After leaving the Hunter's Guild, Qi Yuan returned to his residence. After taking a shower, he lay down on the boat, exhausted.
Escaping from the Sandworms' pursuit seemed like a close call, but in reality, his nerves had been stretched to the limit. If he had made the slightest mistake back then, he might have died in the Sandworms' mouths.
"It wasn't easy coming back alive this time!"
Qi Yuan let out a long sigh of relief and relaxed his body.
"Fortunately, my luck was not bad and I managed to sign in directly!
I even managed to ride on the coattails of Wolf's Teeth Hunt! "
Compared to the previous check-in points, the danger level of the Insectoid Nest this time had increased exponentially. There were dozens of Rank 1 Insectoids, seven Rank 2 Insectoids, and one Rank 3 Sandworm. If not for the sudden appearance of Wolf's Teeth Hunt, it would have been almost impossible to complete the check-in this time.
"I wonder if there are any abilities like True Luck, but even if there are, it should be in the Mysterious Territory. The possibility of such abilities appearing in the Talent Tree is not high."
"Then, which talent should I activate this time?"
Qi Yuan looked at the ceiling of the room and fell into deep thought.
The previous few times he activated his talent, he was forced to do so. There was basically no room for choice. Now that his strength had taken shape, the increase in strength brought by one talent point could not bring about a leap in strength. It was difficult to decide how to use this talent point.
Thinking of this, Qi Yuan was a little hesitant.
Should he continue to strengthen his strongest attack and activate abilities like Aiming or Dynamic Vision to maximize the power of Annihilation Warhead and take the path of a one-hit kill?
Or should he choose to strengthen his weakness, activate Steel Speed, strengthen his melee combat ability, and become an invincible Mech Lord?
Both paths had their pros and cons. It would be best if he could choose both, but unfortunately, his talent points were limited and could not support his ambition. The result of wanting all of them would only be that he would not get any, so he might as well go all the way.
Excluding those talents that had to be activated in times of danger, I should choose a strengthening path for myself.
Qi Yuan began to recall the battles during this period. Steel Defense had undoubtedly made great contributions in the early stages. If it were not for Steel Defense being strong enough, he would have died in Blackstone Town long ago.
However, the Annihilation Warhead in the later stages gradually blossomed with extraordinary splendor, killing powerful enemies one after another, suppressing the Steel Defense's limelight.
The Annihilation Bullet was my strongest attack. It didn't matter if it was a Hunter or a Zerg that was below Rank 3, as long as it hit a vital point, it would kill them in one shot. Combined with Death Harvest, it could even threaten a Rank 3 Zerg, unless it was a huge monster like the Sandworm.
Just by relying on the destructive power of the Annihilation Warhead, I was able to suppress the majority of Tier 2 players.
However, this ability also required the combination of aiming, dynamic vision, super long range vision, and other abilities to maximize its power. Relying on Gun Control alone, it was no problem to deal with ordinary enemies, but it would be very difficult to deal with extremely fast enemies. Just like the Sand Otter Leader, if its speed was not restricted, it would be impossible to hit it.
If the enemy used a similar ability to close the distance, I wouldn't have a chance to shoot.
Although Extreme Enhanced Attack could quickly bring about great power, it would inevitably cause one's defense to become one's weakness. This kind of power was like building a castle in the air, and it was very easy to counter.
Compared to Annihilation Bullet, Iron Defense might not be able to give me the thrill of an instant headshot, but at the very least, I wouldn't die suddenly.
It seemed like I still had to walk the path of a muscular bully!
After thinking about it for a while, Qi Yuan finally decided on the path to enhance his body's strength.
Gun Control and Annihilation Bullet would allow him to have no lack of attack methods before he reached Rank 3. The Talent Points he had obtained during this period of time could be used to strengthen his body.
The difficulty of obtaining Iron Speed wasn't high. He only needed to fuse it with a motorcycle. The motorcycle here was very cheap, and it could be obtained for a few thousand RMB.
"The direction of strengthening has been decided. Now, the most important thing to consider is how to sweep the nearby checkpoints. With my current strength, it's too difficult to go there. There's a possibility of failure at any time. I have to find a way to borrow external help.
"If I want to recruit Hunters to sweep the checkpoints, I'll need to recruit at least Rank 2 or even Rank 3 Hunters. But other Rank 2 Hunters aren't tools that can be easily tricked like Jia Tao. They won't risk their lives for someone else's recruitment mission. As for Rank 3 Hunters, whether I can recruit them or not is one thing. Even if I do, they won't listen to my orders. After all, I'm only Rank 1 right now.
"Moreover, the Hunters I recruit basically have no loyalty to speak of. If the price is too low, no one will come. If the price is too high, it will arouse evil intentions. After all, a Rank 1 Hunter is definitely easier to deal with than an Insect Nest. If I'm careless, the Hunters I recruit will become my enemy.
"Loyalty and tacit understanding are the same. They both need to be nurtured. If I recruit a few Rank 1 Hunters and slowly nurture them, I might be able to obtain a few good helpers in the future. However, this is time-consuming and laborious, and I might not be able to reap any rewards.
"If I can sneak into the Wolf's Teeth Hunt, won't all of this be easily solved? I'll be able to openly freeload my teammates, right?
"This method is feasible. The Wolf's Teeth Hunt members have a tacit understanding with each other. This means that they have already established trust with each other. Moreover, the members aren't weak. If they work together, they can even deal with Sandworms. It should be enough to sweep the nearby checkpoints.
"There's also Leader Ling You behind me. She has a fixed channel for Mechanical Equipment and various equipment. Tsk!
She's the perfect freeloader!
"The problem now is how to sneak into the Wolf's Teeth Hunt team. That Liao Xiang seems to have the intention of recruiting me. I'll think of a way to test him."
…
The next morning, Qi Yuan prepared to go to the Hunter's Guild to buy a motorcycle and light up Steel Speed.
Not long after leaving the room, Qi Yuan noticed that something was wrong. There were a few more sneaky fellows around him, intentionally or unintentionally spying on him.
"I've actually been targeted so quickly. Interesting."
Qi Yuan activated the Bug Beast Detector and probed for a while. He then chuckled softly, pretending that he did not notice anything unusual, and continued walking toward the Hunter's Guild in the South District.
Compared to Blackstone Town, there were more ability users in the Iron Chariots. Even with the existence of the city's garrison, it was impossible to eliminate the Big and Little Xiao Hei Gang. However, the truly powerful gangs would definitely not dare to make a move within the gathering point, nor would they dare to provoke the powerful hunters unless they could withstand the wrath of Ling You and the Hunter's Guild.
"Other than Death Harvest, the only thing that's worth being targeted by others is the tens of thousands in my account."
"Other than Jia Tao and the few members of the Wolf's Teeth team, only the people from the Hunter's Guild know about this. Could it be that the gangs bribed the staff of the Hunter's Guild?"
"That's not very likely. Normal gangs don't have that long …"
While he was thinking, Qi Yuan had already walked to the South District. The few people tailing him quietly closed the distance between them. Perhaps they were afraid of the presence of the city's garrison, so they did not make a move on the streets.
Suddenly, Qi Yuan turned and walked into a secluded alley.
It was clearly not the first time the tailing person had done something like this. Seeing that an opportunity had appeared, he immediately took out the walkie-talkie he carried with him and whispered:
"Get ready to move!"
The members of the Blood Hand Gang hidden nearby moved at the same time.
A man riding a motorcycle suddenly pulled down the visor of his helmet. A few black metal spikes suddenly extended from the front of the motorcycle. He turned the accelerator and charged toward the alley where Qi Yuan was.
The roar of the engine echoed in the alley. After the motorcycle rider turned into the alley, he originally thought that the target would flee in panic. However, when he raised his head, he saw that the Rank 1 fat sheep had not gone far. Instead, it was standing in the alley and staring at him coldly as if it was looking at a dead man.
Qi Yuan hooked his finger at the rider.
The rider was stunned at first, then a sense of absurdity emerged in his heart.
A Rank 1 dares to provoke me!
Rumble!
The motorcycles charged towards Qi Yuan. The sharp metal spikes on the motorcycles were like spears as they viciously pierced towards the prey in front of them.
Although the Iron Chariots had hundreds of city guards, the Iron Chariots were very large. The city guards mainly patrolled in the North District. As long as there were no gunshots, the city guards would not notice what happened in a secluded alley like the South District. After the bodies were cleaned up, no one would know even if someone died.
In the Iron Chariots gathering place, it was a felony to take the initiative to kill someone. However, there were still many people who disappeared quietly every day. The Blood Hand Gang had done more than once to those outsiders who did not have a foundation. Every time they did, they would bring in a windfall. The rewards from killing people were even more lucrative than completing missions outside.
Even if the money was deposited into a personal account, it was impossible to get rid of these greedy gangs. As long as there was profit, there would be people who would do it.
In the underground world of the Iron Chariots, there was already a complete money laundering industry that could help them rob a person's account. As long as they had the Hunter Badge, even if the person was unwilling to cooperate, they would have a way to get the money out.
The motorcycle approached quickly, the sharp metal spikes trembling slightly with the motorcycle's speed. At this speed, even a Rank 1 defense would not be able to block the rapid penetration of the spikes.
"Another one who is not afraid of death!"
Qi Yuan and the rider thought at the same time.
Seeing the target getting closer and closer, the rider's mouth curved into a cruel smile under the helmet.
"Cry!
Beg for mercy!
Run for your life!
However, even if you have the speed of a Rank 2, you will not be able to escape the fate of being pierced by me! "
Seeing that the spikes were about to pierce through the target, the rider suddenly saw the prey make a strange posture.
The prey's legs were slightly bent, and his body was slightly leaning forward. His hands were raised to shoulder height, and he was prepared to resist the attack.
What is he trying to do?
Could it be that he wanted to use his body to block my motorcycle, to block my steel spikes?
Is he crazy?
The rider sneered and turned the throttle to the maximum, and suddenly crashed into Qi Yuan.
Bang!
The metal spikes and the steel defense collided with each other, letting out a teeth-numbing sound of friction and pressure.
What is going on?
Did I hit someone, or did I hit a wall?
The rider did not dare believe this thought. If he had not been prepared before hitting the target, his legs would have clamped down on the motorcycle's body. He suspected that he would have been sent flying.
However, what made him even more fearful was yet to come.
The rider raised his head and saw his target, who should have been impaled by the steel spikes, calmly looking at him. Not only was he not impaled by the steel spikes, he was also completely unharmed. He did not even take half a step back as he used his hands to firmly hold onto the two sharp spikes in front of him that were deformed from the collision, firmly holding onto the motorcycle.
The engine was still roaring, and the rapidly spinning wheels rubbed against the ground, letting out a sharp sound of friction.
Not only did he block the spikes!
He even stopped the motorcycle!
How is this possible!
"Turn off the engine first, don't damage my motorcycle!" Qi Yuan said as he extended his hand and pulled out the keys from the motorcycle.
The motorcycle turned off, and the rider looked at Qi Yuan in confusion, as if he did not know what just happened.
Under Qi Yuan's gaze, the rider finally understood his situation. He obediently got off the motorcycle and stood aside with his head lowered.
"Who sent you?"
"I … I am from the Blood Hand gang." The rider honestly replied.
"Blood Hand gang?
Tell me about the Blood Hand gang. "
"The Blood Hand gang is a small gang established by Blood Hand. There are a total of twelve people. Other than the gang leader Blood Hand who is rank two, there are two other rank two ability users, and the rest are all rank one."
"Why are you targeting me?"
"We received news that you have a lot of money on you, and you have no background, and your strength is not strong."
Speaking until here, the rider could not help but curse in his heart. If an ability user that can block a motorcycle's collision with his body is not strong, then what am I? Trash?
Fake news killed people!
"Who leaked the news to you?"
"I don't know, the Blood Hand gang leader has a source of information."
The rider fearfully responded to Qi Yuan's interrogation while anxiously waiting for help. The other members of the Blood Hand gang were nearby, as long as they arrived, he would be saved.
"After waiting for so long, Blood Hand still hasn't arrived, have they already given up on you?" Qi Yuan suddenly said.
The rider was shocked, and all his attention was on Qi Yuan. He did not even notice that the motorcycle that was parked on the side had suddenly disappeared.
"No … no!"
"This is good!" Qi Yuan said with a smile.
The rider: …
Just as the rider was about to be destroyed, a few burly figures suddenly appeared on both sides of the alley.
Blood Hand brought a few of his men to block the two exits, blocking Qi Yuan in the alley.
Finally here!
The rider let out a long sigh of relief, and at the same time his right hand quietly reached for the pistol hidden behind his back.
Kacha!
Qi Yuan grabbed the rider's neck with one hand and lifted him up from the ground.
"I don't think I allowed you to play with guns!"
Qi Yuan's voice was like the whisper of the Grim Reaper, exuding a cold murderous intent.
He wants to kill me!
He wants to kill me in front of Blood Hand!
The red-faced rider suddenly understood Qi Yuan's intention. He looked at Qi Yuan's calm eyes, and his eyes were filled with fear.
"Help … Help!"
The rider turned his head and looked in the direction where Blood Hand came from, and used the last of his strength to desperately call for help.
Blood Hand, who had just walked into the alley, looked at Qi Yuan with a gloomy face, as if he was looking at a madman.
"Let him go!"