The One-horned Iron Rhino

By the definition used by humanity today, the Wilderness Zone referred to all the land outside human Base Cities, including ruined cities, suburbs, wastelands, mountains, forests, lakes, and more.

For humans living in Base Cities in this age, the Wilderness Zone was synonymous with a forbidden land of death.

It teemed with all kinds of monsters, some sinister and uncanny, others powerful and savage.

If you ran into a pack, your death was practically certain.

Even a War God couldn't claim they were guaranteed to survive a Beast Tide.

Several hundred miles north of Northeast Base City stood a military outpost.

"Rumble..."

The train slowly came to a halt at the military station.

One fully armed Warrior after another filed off the train, more than thirty in all.

The group naturally divided into five squads.

"Chu He, when Warriors go out to hunt monsters, they usually stop at a military outpost to restock along the way."

Hu Yonghua pointed to a towering iron tower in the distance, standing a good fifty or sixty meters tall.

"See that tower? Every military outpost in Huaxia Country has a designated area that serves as a Warrior Supply Base, specifically for Warriors like us to rest."

Chu He nodded.

He knew this well.

The tower represented both the military outpost and the Warrior Supply Base within it.

To Warriors roaming the Wilderness Zone, it was like a lighthouse on the open sea.

As Chu He followed Jackal Squad into the Warrior Supply Base, he carefully observed every move the squad members made.

Whether it was to gather ingredients for brewing wine or for some other reason, he would inevitably venture out alone in the future.

Warriors spent much of the year operating in the Wilderness Zone. The pressure took its toll, keeping their nerves taut and making them prone to conflict with one another.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Warriors generally followed a set of unwritten rules.

And the temporary camps where Warriors spent the night were secrets known only to seasoned Warriors.

These were exactly the things Chu He most needed to learn.

The Warrior Supply Base stood within the military outpost. Surrounded by flowers and greenery, its rows of quiet little buildings were even more peaceful than the villa districts inside the Base City.

"Jackal Squad, you'll be staying in Building D6 during this Wilderness Operation."

A staff member from the Supply Base handed over a key and smiled as he clapped Hu Yonghua on the shoulder, his gaze lingering on Chu He.

"Old Hu, bringing a rookie along this time?"

"Rookies usually have good luck. If you happen to find anything valuable, how about saving a piece for me? Don't worry, I'll pay top dollar."

"That's quite a thing to say... I'll take you up on that luck!" Hu Yonghua laughed. "With a rookie along, I'm not expecting to find anything good. Getting back in one piece is enough."

"Getting back in one piece? That's not like you, Jackal!" The staff member entered Jackal Squad's information on the computer, then lowered his voice. "What, is this rookie important? Whose kid is he?"

"Who else? Old Chu's."

"Old Chu?" The staff member's voice shot up. "Old Chu quit?"

"Then I guess playing it safe is the right call."

"Okay, wait here. I'll get someone to prepare lunch for you."

The sun sank in the west, and dusk settled in.

At twilight, all six members of Jackal Squad, fully armed, climbed into two off-road vehicles. They left the Supply Base in single file and entered the Wilderness Zone.

In the vehicle at the front,

"Follow this highway, and we'll reach our destination—County-level City 0316—in about three days. There are a few things to keep in mind on the way. I'll give you a quick rundown..."

Hu Yonghua went over the precautions for the journey, including the locations of each temporary stop.

Chu He, meanwhile, couldn't help staring at the highway before them.

Since arriving in this world, it was his first time seeing a highway from the old days.

To humans living in Base Cities, the highways in the Wilderness Zone had long become things of legend.

This highway was already in a terrible state of disrepair.

Chu He looked at the several cracks splitting the road and imagined what it must have looked like in its heyday.

The reddish light of the setting sun fell across the highway, silent and neglected for decades.

"Roar..."

"Awoo..."

Monster howls rang out now and then from the wasteland beside the highway and the nearby ruined brick houses.

Even with just a quick glance, Chu He spotted quite a few monsters.

The other members of Jackal Squad were relaxed in the vehicle, but Chu He didn't dare let his guard down for a moment.

He wanted to be like them, to hide a detached calm in his eyes and let contempt for life show through without even realizing it.

When he'd read novels in the past, Chu He had often imagined himself in the characters' place.

He'd thought that if he ever experienced something like that, it would be incredibly cool.

But now, he simply couldn't afford to relax.

Neither in his past life nor this one had Chu He ever experienced being surrounded by enemies on all sides, with a life-or-death battle liable to erupt at any moment.

Maybe someday... once I'm truly used to the Wilderness, I'll be able to ignore it like the others in Jackal Squad.

Chu He's thoughts wandered.

"Chu He, there's a One-horned Iron Rhino up ahead, between F-Rank and E-Rank. It counts as Beast Soldier Rank. You can handle it," Hu Yonghua said.

"This is your first fight since entering the Wilderness Zone!"

"Hm?" Chu He snapped back to attention.

He glanced over and saw a One-horned Iron Rhino beside a small puddle in a patch of wasteland ahead. It swished its tail aimlessly.

As agile as a leopard, Chu He darted behind a car that had overturned on the highway and looked toward the One-horned Iron Rhino nearby.

The beast's body was iron-gray, and it looked like a heavy Hummer off-road vehicle...

No!

Chu He glanced back at their own off-road vehicle.

The One-horned Iron Rhino was clearly much larger than their vehicle.

To be precise, it looked more like a Tiger tank.

The last rays of the setting sun glinted coldly off its knife-sharp horn.

As Chu He drew closer,

"Hrr... hrr..."

The One-horned Iron Rhino seemed to sense an unfamiliar presence. It let out a series of growls, its murderous eyes sweeping over its surroundings.

"Did it... notice me?" Chu He's heart raced.

Whether from the adrenaline or simply his nature, he found himself feeling a little excited.

"Boom..."

The One-horned Iron Rhino stamped forward several times. Even from several hundred meters away, Chu He could feel the ground trembling faintly.