Akad looked at Wanping with a hint of surprise. He obviously hadnât expected someone to think the tasks werenât heavy enough and voluntarily ask for more.
After a moment, Akad, grinning broadly, patted Wanpingâs shoulder, leaving several bloody handprints on Wanpingâs white clothes. "Youâre good, really good. To reward your diligent service, Iâve decided not to kill you today. What do you think?"
"Thank you for your grace."
ă...ă
In the outer city zone, inside a decrepit, low-slung tent by the street, a despondent figure lay on the ground, as motionless as a corpse.
Suddenly, a silvery-white vortex materialized beside the figure. A silver light flared, and the figure vanished instantly. Afterward, the silver vortex slowly faded away.
The treasure landâs appearance in time and place was completely random. It might materialize in the deepest abysses of the ocean, places Humans could never reach, or it could appear 10,000 meters high in the sky. Of course, it could also abruptly manifest before a Human, snatching an unsuspecting professionist into the treasure land.
The figure who had been lying on the ground was a prime example, perfectly illustrating what some might call a windfall from heavenâor perhaps a disaster? Who could say?
As the silvery-white vortex vanished completely, not a trace of the figure remained in the tent.
Silence filled the tent until the faint sound of footsteps drew near.
"Uncle Ye Nan, Uncle Ye Nan, Iâve brought your porridge. Have something to eat."
The tent flap was pulled open, and Zheng Ye, dressed in slightly oversized military fatigues, walked right in. However, the tent was empty. "Huh? Where did he go?" Zheng Ye muttered, scratching his head in confusion. He quickly checked the area around the tent until commands crackled from the radio on his belt: "Zheng Ye, where are you? Weâre short-handed for distributing relief food. Get back here and carry out your orders, quick!"
"Zheng Ye, roger!" he replied swiftly.
After another quick look around the tent, he placed the porcelain bowl of porridge at the entrance, murmured something under his breath, and then turned to leave.
ă...ă
Somewhere in Spain, a gargantuan gorilla, nearly 100 meters long, lay on the ground clutching a 30-meter-long tree trunk.
The massive trunk, cradled in the gorillaâs arms, looked like an incredibly unwieldy little stick. Unfortunately, this was the most suitable âweaponâ the gorilla could find.
The gorilla was leisurely lying on the ground, picking lice from its fur. Calling them lice was an understatement; each one was nearly 30 centimeters long. Such gigantic, mutated lice were truly a rare sight.
In the distance, Carmille, riding her divine beast companionâa pure white unicornâstealthily approached the gorilla, moving like a thief. Unfortunately, the unicorn was quite conspicuous, and the gorilla spotted them before they could get close.
"HRUMPH... HRUMPH..." A series of guttural sounds rumbled from the gorillaâs mouth.
The tone was heavily threatening, yet, strangely, the gorilla didnât immediately attack Carmille. Instead, it stuck its rear end out and let loose a loud fart.
A pale-yellow gas erupted from one of the gorillaâs orifices, rapidly enveloping Carmille. The nauseating stench made her dizzy, and she began to vomit. Her divine beast companion, also overcome by the sudden, putrid odor, staggered and collapsed.
Witnessing this, the gorilla grew excited. With agility that belied its size, it scrambled up from the ground and began to pound its chest forcefully, as if it had accomplished some momentous feat. A triumphant howl erupted from its mouthânot so much hostile as gleeful, like a child who had just found a new toy.
Further away, Carmille, enduring the awful stench, quickly retrieved a drawing board from her space ring. Observing the gorilla, she rapidly began to sketch its form.
This woman showed no sense of urgency whatsoever, despite the imminent arrival of the Hunting Group.