hsntnovel Chapter 51: City 003
Chapter 51: City 003
After two weeks of rest and training, the Thunder Blade Squad regrouped.
This time, their target is City 003—Shanghai before its Great Rebirth, one of the most terrifying areas in the entire Eurasian region. It borders the ocean, teeming with sea monsters roaming its waterways, and boasts almost the most numerous architectural complexes in all of Asia, resulting in an astonishing number of monsters. Lord-level monsters are commonplace there, and even king-level monsters, surpassing lord-level, reside within its walls.
Countless top martial artists gathered there; it was practically the largest battlefield where human martial artists and monsters fought.
"In the past, we only dared to operate on the outskirts of City 003," Lin Zheng said at the pre-departure meeting, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "We hunted some lone high-level beast generals, and had to detour when we encountered lord-level beasts. But this time is different."
He looked at Lin Yun, a hint of trust flashing in his eyes.
"With Lin Yun here, we can go further in. Our target is high-level beast generals and low- to mid-level lords. The materials from one low-level lord are equivalent to those from one hundred low-level beast generals."
Liu Xu added, "But we still need to be careful. There are King-level monsters in City 003. Although those guys rarely appear on the outskirts, if we encounter them, we have to retreat immediately. Lin Yun, your mental perception range is the widest, so this task is assigned to you."
"Understood." Lin Yun nodded.
Shenyang, Luo Fang, and Leng Bao also participated in this operation. Their strength had all improved to varying degrees during the previous hunts, with Shenyang even approaching the threshold of intermediate-level warrior. Although they couldn't offer much help against lord-level monsters, they remained indispensable in clearing out smaller monsters and providing support and coordination.
Early in the morning, the six people left Jiangnan Base City by train.
The train traveled through the wilderness for nearly four hours, passing several supply bases along the way. The closer they got to City 003, the more martial artists appeared on board, and the more tense the atmosphere became. Most of these martial artists were taciturn; some were resting with their eyes closed, while others were silently polishing their weapons. Each of them carried an aura of grim determination born from years of battlefield experience.
Looking out the car window, Lin Yun could vaguely make out the outline of a vast cluster of buildings on the distant horizon. Although those skyscrapers were now dilapidated, their former prosperity was still evident.
We've arrived at city number 003.
The train stopped at a large supply base ten kilometers outside the city. This base was several times larger and more well-equipped than the one in City 013. Martial artists came and went in an endless stream, and people of all accents and attire gathered here, making it as lively as a market.
Lin Zheng led his team to register their information at the base, obtain temporary access passes, and then found a hotel to settle down.
"Rest today, we'll set off early tomorrow morning," Lin Zheng said. "City 003 is not like City 013; every building here might be hiding a monster. Everyone, get plenty of rest, and be on your best from tomorrow onwards."
The next morning, before dawn, the Thunder Blade Squad left the supply base and headed towards City 003.
At their speed, they covered the ten-kilometer distance in less than half an hour.
Standing on an overpass on the edge of the city, Lin Yun saw the entire ruined city for the first time.
High-rise buildings stand tall, but most are in ruins. Some are broken in half, their upper parts nowhere to be found; some lean precariously against neighboring buildings, as if they might collapse at any moment; some are completely covered by vines and weeds, turning into green hills. The streets are piled with rubble and abandoned vehicles, and wild grass and small trees grow from the cracks.
The air was filled with a complex smell—the salty tang of the sea, the stench of decay, and an indescribable metallic rust.
"Stay close to me." Lin Zheng walked in front, his short sword already drawn. "Lin Yun, unleash your full mental power and don't miss anything unusual."
Lin Yun nodded and expanded his mental power to its maximum range. With his peak advanced War God mental power, everything within a two-thousand-meter radius was within his perception. The monsters hidden in the buildings, the creatures crawling in the underground pipes, and the flying monsters circling high above—all of them had nowhere to hide.
"Eight hundred meters ahead, in a red building, there are three Beast General level beasts, two beginner level beasts, and one intermediate level beast," Lin Yun reported as he walked. "Five hundred meters to the left, in the sewers, there's a group of rat-like monsters, quite numerous, but they're all Beast Soldier level, ignore them. On the overpass one thousand two hundred meters to the right, there's a high-level Beast General level mutated bird flying in our direction."
"Leave the birds to me," Lin Yun added.
The group continued forward. The high-level beast general-level bird was getting closer and closer, and Lin Yun could even "see" its full appearance through his mental power—its wingspan was ten meters, its body was covered with dark gray feathers, its beak was like a sharp hook, and its claws were like steel knives.
When the bird entered the 500-meter range, Lin Yun made his move.
Three Series 9 throwing knives flew silently from his waist, transforming into three silver streaks that shot towards the bird at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. The bird seemed to sense the danger and flapped its wings to try and ascend, but the throwing knives were too fast.
"Puff puff puff—"
Three throwing knives simultaneously pierced the bird's head, penetrating its brain. The bird didn't even have time to scream; its body stiffened in mid-air for a moment before plummeting like a stone, crashing onto the roof of a low building and raising a cloud of dust.
"Clean up the battlefield." Lin Zheng's voice was as calm as ever.
Shenyang ran over to deal with the corpse, and when he came back, he was carrying a bundle of sharp claws and flying feathers.
"A high-level mutated vulture, a Beast General-grade creature with sharp claws and feathers, should fetch around 60 to 70 million," Shenyang said with a grin. "A great start!"
The group continued deeper into the area.
The monster density in City 003 is indeed far superior to that in City 013. In City 013, you might walk for half a day without encountering a single Beast General-level monster; here, Beast General-level monsters are practically everywhere, and even Lord-level monsters are not uncommon.
On the first day, they hunted down more than twenty beast general-level monsters, including five high-level beast generals. Lin Yun was the main force; his throwing knives were as fast as lightning and as precise as a scalpel. No beast general-level monster could last more than three rounds against him.
Lin Zheng and Liu Xu were mainly responsible for providing support and finishing off the remaining enemies, while Shen Yang, Luo Fang, and Leng Bao were responsible for clearing out the smaller foes who tried to flank them. The six of them worked together more and more seamlessly, and their hunting efficiency was astonishing.
The next day, they encountered their first lord-level monster.
It was a mid-level lord-level armored alligator snapping turtle, the size of a small truck, covered in a thick shell, with thick limbs and a tail like an iron whip. It was coiled under an abandoned overpass, and the surrounding monsters dared not approach.
"The armored alligator snapping turtle has a very strong defense, even surpassing that of a typical high-level lord," Lin Zheng said, squatting on the roof of a building, observing the alligator snapping turtle through binoculars. "Its weaknesses are in its abdomen and limb joints, but those areas are protected by its shell and are only exposed when it moves."
"Leave it to me," Lin Yun said.
He leaped out of cover and walked towards the armored alligator snapping turtle. Sensing the threat, the turtle abruptly turned its head, opened its massive jaws, and let out a low growl. Its eyes were filled with savagery and ferocity, but to Lin Yun, this level of intimidation had no effect whatsoever.
Twelve throwing knives flew out from around him at the same time, forming an arc in the air and shooting at the armored alligator turtle from different angles.
The alligator snapping turtle reacted quickly, immediately retracting into its shell and hiding its limbs and head inside. The throwing knife struck its shell, producing a crisp metallic clang, leaving only a few shallow white marks.
"Such a hard shell," Lin Yun thought to himself. The 9-series throwing knife could easily pierce through a half-meter-thick steel plate, but it could only leave scratches on its carapace. The defense of a lord-level monster was indeed well-deserved.
But he wasn't in a hurry. The alligator snapping turtle couldn't stay in its shell forever. It needed to breathe, to move, and to attack. As soon as it revealed an opening, the throwing knife would find its chance.
Lin Yun used throwing knives to constantly harass the armored alligator snapping turtle, attacking its head and tail at different times, forcing it to constantly adjust its defensive posture. The turtle, increasingly agitated, finally couldn't resist sticking its head out, attempting to spit venom.
It's now!
The twelve throwing knives turned simultaneously, and the instant they emerged from the armored alligator snapping turtle's head, they all shot towards the gap between its neck and shell. That gap was less than a finger's width, but Lin Yun's throwing knives were accurate to the millimeter level; the twelve knives flew in one after another, all piercing into the soft flesh.
The armored alligator snapping turtle let out a piercing roar, its body twisting wildly, its thick tail sweeping in all directions. Lin Yun took a few steps back, while simultaneously manipulating the throwing knife to continue stirring inside its body.
In less than ten seconds, the alligator snapping turtle stopped struggling. Its head drooped limply to the ground, and the light in its eyes gradually faded.
"Beautiful!" Shenyang jumped out from behind the cover and excitedly ran towards the corpse of the Ironclad Alligator Turtle. "A mid-level lord-level Ironclad Alligator Turtle, its shell is a top-grade material for making shields, and the total value of all the materials in the body is at least three billion!"
Lin Zheng walked over, looked at Lin Yun, and a complex look flashed in his eyes. He recalled his own disheveled state when he first faced a Lord-level monster, and then looked at the fifteen-year-old boy in front of him—clean and tidy, unharmed, and had taken down a Lord-level monster in less than a minute.
"Your progress has exceeded my expectations," Lin Zheng said. "If you continue like this, it won't be long before you surpass the God of War."
Lin Yun smiled and said, "It's still early."
Over the next few days, the Thunder Blade Squad launched an intense hunt in the outer and middle areas of City 003.
With Lin Yun, a high-level War God-level mentalist, overseeing things, they hardly needed to worry about safety. His mental power covered a radius of two thousand meters, allowing him to detect any danger in advance. Even if they encountered monsters they couldn't defeat, they could retreat with ease.
The targets of the hunt are mainly high-level beast generals and junior and mid-level lords.
The materials for high-level beast generals range from 50 million to 100 million, with rarer ones even fetching 200 million. The prices for low- and mid-level lords are even more astonishing—low-level lords generally range from 1 billion to 1.5 billion, while mid-level lords can sell for over 3 billion.
In one week, they hunted down nearly a hundred monsters.
The majority of them are high-level beast generals, numbering over sixty; there are over twenty low-level lords; and five mid-level lords. The total value is roughly estimated to be close to 50 billion.
"Five hundred billion..." Shenyang's voice trembled as he looked at the numbers on the list. "We might not have earned this much in ten years before."
"That's because we didn't dare to fight lords before," Liu Xu said. "Now that Lin Yun is here, it's not like we can't fight lords."
Lin Zheng nodded and looked at Lin Yun: "What should we do with these materials? Should we distribute them according to the old rules?"
Lin Yun thought for a moment and said, "I'll take 50% of the Lord-level materials. The remaining 50% will be split equally between the Captain and Sister Liu, and the three of you will each take 20%. The Beast General-level materials will be distributed according to the old rules." He made the distribution this way because he knew this would be his last time hunting monsters with the Thunder Blade Squad. After all they had known each other, this was all Lin Yun could do to help.
No one objected. Everyone knew that Lin Yun had killed almost all of these lord-level monsters by himself, and that he was being very generous by only taking 50%.
"Then it's settled," Lin Zheng said. "We'll stay for another week, then we'll go back. There's too much material; we need time to process it."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
That evening, the team settled into an abandoned hotel. Lin Yun sat alone on the rooftop, gazing at the night view of this ruined city. Moonlight shone on the dilapidated buildings, casting a silvery glow over the ghost town. In the distance, the howls of monsters echoed in the night wind.
He touched the small bronze cauldron on his chest, feeling its slightly cool touch.
Five hundred billion. He can probably get more than half of that, which is more than two hundred and fifty billion. Adding his previous savings, his total assets are already around three hundred billion. This amount of money is enough for him to buy most of the secret techniques on the Limitless House.
But what he was really looking forward to wasn't the money, but the elite training camp.
Dragon blood, gravity chamber, trial tower, those mentors who are proficient in various combat techniques... As long as he enters the training camp, his strength will experience another leap forward.
"Soon," he said softly.
The wind blowing across the rooftop carried away the day's fatigue. Lin Yun closed his eyes and switched his consciousness to the Panlong World. In the grove behind Ernst Academy, his other body sat cross-legged on a bluestone, moonlight shining on his shoulders.
The story of Swallowing the Stars has not officially begun yet; he still has at least two years to develop!