"Something's wrong!"
Chu Yunpeng's expression suddenly changed as he dissected the Frost Shadow Deer.
Chu He and Hu Yonghua were startled.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Hu Yonghua asked hurriedly.
"Captain, there's a mark on this Frost Shadow Deer! Come take a look!" Chu Yunpeng said anxiously.
"Right here, on its back! It must have been left by another Martial Artist Squad!"
"What?" Hu Yonghua's expression changed, and he hurried over to Chu Yunpeng. Sure enough, he spotted the mark.
The mark could mean many things.
The best possibility for the Jackal Squad was that it had been left some time ago. The human Martial Artist Squad that had marked the deer had given up and returned to the Base City after failing to kill it.
The worst possibility, of course, was that the human Martial Artist Squad was nearby.
"This deer has no wounds, and the mark doesn't look recent. It was probably left by some squad a while ago, but we should still be careful."
"If they use the mark as an excuse to come after us and cause trouble, we may be in the right, but it'll still be a hassle. And if things turn violent, they might be stronger than us..."
"Here's what we'll do: cut off the entire section with the mark and throw it back into that Mist Residential District. That way, they won't be able to follow the mark to us." Hu Yonghua made his decision at once.
"Also, clean up the scene. We can't come back to County 0316 for a while. Fortunately, we made plenty this time. We'll go back and get a good night's rest, then head to the Supply Base first thing tomorrow."
"Understood, Captain." Chu Yunpeng immediately began cleaning up the scene as Hu Yonghua had instructed.
Chu He joined in, learning the techniques for cleaning up a scene.
The remaining bloodstains, torn clothing, easily overlooked signs of a fight, even the mingled scents on the battlefield—all of it needed to be dealt with.
Before entering the Wilderness Zone for the first time, Chu He had looked up a great deal of information and learned some basic things.
But when it came to cleaning up a battlefield, there was no way to say he'd learned how unless he'd done it himself.
Before long, they'd finished cleaning up. Only then did Hu Yonghua and Chu Yunpeng breathe a sigh of relief.
"Let's go. We'll head back to our temporary lodgings and spend the night there. We should mention this to the others, too, so no one accidentally lets it slip after we return to the Base City."
Hu Yonghua handed Chu He the materials they had taken from the Frost Shadow Deer.
"Hold on to these for now. Once we reach the Supply Base, we'll split the money. Anything you need, we can work out the value and make it up from the other monsters you hunted earlier."
Dusk was setting in, and a few stars glimmered faintly on the horizon.
The three of them didn't linger. They slung on their backpacks and headed back.
Along the way, Chu Yunpeng kept glancing over his shoulder. It was hard to tell whether he was worried that he hadn't cleaned up well enough or that someone was following them.
He looked downright guilty!
Only then did Chu He finally get a chance to use his Spiritual Force to sense the Frost Shadow Deer's antlers, heart, penis, and the like.
They hadn't produced a Wine Recipe the moment he got his hands on them, the way the One-horned Iron Rhino's heart had. But Chu He could clearly sense Spirit Machine in all of those things.
He could also tell that, unlike Beast Soldier Rank materials, which could be brewed into wine directly with the right medicinal herbs, the materials from this Intermediate Beast General Frost Shadow Deer would probably require higher-grade ingredients.
Night fell, and stars filled the sky.
Beneath the starry sky, three figures raced through the ruined county town, weaving between abandoned buildings.
At times they followed the streets; at others they leapt through residential complexes or ran across the roofs of low-rise buildings. Before long, they reached the eighteen-story apartment building where the Jackal Squad members were staying.
"The captain and the others are back!"
"Mm. They don't seem hurt."
The three Jackal Squad members who had stayed behind all had binoculars, and they watched the stairwell leading into the apartment building. They could see Chu He and the others on their way back.
A short while later, Chu He and the others came through the door.
"Captain." All three wore excited expressions. They knew what a Frost Shadow Deer was worth. "How did it go? Did you kill it?"
Pang Song and Yang Yi looked at Hu Yonghua with eager anticipation. Wei Xiaoping exclaimed in delight, "Chu He's backpack is a lot fuller!"
Hu Yonghua laughed. "A woman's eyes really are sharp! You two old fellows should learn a thing or two."
After teasing them, Hu Yonghua met their excited gazes and nodded. "That's right. We were lucky enough to kill the Frost Shadow Deer just now! We butchered it, and all the materials are in Chu He's backpack."
"There's one more thing..."
Hu Yonghua told them about the mark on the Frost Shadow Deer and the decision he'd made.
The three nodded, still grinning with excitement.
As if they'd complain!
Even if they went back now, they'd already made more than they had before. Why would they object?
Besides, after something like this, it was perfectly reasonable to head back and rest for a while, whether or not the squad that had left the mark was still in town.
Early the next morning, the Jackal Squad quietly left County 0316. They found the Off-road Vehicle they'd hidden earlier and drove along the worn-out highway toward the Supply Base.
Three days later, in the large living room on the second floor of Villa D6 at the Supply Base.
"Let's sort out the monster materials we got from this hunt," Hu Yonghua said. "We weren't out for long this time, but our haul was outstanding!"
They looked at one another and couldn't help laughing.
The six members of the Jackal Squad had spent only about four days in County 0316.
On the final day, they'd killed just one ordinary Junior Beast General, a few Beast Soldiers, and a Frost Shadow Deer. On each of the other three days, they'd killed nearly ten Beast General Rank monsters at a minimum.
By a rough count, they'd killed nearly forty Junior Beast Generals in four days. Apart from the Frost Shadow Deer, they'd also taken down three Intermediate Beast Generals.
Even without counting the Frost Shadow Deer, their haul was worth a full five or six hundred million!
And that included the six days of travel there and back. They'd been away from home for only ten days in all.
Five or six hundred million in ten days—and that didn't even include the Frost Shadow Deer, their most valuable prize.
Who wouldn't be dazzled by that kind of return?
Of course, they'd only make that money once they sold the materials, and they'd have to split it among several people.
After they'd finished laughing, everyone listened as Hu Yonghua continued, "The Supply Base is small. If we sell the Frost Shadow Deer materials openly, it'll be easy for people to notice."
"If the Martial Artist Squad that marked the deer finds out and comes looking for us, we could be in trouble," Hu Yonghua added cautiously.
"Mm."
Chu Yunpeng nodded in agreement. "Let's give the Frost Shadow Deer materials to Chu He for now. We can sell the rest of the monster materials here."
"Sounds good! Then let's eat and rest, and sell them later." Hu Yonghua finally let himself laugh.
Before you continue