------------
Jade Swann rushed forward, her eyes widening as she recognized the soldier. "Oh no! That's Victor Zhang! He was separated from us while covering our retreat! Look at him, he's badly hurt! But these wounds... they're so strange!"
Shawn Young hurried over for a closer look. Victor Zhang lay unconscious, his eyes tightly shut, his face tinged with an eerie blue-purple hue. Dark red blood oozed from the corners of his mouth, eyes, and ears. Yet, bizarrely, there were no obvious wounds on his body—he seemed to have simply collapsed!
Shawn Young frowned, quickly knelt down, and pulled open Victor Zhang's shirt. On his chest, there was a strange, black, vein-like mark, spreading outward like a sinister spider. Shawn’s heart skipped a beat as he blurted, "Whoa—such a powerful Dark Force! He’s been struck by a dark energy attack. No matter how tough you are, if this power hits your heart, the shock can disrupt your meridians and invade your Seven Absolute Yin Meridians. If you’re not treated in time, the dark energy will spread, trapping your soul and spirit—he’ll end up a vegetable, never waking up again!"
"Huh? What exactly is Dark Force?" Jade Swann asked, her curiosity piqued.
Shawn Young explained, "Well—it's a special kind of evil power. Everything in the universe has yin and yang. Simply put, Dark Force is the result of absorbing the world's negative energy and refining it with secret techniques. Only those with the Seven Absolute Yin Meridians can cultivate it—and people like that are one in a million. Ordinary folks just don’t have the right physique, so they can’t train in Dark Force at all!"
"Oh, I see! No wonder JSOC’s top-tier supernaturals are so impressive!" Colonel Hank chimed in from the side, sounding genuinely awed.
"Shawn Young, can Victor Zhang still be saved?" Jade Swann asked anxiously, her voice trembling with concern.
Shawn Young nodded gravely. "His situation is serious. Right now, I can only seal his meridians to stop the Dark Force from spreading. Once we find the right medicine and combine it with a special technique, we can heal him for good!" As he spoke, Shawn quickly summoned his true energy, forming a Heavenward Seal with his fingers. He chanted an incantation: "Heaven and earth, three realms within and without, the purple canopy above, golden light protects the true body, wisdom settles the blue lotus, divine spirit is forever safe—by law, begone!"
As Shawn Young finished the incantation, he flipped his palms, and a crimson glow burst forth. "Zap—zap—" The energy shot straight into Victor Zhang's brow. Victor's body shuddered, the eerie blue-purple color fading from his face. In less than half a minute, he slowly opened his eyes, though his gaze was still weary and unfocused.
"Victor Zhang, you're awake! How are you feeling?" Jade Swann hurried over, her voice warm with concern.
"Cough—cough—Team Leader Jade, is that you? You're safe? What happened to me? Where are we? And the others—where are they?" Victor Zhang struggled to sit up, his face pale as he bombarded Jade Swann with anxious questions.
"Don't worry, I'm fine! Once we find the rest of the team, we'll get everyone out together," Jade Swann reassured him, her tone gentle but firm.
"But—what happened to them?" Victor Zhang pressed, anxiety tightening his voice.
At that moment, Colonel Hank stepped forward and said gravely, "Brother, one of your three comrades was killed, and two were captured alive."
"What? How could this happen!? Was it that white-haired American guy?" Victor Zhang gasped, his shock and anger palpable.
"White-haired American? I’m not sure—we didn’t see him. But our team and Deputy Leader Tang from the Special Abilities Taskforce are already moving in to intercept and rescue your brothers!" Colonel Hank replied.
Victor Zhang looked at Colonel Hank, his face clouded with sorrow. He sighed, "Sigh—this time our Dragonblade Unit really took a hit. Guess we let your Dragonsquad have a good laugh at our expense!"
"Hey, don’t say that, brother. If this had happened to us, our fate wouldn’t be any better! After all, the enemy is a top-tier supernatural—us regular commandos just can’t match that kind of power," Colonel Hank said, trying to comfort him.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps and barking military dogs echoed from outside the jungle. One of the Dragonsquad commandos on guard rushed up to Colonel Hank and reported, "Captain, they’re coming in!"
Colonel Hank’s face darkened. "How many are there? What gear do they have? Give me the details!"
"There are about thirty of them, with three military dogs. Most are armed with Russian AK-74s, and they’re forming a fan-shaped encirclement. They’re moving very cautiously!" reported the Dragonsquad commando.
"Alright, everyone spread out! Form an assault formation. Gunners, draw their fire—everyone else, follow me! Find their weak spot and break through!" Colonel Hank barked out his orders, his voice crisp and commanding.
But Shawn Young quickly interjected, "Colonel Hank, we need to finish this fast! I plan to find Fiona Tang and the others as soon as possible."
"Oh? Why the rush?" Colonel Hank asked, turning to Shawn Young with a serious look.
"Because Fiona Tang and her team might not be able to handle that JSOC supernatural! He’s way too strong! If we don’t reach them fast, something terrible could happen!" Shawn Young said bluntly. He’d worked with Fiona Tang before and knew her capabilities, but judging by Victor Zhang’s injuries, their enemy was on a whole other level.
"Alright! So what’s your plan?" Colonel Hank asked, trusting Shawn Young’s judgment in a pinch.
"Just lure all thirty-plus enemies into the jungle and get them clustered together—I’ve got a way to take them all out in one go!" Shawn Young declared with a confident grin.
"Good! No problem! Everyone, defensive formation—get ready for battle! Draw all the enemies in!" Colonel Hank shouted, rallying the team with crisp commands.