"Yes, that Sailor fellow has always functioned as a melee DPS combined with support. Yet now, he's suddenly the Main Tank!!"

The two powerful Awakeners who used to compete for that role, Hedikuli and Aziza, are both dead now.

Paul is a results-oriented man; he likes to transfer the universal points from others' pockets into his own, caring little for the process.

Thus, he dismissed all concerns about procedure at this moment, looking directly at the changes within the team.

A chill involuntarily crept into his heart.

A bone-chilling cold.

Consequently, when facing Fang Senyan's questioning, he chose silence—a rare occurrence for him.

Bokan, on the other hand, regarded Fang Senyan with distinct surprise, as if needing to reassess the person before him.

Fang Senyan snorted, ignoring Paul, and then addressed Aldaris: "Hey, bastard, what's the situation across the way?"

Aldaris replied sullenly, "What else could those idiotic creatures be doing besides trembling under my majesty?"

Fang Senyan looked over towards Ludao, calculated the speed of the water flow, and suddenly asked Hadrik: "How much longer will the Rolling Tung Seeds remain effective?"

To ensure the contamination was sustained, Fang Senyan had wrapped the Rolling Tung Seeds in gauze and submerged them upstream. This drastically extended the pollution time, but it also drained Hadrik’s entire supply, the cunning rogue.

Hadrik checked the time: "At least another hour left to pollute the water source."

Fang Senyan nodded and said to Paul: "Assemble two rapid-fire sniper rifles immediately. We are pressed for time—if you want a bigger share of the spoils."

Paul had just repeatedly emphasized that assembling even one rapid-fire sniper rifle was the limit of his capability, so Fang Senyan demanding another was undoubtedly slapping Mr. Paul across the face again.

However, under the piercing gaze of Fang Senyan, Paul relented, lowered his head, and fulfilled Fang Senyan’s requirement.

The difference between one rapid-fire sniper rifle and three was a 300% acceleration in the speed of slaughter.

The critical point Fang Senyan was anticipating finally arrived. A volatile beast lurking on Ludao suddenly let out a sharp shriek, then turned tail and fled. Upon entering the water, it emitted a piercing scream, no less agonizing than a human falling into boiling oil. Yet, it pressed onward until it painstakingly passed through the swamp that seemed like a hellscape, vanishing into the purple reed thicket without looking back.

The actions of this volatile beast unequivocally signaled its rejection of the Alien’s will and its betrayal of the entire tribe.

But the behavior of this one beast triggered an astonishing chain reaction, like falling dominoes; a large number of volatile beasts began abandoning the area and defecting from their clans. Within ten minutes, only a sparse dozen red dots remained on Fang Senyan’s retina where the island had been densely covered.

"Excellent," Fang Senyan stood up and looked at Bokan: "How is your recovery?"

Bokan calmly stated: "Not bad; I’ve recovered sixty percent of my magic points."

"Then let's do it," Fang Senyan commanded.

Bokan walked upstream. As he began his long chant, a dam slowly rose from the river, diverting the water flow into a neighboring channel. This meant the water source for the swamp would no longer be replenished.

Since all the volatile beasts had fled, the river water was now useless.

For the Aliens, who had evolved to live in swamps, their combat effectiveness in water would certainly be enhanced—at least 150% combat power. Fang Senyan could maintain 100% power in the water, but if someone like Aldaris fell in, being lucky not to have their power halved would be a blessing.

Fang Senyan would never allow such a thing to happen.

Therefore, as soon as he finished utilizing the water flow, he immediately discarded it! This showcased the unpredictable nature of Fang Senyan's mind, manifesting on the battlefield as endlessly shifting tactics.

Watching the water level slowly drop, revealing ugly sludge, murky puddles, and twisted root systems, Fang Senyan pointed to his side: "My Ramtas will head two hundred meters west. That is another exit to the Alien nest. Ramtas is responsible for collapsing it."

"Mr. Hadrik, the enemy has a small chance of erupting from that small island to the south. But if that happens, whoever escapes will be a dying prey. So I need you all to aim carefully, but do not engage in melee. Closing in with them would be pure suicide."

"There will be three guns aiming at that spot constantly, Sailor. But I must remind you that for at least Peng Si and me, while these monsters are powerful, they don't necessarily pose a threat to our lives."

Fang Senyan detected the arrogance in Hadrik's tone, so he sidestepped the issue, merely nodding to him: "Then, now, let’s move! We retrieve our Homunculi, collect the spoils, certainly inventory the collections of the Raging Beasts and the Aliens, and finally, don't forget to search for any potential Soul Equipment. Then, we depart."

Walking shoulder-to-shoulder at the very front was Bokan. Circles of yellowish-brown ripples appeared beneath his feet—a spell akin to an aura, the inverse of his 'Fossil to Mud' ability. It consumed very little MP but transformed the ground within a twenty-meter radius around Bokan into solid earth, ruthlessly squeezing out the moisture.

This demonstrated the power of Bokan's talent; he could command the essence of any earth material at will, making it change its nature like a pet. Furthermore, Bokan only needed minimal magical cost, and his equipment was carefully selected, mostly featuring attributes like 'reduced casting consumption,' allowing one ability to be maintained for a very long time.

The characteristic of earth is thickness, resilience, and indestructibility; Bokan strived to embody these traits. Fang Senyan also realized that this man should have held a second-in-command, blue-collar role within the team, focusing on support over offense.

With this individual present, the strategic planning options branched into infinite variations. What Bokan sought was likely a role that remained permanently secure, regardless of who led the team.

The group quickly entered the caverns beneath Ludao, treading upon the rapidly solidified ground. The cavern walls were coated in a substance resembling cement, created when the volatile beasts chewed up their scales and the bones of their prey, mixing them with their saliva and mud to plaster the walls.

This material acted much like waterproof concrete, providing reinforcement. Now that the water had receded, tapping the surface with a fingernail produced a hard, hollow clink. Since the cavern air had just been flooded after the water withdrew, there was no sense of rot or suffocation, only a faint, watery scent.

Because the cavern was spacious, Paul's Iron Golem led the way, its heavy steps crushing the ground with loud cracks. The mud, which had just been magically solidified, showed signs of reverting to its original state. Bokan couldn't help but frown, increasing the frequency of his casting to prevent the Iron Golem from destroying his work.

Soon everyone realized that having the Iron Golem lead was quite wise, as enemies would occasionally leap out to ambush them and slow their progress. However, these attacks almost invariably landed on the Golem.

The enemies that appeared, without exception, were Legendary-grade volatile beasts, acting like servants brainwashed and nurtured by the Aliens, resolutely defending their territory and safety.

Regrettably, while Legendary creatures were powerful, the template of an individual volatile beast was too weak. More critically, they all fought independently, possessing zero awareness of coordination. In other words, every single volatile beast was effectively engaging Fang Senyan's pack of fierce, wolf-like brutes in a one-on-one fight.

The inevitable conclusion was failure and death.

Thus, after penetrating two hundred meters beneath Ludao, a large, crude sack was draped over the shoulder of the silent, cold Iron Golem.

The sack looked terribly cheap, fashioned from recycled slippers, discarded car tires, condoms, and other refuse. Its construction was incredibly haphazard. In fact, for the weak constitutions of future humans, the scent emanating from this bag would likely be detrimental to their health.

In reality, this type of bag was typically used aboard Alpine Base No. 7 by cleaning robots for final waste packaging. Its sole reason for existence was that it was thick, large, and sturdy enough.

Blood continuously seeped from the inside out, the sack containing the corpses of three Legendary volatile beasts. If these bodies were pieced together, one might even consider selling them to Contractors who practiced necromancy.

Regardless, they were the corpses of Legendary creatures—prime research material.

But just then, Paul expressed slight astonishment: "Why—why do I have this feeling??? We aren't in a parallel world; we aren't in the future, are we?"

He suddenly shouted: "This, this is the sign of a dimensional portal opening!!!"

Paul’s words instantly put everyone on guard. Fang Senyan, unflappable in crisis, immediately gave decisive orders: "Bokan, lift us to the surface immediately! Aldaris, deploy Energy Shields. Caster Contracters, activate Magic Shields. Form up around me and the Iron Golem, find cover!"