added to the discussion.

“Indeed, it’s more suitable for seasoned individuals like us to handle such matters,” agreed Ye Shuang, nodding in affirmation.

“True, we’re more adept at handling crisis diversion.”

“And we can also take advantage of the behavioral patterns of the monster waves.”

They continued discussing, each presenting one strategy after another.

On returning to his tent, Zhang Shen was momentarily bewildered but quickly grasped their intentions.

“A good strategy indeed, but they’re not intending for me to undertake it?”

Zhang Shen could feel the protective concern from the elders. He knew it wasn’t a lack of faith in his abilities, but rather the immense danger that the task carried. Redirecting a crisis, easy as it sounded, posed considerable challenges in execution.

Surreptitiously guiding monster groups to change their target required significant strength. Without it, gaining their attention, let alone leading them, would be impossible. Attempting to do so could even lead to being trampled to death.

Moreover, if this operation got exposed, the person in charge would inevitably become the target of all attacks.

Pressured, Hongyuan City would without a doubt make sacrifices for the greater good. Essentially, the specter of death constantly hovered over the individual executing this plan.

By suggesting Zhang Shen leave the tent and stay away from this matter, they were effectively excluding him from the operatives carrying out this plan.

Zhang Shen squinted, gazing at the night sky for a while.

“Time to feast on a few more buckets of spiritual meat.” He turned and strode toward the mess hall.

The following day, when Zhang Si came to find Zhang Shen, he was absent from his tent.

Before daybreak, Zhang Shen had already vacated his tent, instead practicing martial arts at the camp’s training ground.

Witnessing Zhang Shen’s eye-catching and near-flawless martial arts performance, Zhang Si was filled with admiration. Yet, he felt compelled to remind Zhang Shen of moderation and to forget the discussion held in the tent the previous night. He was told that no matter what transpired next, he must feign ignorance.

“Next, I’m assigning you to the Sixth Squad. Your duties in the Reconnaissance Squad will be transferred to other late-stage Acquired experts.”

Zhang Shen’s brow furrowed as he queried, “Is this a necessary move?”

“Indeed, it’s not just you. Several younger members from the three families will also be repositioned among the other squads.”

The decision was non-negotiable. Zhang Si was merely delivering the message to Zhang Shen.

Upon Zhang Si’s departure, Zhang Shen tightly gripped his Cold Moon Blade. The brunt of the monster onslaught was borne by the Third Battalion, while the Sixth Squad was comparatively weaker. Furthermore, this squad was positioned directly facing the human realm.

It was clear, transferring him there was a contingency plan for an immediate retreat of the family’s forces should things spiral out of control.

“It seems, even with a strategy in place, the elders lack full confidence in its success. Or is this simply a precautionary measure?”

Zhang Shen felt frustrated, discontented with his own powerlessness. Nonetheless, he had no intention to defy the elder generation’s decisions. As he wasn’t included in the elders’ plans, reckless involvement could potentially hamper their progress.

“However, I can’t stand idly by.”

Surveying his own physical condition and estimating the time, Zhang Shen began devising a plan in his mind.

“I need a larger quantity of superior monster meat!”

Before his departure, Zhang Shen packed an impressive two cubic meters of monster meat.

Given his speed, he could reach the Sixth Squad from the Third Battalion within a day. However, he wasn’t the only elite descendant from the three families needing to relocate. As the most advanced among them, he bore the responsibility of their safe escort, inevitably slowing down their pace.

Zhang Shen was determined not to squander time and naturally needed to carry enough spiritual beast meat. As a result, the descendant of the three families accompanying him witnessed a perplexing spectacle.

“Why is he constantly eating? How can he digest so much monster meat? Could our top prodigy from Hongyuan City be a glutton?”

At this point, Zhang Shen was past caring about appearances. His sole focus was on one thing, eat. Whenever he felt room in his stomach, he would stuff more into his mouth, sparing no time.

His physical stamina and system spared him the fate of exploding from such voracious eating.

When they reached the Sixth Squad, they found it helmed by the two youngest Innate stage practitioners from Hongyuan City, Lin Da and Ye Ruohuo, a man and a woman.

Young was a relative term, they were over fifty years old, but they were the youngest in comparison.

Upon arrival, Zhang Shen sought them out and made a request.

“Yes, I wish to operate independently,” Zhang Shen declared, with no intention of assuming the team leader role again.

Lin Da and Ye Ruohuo scrutinized Zhang Shen, the seriousness in his eyes confirming he was not joking.

“You must understand what everyone expects of you,” Lin Da advised.

Seeing Zhang Shen’s resolve remain firm, he sighed, “Be cautious in all you do, and don’t be reckless. Moreover, you can’t stray too far from the Sixth Squad. If you agree to these conditions, I’ll approve.”

Zhang Shen nodded, adding with a smile, “I won’t overdo it. I haven’t lived enough yet.”

Regardless of what Ye Ruohuo or Lin Da thought, Zhang Shen was quite pleased with the outcome. Having a squad around would limit many of his strategies. It was indeed easier to act alone.

Without their team around, Ye Ruohuo and Lin Da didn’t assign Zhang Shen any specific duties, allowing him to act autonomously. This afforded Zhang Shen greater freedom in his actions.

Upon leaving the Sixth Squad’s camp, Zhang Shen deftly avoided his comrades from Hongyuan City who were active outside, taking refuge within a dense forest.

When he re-emerged, the once gallant and charismatic young man had disappeared. In his place stood a burly, muscular man–an alias Zhang Shen adopted yet again.

Outside the forest, he ascended toward the sky, rapidly making his way to his target destination.

“Elder Zhang Si was absolutely right,” he thought. “When confronted with a group of relatively weaker monsters, there’s no need to immediately engage. Their presence deters other, potentially more dangerous monsters from appearing. Conversely, eliminating them may attract even more formidable creatures. Under the ongoing beast tide, the one thing we have in excess is an array of difficult monsters.”

The beasts in the vicinity of the Sixth Squad were relatively weak. This was due to both their location and the type of beasts that initially occupied the area.

Zhang Shen wasn’t in a rush to deal with them, he had another target in mind.

From high above, Zhang Shen surveyed the land stretching between Hongyuan City and the human realm. Here too, he could spot frequent gatherings of beasts, which put a grim look on his face.

“Due to the beast tide, merchant caravans struggle to penetrate this area. It’s not merely about manpower loss, but also about resources. Not all resources can be replaced by the beasts’ spoils. Even if we wanted to conserve our strength for a strategic retreat, we’d still have to face these monsters obstructing the path to the human realm. The silver lining, however, is that these monsters straddling Hongyuan City and the human realm have not evolved to become exceptionally powerful. The real threats lie towards the depth of the Endless Wilderness from Hongyuan City.”

A fierce gleam appeared in Zhang Shen’s eyes.

“With no extraordinary creatures around, my physical body at the Innate 4th Layer should be more than sufficient to navigate this area freely. All you beasts, prepare to become my nourishment.”