The next day, they had exceptionally good luck.
In an abandoned factory, Shen Yang's detector picked up the entrance to a basement. Most of it was blocked by a collapsed concrete slab, leaving only a narrow gap. Leng Bao used his spear to pry the slab aside, revealing a staircase leading underground.
"There's something down there." Lin Zheng crouched by the entrance, his nose twitching slightly. "A strong monster smell, but it doesn't seem to be an adult."
"Pups?" Shen Yang's eyes lit up.
"Not sure." Lin Zheng stood. "Leng Bao, Luo Fang, stay outside and keep watch. Liu Xu, Shen Yang, Lin Yun, come down with me."
The basement was very dark, and the air was thick with a damp, fishy stench. Lin Zheng led the way, sweeping a flashlight beam across the darkness. The basement wasn't very large, perhaps only fifty or sixty square meters. Abandoned equipment and clutter filled one corner.
Then Lin Yun saw them.
Deep in the pile of junk was a nest made of rags and dry grass. Inside lay three eggs, each about the size of a soccer ball. Dark gray spots covered their shells, and they gave off a faint hint of life.
"Mutant Mastiff eggs!" Shen Yang exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement.
Lin Zheng crouched and examined all three eggs carefully before nodding. "They're alive, and nearly ready to hatch. They might break out of their shells in another half a month."
Mutant Mastiffs were excellent combat companions. As adults, they could reach Beast General Level, and with special training, they could even grow to Lord Level. Their eggs fetched extremely high prices on the black market.
"Fifty million at least for each one." Shen Yang rubbed his hands together. "That's a hundred and fifty million for all three."
"Don't get excited too soon," Lin Zheng said calmly. "The eggs are difficult to transport. They need a temperature-controlled case and special protection. If anything goes wrong on the way, we'll lose them all."
He took special cushioning material and a temperature-controlled bag from his backpack, then carefully wrapped the three eggs. Liu Xu helped beside him. As they wrapped the eggs, their hands touched.
Lin Zheng jerked his hand back as if he'd been burned.
Liu Xu's hand froze in midair. A hurt look flashed across her eyes, but she said nothing and quietly continued wrapping the eggs.
Lin Yun watched from the side and sighed inwardly.
When they came out of the basement, Leng Bao and Luo Fang gathered around to look at the eggs, too. Luo Fang's eyes sparkled. "They're so beautiful. I've never seen live monster eggs before."
"Enough looking. We need to move." Lin Zheng put the temperature-controlled bag in Shen Yang's backpack. "We're not far from the Mutant Mastiff's den. An adult could come back at any moment. We need to leave this area as quickly as possible."
Everyone immediately packed their gear and hurried away from the factory.
They didn't notice the pair of eerie green eyes watching them from the top floor of a tall building across the street.
The next afternoon, they ran into a tough fight.
It happened on a bridge spanning a canal. A High-Level Beast General Iron-Backed Mastiff blocked their way.
The Iron-Backed Mastiff was a full size larger than an ordinary Mutant Mastiff. Its fur gleamed like metal, and the mane along its back was like steel needles. Its limbs were thick and powerful, and its claws had gouged deep marks into the ground. It had clearly claimed the bridge as its territory and attacked any intruders.
"This beast won't be easy to deal with." Lin Zheng narrowed his eyes as he studied the Iron-Backed Mastiff ahead. "It may have followed us from the factory. Those eggs were probably its offspring."
Everyone's spirits sank. The mother of the three eggs was a High-Level Beast General Iron-Backed Mastiff. They were in trouble now.
"Liu Xu, you and I will hold it off from the front," Lin Zheng ordered quickly. "Shen Yang, look for a chance to shoot it in the eyes. Leng Bao, Luo Fang, circle around from the sides. Lin Yun, back us up. Strike if you get the chance; otherwise, fall back."
"Understood."
The battle erupted in an instant.
The Iron-Backed Mastiff was astonishingly fast. Almost as soon as Lin Zheng finished speaking, it lunged at them. Its claws tore through the air with a shrill whistling sound, heading straight for Lin Zheng's face.
Lin Zheng didn't retreat. He dodged to the side and slashed upward with his short blade, cutting open the Iron-Backed Mastiff's foreleg. But its fur was too thick. The blade only wounded its flesh and didn't even reach the bone.
The Iron-Backed Mastiff howled in pain and fury, then turned and lunged at Liu Xu. At the critical moment, Liu Xu's footwork came into play. Like a fallen leaf, she wove between its claws, narrowly dodging every attack. Her sword left several wounds on the Iron-Backed Mastiff, but none were fatal.
Bang! Shen Yang's sniper rifle roared.
The bullet flew straight toward the Iron-Backed Mastiff's eye, but the beast reacted swiftly, jerking its head aside. The bullet struck its forehead and bounced off its thick fur, leaving only a shallow bloody mark.
"Damn, that beast's hide is tough!" Shen Yang cursed as he quickly reloaded.
Leng Bao and Luo Fang moved in from both sides, thrusting their spear and short blade at the Iron-Backed Mastiff's flank. The beast whipped its tail around. Its thick tail, like an iron whip, struck Leng Bao's spear with tremendous force. Leng Bao staggered back several steps, his hand numb. Luo Fang seized the opportunity to stab the Iron-Backed Mastiff in the flank, but the blade only sank half an inch before its muscles clamped down on it.
The Iron-Backed Mastiff howled in pain, spun around, and opened its jaws to bite Luo Fang.
"Watch out!" Liu Xu cried.
Just as the Iron-Backed Mastiff was about to bite Luo Fang, Lin Zheng appeared at its side. A dazzling blue light suddenly burst from his short blade—the sign that he had driven the force application technique of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade to its limit.
"Thunder Blade, Fourth Layer!"
He brought his blade down.
The Iron-Backed Mastiff's foreleg fell with a clean chop. It let out a heart-rending howl. Struggling to support itself on three legs, it turned to run. But Lin Yun had already moved.
He cut in from the side, and the Blood Shadow Battle Blade traced an arc before striking the Iron-Backed Mastiff's only remaining foreleg with pinpoint accuracy. He used the force application technique of the First Form of the Ninefold Thunder Blade in that strike, stacking two layers of force to make it far more powerful than usual.
The Iron-Backed Mastiff's last foreleg was severed, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
Lin Zheng's second slash followed at once, severing its head.
Blood gushed out, staining the bridge red.
Lin Zheng sheathed his blade, his expression unchanged, but his breathing was noticeably heavier than before. Using the Fourth Layer repeatedly put a considerable strain on his body.
Liu Xu immediately went to his side and reached out to steady his arm. "Are you all right?"
Her gesture was so natural, as if she'd done it countless times before. But Lin Zheng shifted slightly, avoiding her hand. "I'm fine."
Liu Xu's hand froze in midair, and a hurt look flashed across her eyes. But she soon lowered her hand and turned toward the Iron-Backed Mastiff's corpse. "Let's clean up."
Lin Yun stood nearby, watching it all.
"Good work," Lin Zheng suddenly said to him. "You picked the right moment to strike. If you'd been one second later, it might have escaped."
Lin Yun was taken aback, then nodded. "Thank you, Captain."
He noticed Lin Zheng's gaze flick briefly toward Liu Xu's retreating back as he spoke, then quickly turn away. His eyes held guilt and pain, as well as a trace of longing that he might not even have noticed himself.
Lin Yun sighed inwardly.
Some paths were theirs to walk on their own.
Shen Yang walked over and looked at the Iron-Backed Mastiff sprawled on the ground, clicking his tongue in amazement. "A High-Level Beast General Iron-Backed Mastiff. You don't see these often. The fur, fangs, claws, bones—its materials are worth at least two hundred million altogether."
"Add in the three eggs from earlier," he said, counting on his fingers. "We're looking at nearly four hundred million for this trip."
"Don't get excited too soon," Lin Zheng said from nearby. "The eggs haven't hatched, and we haven't sold the materials. It doesn't count as money yet."
Even so, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
That evening, they settled in a building by the canal.
Lin Yun sat by the window, wiping down his Blood Shadow Battle Blade. Several faint scratches marked the blade, left by that day's battle.
"Still awake?" Shen Yang's voice came from behind him.
"Can't sleep," Lin Yun said.
Shen Yang walked over and leaned against the window frame, handing him a canteen of water. "How did it feel to hunt a Beast General on your own for the first time?"
"Not bad." Lin Yun took the canteen and drank. "It was easier than I expected."
"Easy?" Shen Yang laughed. "That's because you're talented. Most people's legs turn to jelly the first time they face a Beast General-level monster. You stayed calm, judged the right moment, and chose the right angle of attack. That's already impressive."
He paused, then added, "But don't get cocky. The one you killed today was only a Primary Beast General. It wasn't especially fast or strong. Wait until you run into an intermediate or high-level one. Then you'll see."
Lin Yun nodded and took the advice humbly.
"Brother Shen, the captain and Sister Liu..."
"You noticed?" Shen Yang gave a bitter smile. "The captain lost his leg saving Sister Liu. On a mission three years ago, we ran into a Lord-Level Iron-Armored Lizard King, and Sister Liu nearly died there. The captain risked his life to pull her out of the monster's jaws. The price was his leg."
He paused before continuing. "After that, the captain changed. He used to joke around with Sister Liu, but now... he can't even bring himself to look at her for long. He thinks he's no longer worthy of her."
"What about Sister Liu?"
"She's never changed." Shen Yang's gaze drifted into the distance. "She still loves the captain—more than ever. But the captain keeps avoiding her, and there's nothing she can do."
The two fell silent for a long time.
"Lin Yun." Shen Yang suddenly turned to look at him. "Do you know why I'm telling you all this?"
Lin Yun shook his head.
"Because you remind me of myself when I first joined the team," Shen Yang said seriously. "You're talented and driven, and you'll take on anything. But I hope you won't make the same mistakes I did. In the Wilderness Area, staying alive matters more than anything."
He paused, then added, "And when it comes to love, an outsider sees things more clearly than the people involved. We all see what's happening between the captain and Sister Liu, but none of us can do anything about it. Some paths are theirs to walk on their own."
Lin Yun was quiet for a while, then nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Brother Shen."
Shen Yang patted his shoulder and turned back toward his room.
Lin Yun stood by the window, looking out at the sleeping Ruined City beneath the moonlight. An unprecedented resolve welled up inside him.
He would go further on the path of a Warrior. Not for money, not for fame—but to protect those worth protecting and to become a reliable companion like Lin Zheng.
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