Chapter 47: Green Mist Jungle
The city wall was the boundary between chaos and order.
Inside the wall base, though murder cases occasionally occurred, most had nothing to do with ordinary people.
If Zhou Ming wished, with his current strength, he could easily find a comfortable job, marry a virtuous wife, and live out his life in this damned world.
However, for Zhou Ming, a life that could be seen to its end at a glance was not what he sought.
In his previous life, he had no choice. In this one, he wanted his existence to be filled with meaning.
Even if the path ahead was lonely, Zhou Ming still stepped onto it without regret.
Beast Taming Calendar, Year 673, July 3rd.
On the road outside the Qinshan City Wall, Zhou Ming, fully equipped, once again set foot on his own path.
Perhaps he would return laden with spoils, or perhaps he would never return — he had already made his choice.
Within the base, he was the bright and sunny young man; beyond the wall, he was the blood-stained hunter.
Separated by just one wall, two sides of the same person existed.
“Pa, pa…”
A summer rainstorm came without warning.
Looking up at the sky, Zhou Ming pulled up the hood behind his back and continued forward along his chosen road.
This time leaving the city, Zhou Ming had not prepared as simply as before.
The Leopard Type-1 Combat Suit he wore was designed for solo operations.
Besides regulating body temperature, it was also waterproof, fireproof, and capable of resisting small-caliber firearm attacks. Just this suit alone had cost Zhou Ming 130,000 Alliance Coins.
Aside from the protective suit, all the supplies needed for wilderness survival were fully prepared.
Zhou Ming had also equipped himself with two firearms — the Blood Hunter Type-1 Magazine Pistol and the Thunder Type-2 Revolver. He was already very familiar with both models.
One was to deal with close-range Ferocious Beasts, the other to deal with greedy hunters.
They were strapped respectively to his left and right thighs.
Inkband and Vermilion Jade, Zhou Ming’s two top generals, were each concealed in the sleeves of his combat suit.
Now, he feared neither close nor long-range combat.
Dozens of Ironthread Snakes guarded the surroundings, barely forming a Radar Sensory Domain.
With Zhou Ming’s current strength, ordinary Beast Tamers were no longer his match.
As for Official Rank Beast Tamers — if he encountered one now, his plan was simple: run as fast as possible.
Absolute strength difference — that was a lesson exchanged for the lives of countless Apprentice Beast Tamers over hundreds of years.
Once someone became an Official Rank Beast Tamer, they possessed transcendent power.
They had no real weaknesses.
Even if they did, it would only matter when facing other Beast Tamers of the same level.
The summer rainstorm was heavy, yet with his combat suit, Zhou Ming’s pace was unaffected. He maintained his steady speed toward his target.
This time, he did not leave from the north of the city but exited from the east of the Qinshan Base, because his destination was not Serpent Valley or the Northern Wasteland — but the Green Mist Jungle.
Although Blue Star was vast, the Blue Star Alliance controlled only about one-tenth of its total land area.
Furthermore, the Alliance’s many bases were effectively divided by Ferocious Beasts.
The only somewhat fortunate news was that within the Alliance’s territories, there were no Legendary Beast Kings — not even a Lord-level Ferocious Beast was easy to find.
That was because the Alliance would never allow Legendary Beast Kings or Lord-level Ferocious Beasts to exist within its realm.
That was the bottom line of the Blue Star Alliance — and also the duty borne by the Alliance’s Legendary Saints.
The Qinshan Base lay in the northeastern region of the Blue Star Alliance, close to its borders.
To the east of the Alliance stretched an endless sea of trees spanning tens of thousands of miles — the Endless Forest Sea. Within it dwelled all kinds of Ferocious Beasts. Mutated animals there were the lowest of the low.
Both low-level and high-level Ferocious Beasts could become prey at any time; only Lord-level Ferocious Beasts could dominate their territory.
As for Legendary Beast Kings, based on known information, Zhou Ming knew that there were five of them within the Endless Forest Sea — one being the Storm Thunder Roc that had once destroyed a medium-sized Alliance base.
Whether more Legendary Beast Kings were hidden deeper within — that was beyond Zhou Ming’s reach.
A place like that — even if Zhou Ming were made entirely of courage — would still be suicide to approach.
Only Official Rank Beast Tamers had the right to set foot there.
The Green Mist Jungle Zhou Ming was heading to was a buffer zone between the northeastern Blue Star Alliance and the Endless Forest Sea.
The jungle terrain was low and swampy, filled with dense vegetation and countless bogs.
The mutated animals and Ferocious Beasts living within were mostly highly venomous.
Because of its unique environment, few hunters were willing to go there.
This time, even within the so-called “safe zone,” Zhou Ming saw only a handful of teams.
As for lone hunters, there was only him.
The reason he chose the Green Mist Jungle — aside from his own situation — was because many undiscovered treasures were rumored to be hidden there.
The Serpent Saliva Fruit he had once found in Serpent Valley had long been discovered by others beforehand. If not for his early arrival, such fortune would never have fallen into his hands.
Even Serpent Valley bore traces of hunters — let alone other areas. Either they were already picked clean, or guarded by powerful Ferocious Beasts.
But the advantage of the Green Mist Jungle lay in its low competition and abundance of treasures — a place that suited Zhou Ming perfectly.
After successfully taming Vermilion Jade, the Ferocious Beast Feedback effect had strengthened.
Although his poison resistance feedback was not as great as the enhancements to flexibility and agility, Zhou Ming’s body alone could now endure most ordinary toxins.
Of course, Zhou Ming was not foolish enough to rely solely on his body’s resistance. Before leaving Qinshan Base, he had purchased several high-quality antidotes.
That day’s summer rain was particularly persistent. Even after leaving the base’s safe zone, a light drizzle continued to fall.
Facing the muddy ground and increasingly complex terrain, Zhou Ming’s figure slowly disappeared into the forest.
Three days later, the scorching sun baked the land. Inside the damp, thick forest, the air felt like a steaming cauldron.
Step by step, Zhou Ming advanced. Fortunately, his combat suit was reliable — otherwise, in such an environment, he would have lost much of his body’s water.
“Finally here.”
After three days of solitary travel, Zhou Ming’s expression showed clear fatigue, even though his physique had been greatly enhanced by martial cultivation and Ferocious Beast feedback.
“Now I finally understand why Beast Tamers love to ride large Ferocious Beasts. Forget anything else — not having to walk on your own is enough to make anyone jealous.”
“Hissss…”
Hearing their master’s complaint, Inkband and Vermilion Jade slithered out from his sleeves, gazing up at Zhou Ming in puzzlement.
“What are you looking at? Other people’s beasts carry their masters — but mine somehow have it reversed.”
Looking at his two loyal generals, Zhou Ming laughed and cursed softly. The gloom that had lingered in his heart for days faded away.
“Let’s find a place to rest properly first.”
Knowing his current condition, Zhou Ming decided to recover before stepping into the Green Mist Jungle itself.
He then began searching for a suitable temporary campsite.