Qin Feng stepped into a vehicle, and the melodious voice of a woman looped over the loudspeaker.
"This field trip will go through Xishan, Jiuqugou, Qinghe Bay, the Yuanyang ruins, the Changnan colony…"
"All fighters, please take note that after killing ultra beasts in the wilderness dispatch site, you may take any part of the corpses as proof for an exchange in Chinese currency. The targets are herbivorous giant rat, red-eyed jackal, man-eating wisteria, frogmen…"
The automated voice repeating itself above Qin Feng flooded him with sweet nostalgia.
It had been a long while since he sat on such a simple and crude collective traveling outdoor combat vehicle!
The wild was dangerous not just because the rift could appear anytime, but the place had, in fact, been invaded by alien creatures that had made mother earth their lair.
To protect the safety of the colony, the leaders had to offer rewards in an attempt to encourage more people to join the operation.
More than twenty passengers were on the vehicle, where not a single one came alone, but because they did not know Qin Feng, they thought that he belonged to another team and paid little attention to the newcomer.
They paused at each stop, where some got off, and others got on. When they arrived at Qinghe Bay, Qin Feng moved to stand by the door, hoping to attract as little attention as he could. Another group of people got up as well.
It was not apparent in the vehicle, but when the moment they stepped off the car, Qin Feng stood out like a sore thumb.
"Why are you alone? This place is too dangerous! Why don't you come with us?" A soft voice from the five-girl group chirped when she saw that he was on his own.
"Yaoyao!" One of the girls from her team quickly cut in, eyeing Qin Feng cautiously. "This person chose to come out here alone. Chances are he can handle himself pretty well. He may not want to join us!"
The girl named Yaoyao, as Qin Feng had found out, retorted, "That is exactly why I invited him!"
"Yaoyao, you don't even know if he's skillful or not. What if he holds us back?!" Another guy said, echoing the firsts' opinion.
"But…" Li Yaoyao clearly did not agree with her teammates.
"Forget it, Yaoyao. That dude's a goner!" Another girl tugged Yaoyao by the wrist. "People won't care for your kindness!"
It was only then that the group realized that while they were busy arguing, Qin Feng was already 20 meters ahead of them, hastily disappearing into the giant reed marshes.
His quiet scuttle ticked the group off.
Now, why was the person like that?!
...
Qin Feng did not know what they were thinking, nor did he have the habit of making conversation with strangers. Every once in a while, the people in the wilderness were way scarier than those inside the colony. Qin Feng felt that he was still too inadequate to mingle with the others around here.
Moreover, he was in no mood to allow anyone to know about this thing that he needed to do.
He stealthily trampled his way through the reeds until he reached the center, careful to make no sound. The edges were both sharp but soft at the same time, meaning they could be pushed aside, but they could also cut.
Fortunately, Qin Feng's T3 suit protected him against grazes. Standing inside the reed marsh was like being in a bamboo forest. Like a double-edged sword, the foliage provided him good cover but, at the same time, prevented him from seeing approaching danger.
Croak!
Qin Feng turned his head sharply towards the direction of the soft croaking sound, eyes squinting.
That very moment, a green apparition shot out from among the giant reeds like a rocket.
Qin Feng drew his armed crossbow and offset the arrow slightly.
He held his breath and then pulled the trigger.
Swoosh!
With deadly accuracy, the arrow hit the green figure, piercing its skull. Patches of blood and a yellowish-white substance spattered all over the reeds.
The green figure fell to the ground with a plop. Now, Qin Feng could go take a closer look.
The creature was half the size of a human and looked very much like a frog blown out of proportion.
Its hind legs were well-developed enough, an indication that it could probably walk upright. Behold, the notorious killer of Qinghe bay's reed marsh—the frogman.
As it was announced on the bus earlier on, this creature was mentioned in the bounty list.
Qin Feng walked up to it, carefully carving out the frogman's eye with the dagger.
Although frogmen flesh tasted pretty good, Qin Feng had other stuff that needed his attention. He could not afford to be lugging around something so bulky. Also, the frogman's blood would serve as bait for other dangerous creatures lurking in the tall shadows.
As he placed the eyeball into a sealed jar, he could feel himself absorbing the frogman's energy, strengthening his physical body bit by bit.
"This is faster than it was in my previous life! Is this it's full ability? Maybe. Maybe there are stronger ones which I have yet unearth!"
Qin Feng could feel the difference, his bountiful upgrades in strength got him excited.
He trounced forward as the reeds got thicker. The croaks were now loud, almost deafening, where a cacophony of staccato howls reached out from the dark.
Croak! Croak! Croak!
Qin Feng stood still and fired.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Two arrows shot through the gaps between the giant stalks and hit two frogmen who unceremoniously tangled themselves in the reeds.
Summer was nigh, and so was mating season for the frogman. If they were not cleared at this time, once the love rush was over, their numbers would increase exponentially. They would then have to leave their nest and spread out, an unthinkable threat to the colony!
Unsurprisingly, these severe consequences to its safety were also mentioned on the bus.
Qin Feng walked up to his kills and, again, unconsciously absorbed the energy from the frogmen. He could feel enormous strength coursing through every vein, pulsating his every muscle.
It was a lovely feeling, one that Qin Feng had not experienced for so many years. Far too long it was.
After all, back at that time, he had not advanced for a long time.
After he had received the awakening injection, he became an ability user. But the energy he absorbed was directed towards strengthening his body, so the might he displayed was actually little his own but that of an Ancient Warrior.
If he were to be measured by current assessments, Qin Feng was definitely a G1-tier Ancient Warrior!
After he gouged the eyeballs out, Qin Feng continued to march forward, steady and determined.
Three hours later and he'd already made his way through the slushy reed marshes where the unmistakable, low rumble of rushing waters came to ear.
This was it. This was the real Qinghe bay, real but just as dangerous.
Man-eating fishes infested the waters, and the ever-present threat of a crocodile beast made this a forbidden area.
Owing to that, the Chengbei colony was unaware that there was a hidden anti-human organization, which also doubled as Z Organization's underground lab.
Qin Feng had not come here for revenge. In his current shape, he needed to build himself up above all else.
No, he chose to come here because he believed there was help.
Qin Feng strapped on his oxygen tank and goggles, which he had bought at the store earlier.
Splosh!!!
Qin Feng jumped into the frigid water.