Humanity's fear of Remnant Beasts came from something deeply rooted within the soul.
It was not merely the so-called "Uncanny Valley Effect."
In ancient times, the Dark Races that hunted and enslaved humans had all possessed humanoid forms. Even after countless generations, that instinctive fear still lingered deep within human bloodlines.
This was also Zhao Mu's first time seeing a real Remnant Beast outside of textbooks and simulations.
Its horrifying appearance did startle him slightly.
But only for a moment.
Very quickly, his emotions calmed completely.
His eyes sharpened as he carefully analyzed the creature before him.
"Judging by the building windows, it's roughly three meters tall."
"And since it can cling to the outer walls using only its arms, its grip strength must be terrifying."
As he spoke, Zhao Mu calmly removed the compound bow from his back.
In one smooth motion, he nocked an arrow and raised the bow.
Beside him, Meng Qiuqiu hurriedly lifted his bobo gun as well.
However, the instant the Remnant Beast noticed their movements, it reacted.
The creature suddenly released its grip on the wall.
Then—
It sprinted downward.
Not along the ground.
But directly down the vertical side of the commercial building.
Its body moved at an angle nearly perpendicular to the ground, as though gravity itself meant nothing to it.
Meng Qiuqiu's face immediately turned pale.
"It's too fast!"
"I can't lock onto it!"
Zhao Mu did not reply.
His expression remained calm and emotionless.
The bowstring in his hands was pulled tighter and tighter until it resembled a full moon.
Every ounce of his terrifying physical strength poured into the compound bow.
[Innate Divine Strength]: Proficiency 212 points.
Both arms capable of lifting 425 jin.
[Archery]: Proficiency 98 points.
To an ordinary archer, a rapidly moving target was difficult to hit.
But to a true divine marksman, motion made no difference.
Whether stationary or moving, the result remained the same.
Moreover, the distance between them was only a few hundred meters.
Within Zhao Mu's effective range, there was nowhere for the Remnant Beast to escape.
His gaze remained completely locked onto the creature.
The next second—
BOOM!
The Remnant Beast landed heavily on the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
But almost instantly, it burst through the smoke and charged toward them in a zigzagging S-shaped route.
Its speed was terrifying.
Three hundred meters.
At the Remnant Beast's current velocity, that distance would disappear in the blink of an eye.
Meng Qiuqiu nearly screamed in panic.
Even Lu Yan tightened his grip on the long saber in his hands.
Black flames slowly rose around his body, carrying a chilling aura of death like flames crawling out of hell itself.
But neither of them had the chance to attack.
Because Zhao Mu had already released his arrow.
WHOOSH!
The sound of the bowstring exploding echoed like thunder.
No ordinary person could draw a bow with Zhao Mu's monstrous strength.
The bow itself trembled violently after the shot.
If this had not been the strongest compound bow available in the military warehouse, Zhao Mu might have snapped it in half from sheer force alone.
But the power behind that single arrow was equally monstrous.
Fast.
Heavy.
Deadly.
The Remnant Beast sensed danger immediately.
It had expected humans to panic before its speed.
What it did not expect was that its unpredictable movement pattern had become completely meaningless.
The arrow tore through the air like lightning.
Straight toward its head.
CLANG!
The moment the arrow struck the Remnant Beast's forehead, the impact produced a metallic explosion.
A layer of black light instantly appeared around its skull.
That was the beast's spiritual energy protecting its body.
But the defense lasted for only a fraction of a second.
CRACK!
The black barrier shattered violently.
The arrow pierced directly through the creature's skull.
Its frontal bone split apart with a horrifying sound.
The immense force behind the arrow ripped open its head entirely.
Brain matter exploded outward like smashed tofu.
The Remnant Beast had not even managed to reach its prey before being killed instantly.
THUD!
Its corpse crashed heavily onto the ground.
Only then did Meng Qiuqiu realize he still had not even fired his weapon.
From the moment the Remnant Beast appeared to the instant it died—
Less than five seconds had passed.
For ordinary trainees, such a sudden attack would have been fatal.
Most people would freeze in fear before even reacting.
But Zhao Mu was different.
The moment he entered battle, he became terrifyingly calm.
Like a machine created solely for killing.
No panic.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
Even when ambushed, he instantly analyzed the situation and formulated the fastest possible method to eliminate the enemy.
Watching remotely, even the instructors could not help praising him.
"Every year, trainees die during the final examination."
"It's rarely because they lack strength."
"It's because fear prevents them from using the strength they already possess."
"One year, there was even an A-rank special recruit who performed brilliantly during training."
"But the moment he encountered a real Alien Beast, he froze in terror and forgot to even draw his weapon."
"He died instantly."
Meanwhile, casualty reports had already begun appearing across the communication channels.
Clearly, Zhao Mu's group was not the only one under attack.
Other trainees had encountered Remnant Beasts as well.
If they had merely faced Crimson Demon Hounds, they might still have had time to escape using signal support or Giant Eagles.
But these humanoid Remnant Beasts were entirely different.
Fast.
Intelligent.
Deadly.
Most trainees did not even have time to run before being attacked.
At this moment, many finally realized the cruel truth of the Spirit Power User world.
Entering Qingfeng Camp was not the beginning of a comfortable life.
It was the beginning of a far more brutal existence.
Qingfeng Camp was fundamentally a military organization.
And every military camp had a death quota.
If trainees died during training, the instructors would not waste even a second mourning them.
Suddenly, Zhao Mu's electronic wristband emitted an urgent notification.
A panicked voice cried out from the communication channel.
"Captain!"
"Where are you?!"
"We're in danger!"
"There's a terrifying Remnant Beast here!"
"Please hurry and save us!"
Zhao Mu had just killed a creature whose combat power was equivalent to more than ten Crimson Demon Hounds combined.
Yet after hearing his teammate's desperate plea, he did not hesitate or ignore them.
Instead, he calmly asked,
"Where are you?"
"Are there any obvious landmarks nearby?"
Hearing Zhao Mu's steady voice, the frightened trainee immediately regained a bit of hope.
"Yes!"
"There's a tall television tower about five hundred meters south of our location!"
Inside the ruined city, the television tower was the tallest structure.
As long as one looked up, it was impossible to miss.
And because it was currently morning, direction could easily be determined using the position of the sun.
The moment he confirmed their location, Zhao Mu immediately turned toward Meng Qiuqiu and Lu Yan.
"Let's move."
"We're going to save them."
Meng Qiuqiu hesitated slightly.
"But if we stop to rescue people, it'll affect how quickly we earn points."
"And there are too many trainees."
"We can't protect everyone forever."
"Some of them will only drag us down."
Zhao Mu's footsteps did not stop.
Nor did his expression change.
"If this were ordinary training, I'd tell them to forfeit."
"But this isn't that simple."
"If we don't save them now…"
"They'll die."
His voice remained calm, but carried unquestionable determination.
"I am the captain of the Third Group."
"And I absolutely refuse to let my teammates die because I abandoned them."
Lu Yan said nothing.
He simply tightened his grip on his long saber and silently followed behind Zhao Mu.
Meng Qiuqiu stared at Zhao Mu's back for several seconds.
Then suddenly laughed loudly.
"Brother Xiao Mu…"
"You've become even more handsome in my eyes now."
"You really are the kind of man I like!"
Zhao Mu nearly stumbled.
"Get lost!"
"I'm not interested in men!"
Despite the joking exchange, the three immediately rushed toward the northern side of the television tower without hesitation.
Meanwhile, more and more Remnant Beasts were awakening throughout the ruined city.
The arrival of human intruders had stirred the entire nest.
Dark shadows moved rapidly between the towering ruins.
Some creatures leaped across buildings dozens of meters apart with terrifying agility.
Compared to the Crimson Demon Hounds, these humanoid Remnant Beasts were vastly more dangerous.
Their giant claws were as large as fans and sharp enough to tear steel apart effortlessly.
As Zhao Mu sprinted through the ruined streets, he continued communicating with the trainees through his wristband.
Screams occasionally echoed through the channel.
Some people had already been injured.
Others had died.
"Captain!"
"Hurry!"
"Please save us!"
Their desperate voices carried fear, panic, and hopelessness.
But Zhao Mu's voice remained steady throughout.
"Calm down."
"Pick up your weapon."
"Don't forget that you are Spirit Power Users."
"Use your spiritual power."
"Fight back!"
"It's not invincible."
"Stop being afraid."
"Look at it carefully."
"Treat it like a human opponent."
"For now, focus only on blocking its attacks."
"I'll be there soon."
His calm voice became like a stabilizing force amidst the chaos.
The frightened trainees gradually regained a small amount of composure.
Meanwhile, Zhao Mu continued racing through the ruins at top speed.
The sunlight shining across the broken city illuminated his figure as he moved fearlessly forward.
At that moment, he finally displayed the qualities of a true leader.
Peerless courage.
Absolute calmness.
And an invincible will that refused to yield, even in the face of death itself.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)