Chapter 123: The King of Great Xi Has Arrived!

"Boss, let me finish off that bird!"

Before Shamo could react, one of his subordinates stepped forward, aimed his assault rifle at the myna in the tree, and opened fire.

*Bang!*

The myna was startled and took flight. "You idiots, do you think you can ambush me with those fire sticks?"

"It didn't die?"

The subordinate continued firing.

"You ignorant fools, just wait. I'll call someone to deal with you right now."

Dodging the bullets, the myna zipped away. Having driven the bird off, the subordinate looked quite proud of himself. Shamo watched the myna fly away without saying much. "Let's move out."

His subordinate was always a sharp shooter, yet he had missed twice in a row; it was clear that this black myna was far from ordinary. They headed back to their base on snowmobiles. The area felt ominous, and Shamo sensed that the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it became.

However, less than ten minutes into their drive, they heard the shrill, cursing voice of the black myna above them.

"You bastards, you think you can just ambush me with your fire sticks and get away? Do you really think you can escape after trying to kill your master?"

"Golden Eagle, get them!" the myna squawked from the sky.

"..."

The Golden-Winged Eagle, having been dragged out of its nest, was seething with rage. *Damn it*, it was almost night, and the nights were freezing. Even though it was cold-resistant, this was ridiculous. Did they have any idea how cold the nights were? But it couldn't afford to provoke the myna, so it had no choice but to kill these people.

The Golden-Winged Eagle dove toward the dozen or so people on their snowmobiles.

"Danger!" Shamo shouted.

Before his warning could even fade, the eagle caught up.

*Slash!*

Two snowmobiles were shredded by the eagle's wings and exploded. The four riders were thrown into the snow, screaming and wailing. They had each lost a leg, cleanly severed by the eagle's razor-sharp feathers. The snow was stained a deep, crimson red.

The survivors reacted quickly. The drivers accelerated while the passengers fired at the eagle. The bullets struck the creature’s feathers, making nothing but a metallic clanging sound.

"Boss, the bullets can't pierce its feathers!" a subordinate shouted in terror.

"Caw, caw, caw! You pathetic wretches think you can break my brother's defense? Keep dreaming!" The myna circled above, taunting, "Hey losers, if you’ve got guts, stop running!"

Shamo opened fire with his submachine gun, but other than forcing the eagle to retreat for a brief moment, he couldn't cause it any real damage. This was terrifying. How could such a ferocious mutant animal exist here?

At the same time, Shamo felt a deep loathing for the subordinate who had shot at the myna earlier. *Damn it!* Did he not see the bird? Did he not hear it cursing? Was he not angry? But he hadn't even fired a shot. If that subordinate hadn't already been thrown from his vehicle in the first wave of the eagle's attack, Shamo would have happily emptied a magazine into him.

He was nothing but a liability. They had already lost so many people on this scouting mission, and now this idiot had brought this crisis upon them by provoking a mutant bird of unknown power.

*Damn it!* Shamo was furious, but it was too late now.

"Hey losers, don't run!" the myna continued to mock them.

Shamo noticed that no matter how fast they drove or how quickly the eagle chased, the black myna always managed to fly ahead of them to taunt them. Being able to summon the Golden-Winged Eagle and possessing such speed—the black myna was the truly terrifying one.

"Listen up, you runts. You aren't getting away," the myna jeered. "Do you know? Back when the Vulcan Base still existed, they were all just rations for my little brother here. You’re not even as good as the Vulcan Base, so just be good little snacks for him. Caw, caw, caw!"

Shamo felt a chill. On one hand, he realized the terrifying strength of the eagle; on the other, he learned that the Vulcan Base had been destroyed. Had the 1,000-plus people they sent there all died for nothing?

*BOOM!*

As he thought this, another snowmobile was destroyed by the eagle.

"Don't push your luck!" Shamo radiated a dangerous aura. Sensing this threat, the myna paused its taunts, but the eagle’s aura surged—it seemed to have sensed an extremely delicious meal. In fact, it preferred the taste of ability users, especially powerful ones, over ordinary humans. Shamo was exactly its type.

The eagle had been annoyed when the myna dragged it out, but now, seeing Shamo as a delicacy, its attacks became even more ferocious. Within two swoops, Shamo's snowmobile was destroyed, his driver was killed, and he was sent crashing into the snow, covered in blood, his assault rifle ruined. As for the other subordinates, they had already fled without looking back.

"Boss Shamo, we'll go get reinforcements!" one of them shouted.

*Bullshit.* Shamo didn't believe for a second that they would bring reinforcements. He drew his master-forged steel saber, gripped it with both hands, and stared coldly at the Golden-Winged Eagle circling above.

The myna chirped, "You dog, that blade of yours looks like something."

Shamo glanced at the myna. "I suggest you take the win and leave, or I'll drag one of you down with me when I die."

The myna screeched, "Caw, caw, caw! You actually threatened to kill us? That’s hilarious!"

"Then come and try," Shamo said.

The myna was about to retort when it suddenly shot into the sky. "Let's go, let's go! These bastards are nothing, they actually called someone even tougher!"

The Golden-Winged Eagle didn't understand what was happening, but it followed the myna's lead. Even so, it was a split second too slow. In the distance, a figure exuding a towering bloodlust strode forward, whipping up layers of snow. Suddenly, a flash of red light flickered, and the eagle bled across the sky as several golden feathers rained down.

"Damn! I told you to run! You just keep bringing me trouble." In the nick of time, the black myna flashed like a dark shadow, doubled back, and grabbed the eagle to help it escape at high speed.

Shamo looked at the god-like figure in shock. He knelt on one knee, saber in hand. "Lord Daxiwang!"

Daxiwang glanced at the sky. "Go back."

Two hours later, Shamo, having treated his wounds, sat down at Daxiwang’s stew table.

Daxiwang said, "There's meat in the pot. Help yourself."

Shamo didn't stand on ceremony; he ladled out a bowl and, ignoring the heat, finished it in seconds. "Lord Daxiwang, I’ve scouted most of the intel toward the Vulcan Base. The people we sent yesterday died from poison; I checked their camp, and it seems they ate poisoned rabbit meat. The men I took today were poisoned after eating the corpses. The Vulcan Base has been destroyed by an unknown force. Currently, I know there is a talking myna and a bulletproof Golden-Winged Eagle in this area. The myna is hiding its strength; it should be more powerful than the eagle. That's all."

After finishing his report, he ladled out another large bowl and wolfed it down.

Daxiwang pondered for a few seconds. "Tomorrow, we launch an all-out attack on the Four Seas Base."

...

"My Lady, My Lady! The bird is hurt, please save it!" The myna arrived in front of the villa with the Golden-Winged Eagle.

Su Miao opened the door and saw the massive eagle at the myna’s feet. It had looked so majestic and heroic the last few times she saw it; she hadn't expected it to look so pathetic after just a few days.

"Bring it inside," Su Miao said, stepping aside.

The myna grabbed the eagle and flew onto the living room floor. There was no helping it; the eagle was too large to fit on a table. The eagle was still conscious, its eyes filled with caution and fear as it looked at Su Miao.

"Behave yourself! Do you want the Lady to save your life or not?" The myna gave the eagle a kick.

Su Miao examined the wounds. They were concentrated on the left wing, which was riddled with holes, and the flesh had begun to freeze and rot. It had to be cleared away immediately. She didn't know whether to thank the extreme cold or curse it; without the freezing temperatures, the eagle might have already died of infection.

"Don't move. I need to remove the dead tissue, or I can't treat it. Don't struggle later, or I might accidentally kill you."

Su Miao took a dagger from her magical space, infused it with magic, and began cleaning the wounds. Along the way, she pulled out various vials and jars to collect the eagle's dripping blood. These were excellent materials for alchemy, and very rare.

The myna stood in front of the eagle, staring it down to keep it still. The eagle was in agony and tried to struggle several times, but each movement only caused more wounds and more blood loss. Seeing the vials filling up, the eagle felt extreme terror. How much more blood did this lady want?

"Done." Su Miao looked at the removed tissue, then raised her hand, forming a large sphere of water that enveloped the eagle. With the help of the water sphere, the eagle slowly floated into the air.

The sudden change made the eagle struggle again.

"Don't struggle, or it won't heal straight," Su Miao warned.

The eagle stopped moving. It could feel its wounds healing. However, Su Miao’s gaze made it feel terrified. Su Miao was observing the wounds; they were closing at a speed visible to the naked eye, the rate of regeneration tied to the concentration of magic she injected into the water sphere. This was valuable experimental data.

However, she discovered a serious problem.

"Myna, how did you end up hanging out with this thing?"

"My Lady, it was that day, when you blew up the Vulcan Base. The eagle and I hit it off and became friends." The myna sounded a bit guilty.

Su Miao looked at the eagle, then at the myna. It would be a miracle if she believed that. "How did it get hurt?"

"My Lady, it’s like this. I was on routine patrol today and saw a few hundred cannibals west of the Volcano Base," the myna recounted vividly. "Those cannibals had eaten the corpses of the ones who died from poison yesterday, and then they died too. A dozen or so survived, and they didn't like me, so they shot at me. Just then, the eagle showed up and dove in to help me beat them up. With a few strikes, it crushed them. But then, a much scarier guy showed up, and before he even arrived, he severely wounded the eagle. That’s about it, My Lady."

Su Miao glanced at the eagle. When the myna mentioned its "heroic" act, the eagle's expression changed noticeably. Based on what she knew of the myna, she could guess the whole story: the myna had mocked the survivors, the survivors got angry, and seeing how many there were, the myna brought the eagle in as muscle—only to run into someone truly ruthless.

*Hiss.* Su Miao suddenly remembered: the Golden-Winged Eagle could fight Zheng Kaicheng, the leader of the Vulcan Base, for hundreds of rounds. If it was severely wounded in a single exchange by this cannibal, just how strong was this person?

*Scary.* She hoped these cannibals wouldn't find this place.

She dissipated the water sphere. Seeing the eagle was mostly healed, she let it land on the floor. "Rest here for a day; you can leave tomorrow."

Su Miao stored all the eagle's blood in her magical space, then pulled out a large bed and placed it in the center of the living room for the eagle to rest. The eagle climbed onto the bed obediently and let out a few soft cries.

"It says thank you, My Lady!" the myna translated.

Su Miao looked at the myna. "Mm, that’s fine."

Now that she had the eagle's blood, she needed to see what potions she could brew. Just as she was about to leave, she spotted several golden feathers on the floor and collected them as well. She remembered that *Magic Studies* contained a recipe for a Transformation Potion that required the blood and fur/feathers of an animal as the main ingredient. Perhaps she could research that. If she ever encountered difficult terrain in the future, she could just drink the potion and fly over it.

Back in front of the fireplace, Su Miao couldn't wait to open *Alchemy*. She quickly flipped to the method for mutant potions. After reading the list of magical materials required, she fell silent.

She was missing a few ingredients.

She would have to brew it later. The day was already dark, and it was time to eat. Su Miao took out her electric stove, connected it to the generator, and prepared for hot pot. A few minutes later, the aroma of beef hot pot drifted through the air.

"My Lady, mine, mine!" The myna grabbed its bowl, reminding her.

How many times was this? It was heartbreaking.

Su Miao ladled a bowl of mushroom soup for the myna and added a slice of beef. "Don't worry, I didn't forget you."

*Really?* The myna wanted to ask but didn't dare.

Su Miao ate her beef, feeling her mood brighten. She had been feeding the field mice and rabbits the vegetables and tomatoes from Garden B for several days; she was sure she’d have results soon, and then she’d have plenty of fresh vegetables to eat! The thought was exciting.

As for the cannibals, she thought of a better solution: planting trees along the path they had to take. That would definitely solve the problem!