Chapter 949: Private Hunter
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
However, Ice Storm could not hold it in any longer.
If the servants that Meng Chao had “handpicked” for her from the depths of the dungeon were considered “ordinary,” then this middle-aged man, whose hands and feet were even longer than Leaf’s and whose face was full of wrinkles, was simply ‘crooked’.
Ice storm sized Spider up from head to tail for a few rounds, but she could not see what qualifications this guy, who seemed to be able to be blown down by a gust of wind, had to become her servant.
“Is this guy named Spider more powerful than those brawny men who have pa.s.sed the Path of Glory?”
Ice storm suppressed his simmering anger and asked with a frown.
“I don’t know.”
Meng Chao shook his head and indifferently said, “However, if he is placed next to the ten Brawny men who have pa.s.sed the Path of Glory and locked in the same cell with a totem beast, I dare to bet that the one who can last until the end is definitely this Spider.”
Ice Storm raised his white eyebrows.
He did not expect Meng Chao to have such a high opinion of this middle-aged man.
“Why?”The snow leopard female warrior could not help but ask.
“Because he was the one who could last the longest in the depths of the dungeon after me.”
Meng Chao said, “He could last for ten days in the depths of the dungeon, but he was still alive and kicking.”
“But he was very thin and weak.”
“He didn’t get many fried mandrake fruits,” Ice Storm said
“That’s exactly what made him so powerful.”
Meng Chao said, “If he was a strong rat, he would have been able to get the most food as soon as he entered the dungeon. He would have been eating stronger and stronger, and soon, no one would dare to compete with him. He would have been able to climb out of the dungeon and enter the recruit training camp after two or three days of comfort. Could it be that he was not that tall?
“However, Spider looked so thin and weak, and his physical strength was gradually declining. He had to go all out every round. Even if he managed to grab the fried datura fruit, there was no guarantee that others would not s.n.a.t.c.h it from his hands again.
“For such a person, every round of food delivery was a life-and-death test.
“He had to mobilize all his strength, wisdom, strategies, and even understand the hearts of the people. He had to know how to make choices and learn how to cooperate in order to pa.s.s the test.
“And he pa.s.sed dozens of life-and-death tests. Although his performance was not very eye-catching, of course, if a person like him performed too well, he would have been the first to stand out and be besieged by others.
“But he survived in the end. He could still climb out of the dungeon with his own strength and straightened his back.
“That’s why I believe that if he and those burly men who have not pa.s.sed the life-and-death tests were put into the worst environment at the same time, he would definitely be the last one to live.”
Ice storm was obviously in disbelief.
Meng Chao smiled and continued, “Moreover, if I’m not wrong, he even hid some of his strength. He’s definitely not as weak as he looks on the surface.”
“What?”
Ice Storm’s curiosity was piqued.
She put her hands behind her back and slowly walked past the servants.
When she pa.s.sed by Spider, she did not even look at him.
However, after walking four or five arms’ worth of distance, she suddenly swung her tail and threw a sharp icicle at Spider’s face.
Spider was shocked.
Instinctively, his four limbs suddenly contracted and flicked.
His entire body was like a huge Spider. With his four legs on the ground, he twisted his strange posture and dodged the seemingly ferocious but in fact, it was all ice flowers. There was no lethality in the attack at all.
The ice flowers turned into cold sweat on his forehead.
Spider secretly complained.
He knew that it would not be so easy to escape from the heavily guarded Blood Skull Arena and this black-haired, black-eyed monster.
However, Ice Storm was greatly surprised.
“As expected!”
She said in surprise and joy, “How did you see through it? What else can you see?”
Meng Chao smiled slightly and ignored the first half of the question. He answered the second half of the question directly, “I can also tell that he is a hunter.”
“A private hunter?”
This made Ice Storm even more surprised.
The water plants in Picturesque Orchid Lake were luxuriant, and the mandrake trees were deeply rooted in the worst environment. This caused the mountains and plains to be filled with lush forests.
Between the gra.s.slands and the forests, there were naturally countless birds and beasts.
However, without the permission and leadership of the tribal lords, the rat people could not hunt without permission.
On the surface, the reason was that the cowardly rats who had filthy blood flowing in their bodies were not worthy to engage in such a n.o.ble and courageous occupation like hunting.
In reality, it was the tribal lords who needed a large number of totem beasts to appear in the mountains and forests.
The totem beasts contained weak totem power within their bodies.
In the words of the Dragon City civilization, it was the flesh and blood of a superbeast that was rich in spiritual energy.
The clan elders had swallowed enough totem beast flesh and blood to become stronger and stronger. At the same time, they also used the bones and blood of the totem beasts to strengthen their own totems.
This was the same as the superhumans of Dragon City.
However, the totem beasts, which were equivalent to monsters, were also existences with astonishing appet.i.tes.
Only when a large number of wild beasts acted as the foundation of the food chain could a large number of totem beasts appear for the elders of the clan to hunt, devour, and use.
If the rats, who were hundreds of times more numerous than the elders of the clan, all ate the marrow and knew the taste. Instead of eating the mandala fruit, they would like to eat meat and eat all the wild beasts.
The number of totem beasts that lacked food would definitely be greatly reduced.
That would affect the enjoyment of the elders of the clan.
Therefore, the five great clans had issued a hunting ban against the rat people.
Of course, with the mandala fruit in abundance, the rat people were not willing to risk their lives to go into the deep mountains and forests to hunt.
Although to the powerful Turan people, ordinary wild beasts were nothing.
But totem beasts were even more terrifying than monsters.
To put it simply, totem beasts could be considered close relatives of monsters.
It was just that their numbers were not as many as the torrential beast horde on Monster Mountain Range. Moreover, they lacked a “mother” to integrate all the totem beasts.
Therefore, they had been suppressed and even raised by the Turan people.
However, compared to the monsters, the totem beasts also had a very terrifying aspect.
That was that their bodies contained ‘totem power’. Just like the totem warriors, they could summon totem armors.
Just Imagine, the monsters that were baring their fangs and brandishing their claws were already very difficult to deal with.
If the monsters’ bodies could still secrete substances that were similar to liquid metal, they could form ferocious armors and even complex mechanical structures on the surface of their bodies.
That was simply a nightmare for carbon-based intelligent creatures.
Even the warriors of the clan with n.o.ble bloodlines had a very high casualty rate when hunting totem beasts.
For the rats who lacked totem power, totem beasts were an existence that they could not contend against.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, it was simply because they were tired of eating mandala fruits for a change of taste that they were unable to attract the rats into the mountains to hunt.
More commonly, they would be escorted by the elders of the clan and sent to the depths of the forest where totem beasts frequently appeared as bait to lure the totem beasts out for the elders.
The rats who took the risk of losing their heads and wanted to be private hunters were all highly skilled and audacious existences.
Ice Storm was interested in Spider.
It was the glorious era now.
The rules of the prosperous era, including the hunting ban, were all shattered.
Moreover, she was not from the Blood Hoof Clan, so she had no interest in defending the hunting ban for the Blood Hoof Clan.
“You’re a hunter?”
She looked at Spider with interest.
The wrinkles of the middle-aged rat citizen crumpled into a ball, making him look even more miserable. He did not know how to answer.
Ice Storm turned her gaze to Meng Chao again.
“People who work or fight all year round have calluses all over their hands, and there are a lot of scars left on their bodies. However, the calluses and scars of collectors, growers, reapers, hunters, and even professional warriors are all different.”
Meng Chao knew what Ice Storm was going to ask, so he calmly answered, “Observe carefully the distribution of calluses on his hands, the faint scars on his body, and the lines of his muscles. You will naturally be able to tell that he is an experienced and well-trained hunter.”
The corner of Ice Storm’s eyes twitched.
He thought to himself, “How can I ‘naturally’ tell? How is this ‘natural?!’”
Meng Chao sensed Spider’s nervousness and patted his shoulder. He smiled and said, “Don’t be afraid, uncle. Since you’ve persevered until now, no one will hold you responsible for hunting on your own anymore.
“On the contrary, you’ll have the chance to go to a bigger and more dangerous hunting ground with more abundant prey. I guarantee that as long as you use all your skills, you’ll definitely be able to hunt for what you want.”
As he said this, Meng Chao winked at Spider.
Spider was stunned.
The heart hanging in his throat fell back to his chest.
For some reason, he immediately believed the words of his “cellmate” who had been with him for ten days and ten nights.
Moreover, looking at Meng Chao’s black hair and black eyes, he had a faint feeling.
Meng Chao knew what he wanted to do.
He knew that he wanted to escape.
He wanted to escape from the Blood Skull Arena, from Black-corner City, and to return to the side of his wives and children.
However, Meng Chao would never report to anyone.
Moreover, as long as he could give Meng Chao what he wanted, Meng Chao would give him a helping hand at the critical moment.
The situation of the other rat subjects who stood in line with Spider was not much different.
They were all not very tall, but they were all highly skilled crooks.
They were the “talents” that Meng Chao had carefully selected after observing them in the dark for ten days. They might be able to help him complete his mission.
When they were hiding in the dark and had nothing to do, other than piecing together the memory fragments from their previous lives and deducing the progress of the war between worlds, the only fun they had was observing the rat subjects in the dungeon.
It was not just the cells that they were in.
It also included the hundreds of cells that were filled with rat people on both sides of the corridor.
It was not just with the naked eye.
He also used his ears that were comparable to radar and eavesdropping devices to eavesdrop on the rat people’s b.l.o.o.d.y fights and whispers, as well as their heartbeat, breathing, and the sounds of their muscles tensing up.
He also used his extremely sharp life magnetic field to sense their burning desire to live like flames.
To find those who, in the darkest desperation, are not willing to give up hope.