Chapter 40: Psychic Assault

"Xiaoyong. When shooting wolf-type mutants, you must hit with a single, fatal shot. The eyes, the ribs, and the base of the tail are their vital points," Wang Ji squatted on the ground, gesturing at a mutated wolf that lay on the earth, barely clinging to life.

"If you can’t guarantee a kill shot and are forced to close in, unless you have a shotgun, abandon your firearm and use your knife! You see, as long as you seize the moment, you can also end its life with a single strike!"

Wang Ji’s dagger pierced beneath the mutant wolf’s jaw. With a whimper, the creature finally fulfilled its existence and slipped away into the void.

"Company Commander! I understand now!" After Wang Ji’s hands-on training, Wang Yong’s demeanor had transformed, as if he had shed an old skin.

Wang Ji stood up, wiped his blade clean, and patted Wang Yong’s shoulder. "Good. Process the carcass and hand it over to the logistics team. Then catch up with us quickly. Today, we’re hunting high-level elite monsters."

Wang Yong’s face showed excitement. He agreed eagerly, drew his titanium-steel dagger, and quickly set to work. Lacking practice, he took more than ten minutes to skin the wolf and butcher its meat, then buried the bloody remains on the spot. Only after dropping off the supplies with the logistics unit did he hurry after Wang Ji.

Panting, Wang Yong followed the markers Wang Ji had left, finally finding him merged with the shadows.

"Commander! Huff... I’m here. Are we going after the elite monster now?"

Wang Ji made a gesture for silence, then pulled him back into the shadow where he’d just been crouched.

He swiftly gathered some fresh leaves and papyrus, handing them to Wang Yong to smear on his face, limbs, and body.

"It’s just a kilometer ahead. This big beast—no one knows which zoo it escaped from—is extremely alert and has a keen sense of smell. We’ll need to sneak in. You reek of blood; let’s wait a few minutes."

Wang Yong glanced anxiously in that direction, hastily rubbing sap and leaf juice onto his skin.

"Commander! If we don’t go soon, I’m afraid Lieutenant Li’s team will finish it off!"

Wang Ji chuckled softly. "Don’t worry. Trust me, even if they start now, it’ll take them a while."

Like a withered tree, Wang Ji lay motionless beneath the branches, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nearly ten minutes later, the crackle of gunfire and explosions erupted ahead. Wang Ji glanced at the restless Wang Yong.

"All right. Let’s go! Stay sharp—this is a primary elite leader, no pushover!"

Worried about Li Chengming and his group, Wang Ji rose from the shadows and, body unfolding, slipped through the jungle like a dragon entering the sea.

Wang Yong ran after him for a while, gasping as he watched Wang Ji’s figure vanish among the trees. Plucking a wooden splinter from his face, he muttered helplessly, "The commander is a real maniac!"

Gritting his teeth, he dashed through the forest at full speed.

"First Squad! Smoke grenades, cover for repositioning! Move!" In the midst of unceasing gunfire, Li Chengming roared his orders.

With no comms equipment, command on this battlefield depended entirely on shouting.

"Damn it, this beast is too strong! Snipers! Aim for the weak spots!"

Li Chengming stared, eyes wide, as the giant tiger moved swiftly through the woods. With a swing of its paw, it sent a soldier flying more than ten meters, blood gushing from his mouth.

"This is trouble! We underestimated the tiger’s strength!" Li Chengming anxiously scanned the rear forest, hoping to spot Wang Ji.

But Wang Ji had already reached the edge of the battlefield. Perched atop a towering tree, he observed the fight, indifferent to the fate of the wounded soldier below.

He had already noticed that the soldiers of that squad, following their sergeant’s orders, had withdrawn when the giant tiger charged. The others, following trained tactics, had trapped the tiger in a large pocket formation, pressing their attack in an orderly manner without major mistakes.

Wang Ji nodded approvingly, casting a look toward Yan Song’s position.

Demoted to private after a grave command error, Yan Song’s rank had fallen, but his outstanding talent and composure had earned the respect of his squad, Infantry Third Squad, including the squad leader.

Through his timely warnings, Third Squad’s efforts soon bore fruit: their heavy machine gun blinded one of the tiger’s eyes.

The wounded beast roared in agony, blood streaming from its ruined eye, then fixed its gaze on Yan Song’s group, scraping the ground before charging at them.

"Retreat! Fall back, move out!" Yan Song shouted.

The squad leader quickly organized his men, using the trees for cover. As the tiger lunged, they narrowly escaped disaster.

Li Chengming wiped cold sweat from his brow and bellowed, "Keep firing! Attack! Draw its attention!"

But the tiger seemed fixated on Third Squad, relentless in its pursuit. Without the help of smoke grenades, they would have suffered casualties.

Seeing Yan Song and his men in peril, Wang Ji raised his rifle and leapt from the tree, shouting, "Scatter! Encirclement tactics!"

Hearing his voice, morale surged.

"Quick! Suppressive fire, spread out, block all escape routes!" Li Chengming stood up, rifle blazing, shifting his position with the others.

With Wang Ji joining the fray, the tiger’s injuries mounted. Like a trapped beast, it crashed through the forest, felling trees in its wake.

As its pace slowed, the soldiers’ cheers grew.

"Long live the company commander! The commander is invincible!"

Wang Yong, especially, gazed at Wang Ji with glowing eyes, his shouts the loudest of all.

Wang Ji finally relaxed, preparing to step forward and finish the beast.

Suddenly, the tiger halted, its bloodshot eyes locked on Wang Ji’s group. It raised its head and let out a furious, defiant roar.

[Ding! Warning! Evade psychic attack!]

Wang Ji instinctively tensed, springing backward with all his might. At the same time, he shouted, "Fall back!"

Yet, in the thunderous roar, few could hear him. A visible shockwave rippled outward from the tiger’s head, flattening grass and trees nearby.

The psychic assault burst out indiscriminately, and soldiers struck by it jolted violently, clutching their heads and collapsing.

Those with weaker constitutions bled from nose and mouth, passing out on the spot.

Wang Ji, reacting swiftly and keeping to the edge of the blast, was only dazed for a split second before regaining his senses.

But most of the soldiers around him had lost their fighting ability. Wang Ji stared at the great tiger in shock and dread.

Having unleashed this devastating blow, the tiger, now visibly weakened, staggered in place before raising its savage head once more, preparing to maul the fallen soldiers.

Wang Ji’s training plans were shattered, and seeing his men helpless before the beast sparked a surge of fury within him.

Summoning all his strength, he left deep footprints in the earth as he dashed past the fallen soldiers, shotgun at the ready.

"Die!"

With the force of a whirlwind, he leapt high, his shotgun roaring. The solid slug tore into the tiger’s back.

Using the shotgun’s recoil, Wang Ji somersaulted in midair, landed, and quickly chambered another round.

A howl of agony split the air as the tiger writhed, blood pouring from its back. With a furious glare at Wang Ji, it charged once more, heedless of death.

Blood rained upon the ground—the slug had nearly shattered its spine—yet the beast still unleashed a final ferocious assault.

Seeing the resolve for death in the tiger’s eyes, Wang Ji retreated, dodging its claws and tail by ducking behind the trees.

"So, you want to take me with you on your way out? Not so easy," he muttered, fully absorbed in the fight.

Spotting an opening, Wang Ji delivered a savage wound to the beast’s flank.

The tiger let out a resentful roar. Failing to strike Wang Ji again, it at last collapsed, its abdominal wound gaping to the bone, mangled organs spilling onto the earth, blood gushing forth.

Wang Ji exhaled deeply, steadying the turbulent energy within his body.

"At last, it’s over."

He approached the helpless tiger, glancing at the soldiers who were slowly regaining consciousness, and drew a long breath.

"You are indeed formidable. Let me grant you a quick end."

Bang—

The bullet bored into the tiger’s forehead. Its body trembled once, the light fading from its eyes.

"Li Chengming! Aid the wounded, secure the battlefield! Do not disturb me—I need to rest," Wang Ji called, then walked alone to a tree, sat down, and closed his eyes to recover.

"Yes, Commander! Everyone, move! The tiger’s been slain!"

Once seated, Wang Ji immediately accessed the X System, eager to understand what this psychic attack was.

[Commander, psychic attack is a tangible assault unleashed by mental power, once a creature’s evolution reaches a certain stage.]

"Can my own mental strength produce a psychic attack?"

[No. The ability to unleash psychic attacks is a hallmark of a Level Two Warrior. It requires a mental stat of 100 points to launch a complete psychic assault, which can disrupt the neural system of lower-level creatures.]

Upon hearing this, Wang Ji felt a twinge of disappointment. "Then why could this tiger use a psychic attack? Does it possess 100 mental points?"

[Commander, the mutant tiger was able to launch a psychic attack because it burned its life crystal, sacrificing its potential to ascend to High Elite Leader status in exchange for a brief outburst of mental power, thus releasing an incomplete psychic attack.]

Hearing mention of a High Elite Leader, Wang Ji instantly recalled the massive gorilla he’d encountered in the small town—that was a High Elite Leader!

His gaze toward the tiger grew complicated. He realized with relief that this formidable beast had once possessed extraordinary potential; luckily, he had slain it before it could achieve its final form.

"X System, can I forcefully unleash a psychic attack by burning my own mental power?"

[Ding! It is not recommended for the Commander to forcibly burn life energy for an outburst. This carries grave, life-threatening risks.]

[Ding! There are documented cases among humans of achieving psychic attacks by training up from low-level aptitude. Suggestion for the Commander...]