Chapter 701: Chapter 464: Blood for Blood, Fang Zhou’s Backing, Silver Reinforcements! (New Year Celebration)

A bald-headed mage specializing in the Shaping Series. Such a distinctive feature... I know who they are now! They’re the Fox Tail Bandit Group, a bunch of gutter rats.

The Fox Tail Bandit Group has been around for a long time. Their former leader was a Bronze Upper Assassin Professional. They were the main culprits when the Fierce Beast Mountain Range was in chaos, causing everyone to live in fear. Later, under our crackdown, the Fox Tail Bandit Group fell apart and was gradually eradicated. Now, only these scattered remnants are left, clinging to life after narrowly escaping. Even so, each of them is a desperado who lives on the edge, and their combat power is not to be underestimated by those of the same tier.

"How did you manage to kill two of them and escape unscathed from their encirclement of twenty people? As expected of an elite cadet from the Sea City Military Academy. You’ve left me in awe."

Fang Zhou offered a few humble words without explaining too much. He was aware of his own monstrous capabilities. If it were Lu Hu, Su Xinyan, Shen Hongyu, or other instructors from the Sea City Military Academy, they might have been more accepting. However, a conventional Silver Professional like Shen Zhongyun had never seen a heaven-defying prodigy like Fang Zhou, who could challenge those of higher tiers and fight a hundred enemies alone. A little shock was understandable.

After communicating his real-time coordinates and future plans to Shen Zhongyun, the man gave him a few more reminders. "Fang Zhou, rest assured, I will be there soon. It’s a huge advantage that you can track them. This time, I want to round up all these remnants in one go so they can no longer wreak havoc in the Fierce Beast Mountain Range. However, you must always remember not to be careless. Maintain a safe distance from them."

Only after repeatedly assuring Shen Zhongyun that he wouldn’t act rashly and get discovered by the Fox Tail Bandit Group did Fang Zhou end the call. In truth, even without Shen Zhongyun’s warnings, Fang Zhou had no intention of acting on impulse and doing something as reckless as taking on Bronze Tiers. He was a noble Undead Mage, after all. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he could simply request support and overwhelm them with superior numbers. Why bother getting into a bloody, close-quarters brawl where everyone gets hurt?

Glancing at the light in the sky above the mountain range, Fang Zhou patted the tail of the Black Gem Young Dragon, Tiamat, instructing it to use its Dragon Spiritual Sense to follow the breath marks it had left, circling far behind the bandit group.

The moment of revenge has come!

「...」

Neither the Knight Commander nor the bald-headed mage from the elite bandit group ever anticipated that Fang Zhou, who had just escaped their encirclement, would come back to strike. Although they were worried that Fang Zhou would report them and bring about a crackdown from the officials of Beast Fighting City, they never imagined that he was already shadowing them like a phantom, ready to repay blood with blood. Because of this, the group’s tracks were quite obvious. Even though Fang Zhou was about half an hour behind, he could easily follow their trail.

Along the way, Fang Zhou killed any small animals he encountered and turned them into small skeletons. The vital signs of these small skeletons were extremely faint, making them virtually undetectable and perfect for simple reconnaissance. Fang Zhou didn’t follow too closely. The Dragon marks Tiamat had left on them wouldn’t dissipate anytime soon. All he needed to do was hang back at a safe distance and wait for Lieutenant Colonel Shen Zhongyun to arrive with support.

He followed them for the better part of the day, tracking the trail left by the Fox Tail Bandit Group and occasionally spotting the Fierce Beasts they had killed. The corpses of these Fierce Beasts, stripped of their most valuable parts, were casually discarded. Fang Zhou didn’t mind; he simply had the Corpse Warriors absorb the remains. From their earlier clash, it was clear that the combat professionals of the Fox Tail Bandit Group had excellent Four-dimensional Attributes, making them prime material for creating Corpse Warriors.

Especially that brazen Bronze Knight. I haven’t personally made a Bronze-level Artificial Undead yet. Let this Knight Commander be the first lost soul under my command.

「...」

Unknowingly, night fell. By this time, the members of the Fox Tail Bandit Group had ventured deep into the mountain range. Exhausted after a full day of hunting and fighting, they decided to set up camp.

"Baldy, set up the array. We’ll make do here for the night," the Knight Commander said nonchalantly after scouting the surroundings.

"Alright."

The bald-headed mage said little, turning to begin his work. He took a large Array Core for a Protective Array from his Space Equipment and placed it in the center of the campsite. As he inserted a Magic Stone, the Protective Array activated, raising a shield that enveloped the entire camp.

Observing from a distance, Fang Zhou couldn’t help but admire their caution. As expected, robbers fear being robbed themselves. This bandit group, so fond of ambushing others, is terrified of being ambushed while they rest.

If it were just him, a Black Iron Upper Undead Mage, this situation would have been difficult to handle. A portable Black Iron Tier Defense Array was not to be trifled with. Even for a portable version like this, which could be carried in Space Equipment and had significantly reduced protective effects, the shield it generated would still be quite strong. Of course, better protection and a stronger shield meant higher energy consumption. A fully activated, complete Black Iron Tier Defense Array would require nearly one hundred Magic Stones per hour just for maintenance. If attacked, it would consume even more to replenish the shield’s energy.

The Defense Array the Fox Tail Bandit Group was using was almost certainly not a complete version, but a simplified one. How much could they possibly earn from one trip? They couldn’t always find suitable targets to rob; most of their time was spent earning a meager living hunting Fierce Beasts. Thus, they could only carry a simplified Defense Array. The Shield Value of such an array wouldn’t be particularly high, and in a low-power mode, the Magic Stone consumption would be relatively low. With a Black Iron Mage meditating nearby to supply energy, they would likely only use ten to twenty Magic Stones overnight. The expense was worth it for the peace of mind it brought.

But unfortunately for them, they’ve encountered me, the avenger. I’m backed by Shen Zhongyun, a Silver Strong Upper Rank Shadow Walker. The attack power of a Silver Tier Magic Professional is in a different league entirely.

「...」

The night deepened and the dew grew heavy as the moon climbed to its zenith. Except for a Forest Wanderer on watch, the rest of the Fox Tail Bandit Group had retired to their tents and sleeping bags. Just then, Shen Zhongyun, riding a summoned Dark Night Eagle, arrived and successfully met up with Fang Zhou.

After a slight nod and a quick exchange of information, Shen Zhongyun narrowed his eyes and cast one of his Detection Skills, carefully observing every leaf and blade of grass in the Fox Tail Bandit Group’s encampment. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Despite being a Silver Upper Rank Summoner who could easily crush his opponents, he still placed great importance on pre-battle intelligence.

After confirming the enemy’s positions, Shen Zhongyun gave Fang Zhou a tactical hand signal, indicating the start of the operation. He then began casting, runes forming around him as he summoned several Silver Tier Shadow Puppets. At his side, Fang Zhou summoned his forty-plus Corpse Warriors once more.

The Shadow Puppets, formidable summoned creatures from the Shadow Realm, stood about three meters tall around Fang Zhou. They retracted their natural glow, appearing like eerie, silent warrior statues. Under the moonlight that filtered through the leaves overhead, their cold armor radiated an even more chilling aura.

On Shen Zhongyun’s command, five of the Shadow Puppets led the charge of Corpse Warriors to encircle the bandits’ camp, while the remaining three stayed behind to personally protect him and Fang Zhou. With the force of a thunderbolt, they prepared to sweep through the enemy camp.

I can’t let this revenge be anything less than perfect.