The moment those Vexing Beasts retreated, they even carried away the corpses of their fallen comrades, seemingly determined to deny Fang Senyan and his group any chance of salvaging spoils. However, a stricter estimation leans toward the probability that these creatures have a habit of consuming their dead.

It’s worth noting that during the pursuit, the incredibly powerful, massive, and ferocious dark silhouette never reappeared. Otherwise, Fang Senyan and his team wouldn’t have managed such a composed tactical retreat. Their attack pattern seems akin to assassins operating in darkness: they strike only when they are certain of drawing blood and would never expose themselves in daylight unless absolutely necessary.

Considering their monstrous strength, coupled with their twisted preference for such stealthy and insidious hunting tactics, it genuinely evoked a chilling, spine-crawling sensation.

After escaping the immediate chase, the four halted at their current location to recover for a time, bandaging their wounds and consuming food to slowly restore their stamina. Once their condition had stabilized somewhat, all three members turned their gazes toward Fang Senyan, their eyes filled with inquiry.

It was evident that even if Fang Senyan wished to step back, he couldn't refuse the role of leading the team now. Yet, Fang Senyan appeared entirely composed and confident. He cut straight to the point:

“Clearly, those Vexing Beasts couldn't have known we would arrive here; we were merely an unexpected delivery surprise. Therefore, it’s virtually certain their ambush was not set with us in mind.”

“From the reaction of the Vexing Beasts, we can deduce that the captured humans must have companions, and there’s a high probability those companions will come to their rescue. So, we only need to return to their campsite and wait; there’s a good chance we will encounter the comrades of those who were captured.”

The group accepted Fang Senyan’s analysis without dispute and headed back toward where they had come from.

Notably, upon arriving at the campsite where the people had previously been held, they discovered a man barely clinging to life and unconscious not far from the camp itself.

This individual was none other than Paul, the Metamorphic Artificer whom Fang Senyan had previously determined had a strong chance of survival.

Behind him, his War Golem, Heracles, stood utterly destroyed, fixed beside its master like a sorrowful statue, as if still guarding its owner even in death.

It was apparent that Heracles was still emitting thick black smoke, bearing clear scorch marks from internal fires and explosions. Clearly, the construct had protected its master during their escape to this spot. However, a barrage of negative status effects—acid, petrification, and more—had continued to plague its systems. Without effective control from an alert master, this triggered short-circuiting, followed by ignition, and ultimately explosive combustion, leading to total ruin.

As for how Paul managed to escape, Fang Senyan gathered from Paul’s reliance on Heracles that he likely possessed an even more formidable war automaton, one that had carved a path through the encirclement for him. That particular machine must have been massively drained or had a time limit, causing it to vanish immediately afterward.

Fang Senyan and his team certainly couldn't abandon him, but upon examining Paul, they found no major systemic issues. Aside from external trauma, he was merely suppressed into a near-death state due to the overwhelming accumulation of negative effects on his body.

Since no immediate combat was anticipated—and even if it were, escaping with Paul would still be possible—there was no need to waste precious medicinal supplies on him. Essentially, Paul just needed to sleep it off; by the time the negative status effects wore off, he would be fine by the next morning.

Meanwhile, Aldaris scouted the perimeter of the camp, primarily to guard against an attack by the Slarath race. He placed four Psionic Sentinels around the camp. These sentinels resembled torches burning brightly, plunged into the ground, but the flames were ashen-white. They could launch fireballs to eliminate common creatures or serve as an alarm.

The group then sprawled or lay near the campfire, and a deep sense of frustration washed over them. Even Aldaris couldn't help but sigh with heartfelt anguish:

“Those damned Vexing Beasts—not a single one of my Android slaves escaped! My instruments!”

Fang Senyan, however, remained calm:

“Relax. Vexing Beasts have no interest in metal. Furthermore, the androids realized the only thing attracting those dangerous creatures was the scent of their brains; they even added an insulating membrane to prevent the aroma of that corrupted, additive-filled protein from leaking. So, in the eyes of the Vexing Beasts, as long as the androids remain still, they are as unremarkable as the reeds and mud in the swamp. Trust in the survival instincts of those androids.”

“I hope you’re right,” Aldaris grumbled reluctantly. “But even if you are correct, we have no way to reclaim the property that rightfully belongs to us.”

Fang Senyan pondered:

“Strictly speaking, that might not be impossible. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. Since we have uncovered the Vexing Beasts’ trump card... although the cost to learn this seems high—with our current strength, it’s certainly not an impossibility.”

Bokan interjected:

“It’s possible for us to wipe those bastards out, but that requires time. Unfortunately, the primary objective of our arrival on this cursed planet wasn’t to exterminate those disgusting things. Although those jerks back at the space station didn't impose strict time limits on us, I have a premonition that the sooner we complete the mission, the better. Therefore, we don't have much time to waste right now!”

“Well said,” Fang Senyan nodded approvingly. “I’ve been considering this issue myself. But now I realize we may have gone down a wrong path from the very beginning in our search for the ore. Is blindly crashing around like headless flies searching for mineral veins really the right way?”

“If my calculations are correct... finding the mineral veins shouldn't be that difficult. The prerequisite is obtaining some relevant intelligence about this world. I believe the humans who have spent time here must possess this intelligence. The key is how to persuade them to hand it over. Perhaps rescuing their companions could achieve that... See? The matter beautifully circles back to eliminating these cursed Vexing Beasts.”

Bokan shrugged:

“Alright then, it seems you are worth trusting for now, so I temporarily support you.”

Since Fang Senyan had proposed continuing the offensive against the Vexing Beasts, the others weighed the idea in their minds:

Personally, they had all been routed by the Vexing Beasts previously—a humiliating defeat suffered before even deploying their full capabilities. Naturally, they were extremely unwilling to swallow that prideful insult.

Publicly, most of the detection and refining equipment was on the androids, and to put it ruthlessly, they might even recover soul-bound gear from their fallen comrades. If they didn't reclaim this ground, how could they be satisfied? Thus, they all agreed with Fang Senyan’s proposal.

However, just at that moment, Roni, who had been silent until now, revealed a crucial piece of information.

“We likely won’t be able to stay safely here for more than ten days.”

“Black General and I had an exchange. The information I got from him before departure was that the Predator species habitually begins its hunts around this time. However, the first wave to arrive consists of their most elite warriors. Their first task will be to clear out any organisms that shouldn't be on the planet, to prevent interference with the trials of their young nobles.”

Fang Senyan now understood the source of Roni’s hostility toward him earlier. Before departure, he had commandeered the dedicated transport Black General had set aside for Roni, and subsequently, he had snatched Roni’s pulverizing extractor... these accumulating factors made it no wonder Roni disliked him.

Aldaris stated:

“Since we have decided our next objective is to deal with the Vexing Beast encampment, we must first ascertain what that monster is that can move mysteriously underground.”

Turning to this topic, Fang Senyan said gravely:

“If I’m not mistaken, that is likely the favorite quarry of the Predator warriors. They favor this enemy precisely because the creature is strong, venomous, stealthy, and treacherous—capable of pushing even powerful Predators into life-or-death moments. That is when Predators feel most exhilarated, as if their very existence is momentarily elevated!”

“Are you suggesting that thing is an Alien? The type that lays eggs in other creatures and absorbs their genes?” Bokan asked in shock. “But those things in the swamp don’t look much like Aliens. For one, their heads are quite small, and their size and habits don’t match up well either.”

“In order to reproduce, Aliens might parasitize the creatures in the swamp for their larvae (facehuggers) to evolve into an Alien adapted to the swamp’s unique conditions,” Fang Senyan stated with conviction. “In the face of survival, everything else must yield.”

He looked around and saw that the others still looked unconvinced. Fang Senyan continued:

“Actually, I had already hypothesized the presence of Aliens among the Vexing Beasts. You probably don't believe me, do you? Although theoretically, Aliens can parasitize any organism to evolve, their most preferred larval host remains humanoid beings—that is indisputable.” (To be continued) RQ