Volume 1, Chapter 39: Alia's Olive Branch

Having finished off one Tarbosaurus, Li Yan did not pause. With a push of his toes against the ground, he surged forward like an arrow released from a string, hurtling toward another monster that had its giant jaws agape. A sharp shout rang out:
"Get away!"
Li Yan slammed directly into it with his body, unleashing his full strength once more.
As a four-fold spacetime marker fused into one, the explosive power he wielded was simply beyond anything Aaliya and her team could compare to.
With a muffled thud, the Tarbosaurus—which had been about to swallow a human whole—was sent tumbling backward by Li Yan's direct impact.
The beast's sharp fangs had already grazed the top of a middle-aged woman's head, and the despair in her eyes was just about to freeze over.
Yet, she did not feel the pain of giant teeth sinking into her flesh.
"Die!"
Before the creature could scramble back up, Li Yan closed in. The blue radiance of his energy blade flared intensely, and riding the momentum, he swept it horizontally.
The blade sliced through tough skin and muscle, catching for half a second against the cervical vertebrae before he twisted it with a burst of force—crimson blood gushed out like a fountain as the head and body were completely severed.
This Tarbosaurus suffered the same fate of decapitation, its massive carcass thrashing and floundering on the ground.
Witnessing this, Aaliya and her two team members were utterly dumbstruck.
Could it really be that simple?
If so, why had they struggled so bitterly?
"Team Leader, watch out!" one of the members hurriedly shouted to warn Aaliya.
Aaliya had been distracted, staring at Li Yan's retreating back, when the Tarbosaurus right beside her suddenly whipped its heavy tail around.
She raised her blade to block in a rush, but was struck by the immense force, sent flying backward like a broken ragdoll and rolling over several times on the ground. Seizing the opportunity, two Tarbosaurus roared and lunged forward, their massive paws descending with violent force toward her chest.
"Hm?"
Li Yan's eyes chilled. Instantly abandoning his previous target, his boots roared with engine power as he sprinted wildly in Aaliya's direction. Seeing the giant jaws of a Tarbosaurus on the left about to snap shut, he didn't even think; he hurled the energy blade from his hand with all his might!
The energy blade struck dead center in the beast's eye socket, the blue light exploding upon impact. The monster shrieked in pain and jerked its head aside, while the blade, having left its wielder's grip, rapidly dimmed and dissipated into motes of particles.
Simultaneously, Li Yan had already dashed in front of Aaliya. Planting his left foot into the earth, he coiled his entire body's strength into his right fist and unleashed a ferocious punch directly upward against the descending giant paw!
"Crack—"
The crisp sound of dislocating bone was clearly audible. The Tarbosaurus let out a miserable wail, its colossal body thrown entirely off balance by that single punch as its head crashed down toward the ground.
"Ten-fold Enhancement!"
Activating the ten-fold enhancement immediately, Li Yan summoned another energy blade into his hand, leaped forward in a single bound, and slashed across the neck of the fallen Tarbosaurus.
This time, it was not decapitated, for the angle and remaining force were insufficient.
Even so, he carved a gaping wound deep into the creature's neck, the exposed bone visible to the naked eye.
It would undoubtedly not survive.

Aaliya propped herself up off the ground, looking at Li Yan's back with cheeks burning slightly. As a veteran team leader, she had actually required a newcomer to rescue her, and what alarmed her even more was Li Yan's sheer strength. The explosive force behind that punch which had knocked back a Tarbosaurus had already far surpassed the limits of an ordinary Order Bureau member.
"Team Leader Aaliya, help me hold down the remaining ones; I need distance to accelerate!" Li Yan's voice interrupted her thoughts. He knew that brute force alone, while capable of suppressing opponents, could not resolve the battle quickly. Only by utilizing momentum and speed could he replicate the efficiency of a "one-strike decapitation."
"Understood!" Aaliya immediately adjusted her state, spinning her energy blade into a flurry of light and deliberately provoking the three remaining Tarbosaurus, firmly drawing their attention back to herself.
Taking advantage of this, Li Yan sprinted a considerable distance away before launching into a rapid charge.
With a flick of his wrist and a downward sweep of his blade, another Tarbosaurus was cleanly decapitated.
Of the dozen-plus Tarbosaurus, only seven remained.
The morale of Aaliya's team soared instantly, and they fought with increasing ferocity.
"Li Yan, over here!" one of the members motioned for Li Yan to come and eliminate the beasts on their side.
"Got it!"
Li Yan once again widened the distance before accelerating into a charge.
Another flash of the blade, and following the sweep of light, a Tarbosaurus's head rolled heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.
Now, only six remained.
They finally had ample margin to pin down all the remaining beasts and prevent any more ordinary people from dying horrific deaths.
Conversely, the surviving Tarbosaurus began showing signs of retreat.
*Damn it, this newly arrived little creature is way too fierce.*
Many of their companions had simply had their heads chopped off by this tiny thing without a single sound.
Roar...
One of the Tarbosaurus suddenly let out an angry bellow.
Instantly, the remaining monsters wheeled around and fled.
They were intelligent enough to recognize danger; too many of their peers had lost their heads, and these bite-sized little creatures were extremely perilous.
A team member wanted to give chase, but Aaliya called them back.
"Don't pursue them. Let's get out of here immediately; the scent of blood is far too strong and will likely attract other dinosaurs."
With so many people and several Tarbosaurus dead, the stench of blood had already spread far and wide.
If they didn't evacuate posthaste, they would undoubtedly draw in all sorts of blood-scented dinosaurs and other horrors.
Should some massive apex predator wander over, they would be in serious trouble.
"Li Yan, you and I will cover the rear. You two, take everyone and move out at once!" Aaliya's gaze toward Li Yan had completely changed.
She suspected that the newcomer from the Eleventh Team possessed strength that far exceeded what a normal Order Bureau member should have, and Yue Chengze must have hidden something.
This newcomer, Li Yan, was far from simple.
Under the escort of the four of them, the surviving refugees from World No. 87 began to move out rapidly.
Among the dead were their family members, friends, and loved ones.
Yet there was no time for grief now; if they didn't leave immediately, everyone would end up reunited in the underworld together.
The group retreated swiftly, and fortunately, they encountered no similar dangers along the way.
Once confirming they were relatively safe, Aaliya looked Li Yan up and down.
"You're the newcomer Li Yan? You only joined a few days ago?"
Li Yan nodded. "Yes, just a few days. Why is that, Team Leader Aaliya?"
Aaliya squared her already magnificent chest, looking at Li Yan with an appreciative gaze. "Your strength is formidable. Any interest in joining my team?"
She was openly poaching personnel right on the spot.
At this moment, Aaliya knew that Yue Chengze's team had struck gold and found an absolute treasure.
With such strength at his disposal, he could practically solo an intermediate Void-Devouring Beast.
Having a member of such terrifying caliber on her team would make future missions exponentially safer.
Without hesitation, Li Yan shook his head. "Uh, thank you, but I'd still prefer to stay in Team Leader Yue's and Brother Xu's squad."
Hearing his reply, Aaliya did not seem surprised.
"You're strong. If you can keep growing at this rate, perhaps one day when I retire, you can take my place."
Seeing that Li Yan was about to respond, Aaliya quickly interrupted, "Don't rush to refuse just yet. I'm a pragmatic person. You saved us earlier, so I will repay that favor in the future. As for the condition I just offered, it stands indefinitely."
Faced with Aaliya—who possessed both a scorching figure and a striking face—Li Yan felt no particular romantic interest in the olive branch she had extended.
On the contrary, he found Aaliya somewhat intriguing, though strictly from the perspective of a man appreciating a beautiful woman.
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Aaliya continued, "The Order Bureau doesn't forbid romantic relationships between members of the same team. I think you're young and capable, and I've always been single. If you're willing, we could try getting along."
Was she seriously trying to seduce him outright?
Li Yan twitched the corner of his mouth. Foreigners really were direct.
"Ha, ha... Team Leader Aaliya, you're quite funny. I think there might be a misunderstanding."
Aaliya cast an amused glance at him and smiled. "Little man, how interesting."
Li Yan was speechless. *A little man?*
*Where is it little? Aside from looking a bit young, none of the rest of me is small at all.*
*Fine, I forgot you're from a different background.*
*Still, it's not small either. Ah, women.*