Yet, at that very moment, the last remaining Pterosaur descended in another frenzied dive. It was the largest of the group, suggesting it possessed the most robust vitality. Though its hide was already scarred with blood, a gaping, half-meter-long wound marred its belly, revealing raw flesh, it attacked with ferocious intensity. Perhaps seeing its brethren slain, it had resigned itself to death, opting for a suicidal charge!

It charged, yes, but directed itself precisely toward Fang Senyan’s vicinity! Its initial target didn't seem to be Fang Senyan, but rather a contractor desperately entangled with a Viper Wolf. The assumed strategy was to eliminate the contractor first, then turn on Fang Senyan for a double kill!

The targeted contractor held a pistol in his left hand and a dagger in his right. Such an attack combination was undoubtedly advantageous in the early stages, offering no disadvantage in either ranged or close combat. However, at this juncture, such a balanced fighting style began to betray a touch of mediocrity; unless one acquired exceptionally powerful gear, it was difficult to ascend to the core echelon of any team.

He was currently struggling to fend off the Viper Wolf directly in front of him, completely oblivious to the overwhelming killing intent descending from the sky behind him. Fang Senyan couldn't help but offer a wry smile and shrug helplessly. In this situation, even if he chose not to intervene, the ferocious Pterosaur’s talons, after grievously wounding the contractor, would inevitably strike him next! Given the circumstances, it was better to actively save the man and curry favor.

Thus, Fang Senyan lunged toward the contractor without hesitation, managing to shove him several meters away with a narrow miss. He himself landed in a half-kneel, crossing his hands to shield his head and face! Though the brass knuckles he wore were basic gear, they still possessed a property for blocking and parrying, and he was keen to test the attack power of this world firsthand.

Fierce winds roared past his face, carrying the pungent scent of Pterosaur blood! Amidst a screeching sound of metal grinding, the beast’s talons raked across Fang Senyan’s wrists, spitting long arcs of sparks. The momentum continued, leaving two bloody, mangled gashes on his upper arms.

The immense force accompanying the talons followed immediately. Fang Senyan was about to brace himself, but a thought struck him, and he abandoned the resistance. Consequently, the colossal force ripped him off his feet, tossing him backward in a tumble for a full twelve or thirteen meters. Yet, for such a spectacular assault, Fang Senyan sustained barely eighty points of damage to his health!

As his body was thrown back through the air, several possibilities spun through Fang Senyan’s mind. He could have stabilized his center of gravity and rolled up smoothly using his shoulder, but he deliberately made a clumsy, face-first landing before rolling up and gasping loudly in feigned terror. In this scenario, concealing his true strength was paramount.

However, after that block, Fang Senyan, now drawn into the melee, became the target of a Viper Wolf. As mentioned before, these beasts possessed extremely high intelligence. Spotting Fang Senyan thrown down in such a ragged manner, this Viper Wolf became incredibly excited, eager to swoop in and take advantage—unaware that Fang Senyan’s distress was an act!

The unlucky Viper Wolf naturally bit off more than it could chew. Its lunging and biting attacks were intercepted easily by Fang Senyan—though to an outsider, the scene looked like Fang Senyan was struggling desperately, seemingly on the verge of collapse but never quite succumbing. Fortunately, the surrounding contractors were not weaklings either; seeing someone holding the line, they immediately pressed their advantage and quickly finished off the damned Viper Wolf.

But this action entangled Fang Senyan in the chaotic fray, making it difficult to slip away. Adopting the mindset of "since I'm here, I might as well," he decided to proceed with what he had intended: swiftly tossing two vials containing various enhancement potions. The combination was the same as before: melee strength + agility, and ranged agility + intelligence.

As the vials shattered, although the majority of the Illuminati contractors were still locked in fierce combat, someone in the team channel soon let out an unrestrained gasp of amazement:

“Damn, my god! Get into this mist quickly, that guy’s buffs actually grant +3 to both Strength and Agility! The duration is 120 minutes!”

“Uh oh, why did I get Agility +3 and Intelligence +3?”

“A base stat boost of six points? Are you kidding me, April Fool’s Day is next year? Oh, holy crap! It’s real, this feels amazing.”

“What are you guys talking about, what kind of buff is that powerful?”

“Can’t you see for yourself?”

“Damn it, this guy isn’t one of our team members. If we want his buffs to take effect, we have to suppress the buffs from Mord and DeFria.”

“Sorry, Mord, I think I’m just three points shy of Strength needed to completely crush these bastards in front of me. I trust you can understand.”

“DeFria… these three points of Intelligence are crucial for me.”

“DeFria, those three extra Strength points mean that demonic Pterosaur won’t be able to deal overwhelming damage to me anymore.”

“What luck, with these three extra Agility points, these damn Viper Wolves can’t keep up with my speed.”

“Forget it, I’m starting to like the guy called Sailor.”

“He’s not into gay guys; your admiration is completely useless.”

“…………”

The contractors weren't fools. The value of a full six-point base stat increase was undoubtedly far greater than a mere 13% boost to attack power plus 1% to hit rate and 1% to critical hit rate! This enhancement was equivalent to the base stat increase provided by a Black or even Silver tier plot item!

In this life-or-death situation, sentiment was fake; survival was real! Moreover, for these contractors, choosing Fang Senyan’s buff required no additional cost from them; the loss was borne only by those two unfortunate members of the Illuminati, Mord and DeFria.

With this mindset, Fang Senyan soon began accruing additional battlefield contribution rewards, clearly meant for the two unfortunate souls from the Illuminati. Yet, with grim faces, they couldn't exactly force others to disable Fang Senyan's effects.

It must be said that the Illuminati’s strength was considerable. After the initial panic subsided, once they cleared their immediate surroundings, they began dispatching these cunning beasts with considerable speed. However, just then, a large pack of Viper Wolves burst forth from the distant forest! Among them were several individuals noticeably larger than the rest, clearly Elite or Captain-level creatures.

These reinforcements gave the Illuminati no quarter, launching continuous assaults! Under this sustained pressure, the melee contractors on the front line inevitably started sustaining casualties. It was then that Fang Senyan witnessed the Illuminati’s powerful team skill: Transference! This skill clearly required a massive price to acquire.

Once a member fell into a near-death state, an instantaneous teleportation effect was triggered. The destination, however, had to be pre-set to a specific team member who possessed healing and rapid recovery capabilities. Naturally, the range of Transference was not infinite, likely capped around fifty meters. Of course, being attacked by a monster provided no protection state, so if a member was instantly killed, the ability failed.

Watching the front-line melee contractors dwindling and the gaps widening, another core member emerged from the passage aboard the dropship. This individual’s name was Yuan Zhan, which sounded Asian; Fang Senyan hadn't seen him fight before. At that moment, a green light shimmered across his ten fingertips, finally coalescing into two green orbs of light that shot into the earth.

In less than a minute, the Viper Wolf corpses surrounding him withered and rotted, and two thickets, five to six meters tall, rapidly sprouted from the ground. These thickets had no leaves, their tangled, thorny appendages bristling with sharp spikes. Should any beast approach, the tentacles would violently lash out—their attack power was moderate, but the inclusion of both Knockback and Poison attributes made them seemingly excellent for defense.

Furthermore, Yuan Zhan summoned five giant wolves to join the battle—he was capable of summoning both flora and fauna!

In addition, Fang Senyan recalled that Phil, from earlier, was also a summoner. The wolves summoned by Phil looked as if even a minor scratch caused him immense distress. If Phil had sent five wolves to the front line, wouldn't he have been anxious to the point of collapse?

Yuan Zhan’s expression, however, was utterly unconcerned, clearly treating these giant wolves as expendable consumables. From this, Fang Senyan deduced a crucial point: Yuan Zhan must possess an overwhelmingly strong summoning ability! Perhaps his taming success rate was exceptionally high, which explained his willingness to treat them as fodder! Anyone capable of being a core member in the Illuminati was truly worthy of his reputation!

Despite the assistance of these two 'Thorn-Poison Giants,' Makafel also began to feel the strain.

After all, maintaining defense and offense while wielding a tower shield named the "Aegis of Eternal Battle" was anything but easy. In fact, Makafel’s base stats barely met the minimum requirements for utilizing this two-handed shield, especially concerning Strength.