Chapter 71

Suddenly, a storm of gunfire erupted from the top of the cliff. Zaxi had set up a large-caliber old-style heavy machine gun there, desperately spraying a metal barrage onto the werewolves. The werewolves that had just rushed out of the cave were knocked off balance, blood blossoming on their bodies.

However, the werewolves had thick hides, and at this distance, the heavy machine gun found it hard to break their bones and cause truly fatal injuries. The most they suffered were flesh wounds. To kill the werewolves outright, they would need a primal energy gun or close combat.

But Zaxi's job was just to hold back the werewolves so his companions could escape the valley smoothly. In no time, Zaxi had emptied four entire boxes of ammunition, and the machine gun's barrel had turned red, making it unusable. Yu Yingnan and Qian Ye, among others, had already left the valley and were heading toward the designated rendezvous point.

Zaxi threw down the gunpowder machine gun, his task completed, and then sprinted along the escape route he had prepared earlier.

More werewolves poured out of the cave, their angry howls echoing. But the valley soon resounded with continuous explosions as the traps Zaxi had set were triggered one by one, causing the leading werewolves to stumble and fall.

Soon, all the members of the hunting squad had gathered at the rendezvous point. The distant howls and the sound of the werewolves running through the air were rapidly approaching.

Zaxi immediately pushed out a small four-wheel off-road truck, adding black crystal powder to the combustion chamber. The power gauge numbers quickly soared. The off-road truck began to rumble and vibrate, then jolted forward toward Dark Blood City.

Zaxi drove, while Qian Ye and the others climbed into the back of the truck. Li Lunzhe took out a Level 2 primal energy gun and aimed it at the rear. Yu Yingnan and Yang Tian were busy treating their wounds, while Qian Ye seized the opportunity to circulate the Martial Conquest Decree, restoring as much primal energy as possible.

Li Lunzhe's face was expressionless, but his eyes were dark. Just a moment ago, in the wolf den, he had almost made his move. If not for Qian Ye's sudden shout, that knife would have stabbed into Yu Yingnan's back, followed by a similar attack on the unprepared Yang Tian, after which he would have fled alone.

At that point, the severely injured Yu Yingnan and Yang Tian would have been no match for the pack of wolves. After escaping the wolf den, Li Lunzhe could easily have eliminated the tech-obsessed Zaxi.

But when Qian Ye unexpectedly seized the totem, Li Lunzhe hesitated for a moment and lost his chance.

At the edge of his vision, several dark figures appeared—pursuing werewolves. The werewolves quickly closed the distance with the off-road truck, which, at a mere forty kilometers per hour, seemed to them like a slow-moving turtle. Li Lunzhe calmed himself, focusing intently on the leading werewolf, and only when it was within a hundred meters did he pull the trigger!

A blue light shot from the gun, striking the werewolf's head and sending it flying through the air before it crashed heavily to the ground. Seeing the blood and shattered innards, Li Lunzhe felt some of the evil fire in his heart subside.

Two more primal energy guns emerged from either side, also aiming at the pursuing werewolves. These were Qian Ye and Yang Tian, who had recovered enough primal energy to fire one more shot.

The gunshots rang out, and two more werewolves were sent flying, leaving a trail of blood as they landed heavily on the ground.

The six pursuing werewolves were now down to half. The remaining werewolves immediately slowed down, hesitant to approach the truck, staying just outside the range of the primal energy guns, waiting for the main pack to arrive.

As the pursuers and the escapees continued their chase, they soon approached the place where Qian Ye had first encountered the mysterious black-robed figure.

The werewolves suddenly became agitated. Many of them stopped, looking around warily, emitting fearful whimpers. Those tracking in wolf form had their hackles raised.

More and more werewolves slowed down, whispering to each other. A few of the larger ones sniffed the night air, then suddenly turned and ran at full speed with their tails between their legs. The others followed one by one, soon disappearing completely.

The sudden withdrawal of the werewolves left Yu Yingnan and the others staring at each other, unsure of what had happened. There were few dangers in the wasteland that could make werewolves retreat.

Qian Ye guessed it might have something to do with the mysterious black-robed figure, but he didn't think it was a good idea to spread this information.

The four of them continued their journey without further incident and safely returned to Dark Blood City. The mission was quickly completed, and the totem reportedly received high praise from the Imperial Research Institute's envoy to the expeditionary corps. As a result, the originally agreed-upon reward of one hundred gold coins was doubled to two hundred. These rewards had to be shared, with thirty percent going to the Hunter's Lodge, and the rest divided among the team.

This good news lifted the spirits of the squad members. Most hunters were poor, unlike regular mercenaries who received basic equipment. The majority of their income went toward updating their gear and weapons. Without sufficient strength in the wasteland, death was inevitable.

Qian Ye, due to his unexpectedly excellent performance during the mission, received forty gold coins, a significantly higher share than the average. However, this time Li Lunzhe didn't say anything, his face only darkening slightly. After the rewards were distributed, he hurriedly left.

Yang Tian and Zaxi also bid farewell, leaving only Yu Yingnan and Qian Ye at the Hunter's Lodge.

"Want to have a drink?" Yu Yingnan asked.

Qian Ye shook his head. "No, I need to go back and rest."

"Then I'll come find you in a couple of days."

This time, Qian Ye nodded, not refusing.

After returning to his residence, Qian Ye first checked the inside and outside. Apart from a few bloodstains on the top of the wall and in the corners, there were no signs of intrusion. It seemed that the sneaky intruders had finally learned their lesson and knew to avoid this dangerous little building.

Qian Ye closed the door and immediately rushed into the kitchen, rummaging through everything he could eat, devouring it all. He ate all the stored food until his stomach felt uncomfortably full, then stopped.

The feeling of being full dulled Qian Ye's craving for blood.

This craving had started during the second half of the escape from the wolf den. Perhaps due to physical exhaustion and near depletion of his primal energy, when the werewolves' blood splattered, Qian Ye felt a long-forgotten desire for blood. This was different from the previous burning hunger that clouded his mind; he was fully aware, but the flying blood droplets emitted a rich, energy-laden aroma that tempted him to taste.

Qian Ye chuckled bitterly, rubbing his head. He had a vague idea of what was happening. For vampires, drinking blood was a quick way to restore strength and heal injuries. After acquiring the vampire constitution, he had inherited this basic racial ability. When he used military stimulants, he could easily suppress the hunger, and now he didn't experience the burning pain that followed the hunger.

Qian Ye didn't dwell on this issue for long. After washing off the dust, he decided to visit the Hunter's Lodge to see what equipment he could buy. Strong power was the guarantee of survival, and he had plenty of troubles now.

Elder Two was still sitting behind the counter, reading a book. When Qian Ye entered the hall, he barely lifted his eyes, glanced at Qian Ye, and then returned his gaze to the book.

The Hunter's Lodge was quite busy today, with two tables almost full, seating seven or eight hunters. The small space immediately felt crowded.

The hunters were chatting about recent events and exchanging information from their adventures. Qian Ye noticed a common theme in their conversations: dark creatures had become unusually agitated and violent recently, even those usually more docile were attacking adventurers. As a result, there were frequent reports of adventurer, hunter, and mercenary casualties in the past few days.

Qian Ye敏锐地感觉到，这些猎人都有点不安。

Qian Ye walked up to the counter and asked, "Elder Two, when can I be promoted to a two-star hunter?"

Elder Two, without lifting his head, said, "When you have accumulated a bounty of one hundred gold coins, you can be promoted. Not yet."

"Alright. I want to look at what I can buy now."

Elder Two nodded and called out to Xiao Mi, who led Qian Ye to the warehouse to select equipment. It was the same warehouse, but now each piece of equipment looked different to Qian Ye.

After the battle in the werewolf den, Qian Ye found himself suddenly enamored with this feeling.

In most cases, humans were at a disadvantage in strength compared to most dark races. Werewolves, known for their strength, instinctively relied on it to defeat humans. However, when they faced Qian Ye, who was even stronger, they were defeated much more quickly.

Qian Ye had always been known for his strength in the Red Scorpion, though his physique wasn't particularly prominent. With the vampire constitution, this strength was further enhanced, now comparable to a Level 5 warrior. In close combat, strength was undoubtedly a significant advantage.

Originally, when selecting weapons, Qian Ye focused mainly on primal energy guns and related accessories. This time, various close-combat weapons caught his attention. He picked up and tried on piece after piece of armor, then put them back. Finally, he took a forearm guard, examining it repeatedly.

This metal forearm guard provided good protection and, due to its weight, could be used as a terrifying blunt weapon when swung. It had a standard slot for attaching weapons like a military knife or spike. The forearm guard also had a small primal energy array that, when powered, could form a shield to block mid-range attacks from a Level 1 primal energy gun.

Qian Ye was very satisfied with this forearm guard. Its only drawback was its weight of ten kilograms, but for Qian Ye's current strength, this was negligible.

The forearm guard was marked with two stars, indicating it was for two-star hunters. If Qian Ye wanted to exchange it early, he would need to pay an additional 20% of the price. Besides the forearm guard, Qian Ye also selected several armor plates made from the shells of cave spiders, planning to attach them to his existing armor for effective and cost-effective upgrades.

These items would cost over thirty gold coins, with the primal energy-powered forearm guard being the most expensive.

After leaving the warehouse, Qian Ye walked back to the counter and said, "I have some equipment. Can someone modify it for me?"

Elder Two finally reluctantly put down his book, walked to a nearby independent workshop, and gestured for Qian Ye to enter, closing the door.

Qian Ye took out the tactical attachments for the Golden Rose, including a scope, a power amplifier to increase the impact, and a silencer.

"I want to modify these attachments so they can be used on the 'Assaulter' rifle."

Elder Two picked up the attachments, examined them carefully, and said, "These are standard components made by vampires, with excellent craftsmanship. They were originally designed for your Golden Rose, right?"

"You know about this?"

PS: First update, where are the ten thousand red tickets?

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