At dawn the next day, Lin Mo woke to the piercing bugle call from inside the outpost. He stretched in his "private room," furnished with hay and soft padding. His heavy armor scraped against the ground with a grating metallic rasp, but to him, the sound was music to his ears.
"A new day, a fresh start! Buffet, here I come!"
After a hearty breakfast in the mess hall—which was merely an appetizer to Lin Mo—Wang Feng personally led their group on a detailed tour of Outpost No. 03.
They climbed atop the high walls as a bitter wind swept past, carrying the distinctive scent of the wilderness. Wang Feng pointed toward the faint outline of a city on the distant horizon. "That's Songhua Satellite City, our rear base. This outpost is the last permanent observation post ahead of the satellite city, twenty kilometers from the main city."
He turned and pointed beyond the walls to the seemingly tranquil wilderness, where danger lurked everywhere. "Our main task isn't to attack, but to monitor, observe, and patrol. We're like eyes, keeping a close watch on this area and promptly detecting any movements of a Beast Tide or signs of powerful individual monsters, so we can warn the rear."
Next, he took them to the outpost's core facility—the Defense Command Center. The vast Electronic Sandbox displayed the terrain for dozens of kilometers around the outpost, along with glowing markers representing the patrol squads and surveillance equipment.
"The outpost's greatest offensive strength comes from this integrated defense system." Wang Feng patted the console, his voice brimming with confidence. "The automatic cannons on the walls, the surface-to-air missiles, the intelligent minefield buried underground, and the energy shield activated when we have enough power—together, they can easily repel or even kill monsters at the Junior or Intermediate War General Level. This is the foundation that allows us to hold our ground here."
He looked at Aunt Zhang and Lin Mo and spoke frankly. "At the moment, the outpost has more than thirty elite warrior squads stationed here permanently. They're all quite capable, but I'm the strongest individual fighter, at the mid-stage of the War General Level. With you here, Miss Zhang, a Junior War General, and Mimi—uh, His Excellency the Tiger King, whose strength is not to be underestimated—your squad is the outpost's strongest mobile force apart from mine."
"The strongest mobile force? Heh, sounds pretty good! Looks like this king holds quite a high position here!"
"But there's no need to be too tense." Wang Feng changed tack, his tone turning more casual. "Thanks to this defense system, and our long-standing efforts to clear and deter threats, there's basically nothing particularly dangerous within a dozen or so kilometers of here. Any monster with half a brain knows this place is a tough nut to crack and won't approach lightly. Relatively speaking, this area could be considered a 'safe zone.'"
"A safe zone? Does that mean the monsters around here are all old, weak, and sickly, or just especially timid? Will the ingredients be any good? This king came here for Beast General-level fare!"
Wang Feng seemed to notice the doubt in Lin Mo's eyes and smiled. "Of course, 'safe' is a relative term. Some Beast Soldier Rank monsters still roam this area, especially the fast-breeding, low-intelligence species. And every so often, some foolhardy creature—or a big one that's wandered over from deeper in the wilderness—shows up. So we can never let our patrols or vigilance lapse."
"Today, I'll show you the routine patrol procedures and how to carry them out."
Before long, a standard patrol squad assembled beneath the walls. Including Wang Feng and Lin Mo's group, there were fifteen people in all, riding in three light armored patrol vehicles. Lin Mo still had his own special spot on the roof.
The patrol vehicles drove out through the outpost gates and into the open terrain. Wang Feng explained over the onboard communicator, "We have several fixed patrol routes that cover the main approaches and likely paths of infiltration. The key is to watch for signs: footprints, droppings, feeding marks, and traces of fighting between monsters."
The convoy moved slowly along a dirt road repeatedly crushed flat by tires. The soldiers kept a wary eye on their surroundings while drones circled overhead, transmitting a live feed.
"Look over there." Wang Feng pointed to a patch of flattened grass. "Those are tracks from a migrating group of Iron-Toothed Rats. Judging by their direction and numbers, it's a small group and no threat."
He pointed again, this time at deep claw marks etched into the trunk of a distant tree. "That's a marker from a Sharp-Clawed Lynx. Advanced Beast Soldier, solitary, and fairly cunning. It generally won't attack a convoy."
Lin Mo lay on the roof of the vehicle, his golden tiger eyes scanning everything like precision instruments. His sense of smell was far sharper than a human's, and he could clearly distinguish the lingering scents of various monsters in the air. Most were faint, belonging to Beast Soldier Rank creatures, and seemed to carry a sense of wariness and distance.
"Sure enough, the monsters around here have gotten clever. They smell the outpost and all these human warriors, so they don't dare come close. Looks like getting a 'feast' around here won't be easy."
During the patrol, they encountered several other squads returning from hunts or assignments. When they saw Wang Feng leading the group himself, along with the dark-gold Tiger King atop the vehicle, they all slowed down and honked in greeting, their eyes full of curiosity and awe.
During a brief rest, Wang Feng said to Wang Keke and Lin Mo, "Once you know the routine, the Wind-Breaking Squad can take on patrol missions independently. If you run into a lone monster that's within your ability to handle, you can hunt it. That's a chance to add to the outpost's supplies and your own gains. But remember: don't stray from the patrol route, and don't chase anything too deep into the wilderness. Safety comes first."
"Independent patrols? Chances to hunt? Now that's good! They might only be 'snacks,' but it's better than just watching! I'll use these 'snacks' to get some practice, get a feel for real combat, and give [Combat Devour] something to chew on!"
After a day of patrolling, they returned to the outpost beneath a sunset that had turned the sky orange-red. Lin Mo had gained a more direct understanding of this so-called "safe zone." It wasn't free of monsters; rather, a delicate balance had formed. The outpost's formidable firepower had drawn an invisible boundary, keeping most of the powerful monsters lurking deep in the distant wilderness, while those willing to roam nearby were mostly "fringe players."
"The 'safe zone' is just an appetizer. The real feast lies deeper in. But before I go looking for the main course, maybe I should clear out the 'snacks' hopping around nearby and collect a little interest? Heh. Starting tomorrow, this king will collect his dues in the front hall of this 'cafeteria'!"
He gazed at the wilderness as dusk slowly fell, his eyes growing ever sharper. The calm was only a façade. The hunt was about to begin.
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