"Pfft..."
The next moment, the escape pod launched. He quickly scrambled inside and sealed the hatch.
"Ding! Preparing to launch the escape pod... Countdown...
Three!
Two!
One!"
"Bang!!"
At high velocity, Storm Red abruptly ejected a capsule-shaped device, vanishing into the horizon at an unimaginable speed.
The systems of Storm Red shut down completely after losing control. Its cyclopean spotlight dimmed accordingly.
"Hah!"
Radon effortlessly snatched the falling Storm Red with its claws and turned to meet the approaching Qin Shou.
...
Outside the Black Ape Beast nest, Radon descended from the sky, gently placing Storm Red on the ground. Qin Shou exited his transformation state as well.
After a brief search, Qin Shou managed to pry open the cockpit forcefully.
As expected, the cockpit was empty.
Most likely, the capsule-shaped device earlier was indeed the so-called escape pod.
Qin Shou chuckled, not giving it much thought.
The reason he acted was purely for the mecha itself.
Without exposing Radon, Qin Shou had zero concerns about that mechanical master seeking revenge later.
Revenge?
Find me first, then we'll talk!
What? You found me?
Sorry, I've already leveled up. I'll snatch your stuff again!
After that, Qin Shou inspected the mecha's condition.
Good. The damage level wasn't too high—this was a big win.
He glanced at the mecha's number.
9527?
Qin Shou stroked his chin, recalling the damaged mecha he'd stumbled upon before.
Could it be that both Storm Reds numbered 9527 belonged to the same unfortunate soul?
Who cares!
Qin Shou turned to finish off the barely-breathing Black Ape Beast, pocketed its corpse, and faded into the darkness of the night.
...
The stench of the swamp filled the air.
"Click..."
The capsule escape pod door opened as Fang Bao, drenched in sweat, stood up and gasped for air.
"Phew... That was close, way too close. I almost lost my life this time."
He patted his chest, but his face gradually grew grim.
"Who exactly is targeting me? First it's a mechanical master, then it was a beast tamer. Do they think Fang Bao is made of clay?"
Grinding his teeth, he roared fiercely, his voice echoing across the foul-smelling swamp.
"Roar..."
From somewhere far away, a beast's howl faintly reached him, shocking Fang Bao back to awareness.
Surveying the surroundings, he couldn't help but feel resigned.
Great, this place screams danger. Good thing I'm wise!
With that, he raised his right hand and gently tapped the air. A Space Gate opened, bringing forth a brand-new Storm Red.
Storm Red 9527!
...
The next day.
The camp.
Hong Cong emerged from his tent, sporting dark circles under his eyes. As he subconsciously glanced at Lin Xiaomei's back, guilt crept into his heart.
Turning to Ye Ning's bruised face, Hong Cong raised his fist in a mock threat.
It was painfully clear Ye Ning had taken quite the beating last night.
Ye Ning rubbed his aching jaw and sighed deeply.
Trying to score big ended in a complete loss—this trip out of town was a miserable failure.
Qin Shou glanced at the two and couldn't help but chuckle.
These silly brats...
Fortunately, their goal was just to get ahead in hunting the Black Ape Beast; they hadn't meant Qin Shou any harm.
If their intentions had been much darker, they wouldn't be alive to see today's sun.
"Hey, what happened to you two?"
Long Xia asked curiously, noticing their disheveled appearance.
"Nothing... nothing. Just a little fall," Hong Cong quickly waved it off.
"Yeah, yeah," Ye Ning chimed in to agree.
Long Xia shook his head—these two fools...
After getting ready, the group gathered in a circle.
Lin Xiaomei nibbled on her dry meat rations as she glanced at Hong Cong and Ye Ning.
"Are you two alright? Can you join today's Black Ape Beast hunt?" she asked.
"We're good."
"Yeah, we're fine."
The two replied nervously.
Meanwhile, Qin Shou sat in front of a wooden table, which was laden with vegetables, fruits, pre-made fried dough sticks, and warm wolf's milk.
He bit into half a fried dough stick, chewed a few times, then elegantly dabbed his mouth with a napkin and smiled slightly.
"Alright, if there's no problem, let's head out after breakfast."
Lin Xiaomei glared at the jerky in her hands, resisting the urge to toss it away in frustration.
Why does this guy fuss so much? A grown man being so refined?
Beside her, Long Xia swallowed a bit of drool and reached out for a fried dough stick, only for Qin Shou to swat his hand away.
"Taking without asking means stealing. Didn't I teach you that when you were a kid?" Qin Shou said without expression.
Long Xia: "..."
Back then, we were all just kids. What right did you have to be so exceptional?
...
Once everything was ready, the group set off again.
An hour later, they found themselves outside the Black Ape Beast nest.
The area around the nest bore deep scars—gaping craters and chilling pools of blood, reminders of the fierce battle that had unfolded here.
Several low-level monsters gathered by the blood pools, licking at the remnants. Upon seeing Qin Shou and the group, they growled and lunged forward but were swiftly cut down.
Afterwards, Hong Cong retracted his Star Power and stared at the scene in shock.
Ye Ning glanced at Hong Cong, his face mirroring the same astonishment.
Long Xia emerged from the cave, shaking his head. "No sign of the Black Ape Beast. Looks like someone got here before us and took it down."
Lin Xiaomei crouched and touched the blood on the ground, her expression darkening.
"Judging by this blood, the fight must have happened last night."
Qin Shou nodded. "Exactly. The Black Ape Beast nest isn't too far from the camp, but it's not close either. Any battle here wouldn't be heard from there."
Suddenly, Long Xia's eyes sharpened as he picked up a palm-sized piece of flesh and sniffed it.
"Monster meat usually doesn't rot easily, but this meat carries a faint rancid stench. It resembles..."
He turned to the visibly stiff Hong Cong and said, "It's very similar to Skeleton Giant Lizard flesh."
"Huh? Is that so?" Hong Cong squeezed out a laugh.
Long Xia nodded, then pointed at the blood pool in the pit. "Don't you also think the shape of this pit looks like the mark left by a Skeleton Giant Lizard?"
Sweat dotted Hong Cong's forehead—he didn't know how to respond.
Lin Xiaomei interjected, "Alright, Hong Cong. Spill it. What do you know?"
"N-nothing. I know nothing," Hong Cong stammered, waving frantically.
Long Xia patted his shoulder with a grin. "Come on, we've suspected you two were hiding something for a while now. Time to fess up."
"Well..."
Hong Cong and Ye Ning exchanged glances, each recognizing the resignation in the other's eyes.
"Fine, I'll admit it. Last night, we planned to sneak off and hunt the Black Ape Beast," Hong Cong confessed through gritted teeth.
Upon hearing this, Long Xia and Lin Xiaomei frowned, their eyes flashing with anger.
...
A moment later, Hong Cong and Ye Ning finished explaining what had happened.
"Storm Red snatched the Black Ape Beast?" Lin Xiaomei asked.
"Exactly. Mechas... They're truly not something normal people can contend with," Hong Cong said bitterly.
Ye Ning nodded. "I managed to sneak a glance at the mecha's model—it was Storm Red 9527."
"9527..."
Lin Xiaomei turned to Qin Shou. "What do you think?"
Qin Shou shrugged. "Nothing to think about. It's gone, so let's just head back to the city!"
"Yeah, we've hunted plenty of monsters along the way. It wasn't a total waste," Long Xia chimed in.
Hong Cong hung his head low, recalling the critically injured Skeleton Giant Lizard in his Beast Breeding Space, feeling the pang of loss.
You all might not consider it a waste, but I've lost big time.
"Roar..."
Just as the group was discussing their return, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from afar.
"Judging by the sound, it's a Horror-level Monster!"
Lin Xiaomei exclaimed in surprise.