Lin Li took a drink, his brow furrowing slightly. The taste was obviously not to his liking.
"Come on, Lin Li! What era are we living in? Youâre a guy who canât even hold his liquor. Thatâs just not right. If you keep on like this, how are you ever going to land a girl?"
Zhang Dawei, dressed in a floral shirt, draped an arm over Lin Liâs shoulder as he refilled his empty glass.
âChase girls? Are video games not fun? Or are comics not good enough?â
âBesides, Iâm busy hunting Mutant Beasts right now; I donât have the time or energy for that. Even over a month ago, back when I was just a normal person, I never thought about chasing girls.â
âAnd even if I did want to, wouldnât it be a piece of cake once Iâve reached the pinnacle of my power?â
Lin Li grumbled silently to himself but simply smiled without saying a word.
"Liu Yanmin, youâve been with the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild for half a month now. How are you settling in?" Zeng Zhixian asked, turning to look at her.
Hearing Zeng Zhixian ask about Liu Yanminâs job at the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild, everyoneâs attention immediately shifted from Lin Li to the usually quiet Liu Yanmin.
Everyone there was a recent college graduate, and they had all found different jobs.
As things stood, Liu Yanminâs position at the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild was the best job out of everyone there.
"Iâm not sure if âsettled inâ is the right word, but compared to my last position, I really like this new job..."
Liu Yanmin said with a smile, her tone completely free of arrogance, even though she had a job that her classmates saw as excellent.
"Liu Yanmin, in the half-month or so youâve been working at the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild, have you heard any interesting stories? If you have, you have to tell us!" Li Lin asked with curiosity.
Seeing that everyoneâs attention was on Liu Yanmin, Lin Li was happy to have the spotlight off him. He listened to his classmates chat while picking up a slice of watermelon from the fruit platter on the table.
"Interesting stories?" Liu Yanmin repeated. She thought for a moment, then smiled and said.
"Speaking of interesting stories, even though I havenât been there long, I did hear a pretty interesting one from a colleague."
"What is it?" Li Lin pressed. Zhang Dawei and the others also watched Liu Yanmin with curiosity, waiting for her to continue.
"It happened like this. Not long ago, a squad of Exotic Beast Hunters was out hunting in the wilderness. On their way back, they were cheerfully chatting about their haul for the day.
Right when their conversation was getting lively, a figure on a motorcycle suddenly appeared behind them..."
Liu Yanmin was recounting the interesting tale sheâd heard at the Exotic Beast Hunter Guild. Just as she reached a critical point in the story, a violent, abrupt coughing fit shattered the silence.
"COUGH COUGH COUGH..." As he was eating watermelon, Lin Li suddenly burst into a violent coughing fit, causing everyone to look over at him.
"COUGH, COUGH... It went down the wrong pipe. Liu Yanmin, you go on..."
Seeing everyone looking at him, Lin Li patted his chest. He spoke with some embarrassment once he was no longer coughing.
When they saw Lin Li wasnât coughing violently anymore, everyone turned back to Liu Yanmin. She smiled and continued with the story sheâd heard from her colleague.
"The man on the motorcycle who had appeared so suddenly zipped past the squad of Exotic Beast Hunters as they were laughing and chatting on their way home.
Not long after he was gone, more than twenty Mutant Beasts appeared behind the Exotic Beast Hunter squad.
And then, that squad of Exotic Beast Hunters found themselves being hunted by those twenty-odd Mutant Beasts. They had to flee for their lives in a desperate panic, but fortunately, they all managed to escape safely in the end."
"Whoa... That squad of Exotic Beast Hunters had some seriously bad luck! Based on what youâre saying, they were clearly dragged into it by that guy on the motorcycle. Otherwise, those Mutant Beasts wouldnât have chased them."
After hearing Liu Yanminâs story, Zhang Dawei and the others exchanged glances, feeling very sorry for the Exotic Beast Hunter squad that got caught in the crossfire.
"Yeah! The squad of Exotic Beast Hunters was definitely dragged into it by the person on the motorcycle. Afterward, the victims posted on a forum for Exotic Beast Hunters, looking for any leads on the guy.
Itâs been many days since then, but people still occasionally dig up that thread to comment on it," Liu Yanmin said.
"Did they ever find the guy on the motorcycle? Is he an Exotic Beast Hunter, too?" Li Lin asked curiously.
Liu Yanmin nodded. "The man on the motorcycle was never found, but weâre certain he is, in fact, an Exotic Beast Hunter.
Because not long ago, a rookie who had just become an Exotic Beast Hunter went into the wilds alone and was nearly killed by a giant rat-like Mutant Beast.
The only reason he managed to survive, according to his own account, was because a fellow Hunter passing by on a motorcycle intervened and saved his life.
Based on the rookie Exotic Beast Hunterâs description, weâre pretty sure.
The fellow Hunter on the motorcycle who he said saved his life is the same person who attracted that huge swarm of Mutant Beasts and got that other squad in trouble."
After listening to Liu Yanminâs account, Zhang Dawei nodded slightly and began to speak.