The "Real" Qi Yuan

This power wasn't as strong as the experience card given by the cursed monster last time, because the Corpse-Eating Queen Bee was well aware of the strength of SSS-Level Monsters.

Qi Yuan knew that this power had already surpassed that of the Corpse-Eating Queen Bee, but it still wasn't enough.

The change in his aura caught the attention of Wu Zhenhua, who was sitting next to him.

This middle-aged man only needed one glance before feeling an overwhelming urge to bow down and prostrate himself before Qi Yuan.

The aura surrounding Qi Yuan now, his calm and indifferent expression, and his eyes that seemed to see through everything, would make anyone who saw him immediately think of one word—deity.

Regardless of the original intention behind the concept of deities, whether true or false, after thousands of years of oral tradition, it had become a symbolic imprint in people's hearts. It represented mystery, power, salvation, and an object of prayer.

Therefore, Wu Zhenhua didn't feel repulsed or ashamed by the idea of kneeling before someone much younger than himself. The only reason he didn't kneel was that he had no specific wish to pray for and not enough space to do so.

Even elderly people in their seventies and eighties still kneel before deity statues. Wu Zhenhua's situation was similar—kneeling before a deity to pray was perfectly normal.

It wasn't until Qi Yuan spoke that Wu Zhenhua snapped out of the equation of equating Qi Yuan to a deity statue.

A deity statue speaking was terrifying.

"What did you say? I didn't hear clearly."

"Why are you staring at me?"

Wu Zhenhua had been gazing at him with fervent eyes since earlier, making Qi Yuan feel uneasy, goosebumps rising all over his body.

Qi Yuan had to divert some of his attention to question Wu Zhenhua.

"Nothing, nothing," Wu Zhenhua waved his hands repeatedly, snapping out of his deity-like shock. He didn't have the face to admit that he had wanted to kneel before Qi Yuan and even ask for a fortune-telling about whether his daughter-in-law was pregnant with a grandson or granddaughter.

Their conversation caught the attention of Xue Shizong, who was sitting in the front. He turned his head to look.

Soon, just as Qi Yuan had interrupted Wu Zhenhua's fervent gaze, he found himself on the receiving end of Xue Shizong's intense stare.

Fortunately, perhaps due to his constitution, Xue Shizong had high resistance to all supernatural abilities. He snapped out of it quickly and returned to normal.

Noticing that Qi Yuan's eyes had turned a dazzling gold color, Xue Shizong asked, "Captain Qi, are you already using your ability? Is this the color from the Shen City incident... Are we disturbing you?"

Hearing this, Qi Yuan immediately understood where Xue Shizong's sense of inadequacy came from.

Are you also a major player in the forum gossip?

The notion that eye color represents the level of supernatural ability being used was a misconception he had bookmarked while browsing the forums.

Not sure how to debunk this myth, he changed the subject, "No, but the Corpse-Eating Queen Bee is about to level up."

This news caused the focused driver to swerve in an S-shape on the road. Wu Zhenhua and Xue Shizong's pupils constricted, their faces filled with gravity and unease.

They didn't doubt Qi Yuan's words for a second. They also understood that this mission was to eliminate a monster on the verge of reaching SSS-level. Qi Yuan's emphasis on the monster's imminent upgrade clearly implied that it was just a step away from leveling up.

This bad news made everyone in the car anxious. They all sneaked glances at their pillar of strength, only to see Qi Yuan looking as calm as ever, as if he had just mentioned what he had for lunch.

They silently breathed sighs of relief. If Qi Yuan/Captain Qi/Young Qi was so composed, he must have used his ability to interfere with the monster's upgrade. His claim of "not being disturbed" was surely just his considerate way of not wanting them to feel guilty.

We absolutely must not disturb him again!

Although they didn't communicate, all three people in the car came to the same decision.

Nearly thrown out of the car by the swerve, Qi Yuan was a bit confused about what had happened up front. Noticing the silence in the car, he was about to inquire when he heard a mental voice. He quickly turned his attention to listen.

"Seems like I've spotted humans."

He felt a bit disappointed; it wasn't the voice of the Corpse-Eating Queen Bee.

Since the monster could see them...

Qi Yuan poked his head out, a dangerous move on a crowded road, but on this deserted stretch, it posed less of a threat than a cough.

The sunlight was a bit harsh, and he squinted to see some large movements in the distant forest undergrowth.

"What should I do? That kiss-up Centaur said we should all go out together to buy time, but that's less effective than jumping out one by one to chat briefly before getting killed. And I drew the first lot!"

"Screech—"

The speeding vehicle came to an abrupt halt, the tires making a sharp friction noise against the ground.

They were only a hundred or two hundred meters away from the forest. Everyone got out of the car.

"Click-clack"

The discordant sound of high heels stood out among the soft footsteps. Smith glanced at Linda with some disapproval but ultimately said nothing.

Now wasn't the time to worry about such things.

Their attention was focused on the vehicle from the Dragon Kingdom.

Unlike the urgent mood of the SS-level Superhumans who sensed the crisis facing all of humanity, from this point on, it was Qi Yuan's stage to perform.

And the protagonist always makes a grand entrance.

Qi Yuan didn't get out of the car, and the people in the car didn't dare disturb him, fearing they might interfere with his disruption of the Corpse-Eating Queen Bee's upgrade and become sinners against all of humanity.

The car door opened gently, and Qi Yuan stepped out with the relaxed air of someone going on a countryside outing. He looked around as if admiring the scenery.

However, this was just Qi Yuan's own perception. With the aura surrounding him now, the scene appeared quite different to others.

He looked like both a king and a deity, his dazzling golden eyes seeming to see through all evil like a god. Though his expression was calm, there was an air of natural authority about him, as if a king were inspecting his domain.

Is this his true strength and personality?

They couldn't help but wonder similarly in their hearts.

Everyone looked towards the dark forest, its interior pitch black.

The human genetic predisposition to favor light made them uneasy about stepping into the darkness.

Everyone treaded lightly, except for Linda, whose high heels made faint tapping sounds.

"Get out!" Smith growled. He shouldn't have listened to Linda's nonsense about bringing her along in case someone needed healing if injured.

The S-level superhumans from other countries were all waiting outside, but Linda had stubbornly tagged along. Not only was she not helping, but she was also holding them back, making Smith feel angry and embarrassed.

"I'll be careful," Linda's voice sounded a bit anxious, yet also somewhat smug. In the darkness, she didn't need to hide her expression as much.

The others didn't notice her oddness, they just widened their distance from Linda in the dark.

Although no one said it out loud, everyone had similar thoughts—they wanted to use Linda as bait so they could gain the advantage of striking first.

"They still came... I really don't want to die."

"Why hasn't the Forest Nymph come out yet?"

"I'm next. The Nymph better hold out for a while."

Qi Yuan carefully examined his surroundings. The auras of these few monsters blended perfectly with the forest. The Corpse-Eating Queen Bee must have assimilated them, which is why their auras were almost identical.