Pretending To Be A Boss

Darkness loomed over the Red Soil Forest crisis.

Zhong Xiuran hadn't expected to encounter a creature in the Red Soil Forest that was native to the White Bone Mountain Range, the Goldfire Bird.

This perfect level bird species was extremely troublesome to deal with.

His four team members were fighting with all their might, while Zhong Xiuran yawned, appearing weary.

It was already deep into the night, and the appearance of a Goldfire Bird was a good opportunity, but it was truly difficult to handle.

"Warriors, lure the enemy, draw this foolish bird into the trap zone," Zhong Xiuran commanded.

"Will those traps work on a bird?" the assassin among the team members wasn't sure.

But Zhong Xiuran didn't answer, and he didn't ask again.

Apart from the warrior with shield and hammer still within the Goldfire Bird's range of attack.

The others began to retreat gradually.

Hunting a perfect level creature was no simple task; the team's doctor realized that apart from Zhong Xiuran, who hadn't joined the fight, the rest had all suffered minor injuries.

It seemed as though the roles of hunter and hunted had reversed; the Goldfire Bird fought more valiantly as the battle went on, its excited cries echoing as its golden feathers, sharp as blades, continuously slashed at the team's warriors.

"Pick up the pace, the warrior won't last much longer."

At the end of the day, only a very few could take on a perfect level creature alone.

The team members nodded, retreating with vigilant expressions.

The Goldfire Bird's attacks grew fiercer and fiercer.

Zhong Xiuran ordered:

"Warrior, retreat, quickly!"

When the warrior heard the command, he breathed a sigh of relief. His shield was full of scratches; if he didn't retreat now, the Goldfire Bird's fearsome strength would overwhelm him.

Encountering a perfect level creature from the White Bone Mountain Range forced Zhong Xiuran's team into a clumsy escape.

Why would the Goldfire Bird let its prey go?

It was the ruler of the skies, but the dense trees here forced it to run on the ground.

Even without the ability to fly, its speed was still faster than that of humans.

Just as it was about to catch up, Zhong Xiuran came to a halt.

When the Goldfire Bird's sharp beak was about to pierce through him, he broke into a smile.

Suddenly, the ground revealed numerous spikes and vines.

Like a contracting stomach, these vines and spikes, along with the sandstone, instantly formed a net that wrapped around the Goldfire Bird.

The Goldfire Bird's body couldn't move, with only its long neck swaying ceaselessly as cries of distress echoed from its beak.

The assassin and the warrior drew their weapons, swiftly severing the bird's head.

The battle was over.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhong Xiuran was still somewhat afraid.

In the ore zone, it was impossible to create highly automated traps. But Zhong Xiuran's ability was to manipulate his surroundings. Your journey continues with empire

Soil, vines, water flows—all could be moved by his will.

The traps he had busied himself with all afternoon were all laid out in this area—it was all part of his hunting strategy, using defense as his offense.

"It's too dangerous, this is just the periphery and we already encountered a perfect level creature. The Red Soil Forest is not as we know it. We won't go any deeper," Zhong Xiuran said.

The doctor spoke up:

"But if we do this, our team will fall far behind other families and teams in terms of points."

Zhong Xiuran, unconcerned, replied:

"Let us fall behind then. Even with all our efforts, we can't compare with the top three families. On the contrary, they will need our help. Given the current situation, the teams from the top three families will also be driven out."

Seeing that his team members didn't quite understand, Zhong Xiuran explained further:

"This place is full of traps; to survive here, one must ingratiate themselves with us. And this is the most suitable location to set up camp; many hunter teams will pass through, and maybe even the top three families will come by."

"All we have to do is collect a protection fee. How does that saying go? 'If every person in Huaxia gives you a piece of ore, you could instantly become a billionaire.' The principle is the same in the ore zone."

The team members remained silent.

They had heard that the young master of the Zhong Family was indolent to the bone, but they hadn't imagined it to this extent.

Zhong Xiuran ordered someone to extract the Goldfire Bird's Soul Crystal.

He looked at the corpse of the Goldfire Bird.

Thinking about why such a creature would appear in the Red Soil Forest, he pondered deeply.

...

...

Qin Qian's team only had her as a woman, though she was the female leader. Yet, Qin Qian didn't come off as oppressively arrogant.

She was called the Female Demon Lord simply because among female hunters, she ranked first in strength.

It didn't actually mean she acted like a queen.

On the contrary, she often appeared pitiable, was considerate, and took meticulous care of her team members.

None of the men had any complaints.

Qin Qian's team ventured deeper into the Red Soil Forest area.

Previously, the Thirty-nine Fortresses had announced a new hunter spray. It was a perfume created by Dr. Shang Lu of the Hua Science Academy, refined from Red Line Grass.

The creatures in the ore zone were highly averse to its scent, hence they no longer approached humans.

This spray was considered an invention beneficial to all humanity, but no one at the hunting event used it. Those who came here naturally hoped to encounter as many creatures from the ore zone as possible.

Yet Qin Qian ordered all her team members to spray themselves with it.

The team members were somewhat puzzled; indeed, they hadn't encountered any creatures from the ore zone on their journey, but they did come across quite a few hunters.

Dead hunters.

At that moment, Qin Qian was crouched beside the corpse of one such hunter.

"Qian, it's nighttime now, when the prey is most active; why are we avoiding these animals?" someone asked.

Qin Qian shook her head and responded:

"Along the way, how many hunters' corpses have we come across?"

"If I'm not mistaken, twelve," answered a member of the team, known for his keen sight.