"Xiao Yang." Cong Hujun called out as he led Yang Yu through the city streets. "Is it okay if I call you that?"
"No problem. Officer Cong, you're older than me anyway." Yang Yu did not care much about forms of address.
"Then don't call me officer either. If you don't mind, call me Brother Cong."
"Haha, of course I don't mind. I should be thanking you for being willing to bring me along."
Although there were few Monsters in the city now, with most of them merely ordinary Mutated Creatures, being willing to take along an inexperienced newcomer was itself a responsibility and courage worthy of respect.
"Ah, what's there to thank me for? After dealing with all kinds of Mutated Creatures and Monsters these past days, we've become more and more aware that humanity's future lies with Martial Artists like you." Cong Hujun spoke with emotion as he vigilantly scanned their surroundings.
"Right now, our firearms work fine against ordinary Mutated Creatures that haven't become Monsters yet. They can even have some effect against the weakest Monsters. But against those clearly more powerful leading Monsters, their effect is far too limited."
"How are these Monsters specifically classified right now?" Yang Yu asked curiously.
"There isn't a very clear classification yet. For now, there are only three levels: ordinary Mutated Creatures, Monsters, and Monster Commanders. Ordinary Mutated Creatures have individual strength comparable to special forces soldiers or highly trained Genius Martial Artists. Monsters correspond to Martial Artists who can already absorb Cosmic Energy. As for Monster Commanders, there are very few human Martial Artists capable of fighting them right now. Most such Monsters can only be dealt with using large-scale thermal weapons like grenade launchers and missiles."
Hearing this, Yang Yu understood. Since this was still the early stage of the Grand Nirvana, most animals were only within the category of Mutated Creatures.
Monsters corresponded to Beast Soldier Level.
Monster Commanders corresponded to Beast General Level.
As for Lord Level Monsters comparable to human War Gods, they had not yet been born—or rather, had not yet entered humanity's sight.
With that, Yang Yu had a better grasp of the situation. With his Senior War General-level Martial Artist strength and Intermediate War God-level Spiritual Force, he was still quite safe.
However, Monsters mutated and evolved extremely quickly, so Yang Yu could not let down his guard. There might be an astonishingly powerful Monster hidden somewhere.
The two continued chatting as they patrolled.
As the areas they patrolled became increasingly remote, all kinds of strange animals began appearing with rapidly increasing frequency.
However, it was clear that these animals were still mutating. Some were even weaker than before they mutated, like certain Stray Dogs and Stray Cats that were barely clinging to life.
Most of the few that had mutated successfully would not openly appear within humanity's field of vision.
"Xiao Yang, be careful. Although there are mostly ordinary Mutated Creatures in the city right now and few Monsters, some Mutated Creatures have extremely bizarre methods of attack. You must not be careless. Just stay behind me."
Cong Hujun adjusted his grip on his gun and warned him carefully.
Yang Yu did not try to show off after hearing that. He took a step back and followed behind Cong Hujun.
Although Yang Yu did not need to be this cautious with his strength, it was still a kind gesture from the other man. Besides, even if a Monster suddenly appeared, Yang Yu could respond swiftly and would not truly allow Cong Hujun to fall into danger.
Rustle, rustle...
The sound of grass brushing against something drifted over.
But the sound was extremely faint. Even the instrument Cong Hujun wore had failed to detect it. Only because Yang Yu's physical fitness far surpassed that of an ordinary person had he noticed it in advance.
"Brother Cong! Something's coming."
Yang Yu immediately called for Cong Hujun to stop. He removed the War Blade from his back, gripped it in his right hand, and warily looked toward the source of the rustling.
Upon hearing Yang Yu's warning, Cong Hujun did not act rashly. Instead, he carefully held his gun at the ready and watched the surroundings.
A hundred meters ahead to their left, a Mutated python as thick as a water barrel and more than ten meters long was hidden in grass taller than a man. Its tongue flickered as it slowly twisted its body and crept toward Yang Yu and Cong Hujun.
When the Mutated python noticed that the humans ahead had suddenly stopped, its hunting instinct told it that it was time to strike!
Whoosh!
The Mutated python exploded forward at full strength, speeding through the grass like an arrow loosed from a bow as it lunged savagely at Yang Yu, who appeared to be the greatest threat!
Its instinct told it that Yang Yu, holding a War Blade, was the most dangerous!
A distance of one hundred meters could be crossed in just four or five seconds by a Mutated python that was already close to Beast Soldier Level.
Such speed might have been extremely dangerous to Cong Hujun. He might not even have been able to guarantee a hit if he fired.
But to Yang Yu, it was no different from slow motion. When the python leaped out from the grass, opened its vicious maw, and pounced—
Yang Yu's keen eyesight clearly caught the pale green scales of the Mutated python, its scarlet tongue flickering at high speed, and its fangs more than ten centimeters long dripping with foul-smelling fluid.
"Watch out!"
When Cong Hujun spotted a green blur shooting out, he shouted sharply.
But before his shout had even faded, Yang Yu moved a step to the left like lightning. At the same time, powerful strength surged into his War Blade as he instinctively unleashed the Thunderbolt Blade Technique, which excelled at slashing, and chopped fiercely at the python's head!
To be safe, Yang Yu even coated the War Blade with Mental Force.
This strike was truly fast to the extreme!
"Slash!"
A flash of Purple Blade Light lit up.
The snake's head fell to the ground!
The more than ten-meter-long body behind it continued rushing forward at extreme speed due to its tremendous momentum, only coming to a stop after charging dozens of meters.
That was because Yang Yu's strike had been too fast and too fierce!
The snake's head had been severed in an instant, while the inertia from the body's high-speed charge still remained.
Yang Yu felt no ripples in his heart as he looked at the snake head he had chopped off without any effort.
Still, it was the first beast he had slaughtered since transmigrating here, so Yang Yu had brought out enough strength to deal with it.
Even a lion used its full strength to hunt a rabbit!
Yet this Mutated Giant Python, which did not even qualify as small fry despite being close to a Beast Soldier Level Monster, had not even provided a warm-up.
After giving the Mutated Giant Python one last glance, Yang Yu calmly sheathed his blade and stood there. "Brother Cong, take a look and see whether there are any materials on this python worth taking."
"Huh?"
Only then did Cong Hujun come back to his senses. In his eyes, the Mutated Giant Python had been a disaster waiting to happen, yet Yang Yu had killed it with a casual slash.
The enormous contrast made this battle-hardened veteran begin to question life. "Has the era really changed?"
However, Cong Hujun was only stunned for a moment before hurrying joyfully to the fallen snake head. "This is a common Mutated Green Python. They used to live in deep waters and deep marshes. I never expected them to dare enter the city after mutating."
"Its most valuable parts are these two fangs, the exceptionally tough Snake Tendon, and the Snake Skin, which has considerable defensive power after processing. Just this one python, if put to good use, could equip an entire squad!"
Clearly, Cong Hujun had seen many Mutated Creatures before. With just one glance, he identified the origins of this Mutated python.
"Time is of the essence. Brother Cong, let's take the materials and continue our patrol."
"Haha, alright!"
As he spoke, Cong Hujun took specialized dissection tools from his backpack and began extracting the fangs from the snake's head.
Yang Yu did not remain idle either. Holding his War Blade, he walked to the snake's body and easily skinned off the more than ten-meter-long Snake Skin.
By then, Cong Hujun had finished collecting the fangs and came over to help pick out the transparent Snake Tendon.
A Mutated python over ten meters long yielded quite a few materials. Cong Hujun's backpack was stuffed full in an instant. "Xiao Yang, it was fortunate you were here this time. If that Green python had wrapped around me, I would have been in danger. I'll record these Military Merits for you first. When the time comes, these materials should be enough to exchange for the best combat suit."
Before you continue