Chapter 94: Entering the Ruins
Not far away in the sky, a Beast Tamer’s body was fully encased in dark cyan armor.
A pair of eagle wings behind him carried him swiftly through the air.
In his hand was a long sword shaped like a feather.
Every swing unleashed several meters-long wind blades, slicing toward a high-tier Ferocious Beast—the Sonic Bat—like a rainstorm.
The commotion from earlier came from this very Phantasmal Tamer, who had just launched a sphere of wind that exploded upon contact with the Sonic Bat, forming a storm of blades.
Facing those meat-grinding wind edges, the Sonic Bat was eventually slain.
The Beast Tamer stored it away in his spatial equipment and flew off through the air.
“Third Elder of the Zhang Family, Zhang Yunfeng, Advanced Phantasmal Tamer.”
After finishing off the Lion-Tiger Beast, the bearded Lion King approached Zhou Ming and explained.
“So this is the power of a Professional Beast Tamer? I can’t even imagine what kind of force a Transcendent Master or a Legendary Saint would unleash in battle.”
It was Zhou Ming’s first time witnessing the might of a Professional Beast Tamer. The lingering shockwaves alone wiped out a great number of low-tier Ferocious Beasts on the ground.
Thankfully, the surrounding Beast Tamers had kept their beasts away, or else they would have suffered heavy injuries.
“When Major General Xu from the military made his move before, no one dared get within several miles. You must know—they don’t just stand still when they fight.”
Hearing the Lion King’s explanation, Zhou Ming gave a wry smile. “Looks like we’re not even qualified to watch Transcendent Masters fight.”
“Enough chatting—don’t you see the beast tide retreating?”
A rustic-looking man spoke—it was Doghead, whom Zhou Ming had previously supported in battle.
“Must be those Professional Beast Tamers who cleaned up the high-tier Ferocious Beasts.”
The area Zhou Ming and his group fought in was only the outer perimeter. Whether the beast tide could truly be cleared depended mainly on the Professional Beast Tamers deeper inside.
If not for the Sonic Bat flying to the outskirts, Zhang Yunfeng wouldn’t have pursued it here.
From Zhou Ming’s understanding, killing Apprentice-level Beast Tamers was as easy as harvesting wheat for a Sonic Bat.
Because the Sonic Bat had a wide-range attack, low-tier beasts and Apprentice Beast Tamers alike couldn’t escape its slaughter.
“Let’s move. If we’re late entering the ruins, we might not even get a drop of soup.”
Hearing Zhou Ming’s words, the Lion King and Doghead quickly helped others finish their fights.
Once the battle ended, the group hurried toward the ruins’ entrance. None bothered collecting materials from the Ferocious Beast corpses—their true goal lay within.
When the beast tide was finally cleared, Zhou Ming saw a pitch-black entrance beneath a collapsed cliff. Beast Tamers and Hunters all flocked toward it like birds returning to their nest.
“Vipers, this ruin was built around an underground cave system. The entrance may look small, but it extends several miles below. Want to form a team?”
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Zhou Ming’s beasts were well-suited for group exploration, and in the narrow corridors of underground ruins, his combat ability wouldn’t be hindered.
Moreover, the teamwork they’d built during their previous battle would prove useful.
“Thanks, but I prefer to act alone.”
If not for needing to fight head-on earlier, Zhou Ming wouldn’t have temporarily teamed up with others at all.
After speaking, his body moved like a giant python, and in just a few breaths, he had already entered the dark ruins’ entrance.
“Seems that Vipers isn’t simple. The physical strength he just displayed—only low-tier Ferocious Beasts could overpower that.”
“Of course he’s not simple. Didn’t you notice the holster on his right thigh? The grip sticking out belongs to a Thunder Type-2 Revolver. If it comes to close combat, he alone could deal with most low-tier Beast Tamers.”
The one who spoke was a tanned female Beast Tamer with a powerful build—Flower Scorpion, the only woman in Zhou Ming’s temporary squad.
“Let’s go. Looks like we’re not on the same path as Vipers.”
After the Lion King finished speaking, he glanced at the others. “Team up?”
Having just experienced the benefits of teamwork, the others all nodded in agreement.
Without wasting time, they too rushed toward the entrance.
Inside the ruins, Zhou Ming quickly chose one of the branching corridors, moving swiftly to distance himself from the surrounding Beast Tamers.
This was no longer a cooperative cleanup—now they were competitors, and killing each other for resources was entirely normal.
Bang! Bang!
“So soon there’s already fighting? Maybe they had grudges beforehand.”
Not long after entering, Zhou Ming heard gunfire echoing through the tunnels.
“Still, this environment suits me perfectly.”
The ruins were pitch-black, devoid of any light source—an ideal setting for someone like Zhou Ming who possessed special detection methods.
And then…
After releasing his snake swarm, Zhou Ming removed his contact lenses, revealing his dark-gold Serpent Pupils.
In his past life, snakes had poor vision, relying mainly on their tongues to sense the world.
But his Serpent Pupils were different—in total darkness, he could still faintly discern his surroundings. It was a form of night vision.
He had accidentally discovered this ability after his eyes completely transformed into Serpent Pupils.
“So this is the permanent base from hundreds of years ago?”
Seeing the rusted, dust-covered corridor, Zhou Ming was amazed.
For a structure to endure underground for centuries—what an engineering feat.
But considering the era and the base’s original purpose, he didn’t find it too surprising.
Before the Doomsday Era, it had been built to withstand nuclear war; after the Doomsday Era began, it was repurposed to resist Ferocious Beasts and alien races.
The construction quality was naturally top-tier.
If not for the appearance of large Dimensional Rifts that shifted the terrain and collapsed the surrounding cliffs, it might have remained buried forever.
Aside from the exposed metal structures that had weakened with rust, the rest of the walls showed no signs of collapse. That was why the military had repurposed this ruin as a military base.
But now wasn’t the time to admire architecture—Zhou Ming had come for the class advancement data once studied in this base.
From his backpack, he pulled out several maps, comparing them to his surroundings to confirm his position.
These maps were printed from intel memory cards he’d bought on the Black Market; there were no computers inside the ruins, after all.
“Three levels. I’m currently on the uppermost—once used as the living quarters for the staff.”
“The second level holds warehouses, cells, and laboratories. The bottom level should be where what I need is located.”
Examining the complex map, Zhou Ming charted the best route from his current position.
After a moment of planning, he relied on his Radar Sensory Domain to avoid nearby groups and swiftly moved toward his objective.
There were only a few passages leading to the lower second level. If he arrived late, Beast Tamers and Hunters would gather in numbers, and in such a chaotic environment, even he couldn’t guarantee safety from hidden threats.