Entering the Mountains

Chapter 26: Entering the Mountains (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Su Ze consciously positioned himself within the main group of Pupal stage Evolvers.

Liu Wenyin watched Su Ze stand among these burly, fierce-looking Evolvers, making him look like a puppy in a wolf pack. After a moment's thought, she called him over.

"You can stay next to me."

"Okay." Su Ze readily agreed. It seemed the night of building rapport had been useful.

Liu Wenyin waited for a while. Seeing no one else join, she paid each person a day's commission and prepared to depart.

"Wait!"

A man suddenly stepped forward from the side. He hadn't been part of the group initially, having been sitting in a corner smoking.

"What is it?" Aunt Yun looked at the man coldly.

"Why isn't Gao Long here?" the man asked.

"Am I Gao Long's mother?" Aunt Yun retorted.

The man choked for a moment before explaining, "Sorry, Gao Long and I agreed to take this mission together and set off this morning. But I couldn't reach him all morning, and he wasn't here either."

"It's time. We won't wait for anyone," Aunt Yun said expressionlessly, signaling the main group to depart.

The man gritted his teeth and said, "Gao Long and I have been partners for years. Our strength is about the same. If I take the mission, how much will you pay me per day?"

"Fifty thousand. Follow if you agree."

After speaking, Aunt Yun led the team away. The man hesitated for a moment before following.

Su Ze vaguely heard whispers within the group.

"They're all Pupal stage, why does he get fifty thousand a day?"

"It's normal. His name is Li Gaojie. He's Gao Long's partner, and his strength isn't much weaker than Gao Long's. He's worth that price."

"Yeah, Li Gaojie is very strong. He once teamed up with Gao Long to hunt a high-tier Tier 2 Exotic Beast, a Meteor Wolf."

"I've never heard of this person?"

"He's not as high-profile and flamboyant as Gao Long. He doesn't cause trouble usually, so his fame is much less than Gao Long's."

Su Ze remained expressionless, his hands in his pockets playing with the "Traceless Walker," a curious item. He felt a bit more wary of Li Gaojie, especially since Gao Long had died by his hand.

Su Ze and his group took six taxis to the outskirts of the Black Rock Mountain Range.

"Are we supposed to cross the mountains from here?" someone questioned.

The Black Rock Mountain Range stretched for over a thousand miles. There were no roads on the mountain initially, but where people walked, paths formed.

As experienced old Hunters, these Evolvers usually had several familiar routes for hunting in the mountains. These routes were relatively safe and easy to traverse, and they knew them well.

However, the location where the taxis stopped was an area unfamiliar to them. This meant they would have to hack their way through, forging a new path. The dangers they would encounter on this path were unknown, undoubtedly increasing the mission's difficulty.

"I know this increases the mission's difficulty, but we've also paid a commission higher than the market price. If anyone wants to back out, now is the time to say so," Aunt Yun called back loudly.

No one wanted to quit. In fact, several Cocoon Breaking stage Evolvers voluntarily moved to the front of the group to clear the path.

The group advanced into the depths of the Black Rock Mountain Range, forming a circle to protect Liu Wenyin in the center. Some cleared the thorny bushes and weeds blocking their way, while others remained vigilant against attacks from Exotic Beasts.

Only Su Ze walked beside Liu Wenyin, chatting with her while eating various snacks she offered, as if he wasn't on a escort mission but on a leisurely outing.

Someone in the group asked curiously in a low voice, "Is that kid also with the employer?"

"Hell no! He's a worker just like us. I saw the employer transfer money to him. Only ten thousand a day!"

"Ten thousand? That low? How weak must he be? Did they bring him along just to fill a spot?"

"Haha, maybe he's specifically responsible for pleasing the employer. You know, rich women like that kind of pretty boy."

"Damn it, I can't stand pretty boys. I get jealous just seeing them. Why don't I have that kind of luck!"

The Hunters in the group were all seasoned veterans. None of them were novices who had just entered the Pupal stage. Moreover, the employer was generous this time, with most of their commissions being over twenty thousand.

Su Ze vaguely heard some discussions about him but paid no mind.

It was only at the foot of the Black Rock Mountain Range where there wasn't much danger, allowing them to chat. Once they were on the mountain, Tier 2 Exotic Beasts would appear, and they would need to be careful.

The outskirts of the Black Rock Mountain Range usually only had Tier 1 Exotic Beasts. The most common were Drill Mice and Water Spray Frogs.

Perhaps because they had taken an untrodden path, they encountered an unusual number of Drill Mice and Water Spray Frogs along the way. The extracts from these two creatures were common in Black Rock City and didn't fetch a good price. The Hunters in the group had no interest in them unless they ran into them directly.

"Damn it, it splashed water all over me." An old Hunter in the group cursed as he pinned a Water Spray Frog, the size of a ball, beneath him. There were still traces of blood on his nose and mouth, where the frog's high-pressure water spray had broken his lips.

The old Hunter took a fist-sized device from his backpack. This device was a portable extractor, used to extract Evolution Substance from Exotic Beasts to make extracts.

One end of the extractor had a sharp, cone-shaped metal tube, and a glass tube was fixed in the middle.

The old Hunter inserted the sharp metal tube into the Water Spray Frog's body and pressed the extractor's switch. Soon, the frog's body visibly shriveled, and the glass tube quickly filled with a transparent liquid, within which faint red light flickered.

The old Hunter pulled out the metal tube, removed the glass tube from the extractor, and put on the cap. A tube of Water Spray Frog extract was completed.

He kicked the Water Spray Frog's corpse aside and carefully put the extract into his backpack.

According to the agreement, all spoils obtained from killing Exotic Beasts during this mission belonged to the individual. If they were killed collaboratively, the distribution would be based on the contribution.

This also meant that whenever a high-tier Tier 1 Exotic Beast appeared, it would be swarmed by all the Hunters in the pupal stage within the team. Even if they couldn't get the kill, they'd at least try to get an assist, which would earn them some money.

High-quality Tier 1 extracts were also worth quite a bit.

However, high-tier Tier 1 Exotic Beasts rarely appeared in the outer regions of the Black Rock Mountain Range.

Su Ze noticed that Gao Long's partner, Li Gaojie, had been very low-key the entire time. He hadn't participated in killing any Exotic Beasts, except for when he left the group to relieve himself at the beginning. After that, he'd stayed with the main group, looking absent-minded.

Su Ze didn't let his guard down and continued to keep a watchful eye on Li Gaojie.

After half a day of trekking, the team finally entered the inner region of the Black Rock Mountain Range. A towering, majestic mountain lay before them.

"We're going to climb the mountain next. We might encounter Tier 2 Exotic Beasts, so stay close to me and Aunt Yun and don't fall behind," Liu Wenyin instructed Su Ze.

Su Ze nodded repeatedly. Without Liu Wenyin's reminder, in the perilous Black Rock Mountain Range, only by staying by the side of a master like Aunt Yun could he feel truly safe.

"Oh, right, Aunt Yun, I need to trouble you with something," Su Ze said. "I checked, and it's said that Immortal Salamanders have been spotted in the Black Rock Mountain Range. If we happen to encounter one, I'd have to ask you to help me hunt it. I'll pay you for it."

PS: I got recommended yesterday!

A lot of great gods are clustered this month. I carefully avoided all the great gods, but when I looked at the recommended list, it was full of Level 5 big shots with ten thousand subscriptions. I was so scared I was trembling.

I even dreamed of getting onto the Three Rivers recommendation, but now even advancing to the second round is dangerous!

I'm begging you brothers to help me with follow-up reads for the last two days, especially tomorrow, Tuesday. The follow-up data directly determines whether I'll get another recommendation next week.

To better track follow-up data, the update schedule will be adjusted tomorrow. The first update will still be at midnight, and the second update will be moved to the evening. On Wednesday, everything will return to normal.

I'm begging you all. If this book can complete all four rounds of recommendations, I'll release ten chapters at once when it goes on the shelves as a token of my appreciation. I always keep my word.