The moon breaking through the clouds remained eternal, perched silently in the sky, emotionless as wave after wave of Guides and Sentinels launched attacks against the Abnormal Species.
This might be just a small snapshot in the course of history, but for every person involved, it held a different meaning.
If the White Wolf Sentinel and his teammates were the vanguard—the first group to join the battle and break the deadlock—then Ning Li and her new teammates were the center, stabilizing the situation.
The large number of people who joined afterward were the defenders, tasked with cleaning up the remnants.
The undead summoned by Ning Li had already fulfilled their purpose and retreated.
The battlefield was scattered with flying sand and stones, and the ground was riddled with pits and craters caused by the Pearl Bullets.
Each pit was large and deep, a testament to the tremendous force behind them.
From the state of the battlefield alone, it was clear this had been a grueling fight.
Sentinels near the Clam Abnormal Species were bloodied and mangled, and countless different Spirit Entities floated in midair, raining down an endless array of talent skills upon the creature.
These various Spirit Entities lit up the silent night.
Fortunately, there were many of them, and no one was killed.
That was good news.
Wave after wave of Guides and Sentinels were still rushing over at full speed upon hearing the battle.
Long before the White Wolf Sentinel and his team launched their assault, countless people had been quietly observing the situation from the shadows.
Now, with the fight almost over, everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie.
The White Wolf Sentinel found an older Guide for his two teammates.
This Guide’s Spirit Entity was a kind of medicinal herb—
Bai Zhi.
In reality, Bai Zhi could cure headaches, and in the Sentinel world, it had the same effect.
This type of Spirit Entity could reduce the pain of Sentinels, helping them maintain a calm state of mind.
After confirming that the two unconscious teammates were fine, the White Wolf Sentinel planned to return to check the overall situation.
“Do you two want to come along?” he invited Ning Li and Yin Que.
Ning Li glanced at her new teammate and saw he had no intention of joining the chaos, so she politely declined.
After being refused, the White Wolf Sentinel didn’t insist and sped off alone toward the battlefield.
When he arrived, the battle was already over—humanity had won!
A tall, muscular female Sentinel was dividing up the spoils.
“All the brothers and sisters who have been quietly watching the battle know that killing an Abnormal Species isn’t the effort of one or two people.”
“If we divide the rewards according to contributions, the first group—the White Wolf team—will get about 10%. The second group, that guy who beat the Abnormal Species with his bare hands, gets 20%. The Black Shadow that appeared from nowhere deserves 50%. The remaining 20% will be split evenly among us.”
“How do you all feel about my distribution?” she asked loudly.
Her teammates were all female Sentinels—the entire team was women.
They fully supported her decision.
One teammate raised her fist and laughed loudly, “What objection could there be? One is one, two is two, and rewards should always be based on merit.”
“Whoever puts in more effort gets more!”
No one else disagreed.
This was a fair division.
They roughly estimated everyone’s contribution, and it did indeed align with the female Sentinel’s distribution.
The dozen or so who joined last would share 20%, which was reasonable since they were essentially picking up leftovers.
If it weren’t for those who held the front lines, they wouldn’t have survived without casualties.
In the end, they still profited.
The female Sentinel showed some regret.
“It’s just a pity we don’t know what that Black Shadow actually is.”
She was one of the few who witnessed the Black Shadow’s fighting style firsthand.
That shadow moved with the rhythm of ancient martial arts—each punch contained hidden power.
Although the moves appeared soft and flowing like water, the force behind them was immense.
She was certain it was ancient martial arts—the kind she had wanted to learn but never managed to master.
So, the 50% share must belong to that Black Shadow.
But she was also one of the few who saw the Black Shadow disappear abruptly.
Just as it had appeared suddenly, it vanished just as quickly, as if it had completed some mission—gone without a trace.
She had a hunch the Black Shadow hadn’t truly vanished, or rather, it continued to exist in a way beyond normal comprehension.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t learn more for now.
“If you trust me, leave your contact information. After I sell this Abnormal Species to the Abnormal Species Research Institute, I’ll distribute the reward proportionally. If you don’t trust me, you’re welcome to come with me to the institute.”
Some trusted her, some didn’t.
The White Wolf Sentinel happened to know this female Sentinel well enough to trust her—she was loyal and well-reputed—so he left his contact information without hesitation.
“The new guy who joined is with my teammate now. I’ll send you his contact details so you can add him,” he said.
“Sure,” the female Sentinel replied.
Then she asked, “Do you know what that Black Shadow is?”
The White Wolf Sentinel looked confused.
“What Black Shadow? I was busy finding a safe place for my teammates, so I really don’t know what happened after I left.”
Although disappointed, the female Sentinel wasn’t too surprised.
She waved her hand and exhaled heavily, “Forget it. If it’s fate, we’ll meet again.”
The Guardian was dead.
A safe passage opened inside the sealed Forbidden Zone.
At the exit, a rainbow stretched across half the Forbidden Zone, pointing the way out for those inside.
As long as they didn’t delve into the Forbidden Zone’s secrets or trigger its deadly conditions, it wasn’t so terrifying.
Ordinary people who came for the ten thousand Universal Coins had long been scared away, knowing the Forbidden Zone wasn’t a place for them.
Once the safe passage appeared, they all fled in groups under cover of night.
The young woman rescued by Yin Que joined them, clasping her hands together and softly saying “thank you” before stumbling away.
Those who needed to leave had left.
No matter what had happened, at least they all survived.
As long as they lived, they could exchange their rewards for ten thousand Universal Coins.
Ning Li watched as her new teammate exchanged contacts with the White Wolf Sentinel and heard that the new teammate would receive 20% of the reward.
She asked out of curiosity, “About how much is 20% worth?”
The White Wolf Sentinel roughly estimated the value of the Clam Abnormal Species and said, “About over 400,000 Universal Coins.”
Four hundred thousand!
Which meant she had lost a million Universal Coins!
The White Wolf Sentinel had just explained the distribution—
50% to the Black Shadow.
In other words, she had lost a full one million Universal Coins!
That money was enough for her to live out four years as a Guide!
If she didn’t expose her secret identity, it would truly be a loss.
Not revealing it was a real waste.
Her new teammate chuckled and leaned in, “I have her contact information here. So, none of your share will be lost.”
Ning Li pretended not to understand.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lowering his lashes, her new teammate explained, “The Spirit Entity belongs to Bawanghua, and no matter what type of Bawanghua it is, it always carries a faint…peculiar scent.”
“Peculiar scent” was a subtle way of putting it. In truth, the real smell was hard to describe.
“But your Spirit Entity doesn’t have that peculiar scent.”
It didn’t have any scent at all.
Yin Que didn’t say the rest, but Ning Li understood.
There was only one possible explanation for this situation: her true Spirit Entity wasn’t Bawanghua.
Ning Li thought carefully.
Indeed, Bawanghua was a succulent parasitic herb known for its enormous flowers and foul smell, earning it the title of “world flower king.”
It was a saprophytic plant.
How could a saprophytic plant have no smell?
Damn it, how could her new teammate notice such a tiny detail?
Ning Li wasn’t ungrateful; she knew her teammate was giving her a subtle hint.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was paying attention, she whispered, “Thank you.”
It seemed her previous disguise hadn’t been successful enough to cover such a big slip-up.
Next, she would patch this loophole to make her Spirit Entity flawless—impossible to detect any mistakes!
While they were talking, Ning Li’s spiritual sea suddenly picked up Little Black’s excited and thrilled emotions.
[So round.]
[So smooth.]
[So cool.]
[Like it.]
[Really like it.]
Ning Li didn’t restrain her Spirit Entity and usually let it roam freely.
Hearing those words, she closed her eyes and asked, “Little Black, what did you find this time?”