C13 Chaos Horse

"The Dongfeng really holds up. If it had been a San Tian taking that hit, it would've fallen apart by now."

The chubby guy murmured under his breath, his voice a mix of awe and scorn.

"We're over a hundred kilometers from the safe zone. We should make it there in under two hours, tops."

Zhou Mu spoke nonchalantly, his demeanor utterly relaxed.

After being out for over half a month, he was looking forward to some rest before it was time to apply for university.

With his grades, getting into Bayshore School was a sure thing.

Anything less than a first-rate evaluation would suggest foul play—there was no other explanation.

Having killed ten second-rank, five-star ordinary fiend beasts right after high school, his combat prowess was clearly elite.

Students of his caliber were rare, with maybe five a year at most.

And Zhou Mu was in a league of his own, possessing a leader-grade spirit animal at level one—a feat unmatched in four hundred years.

"My name's Zhang Liang, and these are Zhang Dabao and Zhang Xiaomei. May I ask your name, brother? If there's ever a need, we're ready to go through fire and water for you."

Zhang Liang said earnestly, having collected himself.

"Absolutely! I'd face death without flinching!"

Zhang Dabao nodded vigorously, his belly fat quivering with the motion.

Zhang Xiaomei reacted similarly, though it wasn't her belly that rippled.

"Aren't you a Tian by surname?"

Zhou Mu was puzzled.

"Just a little cleverness, a joke."

"Oh!"

Zhou Mu nodded, then added, "I'm Zhou Mu. You might have heard the name."

"Zhou Mu? Sounds vaguely familiar..."

Zhang Dabao mumbled, struggling to place it, while Zhang Xiaomei gaped in astonishment.

"Zhou Mu? The Zhou family's young master? The one who effortlessly slaughtered the elite barbed sus scrofa and scored a first-rate on the combat exam, Zhou Mu?"

"My idol! I can't believe I'm meeting my idol in person!"

Zhang Liang's eyes sparkled with excitement and his face showed his amazement.

The incident where Zhou Mu killed Wu Yuexia's spirit animal, leaving her vomiting blood and unconscious, had become the talk of the entire Ambergrasp Province.

Miss Wu, once perched atop her lofty pedestal, now found herself crushed underfoot by a man she had once scorned. The stark reversal resonated deeply with many onlookers.

In a world where power was paramount, laws could only do so much to stem the tide of oppression.

There's an old adage that says, "Troubled times breed demons, and prosperous times, ghosts of the wronged."

Regardless of the era, it's always the common folk who bear the brunt of suffering.

Four centuries of conflict had cemented the Noshar Empire's formidable reputation, yet peace remained elusive.

The world was already full of fissures, with new rifts emerging constantly.

The Empire was in dire need of the strong. Beyond the perks, their status would soar.

This gave rise to a culture of combat, with incessant brawls and bloodshed.

It was an inescapable reality.

Despite the dire straits, the Empire maintained a semblance of order.

Any breach of its laws, by commoner or Animal Whisperer alike, would be met with harsh retribution.

Moreover, the people of this world were far more pragmatic than those in Zhou Mu's past life.

Your history mattered little; present strength was what garnered adulation.

In such a world, it was no wonder Zhou Mu became an icon to many.

With a first-rate evaluation in the practical combat exam, the Zhou family heir was on track to join the ranks of the Empire's elite warriors.

But what of the shadows that plot and lurk, ready to strike...

Are they prepared to face the Zhou family's wrath?

"It was just a casual move. Who knew they'd be so frail?" Zhou Mu said with a wry smile, half in earnest, half in jest.

Wu Yuexia was indeed formidable; her first spirit animal was an elite barbed sus scrofa, a testament to the Wu family's investment in her.

Yet, Gator defied all rules. When the dragon's might was unleashed, all but the alpha had to submit.

"Your pretense is so refreshingly noble, I'm thoroughly impressed!" Zhang Liang gave a thumbs-up, his tone heavy with sincerity.

Ordinary folks look foolish trying to act cool, but when the strong do it, they're genuinely impressive.

The four friends shared jokes and laughter, lightening the mood even for Zhang Liang, who had just been revived from the pain of his spirit animal's death.

But the respite was short-lived. As the shrill alarm blared again, Zhou Mu's eyes fixed on the radar screen, now swarming with red dots, signaling trouble.

Red dots were everywhere—front, back, left, right.

They were completely surrounded!

"This isn't random; it's a deliberate move."

Zhang Liang's face was grave as he spoke deliberately, "Among these fiend beasts, there's definitely a leader, and a highly intelligent one at that."

"I'm with you on that!"

Zhou Mu nodded, his gaze shifting to the horizon where an uncountable horde of fiend beasts surged towards them like a deluge.

From first to fourth rank, from rabbits to horses, all were in a frenzy, including a significant number of elite beasts.

"Hehe!"

A piercing call echoed from a distance, instantly turning Zhang Liang and the others' complexions pale.

"The Chaos Horse! That's a Chaos Horse!"

"The Chaos Horse?"

Zhou Mu's expression grew grim upon hearing Zhang Liang's words.

A Chaos Horse was an elite fiend beast, not a leader, but in some ways, far more fearsome.

It could disregard the presence of a leader fiend beast and even charm those with lesser intelligence to serve its bidding.

Encountering a Chaos Horse in the wild meant one thing: run. But now, with fiend beasts on all sides, escape was impossible.

"We've escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's lair. Though death seems certain, it's been worth it to have met you."

Big Fatty Zhang refrained from clichés like "You go first"—in this predicament, no one could escape.

"We haven't reached the end yet. How can we just give up?"

With a defiant snort, Zhou Mu wasted no time in activating the third version of Heaven's Crafting Technology's Energy Shield.

With a hiss, a semi-transparent dome sprang into existence, ten meters in diameter, encasing the four companions within its protective embrace.

In an instant, a cacophony of roars erupted from the distance, quickly followed by a swirling cloud of dust and a dark, oppressive mass of fiend beasts.

"What's our next move?"

Zhang Xiaomei couldn't help but ask as she watched the fiend beasts close in at an alarming rate.

The terrifying presence of the countless beasts rushing from every direction made their breathing grow labored.

"Wait!"

Zhou Mu spoke with a deceptive calm, as though he had everything under control, but internally, he was in full-blown panic.

With such a multitude of fiend beasts, even Gator's intervention would be futile.

The Chaos Horse was nowhere to be found, having driven the nearby fiend beasts into a frenzy with its influence.

In essence, these fiend beasts were maddened, utterly fearless of Gator's Dragon's Might.

There were only three possible solutions to their predicament.

The first was to wait for Zhou Mu's soul intensity to hit three points, allowing Gator to ascend to the third rank and take a chance on its abilities.

The second option was to push Gator to the third rank by force, but that came with the risk of the spirit animal turning on him. There was a real possibility that he might not fall to the fiend beasts, only to end up devoured by Gator.

The final alternative was to trade his lifespan with the system. If Zhou Mu could pay the price, the system had the power to whisk him away.