Su Ze voluntarily went to stand with the main group of Pupa Stage members.
Liou Wenxin watched Su Ze standing among the big, burly, and fierce-looking evolvers. He looked like a puppy in a wolf pack, so after a moment's thought, she called him over.
"You can just stay by my side."
"Okay." Su Ze readily agreed. 'Looks like spending last night building a rapport was useful after all.'
Liou Wenxin waited for a moment. When she saw that no one else was coming, she paid everyone a day's wages and prepared to depart.
"Wait!"
A man off to the side suddenly stood up. He hadn't been part of the group, but had been sitting in a corner, smoking a cigarette.
"What is it?" Mrs. Yun shot the man a cold look.
"Why isn't Gao Long here?" the man asked.
"Am I Gao Long's mother?" Mrs. Yun retorted.
The man was taken aback for a moment before explaining, "My apologies. Gao Long and I agreed to take this mission together. We were supposed to set out this morning, but I haven't been able to reach him, and he's not here."
"It's time. We're not waiting for anyone," Mrs. Yun said expressionlessly, signaling for the group to move out.
The man gritted his teeth. "Gao Long and I have been partners for years, and our strength is comparable. If I take the job, how much will you pay me a day?"
"Fifty thousand. If you want it, keep up."
With that, Mrs. Yun led the team away. The man hesitated for a moment before following them.
Su Ze vaguely overheard some people in the group whispering.
"We're all Pupa Stage. Why does he get fifty thousand a day?"
"That's normal. He's Li Gaojie, Gao Long's partner. He's not much weaker than Gao Long, so he's worth the price."
"Yeah, Li Gaojie is really strong. He and Gao Long once teamed up to hunt a Tier 2 high-grade anomalous beast, the Fallen Wolf."
"How come I've never heard of this guy?"
"He's not as high-profile and ostentatious as Gao Long. He doesn't usually stir up trouble, so he's not as famous."
Su Ze remained expressionless, his hand in his pocket toying with the wondrous item, the "Traceless Walker." He became a little more guarded against Li Gaojie. After all, Gao Long had died by his hand.
...
Su Ze's group took six taxis to the outskirts of the Black Rock Mountain Range.
"Are we crossing the mountain range from here?" someone asked doubtfully.
The Black Rock Mountain Range stretched for hundreds of miles. There were originally no paths on the mountains; paths were formed only after many people had walked them.
As veteran Hunters, these evolvers had their usual routes for entering the mountains to hunt. These paths were relatively safe, easy to traverse, and familiar.
But the taxis had stopped in an unfamiliar area. This meant they would have to blaze a new trail, and the dangers they would face along the way would be unknown. This undoubtedly increased the mission's difficulty.
"I know this increases the difficulty of the mission, but we've also paid wages higher than the market rate. If anyone wants to back out, now's the time," Mrs. Yun called out, looking back at them.
No one backed out. In fact, a few of the Cocoon Stage members voluntarily moved to the front of the group to clear the path.
The group advanced deep into the Black Rock Mountain Range. They formed a circle with Liou Wenxin protected in the center. Some cleared the obstructing thorns and weeds, while others kept a vigilant watch for anomalous beast attacks.
Only Su Ze, who was next to Liou Wenxin, seemed to be on a picnic. He chatted with her while munching on the various snacks she handed him, looking less like he was on an escort mission and more like he was on a leisurely outing.
Someone in the group was curious and asked in a low voice, "Is that kid also with the employer?"
"Bullshit! He's a hired hand, just like us. I saw the employer transfer him money. Only ten thousand a day!"
"Ten thousand? That's it? How weak can he be? Did they just bring him along to fill a spot?"
"Haha, maybe his job is to keep the client happy. You know how it is, rich women love pretty boys like that."
"Dammit, I can't stand pretty boys. I get green with envy just looking at them. Why couldn't I be that lucky!"
These Hunters were all experienced veterans; none of them were greenhorns who had just reached the Pupa Stage. Plus, the client was paying generously this time, so their wages were all twenty thousand or more.
Su Ze overheard some of their gossip about him, but he paid it no mind.
'They only have the energy to chat because there's not much danger at the foot of the Black Rock Mountain Range,' Su Ze thought. 'Once we're up on the mountain, Tier 2 anomalous beasts will start showing up. That's when we'll need to be careful.'
On the outskirts of the Black Rock Mountain Range, there were usually only Tier 1 anomalous beasts. The most common were Burrowing Mice and Water-Spraying Frogs.
Perhaps because they were taking a rarely traveled route, they encountered an unusual number of Burrowing Mice and Water-Spraying Frogs. The extracts from these two creatures were a dime a dozen in Heiyan City and wouldn't fetch a good price, so the Hunters couldn't be bothered. They would only bother to kill one if it got right in their face.
"Son of a bitch, it sprayed me right in the face," an old Hunter in the group cursed as he pinned a Water-Spraying Frog the size of a playground ball beneath him. There was blood around his mouth and nose where the frog's high-pressure jet of water had split his lips.
The old Hunter took a fist-sized device from his backpack. It was a portable extractor, used to extract Evolutionary Material from the bodies of anomalous beasts and create extracts.
One end of the extractor had a sharp, conical metal tube, with a glass vial fixed in the middle.
The old Hunter plunged the sharp metal tube into the Water-Spraying Frog's body and pressed the switch. In moments, the frog's body visibly shriveled, and the glass vial quickly filled with a clear liquid in which a faint red light swirled.
The old Hunter pulled out the metal tube, removed the glass vial from the extractor, and sealed it with a cap. One vial of Water-Spraying Frog extract, complete.
After kicking the frog's carcass aside, the Hunter carefully stowed the extract in his backpack.
As per their agreement, any spoils from anomalous beasts killed during the mission belonged to the individual who made the kill. For joint kills, the loot was divided based on contribution.
This was why every time a Tier 1 high-grade anomalous beast appeared, all the Pupa Stage Hunters in the group would swarm it. Even if they couldn't get the kill, they'd try to land an assist to get a cut of the earnings.
A Tier 1 high-quality extract was worth good money.
However, on the outskirts of the Black Rock Mountain Range, these Tier 1 high-grade anomalous beasts rarely appeared.
Su Ze noticed that Gao Long's partner, Li Gaojie, had been extremely low-key the entire time. He hadn't joined in on killing any anomalous beasts. Other than leaving the group to take a piss at the start, he had just been trailing along with a distracted look on his face.
Su Ze didn't let down his guard, continuing to keep a covert eye on Li Gaojie.
After trekking for half a day, the group finally entered the inner region of the Black Rock Mountain Range. A towering, majestic mountain now stood before them.
"We're heading up the mountain now. We might run into Tier 2 anomalous beasts, so stick close to me and Mrs. Yun. Don't fall behind," Liou Wenxin instructed Su Ze.
Su Ze nodded eagerly. He didn't need Liou Wenxin's reminder. In the perilous Black Rock Mountain Range, the only way he felt truly safe was by sticking close to a master like Mrs. Yun.
"Oh, right, Mrs. Yun, there's a favor I need to ask," Su Ze began. "I did some research, and it says Undying Salamanders have been spotted in the Black Rock Mountain Range before. If we happen to encounter one, I'd like to trouble you to help me hunt it. I'll pay you for it, of course."
...
PS: We got featured yesterday!
This month is packed with superstar authors. I tried my best to avoid them, but I took one look at the other books featured alongside mine and saw they're all from level-five authors with over ten thousand subscribers. I'm shaking in my boots.
I was dreaming of hitting the bestseller list, but now I'm worried I won't even make it past the first round!
I'm begging all of you to please keep up with the story for the next two days, especially tomorrow, Tuesday. The number of readers on the latest chapter directly determines whether I get another feature next week.
To help get a better count of active readers, I'm adjusting tomorrow's update schedule. The first chapter will still come out at midnight, but the second will be moved to the evening. The schedule will go back to normal on Wednesday.
I'm counting on you all. If this book can make it through all four rounds of features, I'll drop a ten-chapter mass release the day it goes premium to celebrate. That's a promise.