Chapter 28: Roasted Bird Leg

Ying Li was very alert while sleeping. He noticed the moment Xiang Ye woke up.

But it was still early, so he didn’t move. Instead, he just extended his Mental Power to observe the surroundings.

He then “saw” Xiang Ye envelop the beast egg placed inside the tent with Mental Power, clearing the egg of its Corrosive Energy.

This kid was truly hardworking, starting his efforts so early in the morning.

Ying Li smiled and began to contemplate the tasks ahead.

The vehicle they were using now was rented. He couldn’t arrange it according to his own preferences, making it inconvenient. He needed to earn money diligently and buy his own vehicle as soon as possible.

Ideally, a larger vehicle.

As for how to make money, that would naturally be through hunting.

This valley was not far from the Safe Zone, so the beasts living here were of relatively low rank. But venturing a bit further out would bring encounters with B-Rank beasts.

When Ying Li was first reborn, facing a B-Rank beast alone might not have guaranteed victory. However, his strength had increased significantly during this period. Dealing with a B-Rank beast now wouldn’t be difficult.

Not only were B-Rank Crystal Cores valuable, but other parts of the beast were too. Capturing one would net at least two hundred thousand Credit Points.

By six in the morning, Luo Qiming and the others began eating breakfast and preparing for the hunt.

Ying Li also sat up.

Sentinels always slept fully armed, and they definitely didn’t use sleeping bags. That way, they could immediately enter combat mode if danger arose.

Thus, he opened the tent and went straight out. “I’ve already taught you how to hunt Flying Mutant Beasts. Today, you’ll hunt on your own. Go out in pairs in shifts, just like yesterday.”

“Yes, Captain Ying.” The four acknowledged.

Seeing this, Ying Li then looked at Xiang Ye, who had sat up as well and was now struggling to free himself from his sleeping bag. “Xiang Ye, I’m heading to a different area to hunt today. I probably won’t make it back for noon. Stay in the camp and be very mindful of safety.”

“You won’t be back for noon?” Xiang Ye was immensely disappointed. He had thought that at his pace, he could clear the Corrosive Energy from two beast eggs by noon.

That way, he and Ying Li could each have an egg at lunch!

But now Ying Li had to go out…

“I probably won’t make it back, but I’ll come back early,” Ying Li said, smiling at him before giving a few more instructions.

After breakfast at the camp, Ying Li got on his motorcycle and left.

Watching him disappear into the distance, Xiang Ye felt a bit listless.

But he quickly rallied.

While Ying Li was away, he had to work hard and clear all the Corrosive Energy from the remaining four beast eggs.

Xiang Ye moved the four eggs into the vehicle, placed the Mini Cannons Ying Li had bought for him nearby, and busied himself.

Luo Qiming and the others went out hunting in rotating pairs. Those who returned processed prey and rested.

During this time, they noticed Xiang Ye seemed to be spacing out constantly.

Ying Li was very concerned about Xiang Ye’s safety and had specifically instructed that Xiang Ye could only get out of the vehicle when all four of them were in the camp.

Sitting in the vehicle the whole time, Xiang Ye must be quite bored.

Luo Qiming asked him, “Xiang Ye, I brought a game console with a lot of offline games. Want to play?”

Xiang Ye snapped back to reality, flicking the Black Spots stuck to his Mental Power away. “No, thank you.”

He was busy catching Black Spots!

The work was indeed boring, but thinking that after clearing the spots, delicious beast eggs awaited made him brim with motivation.

Compared to the wall-cleaning work he used to do, clearing beast eggs was truly effortless and easy.

“Alright, just let me know if you want to play,” Luo Qiming said.

Not long after speaking with Xiang Ye, Luo Qiming and Hu Xiangyang headed out to hunt together.

Ying Li required them to rotate partners daily to familiarize themselves with every teammate.

Once outside, Luo Qiming said, “Xiang Ye seems to really like those beast eggs, keeps holding them. Should we snatch a few more nests for him?”

Hu Xiangyang had personally witnessed Ying Li raiding the nests. “The nests are on the cliff face. You have to climb up to get them, plus Flying Mutant Beasts attack you on the way. Think you can manage?”

Luo Qiming couldn’t. He just said, “Forget it, I won’t bother. Let him keep incubating the eggs Captain Ying gave him.”

They continued hunting. Elsewhere, Ying Li was also hunting.

He spotted a B-Rank beast in the distance and began to stealthily approach, concealing himself.

Once close enough, Ying Li leaped up and launched his assault…

It took roughly half an hour before Ying Li killed the B-Rank beast, sustaining some minor injuries himself in the process.

But this degree of injury was nothing for a Sentinel, not even requiring treatment.

Ying Li swiftly processed the beast, taking the valuable parts and leaving the meat behind. Then he dug a pit nearby and hid inside to rest.

While he rested, a C-Rank beast and several D-Rank beasts approached to eat the B-Rank beast’s meat. He took care of them too as a bonus.

By this point, it was noon.

In his previous life, he would definitely have continued hunting. But now…

Ying Li pulled out some Nutrient Paste to fill his stomach first, then got on his motorcycle and began heading back.

Along the way, he killed a few more D-Rank beasts.

Ying Li returned to camp at two in the afternoon.

He arrived covered in blood and grime, the back of his motorcycle piled with materials.

His appearance was rather disheveled, so he didn’t enter the camp. He dropped the items off, gave a brief instruction—”I’m going to find a place to wash up. You guys help organize this stuff”—and went off.

Luo Qiming, who was currently staying in the camp, acknowledged. In the blink of an eye, Ying Li had vanished.

He and Hu Xiangyang started sorting through the items Ying Li had brought back. While doing so, they discovered B-Rank beast Crystal Cores and bones among the haul.

“Is this a B-Rank Crystal Core?”

“Captain Ying killed a B-Rank beast this trip?”

“Captain Ying is way too strong!”

…

They knew Ying Li was a B-Rank Sentinel and that he had killed a B-Rank beast before.

But for him to go out for just half a day and bring back so much spoils truly amazed them.

They suddenly felt like they were holding Ying Li back.

Without them tagging along, without needing to spend time instructing them, Ying Li could probably earn even more.

While they marveled at Ying Li’s strength, Xiang Ye was nervously staring in the direction Ying Li had left.

He knew hunting outside the city was dangerous, but he hadn’t truly felt it before. Just now, seeing Ying Li covered in filth, he had clearly recognized that reality.

Was Ying Li hurt?

Was he alright now?

Xiang Ye lost even the mood to train his Mental Power. He watched the camp entrance restlessly for a full half hour, only relaxing when Ying Li reappeared with his cleaned motorcycle, now washed up himself. Still, his Mental Power couldn’t help but hover around Ying Li, observing him.

Ying Li sensed Xiang Ye’s Mental Power and his anxiety. Smiling, he said, “I’m fine. It was all beast blood.”

Xiang Ye murmured an agreement and asked, “Big Brother Ying, do you want to sleep in the tent for a bit?”

The staff at the Orphanage had jobs that weren’t physically strenuous, but they still took afternoon naps.

Luo Qiming and the others also took turns napping after returning from a hunt.

Ying Li had been busy all day. Shouldn’t he sleep a little too?

Ying Li considered it and said, “Alright.”

He had rushed back partly to take Xiang Ye out for a private meal.

But here Xiang Ye was, first thinking of letting him rest.

It was still early; a bit of rest would be nice.

Ying Li slept for half an hour in the tent. When he woke up, he felt his injuries were mostly healed.

He flipped down from the vehicle roof and grinned at Xiang Ye, who was sitting inside. “Want to go out for a stroll?”

Xiang Ye had been observing Ying Li for a while. Seeing his complexion was good, he smiled and nodded in agreement.

In the camp, there were many sealed bags used for storing valuable Mutant Beast parts. Xiang Ye took two sealed bags, packed the four beast eggs into them, and added one bird leg he’d gotten from Luo Qiming.

He had barely rested all day. The Corrosive Energy in all four eggs and the bird leg was now completely cleared.

The bird leg had taken the longest. The Corrosive Energy in the eggs was relatively sparse and much easier to remove.

With a single sweep of his Mental Power, Ying Li knew exactly what Xiang Ye had packed, and his anticipation soared.

Having delicious food ready as soon as he returned from a hunt was truly blissful.

Ying Li fashioned a pot out of repair tools and scrap metal to take along. Then he scooped up Xiang Ye and headed to the same spot they had visited the previous day.

The scenery was good there, and the camp stove was already set up—perfect for a picnic.

Two beast eggs were prepared like yesterday. The other two were boiled in water. As for the bird leg, Ying Li roasted it over the fire.

He’d never roasted meat before and was afraid of ruining such a huge piece. So he was very careful, constantly monitoring the bird leg with his Mental Power. Whenever any sign of charring appeared, he immediately rotated its position.

“This is my first time roasting meat. I don’t know if it will turn out good… but I definitely won’t burn it,” Ying Li said with a smile.

Xiang Ye took a deep breath. “Big Brother Ying, this meat smells amazing. Your roasting is definitely going to be delicious.”

He’d cooked meat before, but the meat he’d made previously wasn’t as aromatic as this bird leg.

The smell of this bird leg was just too tantalizing, wasn’t it?

Ying Li also thought the bird leg smelled irresistible and couldn’t wait to take a bite.

But he held back. Once he determined the leg was thoroughly cooked, he removed it from the fire.

He tore off about a third of the meat and handed the rest of the leg to Xiang Ye. “Xiang Ye, eat more. Eating plenty of meat helps you grow taller.”

After saying this, Ying Li sprinkled a bit of salt on his portion and took a bite.

The beast meat was very dense and not that easy to chew, but with one bite, the meat’s natural flavor spread across his palate.

The Ecological Zone’s chickens, because of their short breeding cycle, were always exceptionally tender. They were slippery in texture and their bones practically crumbled at a touch.

That type of meat actually didn’t suit a Sentinel’s preferences.

A Sentinel’s teeth were also enhanced. They liked meat with more bite.

The soft, mushy food in the Underground City didn’t suit his palate at all.

But this meat was different. It suited him perfectly.

Ying Li nearly swallowed his own tongue along with the meat.

Xiang Ye tore off a strip and ate it, but found the meat a bit tough to chew.

However, it was incredibly fragrant, becoming more savory the longer he chewed!

But Xiang Ye didn’t outwardly show his difficulty. He chewed hard, and after putting great effort into finishing the small shredded strip, he peeled off the roasted skin from the bird leg and handed the remaining meat to Ying Li. “Big Brother Ying, I can’t really chew this meat. You take it. I’ll just eat the skin—it’s even more fragrant.”

The perfectly roasted bird skin was crispy and genuinely delicious.

As for the meat, he wanted to give it to Ying Li.