"Don't worry, I've already prepared." With that, Li Er sat down on the spot. He didn't mind Duanmu Qing seeing him as his ears grew incredibly large, resembling the scene Luo Chao had seen before.

"You all truly are monsters," Duanmu Qing remarked as she watched the scene before her. Today, she actually witnessed the legendary Downwind Ear; it was simply unbelievable.

Nangong Hanhan, standing nearby, was immediately displeased upon hearing this: "Hey! I don't object if you call them a few monsters, but don't lump me in. I'm a perfectly normal pretty girl!"

Seeing Liu Qingqing glancing at herself with amusement, she quickly clutched her arm, "And my most beautiful and gentle Qingqing sister too."

The others listened with a wry smile, thinking it was unnecessary to belittle others to elevate oneself. They were all members of the Dragon Team, so how could she be more normal than the rest?

Yet, no one wanted to argue with her, a little girl, as they all understood her straightforward personality.

"Huh? Strange." Li Er opened his eyes, "Those people don't seem to have left Liuhai; they've stayed in one place without moving."

Upon hearing this, everyone was a bit puzzled. Logically, these East Japanese ninjas should be trying everything to escape the Dragon Team's surveillance after abducting someone. Why would they stay here waiting to be caught?

"Can you confirm that?" Luo Chao cautiously asked. If this were true, it would be perfect; they still had time to rescue Xin Xing'Er.

"Absolutely!" Li Er nodded assertively and added, "I also detected that nine abnormal energy sources are clustered together, meaning there are approximately nine ninjas. Their numbers are almost double ours, and among them, there are two whose presence feels as strong as our squadron. Prepare yourselves mentally."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill. Their team was, in fact, known to be the weakest among the Dragon Team, excluding Li Er, who was from another team. There were six members in total, with Xiaolang's superpower not yet fully awakened, and Wu Zhongli was an auxiliary healing personnel, whose combat ability was negligible.

Therefore, only four members—Luo Chao, Liu Qingqing, Guo Ren, and Nangong Hanhan—could truly engage in battle. The opposing side had two captain-level Upper Ninjas, increasing the pressure immensely.

"Why don't I ask Captain Long if he can assist us?" Li Er suggested, as it was unrealistic to rely on just this group to fight two alone.

"This is our matter; asking for help would look bad!" Liu Qingqing retorted with a cold snort, disagreeing. It wasn't because she was prideful, but she felt that their first task after the restructuring of Team Eight should be completed independently. Besides, she was eager to set off, considering her fiancé's death was deeply connected with these Japanese people.

"Right! We can handle this ourselves," Luo Chao agreed with Liu Qingqing's view, though their thoughts differed. He didn't mind asking for help because it looked bad; he was afraid of unexpected changes and felt they should act fast.

This earned him an appreciative glance from Liu Qingqing.

What Guo Ren thought was not apparent for the time being. He was a practical person who liked to mediate, but when there was a mission, he'd follow orders without a word, embodying the characteristics of a soldier.

Nangong Hanhan seemed somewhat anxious, expressing her concern to Luo Chao: "Really, no need? Why do I lack confidence! Not to mention anything else, but can you handle fighting those two Upper Ninjas alone? I'm definitely not a match for them." Ultimately, she feared not being an adequate adversary.

"Then you don't need to come!" Liu Qingqing spoke coldly, "Without even this bit of confidence, how would you accomplish anything."

"Come on, I was just suggesting it. I wanted you to think it through!" Nangong Hanhan quickly explained, seeing her dear sister Qingqing was upset.

"Alright, stop bickering. Old Wu, come here too." Luo Chao's mood was undeniably tense, and he chided them, "Did you find out anything?"

Wu Zhongli shook his head in frustration, "These ninjas are damn resilient, not just any tough nuts to crack. I've broken their bones several times, yet they persist in silence without revealing anything useful."

"Forget it. We'll handle it later! We're heading out now, any issues on your end?" Despite the danger of this mission, after careful consideration, Luo Chao decided to bring Wu Zhongli for two reasons: to enhance the team's endurance and in case Xin Xing'Er was rescued and injured, Wu could provide timely treatment.

Wu Zhongli chuckled softly, "What issue could I have? Though I don't have the hot-bloodedness of you youngsters, I can still step up when needed."

"That's good," Luo Chao said with relief. Then he turned to Li Er, "This time, Li Er, you don't need to go; it's too dangerous."

Li Er was visibly displeased, "I was merely joking before; if there's trouble, how could I not step in? Are you looking down on me, squad leader?"

"That's not my intention at all! You're too important to the Dragon Team, and if something happened to you, I couldn't explain to the deputy leader," Luo Chao said earnestly.

Li Er was about to object, but Luo Chao didn't say more and made a direct decision: "Team Eight, let's move out. Duanmu, take these two back to the precinct."

Duanmu Qing nodded and said, "If you need firepower support... we're prepared anytime."

With a wave, he led four subordinates swiftly out of the sports hall, only to be met unexpectedly by Xiaolang who had hurried over.

"Why have you returned? Didn't I ask you to protect those two women?" Luo Chao asked, puzzled.

"I came to deliver your weapon," Xiaolang said, handing over the Green Forest Sword wrapped in fine cloth from behind his back. During Luo Chao's earlier battle, Xiaolang noticed he was disadvantaged without a weapon and, upon reaching home, immediately retrieved their captain's treasure and rushed back to deliver it.

Luo Chao was delighted to receive it, gratefully patting Xiaolang's head, "Go back now!"

"No, I want to go with you," Xiaolang firmly insisted, showing no intention to leave.

Luo Chao was displeased; he hadn't planned on bringing Xiaolang along this time since he would be a burden without his superpower being activated. Going along would be suicidal. It would be better if he stayed home.

However, seeing Xiaolang's earnest and determined gaze, Luo Chao understood. Even if he didn't bring him along, Xiaolang would sneakily follow; he yearned to prove himself and become strong, just like Luo Chao was a few months ago.

The others all looked at Luo Chao, waiting for his decision.

With a sigh, knowing he couldn't change his determination, "Alright, let's go!" He would try his best to keep Xiaolang safe.

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