Chapter Thirty-Six: A Grand Move (Second Update)
ps: My apologies for another late-night update. I tried my best to finish early today, and I’ll do my utmost to update on time tomorrow. I honestly feel like slapping myself—finally, I get a recommendation and yet my updates are this inconsistent... There’s still a third chapter coming; I’ll get to writing it right away. It should be ready around four o’clock. For those who are still awake, please go to bed—there’s no need to wait. It’ll be the same to read it tomorrow.
“What’s going on today? Why haven’t we seen a single Three-Tailed Hound after all this time?”
At the edge of the Han River Woodlands, the six members of the Horizon Squad sat around, bored. They had taken a mission to hunt Three-Tailed Hounds here, but after three hours, the outskirts were eerily quiet—not a single hound in sight.
“Damn!”
Suddenly, Zhao Wu of the Horizon Squad cried out in shock, his finger trembling as he pointed toward the Han River Woodlands.
Rumble!
The ground shook as hundreds of thousands of Three-Tailed Hounds surged forth like a flood.
“Run! Get out of here!”
The other members looked where Zhao Wu was pointing, broke out in cold sweat, and shouted in panic.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The members of the Horizon Squad scattered in terror, the dense, howling pack of Three-Tailed Hounds bearing down on them like a black cloud.
“It’s him!”
A young man who had only recently joined the Horizon Squad, with disheveled hair and bare feet like some wild man, suddenly narrowed his eyes in shock.
He saw Ko Bei hefting the massive corpse of a General-rank Three-Tailed Hound on his shoulder, weaving unsteadily through the beast horde in a blur of afterimages. In just moments, he had left hundreds of thousands of frenzied hounds far behind.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
The Three-Tailed Hounds howled in fury at Ko Bei’s receding figure, chasing him all the way to the woodland’s edge before finally letting out a few unwilling wails and retreating back into the Han River Woodlands, giving up the pursuit.
“Not chasing anymore?” Ko Bei allowed himself a faint smile, his heart elated. With the Lingering Step under his belt, the wildlands were now his for the taking. Even if he couldn’t win a fight, escaping would be child’s play.
“Hey, isn’t that the wild man?”
Ko Bei looked up and spotted a familiar figure not far ahead. A smile tugged at his lips. Carrying the enormous hound corpse back to Lingfeng City would be too conspicuous—running into an acquaintance now was perfect. He could ask which parts of the Three-Tailed Hound were most valuable.
With a slight movement, he employed the Lingering Step, flickered forward a few times, and caught up to the Horizon Squad.
“Wild man, do you remember me?”
Ko Bei strode up to the man, flashing a broad, white grin.
The wild man looked at Ko Bei expressionlessly and gave a slow nod.
“So, do you know which part of this thing is worth the most?”
Ko Bei smiled, patting the General-rank Three-Tailed Hound on his shoulder as he asked.
The wild man frowned, scrutinized the beast for a while, then slowly nodded, a flash of shock in the depths of his eyes. But he wasn’t much for words, so he didn’t answer immediately.
“The tail.” After a moment’s silence, the wild man finally spoke, his words slow and deliberate.
“Heh, thanks.”
Ko Bei grinned, swung the massive hound off his shoulder, and with a swift motion, chopped off its tail.
“I’m heading back to the city.”
He put away the beast’s tail, nodded to the wild man, and in a blur, sped off toward Lingfeng City.
...
Lingfeng City, East District, Guardian Squad Military Headquarters. Ko Bei turned in his mission, then headed toward the northernmost part of the barracks. Having been there once before, he easily found his way back to the shop where he’d sold the divine pill last time.
“Young man, what have you got for sale today?” The shopkeeper, Wu Tie, greeted Ko Bei warmly as he entered.
Ko Bei smiled and pulled the General-rank Three-Tailed Hound’s tail from his backpack.
“This is... the tail of a General-rank Three-Tailed Hound!”
Wu Tie was visibly excited, stroking the tail’s needle-like silver fur in astonishment.
“Yes.”
Ko Bei nodded. He had come back to Wu Tie’s shop because, last time, the shopkeeper hadn’t tried to lowball him for being new. In fact, Wu Tie had given him an extra two thousand crystal coins. Though it wasn’t a huge sum, the gesture had won Ko Bei’s favor.
“Haha! Young man, every time you show up, it’s something incredible. Last time it was a divine pill, this time a General-rank beast!”
A flash of amazement crossed Wu Tie’s eyes, though he was secretly delighted—he knew he’d made the right bet. If the divine pill had been a fluke, the General-rank beast proved this youth truly possessed formidable power. And thanks to his earlier generosity, he’d won the young man’s goodwill.
Seizing the opportunity, Wu Tie decided to strengthen their budding relationship.
“Young man, inside the tail of a Three-Tailed Hound there’s a single sinew, incredibly tough, the main ingredient for crafting a Python Scale Whip. A finished whip fetches two hundred thousand crystal coins. Since we have our own channels for production, our costs are lower. I can offer you a maximum of one hundred and twenty thousand crystal coins for this tail. What do you say?”
Wu Tie stroked his goatee thoughtfully before naming his price.
“One hundred and twenty thousand? That much?” Ko Bei was taken aback. When he’d turned in his mission earlier, he’d asked around and learned that a General-rank Three-Tailed Hound’s tail usually didn’t fetch more than a hundred thousand. Wu Tie’s generous offer left him puzzled.
“Don’t misunderstand, young man. I’ve got no other motive—just hoping to make a friend,” Wu Tie explained quickly, reading Ko Bei’s confusion at a glance.
“Haha, you’re too kind, Mr. Wu. Whatever price is fair is fine with me, and I’d be glad to have you as a friend.”
Ko Bei was straightforward and young, with no schemes—he lived by one rule: treat him well, and he’d return the favor.
In the end, unable to withstand Wu Tie’s enthusiasm, Ko Bei accepted the one hundred and twenty thousand crystal coins.
After chatting for a while, Ko Bei had just stepped out of the shop when a booming voice rang out.
“All Guardian Squad members, report to the military plaza immediately!”
Hearing the command echo through the air, the members conducting transactions hastily made their way to the plaza.
“Let’s go—it’s Commander Wang!” one member called out as he rushed toward the plaza.
“Something big must be happening. Commander Wang is taking charge himself!”
Hearing the excited chatter and seeing the crowd surge toward the plaza, Ko Bei raised his brows and followed.
Within fifteen minutes, all Guardian Squad members in the military district had assembled at the plaza.
On the platform at the front stood a tall, middle-aged man clad in silver armor and a black cloak, his expression grave as he looked down at the gathered squads.
“Everyone!”
His voice rang out, clear and powerful, reaching the ears of every warrior present.
“Wushan City has suddenly seen a massive influx of zombies and beasts, including powerful alien races such as the Divine Clan and General-rank monsters.”
“Orders from the Jiujang Headquarters: Lingfeng City, Tianfeng City, and Shuhan City will launch a joint assault on Wushan City!”
“For Lingfeng City, I, Wang Zuo, will lead. In three days, we rendezvous with Tianfeng and Shuhan Cities. Altogether, thirty thousand warriors will take part in this operation!”
“This is the largest action of the year. We will sweep through Wushan City completely. No matter what plots these aliens harbor, we will crush them utterly!”
Wang Zuo’s cold gaze swept over the crowd, his resounding voice growing even louder.
“All Guardian Squads of two-star rank or higher are conscripted! Whatever missions you’re on, set them aside for now. After this operation, each squad will receive three thousand contribution points!”
“For the next three days, do not leave the city. Selected squads for this mission will be contacted directly. Dismissed!”
Wang Zuo’s command brooked no argument, his tone heavy with authority.
“Wushan City?”
Ko Bei frowned slightly at the familiar name. For some reason, he had a faint suspicion that this action was somehow connected to the low-level Divine Clan member he’d slain.
“Forget it, no point overthinking.”
Unable to figure it out, Ko Bei shook his head. The thought of thirty thousand warriors from the three great cities joining forces stirred both excitement and anticipation within him.