The Radiant Alliance's forces soon caught up, reaching the dilapidated wall outside the Old City District.

Their footsteps halted in unison.

"Captain, what do we do? That kid seems to have run inside."

"Should we... should we chase him in too?"

A young team member's voice trembled, and cold sweat seeped from his palms gripping his weapon.

He had heard that the Old City District was teeming with mutated beasts, and their Ranks were not low. With their small team, a single mistake could lead to their complete annihilation.

The squad leader, a burly man with a ferocious scar on his face, furrowed his brows into a knot and spat fiercely.

"Damn it! That kid, he sure knows how to pick a place!"

He was well aware of the dangers of the Old City District.

But the higher-ups had given a death order: they had to bring that man named Yasuo back, alive or dead!

"What's there to be afraid of!" Another team member, trying to muster courage, cheered himself on, "The mutated beasts inside are only around Rank twenty. As long as we're careful and don't provoke those Bosses, we'll definitely get out unscathed!"

The scarred Captain's eyes were gloomy, a hint of ruthlessness flashing within them.

"No matter what, we have to go in and see!"

"That kid is only Rank ten. Entering the Old City District is no different from seeking death! Maybe by the time we find him, he'll already be a cold corpse!"

He took a deep breath, then sharply waved his hand, his voice carrying an undeniable resolve.

"All of you, brace yourselves! We're going in! I refuse to believe he can sprout wings and fly away!"

"Yes!"

Despite their apprehension, with the Captain's order, seven or eight elite members of the Radiant Alliance could only steel themselves, clambering over the mottled wall and entering in single file.

Inside the Old City District, shattered walls and broken ruins were overgrown with weeds.

The air was filled with a strange smell, a mix of decay and blood. Towering abandoned buildings, like silent giants, cast large shadows, adding to the eerie and oppressive atmosphere.

This was a paradise of death.

Yasuo, carrying Jasmine, moved through this ruin, where silence and danger coexisted, as if walking on flat ground.

His steps were light and swift, always precisely finding the safest footing, avoiding loose stones and hidden traps.

The Smart Core AI operated at high speed, digitizing the surrounding environment, constantly analyzing the optimal path forward and avoiding potential threats.

Jasmine clung tightly to Yasuo's broad back, her small face pale with tension, her large eyes vigilantly scanning her surroundings.

The several scout spirit eagles she controlled, like loyal sentinels, continuously circled ahead and to the sides, providing real-time information back to Yasuo.

"Boss! Thirty meters to the front-left, around that corner, there are three rotten corpse dogs! Their Rank is probably around twenty-two!" Jasmine's voice was very low, with a hint of urgency.

Upon hearing this, Yasuo's body showed no pause.

He lightly tapped his toes on a broken wall, and his body floated up like a weightless feather, silently gliding over the top of a dilapidated billboard on the other side.

Below, the characteristic low growls of the rotten corpse dogs, and the "shushing" sound of their claws digging at the ground, were clearly audible.

Yet, they never discovered that their target was quietly passing over their heads.

"Phew..." Jasmine let out a long breath, her small hand gently patting her rising and falling chest.

"Boss, you're amazing! You even managed to dodge that!"

Yasuo remained silent, continuing to navigate the complex ruins.

Suddenly, Jasmine's voice became urgent again, this time with a noticeable tremor.

"Boss! Straight ahead! Underground... something is coming from underground! It's so fast! Its size... its size is enormous!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Before she finished speaking!

"Boom!"

The street pavement not far ahead suddenly collapsed, sending shattered rocks and dust flying into the sky!

A giant python, its entire body covered in dark green, hard scales, and as thick as a water barrel, suddenly burst out from underground!

On its huge, triangular head, a pair of murky yellow vertical pupils gleamed with cold, bloodthirsty light, and its crimson forked tongue flickered in and out, emitting terrifying "hissing" sounds.

【Subterranean Stalker LV26 (Elite)】

【Health: 28000 / 28000】

A Rank twenty-six elite mutated beast!

The Subterranean Stalker suddenly opened its enormous, blood-red mouth, large enough to swallow an elephant, and a foul, stinking gust of wind rushed towards them, striking like lightning straight at Yasuo to bite him!

Jasmine was so frightened that her face lost all color, turning instantly pale. She instinctively closed her eyes and screamed.

"Ah—!"

However, the anticipated violent impact did not come.

She only felt Yasuo's body suddenly sink, then move sideways in an incredible dodge.

The giant python's gaping maw almost grazed Yasuo's shoulder, biting fiercely into empty air!

"Crack!"

A dilapidated wall nearby was shattered by its bite, bricks and stones scattering everywhere!

Yasuo didn't even look back. A flash of lightning appeared at his feet, and Lightning Rush was activated with ferocity!

He, with Jasmine, instantly darted dozens of meters away, disappearing into the shadows of another alleyway in a few rapid movements.

The Subterranean Stalker, its attack missing, angrily thrashed its enormous tail, smashing the surrounding broken walls and ruins with a resounding crash, filling the air with dust, but its target was long gone.

After a long while, Jasmine, still shaken, opened her eyes, finding herself safe.

She looked at Yasuo's steady, mountain-like back, her eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster, and an indescribable sense of admiration.

"Boss... you... you're simply inhuman..."

Such footwork, such judgment, it was simply unbelievable!

Yasuo's tone remained calm, carrying a peculiar rhythm: "Do not panic, just follow me."

An unknown amount of time passed.

As night quietly fell, draping this silent ruined city in an even deeper darkness.

Zhou Huai slowly awoke from his soft bed.

He opened his eyes, and his first action was to share all of Yasuo's memories.

"Heh, the Zhou Family's movements are indeed quite fast." Zhou Huai's lips curled into a cold smile, but there was no fear in his eyes.

He had expected the Zhou Family to retaliate for that good-for-nothing Lu Qi, but he hadn't anticipated their actions would be so swift.

He had just finished the dungeon, and their forces were already deployed around Clear Water Lake.

Fortunately, the Smart Core AI's actions were ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) decisive enough. Under heavy encirclement, it managed to carve out a bloody path, successfully escaping, and plunging headfirst into this dangerous Old City District.

"Next, it's up to my operation."

At this moment, Yasuo, with Jasmine, was hiding in a dilapidated two-story building, taking a temporary rest.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze turning to Jasmine, who was still shaken next to him.

"Use your spirit eagles to see if anyone from the Radiant Alliance has entered the vicinity."

Jasmine was slightly startled upon hearing this, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Huh? Why has Boss's way of speaking become normal again?"

However, now was clearly not the time for such thoughts.

She quickly nodded, summoning her scout spirit eagles, allowing them to silently merge into the night, circling high into the sky.

A moment later, Jasmine opened her eyes, reporting with a solemn expression: "Boss, a small team has indeed entered. There are nine people in total, and it looks like they are searching for us. Their current location is to our southwest, about two hundred meters away!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai's lips curved into an amused smile.

"Oh? They actually dared to chase us into the Old City District?"

"Since you're so eager to die, then don't blame me!"