Tracker

Tracker

The Koutetsujou's entry into Awen Station caused no stir.

All the commoners in the station were celebrating the arrival of the Hunting Party. Led by the villainous Biba, the Hunting Party was currently the only force that actively went out to clear Kabane.

They were also the only ones capable of doing so.

Every member of the Hunting Party was an elite veteran, possessing outstanding fighting spirit and combat skills. Though their weapons could not compare to Jet Bullets, they could effectively pierce the Kabane's heart membranes by sacrificing endurance for greater penetration.

Combined with humanity's greatest strengths—coordination and unity—suppressing the mindless Kabane and clearing out an area required little loss.

Wherever they went, they would inevitably carve out a patch of pure land. They might even reclaim farmland and fallen stations.

At least on the surface, in this era, the Hunting Party were unquestionably true heroes in the eyes of the common people.

This had earned Biba enormous prestige.

The Koutetsujou did not receive the same treatment as the refugees in the original story. With Kōkan Station backing them, they received the respect they deserved and faced few restrictions.

After connecting to the Inspection Box, Xu Yue, as a member of the privileged class, retained the right to exempt several key people from inspection.

Stepping down from the front carriage and looking at the sea of celebration in the streets, as well as the scattered Hunting Party members surrounded by flowers, a strange glint flashed through Xu Yue's eyes.

"It's the Hunting Party. Big Brother has arrived. That's wonderful."

Mumei jumped down from the front carriage after Xu Yue. Seeing those familiar outfits, she looked extremely excited.

By now, the Hunting Party had been in Awen Station for several days, yet the residents' enthusiasm had not diminished in the slightest.

That was because their leader, Biba, had publicly declared that once the Kōtetsujō had finished resupplying and resting, they would help Awen Station reclaim the nearby farmland, clear out the Kabane, and expand the walls outward by another ring.

Without question, this was tremendous news for everyone in Awen Station.

Thus, even the Hunting Party's purchasing personnel were warmly welcomed on the roads, with many residents voluntarily offering them food and water.

"Kibito, once everyone has finished inspection, take the people responsible for purchasing and stock up on water and food first."

Xu Yue merely glanced outside before speaking to Kibito beside him.

"Understood."

As a seasoned and steady samurai, Kibito nodded solemnly.

"Kurusu, bring a few men and several crates of Jet Bullets with you to meet Elder Kawasaki. We'll settle the terms for future trade."

"Yes."

After arranging the "official business" of this trip, Xu Yue turned to Sion and Mumei.

"Since the Hunting Party has arrived, you should be going to meet Mumei's brother as well. I have heard of the Young General's reputation. He should be receiving Awen Station's hospitality right now. Come with me."

"Thank you very much."

Sion bowed slightly to Xu Yue. All along the journey, Sion had avoided this monster of a man, and only now did he finally relax.

With the Young Master and the Hunting Party present, it did not matter how strong Xu Yue was.

While hiding from him along the way, Sion had kept consoling himself. Perhaps the Fusion Group's duration had simply run out, or perhaps Xu Yue had gotten lucky and killed its core directly.

It did not necessarily mean that Xu Yue was truly that powerful.

And even if he was, so what? That had only been an inferior specimen. The Hunting Party could create Fusion Groups again, and the mature varieties would only grow stronger and stronger!

Together with the Hunting Party's elites, if they truly turned hostile, surrounding him and firing continuously would be enough to kill him.

However, because of the shadow cast by their previous encounter, Sion's thinking had changed. Making an enemy of Xu Yue was unwise. It would be troublesome if they drove him to the Shogunate's side. It would be better to win him over.

Fortunately, they had not completely fallen out with him before. At most, they had merely failed to warn him. He did not know that they understood the Fusion Group's characteristics...

As for Mumei, she followed behind Xu Yue with an excited expression.

Although Xu Yue had been steadily brainwashing Mumei throughout the journey, he had always done so subtly. Before he laid everything bare, on the surface of her heart, Mumei still instinctively felt that she should return to her adoptive brother's side.

A bright, happy smile remained on her little face.

In terms of brainwashing ability, given his understanding of Mumei's personality and inner thoughts, there was no reason he would do worse than the original protagonist. Now, he was merely waiting for the right opportunity for the seeds to take root and sprout.

Kaku, who had already passed through the Inspection Box, looked around for a while. When he saw the celebrated Hunting Party members, he slipped into the shadows with a gloomy expression...

Inside the Hunting Party's steam-armored Hayajiro, the Kōtetsujō, six rather distinctive Hunting Party members had gathered in a resting carriage for combat personnel. Their expressions were grave.

"That witch was struck by the talisman the Grand Onmyoji activated at the cost of his life before he died. In the next several Mission Spaces, she will be unable to exert power beyond that of an official Reincarnator. We must seize this opportunity."

A man in ninja attire and a mask spoke in an indifferent tone.

"You make it sound easy. She's a ruthless figure who even successfully assassinated the Grand Onmyoji. Even if her strength is restricted, do you think we can handle her?"

"That's true. Unless all six of us stay together, manage to find her, and she does not run away, we'll have a chance."

"As soon as I entered, I tested the tracking item the commander gave me. Being able to follow into this Mission Space together is already the limit. It's impossible to narrow the range any further."

"More importantly, shouldn't we focus on the Main Mission we've been completing? The Hunting Party's research involves methods of creating Kabaneri. Though the success rate for males is low, it offers a considerable boost to physical ability. It'll definitely sell for a good price..."

After hearing their leader, the others began complaining one after another. Clearly, they were not optimistic about this pursuit mission. Instead, they were far more interested in the means of creating Kabaneri.

For them, having already become official Reincarnators, Kabaneri were somewhat appealing, but not overwhelmingly so.

But if they possessed a method to mass-produce Kabaneri, its value would be enough for them to risk their lives!

Compared to the near-certain death of pursuing that witch, they might as well put the same level of risk into a mission with such astonishing rewards.

Seeing that his nominal subordinates all had lazy expressions, clearly intending to put in the minimum effort, anger flickered in the eyes of the ninja-clad man.

To complete this mission, all those gathered this time were official Reincarnators who had joined the Hunting Party, the strongest faction in the "Kabane" Mission Space. The people before him had only been specially recruited into the team temporarily.

Yet every one of them was making their own calculations. If this Mission Space did not only allow official Reincarnators at most, did they really think they were important figures?

Damn it!

And damn these Mission Space restrictions. Since the Reincarnators entering this Mission Space were generally not very strong, although the world's upper limit of force was not high, its contents had not been explored in much detail.

Still, he had to complete the task assigned from above. He was an official member of the legion; he could not simply walk away after failing like they could.

"Everyone, for this mission, the captain of our special operations team has specifically offered two doses of Spider Serum to the best performers. Spider Serum does not have such obvious side effects as Kabaneri. If any of you obtain one, your next Promotion Mission will be practically guaranteed..."

After taking out two test tubes, the ninja-clad man spoke in a highly tempting tone.

In an instant, he received the burning gazes of the others, who had been so lazy moments ago.

A method to create Kabaneri?

Yes, it was valuable—extremely valuable. But the problem was that it required a source of Kabane infection. It was difficult enough to enter this Mission Space even once; how much Kabane flesh and blood could they bring out at a time?

How much could it sell for?

More importantly, for people like them, it would be better used as bargaining material to sell to a large team, then use the rewards to improve themselves.

Since chances to enter the Kabane Mission Space were limited, as was the entry cap, the price it could truly command would not be too outrageous.

Compared to that, obtaining Spider Serum was far more practical!

This was something money could not necessarily buy! Its price was often inflated!

Besides, the Kabane Mission Space had an extremely narrow range of applicability, only suited to newcomers and official Reincarnators. Its degree of exploration was very low, and they were not actually certain they could obtain the production method.

Two doses of Spider Serum split among five people gave each of them nearly a fifty percent chance. That was enough to take a gamble!

"Besides, that witch must be carrying major secrets and quite a few good items. As long as we achieve our objective, we'll surely obtain plenty of spoils. When the time comes, it wouldn't be impossible to turn in a little less..."

The masked man in ninja attire struck while the iron was hot, speaking in a seductive tone.

"Hey, hey, brother, what do you take us for? Of course we'll work hard to complete the task we were assigned."

"Exactly. That witch has gone too far. And since her strength has been restricted, we have every chance of killing her."

"I hear she's quite stunning. Maybe, heh heh..."

For people who had drifted through several missions in the Reincarnation Space and become official Reincarnators, changing their stance for profit was as easy as eating and drinking.

However, at that moment, a Hunting Party member returning from procurement brought them news that immediately caught their attention.

The Koutetsujou, which had arrived late, had entered the station—and this time, its leader was actually a man.

"Huh? The intelligence we bought never mentioned that the person on this Hayajiro was a man."

"Yeah, at this point, a refugee Hayajiro should have arrived early."

"Though the exploration level is low, this intelligence is way too inaccurate. We need to go back and demand compensation."

"Hey, do you think that witch might be connected to this Hayajiro and changed the original course of events?"

The few of them looked at one another, and a trace of excitement appeared in their eyes...

Ahem, ahem. There's only one chapter again today. I wonder if three chapters every two days will hold up...

Also, I don't know what's going on with the backend. It keeps showing supporters as usernames followed by numbers, so I may have missed some on the homepage.

Thanks to April's Flowing Sorrow for the generous donation, and thanks to Liu Su Falling Rain, Paradise Candy, Dreaming of Spring, Bu Yu Jinghun, and the others for their support. Thank you all for your strong support~

Tomorrow is Monday. Shamelessly asking for bookmarks, recommendations, and clicks...