With a bang, not long after, the corpse of a Kamura-type creature fell from the sky and landed at the cave entrance.
Yuan Jiao suppressed his movements to the lowest possible level and went to the cave entrance to inspect.
Seeing that the Kamura-type creature's entire body had only a single cut mark on its neck, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Feeling a wetness on his front paw, Yuan Jiao looked down to see a puddle of drool. He stopped dwelling on it, opened his mouth, bit down on the Kamura-type creature's spine, and walked into the mountain cave.
*Crackle! Squeak! Whoosh! Mmm mmm mmm...*
A series of tearing and swallowing sounds echoed, lasting for a short time before quietly ending.
*Bang!* A spirit deer fell from a high altitude.
Yuan Jiao came out again to inspect. It was another fatal blow to the neck.
Li Fan saw that Ye Ye had become familiar with the mission flow and began to take turns with the team on watch duty.
After all, once the Hundred-Beast Night Invasion began, they would have to participate in the defense of the city. Facing a surging tide of monsters, they couldn't afford to be without sufficient rest.
Time ticked by, and Dilu, holding the binoculars, found her eyelids growing heavier.
"Ye Ye is so amazing, meow! The corpses at the cave entrance are piling up... Ah! They're piling up!"
Dilu, sensing something was wrong, suddenly jumped up.
While hunting efficiency was always good, the sight of seven or eight monster corpses piled at the cave entrance would make anyone feel that something was amiss within.
At this moment, Ye Ye, carrying the corpse of a poison dog dragon, flew overhead.
"Ye Ye! Don't drop it anymore, meow!"
Dilu, camouflaged with a green leaf net, waved her paws on the ground to remind Ye Ye.
Ye Ye swooped down to the side, and Dilu tried to mimic Li Fan's actions, using gestures and words to convey the meaning.
Ye Ye, who seemed to understand but not fully, tilted her head and listened for a long time. Carrying the poison dog dragon corpse, she hopped into the bushes.
"That's right, meow! Otherwise, the monster corpses piling up together are too conspicuous."
Dilu approved.
*Goo goo!* Ye Ye, understanding the intent, flew to the cave entrance and began to drag away the piled-up monster corpses one by one.
The first time was fine, the second time was fine, but on the third time, as she was dragging a Kamura-type creature's corpse backward.
The moonlight was suddenly obscured, and three large shadows converging together enveloped Ye Ye.
Ye Ye slowly looked up, her crimson eyes filled with shock.
"Huh? Ye Ye has been led into the cave by Yuan Jiao, Lei Ge, and Xi Xi!"
"Yes, meow! Hurry and think of a way to save Ye Ye!"
Dilu grabbed Li Fan's arm and cried out.
"It should be fine. Two of these three brothers are our own. Ye Ye is definitely safe."
Li Fan climbed out of his sleeping bag, took out his handheld game console from his backpack. Ye Ye's pixelated icon was trembling slightly, one wing raised to cover her beak.
After checking her status, he found more negative status effects than usual: one was fear, and the other was stench invasion.
Where did the stench come from... Oh, three five-star monsters eating, drinking, and defecating inside, it would be strange if it didn't stink.
This reminded him that there must be someone in the village defense force who could identify the smell of the Magnamalo's feces. He needed to find the Great Ape to help cover it up.
Before long, the Great Ape cautiously poked its head into the cave entrance, sniffed the strong odor wafting out, and nodded with a hint of approval.
*Puchi! Puchi!*...
With a little effort, yellow mist soon billowed from the cave entrance.
"Good. Once the Magnamalo's scent is masked, even the most diligent village defense force won't be able to investigate... Alas, why is there wind?"
The wind blew through the forest, bending the trees slightly.
Li Fan pressed down his hair, which was being tossed about by the wind, squinted his eyes, and looked up, noticing a not-so-small problem.
The yellow mist, which had been dispersing upwards, was now being swept by the wind and all rushed into the cave entrance.
"Great Ape, stop! If you continue, there will be trouble."
Li Fan quickly shouted.
The Great Ape, squatting in the gale, sniffed, stood up, and quickly fled.
Seeing the yellow mist continuously pouring into the cave, Li Fan's expression grew increasingly grim.
However, when he took out his handheld game console to check, the result surprised him.
Lei Ge, Xi Xi, and Ye Ye had indeed suffered severe stench invasion, but their emotions were surprisingly stable.
Perhaps they had gotten used to the smell and developed resistance?
Li Fan, combining his own feelings, made this inference.
Not long after, Yuan Jiao emerged with his head held high. He glanced back into the cave before suddenly lowering his head and retching by the bushes.
Sensing Lei Ge, Xi Xi, and Ye Ye emerging from the cave, Yuan Jiao immediately raised his head and returned to normal.
*Roar...*
Ye Ye took flight into the air, and Yuan Jiao let out a low growl.
"What did Yuan Jiao say, meow?"
Dilu, who was crawling, asked Li Fan beside her.
"He said... 'Fourth brother, keep it up.'"
The next day, the weather was clear, and preparations for the city defense battle were still underway.
The team began to scout the terrain of the Emerald Forest Fortress.
This had two benefits: first, if a dominant monster led the charge, the team could quickly reach the pass to intercept.
Second, it allowed for the creation of a more feasible plan for capturing Yuan Jiao.
Li Fan spoke with the village defense captain and learned that even dominant monsters usually only reached the second pass.
The reason was that although dominant monsters led the monsters, they did not engage in desperate battles. As long as they didn't give the enemy a chance to climb the city walls, they had a high probability of repelling them.
Li Fan immediately recorded this information in his notebook.
"As expected of the Chief Hunter, he even records information related to city defense."
Watching the team depart, the village defense captain couldn't help but sigh.
The morning was spent on field investigations, the afternoon on researching capture plans, and by evening, two preliminary plans were finalized.
In the makeshift tent on the city wall's rampart, Dilu, flipping through the plans Li Fan had written, grew increasingly confused.
"Plan One: Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu, Plan Two: Infernal Affairs... What do these mean, meow?"
Li Fan, eating, swallowed a piece of beast meat and explained, "Yuan Jiao's ultimate goal is the same as other monsters in the Hundred-Beast Night Invasion, but his behavior is the opposite. It's as if he's intentionally causing trouble. I learned from the village defense captain during the day that Magnamalo not only troubles the village defense force but is also disliked by the monsters. There have even been instances of three-way battles in the past."
The village defense force feared Magnamalo for two reasons: first, its leaping ability, which allowed it to jump over ghost fire clusters, posed a significant threat to the top of the city walls.
Second, Magnamalo's rampant slaughter, while driving away the monster tide, caused panic among lower-star monsters, leading to uncontrollable diversions.
This was very detrimental to a city defense battle that relied on concentrated firepower.
Li Fan drank a mouthful of thick soup and continued his explanation.
"If a dominant individual appears, my plan is to guide the three brothers to engage the dominant individual. The dominant monster leads so many monsters, and its combat power is extraordinary. I think the three brothers will not be its match. When Yuan Jiao is in a tough fight and his life is in danger, our team will make its appearance."
"What a creative plan, meow! What about Infernal Affairs?"
Dilu inquired.
"This plan is more insidious. If there is no dominant individual in this Hundred-Beast Night Invasion, Xi Xi will launch a heavy blow from behind Yuan Jiao when he is in his most desperate situation. Lei Ge will then step forward to cover Yuan Jiao's escape. Afterward, we will appear, pretending to hold Lei Ge hostage and threaten him. At that time, Yuan Jiao, out of loyalty, will most likely surrender willingly."
"This... it feels like fate is being controlled, it's too terrifying, meow!"
Dilu felt a pang of pity for Yuan Jiao.
"These are just preliminary plans, and there's still much to research... To be safe, let's find a way to include Wan Pi."
Li Fan immediately had new prospects.
He went to the observation post far from the cave entrance to relieve Yudora.
Late at night, Yuan Jiao came out for a walk and to retch.
After a day of adaptation, the yellow mist's effect on him was gradually lessening.
As he walked past the cliff edge where he often took strolls, Yuan Jiao suddenly noticed a Rathalos lying on the ground below.
Yuan Jiao leaped lightly from the cliff top and approached the feigning-death Wan Pi, circling and observing him.
*Roar...*
Confirming there was no threat, Yuan Jiao let out a low growl.
Wan Pi slightly raised his head, coughing out two puffs of black smoke, appearing extremely weak.
In normal circumstances, this would have been a gift from nature.
But Yuan Jiao remembered his constantly growing team. With a few climbs, he returned to the cliff top.
Before long, Xi Xi and Lei Ge both came out and, without making a sound, dragged Wan Pi into the cave.
The next day, Li Fan returned to the tent to rest after his shift. He hadn't slept long before Dilu rushed to find him.
She said a Dragonite was circling her, but she couldn't understand what it was trying to convey.
Li Fan rushed to the scene and, through interpretation, learned that the spirited Yuan Jiao, feeling the team was so powerful, wanted to change their hiding cave.
They were originally planning to act at the second pass, but now they were temporarily moving to the first pass to ambush.
"Change caves? Your infiltration hasn't been exposed yet, and you're gaining more capable subordinates. I'm the one carrying the burden for you."
Li Fan was helpless.
The monsters at the first pass were indeed the most numerous, but because they hadn't been attacked by the city defenses, they were in their best condition.
Therefore, the difficulty of hunting would greatly increase.
Furthermore, the most important point was that the first pass was designated to be breached in the city defense plan.
This meant that the time the monster tide gathered before the first pass was extremely limited.
The second pass, with its narrowed terrain, was the one the village defense force had to hold at all costs. If the monster tide reached the third pass, it would be a matter of survival for Yanhuo Village.
No one was willing to take that risk.
Therefore, the extended retention time before the second pass provided ample guarantee for the capture plan.
After all, the areas outside the passes of the Emerald Forest Fortress were not too narrow in terrain.
In the complex environment of a surging monster horde, only a long period of gathering would create conditions for the three brothers to fight a dominant individual.
"I need to find a way to stop Yuan Jiao..."
Li Fan mused, stroking his chin.
Although he seemed reluctant, Lei Ge followed Yuan Jiao along the mountain path and sneaked to the first pass to observe the situation.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
Listening to the continuous rumbling sounds, Yuan Jiao grew increasingly confused.
Finding a high vantage point and looking towards the first pass, the scene before him stunned Yuan Jiao.
Inside the caves on the mountain surface, fire raged.
At this moment, cannons on the top of the pass wall were still adjusting their positions and conducting continuous bombardment.
"To witness a Mizutsune and a female Rathalos hiding in a cave... I don't know if the forward posts failed to detect and report, or if the monsters have opened a new route. It's truly perplexing."
The village defense captain, who was directing the attack, was feeling very confused at the moment.
*Roar!* Seeing this, Yuan Jiao let out a fierce roar and turned to retreat.
The hiding cave at the second pass.
In the faint yellow mist, on one side of the rock wall, Lei Ge, Xi Xi, Ye Ye, and Wan Pi stood in a line.
*Roar! Roar!*.... *Roar!*
Yuan Jiao paced back and forth, his forearms spewing ghost fire, his wing-like arms constantly swinging, appearing extremely angry.
"What is he saying, meow?"
Dilu, whose head poked out from the side of the cave, asked Li Fan.
"Yuan Jiao says there's a traitor among us, and he must find out today. If we can't prove ourselves, we'll have to resort to bloodshed."
Li Fan, who was peeking, translated.
Yuan Jiao stopped in front of Lei Ge. Lei Ge tilted his head, appearing very determined, while guiding the remaining few Dragonites to fly around him.
It was as if to say, my Dragonites have been greatly depleted due to infiltration, isn't that enough proof?
*Roar...*
Yuan Jiao let out a slightly moved growl, then moved to Xi Xi's side.
Xi Xi let out an indignant growl, swinging its electrified claw tail in front of him.
*Buzz!* A jade-green battleship blade emerged from its crown, illuminating the entire cave in green.
Then, it raised its crown high and slashed towards the claw tail.
*Chirp!* Yuan Jiao, unafraid of the electric sparks emanating from the claw tail, placed a front paw on it.
*Roar...*
Facing Xi Xi's tail-slashing proof, Yuan Jiao gave an approving roar.
When he reached Ye Ye, Ye Ye first met his gaze for a moment, then slightly spread its wings, its body swaying in a discernible manner.
Yuan Jiao's fierce scrutinizing gaze gradually became dazed.
*Roar... Roar....*
"Yuan Jiao actually praised Ye Ye for being handsome... It's not a traitor, it seems to have been hypnotized."
Li Fan said with some surprise.
"Ye Ye is very handsome, meow... Uh! What's going on!"
Dilu jolted awake, shaking her head, feeling that she had been affected by watching too intently.
Next, Yuan Jiao came to Wan Pi.
Wan Pi pondered for a long time but could not give a response.
Seeing this, a sharp glint appeared in Yuan Jiao's eyes.
*Roar! Roar!*...
"Among the monsters that caused the disturbance at the first pass, there was a female Rathalos. How do you explain that?"
After translating, Li Fan could only helplessly take out a Poké Ball, preparing for a rescue.
*Roar...*
Wan Pi opened its mouth and let out a tentative roar, which stunned both Li Fan and Yuan Jiao.
"What did Wan Pi say, meow?"
"Wan Pi said his wife, Xiao Bendan, also wanted to join. She got lost on the way and accidentally caused the disturbance because she was unfamiliar with the environment."
*Roar! Roar*....
Yuan Jiao roared to the sky, appearing very pleased.
"Why so happy, did he agree, meow?"
Dilu asked excitedly.
"No, he told Wan Pi to divorce as soon as possible, saying that the female Rathalos would only hinder Wan Pi's further progress and distance him from completing his mission."
"What a peculiar individual, meow."
Dilu sighed lightly.
"Perhaps he was hurt too deeply in the past, but the more such Magnamalo individuals are, the easier it is for them to reach the herd."
Li Fan informed her.
*Roar!* Wan Pi raised his head, and his roar immediately became serious.
Clearly, even as an undercover agent, he would not compromise.
Lei Ge sighed helplessly at this, but Yuan Jiao didn't seem to mind, simply letting out a dismissive roar and ending the investigation.
Zhao Lala reminds you: Remember to collect after reading.