At that moment, among the crowd ahead, a middle-aged man became excited.
"Fantastic! Boss Lei has been promoted! Now it'll be easier for us to avenge Chen Jun."
"Pharaoh, what happened to Chen Jun?"
"Well, it goes like this. Chen Jun and I were exploring together. When we reached the grove, we encountered two highly poisonous nine-ringed snakes. Realizing the danger, we tried to flee."
"Unfortunately, Chen Jun was too slow. One of the giant snakes caught up to him and swallowed him in one bite. My talent is speed. If I were faster, I could have led another snake away and escaped."
"Fortunately, you all arrived in time, and together we managed to kill this giant snake... It's truly... truly terrifying!"
The middle-aged man's expression was filled with fear as he recounted the tale.
Lei Jue listened silently, his expression serious.
In just a few hours, he had established absolute authority within the newcomer group and was respected as their leader.
Even though the middle-aged man was ten years his senior, he still addressed him as "Boss Lei."
"Let's go! Let's avenge Chen Jun! Old Wang, lead the way!"
Lei Jue said calmly.
"Boss Lei, follow me!"
Pharaoh stepped forward promptly to lead the way.
As the group approached, Qin Feng, hidden in the bushes, figured out one thing.
The highly poisonous nine-ringed snake he had killed earlier must have been the one that devoured the person referred to as Chen Jun by Old Wang.
As Lei Jue and his companions drew closer, Qin Feng held his breath, crouching deeper into the bushes, attempting to remain hidden.
He planned to wait for the group to pass before emerging to extract the giant snake's body.
However, as the group passed by his hiding spot, a beautiful girl in blue jeans, named Liu Yan, seemed to notice something and turned to gaze at the bushes with a wary expression.
"Who's there?!"
Liu Yan's sharp senses had detected something amiss.
It turned out that she had a keen sense of hearing.
The distance between the two sides was less than ten meters, and she heard Qin Feng's heartbeat.
Her sudden startle surprised everyone, and they all directed their attention towards Qin Feng's hiding place.
"Who's there?"
"Come out!"
Everyone remained on guard.
In this perilous world, life could be lost at any moment, and no one dared to be careless.
In the bushes, Qin Feng sighed helplessly, reluctantly rising to his feet.
However, he wasn't worried at all.
Even if the seven Lei Jue joined forces, they were no match for him.
"It's you!"
Liu Yan regarded Qin Feng with some surprise, as if she recognized him.
Qin Feng was slightly taken aback.
He didn't seem to know this woman.
"Liu Yan, do you know him?" inquired Old Wang.
Liu Yan hesitated for a moment, then remembered something, her cheeks flushing slightly.
She didn't actually know Qin Feng personally. Instead, she had seen his avatar in the chat channel and remembered him from there. Qin Feng was one of the few handsome individuals among the thousand residents of the novice village, catching her attention.
However, she couldn't admit that she remembered Qin Feng because of his looks.
"I... I saw his avatar in the chat channel, so I recognized him. His name is Qin Feng," Liu Yan explained, trying to appear composed.
She then turned to Qin Feng and asked, "Qin Feng, what are you doing here?"
"Just passing by," Qin Feng replied casually.
Liu Yan sighed, "This area is very dangerous. It's risky for you to wander around alone. Not long ago, one of our teammates had an accident."
She then glanced at Lei Jue, seeming to suggest something.
"Boss Lei, why don't we bring Qin Feng along? It's dangerous for him to be out here alone."
Old Wang chimed in, "Boss Lei, since Chen Jun's incident, we're one person short. Why not let Qin Feng join us? It'll bolster our combat strength."
Upon hearing this, Lei Jue nodded slightly.
In the early days of humanity's struggle against the beasts, there was a considerable disparity in strength between the two. Humans of the same level were not a match for beasts, making cooperation essential.
In the future, various factions, large and small, would inevitably emerge. If Lei Jue wanted to expand his influence, he would need to build his own group and attract more people to join him.
With this in mind, Lei Jue turned his gaze towards Qin Feng.
"Qin Feng, reveal your attributes and talents. As long as they're not too shabby, I'll accept you," Lei Jue said coolly, his tone carrying a hint of authority.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yan's expression brightened. "Qin Feng, show Boss Lei your stats and talents!"
Old Wang echoed, "Qin Feng, Boss Lei is a level 2 powerhouse. Joining us would be a stroke of luck for you."
At these words, everyone smiled.
In their opinion, as soon as Qin Feng heard that Lei Jue was already a level 2 powerhouse, he would definitely agree to join them.
However, to their surprise, Qin Feng replied casually, "No, I prefer to go solo."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Everyone was dumbfounded this time.
Did they hear correctly?
Did Qin Feng just reject Boss Lei's offer?
Didn't he realize that Boss Lei was not only a level 2 powerhouse but also possessed a strong D-level talent?
Their minds were in turmoil for a moment.
Lei Jue was also taken aback.
He watched Qin Feng's departing figure, feeling a bit annoyed.
"Let's go. There's no need to insist," he said tersely, leading the group away.
The others followed, but they couldn't help murmuring, expressing their confusion over Qin Feng's actions.
"This guy is really..."
Liu Yan shot a glare at Qin Feng's retreating form, then angrily followed the others.
Not long after Lei Jue and his group left, Qin Feng quietly returned.
He wasn't willing to team up with those people, as it would not only expose his trump card but also slow down his progress.
Soon, he approached the snake corpse and began extracting...
"Endless extraction success! Gain 2 energy attributes!"
Qin Feng was delighted to feel energized once again.
Having extracted all the level 1 beasts of the Novice Plains, he no longer had any reason to linger.
Without delay, he headed towards the end of the Novice Plain, intent on finding a new beast...
Meanwhile, back in the grove, Lei Jue and his companions stumbled upon the scene of the giant snake whose stomach had been cut open by Qin Feng.
The strong smell of blood filled the air, and the snake's internal organs lay scattered around, alongside the body of a human—the corpse of Chen Jun.
For a moment, everyone was speechless, processing the shocking sight.
"Judging by the state of the blood, this giant snake died before the one we killed," remarked a bespectacled young man named Qi Jie.
Before arriving in this world, Qi Jie had been a student at a prestigious university and had been fond of reading Conan novels.
"Qi Jie, are you suggesting that our opponent is faster and stronger than us?" Lei Jue inquired urgently.
"Yes," Qi Jie confirmed, visibly surprised.
Lei Jue quickly asked, "What did you find, Qi Jie?"
Qi Jie looked up and addressed Lei Jue, saying, "Boss Lei, if I'm not mistaken, this must have been the work of a single individual. There's only one set of footprints at the scene. And judging by the snake's wound, it was a clean cut straight through, seven inches deep—a one-shot kill!"
His words left everyone in shock.
"Goodness! A single strike! That's the work of a master!"
"Unbelievable! The scales of that snake are incredibly tough. I couldn't penetrate them with dozens of strikes. How could someone cut through them with just one blow?"
"This person must be a true master!"
Lei Jue also took a deep breath. "A single fatal blow! Even though I'm already at level 2, I wouldn't dare to face a level 1 beast in a direct duel. Yet, this person managed to kill a giant snake with one strike. Could they be a level 3 master?"
Qi Jie inhaled sharply. "I can't say for sure what level that person is, but it's evident that they possess the strength of a level 3 powerhouse, and they're a lone operator!"
"A lone operator?" Liu Yan's voice cut through the murmurs.
Qi Jie's eyes lit up. "Exactly! Considering that, it's highly plausible that it could be Qin Feng!"
His words sent shockwaves through the group.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to have the same thought, exchanging glances in silent agreement.