Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

The Winged Hand Clan members wore blue garments with white trim, similar in style to the extra layer of clothing used by the Crusade Army to distinguish between their units.

Aside from their wings and ears, these members of the Winged Hand Clan were no different from ordinary humans.

A member of the Winged Hand Clan dressed in blue with yellow trim approached Lotcar. He was twice as large as the other Winged Hands, standing over two meters tall, with a strand of brownish-grey hair spilling from the neckline of his clothes down to his abdomen, exuding an overwhelming presence.

Scanning the area, the Winged Hand Clan leader’s gaze settled on Bai Jin, scrutinizing her repeatedly before finally speaking in an extremely uncertain tone,

”Miss, are you the highest-ranking officer here?

I am Carl, the captain of the Winged Hand Clan unit.

We are here to offer support, following the orders of Minister Ming Dalak.”

Beneath her disheveled hair, Bai Jin cocked her head, ”Why would you think I’m the highest-ranking officer here?”

”My apologies, did I make a mistake?” Carl said apologetically, then turned to look at Yang Yu, ”Then, sir, are you the commanding officer?”

”That’s not entirely accurate,” Yang Yu pointed behind him with his thumb, ”The elite here are under my command. The battalion of five thousand behind us is led by General Shi Gua.”

Following Yang Yu’s gaze, Carl saw a beastman resembling a lion-dog sitting on horseback with a reluctant, embarrassed smile.

”Is that so? Just as the instructor said, it’s not always the strongest individuals who hold the higher ranks. Here, it seems quite different from the rules within our clan, but we will adapt quickly.”

Lifting his arm, the wing membrane that covered Carl’s hand contracted visibly to the naked eye, his fingers rapidly shortening and becoming indistinguishable from those of a normal beastman.

”Captain and the General over there, you must be marching toward General Ajiket, correct? Could we join and march with you?”

Carl and the Winged Hands behind him were quite clearly the reinforcements sent by Ming Dalak, so neither Yang Yu nor General Shi Gua had any reason to refuse.

Carl led his five hundred Winged Hand Clan troops to join the march.

It wasn’t long before Yang Yu and his group returned to the camp.

The guards stationed there noticed their approach and informed the waiting legion leaders.

Ajiket came out to meet them personally, relieved to see that the casualties among Yang Yu and General Shi Gua’s troops were minimal. Even the usually composed Ajiket sighed in relief,

”The elite forces led by that girl in black, I’ve heard a bit about them. It’s surprising that the Luo Ze Empire has trained such elites. It’s fortunate that you didn’t encounter them, a lucky break among misfortunes.”

”On the contrary, her strength was extraordinary, but fortunately, we managed to contain her, preventing a high number of casualties.”

”Is that so? You’ve had a tough time.”

Ajiket stroked his goatee, his eyes looking at Yang Yu with a bit less wariness and a bit more appreciation.

Then, Ajiket noticed the Winged Hand Clan members next to Yang Yu. Carl introduced himself to Ajiket and explained their reason for coming.

Ajiket warmly welcomed the Winged Hand Clan, washing away the dust from their journey and ordering his subordinates to take good care of them.

The first thing after returning to the camp was to settle the troops. Yang Yu, experienced as he was, quickly managed to organize his own forces.

Wanluo and Duoshi also successfully retreated back.

Duoshi gave Wanluo a harsh scolding outside the tent; Wanluo had been too eager for quick results and suffered significant losses, so Duoshi was preparing to demote him to the rank of Deputy General.

Observing in secret for a while and realizing that no task had been triggered, Yang Yu left to find Dongmu, who had returned earlier, and reported his safety.

Dongmu embraced Yang Yu and gave him a gentle thump on the chest,

”I knew you’d be fine. You truly live up to Ming Dalak’s recommendation, with exceptional strength. I’m really looking forward to your future performances.

We will definitely take back our lost lands, and once again grind those humans into the ground.”

”General Dongmu really thinks highly of me,” Yang Yu said with a slight smile, ”But initially, I hadn’t planned on going there; I was just acting to cure my own illness.”

”That’s okay! That’s okay!” Dongmu laughed heartily, patting Yang Yu on the back, ”No matter the reason, as long as you’ve joined us and are fighting for our dream, you’re a valued ally.”

It was indeed gratifying to be held in such high regard...

But such affectionate gestures between two adult men made Yang Yu feel somewhat uncomfortable.

”Let’s leave it at that. The Winged Hand Clan has arrived, and there should be a strategy meeting later. You’ve made such a significant contribution. I’ll take you along to sit in, and making a suggestion shouldn’t be a problem.”

Dongmu chuckled and released his grip,

”Take a rest for now. When it’s time for the meeting, I’ll send someone to find you.”

With that, Dongmu walked away with a carefree laugh.

For Yang Yu, whether to attend the upcoming meeting wasn’t all that important.

At the moment Dongmu had arrived, Yang Yu’s urgent mission had automatically been tallied, and the panel displayed a new mission.

[Urgent Mission: Heavenly Surprise Troops

Mission Description:

Minister Ming Dalak has dispatched the Winged Hand Clan to support the assault troops. The Winged Hand Clan is an extremely special race of beastmen.

They emit ultrasonic waves to determine the positions of various objects and spread a unique Magic Waves.

This Magic Waves can penetrate multiple objects, and the Winged Hand Clan can use it to discern the rough shape of an object and assess the strength of magical creatures.

The Winged Hand Clan treats Dark Night as if it were day, and within their sensory range, nothing can hide.

Mission Requirement: Launch a surprise aerial assault on Benliang City to weaken their forces from within, and open the city gates to welcome the main forces.

Mission Rewards: ???? ]

Receiving such a mission did not surprise Yang Yu.

With the inclusion of a flying character on the battlefield, there was a ninety-nine percent chance of an aerial surprise attack, with only a one percent chance that another method would be necessary.

As for the Winged Hand Clan’s ability to assess others’ strength, Yang Yu had just experienced it firsthand.

However, Yang Yu had not expected the mission to reveal the principle behind that ability so directly.

But if it was about averaging attributes, then Shi Gua should be a bit stronger than him. After asking Bai Jin, he should also ask Shi Gua...

If it was based on levels, then Bai Jin would be first, he would be second, and Iyas would be third...

That meant...

The Winged Hand Clan might rely on those Magic Waves to determine levels?

Or was it that both level and attributes were calculated?

He wondered if the people in this world were aware of the concept of levels.

In Yang Yu’s mind, there was now one more thing he wanted to confirm.