Cow Foot Valley

After half a day, the ship was still moving sluggishly along. It was slowly descending now, though, and Han Sen made sure to look out the window. The ship was in the process of landing close to a mountain.

As they got closer, Han Sen saw that they were landing in a valley. When Han Sen looked down, however, a strange sight met his eyes.

The valley was shaped like a large hoofprint, and the mountain near it had been cut at an angle of ninety degrees.

"Cow Foot Valley. There's a xenogeneic here?" Long looked out and frowned.

"Long, you know this place?" Han Sen looked at Long. Suo Tu and Kun did so as well.

Long said, "I used to live in a city near Cow Foot Valley, and I frequently visited here. The legends say a Noble once rode a green cow here, but a xenogeneic tried to provoke the Noble. The Noble ignored the creature, and the green cow stepped on it. The xenogeneic and the mountain were crushed beneath its hoof, thus giving the valley its shape. The Noble continued on his way, atop the green cow, leaving behind a purple mist in his wake. It remained there for three days."

"Some villagers believe that the presence of that Noble still resides there and that the xenogeneics will never dare to go close again. Many people moved close to the valley, gathering into a town that was aptly called Cow Foot Town. It looks like the Noble isn't able to protect them anymore, though, considering that a xenogeneic has now come."

Everyone sighed after hearing the story. Han Sen thought the story seemed odd, though. The Noble mentioned sounded very familiar to him. It sounded like someone from the Alliance.

The ship came to rest in the valley, and all the soldiers disembarked the airship and lined up in front of it.

Weapons like guns wouldn't work on xenogeneics, so they were going to rely on melee weaponry. Aside from their geno armors, they were each given a shield and a metal sword. They had a flaregun on their waists, but they weren't intended to be weapons. They were for giving a signal whenever the xenogeneic was found.

Han Sen finally saw the Black Gold hunting group's Noble now, too. He walked toward the captain. He was a middle-aged Kate man, and his ears and tail were yellow and white.

The captain referred to him as Mister Tiger. The captain and Mister Tiger directed the team towards a nearby town.

Before Han Sen reached the entrance, he saw a few corpses scattered around a field. They were the deceased residents of the town. They were all Kate, and they were all in gristly pieces. Many had their heads wholly cut off. It was a very bloody and gruesome sight.

Han Sen examined their wounds and determined they had been killed by something's claws.

"Nine-Life Cat said he was not welcome in the geno universe. Is he a xenogeneic, maybe?" Han Sen wondered to himself.

Han Sen didn't think Old Cat did this, though. He didn't seem bored enough to attack random villagers, and the claws seemed different from those he possessed.

"Follow and maintain formation!" the captain shouted, ushering them all on.

Xenogeneics powerful hunters and formidable assassins. Unless you had an advantage, finding them was impossible.

After entering the town, the entire group had goosebumps. Blood, viscera, and severed limbs were everywhere. The town was an ugly depiction of hell.

Even young toddlers had been torn apart

"D*mn!" Long shouted angrily.

Suo Tu did not say anything, but gripped his sword tight with contempt.

Han Sen could now understand the helplessness that commoners might feel when pitted against a xenogeneic. Not even geno armor could defend against their claws. Only the Noble's could, most likely. That was common knowledge.

Mister Tiger brought them through the town, but they were unable to locate their culprit. He spoke to the captain, and the captain ordered the group to split up into smaller groups, so they could search in a variety of directions.

Mister Tiger thought the xenogeneic had to still be hiding in the valley. If that was the case, then they'd have to kill it.

Now was the time when soldiers like Han Sen came into play. Back Gold Group would use its grunts to smoke out the xenogeneic, so Mister Tiger could be the one to kill it. The soldiers were expendable.

Han Sen's team was searching to the south-west. They maintained formation, holding their shields to the side. They approached their designated locale slowly.

None of the soldiers would risk their life for the others. The shields they used were tough, but they'd only survive a few strikes before breaking, at the most

Han Sen pulled out his Northern King Glove and put it in his pocket. His Spell geno armor was not as powerful as the glove. The glove was a geno weapon. It was a Noble's item.

Han Sen figured it was probably low level, but he couldn't use its full power regardless.

The soldiers continued to walk past scenes of horrific violence, but they couldn't be distracted by the cruelty. Otherwise, they'd end up just like the townspeople.

Han Sen was very focused, and although his Dongxuan Aura could not go very far, he felt he was all-around better than the other soldiers.

Pang!

They moved forward slowly, but suddenly, there was a gunshot from the north. The wind carried the noise of gunshots and the sound of people shouting.

"Found it! Everyone head for the north-west sector." The communicator sounded with a voice.

The captain acknowledged, then instructed the group to turn.

But all of a sudden, Han Sen paused. He detected a shadow bolting through an alley, headed right for Suo Tu.

Suo Tu was facing the captain, so he was unaware of the shadow coming right for him.

"Careful!" Han Sen shouted. He ran in front of Suo Tu, but it was too late to pull the man away. Instead, Han Sen sent a kick into Suo Tu's back before leaping away himself.

The black shadow went right past Han Sen and Suo Tu, almost touching them. When everyone heard it, their faces changed as they screamed, "Xenogeneic!"