Chapter 13 Why Didn’t You Say Earlier That You’re a Martial Artist?

This time, Zhang Chu ventured out to scavenge with two goals in mind.

The first was to strike it lucky and find something valuable, then exchange it in the black market for a Vitality Pill.

The second was to encounter a weak and helpless beast, so he could practice his martial skills and improve his proficiency.

Although virtual hunting grounds posed no real danger to life, fake battles where no blood was shed always felt lacking. Reality was different.

Highland 008 of Laji Mountain lay thirty-five kilometers from Binzhou City, along a national highway.

Along the way, Zhang Chu saw high-energy electric fences on both sides, and the desiccated corpses of small beasts nearby—victims of the electric grid.

The afternoon sun shone brightly.

The car stopped halfway up Laji Mountain. The two set out toward Highland 008.

They walked along the mountain ridge, flanked by thickets.

Zhang Chu deliberately wore gloves.

This was his first time leaving the city.

Along the road, he saw many beast corpses, the most familiar being that of a triangular rhinoceros.

From the incomplete remains, it was clear that the valuable core and hide had already been taken. What was left—a lump of meat—wouldn’t even tempt a dog.

Huang Lili’s intelligence was accurate.

Near Highland 008, she found a scattered beast core in the roadside bushes, left behind by mercenaries.

Huang Lili had brought a dedicated beast core detector.

Placing the core in the device for ten seconds revealed its grade and species.

“Ding—test complete.”

“Level 1 beast, Five-legged Yellow Ox core, defective.”

Beasts were classified into six levels.

Their cores were the key ingredient in refining pills.

Even defective cores could fetch half price at the black market.

This single core could be sold for 2,000 yuan.

For an ordinary family, 2,000 was equivalent to a month’s living expenses for three.

This explained why so many bold civilians followed warriors out to scavenge.

Huang Lili truly had connections.

Highland 008 was indeed the last marked spot of the mercenary squad.

Zhang Chu picked up quite a few items.

There were level 1 beast cores, hides, ivory.

Most were defective, but together they could easily sell for over ten thousand.

Climbing over a small hill, they finally found a backpack belonging to the mercenary squad.

Huang Lili, excited, hurriedly opened it. Inside was a vacuum-sealed piece of meat, still fresh, its muscle fibers intact—definitely real.

“This squad must have a rich kid among them.”

“This is level 1 beast Spotted Deer meat.”

“Should we grill it?”

Huang Lili’s eyes shone as she looked at the label on the vacuum plastic.

Only a well-off squad could bring Spotted Deer meat along.

Zhang Chu didn’t refuse.

He hadn’t brought any snacks before setting out.

After searching for more than two hours, hunger was setting in.

Huang Lili seemed experienced in wilderness survival.

She soon had a fire going.

Zhang Chu used his knife to cut the deer meat into chunks and skewered them.

Huang Lili rummaged through her pack and pulled out a pile of spices.

“You brought barbecue seasoning just to scavenge?”

Zhang Chu was amazed.

“You need to be well equipped when leaving the city,” Huang Lili replied.

Her grilling skills were adept, and with the juicy Spotted Deer meat, the aroma soon wafted over.

“In half an hour, we can head back. We’ve made quite the haul,” Huang Lili said as they sat on a rock eating grilled meat.

Indeed, they’d gained much.

Just moments before, Zhang Chu had found a tiger fang wedged between rocks.

Testing confirmed it was a grade 1, lower-quality Tyrant Tiger fang.

Ground into powder, Tyrant Tiger fang was the key ingredient for trauma ointment; this one alone could sell for 5,000.

After two hours, with barbecue eaten and tears of joy, they’d profited over 20,000.

Once back, he could sell them in the black market and secure a Vitality Pill.

“Did you recover from your illness through drug trials?”

Midway through their meal, Huang Lili asked Zhang Chu curiously.

He nodded naturally.

He couldn’t very well admit: I was reborn with a system, and it’s all thanks to that.

“Maybe I’ll try drug trials too; my vitality has been stuck at 132 for a year,” Huang Lili said enviously.

“You don’t look like someone who can’t afford a Vitality Pill,” Zhang Chu observed.

“That’s true, but my grandfather forbids me from buying them—he’s blacklisted my ID from the Warrior Center’s pill sales.”

“He says the vitality gained from Vitality Pills doesn’t last, and insists I exercise and develop slowly.”

Huang Lili sounded frustrated.

“What do you think?” Zhang Chu understood that whoever said such things must be a well-informed figure in the world of warriors.

Vitality could be boosted in two ways.

First, by taking Vitality Pills—fast, but with a weak foundation, and prone to loss if injured.

Second: by training the body, unlocking physical potential, and increasing vitality. It’s slower, but the foundation is solid, and once you get past the early stage, you’re unstoppable.

For Zhang Chu, it made little difference.

With his system, his vitality soared with every pill, no fear of shaky foundations.

“Honestly, my grandfather’s thinking is too old-fashioned,”

Huang Lili whispered, then got up to pack. “Let’s go. We should head back, or else once the city gate closes, we won’t get in.”

Ah!

The next instant, as she slung on her pack, Huang Lili shrieked, her cry piercing the woods.

Zhang Chu sensed something wrong behind him—a heavy, coarse breathing.

Turning, he saw a wolf with jet-black fur, those green eyes staring intently at them.

“Ding!”

“Test result: Level 1 beast, Plains Armored Wolf!”

“Danger rating: one star.”

At that moment, the detector in Huang Lili’s hand sounded an alert.

“We’re doomed!” Huang Lili hid behind Zhang Chu, trembling. “I forgot to bring a tranquilizer gun—I never thought we’d actually run into a level 1 beast out here. We’re done for!”

With a vitality of 132, Huang Lili was outstanding among ordinary people.

Her gear was top-notch, but in the face of a level 1 beast, it was certain death.

Yet Zhang Chu felt, besides the tension, a spark of excitement.

Damn.

He’d thought he’d only make twenty thousand this trip, nothing more.

But now, just before leaving, he’d encountered a Plains Armored Wolf.

Compared to the ones in the virtual hunting ground, this one was far more intimidating.

The wolf’s eyes were excited too.

Drawn by the aroma of barbecue, it had stumbled upon two humans.

Human flesh and blood were an instinctive temptation for beasts.

If it could salivate, it would have drooled all over the ground.

“Roar!”

The wolf, ravenous, let out a howl and lunged at them.

Huang Lili cowered on the ground, clutching her head and screaming.

Zhang Chu squinted, staring at the charging beast.

It was his first real battle against a Plains Armored Wolf.

“Come, let me try!”

“Sky Rocket!”

Following the moves simulated in the virtual hunting ground, Zhang Chu clenched his fist.

He sidestepped the wolf’s claws, then punched precisely at its neck.

Bang!

With a mournful howl, the wolf crashed heavily into the fire pit, lifeless on the spot.

“Looks like… hunting beasts outside the city isn’t as dangerous as I thought.”

Zhang Chu savored the punch, the ‘Sky Rocket’ move.

Wearing his steel gloves, his punch was at least five percent stronger.

Huang Lili, hearing the commotion, cautiously opened her eyes.

Seeing the dead wolf before her, she stared incredulously at Zhang Chu. “You… you… you’re a warrior—why didn’t you say so!”