"How can you be so sure it's the same ancient beast as 'Di Jiang'?" Qin Yan asked, "Captain Gao, didn't you say that information about this creature has been sealed, so we don't know what it looks like?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Gao Zhanxiang, with a very experienced demeanor, said, "If it were just a regular dangerous creature, there would be no need to seal the information. The fact that the information is sealed indicates that this creature's identity is extraordinary. What's more, there are many esper organizations outside also searching for this creature."

"I see," Qin Yan nodded. He knew that the abilities of espers were mostly derived from these ancient beasts. Since other esper organizations were also searching for this creature, it was certain that this creature had a deep background.

As time passed unnoticed, nearly half an hour had gone by. Gao Zhanxiang announced they were close to the location where the creature had last appeared. Suddenly, they heard a few clear "drip, drip" sounds as a few droplets of water hit the car window.

"Is it raining?" Lin Shiqi looked up at the sky in confusion, only to see a clear sky with no clouds, not resembling rain at all.

Suddenly, Dream Butterfly spoke up, "Everyone, pay attention. That creature should be nearby!"

"What? The creature is nearby?!" Gao Zhanxiang abruptly hit the brakes, bringing the off-road vehicle to a stop. "Where is it?"

Dream Butterfly opened the car window and pointed towards a distant spot outside, "Look over there."

Everyone turned to where Dream Butterfly was pointing and saw a large, open square covered in a thick white mist.

"Miss Dream Butterfly, are you saying that the creature we're looking for is in that white mist?" Gao Zhanxiang questioned.

"Exactly," Dream Butterfly affirmed confidently.

Gao Zhanxiang's heart skipped a beat. He knew Dream Butterfly was exceptionally intelligent, so if she was so sure, then it must be true.

"Everyone, get out of the car and grab your equipment and weapons!" Gao Zhanxiang's expression turned serious as he issued orders. The people in the car disembarked, and Gao Zhanxiang provided each of them with a white cloak with a hood, saying, "Put this on. This cloak can help shield us from the radiation of the solar storm. Otherwise, prolonged exposure in this environment can make you sick."

Following his instructions, everyone put on the white cloaks. Gao Zhanxiang, with a stern expression, led the group cautiously towards the square shrouded in white mist. As they drew closer to the square, they faintly heard a deep growling sound resembling that of a canine. They also noticed a blurry black figure within the white mist, and the roar of the beast emanated from that figure.

Suddenly, a light drizzle began. It turned out that the white mist over the square was actually rain.

As the captain of the special task force, Gao Zhanxiang was experienced. He felt it was unwise to approach the unknown creature recklessly. Taking a quick survey of the surroundings, he spotted a large stone stele shaped like the character "凹" about a hundred meters away from the black figure in the mist. This massive stele was tall and wide enough to conceal their movements. Gao Zhanxiang promptly led the group quietly towards the stele.

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Before long, they successfully reached the base of the stele. Gao Zhanxiang placed the bag containing their equipment on the ground, took out a pair of binoculars, and peered through them at the unidentified creature in the mist. His body trembled, and in a low voice, he said, "It's a tiger, a large tiger with wings!"

The others also took out their binoculars and looked at the black creature. After seeing the creature clearly, they couldn't help but shudder.

As Gao Zhanxiang just mentioned, standing on the vast square was a tiger the size of an ox. This tiger had extremely long black fur, a robust physique with well-developed muscles, long and sharp fangs and claws. What was most peculiar was the pair of large, feathered wings in a gray-brown color growing on its massive black tiger back. At that moment, the black tiger had its wings fully spread, neck arched, mouth wide open, as if taking a bath in the light drizzle.

"What, what is this?" Lin Shiqi timidly asked. She knew it was a tiger, but a tiger with wings was something she had never seen before.

"This is a 'Qiongqi,' a legendary ancient beast," Dream Butterfly spoke with a serious expression. "This type of creature is fierce in nature and has a tendency to eat people. We must be extremely cautious."

Upon hearing this, including Gao Zhanxiang, the faces of the people showed fear. Lin Shiqi said, "So you mean the creature attacking people in the city these past few days is this 'Qiongqi'?"

"Exactly," Gao Zhanxiang's face displayed concern. He pondered and said, "This is a difficult situation. If 'Qiongqi' were just a regular tiger, we espers should be able to capture it easily. But if 'Qiongqi' possesses powerful esper abilities like 'Di Jiang,' the situation is different..."

Gao Zhanxiang thought for a while but couldn't come to a decision. He turned to Dream Butterfly for advice, "Miss Dream Butterfly, do you have any insights on this 'Qiongqi'?"

Dream Butterfly calmly responded, "This is my first time seeing a 'Qiongqi,' so I don't know much about this type of creature. However, I believe it should have at least third-level magic abilities."

"Third-level magic? Why?" Gao Zhanxiang inquired.

"Because this rain is created by 'Qiongqi.' It is gathering a large amount of hydrogen and oxygen in the air to generate water. This rain is its creation," Dream Butterfly explained.

"I see," Gao Zhanxiang nodded. He knew that when a solar storm approached, the hydrogen content in the air would sharply rise, allowing magic users to combine hydrogen and oxygen to create water.

Gao Zhanxiang continued, "What about its body refinement abilities? What level of body refinement does it possess?"

"At the moment, it's unclear. However, for a large ancient beast like 'Qiongqi,' I estimate it should have at least third-level body refinement abilities," Dream Butterfly replied.

Gao Zhanxiang's expression turned particularly grim. A tiger the size of an ox, with a mouth and face as large as a basin, sharp teeth and claws, and at least third-level body refinement and magic abilities, coupled with its man-eating nature, made it extremely dangerous. If they made a wrong move, they could all end up in grave danger.

"Does anyone have any ideas about this 'Qiongqi'?" Although Gao Zhanxiang was the leader of the operation, he was now seeking input from others as he was at a loss.

Qin Yan had personally fought with 'Di Jiang' before and knew the prowess of these ancient beasts. He immediately suggested, "I think we should temporarily retreat."

"What? Retreat? After finally discovering the 'Qiongqi,' are we really going to give up on capturing it?" Lin Shiqi was a bit unwilling.

Dream Butterfly agreed with Qin Yan's suggestion, "Regardless, our top priority is to ensure everyone's safety. Unless we have a foolproof plan, it's best not to take any risks."

Zhou Xiaohui and Zhao Liang also felt caution was necessary. Seeing everyone in agreement, Gao Zhanxiang said, "Alright, let's return to the car first. Once we have a solid plan in place, we can come back to capture this creature."