Though yesterday I promised ten chapters if the monthly tickets reached 500 in October, they didn't make it. Nevertheless, Old Gu is still planning a ten-chapter binge, setting the date for October 18th! That day, we’re exploding with ten chapters!! Today, monthly tickets are doubled—begging for the guaranteed monthly tickets for October! …… Just then, a graceful figure approached, rounding the corner of the building. She spotted Ye Chen, and her eyes lit up with surprised delight. "You're alive!" Ye Chen turned to look; it was Su Xiaochang. Genuine joy shone in the woman’s eyes, causing the gaze beneath his mask to soften just slightly. "What about the others?"

Su Xiaochang hurried over, taking a quick look over Ye Chen to ensure he was unharmed, which brought her a sigh of relief. She then shot him a chiding glance. "You were too reckless. Everyone is waiting further away. I told them your identity; they are all waiting for you."

Ye Chen dared not hold her gaze for too long, shifting his eyes away. "Then let's go over there." Saying this, he moved past her and took the lead. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted into his nose, distinctly feminine.

Su Xiaochang turned to watch Ye Chen’s retreating back, lightly biting her lip. A hint of loneliness flickered in her reddened eyes, followed by a self-mocking smile before she followed him.

Not long after, the two navigated around the sea of fire and reached a nearby street. There, on the empty roadside, stood several scattered figures; some were severely wounded, while others sat on the ground, nervously clutching cigarettes.

When Ye Chen arrived, these people all looked up, quickly standing up, and respectfully greeting him: "Greetings, Guild Master!" They had witnessed the scene just moments ago—Ye Chen knocking down the Flood Dragon with a single punch and dragging it until the beast was forced to sever its tail and flee. Had there not been a great river nearby, it would have been a true dragon-slaying battle!

This terrifying strength commanded solemn respect from everyone!

"En." Ye Chen nodded slightly, then swept his gaze over the assembled group—about thirty people, six of whom were injured. He paused briefly before immediately asking, "How many Super Soldiers are there?"

A large man with a rugged, full beard stepped forward, looking at Ye Chen with awe. He respectfully reported, "Reporting to the Guild Master, there are eight Super Soldiers in total. We originally had ten, but we lost one earlier, and another was lost just now fighting the Flood Dragon." As he spoke, his expression dimmed considerably. These two Super-level powerhouses were both selected from thousands, and they had fought side-by-side for so long that some bond had naturally formed.

Ye Chen’s gaze swept over them, noticing the shared grief on everyone’s faces. He nodded slightly. "Everyone rest first. Recover your strength properly."

The rugged man was momentarily stunned. "But this will affect the pioneering progress."

"Lives are more important. No need to rush this moment," Ye Chen stated plainly.

Everyone paused slightly, their respect for Ye Chen deepening. The rugged man said no more, responding respectfully before ordering everyone to find a large building and sending men to relay intelligence back to the main force behind them.

Surrounded by his people, Ye Chen entered a building where the light was dim and the atmosphere dead silent. A young man retrieved night vision goggles from his backpack and took the lead.

Thump!

A nearby cabinet suddenly shifted. The youth wearing the goggles instantly looked over, kicking the cabinet aside with one foot. With a whoosh, a white-clad zombie suddenly sprang out, its hair disheveled. The youth lunged forward, its face contorted into a savage grin, teeth bared near its mouth—

Pfft! The youth showed no panic, seemingly accustomed to this. He swung a blade backward, cleaving the zombie’s skull open. Blood splattered near his feet. He glanced at it dismissively and continued leading the way.

Before long, they found a room and the group settled down to rest.

Ye Chen's ears suddenly twitched, and he walked toward the outside of the room. The rugged man asked with curiosity, "Guild Master, where are you going?"

"I'll be right back," Ye Chen’s calm voice lingered in place, but his figure had already vanished. Everyone exchanged glances, feeling somewhat puzzled. About five minutes later, the sound of footsteps approached, and the door was pushed open. The others initially thought it was a zombie and quickly looked over. Only when they saw Ye Chen returning did they sigh in relief, immediately glancing at what he was carrying on his shoulder. Their eyes instantly widened into perfect circles.

Slung over Ye Chen’s shoulder was a black hound, six feet long and three feet high, its head smashed into pulp—it was clearly dead. The group exchanged looks, collectively sucking in a sharp breath. In such a short span, Ye Chen had managed to hunt an Level 80 Black Hound. How terrifying must his strength be?

"Everyone must be hungry," Ye Chen dragged the hound’s corpse to the group. "The blood of this canine monster is beneficial for healing wounds; it helps circulate the blood inside the body, speeding up recovery."

The others exchanged bewildered glances, still trapped in shock. Su Xiaochang, watching from a corner of the wall, let out a sudden laugh before gracefully standing up and walking over to the black hound’s body. She addressed the group, "The Guild Master personally hunted a monster for our food. Why are you still stunned?"

Only then did the group snap back to reality, casting glances of gratitude toward Ye Chen. They had never seen a Guild Master hunt monsters for his subordinates, knowing that every monster kill carried the risk of death from even a tiny mistake.

Soon, they found an iron pot in the room. Since the running water had stopped, everyone had to search for bottled mineral water or sneak some water from the river. Stealing water was simple: tie a rope to a bucket, toss it toward the riverbank, and when it was full, pull it up suddenly to secure a bucket. Ordinary fish monsters rarely came near the bank unless they scented blood.

After bringing the water back, someone tested it with a silver needle. Once confirmed non-poisonous, they poured it into the pot and set it to boil over a gas stove. Soon, the massive black dog was entirely chopped up and boiled into pieces, then sliced into thin strips. They found some salt in the building, sprinkled it on, and distributed a portion to everyone.

Each person ate only a small piece, which was enough to fill their stomachs. A large package of marinated meat remained, wrapped in the black hound's hide and entrusted to Su Xiaochang for safekeeping. After resting for a while, everyone felt their energy surge; the stagnant blood within their bodies seemed to have awakened thanks to the black hound meat.

"Guild Master, we are rested," the rugged man said respectfully to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, glancing at the rest, seeing that everyone had recovered sufficiently, and declared, "Let's go!" He took the lead, and the others followed suit. The six injured men had developed scabs over their wounds due to the powerful cellular vitality, allowing them to participate in combat, albeit roughly.

Ye Chen glanced toward the distant great river but did not head that way, reasoning that with the Flood Dragon’s intelligence, it would surely ambush them when they reached the middle of the bridge. Instead, he headed east and soon arrived at a small hillside.

"This is bad!" A youth using binoculars to scout the distance suddenly saw his face change drastically, tinged with panic. He spun around and trembled while reporting to Ye Chen, "There’s a Striped Leopard ahead!"

Everyone's face darkened, looking quite grim. The rugged man looked at Ye Chen bitterly. "Guild Master, perhaps we should change direction and head west? That Striped Leopard is too strong, at least Level 200, plus it’s incredibly fast. If we engage, even with our eight Super Soldiers having already activated our Super Modes today, we risk losing one or two."

Everyone looked at Ye Chen with a hint of pleading in their eyes. Ye Chen’s expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly, "It’s fine. It’s just a little leopard; it can't stop our progress." With that, he took the youth's binoculars, took a look, and spotted a leopard with strikingly patterned fur in the clearing ahead, gnawing on the corpse of a zombie-person.

A little leopard? Hearing Ye Chen’s words, the others were momentarily stunned. Just then, Ye Chen commanded, "Go capture one live zombie-person." The crowd froze, bewildered. The rugged man barked, "Hurry up! Didn't you hear the Guild Master?"

"Yes!" Several people immediately responded, their expressions strange, but they asked no further questions. They rushed into a nearby building and soon returned with a zombie-person. This zombie wore a suit, its fingernails packed with grime, glaring ferociously at the group. It tried to roar, but a stone stuffed in its mouth allowed only muffled "Mmmph" sounds.

Among the thirty people were a few women who frowned slightly at the zombie’s ugly appearance, wanting to look away, yet curiosity compelled them to watch—what did Ye Chen need a live zombie for?

At this moment, Ye Chen slipped his hand into his pocket, activating the Rune Space, and signaled the old man of the Green Rune tribe to pass him the poisonous powder scraped from the Golden Python’s fangs. Then, his hand emerged from his pocket, now holding a small metal vial.

Ye Chen approached the zombie, ordered men to hold its body steady, and then sprinkled a tiny amount of the powder onto its throat. The powder was quickly adhered by the mucus there. While everyone watched uncertainly, Ye Chen moved behind the zombie, grabbed its hand, and tossed it lightly toward the Striped Leopard.

"Gah… gah…" The zombie bit down hard on the stone in its mouth, rolling several meters on the ground before stopping. It scrambled up, its eyes blood-red, glaring furiously at the Striped Leopard that was busy devouring its meal. In its eyes, any living creature was an enemy!

The Striped Leopard, feeding, never expected an enemy to drop from the sky. It looked up, let out a low growl, and pounced. This zombie lacked the power of the Leopard and was immediately pinned down, its throat caught in the Leopard’s jaws.

The Striped Leopard knew that with "humanoid food" like zombies, clamping onto the throat would ensure death.

After snapping the zombie’s neck, the Striped Leopard let out a triumphant roar. Just then, its head swam violently, and its body swayed precariously, nearly collapsing.

The people watching from nearby were completely stunned, instantly understanding Ye Chen's intention, their awe deepening profoundly.

At this moment, seeing the poison taking effect, Ye Chen darted out. When the Striped Leopard spotted Ye Chen, it let out a low growl and charged at him. It managed only two steps before its body suddenly went limp, swaying side to side as it lost all sensation. Fear and panic filled the Leopard’s eyes.

Ye Chen mobilized his Qi force and rushed forward, delivering a punch. Enveloped by the Qi energy, this strike could shatter iron and stone. It instantly pulverized the Leopard’s skull, and the creature collapsed dead.