The wilderness was silent except for the faint crackle of broken branches and the labored breathing of the Flame Team members as they stirred awake. One by one, they blinked their eyes open, faces pale, sweat dripping from their temples. The nightmarish illusions of the Azure Horned Python still clung to their minds—phantoms of death, fire, and endless despair.
"Urgh…" Chen Guo, the team's gunner, pushed himself up, shaking his head. "That illusion… I thought I was already dead."
When his vision cleared, he froze. Not far away, the gigantic body of the Azure Horned Python sprawled across the ground, blood pooling beneath it. The horn atop its head, which had glowed so fiercely before, was now dull and cracked.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The sight was too surreal.
"It… it's dead?" one of the twin brothers in the Flame Team muttered, rubbing his eyes as if afraid this was another illusion.
The entire group staggered to their feet, gathering around the corpse with disbelief written across their faces.
"Impossible…" Chen Guo's hands trembled as he adjusted his rifle. "This was a High-level Beast Soldier! It should've taken all of us fighting at our limit just to stand a chance. How—how did this happen while we were down?"
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The Twins Reveal the Truth
Luo Feng and Luo Zheng stood a few paces from the python, their expressions calm, almost too calm.
"We killed it," Luo Feng said simply, his tone steady.
Every Flame Team member turned to stare at him in stunned silence.
"You… what?" one of them managed to choke out.
Luo Zheng extended his right hand. Instantly, a dozen dark-red flying knives shot out from behind him, circling through the air with lethal grace. Each blade shimmered faintly, glowing with restrained power. With a single thought, the knives spun forward, slicing cleanly across the python's belly.
Shhiiiing!
The sound was chillingly precise, like metal cutting silk. In one smooth motion, the serpent's thick scales parted, blood spilling in controlled streams instead of messy bursts. The knives danced back into formation, hovering in the air like trained hawks awaiting their master's command.
"This…" a Flame Team member whispered, his voice trembling. "So clean… so fast…"
Not to be outdone, Luo Feng's silver-edged flying knives shimmered into existence, carving effortlessly into the python's hide. Between the two brothers, the massive beast was being dissected with terrifying efficiency, far faster than blades in human hands could ever manage.
The Flame Team stood frozen, awe and unease mingling in their eyes. They had suspected the twins were strong—but this? This was the work of psychic warriors, people whispered about but rarely ever saw.
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Ranks Explained
Chen Guo finally broke the silence, his voice low. "This… was a High-level Beast Soldier. A creature like this usually takes several Senior Fighters to bring down, and even then, casualties are almost guaranteed."
He glanced at the brothers, then at the corpse, his mind racing. "To think you two… you're psychics. No wonder."
Another member asked cautiously, "Wait—so what does that mean for power levels?"
Chen Guo inhaled deeply and explained, almost like a teacher:
Human Fighters: Quasi-Warrior → Primary Fighter → Intermediate Fighter → Senior Fighter → Advanced Fighter → Warlord → God of War.
Beasts: Beast Soldier ↔ Fighter level. Beast Commander ↔ Warlord level. Beast Lord ↔ God of War level.
"This python was among the strongest of Beast Soldiers. The two of you killing it… it's unthinkable for normal fighters."
One of the twin brothers in the Flame Team muttered, "Then it has to be their psychic power. Without it, even a dozen like us couldn't have done this."
Luo Zheng and Luo Feng exchanged a glance but said nothing. They let the team believe that it was purely their psychic ability, never revealing that their physical strength had already reached Senior Fighter and beyond, while their spiritual force placed them closer to Primary Warlord.
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Harvesting the Beast
The dissection continued. Under the guidance of their flying knives, every valuable piece of the python was stripped with surgical precision:
The glowing horn, priceless and worth billions, famed for brewing potions that strengthened the human mind against illusions.
The tough hide, thick and resilient, suitable for forging advanced combat armor.
The fangs and venom sac, rare components sought after by weapon smiths and alchemists.
Within half an hour, what should have taken the Flame Team hours of grueling labor was completed cleanly and efficiently.
The Flame Team members watched, their awe growing with every slice of the hovering knives.
"With them… we could survive anything," one whispered.
Another frowned, unease flickering in his eyes. "Or… we could all die if they ever turned against us."
But neither Luo Feng nor Luo Zheng gave any indication of malice. Their faces remained calm, their hands steady, as if killing and butchering a High-level Beast Soldier was nothing extraordinary.
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Respect and Unease
When the last piece of the python was packed into containers, the Flame Team couldn't hold back any longer.
"You two…" Chen Guo's voice carried both respect and wariness. "I've fought with many warriors before, but never with psychics. What you showed today… it's something else entirely."
One of the team's twins added with a nervous laugh, "Yeah, you've completely outclassed us. I don't know whether to feel lucky or scared."
Luo Feng smiled lightly, easing the tension. "Don't overthink it. Out here in the wilderness, all that matters is staying alive. We're teammates—your survival is ours as well."
His words disarmed much of the suspicion, and the Flame Team nodded slowly. Still, the image of those flying knives cutting through the python's scales lingered in their minds, leaving behind both admiration and fear.
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System Rewards (Secret)
As the group prepared to haul the parts, Luo Zheng's vision flickered faintly.
> Ding! Mission Complete – Azure Horned Python Slain
Rewards:
– Gene Evolution Technique ×2
– Comprehension Card (Lv.1) ×2
Luo Zheng's lips curled ever so slightly, but he quickly masked the expression. He glanced at his brother, already planning how to pass one set of rewards to Luo Feng without arousing suspicion.
He trusts me completely. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves, Luo Zheng thought.
---
Reflection – The Law of the Jungle
As they finished storing the beast parts, silence fell over the group. The wilderness stretched endlessly around them, every shadow a potential death trap.
Luo Feng looked at the python's massive corpse one last time, his eyes hard. "This world… there are no real laws out here. It's kill or be killed. That's the only rule that matters."
Luo Zheng met his brother's gaze, his dark-red eyes glinting with quiet resolve. He said nothing, but his thoughts mirrored Luo Feng's.
The Flame Team gathered their equipment, still whispering among themselves, casting cautious glances at the brothers who had just proven themselves capable of slaying a beast that should have been beyond their reach.
As they marched back with their spoils, the bond of the team had shifted forever. Respect, awe, and fear all tangled into one unspoken truth:
The twins were not ordinary warriors. They were predators in a world ruled by predators.
And the jungle had just acknowledged them.
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