When Ying Li joined the Yu Family Hunting Team in his past life, he had just turned twenty and was still very young.
Having always lived in the Upper City District and only briefly been part of a small-scale hunting team, he knew nothing about the Central District, nor did he understand the intricate politics and hidden rules of a large hunting team.
It was during that time that he inadvertently offended one of Yu Mingwei’s friends, Yu Juntao.
Yu Juntao was also from the Yu Family, but only from a branch family line.
These great families gave dividends to their members, but by the time it reached Yu Juntao, the monthly payout he could receive was already quite small—only one hundred thousand credits.
In order to live a better life, Yu Juntao began currying favor with Yu Mingwei, eventually becoming one of his bootlickers.
Yu Mingwei wasn’t a good person; he was full of schemes. But he was very good at putting on a facade, appearing as unblemished as the moon and as clear as the wind.
Yu Juntao, however, was different. He had a violent temper, acted ruthlessly, and was deeply detested by everyone.
After Yu Mingwei took over the hunting team, Yu Juntao was given a nominal position within it.
He drew a salary but did no work. Worse, he would extort benefits from the Sentinels in the hunting team who had no powerful backing.
Ying Li still remembered his twenty-year-old self, full of youthful vigor, refusing to hand over the fruits of his hard labor to Yu Juntao. This offended the man, who then subjected him to all sorts of harassment.
Yu Juntao intentionally assigned him dangerous work. When they went out to hunt in the wilderness, he would make Ying Li stand watch every night, preventing him from getting any sleep.
Luckily, Ying Li was diligent in his work and put in great effort. Coupled with his young age, some of the older Sentinels in the hunting team looked out for him, ensuring he wasn’t tormented by Yu Juntao to the point of losing his life.
Back then, Yu Mingwei even played the good guy, reprimanding Yu Juntao in front of him, hoping to gain Ying Li’s undying gratitude.
But Ying Li wasn’t stupid. Yu Mingwei’s reprimands were painless and ineffective. They only earned him Ying Li’s surface-level appreciation.
He didn’t believe for a second that Yu Mingwei didn’t know the things Yu Juntao did in the hunting team. Yet Yu Mingwei never actually stopped him, only offering lip service now and then…
Ying Li felt both of them were bad news—birds of a feather flocking together.
The facts were indeed just so.
From what he observed later, many of the dirty deeds Yu Mingwei didn’t want to do himself were carried out by Yu Juntao.
Yu Juntao’s tyrannical behavior in the hunting team was tacitly permitted by Yu Mingwei.
And right now, the person screaming his head off inside that RV was none other than Yu Juntao.
Though this man was despicable, he wasn’t stupid. By shouting that the RV had cameras recording everything happening around it, he genuinely made it so the hunting team members dared not abandon him.
The Sentinels in the hunting team all had families; many had Guides. If they abandoned Yu Juntao and ran for their lives, upon returning to the city, they would certainly face the Yu Family’s retaliation, potentially even endangering their families.
Sentinels who abandoned their employer to flee in such a critical moment would also struggle to find shelter with any other family.
They could only fight to the death.
Ying Li sighed. If it were his past-life self facing this situation, he would also have no choice but to fight desperately to protect Yu Juntao.
Then, the hunting team would probably manage to kill this berserk A-Rank Mutant Beast after losing several members.
Ying Li had no desire to save Yu Juntao. In fact, he’d rather see Yu Juntao drop dead. But those ordinary members of the Yu Family Hunting Team were innocent.
They were also his former comrades-in-arms. He didn’t want any of them to die.
Ying Li’s thoughts were numerous, but his rush towards the battlefield didn’t pause for an instant.
The captain of this Yu Family hunting team was an A-Rank Sentinel, with a vast range for his mental perception.
Shortly after Ying Li sensed their presence, the captain also perceived Ying Li’s approach.
Startled at first, he relaxed upon realizing the newcomer was a human.
It was unlikely someone would come alone to pick a fight with a hunting team as large as theirs. It was probably a Sentinel out hunting who noticed their predicament and wanted to help.
Judging by how the newcomer was heading straight for them with pinpoint accuracy from so far away, the man was likely an A-Rank Sentinel.
With an experienced A-Rank Sentinel lending a hand, their odds of defeating this A-Rank Mutant Beast in front of them would increase dramatically!
Therefore, as Ying Li drew near, the Hunting Team Captain loudly shouted: “Brother, please help! We’ll reward you handsomely!”
Ying Li heard the words but didn’t reply. He maneuvered his motorcycle close to the A-Rank Mutant Beast, then leaped from the bike, charging straight at the beast.
Battle erupted in an instant.
This Yu Family hunting team originally had five A-Rank Sentinels. However, after Yu Mingwei took over as head, two of the A-Rank Sentinels left with the previous leader. Now, only three A-Rank Sentinels remained.
Of those three, one was a Yu Family member with terrible combat ability who always slacked off—so while three could enter the fray, just two could really contribute.
Yet, by misfortune, the A-Rank Mutant Beast they provoked was exceptionally powerful, just a step away from S-Rank. To make matters worse, it was a mother beast that had recently lost its cub, making it utterly berserk.
And that wasn’t all. When this Mutant Beast charged at the hunting team, it drove a pack of B-Rank Mutant Beasts ahead of it!
Meaning, the hunting team first clashed with a swarm of B-Rank Mutant Beasts, and then faced the A-Rank beast that had been hunting those very B-Ranks. The A-Rank beast then locked its sights on them.
And on top of all that, there was a Yu Juntao in the team…
The captain of the hunting team was surnamed Zhang. Right now, Captain Zhang hated Yu Juntao to the core!
This area was near an A-Rank Mutant Beast’s territory. He hadn’t intended to come here originally. It was Yu Juntao who insisted on coming because he’d heard rumors of strange mutated plants in this area that could boost a Sentinel’s strength.
He just hoped that with someone’s help now, they could kill this A-Rank beast quickly!
Captain Zhang was just thinking this when the A-Rank Mutant Beast—so devastatingly powerful against him—toppled down right before his eyes with a crash.
The beast had been killed!
Excitement filled Captain Zhang’s eyes.
After killing the Mutant Beast, Ying Li said to Captain Zhang: “This beast was my kill. It belongs to me.”
Ying Li’s helmet and visor were fully covering his face; Captain Zhang couldn’t make out his features.
But the battle just now had shown him clearly what Ying Li was capable of.
He dared not offend such a powerful Sentinel!
“This beast should naturally belong to you, sir!” Captain Zhang immediately replied.
Ying Li nodded in satisfaction.
This Captain Zhang was his old captain; the man had led him for many years.
This person was cautious by nature and rather middling in character—no grand ambition, just a desire for stability. He wouldn’t bully the hunting team members, but he also couldn’t protect them.
Ying Li felt no dislike towards him.
He glanced around at the surrounding Sentinels. Although there were some with severe injuries, he saw that none of them had died. Relaxing a little, he walked straight toward the A-Rank Mutant Beast and began to dismember its carcass.
As soon as he started, several B-Rank Sentinels exchanged glances and then approached. “Sir, we’ll help you!”
Ying Li didn’t refuse. Having help? Why not?
But the most precious thing on the beast—the crystal core—he would retrieve himself.
Ying Li removed the A-Rank crystal core from the beast’s body and placed it into a box he took from his person. It was at that moment that Yu Juntao descended from the RV, his face dark as he looked at Ying Li. “Who are you? This A-Rank beast was something we discovered and hunted first! Who gave you the right to steal the crystal core?”
Yu Juntao had taken on a task from Yu Mingwei this time, which was why he accompanied the hunting team outside the city.
Yu Mingwei had taken a liking to a Guide in the Upper City District named Wu Nian, and that Guide had previously been involved with a Sentinel named Ying Li.
Yu Mingwei was displeased with this Ying Li, so he instructed Yu Juntao to find an opportunity to deal with Ying Li.
After receiving the mission, Yu Juntao had dispatched people to tail Ying Li’s hunting team, wanting to know where Ying Li was hunting.
But somehow, the person tracking Ying Li had been shaken off. They only knew the general direction, not the specific location of Ying Li’s team.
Finding a hunting team with just a single truck out in the wilderness was difficult. Yu Juntao had planned to try again next time. But then, he accidentally learned that mutated plants capable of boosting a Sentinel’s strength had appeared in a certain area.
He simply decided to follow the hunting team out of the city.
Unexpectedly, not only did they fail to find the mutated plants, but they were attacked by an A-Rank Mutant Beast!
While the A-Rank Mutant Beast was still alive, Yu Juntao had been terrified, deathly afraid he would die there. But once someone killed the beast, his mindset changed.
If he could return from this outing with an A-Rank crystal core, the Yu Family would surely see him in a new light!
As for this Sentinel who had killed the A-Rank beast… The man’s strength was A-Rank at most. The reason he could kill the beast was most likely because they had already wounded it!
Yu Juntao also had another thought—their hunting team had three A-Rank Sentinels, yet they couldn’t kill a single A-Rank Mutant Beast… Were these people deliberately feigning weakness, just to make him look like a fool?
In any case, Yu Juntao now wanted the crystal core back.
Ying Li looked at Yu Juntao: “I stole the crystal core?”
“If you aren’t stealing it, then what? This beast was already surrounded by my Yu Family’s hunting team. It would have been dead soon!” Yu Juntao retorted.
The B-Rank Sentinels who were helping Ying Li dismember the beast stiffened, their faces changing color.
Before Ying Li appeared, they had all been injured; some had nearly died.
Without Ying Li, their hunting team could indeed have killed the beast eventually—but they might not have lived through it!
Captain Zhang even spoke up: “Young Master Juntao, that Mutant Beast was extremely powerful. Without this gentleman’s help, we would have suffered heavy losses…”
“Bullsht heavy losses! I say you were all slacking off, refusing to do your jobs properly!” Yu Juntao glared at Captain Zhang, then turned back to Ying Li. “The Yu Family is not someone you can afford to offend. Hand over the crystal core, now!”
Yu Juntao didn’t take Ying Li seriously. Partly because he was surrounded by dozens of Yu Family Sentinels, and partly because Ying Li’s vehicle and combat suit were all cheap goods.
This person was clearly a Sentinel with no background.
“And if I refuse to hand it over?” Ying Li asked.
Yu Juntao sneered: “This crystal core belongs to the Yu Family. If you don’t hand it over, you won’t be able to sell it anywhere later.”
“Is that so?” Ying Li gave a soft laugh. Suddenly, his mental power surged and pressed down on Yu Juntao.
Recently, he’d been pressured by the mental power of Ding Hua and Boss Lin. Now, finally, it was his turn to use his mental power to oppress someone else!
If he hadn’t disguised himself, he definitely wouldn’t have dared to act so rashly. But he was wearing a disguise!
Even if he killed Yu Juntao, these people wouldn’t know it was him.
The A-Rank Mutant Beast he killed had scared Yu Juntao half to death. Where did Yu Juntao find the guts to provoke him?
