Chapter 513: 380
"Lion, what do we do now?"
Even though the hunting team was surrounded by the Bug Race, the person who spoke was still very calm, and there was no hint of panic on his face.
Upon hearing his teammate’s question, Zachary glanced at the other team members and noticed that most of them were very composed, showing no signs of panic; only a few had expressions of fear, but as they saw the calmness of the others, their own panic seemed to subside.
After hearing his teammate’s inquiry, Yara looked around at their situation for a moment, then after a brief hesitation, he directly said to everyone, "Safety first, let’s return to the surface for now."
Then he addressed the Martial Artist who had been by his side, "Third Brother, can you take the lead?"
Upon hearing Yara’s question, the Martial Artist known as Third Brother didn’t speak but slung his firearm over his back and drew two machetes from behind him, silently moving from the front of the team to the rear without a word.
"Follow me."
As soon as he spoke, Yara’s Third Brother, with a machete in each hand, charged toward the Soldier Bugs at the end of the group.
Even though he held somewhat heavy machetes, his movements were incredibly agile. He moved fluidly through the gaps among the Soldier Bugs, and wherever he passed, Soldier Bugs were cleaved apart by his twin blades.
With Third Brother clearing the way, the other hunting team members followed closely behind Yara, who was not far behind Third Brother.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to stick close to Third Brother as they withdrew, but every time Third Brother swung his machetes, it seemed as if invisible blades of energy formed, even if they couldn’t be seen.
But the hunting team members following him could vividly sense the presence of such energy from the way he cut a path through the bugs in front of them.
Unlike others who couldn’t see the blade energy, perhaps due to a different cultivation method, Zachary could actually see the energy blades.
Judging from the current level of combat, the person’s Martial Cultivation was at least at the mid-stage of the Energy Refining Realm. The standard for the Energy Refining Realm is the external release of Inner Breath, and the farther the Internal Energy Detachment, the higher the cultivation level within the Energy Realm.
With Third Brother leading, even when they encountered flame-throwing Flame Bugs blocking their retreat, he used only his machetes to chop off the heads of the Flame Bugs.
Since it was a strategic withdrawal, their pace of retreat was much faster than when they entered, many times over.
When everyone reached the surface without further incident, the Soldier Bugs did not pursue them but instead hid within the tunnels.
Seeing the Soldier Bugs halt at the entrance of the cave, Yara’s expression suddenly revealed a realization, "It seems I underestimated these bugs. I didn’t expect such a normally fool-like Bug Race to set up a trap, an ambush for us.
It seems that once the Brain Bugs appeared, the Bug Race is no longer the tactless and disorderly fool it was. This time it’s my fault; I didn’t consider everything thoroughly."
Hearing Yara’s self-reproach, another Martial Artist in the team immediately interrupted, "We aren’t hurt, are we? Besides, encountering emergencies during an outdoor hunt is normal, isn’t it?"
With someone speaking up for Yara, the others didn’t comment further.
That’s when another Martial Artist suddenly spoke up, "So what’s our situation now? Do we continue exploring below, or do we just pack up and go home?"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent, waiting for Yara’s answer.
As the initiator and organizer of this mission, Yara had also paid a considerable price to successfully assemble this team.
Disbanding was definitely not an option; everyone knew that to continue deeper into the Bug Nest, some tangible incentives were necessary to gain the wholehearted help of the others.
Just as Yara was about to make up his mind for another attempt, his communication device suddenly rang.
Seeing it was an unfamiliar call, Yara casually dismissed it, given that it was truly not a convenient time to answer a call.
However, amidst the continuous calling, Yara still answered the phone; after all, there wouldn’t be any spam or harassing calls at this time.
"This is the disaster prevention department from Kyoto, notifying you that your current area has been designated as a level ten danger zone. Please evacuate the area promptly.
Repeating the notification, your current area has been designated as a level ten danger zone. For your personal safety, please evacuate from the area immediately."
Upon hearing the danger warning from the other end of the phone, Yara couldn’t help but frown.
But before Yara could think much further, other team members’ phones also began to ring. The hunting team glanced at each other, then in an almost tacit understanding, picked up their calls.
The message they received was essentially the same as Yara’s, instructing them to evacuate from the hazardous area as soon as possible.
After everyone hung up, one of the Martial Artists said with contempt, "What do you think is the credibility of that call?"
Upon hearing this, another Martial Artist added, "What now, are we playing this game again? I wonder what they’re thinking. Haven’t they heard the story of ’The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ when they were little?
Some warnings can only be given a couple of times, and with such repetitive alerts, who’s going to continue believing them?"
After the Martial Artist finished speaking, it seemed as though Yara had finally made up his mind, and he directly said to the others present, "I’ve let it pass once before, but I don’t want to let it slide again.
