Chapter 3: Thorny Devil Lizard
Under Yan Zhou’s guidance, Yan Zhengxiang drove the truck to a nearby base station. As their vehicle stopped, several young men in black tank tops, their bodies rippling with muscle, walked over.
The man in the lead was unshaven, with a terrifying scar running from his right temple to the corner of his mouth.
Li Xiang ducked down and peered through the front windshield.
A moment later, his eyes widened. He lowered his voice and said to the others in the truck, shocked, “Scarface, a famous bounty hunter from the East District. He’s the one going to the northern uninhabited zone with us?!”
Jiang Ning was about to curiously join in the excitement when, in the next second, Uncle Yan rolled down the window on Yan Zhou’s side, which also brought down the windows in the back seat where Li Xiang and Jiang Ning were sitting.
The spot where Jiang Ning had been resting her head suddenly became empty, and she stumbled slightly.
Jiang Ning: “…”
Fortunately, everyone’s attention was on Scarface, so no one noticed.
After the window was down, Li Xiang became a little scared seeing Scarface’s menacing appearance. He quickly asked, “Uncle Yan, what are you doing? Why did you roll down my window too?”
Uncle Yan turned back, a bit apologetic. “Did I scare you? I’m really sorry. This truck was broken when I bought it. When you open the window on the right, the whole thing comes down. There’s nothing to be done about it. Li Xiang, you’ll just have to bear with it.”
Li Xiang felt a surge of frustration, but since he was hitching a ride in their truck, he couldn’t say much.
Scarface had already walked up to their truck. He rested his arm on Yan Zhou’s window frame, leaned down, and let his gaze sweep over the people sitting inside. He said in a snide tone, “Not bad, Yan Zhou. You’ve gathered the old, the weak, the women, and the children.”
“These are the people you found? They wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between a mutated beast’s teeth,” Scarface sneered.
He whistled at Jiang Ning and raised an eyebrow with a grin. “Little sister, have all your teeth grown in yet? Hahahaha.”
Although Jiang Ning was thin, her face was still quite pretty.
She turned her head away, refusing to look at them.
Finding it boring, Scarface didn’t bother her further.
Scarface’s mockery made everyone in the truck look rather grim. Yan Zhou said coldly, “Scarface, who I find is none of your business. As long as we can ensure the smooth cooperation between our two districts, that’s all that matters.”
“No, no, no, how could it be none of my business?” Scarface shook his head repeatedly. “The people you find directly determine how many mutated beasts we can hunt. Look at these brothers I’ve brought. Which one of them isn’t strong and robust? To be honest, we’re getting the short end of the stick here.”
A bad feeling welled up in his heart. Yan Zhou looked at him, his tone unfriendly. “What are you trying to do?”
“Seriously, if it weren’t for the fact that you’ve awakened an A-rank ability, there’s no way our two districts could cooperate, right?” Scarface made a gesture with his fingers. “After this is done, we get six parts, you get four. If you agree, this deal is still on. Otherwise, we from the East District will just turn back. How about it?”
“…”
The faces of everyone in the truck turned ashen. Scarface was clearly jacking up the price on the spot.
Yan Zhou’s face was also grim as he quickly analyzed the pros and cons in his mind.
In truth, even without Scarface and his men, they could still have a decent harvest. But he was planning to go deeper, to the central point of the northern uninhabited zone, to hunt higher-level mutated beasts.
The market for low-level mutated beasts was already saturated, and prices were severely depressed. To earn more money, they had to try more adventurous methods.
Scarface and his men had been operating in the northern uninhabited zone for years and were far more experienced than their group. With their help, they could naturally achieve more.
Yan Zhou’s expression was grave. He looked up at Scarface. “We need to discuss this.”
“Fine. I’ll give you time to discuss. Remember to find me when you’re done.” Scarface grinned, not pushing them into a corner. He turned and went back to his own vehicle.
After Scarface left, Yan Zhou turned to face the others.
“Everyone, you all saw the situation just now. If we want Scarface and his group to continue cooperating with us, we have to accept a four-six split. What does everyone think?”
Internally, Yan Zhou didn’t want to agree, or he would have done so just now.
But the others in the truck clearly didn’t realize this.
Auntie Li glanced at the people around her and said, “Why don’t we just go with four-six? After all, Scarface is a regular in the contaminated zones. We still have to rely on them…”
“Cooperating with Scarface at least guarantees us four parts. If we go at it alone, it’s hard to say if we can even get that much,” Uncle Li chimed in.
Scarface’s strength in the slums was well-known to everyone.
After hearing their suggestions, Yan Zhou fell into deep thought.
Yan Zhengxiang glanced at the co-driver’s seat. Based on his familiarity with his son, he guessed Yan Zhou was unwilling. So, Yan Zhengxiang spoke up, “Son, what are you thinking? I’ll follow your lead.”
“I haven’t decided,” Yan Zhou admitted, shaking his head.
Time ticked by, but the group couldn’t come to a conclusion.
The team tacitly considered Yan Zhou their leader. If he didn’t make a decision, their discussions were meaningless.
Yan Zhou looked through the rearview mirror at Jiang Ning, who had been silent in the back seat. “Jiang Ning, do you also think a four-six split is acceptable?”
The final harvest concerned everyone’s interests. If Jiang Ning also felt that four-six was fine, then he could only agree.
“What?” Jiang Ning had been zoning out, looking at the scenery outside the window, and hadn’t been listening to the conversation. Suddenly being called upon, she looked momentarily bewildered.
“Brother Yan Zhou, why are you even asking for her opinion? It’s not like she can help with anything,” Li Xiang said, pouting with a look of complete incomprehension.
Jiang Ning was an orphan. It was already good of them to bring her along.
Yan Zhou waited quietly for her answer. In his mind, everyone was a part of the team, and there should be no favoritism.
Through Li Xiang’s words, Jiang Ning realized what Yan Zhou had asked her.
“I think…” she opened her mouth, her voice crisp and clear.
“If you don’t want to agree but also don’t want to offend him, why not try making a bet with him?”
Yan Zhou pressed, “What kind of bet?”
“We’ll compete based on the number of kills. If we get more, it’s a six-four split. Conversely, if they get more, it’s a three-seven split,” Jiang Ning said slowly.
She had even raised the stakes for the other party by one part. There was no reason for Scarface to refuse such a wager.
“Are you crazy or am I? A three-seven split?” Li Xiang, who had been listening intently to Jiang Ning, instantly flew into a rage. “I think you’re really out of your mind.”
“Jiang Ning, don’t cause trouble. According to your bet, if we lose, we won’t even get four parts,” Uncle Li also said with a frown.
Jiang Ning’s lips moved. “Of course, I’m just making a suggestion. Yan Zhou is an A-rank ability user, after all. Everything still depends on his decision.”
She deliberately emphasized that Yan Zhou was an A-rank ability user. Weren’t A-rank ability users supposed to be incredibly powerful, practically one in ten thousand on their Planet M412? Why did she feel like these people didn’t completely trust him?
At her reminder, the others belatedly remembered that Yan Zhou was an A-rank ability user.
The group fell into a collective silence.
That being said, what if they still lost?
“Son…” Yan Zhengxiang placed a hand on Yan Zhou’s shoulder, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.
Yan Zhou thought it over seriously for a good while before looking at the others. “I think Jiang Ning’s suggestion is feasible.”
“If we win, we get an extra part.”
He was confident in his own abilities. If he didn’t have at least a seventy or eighty percent certainty, he wouldn’t have agreed.
Although Uncle Li, Auntie Li, and Li Xiang still had some reservations, they were hesitant and could only follow Yan Zhou’s decision for now.
After reaching an agreement, Yan Zhou got out of the truck to negotiate with Scarface.
In the truck, Li Xiang shot a cold glance at Jiang Ning. “This is all your fault for running your mouth. If we lose, you can forget about getting your share!”
Jiang Ning rubbed her empty stomach. If she couldn’t get any money, wouldn’t she have to starve again? She frowned and retorted, “No way!”
“No way?” Li Xiang snorted coldly. “You’re the one who suggested it, so shouldn’t you be the one to bear the loss?”
Jiang Ning took a deep breath and pursed her lips.
In order not to starve, they absolutely could not lose!
It seemed her inner power was about to erupt.
After Yan Zhou returned, it turned out that Scarface’s side had agreed to the bet.
The truck drove all the way to their destination.
Yan Zhengxiang parked the truck, and everyone got out.
Seeing that Scarface’s men had also gotten out of their vehicle, Yan Zhou called everyone over and instructed, “Everyone, pay attention. This is the territory of the Thorny Devil Lizards. They are skilled at blending in with their surroundings. Their scales are hard and have strong penetrating power, so everyone must stay alert, watch your surroundings, and don’t fall into their ambush.”
Thorny Devil Lizard?
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. The name sounded familiar. Was it the Thorny Devil Lizard she was thinking of?
Yan Zhou glanced at the approaching Scarface and said, “Scarface, our two groups will split up for now. We’ll join forces when we head towards the central area.”
“Fine.” Scarface agreed readily. He shot the ‘old, weak, women, and children’ an arrogant look, already treating the mutated beasts they were about to hunt as his own. “All of you, get your act together and hunt those mutated beasts properly for me.”
After Scarface left, Li Xiang, with nowhere to vent his pent-up frustration, gave Jiang Ning a nasty look. “Look what you’ve done.”
Jiang Ning didn’t even spare him a glance. She went to the back of the truck, grabbed a half-blade, and walked in the opposite direction from Scarface’s group.
“Putting on an act! Let’s see how many mutated beasts you can kill,” Li Xiang muttered. He rummaged through the back of the truck, picked a weapon that felt right, and also walked off. Unwilling to be with Jiang Ning, he headed towards Yan Zhengxiang.
Auntie Li wanted to help Jiang Ning, but she was called over by Uncle Li.
On one side was her husband, on the other, a neighbor with no blood relation. Auntie Li naturally chose her husband without hesitation.
Auntie Li thought to herself that Jiang Ning probably wasn’t that unlucky; she could just wander around near them.
Unawakened ordinary people needed the help of weapons to be able to fight low-level mutated beasts, but awakened individuals like Yan Zhou didn’t. He walked directly to an open area.
He released his psychic energy, unleashing his earth-type tracking ability.
The Earth Elemental Power he had awakened had a natural affinity for soil. The northern uninhabited zone was practically his comfort zone. Even without systematic ability training, Yan Zhou could easily handle low-level mutated beasts like the Thorny Devil Lizard just by relying on his instinctual control over the elements.
A short while later, Jiang Ning saw three massive lizards burst out from the ground within a twenty-meter radius of Yan Zhou.
The earth-shattering roar made the ground beneath them tremble.
Before she could observe how Yan Zhou would use his elemental power to deal with those giant lizards, she felt a strange movement under her own feet.
A giant beast, crimson all over and covered in sharp spines, appeared before her.
“A Thorny Devil Lizard!”
Jiang Ning’s eyes widened. After finally getting a clear look at this thing’s appearance, she actually felt a surprising sense of familiarity.
It wasn’t her fault for reacting so strongly. In her world, this creature was only palm-sized, had a gentle temperament, and was kept as a pet.
This was like running into an old friend from back home.
What Jiang Ning didn’t understand was how the docile Thorny Devil Lizard had grown so large in the interstellar era.
Before she could figure it out, the enormous Thorny Devil Lizard swept its tail, a mass of sharp spines, towards her.
Damn it!
Jiang Ning cursed inwardly. This Thorny Devil Lizard didn’t play fair.
Hearing the noise, the few people nearby all looked in Jiang Ning’s direction. The same thought rose in their minds.
Jiang Ning is done for!
Although they looked down on Jiang Ning for her lack of strength and for always holding them back, none of them wanted to see her die here.
Everyone’s heart was in their throat.
Yan Zhou, who was busy dealing with three Thorny Devil Lizards, also spared a sliver of his attention to check on Jiang Ning’s situation. Unfortunately, his control over his elemental power was still not proficient. Handling three Thorny Devil Lizards at once was already his limit. Other than worrying uselessly, he couldn’t save her.
The Thorny Devil Lizard’s armored scales and spines covered its entire body. Although it moved slowly and its attacks weren’t strong, it was very tricky to deal with. Hunting Thorny Devil Lizards was a battle of attrition.
At the same time.
Jiang Ning, at the center of the storm, jumped and dodged. The little bit of food she had managed to eat was completely used up. She fought back the urge to retch and climbed to her feet.
Jiang Ning supported herself with the half-blade, raising an eyebrow at the massive ‘old friend’.
Provoked, the fleshy sac under the Thorny Devil Lizard’s neck began to swell rapidly, soon covering its original head.
She suddenly revealed a cunning smile. Pushing off the ground with her back leg, she lunged forward, stabbing towards the fleshy sac that had swollen to a considerable size.
Jiang Ning hung her entire body on the half-blade, forcefully slicing downwards.
The next second, the fleshy sac tore open from the middle. Thick, viscous liquid sprayed down from above, drenching Jiang Ning.
The moment the fleshy sac burst, the Thorny Devil Lizard’s massive body collapsed.
The giant mutated beast now lay motionless.