Ch. 21Preparing to Go Home
Chapter Summary: “Preparing to Go Home”
Key Plot Points and Events
- After the Howling Moon Wolf King is killed, its remaining Beast Soldiers flee, allowing the Mad Wolf Squad to rapidly harvest materials from the battlefield.
- Because the heavy blood scent could attract powerful monsters—including a Lord-level Monster—the squad immediately retreats to its safehouse.
- The team discovers that the expedition has yielded an exceptionally valuable haul: materials from the Howling Moon Wolf King, the Earth Serpent, and numerous other Beast Warlords.
- Zhang Yi estimates the initial harvest at 800–900 million Huaxia Currency and proposes giving Xiao Yang 25% because of his major contributions. The rest of the team accepts without objection.
- Xiao Yang’s abilities prove so useful that the squad begins targeting carefully selected Advanced Beast Warlords they previously would have avoided.
- The Mad Wolf Squad remains in City 092 for over half a month, hunting additional high-value targets while maintaining caution.
- After the extended expedition, their total gains reach at least four billion Huaxia Currency. Xiao Yang’s growing importance raises his later share to 35%, while Zhang Yi receives 25% and the remaining members receive 10% each.
- The squad decides to return to the base city, sell their materials, and rest. Xiao Yang plans to purchase the second level of World Annihilation with his earnings.
Character Development
- Xiao Yang becomes fully recognized as an indispensable member of the squad. His Psychic abilities allow him to transport the team covertly, control large numbers of enemies, and reduce the danger of hunting Advanced Beast Warlords.
- His strength continues to grow through combat and by consuming Level-1 Rice, reaching roughly 13,000 kilograms of physical strength.
- His Psychic Power reaches a limit of about 50,000 kilograms, which he suspects is connected to the limitations of his physical body or the rule that a Psychic’s realm can only exceed a Martial Warrior’s by two stages.
- Although Blueberry can no longer increase his strength, it remains useful for restoring Psychic Power. Xiao Yang begins selling the excess Blueberries, allowing him to save roughly 100,000 Copper Coins per day.
- Zhang Yi demonstrates fairness and good leadership by adjusting the reward distribution according to Xiao Yang’s actual contributions. He also recognizes that Xiao Yang enables the team to pursue more profitable prey.
- The other squad members move from merely accepting Xiao Yang as a recruit to actively appreciating and relying on him.
Significant Themes
- The value of cooperation: The squad’s success depends on combining Zhang Yi’s strength with Xiao Yang’s Psychic abilities and the others’ coordinated attacks.
- Merit-based reward: Xiao Yang receives an increasingly large share because the team acknowledges his decisive contributions rather than rigidly following the original distribution.
- Strategic growth: The team does not recklessly pursue stronger monsters; instead, Xiao Yang’s presence allows them to expand their targets while still choosing manageable opponents.
- Limits and adaptation: Xiao Yang encounters a ceiling in his rapid growth, forcing him to find new uses for his abilities and resources, such as selling Blueberries for money.
- Risk and survival in the Wilderness Area: Even after victory, the squad remains alert because blood, enemy remains, and powerful monsters make lingering dangerous.
Character Interactions
- Zhang Yi proposes the revised distribution, and the squad unanimously supports giving Xiao Yang a larger share.
- The members openly praise Xiao Yang, emphasizing that without his covert transportation and battlefield control, they could not have defeated the Howling Moon Wolf King’s forces so efficiently.
- Xiao Yang accepts the compensation without false modesty because he needs the money for further cultivation, particularly to buy the next level of World Annihilation.
- Zhang Yi and the others discuss how having a Psychic changes the squad’s hunting strategy, leading them to seek more valuable Advanced Beast Warlords.
- The chapter ends with the team united and satisfied with their expedition, preparing to return home after an unprecedentedly profitable journey.