The Situation

"Eat."

The cafeteria was full of food laid out in front of Chen Chong. He casually invited the people beside him to dig in.

Pei Li looked at Chen Chong without touching her food, sizing him up from head to toe.

"The Earth Dragon couldn't kill you, and neither could the Skull Gang. What are you, a cockroach?"

"What are you saying? Watch your mouth!"

Wang Li slapped the table and stood up, but Pei Li glanced at him, and he promptly sat back down.

"Let's talk this out. Harmony brings prosperity."

Peng Wei gave a dry laugh.

"He's definitely lucky."

"Is he?"

Chen Chong neither agreed nor disagreed.

After Peng Wei and the other man returned to where they had parked, they were about to head over when they realized something was wrong and hurriedly ran off. That's why they'd been lucky enough to escape disaster.

"At least you made it back in one piece."

Liu Hetao chuckled.

Chen Chong wolfed down two meat buns without replying.

It had been two days since he'd returned to the Park. The moment he got back, they'd dragged him to the Infirmary.

His prolonged battles with the Earth Dragon had left Chen Chong with a few injuries. Otherwise, he was fine, but the acid inside the Earth Dragon had corroded his skin twice, leaving him with serious burns. The Devour Form was difficult to protect against that kind of damage, after all.

However, as a temporary field operative who wasn't part of the Security Department, he wasn't entitled to medical treatment.

So, after learning the prices of the three treatment plans—A, B, and C—he promptly discharged himself.

He'd spent a day applying the most basic burn ointment and slathering on and swallowing a large amount of Nutrient Paste. By the time he'd met up with Wang Li and the others that morning, they couldn't tell how badly he'd been injured.

"Have you heard?"

After chatting for a while, Wang Li suddenly lowered his voice.

"The day before yesterday, the General Manager took a convoy deep into the Hunting Grounds and somehow suffered heavy losses. Some say he ran into the Skull Gang, while others say it was something else..."

"It was the Skull Gang. Yesterday morning, Long Zhibin went straight to the Town Committee to report them."

Pei Li spoke up.

Peng Wei frowned.

"But it's strange. One squad got ambushed, so why did he personally take so many people out the day before yesterday? And how did he gather them so quickly?"

His eyes shifted to Chen Chong.

"Was he specifically going to rescue you?"

Chen Chong frowned too.

The news about the Black Earth Dragon and Xie Wushuang had drawn Long Zhibin away, but he clearly hadn't known about it at first.

So he must have been heading to the site of the encounter.

Chen Chong couldn't help wondering if there was more to it.

"...At the Town Committee, Long Zhibin listed every way the Skull Gang had been targeting them, openly and behind the scenes, especially the ambush the day before yesterday. Then he demanded an explanation from them. Gu Jian just happened not to attend—or couldn't attend—so he had no way to refute it."

"Why not?"

"Some say the two big shots fought it out in the Wasteland the day before yesterday. They really went at each other."

"So Long Zhibin won? The leaders have settled who's stronger, and now Thunder Dragon's going to war with the Skull Gang?"

Listening to their gossip, Chen Chong nodded thoughtfully.

Perhaps Long Zhibin had been planning this for a while.

Thinking about how poorly equipped Liu Xun's squad had been when sent to the Hunting Grounds during such a critical period, and how the Hunting Grounds were so vast yet the Skull Gang had appeared at just the right moment, Chen Chong suddenly understood a lot.

The Black Earth Dragon's appearance seemed like an accident, though. Was the battle between the two leaders connected to it? And had Long Zhibin expected it?

That didn't matter. The outcome had probably satisfied Long Zhibin.

Wang Li whispered,

"But everyone's saying the meeting at the Town Committee didn't go well. The mayor and the people from Magic Food seem to be trying to smooth things over."

"Obviously, they don't want Long Zhibin taking too much of the Skull Gang's territory. No surprise there."

"But what does that have to do with us getting thirty tubes of Nutrient Paste a month?"

Liu Hetao, who was lost in the conversation, muttered gloomily.

Wang Li rolled his eyes and smacked him on the head.

"Idiot! When the nest is in trouble, the eggs don't survive. If Thunder Dragon and the Skull Gang go all-out, it'll affect us too. They might even drag Warm-up Fighters into it as cannon fodder!"

Liu Hetao stared at him.

"What does 'when the nest is in trouble, the eggs don't survive' mean...?"

"You don't know? It means... it means about the same thing as 'when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter'!"

"Oh, I see."

"..."

Chen Chong hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he kept eating in silence.

One had dropped out of elementary school, and the other was a gang thug. Chen Chong had no high hopes for their education.

Still, they weren't wrong. Judging by recent events, Chen Chong figured the two sides were likely to clash soon, and that would certainly affect them.

Out in the Wasteland, even a thriving major force could be wiped out overnight. In times of turmoil, many people died.

But unlike everyone else, who was worried, Chen Chong was looking forward to it.

Only chaos brought opportunity.

If he'd never seen hope, Chen Chong might have been able to lie low.

But after witnessing a chance to escape with his own eyes, only to have it slip away, he felt he could no longer stand being trapped here.

Next time, I can't let an opportunity slip away. But to seize it, I'll have to rely on my own strength.

I've entered the First Realm, but it's still not enough. If I'd already reached the Second or Third Realm, there would be opportunities everywhere.

This trip to the Hunting Grounds had let Chen Chong break through, and his strength had improved beyond measure.

But after seeing experts who were beyond his imagination, he felt he still had a long way to go.

He'd only just broken through. If he wanted to improve again... Chen Chong thought of the vial of serum he kept close to his body.

Should I tell Yu Feng or Zhou Hu I've broken through? I can't hide it forever. If I use A-1 before meeting them, the progress might make them suspicious.

Besides, once I sign a contract, better benefits will make it easier to improve, and give me more freedom.

Chen Chong fell into thought.

Soon, he gave a slight nod.

He'd keep training for the next couple of days and stabilize his body after the breakthrough. By the time he signed a contract with them, his progress should have settled down enough for him to use A-1 and improve further. He was looking forward to seeing what the serum could do.

For now, he would keep eating.

Now that he'd made up his mind, Chen Chong kept listening to Wang Li and the others exchange information as he ate nonstop.

He felt hungrier than before.

Deep in the Hunting Grounds, a long convoy of vehicles kept coming and going.

At the mass of Black Earth Dragon flesh, a large group of Thunder Dragon Company members were busy processing and transporting it.

Several Security Department captains watched from the side, their eyes wide with shock.

"I heard one person did all this. So many Earth Dragons? And they're black?"

"Unbelievable. What Realm would someone have to be in to pull that off?"

"The General Manager came out to see it himself. Must be a River-Crossing Dragon."

"Don't get too worked up. Some of the big shots in the company could do it too."

"Could you?"

"You sure talk too much."

"Who did this? How did they make such a commotion in the Hunting Grounds?"

"Who knows? The General Manager's gone all the way to the deepest part. I hear there's more up ahead."

They looked into the distance. Beyond what they could see, Long Zhibin and Brother Leopard stood in silence, gazing ahead.

A mountain of black flesh lay piled there. It would take days to haul it all away.

This could solve Thunder Dragon's shortage of Earth Dragon Meat for quite some time, but Long Zhibin didn't seem happy at all.

"How did it get this big?"

His voice was heavy.

Brother Leopard shook his head.

Long Zhibin surveyed the scene before him, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting a cold glint. He didn't say a word.

Brother Leopard scratched his head.

"Big brother, at least we managed to draw Gu Jian out this time. That's a big win. You really did think ahead. If the Town Committee had handled things in the Hunting Grounds, they would've buried the whole matter, and we'd have lost this opportunity. Those bastards are always wavering and trying to trip us up."

"It doesn't matter. Now that things have begun, swallowing up the Skull Gang is only a matter of time."

Long Zhibin shook his head.

"But that woman from the company showed up out of nowhere, and her strength is unfathomable. I won't feel at ease until we find her. And..."

He looked at the mountain of flesh and spoke slowly.

"There's something in these Hunting Grounds—or in the company—that I don't know about."

Brother Leopard felt an inexplicable chill at Long Zhibin's calm words. He fell silent, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Long Zhibin paused for a moment, then said,

"That Chen Chong was recruited by you."

"Yes, big brother."

"He's the only one who survived."

Light glinted off Long Zhibin's glasses.

"When we get back, I want to meet him."