Liang He was awakened by a rustling sound.
When she opened her eyes, the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle were already crouching by the door on high alert.
"Cedriel, Lanton?"
Hearing Liang He's call, Cedriel and Lanton uncharacteristically did not respond immediately. Instead, they held their ground. Only the gentle flick of Cedriel's tail indicated that he had heard her.
Liang He padded softly to their side. Lanton immediately shielded her under his massive wing, ready to protect her at a moment's notice.
Parting the feathers of Lanton's wing with her right hand, Liang He exposed only her eyes. Through the gap in the curtains, she saw several men in black sneaking around the service station, darting back and forth as if searching for something.
"Sneaking around in the dead of night," she murmured.
These men were clearly not staff of the Animal Protection Zone. So, were they looking for something, or someone? Or perhaps, their targets were Cedriel and Lanton?
Because her attention was entirely captivated by the intruders outside the door, Liang He failed to notice the Light Brain on her wrist, which was emitting a faint, incessant flashing glow.
"This is bad. We can't contact Liang He! She doesn't have any weapons on her. It's too dangerous!"
"Don't panic. With the Marshal and the Commander protecting her, as long as we reach the service station before they are discovered, she'll be fine."
"Understood! I'll report the situation in real-time and tell the Guard Team to speed up their rescue efforts!"
Since the intruders' true objective was unclear, the Control Room didn't dare act rashly. If the enemy was driven to desperation and directly took Liang He hostage, they would be placed in a truly passive position.
"Strange, didn't they say the Breeder lived right here in the Seventh Service Area?"
"We didn't come to the wrong place. Could the intel be wrong?"
"Cut the crap and keep searching! If we don't complete the mission our superiors gave us, we'll all be in deep trouble!"
After searching various spots and coming up empty-handed, the three men unknowingly converged at the door of the animal dormitory. According to their previous intel, they had gone straight to the treatment room first, but hadn't seen a single soul. Now, they were running around like headless chickens.
With her sharp ears, Liang He learned from their conversation that she was their target. Confusion washed over her, and her brows knitted together in a tight frown.
"Cedriel, Lanton, you two stay here. Don't run off, and keep an eye on the little wolf pups."
Since their target was her, there was no need for Liang He to put the Mojin King Tiger and the others in danger. She carefully slipped out from the Canglan Hunting Eagle's embrace, walked to the bed, and dug out a pair of gloves from under the pillow. Then, she circled around to the back door of the animal dormitory.
"Damn it! Could she have spotted us and run off early?"
"That shouldn't be the case. I heard she's a Blue Star person. How could she possibly have the capability to detect us?"
"This animal dormitory is the only place left. She can't possibly be sleeping with the animals, can she?"
Despite saying this, one of the men had already placed his hand on the doorknob, preparing to pick the lock and enter the dormitory.
Behind the door, the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle had obediently stayed still, but they had already entered a combat-ready state. The Mojin King Tiger's fur stood on end, his sharp claws fully extended, ready to harvest the blood of these bad men at any moment. Meanwhile, the Canglan Hunting Eagle had silently flown up to the high rafters, seeking the perfect opportunity to deal the enemy a fatal blow.
"Has the Guard Team not arrived yet? Why are they so slow?!"
The Control Room had been keeping a close eye on the service area, naturally not missing the scene inside the animal dormitory.
"The Marshal and the Commander are planning to take them head-on. But where is Liang He? Where did she go?"
Since Huo An was out on a mission, the Animal Protection Zone was temporarily under the charge of the General Stationmaster from the Main Service Area. Upon hearing the news, he had immediately rushed to the Control Room to take overall command.
"I don't know. The surveillance equipment in the service area doesn't have full coverage, but Liang He should have left through the back door."
No one blamed or criticized Liang He for leaving. Compared to the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle, they were actually much more worried about this petite and fragile Blue Star person. After all, Liang He's importance to the Animal Protection Zone was self-evident.
"As long as she can hide well and protect herself, that works too."
At a time like this, anyone who didn't cause extra trouble was a smart, good kid. The General Stationmaster, who was over fifty years old, thought very highly of Liang He.
"Right, right. It shouldn't be much of a problem for Cedriel and Lanton to deal with these guys."
They were SSS-level Beastmen. Even if they were in their Evolutionary Stage and had become unconscious wild beasts, their strength still remained.
"Don't celebrate too early. Looking at their posture, I'm afraid they came prepared."
The General Stationmaster was experienced, after all, and he immediately spotted the problem. These uninvited guests had quietly opened the door to the animal dormitory. Fortunately, the door was tall and wide, easily allowing Cedriel to hide behind it.
"Look! Is that a bed over there?"
The man leading the way was sharp-eyed and instantly spotted the double bed that Liang He had moved in. Just as he was about to step closer for a better look, a massive shadow that seemed to blot out the sky instantly covered his vision.
"AH!"
A miserable scream rang out in the spacious dormitory, even stirring up an echo.
However, those who could bypass heavy security perimeters, sneak into the Animal Protection Zone, and navigate all the way here were no weaklings. Although the Canglan Hunting Eagle's appearance was extremely sudden, they weren't entirely unprepared. After all, they were on a mission, and they had investigated everything they needed to.
"Quick! Use the Anesthetic Guns!"
The two men trailing behind swiftly raised their Anesthetic Guns and aimed at the Canglan Hunting Eagle. But they seemed to have forgotten that there was also a Mojin King Tiger.
"ROAR!"
The moment he saw the Anesthetic Guns, Cedriel reacted as if triggered. He darted out from behind the door with blinding speed and lunged fiercely at the two men, catching them completely off guard.
"Damn it! We're being flanked!"
The three men scrambled together in a panic. Standing back-to-back, they faced the Mojin King Tiger and the Canglan Hunting Eagle separately. They continuously fired their Anesthetic Guns, but their targets dodged every shot. Instead, this only further enraged Cedriel and Lanton.
"ROAR!"
"SCREECH!"
Relying on the tacit understanding they had built up from hunting together recently, the tiger and the eagle launched a pincer attack from the front and back, their claws taking turns to strike.
"Boss, shouldn't we use the Photon Guns? I can't hold on much longer!"
Compared to Anesthetic Guns, Photon Guns were significantly more lethal.
"No! Our superiors ordered us to bring back fresh blood from Cedriel and Lanton for research!"
If it weren't for the fact that they couldn't possibly transport two massive, ferocious beasts, taking them back alive would have been the best option.
"Boss, even if they're dead, as long as we collect the blood in time, wouldn't it still be fresh?"
"...Good point. Switch guns. Kill them!"
Those words woke him from his stupor. The man called "Boss" made a prompt decision, dropping the Anesthetic Gun in his hands and directly pulling out two Photon Guns from his waist.
Pushed to the brink by Cedriel and Lanton, the three men couldn't care about anything else anymore. Saving their own lives was the top priority. They hadn't expected to be forced into such a dilemma before even laying eyes on their mission target.
"Oh no, they're planning to kill them!"
"What is going on with the Guard Team? With how long it's been, they should have been able to run here by now!"
"They must have used a signal jammer. The surveillance feeds are on an independent system, so they aren't affected, but the aircraft's navigation would be scrambled."
The Animal Protection Zone was massive and densely forested, making it incredibly easy to get lost. Coupled with the inconvenience of moving around at night, the delay was understandable.
But understandable or not, the situation was dire. They couldn't help but be anxious. Seeing Cedriel and Lanton fall into danger, everyone in the Control Room was burning with anxiety, wishing they could instantly fly over to rescue them.
Just then, a slender figure suddenly appeared at the main door of the animal dormitory, shouting for them to stop.
"Hey! Barging into my home and bullying my beasts—do you really think so little of me?!"