Faced with Zi's overwhelmingly forceful interrogation, Fang Senyan's reply was remarkably shrewd. Since the other party had already set up their expected routine, the wisest course was certainly not to follow their rhythm. When others present them with a multiple-choice question, the most intelligent move is to invalidate the entire set of options! He sighed deeply: "What a pity... We just completed our mission and returned."

The Black Dude stood nearby, his face equally filled with regret and complaint: "Lady Zi! Why didn't you suggest such a good idea sooner? Alas! For the sake of passing the mission, I wasted several precious single-use items!"

Hearing Fang Senyan's answer, the expressions of the Illumination Society members immediately changed, grinding their teeth in frustration... Fang Senyan’s response was something they couldn't possibly find satisfactory, yet they couldn't point out a single flaw in it! Even more infuriating was Mogansa, who shamelessly shifted the blame with an innocent expression, complaining, "Why didn't you tell us sooner!" This kind of scoundrel deserved to be stripped naked, hung upside down, and whipped!

Just as the two sides reached a stalemate, dazzling lights suddenly shone in the distance. Three Swan Assault Vehicles (a type of armored personnel carrier) driven by the RD Company patrolled along the distant road. Their purpose was to prevent any overly aggressive Na'vi, or beasts, from damaging the road at night, thus ensuring smooth ore transport the following day.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Fang Senyan and his two companions flagged down the patrol team, claiming they were members of an exploration team returning from a successful survey, exhausted and hungry, and requested a ride back to the base. This request was naturally granted. The Illumination Society group would never dare to forcibly detain them unless they were willing to completely sever ties with the RD Company.

The Black Dude, puffing on a cigar with a wide grin, hopped onto the vehicle and turned back to wave enthusiastically at the Illumination Society group—a gesture strikingly similar to a major movie star bidding farewell to his fans. Yaomeng’s grip on her knife hilt turned her knuckles white, and Zi’s face darkened as she murmured: "There must be something wrong with these guys!"

Akaphir narrowed his eyes: "Then what should we do now...?"

Zi said coldly: "We follow them immediately and tail them closely! Reef and Mariner's speed will always be a weakness. Without the cooperation of these three, even if we manage the final steps of the side quest, our casualties will be severe! If they refuse to help, they won't get anything easy in this world either."

However, just five minutes later, Yaomeng sent back a rather disheartening message on the team channel: "Sorry, I lost them."

This news shocked even Zi! "You lost them?"

In Zi's memory, Yaomeng was a master in tracking; no one had ever managed to evade her pursuit. But Yaomeng was silent for a moment before admitting the unfortunate news: "You'll know when you get here."

Soon, all members of the Illumination Society arrived at Yaomeng’s location—the edge of an incredibly steep precipice. "They took the patrol vehicle provided by RD, but halfway there, they claimed they had forgotten something critically important, jumped out in a hurry, and came here. I was only about fifty seconds behind them, and then... then I couldn't see anyone."

Zi gazed into the deep darkness beyond the cliff edge and slowly said: "They had two options: jump down or fly away. I suspect flying away is more likely. It seems we still underestimated these three from the Ace Team... especially that one... Mariner!"

Evidently, Fang Senyan was finally deploying the Zerg Hosts he had acquired from the Starship Troopers world. With nearly all other Contractors cleared out, he had nothing to worry about. This gelatinous, jellyfish-like superior bio-transporter moved quietly and smoothly through Pandora's air, heading straight for the location of the 'Tawkami' clan. Fang Senyan had previously attempted to use the Host's built-in camouflage feature by spending general points, but the system indicated that the function was unusable on the battlefield.

However, what Fang Senyan worried about soon materialized disastrously. As the sky brightened, several Banshees, likely believing that 'the early bird gets the worm,' soared overhead. Their excellent vision quickly spotted the never-before-seen Zerg Host. Appetite instantly surged, saliva secreted madly, and they immediately dove to attack.

The three were forced to choose an emergency landing. After a fierce struggle, the Zerg Host was torn to shreds, but they managed to repel the Banshees. Fortunately, this location was less than ten kilometers in a straight line from the "Tawkami" clan marked on the map, meaning they had saved a considerable amount of time.

The surrounding forest appeared sparse. The trio, now possessing rich jungle survival experience, hadn't traversed far before emerging from the woods onto a vast, open grassland.

The grassland showed scattered signs of Pandora's mineral deposits; occasionally, stones floating seven or eight meters in the air cleverly obstructed visibility. The dense green grass barely reached their knees, and when the morning breeze blew, the sea of grass rippled, creating an indescribably refreshing sensation.

After walking nearly a kilometer, Mogansa's thick nostrils suddenly flared a few times, and he abruptly stated: "Blood scent to the west!"

The three quickly closed ranks. After circling a floating stone hill roughly a hundred meters in diameter, they saw a large herd of bipedal creatures fleeing rapidly across the grassland. These creatures had a single curved horn on their heads and long, lizard-like tails trailing behind them; their running posture was quite odd, yet their speed was astonishingly fast.

According to RD Company records, this creature was called a Hexapede, preferring to live in damp swamps and grasslands. Behind the herd, five or six Na’vi cavalry riding Armored Horses were shouting and hunting.

They were wielding a very peculiar weapon: it looked extremely crude—two round stones tied to the ends of a two-meter-long rope, which they swung and threw. Once it hit the legs of the prey, it would spin and automatically entangle them.

Fang Senyan further noticed that among the Na'vi riders, there were almost no young or middle-aged adults; they were mostly elderly and children, resulting in awkward coordination and lack of power in their maneuvers. Furthermore, the Hexapedes they were hunting seemed far tougher and more ferocious than gazelles on Earth. Once attacked, their eyes would turn crimson, and they would roar fiercely! Consequently, those five or six Na’vi riders had only managed to capture one.

At this point, Fang Senyan signaled Reef and Mogansa, then suddenly rushed toward the Hexapede herd himself. He leaped into the air, using his bare arms to tightly clamp around the neck of one 'Hexapede' mid-flight! This creature’s neck, like the Armored Horse, was covered in thick armor, but under Fang Senyan's brute strength, it cracked rapidly like porcelain! A fluid resembling blood jetted out from the fracture. However, the creature possessed considerable strength; even with Fang Senyan's grip, it didn't fall but stumbled a few times and kept running forward.

Nevertheless, the Hexapede was tormented by acute pain, letting out a piercing shriek. It twisted its tail violently, whipping up the grass, soil, and humus within a dozen meters around it, striking a nearby member of its own kind squarely on the head.

The unlucky creature that was struck immediately lost its balance and tumbled over, successfully acting as a tripping hazard. The other running Hexapedes, unable to avoid the chaos, were subsequently entangled in a chain reaction like falling dominoes.

Fang Senyan pulled hard with both arms, letting out a muffled groan, and snapped the Hexapede's neck with a distinct crack. He flipped down from the air and landed steadily, grabbing the dead Hexapede and immediately hurling it toward the approaching Na'vi riders. But just as the Hexapede flew through the air, a strong gust of wind swept toward him, and a massive Banshee dove down, wings beating, its wide mouth opening to clamp down viciously!

This Banshee was entirely pure black. This terrifying carnivore opened its jaws and bit fiercely into the Hexapede, its throat continuously contracting as it sucked the blood. Flapping its wings, it actually dragged the Hexapede into the air, circling overhead before twisting its powerful neck, trying desperately to tear off half the body of the shrieking victim in its mouth.

Even from a distance, the Banshee's gaping maw was horrifying, lined with two rows of sharp, inwardly curved teeth, each one two to three decimeters long. Once bitten, even an Armored Horse covered in tough bony armor would not withstand it. Although the Hexapede was also a robust creature, it certainly could not survive such a tearing attack!

At this moment, Reef charged into the group of fallen, struggling Hexapedes, roared upward, instantly stunning and slowing down more than ten remaining beasts that were still trying to flee. Mogansa in the distance was already half-kneeling, his cheek pressed against his rifle stock, aiming in a standard combat stance, his muzzle spewing flame. Working together, the three took only a few short seconds to slaughter these dozen or so Hexapedes.

The five or six Na'vi riders hesitated at this sudden turn of events, seeming hesitant to advance. Meanwhile, the Banshee in the sky finished consuming the Hexapede, circled, and landed. A very tall Na'vi stood on its back, shouting loudly: "What are you outsiders trying to do?"

This Na'vi appeared quite ancient, the wrinkles on his face as deep as knife cuts. Precious ornaments were tied around his forehead, and he bore intersecting patterns painted on his face with two lines of red pigment, conveying an air of imposing majesty and martial authority.