Frost Shadow Deer

The Jackal Squad quietly entered the outskirts of County 0316.

By then, they had left the off-road vehicle at a temporary stop and were proceeding on foot.

"Chu He, for the past three days, we've been traveling along the highway, through desolate areas."

Beside him, Hu Yonghua lowered his voice. "But most monsters live in cities!"

"The denser the buildings, the more monsters can survive there, and the more dangerous it gets!"

"Understood, Uncle Hu." Chu He nodded.

Chu He knew this very well, whether from what he'd read online or from his memories of his past life.

Monsters and humanity had been at war for a very long time.

After countless battles, the intelligent monsters had long since realized that if they lived in open, desolate areas without cover, human armies and Warriors could target them from a distance.

Whether with heavy sniper rifles, missiles, or even laser cannons...

They could all attack from an extremely long range!

But things were very different in urban areas.

As long as monsters hid in densely built-up areas, they had a huge advantage over human Warriors with their sniper rifles and human armies fighting street by street.

Densely built-up areas were paradise for monsters!

"Stop." Chu Yunpeng, who was at the front with his Meteor Spear, raised a hand. He stared ahead, his expression grave.

Not far away, a massive Black-Haired Wild Boar lay on the ground.

Beside the dead boar, more than a dozen Golden-Eyed Jackals were bent over, tearing into its carcass.

By then, the Black-Haired Wild Boar's blood had already pooled into a fairly deep hollow.

Suddenly, two Golden-Eyed Jackals in the pack raised their heads warily and looked around.

"Let's go around them. Don't engage," Hu Yonghua whispered.

In the desolate areas, the Jackal Squad could do as they pleased, killing monsters whenever they wanted.

But in the city, everything was different.

The six members of the Jackal Squad turned into a narrow alley and continued forward, alert to every sound.

After proceeding cautiously and avoiding danger more than a dozen times, Chu He also used his flying daggers to swiftly kill eight ordinary Beast Soldier Rank monsters. At last, the group reached their destination.

A residential complex in County-level City 0316—Tiantongyuan Residential Area.

Near the complex was a High-end Villa District. It held the thing they wanted most on this trip.

"Come on. Let's find a room to rest in for now, then head up to the rooftop."

"With Chu here this time, that Frost Shadow Deer is as good as dead!"

"Don't get cocky. Who knows what else is in that fog? We'll do what we did before and wait for the Frost Shadow Deer to come out on its own."

"All right, everyone, be careful." Hearing the others exchange a few careless remarks, Hu Yonghua lowered his voice and reminded them with a stern look.

"A monster could show up anywhere in the apartment building."

"Stay alert, and don't make any loud noises."

The six members of the Jackal Squad continued up the stairs.

Hu Yonghua's warning proved timely.

The apartment building had eighteen floors, and the Jackal Squad encountered more than a dozen monsters before they had even reached the twelfth.

Twelfth floor, Room 1202.

Inside an apartment of around a hundred square meters.

"We'll use this apartment as our temporary resting place," Hu Yonghua said.

Chu He nodded along.

"Whew, finally, we can relax a little."

Only then did Pang Song and Yang Yi, who had been carrying the huge metal case the whole time, break into smiles. They plopped down on the living room floor.

The others took High-Energy Food and water out of their backpacks.

"Look over there!" Hu Yonghua stood on the dust-covered balcony and pointed south. "Chu He, see that? There's an area completely covered in fog."

Chu He walked over and cautiously looked outside.

Sure enough, about two kilometers away, clusters of buildings were barely visible through the fog.

Chu He gazed into the distance, but all he could make out was the cluster of buildings completely shrouded in fog. He couldn't see any farther in. He only caught a fleeting glimpse of a few long, narrow shapes.

What was even stranger was that the roars of monsters could be heard everywhere else in the city.

The thunderous noise of tens of thousands of monsters charging together would erupt every so often, too.

But the cluster of buildings not far away, shrouded in fog, was different.

Against all expectations, it was eerily silent.

"The central area of that zone used to be a High-end Villa District."

"Last time we came here, we spotted a Frost Shadow Deer nearby. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only an Intermediate Beast General—it's worth a fortune!"

"Its antlers, penis, tendons, tail... The value of all its parts together is almost equal to that of an Advanced Beast General."

"If it weren't for that strange fog protecting them, those deer would've been killed long ago."

Chu He listened quietly, but his thoughts were already stirring.

"Deer penises? Deer antlers?"

"Those would be perfect for making medicinal liquor!"

"I wonder if they'd be useful for my Spirit Machine, too?"

Seeing Chu He's eyes gleam like stars in the night, Hu Yonghua couldn't help laughing. "What, can't wait already?"

"Haha, don't rush! This room isn't high enough. I'll take you to the rooftop in a bit, and you can get a good look through the binoculars."

"We'll probably have to rely on you to pull your weight when we hunt the Frost Shadow Deer. You'll definitely get a share of the spoils!"

"No, that's not what I meant." Chu He gave an embarrassed grin. "I was wondering if I could keep my share instead of selling it, and use it to make medicinal liquor."

"You know my dad, Uncle Hu. He just likes to have a few drinks."

"Ah!" Hu Yonghua sighed when he heard that. "Your dad... He only developed that drinking problem after what happened to your grandfather."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't still be an Intermediate War General."

"Forget it. If you want to keep your share, then once we've got the job done and divided up the spoils, you can take yours straight home."

"Go on. Get some rest with the others."

Soon, after resting for more than ten minutes, the Jackal Squad set off for the rooftop.

On the way up from the twelfth floor, they encountered three monsters. They were fairly lucky, all things considered.

However, one of the three monsters charged up the stairs from below.

At the time, Chu He and Wei Xiaoping were at the very back of the group. Chu He naturally took action, sending out his flying daggers and killing the monster cleanly.

Coming out of the stairwell, the six members of the Jackal Squad reached the rooftop of the eighteen-story apartment building.

"Close the rooftop door. Bar it shut!"

Hu Yonghua found an iron rod and wedged the rooftop door shut to prevent any monsters from coming up from below.

Only then did he turn to the group and give his instructions. "Everyone brought binoculars, right?"

"Take them out and look for whatever monsters interest you."

"Remember, don't lean too far over the edge of the roof. If the monsters below spot you, it could cause trouble!"

Chu He took his binoculars out of his backpack, too.

Everyone carried auxiliary tools like binoculars with them. They didn't take up much space, after all.

Crouching at the edge of the rooftop, Chu He immediately looked toward the villa complex to the south.

The Frost Shadow Deer had already captured all his attention.