They were a group of powerful tiger-like monsters, with a clear hierarchy among them. Each tiger possessed considerable strength and carried deadly pathogens.
This pack of tigers had taken half the city's residents hostage, preventing the Association from employing certain special tactics. Consequently, the Association was now summoning idle freelance hunters to resolve the crisis in Guangnan Province.
The conscription order Wen Wen received was not mandatory. This was due to a past transaction he'd made with Investigator Zheng; the Association would no longer issue him compulsory orders.
The further he read, the more grim Wen Wen's expression became. He muttered a few short phrases: "Tigers, pathogens... Tiger Plague!"
This document looked exactly like the Tiger Plague that Moon God had mentioned previously.
Moon God had once said that Yu Chang Tigers were a dual-species pair, born together as male and female. After one died, the other would awaken a mysterious power, unleashing a tiger-related plague in its vicinity.
It hadn't been too long since the male Yu Chang Tiger was killed by Moon God, so Wen Wen was certain of his judgment.
Although the male Yu Chang Tiger was not killed by Wen Wen, the incident was still directly related to him. He couldn't stand by and do nothing, so Wen Wen accepted the order without hesitation.
"That mysterious staircase will have to wait for another day. I hope it won't be dealt with by someone else before then."
Because he wanted to see the mysterious staircase, Wen Wen was already very close to Yue City, where the Tiger Plague had occurred. It would only take a few hours by car to reach his destination.
"San Zai'er, head to Yue City in Guangnan Province at your fastest speed. Ignore the speed limit, full throttle."
Upon hearing Wen Wen's words, San Zai'er put on a small pair of sunglasses and floored the accelerator. The black sports car shot forward.
After accepting the mission order, Wen Wen was able to view more detailed information about the mission.
These tigers originated from a primeval forest area in the Jiangnan Great Forest. They hadn't been this numerous initially, but any creature injured by these tigers would also transform into those strange tigers.
The initial discovery of these tigers coincided closely with the time Moon God slew the Yu Chang Tiger, confirming Wen Wen's suspicion.
According to intelligence gathered from Yue City, these tigers were initially just foolish beasts. However, in this short period, they had evolved a clear social hierarchy. Given another ten days or so, they might have become even more terrifying.
The tigers were divided into three classes. The highest was the Slave Lord class, with strength ranging from Lower Disaster to Upper Disaster tier.
Creatures killed by Slave Lords would become the Slave Lords'伥鬼 (cānguǐ), able to exert much of their strength from life, fearless of death and pain, making them extremely formidable.
The middle class were 'Tiger Warriors,' soldiers dominated by the Slave Lords.
Creatures injured but not killed by Tiger Warriors would transform into monsters clad in tiger pelts. Their strength was generally at the Calamity tier, with a few at the Disaster tier. Supers possessed some resistance to this virus, but if injured and not treated promptly, they would also turn into these monsters.
The lowest class were the slaves, all creatures injured by Tiger Warriors and transformed into monsters. They were the lowest strata of this tiger society and did not carry the pathogen that could convert other creatures, but they were still fatal to ordinary humans.
As for the mastermind behind this plague, the Association currently had no intelligence. However, Wen Wen knew clearly in his heart that it must be the female Yu Chang Tiger with at least True Sequence level strength!
If the Hunter Association of Guangnan Province had not mounted a powerful offensive against these tigers in the early stages of the disaster, these creatures would have already spread throughout Guangnan Province like a virus.
But all they could manage was to contain these tigers within Yue City; they were incapable of completely eliminating them.
While reviewing the documents, Wen Wen suddenly received a call from Yin Hu.
"You're planning to intervene in the tiger incident in Yue City?"
Wen Wen replied, "That's right. These tigers are very dangerous, so I want to lend a hand."
Yin Hu immediately said to Wen Wen, "I hadn't intended to trouble you, but since you're willing to get involved, could you also ask the people of the Black Cross to lend a hand? Although we've done our best to mobilize forces, our strength might still be insufficient."
Wen Wen frowned and asked, "The Association's strength isn't enough? Do these tigers possess such formidable power?"
Yin Hu sighed, "Xun Xian is occupied suppressing a Cataclysm-level creature and cannot spare himself. The True Sequence experts at headquarters are also all occupied with their own matters. Only two True Sequence individuals can rush to the scene."
"Two aren't enough?" Wen Wen asked curiously.
Yin Hu shook his head. "If it were just that pack of tigers, two True Sequence individuals plus the summoned freelance hunters would be able to handle them… but during our investigation, we discovered that a mysterious force seems to be lurking there. We worry that something unexpected might happen."
"Mysterious force? What mysterious force?" Wen Wen became interested.
Yin Hu hesitated before saying to Wen Wen, "You should have seen it in the intel. The origin of these tigers is in the Jiangnan Great Forest. If they were to expand from the forest's direction, our containment efforts would require several times the force."
"But the current situation is that all the tigers are trapped in Yue City, with none causing hidden dangers outside… this wasn't done by the Association."
Wen Wen's eyes widened. "It wasn't done by the Association?"
Yin Hu nodded bitterly. "That's right. According to our investigation, these tigers initially intended to spread into the Jiangnan Great Forest, but they were defeated by a mysterious force. All the tigers in the mountain forest were killed."
"In other words, the tigers occupying Yue City are actually just a group of defeated remnants. To accomplish something like this requires a considerable force, yet we have no intel on this mysterious force at all."
"So, if possible, I hope the 'Black Cross' can also get involved and help us resolve some of these troubles."
After thinking it over, Wen Wen evaded Yin Hu by saying, "The Master of the Black Cross will not personally act for such matters. I can call some other assistance, but you'd best not hold out too much hope."
Yin Hu sounded somewhat disappointed. "It's fine. As long as you are willing to act, our side's pressure will be greatly reduced. Thank you."
After hanging up the phone, Wen Wen felt a slight headache. If it weren't for the fact that the so-called 'Black Cross' was truly just an empty shell, he would have genuinely wanted to help more.
However, the Containment Facility, though lacking True Sequence realm powerhouses, was a significant force when all its monsters were gathered.
What Wen Wen was most curious about was the origin of that mysterious power.
Judging by Yin Hu's words, that mysterious force managed to defeat the Tiger Plague before the Hunter Association could. This was no ordinary feat.
Wen Wen scratched his head in frustration and said, "Let's not think about it too much for now. Whoever they are, as long as they aren't that group of former inmates from the Containment Facility..."