On the streets of the small town.
Lu Mei and Tang Yue exchanged glances upon hearing this, sharing a mischievous smile.
They loosened their arms that were linked together, stepped forward from both sides, and each embraced one of Lu Jun's arms. They gently leaned in and whispered sweetly, "Where do you want to go? Sister will listen to you."
Caught off guard, Lu Jun was suddenly enveloped by the warmth and softness of their bodies. Feeling the gentle touch on his cheeks and shoulders, a phrase instantly popped into his mind "cheese sandwiched between two slices of bread."
He could even smell the distinct, faint fragrance of each sister.
At that moment, Lu Jun froze in place as intense, burning, and even murderous gazes shot toward him from all directions.
"Hahaha."
They only hugged him briefly before letting go, watching as Lu Jun's ears turned red and his body stiffened. Seeing their little prank succeed, they covered their mouths and giggled.
Then, Lu Mei and Tang Yue walked ahead, their steps light and carefree, shoulders pressed together.
Lu Jun scratched his head and followed behind his two sisters.
Hic!
Behind them, Professor Yuan let out a full burp, feeling completely ignored. A wave of sadness surged within him he suddenly felt like an extra in the group.
Under Tang Yue's lead, the four of them passed through multiple military checkpoints and surprisingly entered the military base at Dongting Lake.
Inside the military conference room, a pair of strong-willed male and female officers stood side by side.
One was a ruggedly handsome middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, draped in a military coat, exuding an unrestrained aura. The other was a capable female officer with wheat-colored skin, a wild and alluring beauty a fiery and domineering woman.
Zhan Kong had already arrived early and sighed, "You two siblings… It's been over a year since we last met in Bo City, and I never expected both of you to have reached high-tier now."
The female officer beside him introduced herself warmly, "I am Li Man, the commander here."
Lu Jun glanced at her before looking at Zhan Kong with a questioning expression.
"She found out that we were coming and hoped we could take care of the Lizard Tribe and the Pseudo-Dragon Commander in Dongting Lake while we're at it," Zhan Kong shrugged and said. "Since the local leader has spoken, we can't refuse, right? Besides, we've gathered so many experts here it wouldn't hurt to handle this on the side."
Hearing this, Li Man smiled and clarified, "This is completely voluntary. I won't force anyone. Your own missions take priority. No matter what, our military appreciates your efforts."
Lu Jun glanced at Zhan Kong. This guy acted as if he was reluctant, but in reality, his body was being completely honest he was clearly eager to wipe out the Giant Lizard Tribe.
Without hesitation, Lu Jun said, "It's fine, we have enough strength to help."
Currently, all three of his magic elements Metal, Curse, and Psychic were stuck at bottlenecks, eagerly awaiting an opportunity for advancement. Earning more money was never a bad thing, and hunting a Pseudo-Dragon Commander could be quite lucrative, even if the spoils had to be shared among five people.
Li Man showed a grateful expression. "Thank you all. If you need any military support, just ask."
At times, hunters could be troublesome, but when used strategically, they greatly contributed to human expansion and city defense.
Lu Jun wasn't shy about making requests. He asked the Dongting Lake military to deploy personnel to monitor the surroundings. If any suspicious "allied forces" appeared, they should be informed immediately.
He wasn't sure exactly when Lu Nian would arrive. In the original story, Mo Fan and his team had trained for over ten days before their team fell apart and they prepared to leave only then did Lu Nian appear.
Now, Lu Jun had no interest in enduring the rainforest's poisonous bugs just to babysit a few unfamiliar students. What he cared about was Lu Nian's Demon Element and his friend Mo Fan. He wasn't going to follow them around all the time.
It was much more comfortable to sit back at the base, eat snacks, drink tea, and wait for the critical moment to take action.
Thus, military assistance was necessary it saved a lot of trouble.
Li Man readily agreed.
On the other hand, Professor Yuan and Zhan Kong were more concerned about the safety of Mo Fan's group. The former, as a senior from the Imperial Capital, was worried after hearing Lu Jun mention the fallen and expelled Experimental Troops. He feared for his junior students' well-being.
Zhan Kong, on the other hand, had developed a deep bond with Mo Fan as his student and did not want him to fall into the hands of scum.
Every other day, the two would secretly check on them.
Elsewhere, Mo Fan and his team had entered the ruins of Jinlin City.
They first encountered a blockade of Cave Rock Golems inside a tunnel. After barely breaking through, they explored an abandoned skyscraper.
However, it turned out to be a giant mouth trap woven by the Advanced-tier warrior-class demon, Pseudo-Horror Vine.
If not for the sudden appearance of the Pseudo-Dragon Giant Lizard Commander, which devoured the Pseudo-Horror Vine in one bite, several team members would have died.
Even so, many were injured, leading to internal conflicts. Mo Fan used the excuse of better combat efficiency in solo action to leave the team alone.
After over ten days of data collection, the group decided to venture deeper. Along the way, they encountered Bewitching Water Demon Spiders, which finally caused the team to collapse into infighting and mutual slaughter.
By the time Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue managed to eliminate the threat, the team was already in disarray. They decided to retreat and return the way they came.
"These so-called top talents from this year's magic academies… they're far worse than you were,"
From afar, Professor Yuan watched the scene and shook his head in disappointment. He had often come to observe, and many times, he had been tempted to intervene but he held back in order to set a trap.
Beside him, Lu Jun, Lu Mei, Tang Yue, and the others were also present.
A few days ago, Li Man had informed them about a mysterious group of Enforcement Mages appearing near Dongting Lake, even equipped with Skyhawks.
Lu Jun figured the timing was about right, so he came along to wait.
With their skills, even an ordinary Commander-level creature wouldn't be able to sense their presence.
Soon, they turned their gaze toward the sky tiny black dots were approaching rapidly. Their eyes lit up Lu Nian had arrived.
Lu Jun scanned the surroundings five burly men were crouching in the grass, exuding murderous intent. He had to resist the urge to exclaim, What a perfect opening scene!
"Finally, you're here… Good thing I didn't give up!"
At this moment, Mo Fan and his team had no idea about the unseen forces pulling the strings behind their so-called training nor the elaborate schemes and power struggles in the shadows.
Several of them were heavily wounded, and arguments erupted among teammates.
Just then, Lu Zhenghe spotted the Skyhawks in the distant sky. Suppressing his excitement, he suggested, "Let's leave now."
Everyone was reluctant but had no choice. Supporting their injured teammates, they began making their way out.
Not long after, the group finally emerged from the ruined city, eager to return and enjoy a warm bath.
Just as they prepared to follow the railway tracks, figures emerged from the woods.
They wore uniforms similar in style to the Military Mages, but with distinctly different colors.
There were about thirty of them, each accompanied by a Snow-White Giant Hawk.
The hawks had strong, full chests, sharp eyes, and wings so long that they nearly dragged on the ground. When fully extended, they could easily span two meters!
The student mages felt an intense killing aura from these figures sharp, disciplined, and clearly not to be trifled with.
"Enforcement Mages? Are they here to rescue us?"
Seeing them, Bai Tingting and Jingjing excitedly asked.
However, Mo Fan, Zhao Manting, Song Xia, Mu Nujiao, and Mu Ningxue immediately sensed that something was off…