Meteorite

Everyone entered the Town in order, filing in one after another.

The entrance was a street corner in the Town. There were no monsters nearby, allowing the Warriors to observe the terrain and exchange information after entering.

Li Mengxi and Ruo Ruo were clearly more popular. Women were rare among Warriors to begin with, let alone two attractive beauties, and quite a few people gathered around them to show concern.

Ruo Ruo cast a smug glance at Lin Zhen and said, "Lin Zhen, it's not too late to regret it now. Our Mengxi is very popular. If you don't want her, there are plenty of people lining up to pursue her."

Li Mengxi lightly pinched Ruo Ruo. "What are you talking about? Am I some kind of merchandise that anyone can have if they want?"

"Right, right. You're the Beauty Gunner. These people can stare all they want, but they won't get to take any advantage of you."

Hearing the two women's conversation, some Martial Artists nearby finally began picking on Lin Zhen.

A Level Nine Warrior dressed like a turkey walked over. "Lin Zhen, I know you. You've made quite a name for yourself lately, but your 99% optimization is nothing special. The weakest people here are already at the mid-to-late Level Eight stage. Your strength gives you no advantage here."

Another burly man said, "Don't think you're anything amazing just because you beat Zhang Huai. Zhang Huai used to run with us too, and he only broke through to War General a few days ago. Even after becoming a War General, half the people here could still beat him senseless. I watched that video of yours. You didn't really win in the end."

"That's right. You can only bluff those inexperienced students. These are all veterans; they've fought more battles than you've even heard about. Zhang Huai had a finishing blow, but Du Yanhu ruined it. Otherwise, that fight would've ended with both of you badly hurt."

"Heh heh! Some people can fight other people to the death, but the moment they face monsters, they piss themselves. You've just left the Base City and entered the Wilderness Area, so you'd better keep a low profile. Li Mengxi and the others are beyond your reach. You'd better learn some sense."

The Martial Artists around him who had designs on Li Mengxi all chimed in to attack Lin Zhen. Li Mengxi finally could not stand it any longer and wanted to say something.

Ruo Ruo pulled her aside. "Don't interfere. Someone this clueless deserves a lesson. Once he understands how cruel the wilderness is, he'll know to keep his head down. It's for his own good. Don't tell me you've gone soft and want something to happen between you two again."

"I haven't." Li Mengxi looked slightly embarrassed and said nothing more.

Lin Zhen looked at the circle of Martial Artists around him and sneered. "When it comes to killing monsters, skill speaks for itself. Are you people who've spent so long in the Wilderness Area only capable of standing here and talking big?"

"Fuck! You're pretty arrogant, kid!"

"Fine. Today, I'll show you what a true monster harvester is. I'll make you admit defeat."

"I've seen plenty of braggarts, but never one as shameless as you. We'll meet again in a day and see whether your kill count can even reach half of mine. Though you'd better survive the day first."

"I suggest you hide in some dumpster and take a nap. Don't end up as monster shit."

Watching Lin Zhen get surrounded and attacked, Ruo Ruo said to Li Mengxi, "Mengxi, see that? Good thing you rejected him back then. Someone like him will never become a successful Martial Artist. If I were you, I would've dumped him too."

"He's actually not a bad person. He's just not very suitable for me." Li Mengxi glanced at Lin Zhen, a trace of conflict in her eyes.

It was not that she had no feelings for Lin Zhen. She simply knew what she wanted and what suited her. She understood very clearly that she had become a Martial Artist by training with firearms, and that she would never achieve anything too great. Having long understood how difficult life was, she had already resolved to find someone strong enough to rely on. Clearly, Lin Zhen did not meet her standards.

"Alright, alright! You really do seem a little moved. Come on, let's find some high ground first. That way, we can make the most of our firearms. We're competing against the Demon Hunters this time, so we need to give the captain and the others a good surprise."

"Alright, let's go."

Li Mengxi looked back at Lin Zhen and sighed inwardly, but in the end, she said nothing.

With the goddess gone, those Martial Artists stopped surrounding Lin Zhen as well. Time was limited, and everyone needed to kill as many monsters as possible.

Lin Zhen also took out the Black Dragon Spear and slowly headed toward the Town along a small road.

After a thousand years, the Town had long since fallen into ruin. Many buildings had collapsed, leaving stretches of rubble behind. Beastly roars rose from the ruins, making the place seem like a demon realm.

After walking along the edge of the Town for a while, Lin Zhen did not rush inside. Instead, he stopped in the buffer zone between the Town and the isolation belt.

He came to the ruins of a collapsed house and sat down on a large stone.

He took off the backpack from his back and pulled out quite a few miscellaneous items.

"The Alloy Small Chisel can break open the outer layer of a Meteorite."

"The Alloy Scraper can remove stone fragments from the surface of a Dark Energy Stone."

"Fossil Powder and Dissolving Agent, combined with the Breathing Technique, can absorb Dark Energy Stones into the human body and strengthen it. Everyone in the interstellar age knows this method. It is specifically used for Martial Artists below the Star Realm, but no one in this era knows about it yet."

"If Meteorites weren't contraband and prohibited from being traded, I could reach the peak of Warrior Level and make a breakthrough very quickly by buying them in bulk."

"Looks like I need to visit the Black Market when I get the chance. Maybe I can find something good."

After putting the items away, Lin Zhen still did not rush into the Town. Instead, he used the Breathing Technique to warm up. About twenty minutes later, when he felt he had reached his best condition, he stopped and took out his phone for a look.

He had received a message tagging him, and only now did he have time to check it.

The person who had tagged Lin Zhen was Zhao Liang, asking with concern whether Lin Zhen was doing alright.

After replying to Zhao Liang that he was fine and would be taking action soon, Lin Zhen opened the forum.

The moment he opened it, he saw that someone had made a post.

"Too scared to enter the Town, panting heavily at the edge of town. So-called geniuses are just cowards."

The poster was someone who had entered the Town this time, named Lan Xuan. He was the turkey-like Martial Artist who had first spoken out against Lin Zhen. Several video screenshots were attached. In the footage, Lin Zhen had remained in the same spot, fiddling with something while breathing heavily.

A flood of comments followed below.

"That's understandable. I struggled mentally too when I first fought monsters. Keep it up, Lin Zhen. I believe you'll rise."

"Understandable my ass. Lin Zhen already has some fame, and seeing him this scared is really disappointing."

"From fan to hater. Lin Zhen is trash!"

"Idiots always show up in the second comment. That saying really is true."

"Flowers raised in a greenhouse really can't withstand the wind and rain. For Martial Hall students to become true Martial Artists, the psychological hurdle is a huge problem."

"Lin Zhen, look at my and Mengxi's spoils. Do you think you can compare?" This comment came from Ruo Ruo. She also posted a screenshot of herself and Li Mengxi with a string of monster ears threaded onto a rope, more than twenty in all. That was what they had gained in just over half an hour.

Lin Zhen had been quite happy to see Li Mengxi, but this Ruo Ruo by her side was rather annoying. Lin Zhen did not like her.

Even though he disliked her, Lin Zhen had no need to squabble with a little girl.

Picking up the Black Dragon Spear, Lin Zhen walked toward the Town.

"I've been constantly training my Spear Art and Mental Power these past few days. It's time to test the results. Wait! I remember who this Ruo Ruo is!"

Lin Zhen suddenly stopped. A light flickered in his eyes, as though he had recalled something important.