The car bumped along the wilderness, and Tang Yiyi sank into the soft leather seat, curiously observing the world outside the window. Pudding stood on her shoulder, surveying the scene and telepathically introducing her to the various odd mutated creatures. Of course, its greatest concern was still the taste.
Zhou Yang and the others watched this scene, assuming she was curious because she’d never been out before, completely unaware that Pudding and Tang Yiyi were discussing some rather ruthless topics. In contrast, the mutant creatures outside keenly sensed two unfamiliar malicious intents, shivering in fear.
Zhou Yang straightforwardly began to introduce things to Tang Yiyi: "We’re currently within the First Level Hunting Area, which is relatively safe. However, the Red Fire Scorpions we’re aiming to hunt are in the Second Level Hunting Area, so we need to be careful once we enter."
Tang Yiyi was aware of this; the teachers at school had specifically discussed the classification of hunting areas. However, although humans divided hunting areas according to the level and danger of mutated creatures to ensure Hunters’ safety, such classification was not always accurate. Mutated plants were one thing, but Mutant Beasts roamed everywhere, and incidents of Second Level Mutant Beasts entering First Level Hunting Areas occasionally occurred.
So even in First Level Hunting Areas, experienced Hunters, unlike those arrogant rookies, never let their guard down.
The relaxed demeanor of Zhou Yang and the others was because they had traversed this path many times and were familiar with it, knowing there was no danger. Moreover, they invited Tang Yiyi to help with their task this time, intending to make an impression and ensure she didn’t underestimate them.
Despite Zhou Yang’s words, Tang Yiyi didn’t take them too seriously. Anything could happen outside Safe City, and this expedition to hunt a Second Level Red Fire Scorpion wouldn’t allow for any complacency based on Zhou Yang’s simple remarks.
Tang Yiyi nodded to indicate she understood, and asked, "How far are we from the destination? Isn’t it too risky for just a few of us to delve into the Second Level Hunting Area? Where exactly are you planning to go?"
Zhou Yang instinctively glanced at Li Zheng, who subtly nodded, indicating it was okay to inform Tang Yiyi. He then directly opened his personal terminal and sent the map to her. The map was marked with coordinates—clear enough for anyone to understand the destination.
Tang Yiyi glanced at it, finding the destination to be near the boundary between the First Level Hunting Area and the Second Level Hunting Area, making it relatively safe. Clearly, Zhou Yang and his team had put considerable thought into planning this mission.
While pondering this, Tang Yiyi interrupted Pudding’s endless commentary, reminding it, "Stop dreaming, you’re drooling now. If you’re hungry, get to work! At least it’ll keep you distracted."
Pudding was fantasizing about the tasty-looking flower it had just seen and wondered how it would taste. Tang Yiyi’s interruption filled the entire essence of the rat with resentment, its eyes brimming with grievance directed at Tang Yiyi as it lazily complained, "Aren’t we almost there? What task is there to do? You’re not trying to find work for me on purpose, are you?"
Tang Yiyi shot it a sidelong glance, "Your points aren’t short; are you helping or not?"
Although Pudding was a system spirit with plenty of stored information, it was hopelessly obtuse when it came to arguing, never having won against Tang Yiyi. Naturally, Pudding didn’t believe it had lost; it thought that it was generously overlooking things, not stooping to the level of a little girl like Tang Yiyi!
Of course, it never dared to say this aloud in front of Tang Yiyi and only thought it in its heart.
Pudding soon conceded, albeit with some impatience in its tone, "Fine, fine, what do you need help with?"
Tang Yiyi knew it was venting its dissatisfaction for being interrupted and didn’t take it personally, directly stating, "Can you hack into the Skynet now? I want to see the recent satellite images of this place."
Even in the post-apocalyptic world, satellites still existed. However, launching a satellite wasn’t easy; if you’re unlucky, mutated birds could disrupt the launch, causing failure and turning it into fireworks. The cost of launching a satellite was high, thus ordinary people had limited access to systems that provided detailed surveillance over the entire planet, such as Skynet.
Tang Yiyi wanted Pudding to hack in and steal some satellite images, to check if there had been any abnormalities near the destination recently, lest they unwittingly stir up trouble.
Pudding was startled by Tang Yiyi’s request: "Host, are you serious? Do you think Skynet is so easy to hack? I’ve heard that the system is controlled by top hackers in the world—if you slip up, you’ll be caught!"
Tang Yiyi furrowed her brows; she’d heard of this too. Although she desired to exploit some loopholes, being traced and targeted after leaving any clues would be undesirable. Upon asking Pudding again and seeing it truly lacked confidence, she had to abandon this tempting plan.
Soon, the car arrived at the border of the First Level Hunting Area. From here, it was the Second Level Hunting Area. Wu Tian stopped the car as Li Zheng reminded them, "We’re already at the edge of the First Level Hunting Area. Ahead lies the Second Level Hunting Area, and barring any unexpected incidents, ten more minutes should take us to the destination. Everyone stay alert; it’s best to keep your weapons ready."
With those words, the previously relaxed atmosphere in the car shifted instantly to tension. Tang Yiyi changed positions, her nerves gradually tightening to ensure she could react instantly in case of emergencies.
Li Zheng noticed the tense atmosphere in the car and, worried everyone was too stressed, remarked, "I’ve already investigated—the area is only inhabited by the Red Fire Scorpions, with no other dangerous mutated creatures nearby. So, provided our luck isn’t too bad, encountering Wandering Second Level Mutant Beasts, our mission should proceed smoothly."
His words brought some relief, making others smile. Tang Yiyi, being the newest member, joined in the smile. The car soon set off again, and this time, everyone vigilantly watched the windows, on guard against any attacks by mutated creatures.
Tang Yiyi noticed that Zhou Yang and the others became noticeably more tense when encountering other Hunters, only relaxing when they had passed by. She was unsure about their past hunting experiences or how much danger they had faced, but upon seeing this, she mentally noted it, increasing her vigilance.
Luckily, their journey went smoothly, and they reached the destination without encountering any Wandering Second Level Mutant Beasts. The destination was a small patch of sand; on closer inspection, one would find the sand tinged with red—a sign of the presence of Red Fire Scorpions! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com)