James Lone leisurely maintained his pace. With his stamina, he could run for a day and a night without tiring. However, he couldn't move too quickly in case the enemy gave up the chase.

Noticing the observing insect falling behind, he stopped.

Pretending to be out of breath, he was inwardly disdainful.

Feigning a coughing fit, he rummaged through his backpack, but in reality, retrieved food from his personal space and began to eat.

Amanda Fred [saw] the "rat" finally stop and sighed in relief.

She perched on a treetop, gasping for air, feeling as though her lungs might burst. This guy could really run!

Devoid of food, Amanda envied James feasting below her.

James perceived her condition.

No food? That wouldn't do! Without stamina, how could she keep up with him?

Deliberately eating only a few bites, he tossed the food aside, muttering, "It's terrible!"

He also discarded half a bottle of water, grumbling.

"Jerk! What a waste!" Amanda's throat parched as she watched. She had no sustenance, while he was being so choosy!

After a brief rest, James got back up and continued his journey.

Amanda groaned inwardly but hurried over to snatch the discarded food and water, hastily devouring both before resuming her insect form and following.

Their chase lasted hours.

Amanda was flying beyond her limits, having traveled farther than any day since the mist descended.

As darkness fell, she could no longer endure. She alighted on a deserted building to await the main force.

It took a full hour for Martin Stewart and the rest to arrive.

They looked equally beleaguered, stumbling over like mourners at a funeral.

Even Martin Stewart, with his commendable stamina, was nearly driven mad.

Who could endure hours of running through dense forest, constantly wary of ambush?

Rushing on, three ability users had been attacked by mutant animals, one severely injured and unlikely to recover.

With a grim expression, Martin knew he couldn't press on without inciting a mutiny among his men.

When he saw Amanda had reached her limit too, he reluctantly announced, "Rest here. We'll continue in the morning!"

It took several more hours for the larger trailing force to catch up.

Compared to the exhausted elite vanguard, the main group had fared worse.

Ten ability users and thirty soldiers were lost, along with over two hundred survivors!

Some were injured or too fatigued, falling behind and getting lost in the forest.

Others had seized the lax oversight to escape quietly.

Martin Stewart's face was stormy.

Such heavy losses were hard to swallow.

Should they fail to catch the "rat," it'd be a complete debacle!

Thankfully, the base had been attacked and Erics Peterson was missing. Otherwise, he'd have a lot to answer for!

But he realized any further pursuit was impossible, risking cohesion altogether.

"Everyone, rest!"

At the command, the group collapsed where they stood.

Exhausted survivors were still unable to rest, having to clean the building for shelter and begin preparing food.

The medics busied themselves, checking and treating all ability users and soldiers.

Martin Stewart couldn't rest either, meeting with leaders to plan:

"Judging from the current situation, we underestimated the rat's abilities."

"First, he likely lacks flight power, relying purely on superhuman stamina to move quickly between places—this guy just runs like hell."

"Second, his ability variety is clearer now. Natural endurance allows him to bear multiple abilities."

"Moreover, given Amanda Fred's perspective, he's run all day without animal attacks, suggesting an ability to avoid or detect attacks early."

"Finally, his burrowing seems heavily limited. So far, he's avoided using it again, likely due to its massive stamina drain. Our pressure has kept him from recovering."

"We must continue without letting him recover enough to burrow. I order two teams: all combat-capable ability users and the 30 fittest soldiers in one team to pursue him overnight; the rest steady under Colonel Wang, avoiding further casualties."

"He can't hold out much longer—we'll catch him tomorrow!"

After brief instruction, Martin Stewart rested an hour before setting off again with his team.

Amanda, exhausted, needed more rest first.

With only his nose to rely on, Martin struggled to follow the trail, taking many detours.

Fortunately, the rat hadn't gone underground.

At 4 a.m., Amanda, sufficiently rested and escorted by several soldiers, rejoined the pursuit.

By 7 a.m., Amanda regained her quarry's trail.

The "rat" slumped beneath a building-side tree, as if exhausted into slumber.

What an opportunity!

She didn't disturb him, merely hid to observe, awaiting Martin Stewart's arrival.

The rat appeared deeply asleep.

Curiously, there were no nearby animals?

However, Amanda dismissed it.

Upon Martin's arrival, Rock Campbell would lock the space—trapping the rat!

Viewing Amanda's feed, Martin's group was elated:

"Finally, the rat's too pooped to pop!"

"Hurry, brothers, double-time it!"

Martin was thrilled but cautioned: "General Campbell, lock the space first on-site to prevent burrowing escapes!"

Rock Campbell nodded. "Understood."

Victory close at hand, spirits soared, urgency in their steps.

Within minutes, they quietly approached within meters of the rat.

"Hold here! Lock the space now!"

Rock Campbell silently clasped his hands.

A pale blue, translucent cube formed.

It expanded rapidly, enveloping everything—everyone, buildings...

To prevent underground escape, its base barely exceeded half a meter belowground.

Soon, Campbell was exhausted:

"I sealed a 200m x 200m area for two hours."

Martin [saw] the rat under the tree, twisted into a sneer: "That's enough..."

Just then, the rat's form blurred into bubbles, vanishing!

Everyone gaped, bewildered:

"What the hell just happened?"

"Where'd he go?"

"What ability was that?"

"Wasn't the area sealed? How'd he get out?"

Amanda Fred was equally stupefied.

The living man before her moments ago had vanished bizarrely!

Undetected, ten meters underground, James Lone smirked coolly.

Wiping the real sweat from his brow, he maintained Amanda's illusion for over ten minutes—a sizable strain.

But the gain was undeniable.

Twenty-five powerful ability users and thirty elite soldiers were locked within the sealed space!

According to Sofie Barnes, once activated, this ability couldn't be reversed.

Even the user was helpless; they'd be trapped until the seal timed out!

In essence, they'd locked themselves inside.

And just beyond, the building was swarming with tentacle monsters!