The three of them, witnessing this unexpected turn of events, grew all the more curious. They stealthily pressed on, using the floating stones of the Windstone Heights for cover. Fang Senyan, possessing the sharpest senses, managed to creep forward another few hundred meters before he could clearly make out the furious, echoing shouts in the distance.

"Kill him, kill him!!!!"

A Na'vi warrior, astride a massive Hammerhead Titanothere, suddenly stood up on his mount's back, swinging his thick arms to roar at the agitated throng below. "I am a member of the Mosak Clan! I have something to say!"

This Na'vi appeared to hold a relatively high status. An elderly woman wearing a crown of red feathers next to T'sirk stood out and made a gesture for quiet toward the crowd below. The Na'vi standing on the war-beast continued to yell, "I personally captured this damned outsider. He has sent dozens of our kin back to the darkness deep within the ocean, and he even killed seventeen of our companions. Yes, I, too, wish to see him dead! But I must admit, he also possesses formidable power..."

"A power worthy of respect!"

"Therefore, I shall grant him an honorable death! Not have him ignominiously hacked to pieces only to be expelled from a beast’s digestive tract. This is my right! If anyone disagrees, step forward and challenge me!"

The crowd fell silent simultaneously; no challenger appeared. T'sirk stroked the head of his Direhorse and said in a deep voice, "Yes, Oute, this is your right. No one objects."

Oute, a man of volatile temper, jumped down from his mount and walked proudly through his clansmen. He then shouted at the person inside the wooden cage, "Outsider! I have benevolently allowed you to choose the manner of your death. Now, tell me your choice."

At this moment, the outsider raised his head. In that instant, the three of them—Fang Senyan included—were simultaneously shocked. They recognized this person: it was the incredibly powerful sniper master they knew! They had no idea why he had managed to remain in this world for so long, or how he remained so composed in the face of such mortal peril.

Hei Ge Men remarked at this juncture, "He must possess an item that allows instantaneous return to the Nightmare Space anytime, anywhere. I once saw the Metal Mentor use something similar."

Reefy asked, "There's such a thing?"

Hei Ge Men smiled, "Of course, the conditions for its use are extremely harsh: all attributes are permanently reduced by 5 points, and all gains and quests within this world are nullified, returning him to the state he was in before entering the world... Still, it's better than losing one's life."

Because this man was still present in this world, Fang Senyan immediately began to consider the possibility that those people—the others—might also have remained. However, a second thought occurred: it didn't matter much if they stayed. The dominance of the Black Spine Clan was now firmly established; external factors would have almost no influence on Fang Senyan's plans.

What was more likely was that this powerful sniper had a contingency plan, like the item Morgansar mentioned, or some other unknown means of survival... Of course, the cost of using anything that could save one's life at a critical moment would undoubtedly be extremely, extremely high.

Then, the sniper spoke. His voice was low but firm: "Before I die, I wish to cleanse my body with water and then be buried in the river without shedding blood."

Fang Senyan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "This fellow has quite a scheme. Where exactly is there a river on this Windstone Heights? He's clearly trying to buy time, creating many opportunities to escape during the escort."

Oute, hearing the request, agreed without hesitation: "Done! I am scheduled to take the herds out to graze in three days. I will certainly grant your wish then!"

After witnessing all this, the three of them began to retreat a distance away. After observing from the perimeter for a while, they realized that the place where they had climbed up was extremely steep—the western side of the Windstone Heights. The southern side, however, featured a sudden concave opening, as if a piece had been chipped out of a bowl's rim, leading down to a relatively gentle slope. It appeared that the Na'vi normally used this slope for entry and exit.

Just as Fang Senyan and his companions decided to leave, the ground began to tremble slightly. Soon, an astonishing number of heavily armored horses charged down from the southern slope, with several Na'vi shouting loudly around them, driving the herd into the distance.

"So, this is grazing," Fang Senyan murmured. "It turns out the Mosak Clan has moved away from a purely hunting lifestyle. Their clan members must include beasts, and their consumption of food must be enormous, so they rely on herding to sustain stable survival."

He suddenly recalled the journey to the Hell's Gate base, where all the Contractors had once paused by a river. The scenery there was exceptionally beautiful, with large fields of plants resembling Bird-of-Paradise flowers planted artificially. According to the original data from the Illuminati, the armored horses also periodically consumed nectar to supplement their bodies; that nectar was like salt to them, so that place must have been a paradise for the armored horses.

Recalling it now, that location was very likely the pasture set up by the Mosak Clan specifically for grazing and raising their armored horses.

Since they had gathered sufficient intelligence, Fang Senyan and his group naturally did not wish to invite further complications. They carefully climbed down the Windstone Heights and remounted the Zerg host, flying back toward the Black Spine Clan's territory. For the three of them, although the area where the Zerg nested was somewhat repulsive, it was at least friendly territory—a place where they could rest with greater peace of mind compared to the perilous Pandora forest.

As soon as they returned, they witnessed a vast, bloody, yet breathtaking battle.

It was the largest confrontation yet between the Black Spine Clan and Eywa, the Earth Mother.

This time, the Earth Mother was truly enraged. Besides the Legendary Creatures and Hybrid troops, Fang Senyan even saw a large number of Na'vi mixing with the beasts in the assault. Fortunately, the clan to which the movie protagonist belonged was not present. The Na'vi's powerful ranged projection capabilities posed a severe threat to the Zerg. For a time, the Black Spine Clan was forced into a steady retreat, even losing five or six Organ Structures.

But just then, the Scorpions appeared. This was the first time the Black Spine Zerg deployed the Scorpion as a powerful unit. They also possessed no offensive capabilities, but their two unique abilities made them the absolute best auxiliary Zerg unit, bar none.

They could generate large amounts of bio-substances similar to viruses, substances that no powerful antidote could resist. Scorpions could even consume other Zerg, using these brethren as raw material to produce these toxins. They were usually protected by Zerglings. This near-self-destructive behavior fully embodied the Zerg's singular mindset.

The Scorpions used just one ability, and the fierce, aggressive offense of the Na'vi archers was halted dead in its tracks!

They spewed forth massive clouds of misty black material, which hovered about half a meter above the ground, completely obscuring the sight lines of the shooters! This was the Scorpion's ability: Black Fog—rendering all enemy long-range physical attacks completely ineffective! It forced the enemy to charge into the terrifying black mist for melee engagement.

And the triangle combination of Stalkers, Heavy Mammoth Beasts, and a large number of Zerglings had proven its power in many real battles. In fact, the Earth Mother Eywa could only counter this with a brutal war of attrition—which was precisely the method she least wished to employ.

Later on, the Scorpions even brazenly sprayed the Black Fog in the direction of the Na'vi archers, after which the Zerglings and Mammoths would simply charge in and begin the slaughter!

Faced with this situation, Eywa had no choice but to yield. The summoned creatures retreated like a tide, and the Black Spine Zerg pursued aggressively! After inflicting massive casualties on the enemy, they finally returned.

Taking advantage of this lull, Fang Senyan greeted the Black Spine Overmind: "How many times have you fought after we left?"

The Black Spine Overmind replied straightforwardly: "Including this one, four times."

Fang Senyan pondered, "I estimate Eywa will launch her final offensive soon. If you can still hold the line, she will likely be forced to compromise with you."

The Black Spine Overmind replied, "I also desire peace. On this abundant planet, my greatest hope is to continuously absorb the energy of the Pandora Crystals undisturbed, and then raise my realm and strength... Though this is a long process, I firmly believe that one day I can surpass the Queen and stand before her as an equal."

Fang Senyan smiled and said, "May your wish be granted soon... Eywa's war has already consumed many lives; she won't sustain such a meat-grinder offense for much longer."

Fang Senyan's prediction appeared entirely correct. Not long afterward, something astonishing occurred. The sunlight in the sky seemed to be blocked out; the incoming tide was composed entirely of flying creatures. The Earth Mother Eywa appeared to have completely abandoned the ground assault, opting for an outright aerial battle with the Black Spine Overmind!

However, just before the aerial battle commenced, a small, discordant interlude occurred! A Scorpion, which had been burrowed underground, suddenly erupted to launch a surprise attack! In an instant, the sky before it seemed to be dyed crimson with intensely splashing blood! This was the Scorpion's other terrifying ability: Blood Mist!