One-horned Iron Rhino

The Wilderness Zone, by current human definition, refers to the continental regions outside of human Base Cities, including ruined cities, suburbs, wastelands, forests, mountains, lakes, and so on.

For humans living in Base Cities in this era, the three words "Wilderness Zone" are synonymous with a forbidden zone of death.

It is teeming with all kinds of Monsters, some insidious and strange, others powerful and savage.

If one encounters a pack or a swarm, it is essentially a death sentence.

Under a Beast Tide, even a War God cannot guarantee survival.

Hundreds of miles north of the Northeast Base City, there is a military district station.

"Rumble..."

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

Fully armed Warriors stepped off the train one after another, totaling more than thirty people.

These thirty-plus individuals naturally split into five squads.

"Chu He, whenever we Warriors go out to hunt Monsters, we always enter the military district when we need to resupply."

Hu Yonghua pointed to a towering iron tower in the distance, standing at least fifty or sixty meters high.

"See that tower? Every military district in the entire Huaxia Country designates a special area as a Warrior Supply Base, specifically for us Warriors to rest."

Chu He nodded.

He was very clear about this.

That tower represents both the military district and the Warrior Supply Base located within it.

For Warriors venturing through the Wilderness Zone, it is like a lighthouse on the ocean.

Chu He followed the Jackal Squad into the Warrior Supply Base, carefully observing every move of everyone in the squad along the way.

Whether it is to collect materials for brewing wine or for other purposes, he will inevitably choose to travel alone in the future.

Warriors operate in the Wilderness Zone year-round, leading to high mental stress and naturally taut nerves, making it very easy for conflicts to arise between them.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, there are usually unwritten rules among Warriors.

Not to mention, those temporary living spots for spending the night in the Wilderness Zone are secrets known only to veteran Warriors.

All of this information is exactly what Chu He needs to master right now.

The Warrior Supply Base before his eyes is located inside the military district, with quiet little buildings surrounded by flowers and plants, making the environment even more tranquil than the villa areas within the Base City.

"Jackal Squad, during this Knives Out operation, you will reside and rest in the Building D6 area."

At the Supply Base, a base administrator handed over a key, patted Hu Yonghua on the shoulder with a smile, and then fixed his gaze on Chu He.

"Old Hu, are you planning to bring a newcomer this time?"

"Newcomers usually have great luck. If you happen to come across any good loot, how about saving a share for me? Don't worry, I'll definitely give you a high price."

"That's a nice thought... I'll take your word for it!" Hu Yonghua laughed. "With a newcomer in tow, I'm not counting on finding anything good. As long as we can come back in one piece, that's enough."

"In one piece? That doesn't sound like your style, Jackal!" The administrator lowered his voice while typing the Jackal Squad's information into the computer. "What's the matter? Is this newcomer important? Whose kid is he?"

"Who else could it be? Old Chu's kid, of course."

"Old Chu?" The administrator's tone suddenly rose a notch. "Old Chu is calling it quits?"

"Then safety should indeed be the priority."

"Alright, wait here. I'll hurry up and have someone prepare lunch for you all."

The sun sank into the west, and the sky began to darken.

At dusk, the six members of the Jackal Squad, fully armed, boarded two off-road vehicles. One after the other, they left the Supply Base and entered the Wilderness Zone.

In the lead off-road vehicle.

"If we follow this highway, we should reach our destination—County-level City 0316—in about three days. There are a few things you need to watch out for on the road, so let me give you a quick briefing..."

Hu Yonghua explained the precautions for the journey, including the location of every temporary stopover point.

Chu He, however, couldn't help but observe the highway before him.

Since arriving in this world, this was the first time he had seen a highway from the past.

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

The highway before him was already dilapidated and beyond repair.

Chu He looked at the deep cracks splitting the road surface, imagining what this road must have looked like in its heyday.

The reddish glow of the setting sun shone upon this highway, which had been silent and in disrepair for decades.

"Roar..."

"Awoo..."

From the wasteland on both sides of the highway and from the nearby dilapidated brick houses, the roars of monsters could be heard from time to time.

Chu He even caught glimpses of quite a few monsters just from a cursory glance.

Inside the vehicle, the other members of Jackal Squad were quite relaxed, but Chu He did not dare to slack off in the slightest.

He wanted to be like the others, hiding the indifference deep in his eyes, and letting his gaze reveal a natural disdain for life.

When he used to read those novels, Chu He had more than once imagined himself in their shoes.

He fantasized that if that day ever truly came, it would be a very cool experience.

But as things stood, he really couldn't afford to relax.

Whether in his past life or his current one, Chu He had never experienced a situation where enemies were on all sides, and a life-or-death battle could erupt at the slightest mistake.

Perhaps later... once I am truly accustomed to the sights of this wilderness, I will be able to turn a blind eye to it all, just like the others in Jackal Squad.

Unconsciously, Chu He's thoughts wandered.

"Hmm, Chu He, there is a One-horned Iron Rhino ahead, somewhere between F-Rank and E-Rank. It counts as a Beast Soldier Rank. I'll leave it to you," Hu Yonghua's voice rang out.

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

"Huh?" Chu He snapped back to reality.

Sweeping his gaze forward, he saw a One-horned Iron Rhino flicking its tail aimlessly beside a small puddle in a patch of wasteland.

Like an agile leopard, Chu He darted swiftly behind a car that had overturned on the highway, peering toward the One-horned Iron Rhino not far ahead.

The One-horned Iron Rhino was iron-gray all over, resembling a heavy-duty off-road vehicle...

No!

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

The size of this One-horned Iron Rhino was clearly much larger than the off-road vehicle.

To be more precise, it was more like a Tiger Tank.

Under the glow of the setting sun, its horn, sharp as a blade, refracted a cold light.

As Chu He approached.

"Hrr-hrr..."

The One-horned Iron Rhino seemed to sense an unfamiliar scent, letting out a series of snorts as its eyes, glinting with murderous intent, scanned its surroundings.

Has it... discovered me? Chu He's heart rate accelerated.

Whether due to adrenaline or his own nature, he actually felt a hint of excitement at this moment.

"Boom..."

The One-horned Iron Rhino stomped its feet violently, causing the ground to tremble slightly, even though Chu He was hundreds of meters away.