A Rich Harvest

Ji Yun and his group returned to the stronghold around noon that day.

After sweeping the building again, by late afternoon, the Eagle Strike Squad sat together, reviewing the gains from this trip.

"A High-Level Beast General Bayonet Turtle, a Mid-Level Beast General Forest Python, a Mid-Level Beast General Land Crocodile, two Mid-Level Beast General Fire Scale Pigs, a Mid-Level Beast General Underworld Pattern Dog, and a Mid-Level Beast General Three-Tailed Tiger Cat. A big haul!" Zhang Taofang looked up, scanning the group with a smile.

"Counting the Low-Level Beast General Tiger Mastiff we killed on the road, the two snake-type monsters in this building, and the Unicorn Wild Boar we got when we first arrived, that's eleven Beast General rank monsters in total!"

"Wow, little brother Yun, you're really our lucky star. Usually, we go out for over a month and only kill six or seven Beast General rank monsters, mostly Low-Level ones. Coming out with you, we got this much in one go." Naili suddenly planted a kiss on Ji Yun's cheek. "Don't overthink it, that's a reward for you."

"Right, right." Ji Yun touched his face, the kissed spot burning red and hot.

"Naili, cut it out. Yun's only eighteen, and you're a twenty-seven-year-old old maid already."

Sure enough, nothing riles a woman up like mentioning her age. Naili immediately flared up.

"Zhang Yan, say that again. Who are you calling an old maid?" Naili demanded, reaching out to twist Zhang Yan's ear.

"Hahaha." Seeing Zhang Yan and Naili messing around, Ji Yun finally let go of the tension he'd been carrying and drifted off to sleep.

"Enough fooling around."

Zhang Taofang re-set up the device linked to the button camera outside. The button camera had shifted when a snake-type monster crawled past and bumped it, so he'd just repositioned it.

"I'll take the watch tonight. You all get some good rest. Tomorrow, we'll hunt a few of the surrounding Mid-Level Beast Generals, then head back."

The next day, early morning.

Zhang Taofang hadn't stood watch all night. Around midnight, Vice-Captain Li Ke had gotten up, taken over, and sent the captain to rest.

"Huh." Ji Yun exhaled a breath of stale air. Breaking through between life and death really paid off. "Now that my Fierce Wind has reached the second stage, the speed of absorbing energy has jumped another level. It won't be long before I can push my physical fitness up another step."

It was the end of summer, the start of early autumn. Especially near the coast, there was always a hint of coolness. The sea breeze followed its path inland, becoming a quiet wind by the time it reached here.

Everyone woke up one by one and gathered together.

"For the next four days, we'll hunt one monster each day." Zhang Taofang pointed at the Beast General lairs Ji Yun had marked two days ago.

"Among them, there's a Mid-Level Bloodthirsty Tank and a Mid-Level Iron-Armored Bull. Both are herd monsters, surrounded by a large number of Beast Soldiers, and maybe even Low-Level Beast Generals protecting them. The other two are lone wanderers, with at most a few of their own kind nearby—no big trouble."

The Bloodthirsty Tank was the second-ranked existence among pig-type monsters. Despite the name, it was a type of pig monster, covered in thick scales with terrifying defense. At first glance, it looked like an armored tank, and its defense and impact force were no weaker than a real tank.

"What we need to watch out for is that this Bloodthirsty Tank might be connected to a Lord-level Bloodthirsty Tank deep in the city. So we're marking it as our last target."

"Today, we hunt the Iron-Armored Bull. Then over the next two days, we'll take down the lone Beast General monsters. Finally, we'll deal with the Bloodthirsty Tank."

Zhang Taofang put away the electronic map, disassembled his sniper rifle, packed it into its case, and, carrying a machine gun, led the Eagle Strike Squad downstairs.

Four days passed quickly. The first three days, the Eagle Strike Squad succeeded. But on the last day, they ran into trouble.

Maybe the Bloodthirsty Tank had sensed the drop in nearby Beast General numbers, because it refused to come out. It called a crowd of its kind to cluster around it, never leaving for a moment.

Ji Yun had been watching the Bloodthirsty Tank all day, but it still showed no intention of coming out to feed.

"Captain, if this Bloodthirsty Tank won't come out, what do we do?" Ji Yun lowered his voice, speaking to Zhang Taofang.

"Should we pull back?" Zhang Taofang hesitated. Logically, this Bloodthirsty Tank was only Mid-Level Beast General rank. While valuable, it wasn't a big deal given their massive haul this trip. What really made him cautious was that Lord-level Bloodthirsty Tank, said to be the previous generation of this one.

"Let's retreat. Life comes first."

"Dongying City is too far from the military district. Because of that, few martial artist teams come here to hunt. If we provoke a Lord-level monster, escaping will be tough."

"Then forget it. We'll pull back. It's been a day, and we don't know why this Bloodthirsty Tank won't come out. Stalling like this will only invite more variables." Zhang Taofang disassembled his sniper rifle, packed it into its case, and quietly signaled to the other four.

The five members of the Eagle Strike Squad quickly returned to their previous stronghold.

Checking his watch, Zhang Taofang said, "It's four in the afternoon. It'll be dark soon, and we can't move at night. We'll leave Dongying City first thing tomorrow morning and head back to the military district."

"Everyone rest tonight. Tomorrow, we move out fast."

"Yes, Captain." The group acknowledged.

Since the past few days hadn't involved intense fighting, Ji Yun's energy consumption was low. He volunteered to take the night watch.

In the dead of night, the bright moon hung in the sky, its silvery light filtering through windows and curtains not yet fully coated in dust, faintly seeping into the room.

Ji Yun sat cross-legged on the dusty floor, quietly practicing the Guide Technique, breathing in Genetic Origin Energy.

"Fierce Wind's second stage is already stable. And since I've figured out how to exert more force, I've even grasped some key points for the third stage." Ji Yun circulated the Guide Technique, then cultivated Genetic Origin Energy. Cosmic Energy from heaven and earth surged rapidly into his body, forming a faint whirlwind vortex around him.

Ji Yun hadn't noticed yet, but the dust around him had been swept into swirling patterns by this wind.

"I've fully mastered the second stage. With two months of hard training at home, I'll quickly grasp the third stage. My physical fitness has also improved. In these twenty-plus days of hunting and training, I've only formally cultivated Genetic Origin Energy five or six times, but I've absorbed more than I did in a whole month before." A smile crept onto Ji Yun's face.

The night passed quickly. Just as dawn broke, the Eagle Strike Squad packed up. Li Ke even pocketed the access card, saying he'd stay here again next time.

The Eagle Strike Squad quietly left City 091—Dongying City—and advanced along the old highway, heading toward the Supply Base.

Once on the highway, the five moved fast. To save time, each used their top travel speed. The journey that had taken six days on the way there took them only five to return to the Supply Base.

At the Supply Base, Villa C7 temporarily became the Eagle Strike Squad's rest stop.

"Let's sort out the monster materials we've hunted this time." Zhang Taofang began. "This trip, we were out for over twenty days and killed fourteen Beast General rank monsters. A High-Level Beast General Bayonet Turtle, a Mid-Level Beast General Forest Python, a Mid-Level Beast General Land Crocodile, two Mid-Level Beast General Fire Scale Pigs, a Mid-Level Beast General Underworld Pattern Dog, a Mid-Level Beast General Three-Tailed Tiger Cat, a Mid-Level Beast General Iron-Armored Bull, plus a Frog-Type Beast General and a Blazing Sheep!"

And of course, four Low-Level Beast Generals.

"But the Supply Base is only so big. If we sell this many Mid-Level Beast General materials all at once, it'll draw unwanted attention. Someone might follow us next time." Zhang Taofang said cautiously.

"Let's sell the more common land monsters first. We'll deal with the aquatic ones when we get back to the base city."

"Let's eat first. After we eat, I'll find someone to sell some of it," Zhang Taofang said with a smile.

After the meal, the five members of Eagle Strike Squad found the HR Alliance's local representative—the same officer who had greeted Zhang Taofang earlier—and sold him all the monster materials they had hunted. In total, they sold eight Beast Generals.

Inside villa C7, the Eagle Strike Squad gathered around a computer to split the money.

"For the Low-Level Tiger Mastiff and Unicorn Wild Boar, the full set of materials sold for 20 million," Zhang Taofang said, looking at the others. "I didn't contribute during the hunt. Li Ke landed the killing blow, so Li Ke takes 40%. Zhang Yan, Naili, and A-Yun split the remaining 60% equally."

"The two Fire Scale Pigs were killed by monsters fighting among themselves. Each sold for 40 million. So the five of us split it equally, 20% each."

"The Underworld Pattern Dog and Three-Tailed Tiger Cat are the same. The Underworld Pattern Dog sold for 78 million, the Three-Tailed Tiger Cat for 45 million. Again, split equally among the five, 20% each."

"The Iron-Armored Bull sold for 52 million. I took it down with one shot, so I take 60%, and the remaining 40% is split equally among you."

"The Blazing Sheep sold for 58 million. Zhang Yan withstood the strongest attack, so Zhang Yan takes 40%, Naili takes 30%, and the remaining 30% is split among the three of us."

"Adding it all up..."

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"Zhang Yan gets 73 million, Ji Yun gets 55.6 million, I get 77.6 million, Li Ke gets 63.6 million, and Naili gets 67.2 million." Zhang Taofang announced the final amounts and grinned. "And we still have six precious amphibious monster materials. Those will definitely fetch a big price!"

"The Land Crocodile died from monster attacks, so we split it five ways. For the Forest Python hunt, Li Ke's throwing knife was the key to the kill, and A-Yun's control over the python was also important. So Li Ke gets 40%, A-Yun gets 30%, and the remaining 30% is split three ways. For the Poison Arrow Frog, Zhang Yan blocked and neutralized its deadly poison arrows, so Zhang Yan gets 40%. Li Ke killed it with his throwing knife, so 30%. The remaining 30% is split three ways. For the two Low-Level Beast General snake-type monsters, A-Yun didn't contribute, but since he's a rookie, he gets 10%."

"Finally, the Bayonet Turtle." Zhang Taofang looked around at everyone. "I shot it in the eye, causing major damage, but it died from monster attacks. So I take 40%, and the remaining 60% is split four ways. Any objections?"

Everyone nodded.

In the past, Zhang Yan and Naili rarely earned this much, but due to the unusual circumstances this time, Zhang Yan's shield played a major role, and Naili, as an agility-type martial artist, was well-suited for dealing with amphibious monsters, so their shares were large.

"I'll distribute the money now and transfer it to each of your accounts."

Zhang Taofang said with a smile. In front of everyone, he used the Eagle Strike Squad's shared account to transfer the money to each person's individual account. Everyone in the squad knew the shared account's username and password. Usually, money was split immediately after it was earned.

Li Ke and Zhang Taofang were fine—they were always the main contributors in monster hunts, so they earned a lot. But Zhang Yan and Naili usually only made this much in a whole year. And that wasn't even counting the aquatic monster materials in their backpacks.

"Alright, everyone rest for a bit. We'll head back to the base city this afternoon."

That afternoon, Ji Yun and the others took the train back to the base city.

"The train is about to arrive at the station. Passengers alighting, please prepare your belongings." The recorded voice of the train attendant echoed through the carriage. With a hiss, the doors opened.

"Home," the five members of Eagle Strike Squad stepped out one after another.

"So many people." As soon as Ji Yun left the train, he saw a massive crowd of passengers exiting around the train station. Through the glass walls of the station building, he could see countless people waiting inside. Considering that the main urban area of Kyoto Base City had a population of over a hundred million, it was easy to imagine how bustling and noisy the train station was!

"Brothers, thank the weapons in our hands. We've made it back to the base city alive again!" Li Ke said with emotion.

Ji Yun was deeply shaken. Although they had only been in the Wilderness Zone for a little over twenty days, the place was desolate and ruined everywhere. The cities in the Wilderness Zone had long fallen into disrepair. Massive numbers of monsters roamed there, and Ji Yun and the others had to move cautiously, afraid of being surrounded by monster packs.

"Dad, I'm back," Ji Yun said, dialing his father Ji Shan's number.

"I've made good progress and good gains this time. I'll be in Chang Mountain tonight," Ji Yun said with a smile.

"What? Dad, you have something to tell me? Alright, I'll talk to you when I get home tonight."

"A-Yun, let's go. Let's take the HR Alliance's martial artist shuttle," Zhang Taofang called out. The others had already started moving.

"Let's go."

Ji Yun hung up and immediately followed the group along the martial artist's special passage. At the end of the passage was a small area with vehicles from the Limit Dojo, Thunder Dojo, the Underground Alliance Mall, and various families of the Underground Alliance, all waiting to pick up their martial artists.

"Let's go to the HR Alliance Mall." Zhang Taofang and the others directly called for an HR Alliance Mall shuttle.

In the car, Zhang Taofang started contacting a buyer.

"Hey, is this Old Gao?"

Zhang Taofang made the call. "Yeah, it's me. Of course I have something good for you. Why else would I call? It's definitely worth over a hundred million. Alright, no problem." After hanging up, Zhang Taofang smiled and glanced at the others. "I've already told Old Gao. When we get to the mall, we'll go straight upstairs."

"Mm." Ji Yun and the others nodded.

A moment later—

The vehicle arrived at the Underground Alliance building. A long-haired woman was waiting at the entrance.

Seeing the five members of Eagle Strike Squad get out, her eyes lit up. "You must be Mr. Zhang? Supervisor Gao is waiting for you. I'll take you up."

"Beep!" The woman stood at the elevator door, pressed '21', and aimed her pupil at the scanner. "Beep, passed. Welcome, Miss Fang."

"Manager Gao is waiting for you all on the 23rd floor," the woman said with a smile.

Stepping out of the elevator, they entered an oversized lounge. The lounge alone was nearly three to four hundred square meters. Along the edges were long sofas, and the hall was empty—clearly, Manager Gao had cleared his schedule.

"Manager Gao is inside. Please," Miss Fang said, leading Ji Yun's group into the manager's office.

Inside the office, Ji Yun looked around. The decorations were crystal clear, and the floor was made of tempered glass. Beneath the glass was a stream with fish swimming in it. Standing on the glass, he could see the fish beneath his feet.

"This Manager Gao sure knows how to enjoy himself," Ji Yun thought to himself as he followed his teammates to sit on the sofa.

"Old Zhang, looks like you guys made a killing this time," said a bald, somewhat chubby middle-aged man as he left his chair, walked over with a chuckle, and sat down on the opposite sofa.

"Old Gao, this time it's more than just a little something," Zhang Taofang said with a slight smile. "You've received many martial artist squads as a big manager, but you probably rarely see stuff like this. Brothers, bring it out."

Everyone glanced at the manager with a smile, set their backpacks down at their feet, and then pulled out the materials from inside. In an instant, the materials from six monsters covered a large area of the floor.

"So many!" Manager Gao exclaimed, standing up abruptly.

"Let me see." Manager Gao inspected them carefully. "Damn, six amphibious monsters, and one Bayonet Turtle close to Low-Level Lord level. Old Zhang, you guys went to the coast."

The defensive power of a Bayonet Turtle is truly astonishing. Under normal circumstances, even a War God-level martial artist would struggle to penetrate its carapace with an attack! That alone speaks to its toughness!

"Tsk tsk, the most valuable top shell and the bayonets on both sides." Manager Gao examined them closely. "It looks like the carapace was removed in separate pieces. But... it's complete. Turtle-type monster shells are very easy to turn into weapons or building defense materials."

"And there's a Forest Python close to High-Level Beast General, a Mid-Level Beast General Poison Arrow Frog, a Land Crocodile, and two snake-type monsters."

"Old Zhang, stop pulling them out one by one. Bring out all the other intact materials from these monsters." Manager Gao urged with a smile, while opening a combination lock case. Inside the case, a set of precision instruments was carefully arranged. He activated the device, and a red beam immediately shot out from its top.

"You've collected quite a thorough haul."

Manager Gao's eyes lit up. The red beam from the instrument swept over the many materials... A stream of data scrolled across the device's small screen. Manager Gao stared at the data with a serious expression, simultaneously inputting information through a virtual keyboard. Moments later—

"These materials are indeed from the monsters themselves. This Bayonet Turtle is indeed a High-Level Beast General!" Manager Gao said with a smile. "And not just any High-Level Beast General—it's one close to Lord Rank!"

A Beast General that has just stepped into the high level and one close to Lord Rank can differ in strength by several times. Naturally, the price difference is also enormous.

"Heh heh, this is a big deal. As long as your price is reasonable, I won't haggle." Manager Gao chuckled. "Alright, name your price."

For the HR Alliance Mall, a High-Level Beast General monster typically ranges between 50 million and 500 million.

Turtle-type monsters are relatively rare, and this one is close to High-Level Lord. It can exceed that price range.

Zhang Taofang took a deep breath and said, "Bayonet Turtle, 700 million Huaxia Currency. Forest Python, 100 million Huaxia Currency. Poison Arrow Frog, 80 million. Land Crocodile, 82 million. The two snake-type monsters, 20 million each."

"Old Zhang, you're really fleecing me." Manager Gao forced a bitter smile. But then he added, "Still, with this many materials, I'll accept it. Next time you have good materials, make sure to come to me."

There were over a dozen managers at the HR Alliance Mall responsible for purchasing monster materials. The mall operated on a bottom-ranking elimination system—if a manager had the worst performance over the year, they would be stripped of their position. A newcomer would naturally take their place. Under such immense pressure...

Manager Gao called for people to collect the materials while making the transfer. "Alright, done. 1.002 billion Huaxia Currency has been transferred to your martial team's account."

"Mm." Zhang Taofang nodded. "But powerful monsters are hard to deal with. The five of us barely escaped with our lives to gather this many materials."

"Yeah, the ocean..." Manager Gao shook his head with a sigh. "Even though humanity still holds an advantage on land in this world, the seas are entirely the domain of monsters."

"Let's go, time to eat!" Zhang Taofang laughed. "After the meal, we'll split the money as discussed today."

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