Battle Boots

The leader was a lieutenant with a square face and an unyielding expression—Lieutenant Zhang of the Qingbei City Defense Army Search and Rescue Corps.

When he saw Zhou Lei's severe injuries, Lieutenant Zhang's face darkened. He immediately ordered the medics forward to administer emergency treatment.

After listening to the soldiers recount the entire rescue operation, his gaze settled on Lin Yun, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration.

The medics gave Zhou Lei emergency treatment and set his ribs. He recovered somewhat, yet even while lying on the stretcher, he did not forget to tell Lieutenant Zhang, "Old Zhang... Brother Lin Yun is seriously impressive. Ninth-level Martial Disciple, extraordinary movement technique. If not for him, forget about me—I would've been finished there, and these civilians would've been in danger too..."

Lieutenant Zhang nodded and walked up to Lin Yun, giving him a solemn military salute.

"Comrade, ninety-seven civilians were successfully rescued during this operation at Huimin Residential Compound. You deserve the greatest credit.

On behalf of the Qingbei City Defense Army, I thank you."

Lin Yun sidestepped the salute and gave a slight nod. "It was nothing. Anyone else would not have stood by and done nothing."

The admiration in Lieutenant Zhang's eyes deepened.

Capable, yet neither arrogant nor impetuous, and with a strong sense of justice—young people like him were far too rare.

He turned and accepted a square black wooden box from an orderly. After opening it, he handed it to Lin Yun.

The box was lined with dark red velvet, and resting quietly upon it was a pair of black battle boots.

The uppers were made from a special leather, smooth to the touch yet remarkably tough. Streamlined alloy guards were set into the toes and ankles, and the workmanship was exquisite.

"These are standard-issue, first-tier top-grade Gale Battle Boots from the military. When worn, they increase movement speed by thirty percent and can also cushion the impact of landing."

Lieutenant Zhang's tone was solemn.

"Your movement technique is exceptional. These boots will be most effective in your hands.

This is a small token from the City Defense Army, as well as the reward you deserve. Please accept them."

The surrounding hunters stared wide-eyed, their gazes full of envy.

First-tier top-grade combat gear generally cost over a million Dragon Nation credits, let alone a pair of standard-issue first-tier top-grade battle boots from the military.

Ordinary combat gear was forged from a combination of artificial and mutated beast materials, whereas standard military combat gear was made entirely from high-tech materials.

Not only was standard military combat gear of better quality, it was also lighter and more suitable for battle.

Even wealthy ordinary people might not be able to obtain it.

Lin Yun had struck gold by getting such a treasure from this rescue mission.

Yet no one thought it was unfair.

He had killed a first-tier peak mutated beast through his own abilities and saved a lieutenant commander from the City Defense Army. He deserved it.

Lin Yun did not stand on ceremony either.

He happened to be lacking a good pair of battle boots. Although Wind-Treading Step was fast, ordinary shoes offered poor cushioning, and prolonged running placed a heavy burden on his ankles.

These Gale Battle Boots perfectly made up for his weakness.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

He reached out and accepted the wooden box.

"You're welcome."

Lieutenant Zhang patted him on the shoulder, his tone sincere.

"Lin Yun, with your talent and temperament, it's a shame for you to be hunting in a fallen zone. Would you be interested in joining the City Defense Army?"

Lin Yun's heart stirred, but he shook his head. "Sir, I'll be heading to the capital to attend a martial academy soon."

"That makes sense. With your talent, you must be one of the prodigies at Dragon Nation's top ten prestigious schools. This City Defense Army temple is too small for you." Lieutenant Zhang smiled.

At that moment, Zhou Lei suddenly called out from the stretcher, "Lin Yun! Don't forget our agreement! Once I recover, we'll meet again!"

Lin Yun turned back. Looking at Zhou Lei's hearty smile from the stretcher, he nodded slightly. "All right."

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and spilled over the ruins.

The civilians' cries gradually subsided. The soldiers busied themselves organizing supplies, while the hunters gathered in twos and threes to discuss the battle that had just taken place.

Lin Yun stood by the roadside, lowered his head, and took the battle boots from the wooden box, replacing his sneakers with them.

This trip to District 33 had originally been meant to gather resources and improve his cultivation.

But now, he suddenly understood what his brother had fought so desperately for while holding the front line all those years ago.

It was not for wealth, nor for military merit. It was so that the ordinary people behind him could live well.

Lin Yun stood and adjusted to his new boots.

Just then, the bearded hunter and the others approached Lin Yun and suggested returning to Huimin Residential Compound to collect the mutated beast corpses.

"Brother Lin, now that the battle's over, the City Defense Army is busy escorting civilians and meeting up with the follow-up teams. They don't have the manpower to clean up the battlefield. Those Swift Mantises, Bone-Cracking Centipedes, and that first-tier peak Black-Belly Scaled Snake we killed are still lying where they fell."

The bearded hunter rubbed his hands together, his tone eager.

"Mutated beast corpses won't keep, especially in this heat. They'll start rotting within half a day. Once the materials lose quality, their prices will take a huge hit too. Rather than let them go to waste, why don't we go back and collect them?"

A mid-stage Martial Disciple hunter beside him nodded as well. "That's right, Brother Lin. With the Black-Belly Scaled Snake dead, the remaining mutated beasts in its nest have lost their leader. There's a high chance they've already scattered. Even if a few stayed behind, there can't be many. With our people, we can handle them easily. Those materials are solid money—it'd be too much of a waste to leave them behind."

Lin Yun considered it briefly before nodding.

He had never intended to leave the Black-Belly Scaled Snake's corpse behind.

Every part of a first-tier peak mutated beast was valuable: its venom glands, fangs, gallbladder, intact scales, and tendons were worth two to three hundred thousand combined. Leaving them there to rot or letting scavengers who came later pick them up would be a real loss.

Moreover, with his current strength and these hunters beside him, even if they encountered scattered mutated beasts, they had every confidence of escaping safely.

"Fine. Let's go back and take a look."

The hunters all looked delighted when Lin Yun agreed.

With a ninth-level Martial Disciple expert traveling with them, their safety was guaranteed. They could collect materials without taking too much risk—a sure profit with no loss.

Without wasting any time, the group informed the City Defense Army soldiers, then turned around and headed back toward Huimin Residential Compound.

On the way back, the bearded hunter kept talking. "Normally, when there's a big battle like this, cleaning up the battlefield isn't something people like us get a chance at. Either the City Defense Army takes it all, or scavenging teams from the major factions sweep through. Today, it's thanks to you being strong enough, Brother Lin, that we get to share in the spoils."

Lin Yun did not respond and continued forward at a steady pace.

About twenty minutes later, they returned to the abandoned storefront where they had fought the Black-Belly Scaled Snake.

From a distance, they saw three or four scrawny carrion hyenas surrounding the Black-Belly Scaled Snake's corpse and gnawing at it. Upon hearing their footsteps, the beasts immediately raised their heads warily.

But once they recognized Lin Yun and the others—especially after catching the scent of the Black-Belly Scaled Snake's blood lingering on Lin Yun—the carrion mutated beasts instantly tucked their tails between their legs. Whimpering, they spun around and fled into the nearby ruins without daring to look back.

"These things have sharp noses. They know who killed the snake king, so they don't dare provoke him."

The bearded hunter chuckled, and the respect in his gaze toward Lin Yun deepened.

Even carrion mutated beasts instinctively feared him. It was clear just how intense Lin Yun's killing intent was.

Lin Yun ignored the fleeing hyenas and walked to the Black-Belly Scaled Snake's corpse, drawing the short blade he had seized from Ghost at his waist.

The blade left its sheath, flashing with cold light.

He found a gap between the snake's scales and drove the blade in. The sharp edge pierced through like it was cutting tofu, gliding along the flesh as he swiftly removed an intact snake scale.

The cut was smooth and even, without the slightest ragged edge. It was far more useful than an ordinary alloy knife.

"What a fine blade..." the bearded hunter could not help murmuring, his eyes filled with envy.