The next evening, the group set up camp in a patch of woods.
“It’s getting dark soon. We’ll move on tomorrow,” Zhang Kun said, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the distant mountain valley.
“I remember there’s a Wilderness People settlement up ahead, isn’t there?”
Shi Gao pushed up his glasses and asked.
“It’s normal. A Third Rank Disaster Core is worth two hundred thousand. There are definitely people spying near the stronghold,” Li Qian explained.
But none of the three were particularly concerned, since the Wilderness People generally wouldn’t bother robbing empty-handed hunters like them.
As for the Third Rank Disaster Gate, it wasn’t something that could be removed so easily, anyway.
The group sat around the campfire, finishing their dinners.
After a night of fighting and a whole day on the road, everyone was already exhausted.
Once the tents were set up and tasks assigned, Bai Nian and Li Qian, as the women in the team, were given first shift to rest in the first half of the night.
“You really don’t want to sleep with your sister?”
Li Qian asked, not forgetting to invite her before entering the tent.
Bai Nian quickly shook her head, “No, no.”
She crawled into the tent, just about to sleep, when the System’s voice sounded in her mind.
[Only by relaxing can you recover your spirit more effectively.]
[Daily Random Task: Sleep unclothed]
[Reward: Spirit Power Enhancement]
[Penalty: Become a Divine Beast]
“I thought there wouldn’t be any tasks today…”
Bai Nian sighed helplessly.
She was too lazy to complain anymore about these indecent tasks issued by the System.
The tasks were as unreliable as ever, the rewards as good as ever, and the penalty…
“Divine Beast?!”
She froze for a moment.
“Isn’t that basically no punishment at all?”
Because Bai Nian was already…
Not certain, she hurriedly checked herself.
Thankfully, nothing seemed amiss.
Li Qian’s tent was right next door, the campfire was directly in front, and not far away were the two men.
The System actually wanted me to sleep unclothed…
“Whatever, it’s all for the reward.”
Bai Nian quickly took off her clothes and slipped into her sleeping bag.
The orange firelight cast on the tent, creating a graceful silhouette.
Zhang Kun and Shi Gao understood the principle of not peeping, and both had plenty of respect for the two women in the team, so they didn’t notice anything unusual.
At 1:30 in the morning, Bai Nian was awakened by her alarm.
The fire outside was still burning, driving away some of the darkness inside the tent.
She hurriedly reached out from her sleeping bag, picked up the two small pieces of clothing beside her, and put them on while lying down.
Then Bai Nian walked out of the tent, tying up her hair as she looked at the two men.
“Team Leader, Brother Shi, you two go get some sleep.”
The two men were already half-asleep, and, fully trusting Bai Nian’s strength, went straight into their tents and fell asleep without another word.
Just then, Li Qian stumbled out of her tent, looked around, and said sleepily, “Bai Nian, let’s pack up our luggage first.”
“Alright,” she nodded.
The two of them took down their tents together and loaded all their luggage into the vehicle, then sat in the back seat and chatted.
Time slipped by, and before they knew it, the sky in the east was growing pale.
The orange sun was slowly rising.
Wait, what about my reward?!
Bai Nian suddenly realized and began calling out in her mind.
System, speak!
[Task completed. Reward issued.]
In an instant, Bai Nian felt her whole body clear and refreshed.
The lingering drowsiness was gone, and she felt better than ever.
This feeling was comparable to being completely relaxed at certain moments.
By this time, Zhang Kun and Shi Gao had also woken up.
The two packed their things, and after breakfast, the four of them set out toward their destination.
The road through the valley ahead was narrow, barely wide enough for a single car.
The rocky cliffs on both sides were steep and treacherous, and everything around was silent.
Once they got through this valley, they would soon reach the stronghold.
As the vehicle entered, a cool wind blew in from the shadows ahead, and no one spoke.
Zhang Kun silently pressed harder on the accelerator.
Just then, Bai Nian in the back seat suddenly felt several gazes upon them, all from above.
It was the Wilderness People lying in ambush here.
Just as Li Qian had said, these guys were watching the Disaster Gate.
“Team Leader, there are people on the mountaintop,” Bai Nian suddenly said.
The three others showed a hint of surprise.
They had all heard of the Wilderness People, but as low-level hunters, they rarely had direct dealings with them.
But this time was different.
There was a good chance these people would attack.
“Don’t worry about it. They usually only go after hunter teams holding Disaster Cores,” Zhang Kun said, pressing the gas pedal even harder.
There wasn’t a single base city within hundreds of miles of here, only Disaster Gates and the strongholds built around them.
In a place like this, a small hunter team encountering a group of Wilderness People could be fatal.
Sometimes, even members of the Heavenly Dynasty Nine Provinces would steer clear.
You could never kill them all; as long as the Disaster Gates existed, the Wilderness People would never disappear.
The vehicle sped through the valley, and the sense of being watched that Bai Nian had felt disappeared as well.
Another half hour passed, and a grand stronghold finally came into view.
After a long journey, they had at last arrived before the Third Rank Gate.
The Disaster Gate looked no different from usual, but the stronghold built around it was the largest they had ever seen.
Massive circular walls surrounded the area, with several rocket launchers, heavy machine guns, and other weapons mounted on top.
Rows of houses stood below, and at intervals, there were elevators leading upward.
The defense level here was extremely high, enough to withstand the assault of a Fourth Rank Gate.
The Gate’s downgrade hadn’t made anyone relax; instead, they kept their guard as tight as ever.
Zhang Kun handed over the documents, and the group was quickly allowed in.
Beneath the steel wall was a heavy mechanical Iron Gate.
After passing through a narrow corridor, the four of them stood before the Disaster Gate.
[Third Rank Open Disaster Gate]
[Status: Sealed]
[Current Progress: 0/100]
[Maximum Participants: Unlimited]
[Other Unknown…]
Looking at the twisted runes on the Gate, Bai Nian paused, muttering, “The information displayed by the Third Rank Gate is the same as the Second Rank Gate.”
“This is everyone’s first time challenging a Third Rank Gate. The progress may be zero, but don’t let your guard down. Stay safe, and make sure we all come out alive.”
Zhang Kun turned, his expression grave as he looked at the others, who all nodded solemnly.
“Don’t worry, Team Leader, we will…”
Shi Gao hadn’t finished before Li Qian covered his mouth.
“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to jinx things before a battle?”
“Let’s go.”
Li Qian slung her arm around Shi Gao’s shoulders, not allowing him to refuse.
The two entered the Gate together like good buddies.
Zhang Kun and Bai Nian exchanged a glance and quickly followed.
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