Chapter 11: Chapter 11

C11 – Beast Tide(1)

Gator’s efficiency in dispatching enemies skyrocketed, sparing Zhou Mu the need to lift a finger.

When faced with a horde of fiend beasts, Gator would first subdue them with its draconic presence before dispatching them as effortlessly as if they were rubber balls.

Meanwhile, Zhou Mu dedicated himself to mastering the Spicy Palm technique.

The deeper he delved into his training, the more he marveled at the martial art’s extraordinary nature.

Yet, there was a significant downside—he couldn’t use that hand to handle food, nor could he rub his eyes or pick his nose.

How did Zhou Mu come to realize this? A few tearful experiences ensured he wouldn’t soon forget.

“Let’s move on to the next spot!”

Having traded all the fiend beast carcasses to the system, Zhou Mu coiled Gator around his waist and drove on.

With each transaction, he uncovered more of the Square Deal System’s unique features.

True to its name, the system upheld the tenets of fairness, justice, openness, and transparency.

It wasn’t just fiend beast carcasses—gathered spirit herbs and mined ores were also fair game for exchange.

In essence, anything he earned through his own efforts was rightfully his.

Through his recent exploits, Zhou Mu had amassed 4,200 points.

He intended to save them to enhance a new spirit animal or perhaps to discreetly improve Qi Xiang’s condition.

Despite his tough exterior, Zhou Mu was deeply caring toward his little sister.

Qi Xiang had been by his side since childhood, never once scorning him for his physical condition; instead, she frequently shared her treats with him.

Had he not been so single-mindedly blinded by the arduous quest to become the ultimate warrior, Zhou Mu would have long returned to start a family with Qi Xiang.

“Ah, life can be so monotonous!”

With a heavy sigh, Zhou Mu floored the accelerator.

……

“Speed up, come on, faster!”

“Why the hell have you stopped?”

Fury erupted from the driver as he slammed his fist onto the steering wheel, his face contorted with rage.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Damn it, I should’ve known better than to rely on this clunker from Honda—good for nothing but saving gas!”

Shaking with anger, the driver was at his wit’s end.

At the moment, the fiend beasts lurking outside wouldn’t afford them any opportunity for repairs.

“Out of the car, and get ready to fight!”

With that command, the driver leaped through the window.

Outside awaited a pack of evil wolves, creatures that sent shivers down the spines of countless Animal Whisperers and other fiend beasts.

These fiend beasts were notoriously brutal and sly, always hunting in packs, never engaging in solo combat.

Typically, fiend beasts would swarm their prey, overwhelming them with sheer numbers.

But these evil wolves were a different breed; they targeted the vulnerabilities of their prey with precision.

They were particularly despised by male fiend beasts and men alike.

“Damn, not these vile creatures!”

A hefty man jumped out, his face as dark as a burnt pan.

The evil jackal was the epitome of shamelessness.

Once, a lone fifth-rank elite giant-toothed elephant calf fell victim to a pack of these wolves.

Despite its thick hide and elite status, which would normally repel the attacks of fourth-rank fiend beasts, the evil wolves found and exploited its weaknesses.

Amidst the heart-wrenching screams of the calf, its innards were gruesomely extracted from behind…

“Don’t worry, we’re going to make it out alive. I’ve got a secret weapon,” the driver reassured, patting the hefty man’s shoulder.

“Really? You’re not kidding?”

“No lies here!”

“Then look me in the eye and swear, Nosharian to Nosharian, that you’re telling the truth!”

The hefty man’s face was etched with gravity.

“Cut the chatter; the evil wolves are closing in.”

The driver barked, summoning his two spirit animals—a common fire fox and an elite boar.

Called to action, the spirit animals instantly readied themselves for the impending battle.

Alas, they were outnumbered by the encircling evil wolves, a challenge too great for just the two of them.

“We fight! One kill means no loss, two means we’ve scored!”

The hefty man clenched his teeth, his eyes blazing with resolve.

Fiend beasts knew no mercy, never accepting surrender. An encounter in the wild guaranteed bloodshed.

“Hey, I’m only 23 years old, and I haven’t even had a boyfriend yet!”

The last woman in the group let out a sigh and called forth her spirit animals. With three ordinary and three elite beasts at her command, their combat strength was decent. However, against hundreds of ferocious wolves, they stood little chance of making an impact.

Typically, by level three, an Animal Whisperer could bolster their physical attributes to 20 points, enough to endure the bloodline shock from an elite spirit animal. As for possessing a leader-quality beast, that was out of the question until at least level six, requiring a physique of 100 points.

In this world, most beast tamers formed contracts with ordinary spirit animals at level one, elite ones at level three, and leader beasts at level six. Zhou Mu was an exception; in four hundred years, no one else had managed to bond with a leader-quality spirit animal at level one.

“Three elite spirit animals should hold them off for a couple of minutes. How about we fire off a shot so you don’t die with any regrets?” Fatty suggested with a mischievous raise of his eyebrows.

“Go to hell. I’d rather be mauled by a dog than give you the satisfaction,” the woman retorted fiercely, not holding back her words.

Fatty let out a sly chuckle, his face quickly turning solemn. The pair had known each other for years and understood each other’s temperaments well. Such banter wasn’t a serious death wish but a way to lighten the grim mood.

Sure enough, their spirits lifted slightly after the exchange of playful banter. “We may not have been born on the same day, month, or year, but dying together is a testament to our friendship,” Fatty said, pulling a box from the car’s back seat. Inside was a two-meter-long Miao Dao, its slender blade resembling young shoots, hence the name.

For someone of Fatty’s size, heavy weapons were the norm—using brute force to overwhelm opponents. It was rare to see him wield the Miao Dao, a weapon famed for its agility.

“If we manage to survive this ordeal, I’ll give you a chance,” he said, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the tension.

The woman glanced at the heavyset man and whispered, “Dream on. If we make it out alive, I’ll indulge until the heavens spin and the earth goes dark, with no light from the sun or moon.”

The hefty man grunted, brandishing his machete and slashing forward. “Kill!” “Kill!” “Aooo!” “Aooo!” The roars and howls erupted simultaneously as three humans and six spirit animals clashed with a swarm of vicious jackals.

These jackals were ordinary third-rank fiend beasts with unremarkable combat strength individually. But in numbers exceeding a hundred, they were more than a match for a handful of people.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The porcupine quivered, and hundreds of quills launched, swiftly turning the encroaching jackals into pincushions.

The Forest Boa encircled the trio, forming a sturdy wall with its body. Meanwhile, the armored wolf charged valiantly into the fray, fiercely clamping onto the throats of its foes.

The three elite spirit animals demonstrated formidable strength, while the three regular ones maintained a vigilant stance, ready to thwart any jackals that might breach the Forest Boa’s defenses.

The battle raged fiercely, with jackals falling and the three Animal Whisperers, along with their spirit animals, sustaining injuries.