Utilizing the dense canopy of the surrounding trees, reaching the rooftop of the high-rise posed little challenge for Thien Anh's team. Though Thien Lang was technically a canine, his successive evolutions had rendered him as agile and perceptive as a black panther. He scaled the ancient trunks with ease before launching himself onto the terrace of the target building.
Thud.
Thien Lang stuck the landing gracefully. However, the moment his paws made contact with the peeling concrete, several dark shapes crawled out from the shadowed crevices.
These creatures were only the size of a human thigh, resembling common geckos in form, but their hides had undergone a total metamorphosis. Their skin was now gnarled and rigid, appearing like sheets of rusted corrugated iron, and their blood-red eyes glared with a predatory intensity.
Thien Anh instantly sensed the threat. Without a shred of hesitation, he leveled his weapon and squeezed the trigger in controlled bursts.
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
A curtain of lead slammed into the heads of the mutated lizards. However, a horrific sight unfolded: the submachine gun rounds were entirely repelled by that iron-like hide. The bullets could only lodge shallowly into the outer epithelium, unable to penetrate the interior. Even their eyelids were as hard as plate armor; as long as they remained shut, Thien Anh's firepower left nothing but faint scratches.
Though not delivering lethal wounds, the kinetic impact of the rounds still caused the monsters agony. They opened their maws in unison, emitting high-pitched shrieks that felt like they were shredding the very air.
SKREEEE! SKREEEE!
The high-frequency sonic waves sent Thien Anh's head spinning in a dizzying haze. Lam Linh, standing behind him, fared even worse; unable to withstand the vibrations, her stomach churned, leading to a fit of violent vomiting.
In her nausea, Lam Linh stumbled, nearly tumbling off Thien Lang's back. Fortunately, Azure Sky reacted with lightning speed, coiling her body around the woman to keep her from falling into the danger zone.
Recognizing the tactical disadvantage, Thien Anh swiftly vaulted off Thien Lang. With one hand supporting Lam Linh, he signaled his spirit beast with the other: "Mutt, finish them! I'll look after her."
Thien Lang let out a low huff. He understood that without the weight on his back, he was a true living nightmare. The wolf blurred into motion, employing the elite combat techniques Thien Anh had drilled into him. He didn't engage the lizards' long tongues head-on but utilized his superior velocity to evade, circling to their flanks before suddenly clamping down on their throats.
CRUNCH!
The hide that was as tough as steel plating—the same skin that had repelled bullets—shattered under the ton-force bite of a Tier-3 mutated beast. With a single snap, Thien Lang decapitated the first lizard. Viscous black blood erupted like a geyser, spraying across the rooftop floor.
Thien Lang didn't pause to watch the twitching carcass; he transformed into a grey phantom, systematically terminating the remaining creatures with absolute brutality and precision.
While Thien Lang cleared the battlefield, Thien Anh took the opportunity to deploy their gear. The control deck, surveillance monitors, and drones laden with bloody bait were quickly brought online. He placed total trust in Thien Lang's capabilities, especially with the silent support of Azure Sky.
The skirmish ended in less than a minute. As Thien Lang dropped the final monster, Azure Sky had already scurried over to 'claim her share' of the essence from the mutated remains. Despite Thien Lang's size and power, he always yielded to—and slightly feared—Azure Sky's feisty temperament.
Thien Anh paid little mind to the squabbling of his two beasts. He looked toward Lam Linh and signaled with his eyes. Lam Linh suppressed her lingering headache and offered a firm, determined nod in return.
They commenced the most critical phase: luring the Ghoul horde. Each of them controlled two drones, piloting them toward the areas with the highest monster density. From tactical experience, they knew they needed more than just position; they had to carefully calculate wind direction so the scent of blood from the bait could propagate effectively, striking the acute olfactory senses of the blind Ghouls.
This task demanded extreme concentration, as predatory aerial beasts often lay in wait to ambush the drones. And it was in this moment that Thien Anh truly had to recalibrate his view of his companion.
He had always perceived Lam Linh as somewhat frail and lacking in field experience. However, in this task requiring absolute manual dexterity, she proved to be entirely superior. The fingers of a trained surgeon operated the joysticks with uncanny smoothness and precision.
While Thien Anh made a slight oversight and lost one drone to the jaws of a camouflaged mutated gecko, Lam Linh's drones moved with fluid maneuvers, weaving through narrow alleys without taking a scratch. The result was staggering: Lam Linh had successfully lured a number of Ghouls ten times larger than Thien Anh's haul.
Looking down at the ocean of Ghouls—black as a swarm of ants—being led by the nose by Lam Linh, Thien Anh felt a wave of genuine respect wash over him. He realized he had been far too narrow-minded, judging a person solely by their gentle exterior.
Under Lam Linh's masterful piloting, an army of nearly ten thousand Ghouls had begun to shift direction, their rhythmic, heavy footfalls thundering toward Thai Binh Street—where thousands of One-Eyed Demons awaited a visceral, bloody banquet.