After Ying Li departed, the chatty B-Rank Sentinel assigned to watch him immediately headed to Ding Hua’s office in Freedom City.
After killing Freedom City’s previous tyrannical boss and taking over, Ding Hua had arranged for some of the equipment in Freedom City’s Underground Level Two to be repaired. The living conditions in Freedom City were now much better than before.
By the time her subordinate arrived, Ding Hua was interrogating the people Ying Li had exposed.
Freedom City had few inhabitants—only a few thousand in total. Because of that, Ding Hua knew every Sentinel in the city.
She knew many Sentinels here weren’t aligned with her, some even harboring hostility toward her.
After all, not everyone who fled here was a good person. Some had committed murder, robbery, and arson in the city before escaping.
But she hadn’t realized Starlight City had planted nearly ten agents here, using them to extract wealth.
Take that Sentinel from the Shen Family. For several years, he’d been secretly selling drugs in Freedom City that supposedly suppressed Mental Sea Berserk episodes. He not only collected vast amounts of experimental data but also siphoned countless crystal cores out of Freedom City.
And on top of that, those drugs had minimal efficacy and considerable side effects!
Ding Hua’s body was wreathed in powerful mental energy. That mental force resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption, radiating sheer terror.
The traitors were already pressed flat on the floor by Ding Hua’s mental pressure. Even her subordinate dared not approach her closely.
He stood at the office doorway and recounted everything Ying Li had done in Freedom City that day.
“Did anyone identify him?” Ding Hua asked.
Her voice was steady, but turbulent waves roiled beneath the surface.
Her subordinate answered, “I had many people observe him. Not one recognized him. He barely used his mental power, spoke and moved very little—difficult to glean anything from mannerisms. From beginning to end, he never removed his visor. To keep it on, he didn’t even drink water…”
The subordinate further noted that everything Ying Li used was generic Starlight City merchandise. There was no way to trace his identity through his equipment’s origins.
“One thing is certain. He comes from Starlight City,” the subordinate concluded.
Ding Hua said, “One more thing is certain. He has a Guide. I interacted with him. His mental force is exceptionally stable.”
As everyone knew, a Sentinel’s mental force only stayed stable while they were young. Once they aged, mental instability inevitably began.
And an A-Rank Sentinel who could solo an A-Rank Mutant Beast and face them all with such composure couldn’t possibly be young.
He absolutely had a Guide.
The subordinate was startled.
An A-Rank Sentinel with a Guide, who also knew secrets of Starlight City’s major families.
Who the hell was this person?
Had he come to Freedom City to help them, or to manipulate them?
“Too much has happened today. Since he said he’ll return tomorrow, I’ll sound him out myself,” Ding Hua declared. Then, suddenly, she stomped down on the back of the Shen agent sprawled on the floor.
The man’s spine snapped under Ding Hua’s foot. He tried to struggle, tried to detonate his mental power.
But his resistance meant nothing before the overwhelming force of Ding Hua.
She lifted her foot and moved toward the next traitor.
Ying Li’s original plan for today had been: first kill that A-Rank Mutant Beast, then search the area for resources for Xiang Ye.
Once those tasks were done, he’d head to Freedom City to offload the Mutant Pig’s bones and scales, then return to camp.
But encountering that hunting team while killing the A-Rank Mutant Beast forced Ying Li to change his plans.
He hadn’t gone to find resources for Xiang Ye. He could have made it back to camp earlier, but because he hated to waste the Mutant Pig’s meat, he’d spent hours hiring people to process it. By the time he left Freedom City, it was quite late.
He wondered if Xiang Ye was worried.
Of course Xiang Ye was worried.
After sundown, Luo Qiming and the others had all returned to camp.
They considered hunting at night but feared accidents.
Ying Li had always stressed one point when taking them out to hunt: safety first.
This only deepened their gratitude toward Ying Li.
Some hunting teams treated Sentinels like disposable resources, utterly disregarding their wellbeing. Compared to that, Ying Li was far too good.
The four Sentinels pulled a Blackout Cloth taut between the vehicles and set up a simple shelter. Inside, they boiled water on a small Energy Stove and added a packet of pre-seasoned soup mix—made from diced mushrooms, mushroom powder, and salt. Mixed with water in the right proportion, it instantly became a pot of hot broth.
Hu Xiangyang asked Xiang Ye, “Xiang Ye, want some soup?”
Xiang Ye had been using his mental power to capture Black Spots while keeping tabs on the camp entrance. Hu Xiangyang’s words startled him out of his focus. “Yes, thank you.”
Hu Xiangyang poured Xiang Ye a bowl of soup, then joined the others in opening packets of nutrient paste, eating them with the soup.
They ate while discussing the day’s gains. As the conversation flowed, Luo Qiming looked at Xiang Ye. “Xiang Ye, we caught three C-Rank Mutant Beasts today! Three! When we head back to the city, we’ll treat you to something good.”
Again, a pause before Xiang Ye answered, “Alright. Thank you.”
Luo Qiming asked, “What would you like to eat?”
Xiang Ye didn’t have the heart to think about food. “I don’t know.”
“Xiang Ye, do you want some nutrient paste?”
“No, thanks.”
…
Seeing Xiang Ye lost in his own world, Luo Qiming and the others were a bit helpless.
Hu Xiangyang said, “Xiang Ye, stop worrying about Captain Ying. He’s so strong. He’ll definitely come back safe.”
Xiang Ye also knew Ying Li was very powerful. Ying Li was already an A-Rank Sentinel. Generally speaking, there wouldn’t be much danger.
But knowing that didn’t stop him from worrying.
Seeing Xiang Ye still distracted and restless, Hu Xiangyang’s group had no solutions left. They stopped trying and lay down to rest.
A full day had passed. They were utterly exhausted.
Time ticked by, minute by minute. Past nine at night, just as they were planning to rotate into sleep shifts, Hu Xiangyang and the others heard the sound of an approaching motorcycle.
The four shot to their feet, on full alert. Only when the motorcycle drew close and they saw Ying Li in the driver’s seat did they finally relax.
Ying Li’s bike was loaded with quite a few things, but the cargo was wrapped in Sealed Bags that blocked odor and sprayed with scent-eliminating chemicals. They couldn’t tell what it was.
“Captain Ying, you’re back at last!”
“Captain Ying, Xiang Ye’s been waiting for you this whole time!”
“Captain Ying, did you bag a B-Rank Mutant Beast this time?”
…
Ying Li laughed. “I caught one, but I didn’t bring it back. Traded it all for supplies.”
The things behind Ying Li’s motorcycle were supplies? What kind of supplies?
Curious, but they didn’t press further.
Ying Li, meanwhile, looked toward Xiang Ye emerging from the vehicle. Smiling, he asked, “Xiang Ye, want to head out?”
It was fairly late. If Xiang Ye didn’t feel like going out to picnic, they’d just turn in early. If he wanted to go, they’d go.
“Yes!” Xiang Ye replied without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing this, Ying Li gathered the necessary items and took Xiang Ye out for their picnic.
Ying Li and Xiang Ye went out to eat every evening. Luo Qiming and the others had more or less figured out what was going on, but none of them pried.
They knew Ying Li had secrets but asked nothing and certainly wouldn’t talk about it outside.
When they first joined Ying Li’s hunting team, they’d signed confidentiality agreements, pledging not to leak the team’s affairs.
And over this period, Ying Li had reminded them several more times.
Their lives were good now, and following Ying Li promised a bright future. None of them would be stupid enough to betray him.
Ying Li had long ago picked out a spot near camp suitable for their picnics.
He brought Xiang Ye there, set up the lighting equipment, leveled a patch of ground, set out his portable stove, and started a fire to cook the meat.
Before the meat was done, he ate two packets of nutrient paste first.
He was genuinely hungry.
While eating, Ying Li handed the A-Rank Energy Crystal Core to Xiang Ye. “This is my haul for today. A gift for you.”
“An Energy Crystal Core?” Xiang Ye took it and examined it curiously.
Ying Li had given him a D-Rank Energy Crystal Core before. It didn’t look like this one.
“Yes, this is an A-Rank Energy Crystal Core.” Ying Li chuckled softly, a hint of pride in his voice.
Xiang Ye was startled. “You went to kill an A-Rank Mutant Beast? Were you injured?”
He’d indeed been injured, but nothing serious. Ying Li said, “No injuries. You can see I’m fine.”
Xiang Ye wanted to sweep Ying Li with his mental power and check for himself but worried Ying Li might object. He could only let it go and looked back at the A-Rank Energy Crystal Core. “Big Brother Ying, you’re giving this Energy Crystal Core to me? This is an A-Rank Energy Crystal Core!”
“Mm, it’s for you.” Ying Li smiled. “When we’re back in Starlight City, I’ll take you to the auto repair shop and exchange this core for Credit Points. You keep the credits to spend.”
Energy Crystal Cores were useless unless converted to Credit Points. Although exchanging them was a losing deal, Credit Points were more useful for Xiang Ye right now.
Taking his hunting team out for ten days and earning a million Credit Points wasn’t out of line either. The daily prey Luo Qiming and the others caught now was already worth around two hundred thousand—only after deducting fuel, weapon, and other expenses, their net profit was at most a hundred thousand.
“Can we not exchange it?” Xiang Ye asked.
“No. The energy signature of an A-Rank core is too strong and would be detected. This core can’t be brought back into the Underground City. Even storing it in a warehouse runs the risk of discovery,” Ying Li explained.
Hunting that A-Rank Mutant Beast had served multiple purposes.
He’d wanted to test his own strength and needed something impressive to gain leverage with the people of Freedom City.
But the crystal core itself was indeed hard to handle.
Freedom City had no shortage of crystal cores. As for Starlight City… he could only covertly exchange it for money.
Hiding one’s true strength in Starlight City as a Sentinel was extremely difficult. Had he not stumbled upon the auto repair shop’s existence by chance in his previous life, this crystal core would have to be left in Freedom City, impossible to bring home.
Even though Ying Li said this, Xiang Ye still didn’t want to exchange the core for cash. After all, this core had immense sentimental value.
This was the first A-Rank Energy Crystal Core Ying Li had ever obtained!
Was there any way to hide this crystal core?
As they ate, Ying Li recounted the day’s events and told Xiang Ye about Freedom City’s existence.
All of this was entirely foreign to Xiang Ye. He listened intently.
The world Ying Li described differed greatly from the world Xiang Ye knew.
He’d lived his whole life in the Upper City District. He’d assumed Sentinels were all powerful and Guides were all noble. In reality, that wasn’t the case.
But at the moment, he didn’t dwell much on such thoughts. Right now, his attention was fixed on what Ying Li had brought back: several dozen jin of fresh meat, several hundred jin of dried jerky, and several dozen jin of lard.
If he could purify all of this… wouldn’t they be able to eat meat every single day for the foreseeable future?
The jerky and lard could even be brought back into the Underground City!
Xiang Ye mentally resolved to work hard tomorrow at purging Corrosive Energy.
It was already eleven when the two of them returned to camp.
Out in the wilds, there was no way to wash up. Ying Li changed clothes and began to rest. Xiang Ye also crawled into his sleeping bag.
Truthfully, Xiang Ye felt he didn’t need even a sleeping bag anymore. Last time they’d come out of the city, he’d found the wilderness terribly cold, but now he was already adjusted to the outdoor temperatures.
But Ying Li would definitely not allow him to go without.
Xiang Ye sighed softly, attached one fine thread of his mental energy to Ying Li, and sank into deep sleep.
The next day, Ying Li brought the Sealed Bags of pork into the Roof Tent and stowed them carefully. After breakfast, he left.
Once Ying Li was gone, Xiang Ye settled into the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
The meat wasn’t right beside him—it was in the tent overhead—but his mental power extended fifty meters. He could still clean the Corrosive Energy inside.
Only, when he did this, to everyone else, he looked like he was spacing out.
Xiang Ye began by cleaning the Black Spots in the fresh meat. After working for a while, he decided to switch tasks and started on the Black Spots in the dried meat.
The dried meat was truly dense with Black Spots, packed in layer upon layer. Xiang Ye didn’t even know where to begin.
Why not just grab at random? He felt he could casually snatch out a whole cluster now.
He plunged his Mental Tentacle into the jerky and pulled hard—yanking out a mass of Black Spots.
The Black Spots clung to his mental power, making him extremely uncomfortable. But if he rubbed his Mental Tentacle back and forth, he could scrape them all off.
Wait. If the Black Spots stuck to his Mental Tentacle…
Xiang Ye wove his Mental Tentacle into a net, selected a chunk of jerky, and cast the net down.
All the Black Spots in that piece of jerky adhered to his mental power!
It took Xiang Ye considerable effort and some loss of mental power to shake those Black Spots off his mental power.
But the efficiency of this method was frighteningly high.
Just now, in that single net-cast, he’d gathered more Black Spots than he used to capture in an entire day.
Though cleaning the Black Spots off his Mental Tentacle afterward and recovering his mental power took about an hour, he had more than ten usable hours each day. That meant… he could now purify ten times as much meat per day as before!
He could let Ying Li eat nothing but meat and skip the nutrient paste entirely!
Xiang Ye’s eyes blazed. He threw himself into the work.
