Chapter 52: Black Dot

On the Radar interface, Su Chen had only seen three types of dots: blue, yellow, and red. But just now, he discovered a peculiar dot - a black dot. This was the first time he had seen a black dot, and he was curious about its meaning.

Su Chen asked the system, "System, what does the black dot mean?"

The system replied, "Master, the black dot represents the unknown. It could be a very special environment, a treasure, or even a powerful Mutant Beast."

Intrigued by the unknown, Su Chen decided to investigate the black dot. He instructed Ju Ling, a super soldier, to lead a hundred lightly armed soldiers to check it out. Their goal was to determine what the black dot represented and bring back anything beneficial to the base while avoiding unnecessary danger.

Ju Ling was a long-range attack type of super soldier but was skilled in melee combat as well. Unless the soldiers encountered Mutant Beasts that they couldn't handle, Ju Ling would let the soldiers deal with the threats themselves. Their combat power ranged from Third-order Peak to Fourth-order Peak, and Ju Ling had temporarily postponed their promotion tasks to ensure the base's overall strength.

Su Chen monitored Ju Ling's progress through the Radar interface. He noticed a red dot approaching Ju Ling's team but decided not to intervene. Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to test Ju Ling's strength and assess her abilities as a super soldier.

Ju Ling carried a two-meter-long gun called the Soul Slayer, which grew stronger as her own strength increased. As they neared the black dot, Ju Ling suddenly sensed danger and halted her team. Everything around them seemed calm, but Ju Ling knew something was approaching rapidly.

Reacting swiftly, Ju Ling fired a bullet from her gun with great force. In an instant, a distant scream followed by silence indicated her success in eliminating the threat. One of the soldiers retrieved the body of a Sixth Order initial stage Mutant Beast and a fist-sized energy crystal.

Reporting to Ju Ling, the soldier said, "Vice Commander, this is a Sixth Order initial stage Mutant Beast, confirmed dead."

Ju Ling instructed the soldier to dispose of the creature on the spot and ordered her team to continue their mission after five minutes. Following Su Chen's rule of frugality, they would bring back valuable Mutant Beasts unless there were exceptional circumstances.

Witnessing the power of a super soldier for the first time, Su Chen was astonished by Ju Ling's weapon and her ability to defeat higher-ranked enemies. He pondered on her strength, realizing that a Sixth Order Mutant Beast had fallen at her hands.

However, a question arose in Su Chen's mind. How did the Sixth Order Mutant Beast suddenly decide to attack Ju Ling and her team? The answer remained unknown.

Su Chen had overlooked a crucial factor. Humans could enhance their strength by consuming Mutant Beasts, and vice versa, Mutant Beasts could also enhance their strength by consuming Transcendents like Ju Ling.

"Ju Ling is a Fifth-order Peak Transcendent. For a Sixth Order Mutant Beast, she is a prime delicacy. Consuming her would greatly enhance its strength. Moreover, the beast believes it can easily overpower her, which is why it excitedly rushes towards her," Su Chen realized.

Unfortunately for the Mutant Beast, Ju Ling swiftly shot it dead before it could even get close. It was a testament to Ju Ling's skill as a long-range attack super unit. If one kept their distance from her, they wouldn't even comprehend how they met their demise.

With a single shot, Ju Ling dispatched a Sixth Order Mutant Beast. The Red Alert Soldiers, witnessing her strength, remained composed, devoid of any shocked expressions. It seemed they were already aware of Ju Ling's capabilities.

After five minutes, the team divided the Sixth Order Mutant Beast's remains among themselves, packing the meat into their backpacks. They planned to consume it as food to enhance their own strength.

Gradually, the team approached the black dot indicated on the radar. As they arrived near the marked location, Ju Ling surveyed the surroundings cautiously, her senses alert. However, she found nothing out of the ordinary, as if everything was normal in the area.

Trusting the radar's judgment, Ju Ling knew that if a black dot was marked, something abnormal must be present. Her mission was to investigate this area and prevent any unforeseen incidents.

Ju Ling ordered the soldiers to spread out and meticulously search the area. These soldiers were the cream of the crop, possessing formidable abilities in all aspects. Yet, despite their efforts, they discovered nothing.

"Commander, we haven't found anything. Please provide further instructions," the soldiers reported.

Su Chen closely monitored Ju Ling's situation. However, when he attempted to zoom in on the black dot on the radar, the entire area turned black, as if a cloaking device was activated.

This cloaking device created a black curtain that obscured the view, rendering the radar useless in detecting what was transpiring inside.

Nonetheless, there should have been a distinction between the cloaking device's effect and Ju Ling's team. As they were his units, Su Chen should have been able to see what was transpiring. Yet, to his dismay, he couldn't see anything, except for their continued communication.

Just as Su Chen pondered the next course of action, Ju Ling's voice came through once again: "Commander, we have encountered a situation."