{Northern Plains}
As they dashed towards their heavily fortified base, the four individuals desperately hoped that the Shark Wolf Beast Emperor would be deterred by the numerous traps laid out before it, or even better yet perish from them.
But due to their weak human forms, the Beast Emperor proved to be too nimble and quickly closed in on them. Surprisingly, however, the creature did not immediately pounce on its prey. Instead, it seemed to take pleasure in observing them from a distance, perhaps relishing the idea of playing with its victims before finally ending their lives.
Gun Man conjured an empty grenade, tossing it to Gas Man, who quickly picked up on the plan, for they had done this many times before. He stretched his hand out to catch it, when suddenly, a blinding flash of light filled the air, and when it dissipated, Gas Man's hand was gone.
At first, the pain didn't register, and Gas Man felt almost numb to the shock of what had happened. But then, the agony set in, and he clenched his jaw tightly, gritting his teeth in pain.
A smirk began to grow on the wolf, while also emitting a guttural sound as it watched the group. The sense of impending doom was palpable, and they knew that today was their last.
As the tension continued to grow, a sudden beam of light pierced the sky, striking the ground with a resounding boom that reverberated through the air. Out of the light emerged E049, impeccably dressed in a sharp business suit.
Without missing a beat, he surveyed the scene, taking in all the details before nodding in acknowledgment of the situation at hand.
With a calm and composed demeanor, he locked eyes with the ferocious Shark Wolf Beast Emperor, causing it to rapidly lose its will to fight. The creature began to close its eyes as if accepting its fate, and passed away peacefully, almost as if it had sensed that this was its final day.
"Is that really you, E049?" Sand Man exclaimed with relief. "We would have been nothing but mere nutrients for that beast if you hadn't shown up."
Sand Man took a step closer and extended his hand for a handshake, but E049 remained still, not reciprocating the gesture.
Feeling slightly awkward, Sand Man withdrew his hand and nervously asked, "By the way, how were you able to dispatch that creature with such ease?"
E049 responded with a tone of confidence and authority, "Unlike you all, I have mastered my ability to perfection, allowing me to target specific parts of the creature's anatomy. I focused on severing the connection between the brain and the rest of its body. Although the Beast Emperor's regenerative abilities were surprising, I was able to quickly locate the source and eliminate it."
With that, he approached the lifeless body of the creature, meticulously examining its internal organs, the bacteria, parasites, and even the Gu.
Puzzled by the presence of small creatures within the mutant shark-wolf hybrid, E049 turned to Gas Man, the most academic member of the group, and asked, "What are these organisms, E1438?"
Gas Man explained further, "Gu are widely used in this world as a versatile tool for various purposes, ranging from healing to killing, storage to production. They are powered by primeval essence, which can be extracted from the air or by a gu master. It would be easier to understand if I showed you."
He then proceeded to demonstrate by using a rank-1 Grass Soldier Gu to create small twig-like Grass Soldiers, and then used a rank-1 Fire Gu to burn them.
E049 was fascinated by the concept and asked, "How do I become a gu master?", while also, dissembling the wolf's corpse with his ability, slicing through the skin cells like a knife through butter. He also soothed every Gu he came across and stored them in a bag.
"Here, have this Book Gu. It'll be quicker for you to read the information you need," Gas Man offered as he handed E049 the Gu. Knowing that E049 didn't possess primeval essence, Gas Man activated it for him.
After studying the information from the Book Gu, E049 had successfully disassembled the wolf and turned to Sand Man, instructing him to take him to the nearby village. "By the way, from now on, my code name will be Zi Ran," he added.