Volume One, Chapter 20: Good Heavens! Do the Aliens Have Their Own Hannibal Too?

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[Name: Optimization Medal]
[Level: 20]
[Quality: A-Grade]
[Affix: Comprehensive Optimization]
[Comprehensive Optimization: Absorbs free energy from the surrounding space to continuously activate the Optimization Medal, releasing specialized optimization energy to perform continuous, comprehensive optimization on Beast Tamers of level 20 and below.]

In layman’s terms, wearing this medal makes you stronger! Any Beast Tamer below level 20 who wears it will receive continuous, all-around improvements. However, after Lin Yao casually pinned the medal to his clothes, he immediately understood why such an overpowered affix only carried an A-grade quality.

The reinforcement effect it provided him was not quite "better than nothing," but it was practically non-existent! If not for the fact that his [Attribute Multiplication] talent was in effect, he would not have felt the medal's influence at all. Lin Yao concluded that for a "turkey" like himself, this piece of equipment was the definition of "tasteless to eat but a pity to discard"—a useless trinket.

Still, it could provide some marginal utility when used by him. To put it in an awkward analogy: if he needed to save a million, this medal could only spit out ten cents every second. While he could technically reach the million mark over time, the efficiency was far too low. The only thing that consoled him was that under the effect of his [Attribute Multiplication] talent, those ten cents became a dollar every second. This was the only thing that kept the medal from being completely useless.

Lin Yao hung the medal on himself and continued to lead his team forward. Or rather, he let the team clear the path while he followed behind. Currently, his ten Shadow Werewolves were dispersed to scout, leaving only Zhu Zhihan by his side. During the trek, Lin Yao did not forget to use his [Shadow Beast Taming] talent to "mass-produce" troops. After his Beast Tamer level reached 10, the only type of Shadow Beast he could create using shadow energy remained the Shadow Werewolves. This left Lin Yao feeling slightly regretful. Having discovered the clear shortcomings of the Shadow Werewolves, he was eager to obtain a Shadow Beast capable of long-range attacks.

"Huh?"

Just as Lin Yao was deep in thought and "mass-producing" his eleventh Shadow Werewolf, he suddenly discovered an alien camp through the shared vision of one of his scouts. He then carefully observed the encampment through the eyes of the Shadow Werewolf in the front line. The dangers of a hazard zone are not uniform; the further one travels from the city, the more perilous it becomes. Ordinary Beast Tamers usually wouldn’t dare to target an alien camp when acting alone.

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Lin Yao’s situation was unique; he was a one-man army. He could surround an entire alien camp by himself. Therefore, after a brief observation, Lin Yao decided to strike.

Inside the camp, a crowd of Green Demons were gathered, reveling. They were huddled around a boiling cauldron, waiting for the "delicacy" inside to cook. Two Green Demon centurions were busy with the cooking. One of them acted like a "Salt King," grabbing a pottery jar of salt and dumping it into the pot with reckless abandon. The other was wildly chopping various ingredients with exaggerated, savage knife skills.

Green Demons were not picky; anything containing energy could become their meal. At this moment, the cauldron contained exotic beasts, tamed beasts, and even human Beast Tamers. Various fruits, vegetables, and even poisonous mushrooms were tossed in. However, Green Demons possessed extremely high toxin resistance; to them, those poisonous mushrooms were merely seasonings.

"Gurgle, gurgle—"

The soup in the large iron pot churned and boiled, and the surrounding Green Demons couldn't help but swallow their saliva repeatedly. But they were fated never to be full today. Before they could even start their meal, Lin Yao appeared in their camp.

The moment Lin Yao materialized, the Green Demon centurion who had been playing the "Salt King" immediately shouted a warning to his companions in their bizarre tongue:

"Sass! Sass!"
"Gaw-gaw-gaw!"

Lin Yao couldn’t understand a word of their gibberish, but that didn't stop him from acting. With a wave of his hand, he decisively ordered the eleven Shadow Werewolves to attack the camp.

"Kill all these aliens!"

As the Shadow Werewolves sprang into action, Zhu Zhihan also launched her assault.

"Zzzzt—"

Amidst flashes of countless electric sparks, Zhu Zhihan conjured a long sword wreathed in golden lightning from thin air. It was clear that her "Lightning Driving and Electric Manipulation" skill had multiple modes.

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Not only could she summon golden lightning spears to descend from the sky for righteous judgment, but she could also knead spheres of annihilation lightning, triggering explosions comparable to high-yield thermobaric bombs. She could even manifest a dragon-shadow sword wreathed in lightning to charge into the fray herself. Lin Yao was certain that his Zhihan had truly grown. Before, when she wore the 9-centimeter high heels and the premium office skirt suit identical to those of President Han Yanran, she had been somewhat uncomfortable. Now, even while wearing those 9-centimeter heels, she could charge in with her dragon-shadow sword to slaughter the Green Demons.

This camp was commanded by two centurions, and a full complement should have been twenty-two Green Demons. Perhaps one had been killed, or for some other reason, Lin Yao only saw twenty-one. In truth, even without Zhu Zhihan, these Green Demons were no match for level 10 Shadow Werewolves. With a super-combat unit like Zhu Zhihan joining the fray, the battle was one-sided from the very beginning. Zhu Zhihan cut through them like a knife through butter, killing as she moved. These level 15 and 16 Green Demons couldn't even block a single swing of her sword.

Just as Zhu Zhihan and the Shadow Werewolves were enjoying the slaughter, Lin Yao unexpectedly discovered the entrance to a cellar. The cellar had been converted by the Green Demons into a dungeon. Upon entering, Lin Yao immediately understood why there was one Green Demon missing; the absent one was busy inside the dungeon.

Inside, two aliens of other races, two male Beast Tamers, and one female Beast Tamer had already been hacked to pieces by this creature. It was unclear whether the remains were to be discarded or served as the next meal for the Green Demons. When Lin Yao entered, he saw this "Hannibal" Green Demon preparing to vivisect the final surviving girl.

The girl’s shrill, terrified screams were so intense that the "Hannibal" Green Demon neither heard the commotion outside nor noticed the uninvited guest in the dungeon. Lin Yao didn't have time to overthink; he quickly used his talent to check the creature's data and prepared to strike. However, to his surprise, he discovered that this thing wasn't a Green Demon at all, but a cruel and cunning Shapeshifter!