The forest is big and has many birds

Two days later, Deep Southern Forest. Zheng Yichen, riding his vehicle, returned to the area, breathing in the fresh air and conducting a final check of his items. His current belt was made from the tongue of a Unicorn Mule. After processing, it could be preserved and used for a long time, much like treated cowhide.

This material was tougher than cowhide and made a hissing sound when swung. Because it hadn't undergone special processing, this sound affected everyone indiscriminately.

It was equivalent to applying a mental debuff to both parties. However, the hunter Arno said that its practicality was not bad.

As long as Zheng Yichen didn't use it against people, animals' willpower and mental resistance were often much weaker than those of true warriors. Beasts were fierce because they didn't have many scruples when it was time to fight; they either didn't fight or they directly killed their target.

This item could interfere with the mental state of beasts through sound, making them less ferocious when fighting desperately. As long as their ferocity could be reduced, any hesitation or anxiety from the beasts would be useful to the hunter.

When used against people... it depended on the mental fortitude of both parties.

As for the processing Arno mentioned, although he didn't explicitly state what kind of processing it was, Zheng Yichen could infer that it was likely some kind of magical treatment. He had already encountered Undead Creatures, so magic was hardly surprising.

Zheng Yichen even suspected that there were magic users hidden within the seemingly ordinary Longcheng.

And what about the research institutes studying the recovered Skeleton Soldiers and Skeleton Mages? They must have researched something, right?

When those Undead Creatures invaded through the Anomaly, many Skeleton bodies had unleashed energy attacks.

For protective gear, he was currently using a set of Bulletproof Armor that cost just over three thousand. He had bought it using his Hunter License, and it had a recorded serial number. Ordinary people couldn't buy it at all. Better gear started from thirty to fifty thousand.

There was even more expensive gear costing millions, some of which looked similar to what Batman wore. Zheng Yichen thought it looked quite cool, but he couldn't afford it.

Still, even what he was wearing now was not bad. When dealing with the Unicorn Mule back then, having this gear would have at least reduced some of the damage.

But in the end, it didn't reduce much. Most of the damage he sustained then was impact damage, being rammed into trees by a mule.

Emergency medicine was fine, the Fishing Rod was fine, and the materials for Bait were all present. Good.

After checking his belongings, Zheng Yichen walked into the Deep Southern Forest without attracting much attention. It was still the same. Although the Deep Southern Forest had Rangers, their main duties were fire prevention, escorting ordinary people attempting to venture deep into the forest, and monitoring hunters who fired indiscriminately.

If it was about dealing with Abnormal Creatures, that was outside the scope of the Rangers' duties. Poachers?

Being a poacher outside of Longcheng was a capital offense. Why would anyone poach in the Deep Southern Forest of Longcheng? It was much better to get a Hunter License and openly hunt for prey. It wasn't illegal and could even earn fame, provided one could survive after entering the depths of the Deep Southern Forest.

"So clean." With a mix of luck and slight unwillingness, Zheng Yichen went to the place where he had previously killed the mule. Apart from the traces of battle that were fading with time, there was truly nothing left at the scene.

Turning on the camera he was wearing, Zheng Yichen took out his phone and checked if the camera angle was correct. Then, he walked deeper into the forest. He had to admit that with the aid of technology, moving around in the Deep Southern Forest had become much more convenient.

Even birds hidden in the treetops could be captured. The traces of capturing normal birds were faint, but for Abnormal Creatures, it was very obvious. Abnormal Creatures had significantly higher body temperatures than normal creatures.

A flapping sound reached his ears. Zheng Yichen drew his Shotgun and fired at the source of the sound. It wasn't a premonition; the camera had captured the creature attacking him. It was an abnormally mutated bird.

The traces of abnormal mutation were not severe. Judging by its appearance, it should be from the Corvid family. Many tiny 'worms' wriggled in the bird's open beak. Its claws were like blades, and the feathers on its wings had become similar to those tiny worms.

In any case, Zheng Yichen didn't want to be approached by this thing. A dense spread of Pellets covered the area where the bird was attacking. The creature let out a piercing shriek after being hit. The robust physique of the Abnormal Creature allowed it to survive the initial impact, but it was still a bird, and its condition was not good after being shot.

Before it could even hit the ground, it was impaled by a Fishing Rod. With the camera present, Zheng Yichen had to restrain himself and did not fully cover the Fishing Rod with the Black Gun.

He took out his phone and took a picture of the strange bird's appearance. It was a common abnormal bird, and its form was so 'complete'. This type of bird is generally concentrated in the Corvid family.

In the research circles of the Research Institute, this thing was street vendor trash, the least valuable, and occasionally you could find some pleasant surprises, but that was occasional.

The reason Zheng Yichen could use his phone for relevant comparisons was mainly because he downloaded an identification APP Software. This thing could be used offline, and there were free and paid versions. He used the more accurate paid version... When going out, one must be responsible for their own life, right?

Looking at the signal on his phone, which was less than one bar and kept fluctuating, he had only ventured a little into the Deep Southern Forest. After walking less than fifty meters further, his phone signal completely died. Here, he would be completely unable to contact the outside world, unless he turned around and left.

"Am I a prime example of a beginner courting death?" Zheng Yichen muttered to himself as he walked. Seeing that the abnormal red dots captured by the camera had clearly increased, he immediately shut up. Was there such a big difference between the outer and inner areas?

He had only ventured this far, and so many abnormal creatures had appeared. If he went deeper, what would happen? This place, where he had difficulty entering the depths of the forest before, was truly wonderful.

Along the way, he also saw some Signposts hanging on trees. Those weathered Signposts could still clearly show their content. These were Markers in the Deep Southern Forest.

They were distributed sparsely to prevent Hunters from getting lost in the Southern Forest. As long as one found a Signpost, they could determine their direction and avoid blindly venturing deeper into the Deep Southern Forest.

In addition to these Markers, another type of Marker was embedded in some trees. That type of Marker had a certain degree of camouflage and could better prevent damage from some wild beasts in the forest. The installation of this thing was also within a range. The deeper into the Deep Southern Forest, the fewer there were. This was enough for Zheng Yichen.

He would not truly enter those extremely dangerous areas. Operating in areas with these Markers was sufficient.