Fang Senyan managed a wry smile and shook his head, yet he took his place in the middle of the team, showing no intention of breaking away. They advanced another fifty to sixty meters before realizing they had reached dry land. This spot appeared to be a high point within the swamp, forming an island approximately one square kilometer in area.

Upon reaching the island, everyone proceeded with considerable caution, as they knew they were likely nearing their objective. The vegetation on the island seemed sparse and struggling, offering little concealment for the group.

In the center of the island, there was an open space roughly the size of a school athletic field. Due to constant trampling, the ground there was a mix of withered plants and tenacious new growth, illustrating the sheer resilience of the swamp flora.

Ramtas’s nostrils flared, preparing to let out a howl, but Fang Senyan forcibly suppressed the urge with a mere thought. Ronny, however, quickly signaled and launched a flare, which hung suspended about ten meters in the air. Instantly, they spotted two figures sitting back-to-back in the center of the clearing. Their expressions were blank and numb, clad in tattered camouflage military uniforms, both gasping for air while looking skyward. Beside them lay two dilapidated backpacks.

The sight of living people instantly galvanized and exhilarated the group. Just at this moment, Aldaris suddenly whispered with barely contained excitement:

“Tarnish Ore?”

Those three words instantly scorched the hearts of everyone present. The prior incident where Ronny found Tarnish Ore and claimed it all for himself was fresh in their minds. Several people immediately surged forward, fearful of falling behind. However, some were charging toward the hostages, clearly possessing grander ambitions; knowing the location of the ore vein sooner meant reaching it sooner.

Fang Senyan sighed softly, then glanced at Aldaris, an expression of approval in his eyes. Aldaris shrugged and offered a faint smile. Not everyone rushed forward; people like Bokan, Dardanian, and the sniper William maintained their composure.

The short distance of a few dozen meters vanished in an instant. As the group charged toward the two figures, they suddenly felt the ground soften beneath their feet. Then, an area spanning two to three hundred square meters suddenly collapsed!

Although the collapse was only five or six meters deep, the bottom was a damp, water-filled pit—a muddy mire that soaked them waist-deep! Immediately following this, a deep, rumbling sound emanated from beneath the island’s soil; a horde of bizarre creatures was emerging from the damp earth!

These creatures were not very tall, perhaps only about a meter high. At first glance, they resembled octopuses that had straightened their tentacles and begun walking upright, but a closer look revealed significant differences.

Firstly, these creatures were encased in a thick layer of muscle, their contours sharply defined. Especially the tentacles supporting their bodies were thick and robust, covered in a layer of brownish-tan skin. When they ran, one could even see the muscles tensing and trembling beneath the surface. Moreover, their feet were webbed, granting them considerable agility; entering the swamp would not significantly impede their movement.

They possessed a savage, enormous mouth that occupied nearly half their head. When opened, rows of sharp, yellow teeth were visible. Their method of mastication was not a vertical slicing action, but rather a side-to-side grinding motion. When feeding, these teeth would jut out and move incessantly, causing scraps of food to scatter, presenting a truly repulsive sight.

Furthermore, when agitated or enraged, they would grind their teeth, producing a grating gizz-gizz sound—exactly the horrifying grinding noise assaulting Fang Senyan’s ears at that moment.

Above these creatures’ mouths was a single, massive yellow eye. Within this great eye, multiple distinct concentric circles were visible. The more concentric circles an individual possessed, the greater its strength. Their pupils were vertical slits, similar to those of dragons, suggesting they carried diluted draconic blood within them.

Upon closer inspection, a few small tassels could be seen fluttering behind the heads of these creatures as they ran. A more detailed look revealed that these tassels were fleshy, reddish tentacles, each tipped with a closed eyeball.

Faced with this predicament, Fang Senyan, though mentally prepared, still felt his pupils contract. He immediately pulled up the data on these monsters:

Raging Beasts (Baosou): Dangerous, Wanted (This species has caused over ten thousand colonial deaths on multiple planets, thus they are wanted by the Interstellar Nightmare Space Security Committee. This species is not protected by any wildlife regulations. Any interstellar citizen has the right to hunt and receive a reward for killing these creatures.) Health: Medium Defense: Moderate (If this creature did not possess its specialized ability, it would be considered negligible.) Speed: 3 meters Attack Power: Low, but potentially accompanied by a biological ability. Biological Trait: Their biological ability grants strong resistance to all forms of long-range physical attack. Standard Raging Beast Attributes: Strength 33 / Agility 27 / Stamina 10 / Intellect 70 / Spirit 70 / Charm 1 / Perception 25 Habitat: Raging Beasts can undergo minor evolutions to adapt to their environment. They can appear anywhere except in extremely arid environments like deserts or barren plains. Organization: Large Hordes ~ Small Groups (2–500 individuals) Value: A reward from the Empire is granted simply for killing a Raging Beast. The proof required is severing one of its tentacle-compound eyes. Furthermore, because Raging Beasts possess a trace of higher bloodline within them, some may harbor extremely rare Crystal Beast Cores in their brains, which can add a substantial sum to your account. Biological Ability: (Requires payment to read) Potential Loot: Possible. This creature, which seems to be evolving constantly, possesses considerable intelligence. You might find relics left behind by previous victims in its lair. Description: These are incomprehensible beings, chaotic and malevolent; it seems all other creatures are their enemies. If you are deceived by their size, death is not far off. Their developed brains grant them a variety of potent abilities. Recent research indicates their hunting intelligence is no less than that of humans, stemming from an innate, cunning instinct.

Do you wish to pay 10,000 Universal Credits to immediately retrieve their biological ability data from the network database? Yes/No?

At this moment of life or death, Fang Senyan certainly wasn't going to be stingy with ten thousand Universal Credits. He immediately saw a series of informational entries:

“Raging Beasts possess various abilities, but fortunately, each individual can master only two.”

“Their racial universal ability is: Light Distortion. Simply put, the Raging Beast you see is not where it actually is in your line of sight; the deviation is usually no more than forty centimeters. This requires calculating a correction factor when aiming at them, but each Raging Beast can adjust the degree of light distortion itself, making it impossible to precisely determine if they are shifted forward, backward, left, or right.”

“Their single-target abilities are released through the compound eyes on the back of their heads, with a range of approximately fifteen feet (five meters). Typically, each Raging Beast masters only one single-target ability, which includes Petrification, Weakness, Disease, Neurotoxin, and Paralytic Toxin.”

“Abilities potentially mastered by high-tier Raging Beasts: Mass Toxin Attack, Mass Weakness, Earthquake, Water Control, Earth Control, Fire Control, Lightning Release.”

“The latest data shows that some powerful Raging Beasts have mastered psionic wave capabilities. On June 8th, 1715, Lu Yuan, Raging Beasts were released by rebels onto the planet Centauri Talit, resulting in the massacre of the local Seventh Colony. When the suppression forces arrived, a Raging Beast leader used psionic waves to communicate with a Lieutenant Colonel, successfully escaping using three hundred and seventy-six hostages as threats.”

At this point, Bokan was shouting for protection, as he, a Terrain Shaper, intended to use his ability to raise the ground and lift his trapped allies to safety. He had already begun chanting his spellcasting incantation loudly while waving his wand to perform the magic.

In the darkness, points of yellow light could be clearly seen emanating from Bokan, cheerfully sinking into the earth. The swamp before them began to vibrate, then emitted a deep rumble as the ground slowly rose.

But just then, that scalp-tingling grinding sound echoed again from underground, followed by an astonishing event: three orbs of yellow light erupted from the soil, seemingly capable of opposing Bokan! Although these three orbs of yellow light were noticeably weaker, the two forces entered a stalemate, meaning Bokan could not alter the terrain quickly.

Fang Senyan scanned the information presentation at maximum speed. However, by the time his eyes swept through the entry noting the Raging Beasts’ organization size as 200–500 individuals, he had already firmly decided to leave immediately.

When he realized that Bokan’s terrain-raising spell was being actively resisted by the abilities of the high-tier Raging Beasts, he turned without hesitation and sprinted back the way they came. But before leaving, Fang Senyan hurled a Curse Potion toward Bokan. Thick smoke enveloped him, slowing down any hostile creature that entered it—this was the last service Fang Senyan rendered to the team.