Expansion and Monotonous Hunting

After this battle, the reputation of the Lin Mo Hunting Special Task Force at Outpost No. 03 soared to new heights.

Wang Feng's trust in them also increased significantly; not only did he readily approve their request to expand their hunting range, but he even provided maps of unexplored areas held by the outpost, hoping they could act as the outpost's "antennae" to explore further outward.

In the days that followed, the convoy was no longer confined to familiar patrol routes and began pushing toward the "unknown areas" marked on the map. The three armored vehicles acted like three sharp blades, piercing into the vast and dangerous wilderness.

However, while the ideal was grand, reality began to reveal its tedious side.

They traversed weathered canyons filled with jagged rocks, waded through overgrown shallows, and ventured deep into dim, vine-tangled primeval forests. Drones hovered ahead like diligent bees, transmitting real-time footage back to them.

But the harvest was far less than expected.

It was as if all the Beast General Rank monsters had caught wind of them overnight and gone into hiding. For several days of exploration and searching, they encountered almost nothing but swarms of Beast Soldier Rank monsters.

Sometimes it was a tide of hundreds of Iron-Toothed Rats, surging forward in a black mass, only to be cleared away like wheat by Wang Haitao's heavy machine gun and Wang Keke's flying daggers, leaving the ground in a mess. Lin Mo didn't even have the interest to lift a paw; the energy provided by these little guys wasn't even enough to get stuck in his teeth.

(Internal Monologue): "Rats again! Can't you come up with something new? I'm about to develop trypophobia!"

Sometimes it was herds of temperamental Hard-Skinned Warthogs, charging recklessly with their rough, thick hides and sharp tusks. It required the shield warrior Li Kai to hold the line, followed by Lin Mo stepping in to shatter their skulls with a single swat. Although the Advanced Beast Soldier warthogs provided slightly more energy, it was still a drop in the bucket for Lin Mo, let alone inheriting any talents.

(Internal Monologue): "Boring! So boring! It's just like playing whack-a-mole, not a shred of challenge! And this pork tastes incredibly tough, too!"

They also wiped out a nest of Venom-Tailed Scorpions and cleared out a cave inhabited by Vampire Bats... It wasn't that there were no battles, but the intensity couldn't compare to hunting the Wolf King or the Horned Forest Python. The members of the Wind-Breaking Squad performed their duties meticulously, but a hint of routine numbness was unavoidable in their eyes.

Lin Mo was so bored he was practically yawning on the roof of the vehicle.

(Internal Monologue): "Damn it! It seems I've fallen into another form of 'working'! Isn't this just a high-level version of patrolling? It's just swapping the trash around the outpost for trash in the unknown areas! Hunting? Hunting my foot! I can't even find a decent target!"

He discovered that the hardest and most time-consuming part of hunting was often not the battle itself, but the process of searching for and locking onto valuable targets. It required immense patience, luck, and professional knowledge to analyze tracks and judge habits. This was a far cry from the scenes he had imagined of cutting through enemies like vegetables and enjoying gourmet meals at every turn.

"Report, three kilometers to the northeast, a small herd of Sharp-Horned Antelopes discovered, about thirty head, suspected to have an Advanced Beast Soldier leader," the voice of the scout Li Ning came through the communicator.

Wang Deshui looked up at Lin Mo on the roof: "Lord Tiger King, target Sharp-Horned Antelope herd, shall we hunt?"

Lin Mo lifted his eyelids, lazily flicked his tail, and let out a yawn.

(Internal Monologue): "Antelopes? They run fast, the meat is probably okay, but what kind of talent could they have? [Agility]? I already have [Lightning Strike]! Forget it, a mosquito's leg is still meat, better than coming back empty-handed."

He let out a listless low growl, signifying his agreement.

The battle process was without suspense. The sniper took out the leader from a distance, and Lin Mo didn't even bother using [Lightning Strike], finishing off most of the antelopes with a simple pounce. The entire process was efficient and swift, but also... unremarkable.

While cleaning up the battlefield, Lin Mo lay on a large rock, watching the team members skillfully skin and butcher the meat, his golden tiger eyes filled with frustration.

(Internal Monologue): "It seems hunting isn't that easy after all... This process of discovering and finding prey is truly boring and difficult! It's like looking for a needle in a haystack! Are all the powerful monsters dead? Or have I used up all my luck?"

He began to miss that Horned Forest Python. Although the battle was arduous, at least it was intense and the rewards were great. Unlike now, where he spent days working hard, devouring a bunch of miscellaneous Beast Soldiers, and his strength grew so slowly he could barely feel it.

Wang Keke walked over to him, stroked his drooping ears, and comforted him: "Mimi, don't be discouraged. Exploring unknown areas is like this; most of the time is spent traveling and searching, and fighting is only occasional. Being able to clear this area and draw a detailed map is a great achievement in itself."

(Internal Monologue): "Achievement? What I want is evolution! Talent! Energy! Who cares about that little bit of credit!" Lin Mo turned his head away, presenting his backside to Wang Keke to express his dissatisfaction.

However, he also knew that what Wang Keke said made sense. Exploration itself was valuable. It was just that this value seemed somewhat lackluster for him, as he was in urgent need of high-quality "ingredients" to break through.

The convoy continued to move forward, crushing through the wild grass and driving deeper. Looking at the vast, seemingly endless landscape ahead, Lin Mo made a secret resolution in his heart.

(Internal Monologue): "No, I can't keep searching aimlessly like this! I have to find a way—either figure out the activity patterns of Beast General Rank monsters, or... go provoke a real big guy! If I keep clearing out these small fry, when will I ever break through the Beast General Rank?!"

The tedious exploration continued, but the restlessness in the Tiger King's heart was already gathering like a brewing storm. He needed a real, hearty hunt to break this tiresome calm.