The Wilderness Area

"Move out!"

At Chu Tian's command, the six members of Phantom Squad set off along the highway toward City 023.

By then, the highway through the Wilderness Area had long since fallen into ruin, its entire surface cracked.

Abandoned cars, trucks, and vans were scattered everywhere along both sides of the road...

Blackened bloodstains and the remains of all kinds of monsters could also be seen on the ground from time to time.

It was summer, and even in the evening, the air still held a hint of oppressive heat.

The six members of Phantom Squad continued along the dilapidated highway.

"Roar, roar..."

"Awooo..."

From the fields beside the highway and the long-abandoned villages came the occasional chorus of monster roars.

There were plenty of Beast Soldier Level monsters scattered throughout the Wilderness Area, but none of them were worth stopping for. Phantom Squad's target was at least an Elementary Beast General Level monster.

So long as the low-level monsters didn't come looking for trouble, they simply ignored them.

But there were always a few foolish monsters that came running to their deaths.

"Roar, roar..."

With a series of low growls, several Beast Soldier Level monsters blocked Phantom Squad's path.

"Tiger Mastiffs!"

Yang Wu looked solemn. Aside from his initial practical combat test, this was the first time he had encountered monsters in the real world.

Before Yang Wu could even react, Lu Qing, at the front of the group, had already drawn her bow and nocked an arrow.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, several sharp arrows shot through the air.

The arrows crossed several hundred meters in a flash, striking the vital points of the Beast Soldier Level monsters charging toward Phantom Squad—some in the eyes, others in the throat.

In that brief moment, all the monsters blocking Phantom Squad's path were dead.

Then the arrows that had flown out detached themselves from the monsters, traced graceful arcs through the air, and flew back into the quiver behind Lu Qing.

"You can do that?"

Yang Wu stared, dumbfounded.

Clearly, Chu Tian was using Spiritual Force to retrieve every arrow Lu Qing had fired.

"Haha, Captain, you and Sister Lu Qing are getting more and more in sync!" Zheng Tao chuckled quietly.

"Yang Wu!" Chu Tian turned and asked him, "Do you know how to harvest materials from monsters?"

"I do!" Yang Wu replied at once.

He had gained plenty of experience fighting monsters from the Time Simulator. Though he couldn't compare with Chu Tian and the others, he was still an experienced martial artist. And after joining Extreme Home, he had read many forum posts about harvesting monster materials.

"Good!" Chu Tian ordered, "Brother Zheng, take Yang Wu and harvest materials from the few Beast Soldier Level monsters up ahead. That'll help him get used to it."

"Sure!" Zheng Tao answered, then quickly led Yang Wu over.

Normally, when Phantom Squad set out, they wouldn't waste time harvesting materials from Beast Soldier Level monsters. On the way back to the Base City, they might hunt a few if they had room in their packs.

But this time, with a newcomer like Yang Wu along, Chu Tian wanted him to get some practice harvesting monster materials.

After all, no amount of reading could compare to doing it with your own hands.

Both Zheng Tao and Yang Wu had the physical strength of the War General Level, so harvesting materials from Beast Soldier Level monsters was easy for them.

Soon, the two had finished harvesting materials from the monsters and hurried to catch up with the group.

"Captain, Sister Qing!" Yang Wu said as he rejoined them. "These monster materials..."

From the Extreme Home forums, Yang Wu had learned that materials from Beast Soldier Level monsters usually belonged to whoever had killed them.

"Whatever you harvested is yours," Chu Tian said. "Brother Zheng, how did it go? Was harvesting the materials easy enough?"

"Captain, Yang Wu's pretty talented. He got a good haul of materials!" Zheng Tao said with a smile. "If I didn't know this was his first time in the Wilderness Area, I'd have thought he was an experienced martial artist!"

"Captain, should we find Yang Wu an F-class monster to practice on later?" Zhou Zheng suggested. "After all, this is his first time in the Wilderness Area!"

"No rush," Chu Tian said with a smile. "Yang Wu's physical strength is high, and his marksmanship and Movement Technique are both good. For his first fight, we should find him a tougher monster."

Hearing this, Zhou Zheng froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Captain, F-class monsters are already the strongest Beast Soldier Level monsters. If you want something even stronger, are you planning to have Yang Wu take on a Beast General Level monster in his very first fight?"

Zheng Tao and Wang Zhi exchanged uneasy glances.

Yang Wu might be skilled, but this was still his first time in the Wilderness Area. For his first monster hunt, he'd be lucky to perform at even half his usual ability!

"He was able to fight Wang Zhi to a draw before. As long as he performs normally, he should be able to handle an Elementary Beast General Level monster," Chu Tian said calmly. "What do you think, Yang Wu?"

If Yang Wu couldn't even handle an Elementary Beast General Level monster, he would be nothing but a burden to Phantom Squad.

"I'll do as you say, Captain!"

Yang Wu knew this was Phantom Squad's test for him, but he wasn't afraid at all.

He had hunted plenty of Beast General Level monsters in the simulations. He certainly wasn't short on experience.

"Brother Tian!"

Lu Qing, who had been watching their surroundings, suddenly spoke in a low voice. "There's a herd of pig-like monsters to the front left. Judging by its size, there should be a Beast General Level monster among them!"

At Lu Qing's call, Chu Tian and the others stopped and took out their binoculars to look toward the front left.

A little over a thousand meters away, a herd of pig-like monsters was wandering around.

Iron-Haired Wild Boars and One-Horned Wild Boars crowded around a red monster whose body was as large as a tank, moving slowly forward.

"Captain, it's a Bloodthirsty Tank!" Zhou Zheng said with a smile. "Judging by the color of its scales, it should be an Elementary Beast General Level monster!"

"Haha, we're in luck. We've just set out, and already we've found a Beast General Level monster!" Zheng Tao was just as pleased.

Generally speaking, Beast General Level monsters rarely appeared in wilderness areas like this. Even if one did show up, a passing martial artist squad would quickly hunt it down.

For Phantom Squad to encounter one just after setting out was indeed lucky.

The monster herd clearly hadn't noticed Yang Wu and the others yet.

Captain Chu Tian smiled. "This Bloodthirsty Tank is strong. It'll be perfect for Yang Wu to practice on!"

"Captain, the Bloodthirsty Tank's defense and charging power are among the best for monsters of its level!" Zhou Zheng couldn't help urging him. "Why don't we find an Elementary Beast General Level Tiger Cat or Lion Mastiff later instead?"

"Yang Wu, what do you think?" Chu Tian asked.

Chu Tian's expression was calm, but Yang Wu knew that if he refused, he probably wouldn't last long in Phantom Squad.

"Captain, I'm fine with it!" Yang Wu wasn't going to refuse, of course.

True War General Level experts could all hunt monsters of the same level. Yang Wu's physical strength was a little lower than that of the Bloodthirsty Tank before him, but his technique was much better, so he wasn't afraid in the slightest.