The roar of the hydraulic press signaled the start of a new day.
After washing up, Qi Yuan looked at himself in the mirror. He was clearly thinner than before, but his eyes were more spirited. The lines on his cheeks weren't soft, but they were sharper. Coupled with the stubble on his face, his face was filled with male hormones.
If he were in the old era, his face would be quite attractive!
Unfortunately, it was a new era.
"The hunt has begun!"
Qi Yuan looked at himself in the mirror and muttered to himself.
After inspecting the items he had brought with him, Qi Yuan opened the door and went to the predetermined meeting point.
Three trucks covered in grayish-green canvas formed a triangle and were casually parked at the entrance of Blackstone Town.
Xu Kui stood in the middle, waiting for his men to arrive.
More than ten Wilderness Hunters with various weapons were already waiting near the trucks. Along with them were a few of Xu Kui's trusted aides.
Lu Han was squatting on the ground, smoking a cigarette. Two Eagle-Ii revolvers hung on his waist, one on his left and one on his right. He gave off an aura that kept people away.
The burly Luo Kui wore a pair of sunglasses and stood about a meter behind Xu Kui with his hands behind his back.
In addition, there were more than ten soldiers wearing helmets and uniform. They were all elite soldiers under Xu Kui's command.
Compared to this group of meticulous and well-prepared elite soldiers, the scattered Wilderness Hunters gathered at the periphery were like bandits and a regular army.
With Qi Yuan's arrival, a few Wilderness Hunters' eyes moved slightly, and they moved closer.
Although Qi Yuan didn't have much interaction with them, the scene in the tavern had already made his name known.
A Wilderness Hunter in black with a dagger hanging on his waist took the initiative to greet him.
"Qi Yuan, I'm Viper. These two are Butcher and Scar Face. We've decided to work together to clear out the mines. Are you interested in joining us?"
Butcher and Scarface looked at him at the same time, their eyes filled with kindness and scrutiny. Although they weren't overly friendly, kindness was a luxury for Hunters who spent their lives in the wastelands.
If it wasn't for the fact that Qi Yuan had already displayed a strong defensive ability, this trace of kindness might have turned into vigilance.
There were many powerful insectoid beasts hidden in the mine. With a powerful meat shield working together, they could reduce many unnecessary dangers.
Qi Yuan's gaze swept across the three of them. The Viper Man was just like his name. Although he had a smile on his face, Qi Yuan could still sense a faint trace of gloomy aura from him.
Scarface's equipment was the most complete. Not only was he wearing an old green helmet, but his clothes were also thicker than the others. He seemed to be wearing a bulletproof vest. Judging from the way he held his gun, the rifle in his hand was definitely not just for show.
The last one was Butcher. Among the three of them, the skinny Butcher was the most inconspicuous. However, the large caliber revolver that was clipped to the holster at his waist was extremely eye-catching. The thick barrel extended from the holster, looking extremely ferocious.
Qi Yuan's Flying Eagle had a caliber of 12.1mm. It was already considered a large caliber pistol. Butcher's revolver was even larger than the Flying Eagle's caliber. It was at least 16mm, comparable to a shotgun.
Although the caliber didn't necessarily mean that it was powerful, in this new era where caliber was justice, the caliber of this revolver was definitely enough to scare off a bunch of people with bad intentions.
"Of course!" Qi Yuan curled his lips into a smile and agreed to the invitation.
Viper was obviously relieved. If it wasn't for Xu Kui's attractive price and Xu Kui's reputation, he wouldn't have accepted this deal at all. The dangers of the abandoned mines were already well known. If it weren't for the fact that the insectoid beasts inside were too strong, the mines wouldn't have been abandoned until now.
The four of them gathered together. After a simple introduction, Viper lowered his voice and said,
"Xu Kui's direct subordinates don't care about us Wilderness Hunters at all. This time, there's a high chance that we'll be used as cannon fodder. If the four of us work together, we can at least increase our chances of survival by 50%."
"Why don't you rope in a few more?"
Qi Yuan glanced at the other group of people. Other than Xu Kui's fully armed direct subordinates, there was also a group of Wilderness Hunters. Obviously, they were also recruited by Xu Kui to help clear out the mines.
Butcher glanced at the group of people and shook his head slightly.
"These guys can't even fight against the black-toothed rats. No matter how many we rope in, they're still trash!
The only thing these people can do when they enter the mines is to share some of the attacks. Even if they can clear out the insectoid beasts, not many of them can return alive. "
Viper nodded. With the appearance of supernatural abilities, the difference in individual combat strength was infinitely widened. A simple accumulation of numbers could not cause a qualitative change. Even if there were a hundred more cannon fodders of this level, they would not be able to take down the mines. At most, they would only feed the insectoid beasts in the mines a little more.
In the sparse group of Wilderness Hunters, Qi Yuan saw a woman drifting away from the crowd. She was wrapped up tightly and wore a black veil on her face. If it were not for her conspicuous breasts, Qi Yuan would not have noticed that a woman had sneaked into the group.
The woman did not pay attention to the covetous eyes around her. She put on an attitude that kept people at arm's length.
"Who is she?" Qi Yuan asked casually.
Viper also glanced at the woman and whispered, "She's an outsider. No one knows her name. However, I heard Xu Kui call her Mystery!"
Mystery!
Qi Yuan searched his memory for a while and realized that there was indeed no memory of her.
"This woman shouldn't be weak. Why didn't you invite her?"
Viper smiled bitterly. "I did, but I was rejected."
"This woman is dangerous!" Scarface, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said.
"You know her?" Viper asked.
"I don't know her, but I know she's not to be trifled with." Scarface stole a glance at Mystery. There was a hint of fear in his eyes.
"She arrived in Blackstone Town two days ago. That night, someone had been watching her. Three Wilderness Hunters sneaked into her room. In the end, they never came out of the room. It was as if they had disappeared into thin air. Not even their bodies were left behind!"
The three bodies were gone!
Viper looked at Scarface suspiciously. It did not sound like the truth. It sounded more like a horror story.
"I'm telling the truth," Scarface explained.
"Back then, I lived next door to her. I knew the three Wilderness Hunters. They weren't weak. They all had weapons in their hands. One of them had even awakened Strength Enhancement."
Scarface swallowed his saliva and said with lingering fear, "They even invited me to join them, but I refused. I saw them enter the room with my own eyes, but I didn't hear any cries for help or fighting. I thought they had succeeded. However, the next morning, the woman walked out of the room unharmed, but the three of them were gone. I even went into the room to check, but there were no traces of fighting. It was as if the three of them had vanished into thin air."
Scarface's eyes were filled with fear. "I suspect she's a Contaminant. She might have eaten those people!
I've heard that Contaminants eat people. They can even eat meat several times their size! "
Viper sucked in a breath of cold air. If what Scarface said was true, then this woman was even more dangerous than the Insectoids.
"Impossible!
She can't be a Contaminant! "
Butcher said without hesitation. "I've seen Contaminants before. Their eyes don't have pupils. Her eyes are the same as ours. They don't have any signs of depravity."
Qi Yuan glanced at Xu Kui who was not far away.
Did he know anything about this woman?
Or was she the reinforcements he had called for?