Enemies Meet

City No. 003, along the Huangpu River.

At this moment, a new tributary had merged into the riverside.

Streams of deep red, dark red, bright red, and purplish red intertwined. Thick blood flowed slowly, resembling both a red spiderweb and countless pulsing veins. At the nodes lay enormous monsters three to four meters long.

Massive footprints stained the ground red. Some resembled five-pointed stars, some tridents, and some plum blossom prints. A fierce battle had taken place here.

Whoosh!

A white figure headed inland from the riverbank. His movements were graceful and light; a single gentle step carried him more than ten meters.

Ning Ze's white Combat Suit remained as pristine as snow. Even his white combat boots were not stained by a trace of blood.

In less than ten seconds, he arrived in front of a three-story building and called out teasingly, "Uncle Zuo, time to get to work."

"Work!"

"I'm willing to work!"

Zuo Xingyuan hurried out, followed by Ma Yu and the others. They all had one thing in common: each of them carried two Warrior backpacks stuffed to the brim.

After two and a half days, they had gathered far too many materials.

"Kid, you were a little slow this time!" Xu Liang joked.

Ning Ze frowned slightly. "There were a lot more monsters this time. I think we should change locations later."

"In the river?" Zuo Xingyuan asked.

Ning Ze nodded. "Yes. There are a lot more monsters this time. I feel like the monsters in the Huangpu River are gathering. We'd better move somewhere else. If we run into a Beast Tide, everyone will be in danger."

Zuo Xingyuan nodded helplessly. We're the ones in danger. The monsters are the ones in danger when they run into you.

But considering that a Lord might appear within an ocean Beast Tide, he quickly said, "Let's go. We'll process the materials first, then change locations and continue hunting."

Ning Ze led everyone back to the battlefield from earlier. A wave of fishy stench hit them head-on.

When Zuo Xingyuan and the others saw the corpses strewn everywhere and blood flowing like a river, they still felt their scalps tingle despite not seeing such a sight for the first time.

"Come on, come on. Stop standing around and start processing the materials. We'll discuss where to go next once we move."

"Time to work! Time to work!"

"Picking up money! Picking up money!"

Yang Chao and the others began processing the monsters with undiminished enthusiasm. No matter how fishy or foul-smelling it was, they enjoyed every moment of it.

"Kid, how many Beast Warlord-level monsters were there this time?" Xu Liang asked Ning Ze while processing a monster corpse.

"Uh... I didn't count carefully. But there were quite a lot of monsters in the river. There should have been around twenty Beast Warlord-level monsters, right?"

Ning Ze did not know how many he had killed, mainly because he had not counted. Once he charged in, he simply slaughtered indiscriminately until he cleared an entire area. When there were no more monsters, he would come back and call Zuo Xingyuan and the others over.

Yang Chao praised him, "Tsk, City No. 003 really deserves to be called a den of monsters. There really are enough monsters here. A Beast Warlord like this would have hundreds or even thousands of subordinates around a county town, but here they're just subordinates. We've killed over two hundred Beast Warlord-level monsters by now, haven't we?"

Zuo Xingyuan replied, "Fifteen Advanced ones, fifty Intermediate ones, and one hundred sixty-two Beginner ones. Two hundred twenty-seven in total, worth over eight billion. Add the Death Demon Jackal we encountered on the first day, and it's worth more than fourteen billion."

After finishing with one corpse, Xu Liang picked through the surrounding monsters before finally stopping in front of a Beginner Beast Warlord. They did not even take materials from F-rank monsters. At minimum, only materials from Beginner Warlord-level monsters went into their bags, otherwise they would take up too much space.

"Ning, you're really incredible. Fourteen billion in two days. A printing press only prints twelve bills per second, and that's only a hundred million a day. You're worth seventy printing presses."

Ning Ze did not know whether to laugh or cry. What kind of comparison was that?

Just as he was about to speak, Yang Chao suddenly exclaimed, "Not good! Someone set us up."

Hearing that, everyone hurriedly turned to look.

Zuo Xingyuan frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"I found this in my Warrior backpack." Yang Chao's face was especially grim as he pulled out a short silver needle, slightly thicker than a regular needle. It was a tracker. It looked like a needle, but when magnified, its surface was covered in barbs. Once fired into a monster's body, it could remain lodged inside.

"A tracker!"

Zuo Xingyuan hissed, fire blazing in his eyes.

"Damn it! Which vicious bastards did this?" Xu Liang was getting agitated.

"Old Yang, can you think of when this thing was planted?" Ma Yu asked with a dark expression.

Yang Chao pondered briefly. "It definitely wasn't there last time. I even checked everything once after I got home."

Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he cursed, "Those bastards! They put it in while I wasn't home. Two days before we left, I went to the Underground Alliance to buy ammunition. I took my wife and child out with me that day."

"I told you long ago to live in a Warrior residential district. You insisted that those rich merchants' neighborhoods were prettier. Look at that security." Xu Liang muttered.

Yang Chao's face was full of guilt. "I shouldn't have listened to that woman. It was closer to her parents' home, but it nearly caused a disaster."

Ning Ze's expression was also terrible. This was what Warrior squads feared most.

Warriors were not afraid of ferocious monsters. What they feared was people who were worse than monsters, using human technology and methods against them. It was impossible to guard against.

"Everyone, don't panic yet. They probably don't know my strength. If they were planning to attack us this time, they should already be following us. Let's finish processing the monster materials, then find a place and wait for them!"

Ning Ze was deeply relieved that he had come along this time. They had helped him adapt to the Wilderness Area before, and now that he had grown stronger, he was helping them make money in return.

If he had not come along and their enemies had calculated their strength before ambushing them, then without any surprises, the Warfire Squad would have been wiped out. His father would not know how heartbroken and enraged he would be, and Ning Ze himself would have been devastated as well.

Zhang Chen analyzed rationally, "After Ning Ze kills the monsters, their corpses are left there, and a monster riot follows every time. It can't be easy for them to pursue us either. They probably haven't caught up yet. We can set an ambush."

"Since they're enemies, we'll take this chance to get rid of them!" Ning Ze said coldly. His expression turned thoughtful. "I just don't know who the enemies are this time."

"Hurry up and process the monster materials. Let's get out of here. Damn it, they dared to set us up."

The Warfire Squad had lost its earlier ease and joy. Everyone silently processed the monster materials before leaving quickly.

Meanwhile.

Zhai Yanko had led the Wang Family's death warriors into the Wilderness Area two days ago.

They had followed the Huangpu River downstream, and the atmosphere around them was eerily quiet.

Zhai Yanko felt a chill in his heart, his face turning pale.

They had encountered this situation many times already. The first time, they had pressed onward for only a short while before encountering a monster riot.

Fortunately, the Wang Family's death warriors were all Advanced Warlords. They had escaped the encirclement of the monster horde, but while being pursued by monsters, they had also strayed from their route. Whenever they caught up again, they would encounter this same peaceful scene. The surroundings would be silent, and before long, the monsters here would erupt into another riot.

"How about we wait here for a while before moving forward?"

Zhai Yanko made the suggestion, looking toward the six death warriors for their opinions.

After entering the Wilderness Area, he, the guide, had no status whatsoever. If he had not gritted his teeth and followed them, he would have feared that these people would snatch the tracker and leave him behind in the Wilderness Area.

Hong Quan remained silent. The Wang Family's young master had given them an assignment, so they could only complete it. Going home would only implicate their families.

The death warrior who had entered the villa earlier looked grim. They had always handled matters for the Wang Family. For their families' safety, they could only carry out every assignment with even greater care. Completing the mission had always been their priority. They did not fear a little danger, but they feared that Wang Xing'an would grow impatient.

"Since this pattern has appeared again, we'll wait. If we still can't catch up this time, then next time, we'll charge through the Beast Tide if we have to in order to catch them!"

Ma Jianping's calm voice carried determination. From the day he had stopped resisting and submitted to the Wang Family, he had become nothing more than a useful tool. As long as he remained useful, he had value.

"Alright."

The surrounding death warriors answered with a single word. They were wary of one another. Among them were true Wang Family death warriors, people completely loyal to the Wang Family. They rarely communicated even normally.

Zhai Yanko was terrified by the atmosphere. At that moment, he became afraid.

Even if Ning Ze took revenge on him, he did not want to die. If they truly charged into a Beast Tide, he was only an Intermediate Warrior. He would certainly die. But he did not dare voice any objections now. That strange atmosphere made him smell death.

Roar!

Raaah!

Before long.

The roars of countless monsters echoed from the distance. Ma Jianping frowned tightly, feeling deeply frustrated. "Again! What is going on with City No. 003? What happened here? What is attracting so many monsters? Have any of you been here before? Did something happen here?"

Everyone looked at one another, but no one answered. Clearly, none of them had been here before, nor had they faced such a bizarre monster riot.

They did not know that what attracted the monsters was nothing unusual, but monster corpses. These monsters devoured one another and evolved. Even creatures that had once been herbivores could devour flesh after evolving. Those at the very top of the food chain could become the most powerful monsters.

"Did they charge straight through the monsters? Did they run that way?" Ma Jianping had already decided that if they still had to go straight ahead this time, they would charge through the Beast Tide!

Zhai Yanko lowered his head to look, his eyes filled with delight. "No! They went northwest!"

Ma Jianping's mood eased somewhat. At last, hope was within sight. That direction seemed fairly calm.

"Go! We pursue!"

The group of eight raced through the Wilderness Area, everyone feeling somewhat anxious.

In the end, they stopped atop a building at an intersection. Two large characters made from steel rebar still hung on the front of the building: Shopping Mall. The upper half had already vanished.

"Is this the place? Did they stop here?" Ma Jianping turned and asked.

Zhai Yanko was panting heavily from the run. Hearing the question, he hurriedly nodded. "Yes, it's here." That run had exhausted him. They had run at a speed of at least forty meters per second for five minutes, which was already close to his limit. Aside from him, everyone else was fine. Clearly, they had deliberately controlled their speed; otherwise, they would have arrived even sooner.

Ma Jianping stood and looked upward. For some reason, although the sky was still clear and blue, he felt oppressed, as though dark clouds hung over his head.

"Move!"

At the command, everyone headed inside.

At an old windowsill in a room on the top floor.

The Warfire Squad lay in ambush there. Watching the group of eight Warriors, Zuo Xingyuan asked in confusion, "These people... I don't recognize a single one. Only one of them looks somewhat familiar, but I can't remember who he is. Do you recognize them?"

"No." Xu Liang shook his head. Their social circles mostly overlapped, and those close to them were usually part of the same group. People who dared enter City No. 003 and could catch up to them should not have been so unfamiliar.

"I don't know them either." Yang Chao was equally confused.

Zhang Chen said coldly, "Not one."

"I think... they came for me."

Ning Ze's expression was strange. He had not expected to run into Zhai Yanko here.

He had been worrying about how to deal with this man in the Base City, yet the man had actually followed him into the Wilderness Area. Was he asking for death?

As soon as Ning Ze finished speaking, he could not help laughing.

Revenge was best served sooner rather than later. There was no need to mention their old grievances. Zhai Yanko had caused him so much trouble and had nearly bankrupted his family. Fortunately, his family had not suffered much harm, so there was still a little room for mercy.

If Zhai Yanko knelt before him in the future and sincerely repented, Ning Ze could barely let him go and allow him to live.

But this man had later set a trap for the Shu Family, trying to steal his wife. The hatred of having one's wife stolen was irreconcilable. There was no room for negotiation now.

"They came for you?" Zuo Xingyuan looked stunned. "How did you offend these people? Anyone who can roam City No. 003 isn't someone to take lightly."

Ning Ze always went to the Wilderness Area with them. Could he have offended someone so badly in the Base City that they had to hunt him down? That did not seem like the kind of trouble Ning Ze would stir up. The kid usually had a good temper and was not so foolish.

"How did I offend them? That's a long story. Maybe my father taught me well?" Ning Ze answered casually, then turned toward the lower floors. "I'll go welcome our guests. Those guys don't seem simple, so to be safe, you uncles should wait here. You can think about where we'll hunt next."

Leaving the shop, he entered the open circular mall. There had once been circular glass walls around the huge pit at its center, but after so many years, even the concrete had cracked and collapsed. Those glass railings had long since shattered into pieces.

Standing at the edge of the mall corridor, he faced the enormous pit that led directly to the first floor.

He stepped out, lightly tapping the edge of the next-floor corridor. His falling speed abruptly slowed.

Just then, Zhai Yanko and the others entered as well. In an instant, they noticed the white figure descending from the top floor ahead of them.

Dressed in white like snow, with tousled hair fluttering in the air, Ning Ze was like a snowflake drifting through the sky. He swayed gently from side to side, paused briefly, then fell again before landing softly on the first-floor ground.

Other than Zhai Yanko, everyone's pupils contracted at once, their minds going on alert. Maintaining such an appearance in the Wilderness Area was not something an ordinary person could do.

Ning Ze looked ahead and smiled faintly. "You came."

Zhai Yanko gave a cruel smile, his face twisted as he said in a low voice, "Yes, I came."