“Hmm…” Sophia Sullivan tilted her head slightly, her little brows twitching.

“What good idea did you come up with?” Ethan Clark looked at Sophia Sullivan.

“It’s not really a good idea, I was just thinking. Although that Henry Reed is quite arrogant, the two subordinates by her side seem even more formidable than her. Maybe we could ask them for help—this is a matter of life and death. After all, right now, she’s the only one around with that kind of ability.”

When Olivia Smith heard this, she gave a bitter smile and quickly shook her head. “That probably won’t work!!”

Heh… Ethan Clark couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. That Henry Reed isn’t stupid; she’ll probably calm down soon and figure out what’s going on. She’ll definitely come back again, which is why Ethan Clark set the departure time for fifteen minutes later.

“All these ideas won’t work. Next time, keep trying and open your minds a bit more. Right or wrong, before making a decision, try to speak up—one more idea means one more chance. You need to develop this good habit in the future. Think more, and combine your thoughts with the situation at hand. Use every bit of strength you can, and achieve our goal in the simplest and most direct way.” Even if a battle plan was already set, before taking action, Ethan Clark would always have his subordinates share their thoughts, to cultivate their ability to handle things independently. Over time, this would help them become capable of acting on their own.

He originally wanted to give them fifteen minutes, but seeing that they had nothing more to say after this, there was no need to continue the discussion.

“The rest, I’ll tell you on the way. Sophia, stay here and take care of Fourth.” With that, Ethan Clark rose on his sword, and Emily Harris and Olivia Smith hurriedly followed suit.

“Ah, I’m left behind again!” Sophia Sullivan stomped her foot in frustration, but she knew that if she went along, she’d only be a burden.

“Master… is getting stranger and stranger. Clearly, he already has his own ideas and decisions, but still makes us say what we think. And now Master always says things we don’t understand, and his personality seems to have changed too… Weird!!”

Chapter Six: Misty Town

“Once we enter Misty Town, you two will be on my left and right flanks, guarding my rear and sides. I’ll take the front. We need to break into Misty Town as quickly as possible.”

“Ah…” This time, even Emily Harris was shocked by Ethan Clark’s words.

They had actually been coming and going for quite some time; back then, they’d wandered inside Misty Town for about a month. David Smith was rather cautious and never rushed in recklessly. After a month, they’d only explored the outskirts, barely entering the central area.

That’s exactly why Matthew Cooper grew more and more displeased and tried to lure them in.

Because of this month-long experience, both Olivia Smith and Emily Harris were well aware of the current situation in Misty Town.

Misty Town was originally just a small settlement less than three kilometers across, but with the surrounding area shrouded in mist, it now covered about ten kilometers.

Before Matthew Cooper lured them inside, they’d always wandered within a four-kilometer radius outside. All around were various mutated beasts—swarms of rats the size of wolves, swarms of cockroaches half a meter long. They weren’t like the true monsters of the cultivation world, who had cultivated for decades, centuries, or even millennia. These were just mutations.

Their size and strength had increased hundreds or thousands of times. There were mosquitoes as big as fists, bees as large as arms, all moving in swarms of thousands or tens of thousands. And they’d all become extremely intelligent. At first, they thought these ordinary mutated animals from the mundane world would be nothing to cultivators.

Even for innate experts of the mundane world, it shouldn’t have been a problem, but only when facing them did they realize how terrifying they were.

A single one’s attack power was no less than that of an average innate expert; in swarms of thousands, they were even more terrifying, attacking from both land and air.

They had one trait: as long as you left Misty Town, they wouldn’t pursue you. Otherwise, the ordinary people in the area would have long since suffered.

The deeper you went, the stronger these mutated animals became. When they accidentally entered the six- to seven-kilometer range inside, they encountered the Spider King, who already displayed astonishing intelligence and cunning. When they met Henry Reed, it even knew how to evade, how to attack indirectly and divide its targets.

That was why the three groups were split into two. After Henry Reed’s group was separated, they could still easily withdraw.

After Matthew Cooper framed David Smith and his disciples, he also escaped, leaving only David Smith’s group trapped by the Spider King. After days of desperate fighting and fleeing, with Third and Fifth risking their lives to cover him, David Smith finally escaped.

Olivia Smith hurriedly said, “Master, that won’t do. Even if we’re going to rescue Third and Fifth, we need to enter carefully.”

“Master, we’d better be cautious. Otherwise, before we even find Third and Fifth, we might already be exhausted to death.” Even Emily Harris, who was usually hot-tempered and impulsive, felt this wasn’t the right approach.

Ethan Clark was, of course, well aware of the situation inside Misty Town.

“Get ready to move.” Before a battle, everyone could speak their mind, but once the fight began, there could only be one person in command.