A professional team

"This is the place."

Outside the Wasteland Zone base built by Carefree Media, a battered truck pulled up far away among the sparse trees, rattling and clanking to a stop. Several massive figures climbed out of the cargo bed.

Huang Dahu jumped down and looked around. Only after confirming that nobody was there did he venture a few steps forward and study the screened-off perimeter of the base. Then he took out a phone that looked tiny in his palm and checked it. (Due to caching issues, please visit the highly practical "Read More" website directly in your browser for the fastest chapter updates.)

Black Tiger, his face swollen and bruised, circled the truck and said with some distress, "We spent all our remaining money on this brand-new truck, and now look what you've crashed it into."

Big Muntjac jumped out of the driver's seat and gave him a cold look. "I told you I couldn't drive this thing. Neither of you could fit in the cab, so what else could we do?"

As transformed tiger demons, Huang Dahu and Hei Xiaozai were simply too large to squeeze into a cab designed for humans. The two muntjac demons could just barely fit, but the problem was... neither of them knew how to drive.

The brothers had only recently fled into the city from the Wasteland Zone. They had needed several tastes of rat poison just to learn that they couldn't eat garbage off the ground. Expecting them to master driving really was asking too much of a muntjac.

Serving as their instructor, Dreadlocked Lion had somehow taught a muntjac to drive without being allowed to smoke or call his student an idiot. He had suffered plenty along the way.

Huang Dahu had paid quite a bit extra for that, too.

But there hadn't been any better options. This might have been the outskirts, but plenty of vehicles had been coming and going lately. Without a truck, the demon beasts might have been spotted before they got very far.

By the time Big Muntjac bumped and scraped his way here, the truck wasn't exactly in pristine condition. In fact, it was practically ready for the scrapyard.

"The target... is here?" Second Muntjac stared fixedly at the base. "You're sure?"

"Positive," Huang Dahu said with a nod. There was a picture on his phone of the RV carrying Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er driving inside. "I hired the Flying Bird Group to track them and notify me as soon as they left the city."

The Flying Bird Group was a monster organization in Jiangcheng City, founded by several bird monsters. They could command birds to observe and monitor targets. For monsters who didn't dare show themselves openly, the Flying Bird Group's help was extremely useful, making them a powerful source of intelligence.

Naturally, their prices were steep, too.

They hadn't taken much with them when they fled the Tiger Head Gang. After this string of expenses, the two tiger demon brothers could now be summed up in two words.

Dead broke.

But they didn't care, not when revenge was at stake. They could earn more money, but if they didn't avenge their brothers soon, they might lose their chance...

Whenever Huang Dahu got bored in the basement, he watched human movies, shows, and anime. He knew all too well how terrifying these young humans without parents could be. The guy might be in the lower three realms today, but give him a little time and he could reach the upper three realms!

That was why revenge couldn't wait.

Of course, he didn't read novels. Although he was working hard to learn human culture, a pastime consisting entirely of written words was still too sophisticated for him. Even among humans, only those blessed with exceptional wisdom, outstanding beauty, and noble morals took up reading novels for entertainment.

While he was still observing and thinking things over, Second Muntjac heard the word "positive," grabbed his hammer, and marched toward the base.

"Hey, hey, hey-" Huang Dahu hurriedly reached out to stop him. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Second Muntjac looked back blankly. "Going to kill the target."

Big Muntjac rolled up his sleeves as well, wrench in hand. "Leave it to us. We're professionals."

"Professional, my ass!" Huang Dahu pointed at the base, its perimeter screened off by a row of sheds. "Do you even know what that place is?"

Big Muntjac closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "There's a lot of restless demonic energy. It feels familiar. Which Demon King rules that mountain?"

"That's the Private Garden! It says so on the sign! Can't you read? You can only sense the demonic energy, but you have no idea how many human cultivators are hiding inside!" Huang Dahu said. "If you barge straight in, won't you be walking into a death trap?"

"A deer trap?" Second Muntjac's gaze was vacant. "Are there reindeer here, too?"

"What reindeer?" Huang Dahu sounded utterly helpless. "I mean you can't just charge into human territory and do whatever you want. You have to tread carefully."

"What eggs?" Big Muntjac frowned at him as well. "Are there chickens here, too?"

"Your mother's here, too!" Huang Dahu was on the verge of losing his mind. "Figures of speech! Do you understand figures of speech?"

Second Muntjac turned and looked around. "My mother's here? Really?"

"..." Huang Dahu looked dead inside. After a moment of silence, he said, "Just follow my orders, okay?"

"You're paying. Of course we'll follow your orders," Big Muntjac said with a nod, holding his younger brother back.

"You haven't learned anything else about the human world, but you picked up the money part fast enough." Huang Dahu let out a long breath. "First, we'll watch from here and see what they're doing inside. Then we'll look for a chance to sneak in when the gates open. If we just barge in recklessly, who knows how many humans are in there?"

"Mm." Big Muntjac agreed.

The monsters crouched together in a ditch on the hillside, watching the base carefully.

"You really ought to learn from me. Your methods are far too reckless," Huang Dahu said. "My brothers and I spent over a decade in the city's underworld. We carried out more assassinations than I can count, and we never made a single mistake. I'm the real professional here."

"Then how did your brothers die?" Big Muntjac asked.

"..." That one question left Huang Dahu speechless.

He didn't know how to explain it. After more than a decade of cautious living, someone had suddenly come to their door and wiped them out. Even now, he found it hard to accept.

"Our older brothers were just at home playing cards and listening to music when those two cultivators showed up. The moment they came in, they started slaughtering everyone," Black Tiger answered.

"You don't have to tell them that much," Huang Dahu said.

"I heard those two only got paid five hundred to come after us," Black Tiger continued indignantly. "Five hundred total, mind you."

"Keep your voice down!" Huang Dahu snapped. "It's hardly something to be proud of!"

"Only five hundred to kill three?" Second Muntjac raised his head toward Big Muntjac. "Big brother, aren't we charging a little too much, asking five hundred thousand to kill two?"

"Stop embarrassing us," Big Muntjac scolded. "Five hundred is bigger than fifty. How many times do I have to teach you?"

"Oh..." Second Muntjac nodded.

Huang Dahu closed his eyes in despair. He truly saw no future for this team.

Just then, a-

Heavy truck suddenly drove in, making the road hum beneath its weight. The enormous monsters all felt the ground shaking violently under them. The convoy consisted of dozens of these huge trucks, their cargo sealed away. From a distance, it looked like the spine of a black dragon.

The garden gates opened at the same time, and a crowd came out to direct the convoy inside in an orderly fashion.

Big Muntjac closed his eyes and sniffed carefully into the wind. "Such strong demonic energy. Even stronger than inside!"

"This is our chance!"

At the sight before him, Huang Dahu's eyes suddenly gleamed. His experience as a predator told him this was the perfect opportunity to slip into the garden.

"Watch what I do and follow me!"

With a low, muffled shout, he dropped to all fours and sprinted as though he had returned to his beast form. Circling the hillside, he approached the convoy from the side, then sprang nimbly beneath a heavy truck and clung to its undercarriage as it carried him into the garden.

At that moment, he was once again the mighty ruler of the forest!

This chapter originated from .

Big Muntjac and Second Muntjac followed close behind. Although the brothers looked rather dim-witted in motion, there was an uncanny agility to them. Swaying along after Huang Dahu, they darted forward one after the other and each leaped beneath a truck.

Only Black Tiger ran into trouble. He didn't dare reveal his true form, but he still hadn't quite mastered this human body. He misjudged his leap slightly and struck a wheel with a thud.

The heavy wheel hit him hard enough to leave him reeling. He rolled several times and collapsed on the ground, his mind swimming.

"What was that sound?" Someone noticed the commotion and looked over.

The monsters' hearts leaped into their throats.

If these humans became suspicious and inspected every vehicle, all their efforts would be wasted!

Then they heard a human shout, "What happened? One fell out! Good thing it's been drugged. It won't wake up anytime soon. Hurry and bring it into the grounds with the rest!"

"Coming, coming!" Several cultivators accompanying the convoy ran over and hoisted Black Tiger up.

One of them glanced back. "None of the cargo compartments look damaged, though. Is this one of ours?"

"Of course it is," another said. "Look at its bruised, swollen face. Those injuries came from crashing into the city-guarding barrier."

"True enough..."

As the humans chatted, the entire professional assassination team made it inside the grounds.

A few minutes later, the director's voice came through Yue Wen and the others' earpieces.

"Everyone, keep your expressions unchanged and continue what you're doing. I have an announcement."

"Thanks to your exceptionally valiant performances, our reserve of demon beasts in the Wasteland Zone has run low. We've released a fresh batch, and these are a little stronger, so be prepared. Without raising the difficulty a bit, the Simulated Wasteland Zone won't feel urgent enough. Of course, given your cultivation realms, you should still have no trouble handling them."

"Sister Hua currently has the most popular individual livestream, followed by Flying Rosy Clouds and Yue Wen. Yue Wen in particular, the audience really likes you right now. Keep doing what you're doing."

"It's late, so feel free to rest. There aren't many viewers at this hour, and you've been exploring for a long time. As long as you can ensure your safety, you can get some sleep and recharge."

Yue Wen was taken aback. Doing what?

Aside from being handsome, had I done anything to please the audience?

Never mind. Whatever.

As for resting, that was even more absurd. He had finally made it to such a wonderful place. He wished he could split himself into three teams to slay evil spirits, and they wanted him to rest?

The demon beasts were right there. If he didn't harvest them, someone else would.

How could you sleep?

"Ji Yang, your individual livestream has the lowest popularity. You're currently in last place. You could learn from Yue Wen and kill more demon beasts," the director added. "The audience doesn't seem to enjoy watching you hunt for treasure chests. They prefer combat."

"All right, that's it. Over!"

Once the director finished speaking, everyone wore a different expression.

Ji Yang, who had been working hard to find treasure chests, gritted his teeth in particular. I was trying to open a few more chests and win the game, but it turns out you want to watch us kill demon beasts?

Heh. Fine.

Then I'll show you what a Hidden Dragon Pool Disciple can do!