Chapter 19: Leaving the City

Some small hunter teams or lone-wolf hunters, in order to save costs, would often rent the thermal weapons they needed instead of purchasing them outright.

They only needed to pay a small rental fee and a deposit equal to the weapon’s value. Upon returning, they didn’t even have to pay for weapon storage.

However, if they died out in the wilderness, it would be equivalent to having purchased the weapon at an exorbitant price.

As for consumables like bullets, those could only be purchased — there was no way to return spent rounds and casings.

The so-called Divine Wind Rescue Team was even more of a scam. They charged money upfront before conducting any rescue, and would only refund a portion of the fee if no rescue was carried out.

But in reality, once danger appeared, the Divine Wind Rescue Team would mostly just put on a show — because if the client wasn’t saved, they could pocket the entire payment.

It was rumored that the Divine Wind Rescue Team had already changed its name seventeen or eighteen times before settling on this one.

Of course, the Divine Wind Rescue Team wasn’t completely foolish. If they saw that a client’s situation wasn’t too dangerous and the person might be able to escape on their own, they would sometimes intervene — just to use the “rescue” as an advertisement to lure in newcomers.

For people like that, Zhou Ming could only shake his head. There had always been those who made a living off black-hearted profits since ancient times.

At the city gate, hunters preparing to head out had already formed a long line. The Qinshan Base opened its gates only twice a day — once in the morning and once in the afternoon — each for an hour. Other than special personnel, no one was allowed to enter or leave at any other time.

The exit inspection was simple, mainly to ensure that no fugitives were mixed in. There weren’t many soldiers stationed there.

However, after stepping out through the gate of Qinshan Base and turning back to look, Zhou Ming was momentarily stunned by what he saw.

Cannon barrels as thick as a man’s head exuded an aura of destruction; machine guns as thick as an arm stood ready to reap lives on the battlefield. Hidden missile launchers targeted high-speed, high-tier Ferocious Beasts.

On the city walls, there were even various contracted beasts with special sensory abilities, serving to guard against stealth-type Ferocious Beasts or infiltrating alien species.

When a black canine-type Ferocious Beast, as tall as Zhou Ming’s chest, turned its gaze toward him, he immediately turned around and quickened his steps toward the wilderness.

He didn’t want to be mistaken for a spy by the city defense forces. If the machine guns atop the wall opened fire, Zhou Ming would have no fate other than being reduced to minced flesh.

Even if he died, it would be for nothing.

Given the status of the city defense forces, there were few powers in Qinshan Base that could oppose them — and Zhou Ming’s background was that of an orphan.

After leaving the base, Zhou Ming didn’t immediately enter the wilderness, because within ten kilometers of Qinshan Base lay the designated safe zone.

At regular intervals, Qinshan Base would send out people to clear out any Ferocious Beasts within that radius.

Besides eliminating hidden threats, this also ensured the safety of crops within the safe zone.

With a population of three to four hundred thousand, Qinshan Base consumed an enormous amount of food every day. The emergency hydroponic systems inside the base alone couldn’t sustain the population for long.

Fortunately, due to environmental changes, crop yield and growth rates had improved significantly.

Even if some crops were occasionally damaged by Ferocious Beasts or animals, it wouldn’t affect the base’s overall food security.

Even if all crops were destroyed, the food reserves within Qinshan Base could still last until the next planting cycle reached maturity.

The reason Zhou Ming knew so much was because the base authorities had intentionally publicized this information — to prevent panic among the people and avoid unnecessary chaos during emergencies.

Recalling those details from his memory, Zhou Ming couldn’t help but marvel at humanity’s tenacity for survival.

“Ha! Ironhead, step on it!”

“Boom! Boom—!”

A roar came from behind Zhou Ming.

He turned to see a Wild Wolf Type-1 combat vehicle speeding toward him, its heavy frame bouncing across the uneven dirt road without slowing down.

Zhou Ming had once read about this vehicle in the library.

It boasted exceptional off-road capability and extreme durability.

Its powerful engine and alloy-armored hull allowed it to collide head-on with low-tier Ferocious Beasts. Most importantly, its power source came from special energy crystals, granting it long-term endurance.

Mounted atop was a heavy machine gun loaded with Black Core Armor-Piercing Rounds — unless it encountered a high-tier Ferocious Beast, this vehicle could practically travel anywhere unhindered.

Just this Wild Wolf Type-1 alone cost more than ten million Alliance Coins. Zhou Ming guessed it must be the private property of a hunter team.

“Blood Wolf, look — a little puppy just came out!”

As the vehicle roared past, the burly man who had shouted earlier jeered at Zhou Ming, whose equipment looked pitifully shabby.

Before Zhou Ming could hear the companion’s reply, the Wild Wolf combat vehicle had already disappeared into the distance, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

Zhou Ming didn’t take the taunt to heart. He wasn’t the kind to hold grudges over a single mocking remark.

Incidents like this would likely happen often in the future, and he had no energy to waste on such trivial nonsense.

As long as they didn’t block his path, he wouldn’t care — otherwise, Zhou Ming would simply “remove” the trouble and move on.

“Ha! He really is a little puppy — didn’t even dare curse after we left!”

“That’s the Steelheart Hunting Squad. For a rookie to get mocked by them is almost a kind of honor.”

A few hunters not far from Zhou Ming chuckled among themselves after witnessing the scene.

Unlike the burly man before, their tone carried even more malicious ridicule.

Zhou Ming didn’t plan to cause any trouble. He chose a small side path and quickly left.

Those men were armed, and the terrain here was open — Zhou Ming would have been at a complete disadvantage.

As for why he hadn’t prepared firearms himself, the answer was simple: he had no money.

Besides, firearms weren’t something one could fully wield just by owning them. The guns used in the wilderness were meant to deal with mutated animals and low-tier Ferocious Beasts — their recoil was monstrous. Even if ordinary people could withstand it, accuracy was another matter.

The Ironthread Snake’s feedback primarily improved his flexibility, resilience, and poison resistance.

After a year of nurturing feedback, Zhou Ming’s physique was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person’s — not nearly enough to handle powerful firearms properly.

To him, carrying a gun would be more like carrying a beacon to expose his position.

Seeing Zhou Ming silently endure their mockery and disappear down a forested side path, the group of hunters exchanged glances and continued on their way.

The reason they didn’t pursue him was simple — people who could endure humiliation were either spineless or the type to stab in the dark.

To survive in the wilderness, none of them were simple hunters, and they didn’t want to provoke unnecessary trouble.

As Zhou Ming moved forward, the vegetation grew increasingly dense.

Seeing this, Zhou Ming released the Ironthread Snake hidden on his body, leaving only the strongest of the batch — Number 1 — by his side.

He then pulled out a cheap, common explorer’s map and began heading toward his predetermined destination.