One-Hit Kill

Yang Hui was using bullets specially designed to deal with commander-level monsters. This armor-piercing round packed incredible power and traveled several times faster than the speed of sound.

Because it was moving so fast, the sonic boom came after the bullet, so the monster couldn't hear the gunshot right away.

The Three-Tailed Tiger Cat was hit in the neck. The bullet spun inside its body, nearly severing the monster's neck completely; only a small strip of flesh still held it together.

Blood gushed from the Three-Tailed Tiger Cat's neck. It couldn't even cry out.

The moment the others saw the Three-Tailed Cat Demon get hit, they rushed down from the rooftop.

"Brothers, once we've cleaned up the remaining Tiger Cats, that Three-Tailed Tiger Cat won't be going anywhere. After we kill the monsters, we'll clear the battlefield quickly. The gunshot will attract nearby monsters, so stay alert," Chen Fan said as they hurried over.

Chen Fan charged at the front. When he saw the Three-Tailed Tiger Cat lying on the verge of death, he finished it off with a single shot.

Then he twirled his spear and thrust it into a nearby Tiger Cat, killing it. At that moment, several Tiger Cats converged on Chen Fan, ready to attack.

"Hmph!" Chen Fan drew back his spear, his gaze sharpening as he gripped it with both hands and swept it toward the Tiger Cats ahead.

As the Tiger Cats cried out one after another, several of them were knocked off their feet and sent flying.

"Captain, I'm here to help!" Zhao Yong was the second to reach the battlefield. Seeing more and more Tiger Cats surrounding Chen Fan, he charged in with his broadsword and hacked away.

With no fancy swordplay, Zhao Yong simply swung his broadsword across a Tiger Cat, leaving a long gash. Then he turned his blade around and killed another with a backhanded strike.

Sett and Luo Feng soon joined the fight. The four of them engaged the remaining Tiger Cats in a melee, while Yang Hui watched the surroundings from the rooftop, ready to warn the others below at any moment.

"Brother Zhao, watch out!" Sett leaped into the air and tackled a pouncing Cat Demon to the ground. Golden light appeared around his hands, and he punched the Tiger Cat in the head twice in quick succession.

Two thuds rang out as the Tiger Cat's head was smashed open. It died on the spot.

Zhao Yong dispatched the Cat Demon in front of him with two quick slashes, then hurriedly turned to look at Sett behind him.

"Brother Zhao, that Tiger Cat tried to sneak up on me, but I tackled it and beat it to death," Sett said with a grin as he got to his feet.

"Watch out!" Zhao Yong suddenly sprang into action, swinging the blade in his hand at Sett.

With a splat, the Tiger Cat sneaking up behind Sett was cleaved in two by Zhao Yong. Its head flew high into the air.

"Don't get distracted when fighting monsters!" Zhao Yong called to Sett before turning to engage the next Tiger Cat.

Luo Feng held a shield in one hand and a blade in the other as he fought a Tiger Cat at the Advanced Beast Soldier level.

Luo Feng nimbly evaded the Tiger Cat's attacks. "Get lost!" He took two deft steps and dodged another swipe. As he moved aside, he slammed the shield in his left hand hard into the Tiger Cat.

The blow threw the Tiger Cat off balance, and it stumbled, nearly falling over.

How could Luo Feng pass up such a perfect opportunity? He turned and slashed at the Tiger Cat's neck.

With a splat, the Blood Shadow Battle Blade drew a spurt of blood from the Tiger Cat, and the beast finally collapsed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Chen Fan danced his spear through the air, each move dazzlingly precise.

In that short time, he had already killed six Cat Demons.

Each Cat Demon stood nearly two meters tall, its body enormous. Sett looked like a tiny speck beside them.

Thud! Sett's fist smashed into a Tiger Cat's head, knocking out several teeth. The knuckle duster in his hand crushed and deformed the beast's bones.

Pummel! A faint golden light shimmered around Sett's hands. His fist shot upward like a cannonball, tearing through the air as it slammed into the Tiger Cat's chin.

Thud! The immense force shattered the Tiger Cat's chin and snapped its head upward, wrenching its neck.

With a crack, the beast's neck broke under the tremendous force, and even its massive body was launched into the air.

Finally, it landed with a thump several meters away, sprawled on its back with its limbs splayed. It was already dead.

"Take this!" Sett didn't even look at the Tiger Cat he had just sent flying. He swept his leg toward another Tiger Cat's feet.

The Tiger Cat reacted quickly, jumping lightly to evade Sett's sweep. It opened its jaws wide and lunged for his head.

"Ugh, that stinks!" Sett looked up and saw a dark, gaping mouth coming down on him, but he didn't panic. He raised both hands, grabbing the lower jaw with his left and the upper jaw with his right, and forced the Tiger Cat's mouth open.

"Hyah!" Sett pushed with both hands. With a crack, he wrenched the Tiger Cat's lower jaw out of place. Its remaining upper jaw made the beast look ridiculous.

Just as Sett was about to finish the Tiger Cat off with a couple of punches, he heard a splat. A broadsword cut off its head, sending it flying somewhere out of sight.

"Are you okay?" Zhao Yong hurried over to help when he saw Sett nearly get eaten by the Tiger Cat.

"I'm fine, Brother Yong," Sett replied with a grin.

In no time, they had cleared away more than a dozen Tiger Cats. The group didn't even have time to rest; they hurried to collect the valuable parts from the monsters.

Tiger Cat tails, teeth, sharp claws, and pelts were all valuable.

But the group only took the claws and tails from the Beast Soldier-level Tiger Cats. Skinning them would take too long, and their pelts weren't worth much anyway.

Once they had quickly finished collecting everything, they returned to the rooftop and collapsed on the ground, sprawled out in exhaustion.

"Yang Hui, great shot!" Yang Fan said with a broad grin.

After all, it took excellent marksmanship to kill a commander-level monster with a single shot.

Usually, only a few spots on a monster could be pierced with one shot. In the Tiger Cat's case, those spots were the neck, chin, eyes, and so on.

What's more, commander-level monsters moved incredibly fast. No matter how fast a bullet was, you still had to lead your target. If it shifted position even slightly, you'd hit nothing but air.

"You flatter me," Yang Hui said modestly, smiling as he repeated himself.

"Not at all. You were the MVP this time. That Three-Tailed Cat Demon was probably worth fifteen to twenty million. You should get at least half," Chen Fan added.

A mid-level commander-class monster, along with more than a dozen Beast Soldier-level monsters, could have caused the Hunting Gun Squad plenty of trouble. One careless moment, and a team member could easily have been injured.

No one objected to the split. Even if they got a smaller share, at least they were safe.

Yang Hui had been with the Hunting Gun Squad for quite a while and knew the rules.

After all, even brothers kept their accounts straight. A team only held together when everyone got their fair share.

"You all did well. Luo Feng, killing an Advanced Beast Soldier-level monster isn't all that difficult for you now.

"And Sett, you sure know how to put on a show when you fight monsters. I almost wish I'd filmed it. You must be as strong as an advanced-level Martial Artist now. Otherwise, there's no way you could knock a monster that big flying with one punch," Chen Fan said with a laugh.

After all, it was only their first day in the city, and they had already obtained the materials from three commander-level monsters. Their haul over the next half month would probably be substantial.

Why did Martial Artists risk their lives? Wasn't it to earn more money and live better? For most Martial Artists, their strength peaked at the advanced Martial Artist or War General level.

While they were young enough to keep fighting, they had to kill as many monsters as they could and save up for retirement.

After all, while Martial Artists hunted monsters, the monsters hunted them too. It was truly a matter of living by the blade.

Chen Fan was thrilled. Not only had they had a good haul that day, but the two newcomers, Luo Feng and Sett, were both formidable fighters. Give them a little more time, and they might even be able to take on stronger monsters.

"It's getting late, so let's rest. That's enough for today. We'll never run out of monsters to kill." After lying down for a while, Chen Fan saw the sun setting and called everyone down to find a room to rest in.

The security door had been unused for decades. A light kick was enough to knock it open.

After a simple meal, Sett took out a towel, dampened it, and wiped his face. He'd been fighting monsters hand-to-hand, and his face was covered in blood. Without washing up, he could've passed for a ghost.

"Hey, Mom, I'm fine. I fought some monsters today. I was knocking them down with one punch each—let me tell you, I was awesome." Sett took out his Communication Watch and quickly called home to let his family know he was safe.

Living in the Wilderness Zone every day worried his family. A call every night was the only way to put their minds at ease.

"Be careful out there. Killing a couple of monsters is enough, so don't take unnecessary risks. Look after yourself," Jin Wenying said earnestly over the phone.

Jin Wenying had supported Sett's decision to become a Martial Artist at first. But once he really became one, she was no longer so happy. She couldn't help worrying about his safety.