Praying Mantis Stalking Cicada!

"Still recruiting?! I'm in!"

Just then, a tall, broad man with unusually long arms and a massive black bow nearly two meters tall slung across his back walked up to the table where the team planning to hunt the Silver Moon Wolf King was gathered.

Several people nearby immediately crowded around him.

After talking for a while, their faces lit up, as though they had reached some agreement.

Then they all headed for the Normal Passage.

"So this is what Brother Xuan meant by martial artists forming teams. Looks like most martial artists think hunting this way is more efficient."

Xu Qing looked around curiously.

This was truly his first time coming into contact with another circle of martial artists.

These were scenes he would never have seen while training alone at Celestial God Company.

Likewise, where there were teams, there were also lone hunters.

Xu Qing personally saw three martial artists enter the VIP passage alone.

They were clearly going hunting by themselves.

After observing for a while, he realized that most martial artists who formed teams were hunting high-level Beast General monsters.

Because their targets were dangerous and powerful, hunting in teams was more efficient.

But Xu Qing was different.

His target was a type of relatively weaker, small pack-dwelling monster.

At the same time, he wanted to sharpen his combat strength during the hunt, so there was even less chance of him teaming up with anyone else.

With that in mind, Xu Qing strode into the VIP passage.

"The Beast Soldier Zone is on the left, the Beast General Zone is in the middle, and the Beast King Zone is on the right. I wonder when I'll be strong enough to enter the right side."

After murmuring that, Xu Qing carried his spear, slung his bag over his back, and pushed open the security door to the Beast General Zone.

Before him lay a gray concrete passage.

After passing through the roughly hundred-meter-long corridor,

an elevator appeared before Xu Qing.

He stepped inside and swiped his access card.

With a faint hum,

the elevator slowly rose and emerged in a dense forest.

"Chirp chirp—"

"Howl—"

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, vivid birdsong, insect calls, and beast roars flooded Xu Qing's ears one after another.

He stretched, tightened his Combat Suit, and took a deep breath.

"Time to make some money!"

This marked his official entry into the Beast General Zone.

The entire Dragon Sunset Beast General Zone was not entirely wilderness.

Two-thirds of it consisted of cities once inhabited by humans.

Mutated Creatures such as tigers, leopards, wolves, cattle, dogs, pigs, cats, and medium-sized birds were scattered randomly throughout the area.

A small portion of these creatures had once been wild animals in protected areas established by humans during the Great Cataclysm.

Most, however, had mutated from animals once raised by humans.

Xu Qing's target was very clear.

It was a canine Mutated Creature that lived near old urban neighborhoods—the Lion Mastiff Dog.

It was said that this Mutated Creature was a hybrid of a lion and a mastiff.

Its bloodline leaned more toward that of a mastiff.

Though it was not as large as a lion, the quality of its fur was exceptional.

Its hide was a mid-tier material for A-grade Combat Suits, suitable for making armguards and kneepads.

If he could hunt one complete dog hide, it would be enough for Xu Qing to make four A-grade armguards and kneepads.

Xu Qing had only learned the techniques for B-grade Combat Suits.

But the processes for A-grade and B-grade Combat Suits were not actually that different.

What mattered was the precision and durability of the sewing machines.

Especially the strength of the needles, which had to be made of top-grade alloy.

As a result, only medium and large companies could afford those machines.

So Xu Qing's plan was

to use Beast General-level Lion Mastiff Dog hide, his B-grade Combat Suit crafting skills, and Celestial God Company's high-end sewing machines

to make an expensive set of A-grade Combat Suits.

The price he had to pay was the Hunting Zone admission fee and... the risk of death.

According to Wang Xuan, at least fifty, if not a hundred, martial artists died here every year.

These Mutated Creatures either traveled in packs or were individually extremely powerful.

As a result, the hunting success rate throughout the Beast General Zone was extremely low, only 16.5%.

Xu Qing did not have many chances.

He had to make good use of them.

Morning sunlight drifted lazily through the forest.

If not for the beast roars that occasionally echoed through the woods,

this Mountain Forest would actually have been a fine place for a stroll or martial arts practice.

Xu Qing lay prone on a tree branch, watching a massive wolf beast with white fur all over its body pass beneath him. He held his breath nervously, not daring to make the slightest sound.

This was a Beast General-level Silver Moon Wolf.

But it was among the very best of the Beast Generals.

The tuft of silver fur on its neck was proof.

It was said that its physical abilities were comparable to those of a sixth-rank martial artist, while its speed was enough to instantly kill one.

If this Silver Moon Wolf set its sights on him, Xu Qing, with the speed of a fifth-rank martial artist, would probably be worn to death alive.

"Woo—"

Just as Xu Qing tensely considered how he could escape if a fight broke out,

a wolf howl suddenly rang out from the distant forest.

The Silver Moon Wolf raised its head and looked toward the distance, then immediately sped away.

About ten minutes later,

Xu Qing quietly climbed down from the tree branch and continued toward the area marked on the map.

As long as he hurried into the old city ruins, the number of these high-level Beast General creatures would drop significantly.

At around one in the afternoon,

after several close calls, Xu Qing finally entered the old city ruins marked on the map.

After setting up camp on the top floor of an abandoned apartment building,

Xu Qing began cautiously searching the city for traces of Lion Mastiff Dogs.

But to his disappointment,

even after night fell, he still found no signs left behind by Lion Mastiff Dogs.

At the campsite,

Xu Qing blocked all the windows before lighting a fire and replenishing his energy with a simple meal.

"According to the zone map, the Lion Mastiff Dogs should be active in the three nearby blocks. I searched nearly seventy percent of the area during the day, but found nothing."

Xu Qing scratched his head. "Could this pack of Lion Mastiff Dogs all be hiding in White Egret District?"

He could not help feeling anxious.

He only had two days for this trip.

He had to retreat before the last train left tomorrow afternoon.

He could not take any more leave this month and could only hunt on weekends.

After all, no matter how close he was to Zhou Yu, the company's rules still had to be followed.

He was not Zhou Yu's son.

And he could not afford to lose this job.

He needed both the high salary and the company's machines.

"Whew, forget it. Stay positive. Over three months, I'll have around thirteen chances. As long as I kill four Lion Mastiff Dogs, I'll break even!"

Xu Qing stared into the crackling flames and fell into thought.

"Armguards and kneepads may be the cheapest parts of a Combat Suit, but they're also the most heavily used."

"Armguards and kneepads made primarily from Lion Mastiff Dog hide are top-quality among A-grade Combat Suits. There's no need to worry about selling them."

"Sleep. I'll deal with it tomorrow morning."

Once he figured that out, Xu Qing completely relaxed.

After setting up several warning measures from the zone handbook, he ignored the dust on the ground and lay down to sleep.

However, he did not sleep until dawn.

In the middle of the night,

Xu Qing was awakened by the sounds of fighting and barking.

!