As for the gaze, naturally no one could compare to the old fox, Morgansa. He squinted, peering down through the gaps in the host’s tentacles, and after a short while, he cried out with urgency!

“Chongjiang, five hundred meters to the left!!”

The host executed a sharp turn and dropped rapidly. Fang Senyan saw it then, too—obvious trampling marks below, the raking scratches left by the claws of a pack of Vespene Beasts that had passed through! Following the path carved by the Vespene Beasts’ passage, one could see where they vanished into the shadow of a jutting giant rock. Looking closer still, one could make out the entrance to a black, gaping cave, like the mouth of some monstrous beast, sending a chill down the spine.

Since even an ordinary host possessed anti-invisibility capabilities, Fang Senyan wasn't worried about bugs lying in ambush underground. He jumped down without hesitation. After a moment’s thought, he said to Morgansa:

“I’ll leave Bairans to you; you two wait outside to provide support. With me and two machine gunners inside, we can form crossfire. The cave is narrow, so even more troops can’t be effectively deployed. If a large enemy reinforcement force appears, you must remember to kill any Hydralisks with anti-air capabilities first!”

Morgansa knew he wouldn’t be much use in complex terrain like a cave, so he readily agreed. Fang Senyan wasn't worried about him ditching him and running off early, as their interests were now tightly bound together by a shared branch mission, complementary professional skills, and more importantly, Morgansa’s reputation with the Black Thorn Tribe was nearly zero. If he wanted to purchase rewards linked to worship reputation, such as increased range or movement speed, he would have to rely entirely on Fang Senyan.

After they parted ways, Fang Senyan first downed a vial of genetic agent: Bear's Flesh and Blood Strength.

This immediately maxed out his Strength attribute! He then retrieved the Prometheus Flamethrower, slung it around his neck, and took the lead. The cavern was only about five or six meters wide and less than four meters high, feeling eerie and oppressive. Fang Senyan estimated the Zerg forces inside would primarily consist of Vespene Beasts, and even if there were Hydralisks, they couldn't be many, because in this environment, it could at most accommodate two or three Hydralisks attacking abreast; the rest would merely crowd uselessly behind. Thus, the smaller and more agile Vespene Beasts must be the main fighting force.

Honestly, in this environment, Fang Senyan alone could probably take down several hundred ordinary Vespene Beasts. With strong fire support from behind, he could sustain the fight even longer. He advanced with the two elite soldiers, gradually catching a strong scent of musk. Not far ahead, they saw a mess of Vespene Beast corpses scattered on the ground; pale yellow bodily fluids had pooled into shallow puddles, making a pat-pat sound with every step.

Fang Senyan immediately ignored the filth and smeared the remains all over himself. This action might or might not be useful; it was more likely to delay the highly sensitive Vespene Beasts from detecting him by half a second or a second, but Fang Senyan always believed that doing these things was better than not doing them, and even if they were useless, they caused no harm.

Suddenly, a machine gunner quickly stepped forward and picked up a cracked helmet from the ground. At the point of damage, there was a clear, terrifying puncture hole, filled with murky blood and dead-white ichor. It was a standard-issue helmet for human soldiers, clearly indicating they had suffered casualties here too.

The three then continued to press forward, encountering more and more corpses. Most of these were, of course, Zerg bodies, but Zerg forces could be replenished endlessly, whereas for these fugitives, every death was permanent! Ahead, the intact bodies of the Hardcore Contingent soldiers began to appear. Fang Senyan rounded the next bend, casually kicking aside a nearby Vespene Beast corpse, and instantly saw a familiar face.

Joel.

Joel, the one skilled with the sniper rifle.

The muscles in his face were twisted, his face smeared with gore, his eyes wide open. His upper body combat armor, aside from a few cracks, was relatively intact, but his lower half…

Was gone.

It could be inferred that he had been tackled by a Vespene Beast, and Joel had frantically swung his arms to drive it off. But by then, two or three more Vespene Beasts had lunged in a frenzy. Sharp teeth and claws inflicted fatal injuries on Joel in a very short time. Because his upper body armor was quite sturdy, they had only consumed his lower half before continuing their pursuit.

Fang Senyan instinctively closed Joel’s unseeing eyes. This man’s formidable long-range attack power was indeed awe-inspiring—worthy of being the man who had wounded the Metal Mentor. However, he harbored an ambition more potent than his actual strength. And in Fang Senyan's plan, the last thing he needed was someone excessively ambitious…

The casualties grew heavier subsequently, and Fang Senyan found one familiar face after another among them. The light in the cave was very dim. He suddenly spotted a small, hunched figure draped over a rock ahead. The silhouette seemed to twitch. It looked like Hani, who had been close to Joel. Was he actually still alive?

Fang Senyan hurried forward and was just reaching out to shake Hani’s shoulder, who seemed to be in a frenzy, when a blood-soaked Vespene Beast suddenly sprang out from under him, baring its sharp teeth and slashing a claw directly toward Fang Senyan’s face!

This attack truly caught Fang Senyan completely off guard. He lurched backward violently, managing to avoid the beast’s swipe, but his throat, a vital spot, was left completely exposed. This Vespene Beast’s feral instinct was powerful; it lunged its head forward to bite directly. In a flash, a fist was jammed violently into its mouth! A very brutal and direct obstruction against the beast’s throat, thrown with force against the nearby rock.

The Vespene Beast tried a dying counter-attack, its jaws desperately trying to clamp shut, but it met a sensation of unbreakable toughness. Its simple brain certainly couldn't comprehend the profound meaning contained within that resistance. In the next second, another fist smashed heavily into the Vespene Beast’s eye, spraying fluid from its ears and nostrils, before it was kicked away heavily. A Vespene Beast with less than one-tenth of its health value naturally died instantly on the spot.

Fang Senyan looked at the crazed Hani. He was indeed largely intact, but regretfully, a huge gash had been torn across his belly, and his internal organs were nearly visible, completely scooped out.

Even though he had witnessed so much blood and death, such a gruesome end still evoked a sense of rabbit-for-fox sorrow.

Fang Senyan looked at these familiar faces he had previously fought alongside, and a wave of complex, inexpressible emotion welled up in his heart. But at that very moment, this faint sadness was shattered by an irrepressible, gleeful cackle…

Fang Senyan spun around in astonishment:

“Hey, hey! This place is dangerous, why did you suddenly run out, Jin Kuang?”

That scoundrel Jin Kuang’s two eyes immediately shone with tearful light, his hands clenched into fists against his chest, looking pitifully:

“Thank you for your concern, Master. Could you perhaps compensate my wounded soul with some tangible form?”

Fang Senyan: “—I don't have money, but I have my life! Wait, why do you have that red glow in your hand???”

Jin Kuang’s rat whiskers immediately bristled, a hint of panic flashing across his expression as he laughed nervously:

“How is that possible! Impossible, Master, you must be mistaken!”

Fang Senyan clapped his hands in sudden realization:

“I knew it! You wretched coward who loves leisure and fears death, how could you suddenly appear in such a dangerous place! You must have snatched some great benefit, could it be a Soul Equipment!?”

Jin Kuang shrieked, immediately covering his collar tightly:

“By the Great Goblin, Master, you can’t do this! Otherwise, I swear I will lower my loyalty to zero!”

When Jin Kuang unleashed this ultimate weapon, Fang Senyan immediately recoiled, his expression shifting instantly to one of geniality:

“I was just saying. Take these five Universal Points to use first. Soul Equipment isn't that easy to acquire; it requires quests too. How about you sell me that Soul Equipment for 100 Universal Points?”

Jin Kuang accepted the five Universal Points unceremoniously, but couldn't help but snort in indignant anger:

“The great Goblin absolutely protects his property! Damn it, so this is a Soul Equipment? And it gave me a quest? A quest to kill a thousand Vespene Beasts? Oh, heavens, I hate quests as much as I hate tipping! Therefore, I shall use the secret art of the Goblin race to erase this damned quest!!”

Fang Senyan couldn't help but watch with wide eyes as Jin Kuang spoke, spitting saliva everywhere. He watched as Jin Kuang pulled out the item emitting the red glow, first taking off his shoe and stomping on it with his dirty foot, then vigorously rubbing it against his crotch in the manner of Ji Gong grinding medicine, next tapping it with a rock, and finally coughing once before spitting a thick glob of phlegm onto it. Fang Senyan couldn't help but turn his head away, sighing inwardly that this fellow must have had eight generations of bad luck; even in death, his equipment was being treated so scandalously by his unscrupulous servant, it was truly lamentable. What was even more lamentable was that he couldn't stop it, couldn't snatch that good item away.

Jin Kuang then picked up the item again, spat a little more saliva on it, and casually wiped it on his sleeve… As a result, the light symbolizing resentment on the Soul Equipment gradually dissipated. The lewd goblin broke into a huge grin, his mouth nearly unable to close. Fang Senyan’s eyes bulged wide; looking at the equipment, it was clearly a ring worn on the finger of the frenzied Hani, and the ring even seemed to emit a faint silver glow! Fang Senyan painfully took one last look at the ring, realizing that squeezing any benefit out of this miser was impossible. His face creased with inner pain, he turned resolutely and continued deeper into the cave.