Chapter 85 - 55 Solo Hunter

Chapter 85: Chapter 55 Solo HunterJi Xinghuo sat on the train as the scenery outside streaked past beneath the starry night. Despite it being star night, the carriage still had many passengers, most of whom were like himself, preparing to go hunting, though they all had teams, and solo hunters were rare. The train’s destination was Free City. Ji Xinghuo had considered for a long time where he should go for this hunting trip. Olympia City’s surroundings were naturally the safest, with most of the dangers cleared away by the mutants, suitable for his first solo hunt. But with safety came the least gain. He could also go to the surrounding areas of other cities. Like Flying Dragon City. Flying Dragon City is also a city of the Asia-Pacific Community, located more than a hundred kilometers east of Olympia. Qi Zhaofeng mentioned that the Feathered Snake trail was in Razor Rift Valley to the south of Flying Dragon City. Ji Xinghuo had thought about trying his luck in Razor Rift Valley, but after inquiring, he discovered that this news had already spread widely. The Feathered Snake could possibly give birth to a "flying" Alien Species, which was too attractive. Many teams would inevitably flock there. Ji Xinghuo consulted the map materials; Razor Rift Valley was only about twenty-something kilometers long, and numerous hunting teams could dig three feet into the ground throughout the canyon and clear out all the monsters inside. He alone would not have much to gain; the chances were over ninety percent that he would come back empty-handed. What he needed was Spiritual Origin Ability, with the alien species being secondary. The best would be places that had lots of monsters, no hunting team competition, and were relatively safe. Ji Xinghuo immediately thought of Peak Valley! Peak Valley was teeming with Stone Scythe Demons, numbering in the millions, but their alien species value was not high, so not many hunting teams would hunt them. Although Peak Valley was vast, covering fifty to sixty thousand square kilometers, it was not easy for an average person to find the Stone Scythe Demon herds. However, it was no problem for him. Moreover, having accompanied Ren Mian and the others in Peak Valley for ten days last time, he had grown familiar with the geography and climate of Peak Valley, which gave him more confidence than heading into completely unfamiliar territory. As for that Flood Level Stone Scythe Giant Demon, he just needed to avoid it. Peak Valley was a perfect place to obtain Spiritual Origin Ability, incomparable to other hunting spots within the territory of Earth’s humans. The only downside was that it was a bit far away. Night was approaching. The train arrived at Free City, and Ji Xinghuo found a nearby inn to stay. He got up and ate as soon as dawn broke and left the city. Many hunting teams left at this time too. In this way, they could make full use of the daylight, travel far on the first day, and improve the efficiency of their journey. Ji Xinghuo walked alone on the road with his backpack, encountering several teams. The mutants cast measuring glances at him when they saw him. At first, most of the teams he encountered meant no harm, but after walking for a few hours and getting farther and farther from Free City, their gazes started to change. Free City was a city of the West Alliance, and most of the mutants here were people of the West Alliance. Because of geographical reasons, there were no direct conflicts between the Asia-Pacific Community and the West Alliance, but historically, the relationship between the two had never been good, having stood in opposite camps multiple times. Today’s Earth had a superpower-duopoly and two-great-power structure. The relationships among the four major powers were complex. However, they could be broadly divided into two camps. On one side was the Eastern camp led by the Asia-Pacific Community, seconded by the New Roman Empire, and then dozens of other countries. On the other side was the Western camp, dominated by the American Federation and supported by the Western democratic alliance. The New Roman Empire and West Alliance bordered each other, holding mutual enmity, with continuous border wars and deep-rooted animosity. Most conflicts and wars on Earth, no matter on which continent or country they occurred, tended to evolve into confrontations between these two camps. The struggle for supremacy between two superpowers was the main theme of the 23rd century! Many historians, politicians, and international relations scholars have reached a consensus over the years, which is: Earth is inevitably heading towards unification! Moreover, the time for global unification is not far away. It could happen as early as this century, and even at the latest, it would not exceed three hundred years. But who will be the ultimate victor remains an open question. Over 95% of Earth’s population believed the winner would emerge between the Asia-Pacific Community and the American Federation, with a very slim chance for other nations. The West Alliance, as a longtime ally of the American Federation, naturally hoped for an American Federation victory. Therefore, the West Alliance’s attitude towards people from the Asia-Pacific Community was generally unfriendly, even hostile. The disputes on Earth extended into the Star Realm. In human cities, citizens from different countries appeared to coexist peacefully and maintain order on the surface. But outside the cities, if you encounter teams from other countries, especially hostile nations’ mutants, they seldom miss an opportunity if they get one. Most of the teams leaving Free City were from the West Alliance. When they saw Ji Xinghuo, an Easterner venturing out alone, with a valuable Eagle Bow visibly on his back, it was hard not to be tempted. "Truly, human hearts are treacherous!" After sensing malice a few times, Ji Xinghuo knew that if it weren’t for the presence of other teams on the road, someone would have made a move already. He tried to keep his distance, but some teams came closer. "Forget it." Ji Xinghuo didn’t want to get into a conflict just after leaving the city, lest it impact his hunting plan. He lightly touched the Stealth Ring on his index finger with his thumb, and light refracted around him, cloaking his whole body within a transparent outline, becoming hard to see beyond three meters. The Rotating Magnetic Field activated, and Ji Xinghuo started to run swiftly. "Silence" absorbed the sound vibrations, allowing him to run silently. When the members of that team discovered Ji Xinghuo’s disappearance, they immediately went on high alert, staying in place with defensive stances, searching hard for Ji Xinghuo’s silhouette. But after waiting a long while without being attacked, they realized Ji Xinghuo had long gone. After running for several kilometers, Ji Xinghuo deactivated the Stealth State. The Stealth Ring would continue to consume Star Power, and his 185 points of Star Power could last at most one hour. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Moreover, carrying a heavy backpack and running swiftly, his physical fitness and Star Power were doubly drained, and he’d be exhausted in less than half an hour. Afterward, Ji Xinghuo used the magnetic field detection to discover other hunting teams in advance and then activated the Stealth Ring to pass by them. As long as he didn’t expend Star Power, the Second Level Rotating Magnetic Field’s strong Recovery ability allowed him to run non-stop. For the whole day, Ji Xinghuo covered over three hundred kilometers. He surpassed one hunting team after another and walked another hundred or so kilometers under Star Night. It wasn’t until nightfall that Ji Xinghuo set up camp in the forest. He had carefully chosen this spot, with the campsite nestled between two massive rocks, covered on top by branches, ready for a quick escape over the top should any monsters come from the front. Ji Xinghuo didn’t start a fire, as the Wanxiang Star Pupil allowed him to see in the dark. He ate some dry food and water, indiscriminately filling his stomach. Sitting alone in the tent, Ji Xinghuo listened to the insects and birds outside, the forest dark and profound around him, with occasional calls coming from afar. Before setting up the tent, he had scanned the surroundings within an 800-meter radius using magnetic field induction and taken an extra walk around to ensure there was no danger. Still, he felt a bit uneasy. It wasn’t that he was scared, just that being alone in the wilderness for the first time, it was inevitable that his mind would wander. "No wonder everyone prefers to team up," he muttered to himself. "Without someone keeping watch, there’s a lack of that sense of security." Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo found himself missing Ren Mian. During their last hunt, it was always he and Ren Mian taking turns to keep watch at night, and whenever he woke up inside the tent, just opening his eyes would allow him to see her keeping guard, a comforting sense of security enveloping him. Moreover, there was no protective layer of plants outside the tent, and the rudimentary traps he had set up only managed to make a bit of noise at best—a consolation rather than a safeguard. "Time to sleep!" Ji Xinghuo crawled into his sleeping bag, closed his eyes, and his breathing soon became even. But he hadn’t completely drifted off, remaining in a state of light sleep, ready to wake up instantly at the slightest disturbance outside the tent. The night passed. Ji Xinghuo didn’t sleep well, yawning several times. He had woken up numerous times throughout the night due to wild animals or small creatures approaching the tent. Although they weren’t a threat, they still managed to disrupt his sleep. The intermittent sleep naturally wasn’t restful. Normally, just five to six hours of sleep would have been enough to fully recover his energy and spirit, but now he needed more than ten hours. While it wasn’t advisable to light a fire at night, during the day it was possible. Ji Xinghuo set up a small pot, ready to cook himself a bowl of instant noodles. As he waited for the noodles to cook, he busied himself packing up the tent and gear. "Chirp chirp..." A sharp cry came from the sky. Ji Xinghuo stopped what he was doing and turned to look toward the source of the sound. The trees around the campsite were scarce and positioned relatively high, so he could clearly see several dark shadows moving in the northern sky, about three to four kilometers away, flying at an altitude of about 200 meters above the ground. The Wanxiang Star Pupil zoomed in on the dark figures, bringing them into clearer view. "Owl-faced vultures!" Ji Xinghuo recognized the creatures. They resembled owls in appearance but were much larger—several times larger—with a wingspan of more than three meters and a pair of black giant claws at the tips of their wings, resembling human hands. In addition to their scimitar-like sharp beaks, these creatures had large eyes, eyebrow plumes, and clearly defined facial contours, much like a human face, hence their name. The owl-faced vultures were notoriously fierce and liked to hunt in groups, especially fond of preying on primates—humans included. They had remarkable vision. When Ji Xinghuo spotted the owl-faced vultures, they also noticed the human on the ground. With a screech, the six vultures immediately picked up speed and flew directly towards him, decreasing in altitude—they had identified Ji Xinghuo as their prey. "Perfect, an added meal," Ji Xinghuo said as he immediately grabbed the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow and a handful of titanium aluminum alloy arrows, jumped onto a rock, and raised the bow aiming skyward. The owl-faced vultures were fast, entering bow range in less than half a minute. Ji Xinghuo didn’t shoot right away. Only when the leading vulture came within 200 meters and started its dive did he release the first arrow. Whiz! The limbs of the Dragon Falcon bow contracted and snapped back as the bowstring released massive kinetic energy, propelling the arrow swiftly out of sight. It happened in the blink of an eye. The diving owl-faced vulture let out a death cry as its heart was pierced through. Losing power in its wings, the body fell towards the ground, driven by inertia. Ji Xinghuo shot rapidly in succession—each time the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow pulled and released, another arrow shot out almost instantaneously. He fired a total of five arrows. But all six owl-faced vultures were taken down, the third arrow striking two targets at once. Thud, thud, thud... The bodies of the owl-faced vultures crashed through the branches, each one falling into the forest, the pack of creatures wiped out in the blink of an eye. Running his hand across the Eagle Bow, Ji Xinghuo was very satisfied with this new weapon’s first performance. He hopped off the rock, took the cooked noodles off the fire, and then headed towards the corpses of the owl-faced vultures. They had fallen not far, just a hundred or so meters away. By the time Ji Xinghuo got there, they were already dead. Touching a corpse, an informational interface popped up before his eyes. [Monster: Owl-faced Vulture] [Level: Strange] [Alien Species: Tear] This group of owl-faced vultures were ordinary Strange monsters, with no Elites among them, just a "Tear" alien species derived from the clawed tips of their wings. Tear was a basic ability, rather mediocre in strength. Humans didn’t have claws and their fingernails weren’t sharp enough, only shorter weapons like daggers could utilize the effect of Tear to inflict larger wounds on an enemy. However, few people would choose to fuse with Tear, so it wasn’t of much value. Ji Xinghuo couldn’t be bothered to collect the alien species. After checking all six owl-faced vultures and finding no other alien species, he cut off a piece of leg meat from one of the creatures, picked up his titanium aluminum alloy arrows, and returned to the campsite. He roasted the bird meat over the fire until it was cooked and ate it along with the noodles. "Not bad, the meat is tender." "If Caiyi were here, she could probably roast it even better," he mused, glancing at the Wanxiang Star Pupil interface. Besides providing some bird meat, the main value of this group of owl-faced vultures was the 6 points of Spiritual Origin Ability they contributed to him, bringing his total up to 35 points. After packing up his tent and gear, Ji Xinghuo continued on his journey, heading west.