Chapter 135: A Man’s Responsibility

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: A Man’s Responsibility

Ye Xinglan followed Lin Ji’s gaze toward the swamp.

Her eyes swept back and forth over the dark red Mutant Iron-Clad Crocodiles.

Her brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

"Over a dozen Level 4 monsters..."

Ye Xinglan’s voice was heavy.

"And the terrain puts us at a severe disadvantage."

"In the swamp, their agility and explosive power will be greatly enhanced."

"While we’ll be restricted in both movement and using our talents."

Ye Xinglan turned to look at the members of the Rose Society behind her.

The few weaker girls were already pale with fear.

They huddled tightly together, lacking even the courage to look directly at the monsters.

Even the Fire-Attribute Gifted in the team

were now wearing troubled expressions.

In this damp, misty wetland environment,

the power of their fire-based Skills would be weakened by at least thirty percent.

"If we fight head-on, casualties will definitely be high."

Ye Xinglan took a deep breath and made her assessment.

"Captain Lin, what’s your opinion?"

Ye Xinglan looked at Lin Ji.

Her eyes held a mix of inquiry and probing.

Lin Ji didn’t answer immediately.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.

He took a deep drag, slowly exhaling a plume of bluish smoke.

The smoke quickly dissipated in the humid air.

Lin Ji’s gaze passed over the dangerous swamp, settling on the deeper jungle beyond.

"A direct confrontation is definitely unwise."

Lin Ji flicked the ash from his cigarette, his tone calm.

"Although this swamp looks wide,"

"look carefully."

Lin Ji pointed with his cigarette-holding hand toward an area on the left side of the swamp.

"There’s a natural path formed by huge deadwood and rocks protruding from the water."

Everyone followed his direction.

Sure enough, at the edge of the swamp,

lay several thick, blackened deadwood trunks, spaced intermittently.

Between the deadwood, scattered relatively flat, large rocks.

Though this path was narrow and winding,

it could barely avoid the deep water areas, leading directly to the opposite shore of the swamp.

"This path is probably the safest route right now."

Lin Ji withdrew his hand and took another drag.

"As long as we move quickly and avoid making too much noise,"

"we might be able to slip past quietly."

Hearing this suggestion,

Ye Xinglan and Granny Fu exchanged a glance, both nodding slightly to themselves.

This was indeed the most prudent approach at the moment.

"But..."

Lin Ji’s tone shifted, his eyes turning sharp.

"The middle section of this path is too close to those Iron-Clad Crocodiles sunbathing on the mudflats."

"If they suddenly attack..."

Lin Ji’s gaze swept over the girls of the Rose Society.

"In that narrow terrain, once dragged into the water, the consequences would be unthinkable."

The atmosphere grew heavy again.

Everyone understood what Lin Ji meant.

Though this path was feasible, the margin for error was extremely slim.

Once those monsters were alerted, it would be an unavoidable, bloody battle.

And on terrain that was extremely unfavorable to their side.

"Maybe... we should take a detour?"

A timid young girl suggested.

"A detour?"

Qin Yao sneered.

She walked over to Lin Ji and deliberately straightened her posture.

The tattered leather jacket couldn’t conceal her fiery figure at all.

"Little girl, do you think we’re strolling through a park?"

Qin Yao’s tone carried undisguised mockery.

"This island is crawling with monsters."

"If you avoid this place, you might stumble straight into an even more dangerous monster nest."

"And..."

Qin Yao licked her red lips, a flicker of madness flashing in her eyes.

"Since these armored crocodiles are guarding this spot, it definitely means there’s something valuable hidden behind this swamp."

"How can we leave empty-handed after entering a treasure mountain?"

Although Qin Yao’s words were somewhat harsh,

they echoed the thoughts of Granny Fu and Ye Xinglan.

In this cruel apocalypse, being timid and hesitant only leads to death.

To grow stronger, one must dare to dance on the edge of a blade.

"Qin Yao is right."

Lin Ji tossed away the cigarette butt in his hand and crushed it under his foot.

"Taking a detour is out of the question."

"Since we’ve encountered it, we’ll take it down!"

Lin Ji’s tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

He turned to look at Su Qingyue.

"Qing Yue, you’ll be responsible for Field Control later."

"Use your Ice Affinity to freeze the water surface around that passage as much as possible."

"It doesn’t need to be too thick—just enough to slightly limit those crocodiles’ movement speed."

Su Qingyue nodded.

"Leave it to me."

Her voice was cool, but her eyes were exceptionally firm.

With Lin Ji’s instructions, she felt as if she had regained her combat rhythm.

After arranging Su Qingyue’s role, Lin Ji looked toward Shen Manyun.

"Teacher Shen, follow behind Qing Yue."

"Keep an eye on everyone’s condition and be ready to provide healing."

Shen Manyun nodded seriously. Although her face was still somewhat pale, the panic from earlier had vanished from her eyes.

"Understood, Captain."

Finally, Lin Ji looked at Ye Xinglan.

"President Ye, your Rose Society members will take the middle position later."

"Just keep up with our pace and don’t fall behind."

Ye Xinglan was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected Lin Ji to voluntarily take on the most dangerous task of leading the way.

Moreover, he had placed her Rose Society members in the relatively safer middle position.

This man...

What is he thinking?

Ye Xinglan looked at Lin Ji’s sharply defined face.

A complex emotion welled up in her heart.

"Captain Lin, that’s too dangerous."

Ye Xinglan bit her lip.

"Let’s handle the path-clearing together."

"After all, we’re also part of the team."

Lin Ji looked at her, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"President Ye, have you misunderstood something?"

Lin Ji took a step forward.

The distance between them instantly closed.

He looked down into Ye Xinglan’s beautiful eyes, his voice low:

"At times like this, as the only man, I should always be at the forefront."

"You delicate beauties just need to obediently follow behind me."

These words carried a domineering, chauvinistic tone.

But at this moment, they inexplicably brought a sense of reassurance.

Ye Xinglan’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but didn’t know what to say.

She could only nod silently.

"Prepare to move out."

Lin Ji wasted no more words.

He turned around, facing the perilous wetland swamp.

"Click."

A faint mechanical locking sound rang out.

Lin Ji activated the Mantis Exoskeleton Armor.

Streamlined black armor instantly covered his entire body.

Two sharp Bone Blades gleamed with a cold, piercing light under the sun.

"Let’s go."

Lin Ji commanded in a low voice.

With a swift movement, he stepped first onto the massive deadwood spanning the edge of the swamp.