The five of them walked along the highway. Chen Fan and Sett were in front, Zhao Yong and Luo Feng behind them, while Yang Hui walked in the middle, protected by the other four.
After all, Yang Hui relied on firearms for most of his firepower. His close-combat skills were considerably weaker, so he needed the others to protect him.
A belt of bullets was slung around Yang Hui, and he carried a machine gun in his hands, ready to open fire at any moment.
The highway had long since fallen into ruin. Cars and trucks lay wrecked, and the calls of monsters echoed through the area from time to time. Their shapes were everywhere.
"Don't be nervous. Most monsters in the Wilderness Zone aren't that strong. Usually, they're only at the Soldier level. The truly powerful monsters gather in abandoned cities." Seeing how tense the two were, Chen Fan quickly reassured them.
Before he had finished speaking, the five spotted a deer as tall as a one-story building blocking their path. It seemed to be demanding a toll.
The deer had enormous blue antlers that were strikingly beautiful.
"It's a Blue-Blooded Deer! Judging by its size, it should be at the junior War General level," Yang Hui said.
"Zhao Yong and I will take the lead. Luo Feng and Sett, support us. Yang Hui, cover us." Chen Fan quickly gave the orders, then charged at the deer with his spear in hand.
Zhao Yong followed close behind, while Luo Feng and Sett hurried after them.
Yang Hui took the sniper rifle from his back, aimed at the deer, and prepared to support them. But he knew the team leader wanted the two of them to get some practice, so he held his fire.
"Watch this!" Chen Fan gripped his spear and thrust at the Blue-Blooded Deer. The towering beast stared coldly at him, then lowered its massive antlers and charged.
"Chen, watch out!" Luo Feng called from behind.
Chen Fan flicked his spear and drove it into the deer's antlers. Then he pushed, sending the enormous Blue-Blooded Deer crashing to the ground.
Before it could get back up, Zhao Yong's blade slashed toward its throat.
With a wet squelch, blue blood spurted from the deer's neck. It convulsed several times, then died.
"Chen, Zhao, you guys are incredible! You took down a War General-level monster with one move each, working together, and we didn't even get a chance to fight," Sett said, looking at the dead Blue-Blooded Deer.
"It's fine. You'll get used to it. Those two have fought together for years, so they work well as a team. Besides, this monster was at the Beast General level, so it was best to be careful." Yang Hui came over, holding his gun.
"Next time we run into a weaker monster, you two can take it on," Chen Fan said with a smile.
Luo Feng and Sett took out their knives and skinned the deer. Its enormous antlers were nearly a meter tall and very beautiful, but they took up too much space in their packs. Zhao Yong swiftly chopped them into smaller pieces and packed them away.
A War General-level monster was valuable from head to toe, but the five had limited space in their packs. They gathered the most valuable parts and left the remaining meat and blood behind.
"It's such a shame to leave those antlers behind. They're beautiful. I bet plenty of wealthy people would pay a fortune to display them at home," Sett said wistfully.
"They are beautiful, but we can't fit everything in our packs," Chen Fan said with a smile.
The five set off again, walking for a while before stopping to eat, drink, and rest. After all, dragging exhausted bodies through the Wilderness Zone was extremely dangerous.
"Luo Feng, there's a monster up ahead. It looks like a mid-level Soldier. You take it," Zhao Yong said, spotting an Iron-Bristled Wild Boar.
"Got it!" Luo Feng held a shield in his left hand and the Blood Shadow Battle Blade in his right, ready to face his first battle in the Wilderness Zone.
"Luo Feng, don't let your guard down. Monsters in the Wilderness Zone are much stronger than the ones raised by the army," Chen Fan warned.
"Thanks, Chen," Luo Feng replied with a smile.
With that, Luo Feng nimbly vaulted over a car blocking the road and quickly closed in on the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar.
The boar spotted him and let out a series of snarls, its eyes burning with murderous intent.
Then it charged at Luo Feng like a speeding tank. Cars in its path were sent flying, crashing down and spinning several times before breaking apart into heaps of scrap.
Luo Feng watched the charging boar and dodged to the side.
With a whoosh, Luo Feng shot toward it like a bolt of lightning, his Blood Shadow Battle Blade slashing at its neck.
The boar didn't panic when it saw the blade coming. It twisted its neck to evade the strike, then swung its head toward Luo Feng.
"Not good!" After swinging his blade, Luo Feng couldn't adjust his body quickly enough. He could only raise his shield with his left hand to protect himself.
With a bang, the boar sent Luo Feng flying into the side of a truck.
"Ugh, that hurt. I let my guard down. Come on!" Luo Feng left an afterimage on the truck's side, then charged at the boar again.
Seeing Luo Feng get knocked away, Zhao Yong started to rush over and help, but Chen Fan stopped him. "If he can't handle this monster, he doesn't deserve to be called a genius."
The Iron-Bristled Wild Boar wasn't afraid of Luo Feng. It charged again, raising its forelegs to stomp him.
With a clang, Luo Feng used his shield to deflect the blow and slid to one side of the boar. His blade in his right hand slashed into its body, leaving a deep wound.
The boar bellowed and turned to charge at Luo Feng again. He dodged and cut another wound into its body.
With two deep gashes bleeding heavily, the boar began to slow down.
"Now!" As the boar lunged at him, Luo Feng slid beneath it and tore open its belly. Its intestines and organs spilled out.
Then Luo Feng delivered a final slash to the neck of the fallen boar, ending its life.
"Whew. Monsters in the Wilderness Zone really are tough," Luo Feng said, leaning against a car and panting heavily.
"Luo Feng, are you all right?" Sett hurried over and asked.
"I'm fine." Luo Feng waved a hand.
Under the moonlight, Luo Feng gathered the boar's spoils. Chen Fan came over and said, "Hunting monsters isn't about showing off your footwork. Next time, try to kill it in one strike. The longer you fight a monster, the more unpredictable things can get. If we run into another one later, I'll have Zhao Yong show you how it's done."
"No problem," Zhao Yong said.
Chen Fan and Zhao Yong could tell that Luo Feng's footwork was excellent, perhaps even at the Micro-level. Although he'd been caught off guard and injured by the boar at first, he'd performed well afterward.
After pulling out a few of the boar's teeth, Luo Feng set off with the others again.
Soldier-level monsters weren't worth much. A Soldier-level beast usually fetched only a few thousand or tens of thousands of yuan, so it made sense to take only the most valuable spoils and avoid wasting space.
An Iron-Bristled Wild Boar's tusks were its most valuable part. Of course, the iron bristles of a Beast General-level boar could also fetch a good price, but there was no point skinning one at the Soldier level.
Before long, the group encountered another Soldier-level monster: an enormous cow nearly as tall as a one-story building, with mid-level Soldier strength.
Sett volunteered to fight the Bull Beast.
Moo! The Bull Beast bellowed when it saw Sett, pawing at the ground as it prepared to charge.
With brass knuckles on his fists, Sett swaggered toward the Bull Beast.
The Bull Beast lowered its head, pointed its enormous horns forward, and charged at Sett.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—the air stirred by the Bull Beast's charge rushed past Sett's ears.
Then Sett shouted. Golden light flared around his fists as he punched straight at the horns.
With a crack, the Bull Beast's horns broke. Sett held his ground against the charging beast, scraping several meters across the ground.
Grabbing the Bull Beast's horns with both hands, Sett wrenched them apart.
He tossed the two broken horns aside and kept punching the Bull Beast.
The Bull Beast, its horns broken, writhed in agony and let out a strange bellow. Its eyes filled with fear as it turned to flee.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sett chased after it and punched it in the rear.
The Bull Beast lost its balance and face-planted, skidding along the ground.
"Running away? Why'd you stop?" Sett walked up to the Bull Beast and used Pummel to smash its head apart with two punches.
Sett found the two broken horns, put them in his pack, and rejoined his four teammates.
"You fight monsters like a wild beast yourself. It's a shame you're not in the movies," Chen Fan said, stunned. He'd never seen anyone fight a monster like that.
Brutal. Savage. Thrilling.
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