Still Catching Birds

Of the commissions Zheng Yichen saw now, one-third were related to the Southern Forest, and another third were related to the Research Institute. Among those related to the Southern Forest, nearly half included "logistics" services.

This meant that after capturing or killing the target of the bounty, specialized personnel would be sent to handle the recovery. The Corpse could be sold directly to the client, providing additional income.

Take the mission Zheng Yichen had completed previously; he had only received the base reward. That didn't include the extra profit from the prey after it was killed, as he hadn't brought the Corpse back with him. As a result, the payout was lower, though overall, it was still quite generous.

The reward for that mule wasn't just about the value of the creature itself, but also the fact that the Abnormal Creature had harmed people.

Regardless of what it was, if it killed someone, it generally couldn't be left alone—let alone an Abnormal Creature.

Zheng Yichen voluntarily skipped the commissions related to the Research Institute. He wanted to be a wilderness Hunter, and having already tasted the sweetness of taking down a large Abnormal Creature, he was determined to develop his skills in that area.

"Why is there a request to catch a bird?" Zheng Yichen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow after seeing a strange commission.

The Bartender tapped on the commission to take a look: "These types of commissions are usually for Research Institutes looking to breed new varieties of ornamental creatures."

Things related to Abnormal Creatures were prohibited from flowing into the hands of an Ordinary Person, mainly because abnormal items were more likely to trigger new anomalies. If things went wrong, it could turn into a Troll horror story.

A Troll's ear is brought home, and then the ear regenerates into a new Troll... Abnormal items had that kind of potential. Although the probability was low, it was never zero.

"That's a thing?" Zheng Yichen clicked his tongue, thinking of how some wealthy foreigners on Earth liked to keep Lions and Tigers. Those were dangerous animals too, but there were always people looking for a thrill who wanted to keep them.

"Of course it's a thing, as long as it isn't a true Abnormal Creature. Besides, these new varieties bred by the Research Institutes are very attractive." The Bartender didn't say much more on the subject; he could tell from Zheng Yichen's reaction that the young man had no interest in such commissions.

"Take your time looking." Seeing a new customer arrive, the Bartender signaled for Zheng Yichen to move over.

Zheng Yichen nodded, sat to the side, and looked at the menu in his hand. He really hadn't been wrong to decide to become a Hunter. When he wasn't one, very little happened around him, but now, just by looking at this commission menu, he could understand how many abnormal incidents were actually occurring in Longcheng.

The Research Institute's commissions were very specific, but it was difficult for him to "hunt" in those places. Many of the commissions to capture Abnormal Creatures required them to be alive, or if they allowed them to be dead, they required the Corpse to be kept intact and not damaged too severely.

None of these were very suitable for Zheng Yichen. Compared to generous rewards, what he wanted more was his own growth. As long as his own strength increased further, he could take on more difficult missions and face more powerful Abnormal Creatures.

This was a virtuous cycle. Just making money didn't have much meaning; the conversion rate of money earned into personal improvement wasn't high.

"Didn't find anything suitable?" After chatting with the new customer, the Bartender looked at Zheng Yichen, who was frowning in thought, and asked with slight surprise. The tasks recommended by the big data weren't necessarily perfect for every type of Hunter, but they were usually a good match based on the overall performance of those Hunters.

If a certain type of task was completed frequently, it meant the Hunter had sufficient experience in those matters, serving as a baseline—no matter how bad it got, it wouldn't be too terrible.

Zheng Yichen was currently in a "scoring" phase, so the recommendations still seemed a bit rough, but these commissions should have at least been able to satisfy some of his needs.

"It's mainly that I'm not good at keeping things alive," Zheng Yichen said with a helpless expression. "I don't have a team, I'm on my own. It's hard to capture them alive when fighting an Abnormal Creature."

The Bartender nodded in understanding. That was how it was for a lone wolf; they weren't well-suited for missions that required live captures unless they were incredibly powerful. Zheng Yichen didn't seem to want to find teammates either; if he had wanted to, he should have found them earlier.

There were many Hunters in the Night Banquet Bar. He was now a Hunter who had completed two commissions, and they weren't exactly bottom-tier tasks either. Even if he wasn't very skilled with a gun, with two missions under his belt, it wouldn't be hard to find teammates, or at the very least, put together a temporary squad.

But Zheng Yichen never stayed at the Night Banquet Bar for more than an hour. Every time he came, he would learn a few things, order two drinks, and leave.

"You can come back and check in two days. The commissions in this area update quite quickly."

"I'll take this one first." Zheng Yichen selected a commission that he felt was quite suitable. The main content of the commission was to find information about abnormal creatures, a task that could be completed repeatedly and was limited to the Southern Forest.

The task required creature information, but not limited to photos or blood samples, or hair. If he had the ability to capture one alive, that was also an option.

Zheng Yichen understood this type of task to mean that if every hunter could capture one alive, there wouldn't be such a commission. This kind of commission was essentially a secondary choice for hunters whose abilities were not up to par.

"I thought you wouldn't bother with this kind of task."

The Bartender seemed a little surprised by Zheng Yichen's choice.

"I'm not picky at all right now."

"It's best not to deliberately complete tasks just for the sake of completion," the Bartender reminded him kindly. His meaning was clear: the Southern Forest itself was not an easy place to deal with. The outskirts were still relatively safe, but the depths of the forest were another matter.

And those more peculiar abnormal creatures often roamed the depths of the Southern Forest. Many of those found on the outskirts had already been recorded, and photos or blood samples of those abnormal creatures were basically worthless.

Compared to commissions with definite targets, these long-term tasks were more likely to be rookie killers. Newcomers often ventured deep into the forest to search for abnormal creatures or other anomalies.

The rookies' thoughts were simple: it was just about recording a video or taking a photo. If they were careful and avoided conflict, it should be fine. And then there was no "then."

Every year... no, every month, there were some lucky unlucky ones.

"I'll keep that in mind. But before that, I should buy a better quality camera?"

"Haha, you could also buy a bad quality one, so if something happens, someone else can pick it up and get a bargain," the Bartender laughed. "I don't know much about these things, so I won't recommend anything. You can find a suitable seller yourself."

After understanding what he needed to know, Zheng Yichen left the Night Banquet Bar as usual, with no intention of staying to play for a while.

Before his transmigration, he had no affinity for places like bars. After transmigrating, he only came here for 'work.' Once the business was done, he left immediately.