In this moment of extreme crisis,

Allen stepped onto the black "Nightwing III" Hoverboard.

A stream of pale blue energy erupted from the bottom of the board, propelling him forward in a burst of speed!

Like a black bolt of lightning, he shot toward the Micro-Light Scale Armor Beast, kicking up a gust of wind.

Two mental threads ran in parallel. As he controlled the Hoverboard, he instantly cast Magic Shield and Craftsman’s Hand.

As he closed in, Craftsman’s Hand shot out from his side like a hunting python.

The moment he shot past it, the large, force-field-like hand formed from Magic Power seized its throat, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The Micro-Light Scale Armor Beast let out a brief, sorrowful cry. Its body convulsed for a moment, and the light of the Rhombic Crystal gradually dimmed before going out completely.

The Magical Beast had been crushed to death.

Allen leaped off the Hoverboard and retracted his Craftsman’s Hand.

He didn’t immediately go to check the corpse, but instead quickly scanned his surroundings.

Magic Detection continued to run, scanning the area for any possible fluctuations of Magic Power to confirm there were no other lurking threats.

"Baston, guard the perimeter. Watch the high ground," Allen’s voice was steady.

Baston gripped his Tower Shield tightly. He was tense, his body slightly bowed, his hawk-like gaze scanning the depths of the dense forest.

"Lina, keep up your senses. See if there are any other watchers."

Lina closed her eyes. The spectrum of emotion reappeared in her azure irises. She focused, trying to catch any prying intent, and confirmed that the emotional fluctuations in the area were settling.

"Bruno, prepare to collect the materials."

Bruno finally snapped back to his senses.

He followed Allen’s orders, took a small knife from his pocket, and began to collect the materials.

First, he dug out the Rhombic Crystal. It glinted faintly in the sunlight, and a subtle flow of energy seemed to swirl within it.

He placed the crystal into a special box that blocked Magic Power fluctuations. Next, he carefully peeled off the complete, translucent scales, which were nearly invisible in his hand. Finally, he removed the gland from its throat.

These were all valuable alchemy materials, worth far more than the profit from killing a Crystal Shell Burrowing Insect.

"How is it, Lina?"

Allen asked.

Lina opened her eyes and shook her head. "No new watchers. The emotional fluctuations in the area are calm."

"Good."

Allen stood up. "Quickly gather any usable materials from the Black-armored Marching Ants. We shouldn’t stay here for long."

Only then did the four of them relax. After quickly packing up, they continued along their planned route.

Bruno chose a relatively hidden path, doing his best to avoid open areas and obvious Magical Beast lairs.

The rest of the journey was surprisingly calm.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, and the occasional call of an unknown bird echoed in the distance, a stark contrast to the murderous intent they had just faced.

It seemed that after giving them its "welcoming gift," the Silent Forest had returned to its usual tranquility.

Guided by Bruno, they passed through an area shaded by tall trees. The air filled with the smell of damp earth and the unique, foul scent of some creature.

Ahead was an open area.

On the ground, a number of irregular pits and raised mounds of dirt indicated the presence of subterranean creatures.

"Crystal Shell Burrowing Insect nest," Bruno said, pointing ahead, his voice certain.

Baston gripped his Tower Shield, his vigilant gaze sweeping over the pits.

Lina, however, frowned. She could sense that the emotional fluctuations in this area were somewhat chaotic.

"Wait." Allen raised his hand, signaling for the team to halt.

His enhanced vision had spotted something unusual.

Next to one of the raised mounds, there was a dilapidated campsite. It looked like something had happened there, with debris scattered irregularly nearby.

Allen observed for a moment. Seeing no other movement, he directed the other three to approach cautiously.

As they drew closer, the full scene of the area came into view.

The area around the camp was a complete mess. The tent was torn to shreds, its tattered fabric swaying in the wind.

The campfire was nothing but cold ashes. Scattered cooking utensils and packs lay strewn about, and several pieces of equipment were twisted into scrap metal, as if crushed by some immense force.

The tracks and bloodstains at the scene clearly indicated that a sudden and violent incident had occurred here.

"It’s the camp of a squad of apprentices."

Bruno’s voice trembled slightly. His face had turned pale, and the tension in his muscles betrayed his inner turmoil. He had never seen such a gruesome sight.

Lina closed her eyes, activating her emotion-spectrum vision.

Around the campsite, intense residual emotions of fear, panic, and despair lingered.

These emotions were like frozen blocks of ice. A considerable amount of time had passed, yet their intensity still made her feel uneasy.

"They were attacked."

Lina’s voice trembled. "It was sudden. They didn’t even have time to fight back."

Allen said nothing. He walked to the center of the camp, crouched down to examine it carefully, and took out a blank Recording Crystal. He had bought it before setting out to record any important footage.

He picked up a torn pack. A few Magic Power Supplement Potions and some common alchemy materials used by apprentices were scattered inside.

"Their supplies weren’t looted."

Allen concluded. "This means the attackers weren’t after valuables."

His gaze swept across the ground, finally resting on the bodies of two apprentices lying there.

Their deaths were horrific. Their bodies were twisted, as if they had been crushed by some invisible millstone.

The badges and weapons scattered beside the corpses silently told the story of a brutal fight.

The apprentices’ equipment wasn’t bad; they even had a few pieces of Alchemy Armor that emanated fluctuations of Magic Power. But now, it was all just broken scrap.

Allen’s DSeek ran in the background at high speed, comparing and analyzing all visible combat traces, terrain damage, and residual Magic Power data.

After a moment, DSeek reached a conclusion.

The ones that had wiped out this squad of apprentices were indeed Crystal Shell Burrowing Insects, but not normal ones.

Initially, when facing the burrowing insects, they had seemed to be handling the situation with ease, even successfully repelling a few.

But then, the Crystal Shell Burrowing Insects had suddenly entered a "berserk state" that went far beyond normal parameters.

Their strength and speed multiplied, tearing through the apprentices’ defensive line in an instant.

’This berserk state isn’t a normal stress response.’

Allen began a deeper analysis.

’Even if three regular Crystal Shell Burrowing Insects attacked at once, their individual strength wouldn’t be enough to wipe out a squad of Advanced Apprentices in such a short time, and in such a crushing manner. Unless...’

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the destroyed campsite and the bottomless pits in the distance.

The DSeek database’s information on Crystal Shell Burrowing Insects made no mention of this kind of collective "berserking" trait.

This was an unknown factor.

"Our mission is to collect the carapaces of Crystal Shell Burrowing Insects."

Allen’s voice was low, but his tone had become much more solemn.

"But now, it looks like there might be some additional variables."

This discovery cast a shadow over what was supposed to be a simple collection mission.