Xiao Feng sat in the jostling passenger seat, wiping blood from the magic crystal with a coarse towel. The egg-sized green gem grew ever more luminous under his touch, gleaming like a piece of phosphorescent jade, radiating a faint, ghostly green glow.
In the back seat, Rice eyed the E-class crystal with thinly veiled greed. "What a treasure… This kind of pure energy could fetch at least half a million. That means we could each get over a hundred thousand!"
"Heh," Xiao Feng chuckled, "You're dreaming big. You two can have a hundred thousand each. The rest stays with me — I've got use for it."
Rice frowned. "Why should you get three hundred thousand while we only get one hundred thousand each?"
Lin interjected calmly, "A hundred grand's more than fair. All you did was pull the trigger twice. Without you, the two of us could've handled that E-class beast just fine."
Rice handed Xiao Feng back his watch. "When I get my cut, I'm buying one of these for myself."
Taking the watch, Xiao Feng glanced at the orange-red dot flickering on the screen. "What's this moving light?"
Lin cast a look and swore. "Damn it! That thing's still chasing us. It's a D-class beast!" With a scowl, he slammed the accelerator, and the black off-road vehicle roared to life, speeding down the ruined highway like a hunted animal.
Xiao Feng blinked in disbelief. "A D-class beast?"
"Yeah. Now we're in trouble. You need at least a Level 5 power user to take one of those down. We're nowhere near strong enough."
Xiao Feng nodded grimly. "An E-class was already hard enough to kill — and with our laser cannon limited to just two more shots, a D-class might as well be invincible. We need to run. Fast."
"No kidding. I'm already driving like hell," Lin muttered, pushing his driving skills to the limit. The abandoned road was littered with wreckage — twisted metal, shattered glass, even rusting carcasses of old vehicles.
Lin wove the jeep expertly through the chaos, keeping their speed above eighty kilometers an hour. Still, the D-class beast relentlessly pursued them from roughly a kilometer behind — not as fast as the six-legged panther, but gaining steadily nonetheless.
In the dark, it was impossible to see what followed them — but Xiao Feng crawled into the back and raised the Bloodghost infrared scope to his eye.
Through the red-tinted lens, a monstrous wild boar came into view — easily three or four meters tall, its hide bristling with deadly quills. More accurately, it was a dire porcupine, and its gaping maw bristled with tusks — not the usual four, but a full mouthful of jagged ivory. It was a beast born of nightmares.
"It's a huge porcupine," Xiao Feng informed them, "covered in spikes."
"A porcupine? No wonder it's so slow."
"But why is a panther only E-class," Xiao Feng asked, puzzled, "while a pig turns into a D-class beast?"
Lin answered solemnly, "The classification depends on the level of radiation exposure. The beast's original form doesn't matter. A lion, tiger, bear, or panther exposed to E-grade radiation becomes an E-class monster. But this porcupine — it must've been saturated with D-class radiation, mutating it far beyond ordinary limits. That's why it's a D-class. Make sense now?"
Xiao Feng gave a grunt of assent, then watched through the scope as the massive porcupine bulldozed an abandoned car from its path and barreled toward them again.
As the obstacles thickened along the road, Lin had no choice but to ease up on the gas. At full speed, they'd risk crashing headlong into wreckage — possibly killing themselves outright.
But as their speed dropped, the gap between them and the beast began to close.
"This can't go on," Xiao Feng said. "I'll get out and draw it away."
"No," Lin said at once. "Absolutely not. That thing's a D-class monster — it's far too dangerous."
Xiao Feng glanced again at his watch. "There's a forest up ahead. I'll get out there and lure it away. You two keep driving. Don't worry about me — thanks to Henry's evolved healing ability, I won't die so easily."
He topped off the charge on Rice's laser cannon and handed it back. "Keep this for protection — it still works well enough on E-class beasts. Find a shelter and wait. According to the map, there's a Zone 57 safe zone not far from here. I'll meet you there. But if I don't draw this thing off, it'll catch us in minutes."
Rice clenched his fists. "I'll go with you."
"No. I can't guarantee your safety — and who knows how many other monsters are hiding in that forest? You can't come."
"I'm your uncle," Rice argued, his usual rascal bravado gone, replaced by solemn determination. "How can I let you face this alone?"
Xiao Feng smiled faintly. "I appreciate your concern, truly. But I'll be fine. Lin — pull over."
"I'll go with you then," Lin offered. "An extra set of hands—"
"No," Xiao Feng said firmly. "I'm safer alone."
Lin hit the brakes. Xiao Feng swung the door open and stepped into the night. "Go. Now."
"Take care of yourself," Lin called, before slamming the pedal down and tearing off into the dark.
Clutching the blood-red Bloodghost rifle, Xiao Feng darted into the trees.
He believed the E-class magic crystal on him was drawing the D-class monster toward them. If he could change course, he might lead it away entirely. Without hesitation, he plunged into the forest.
It was spring, and the woods had awakened with new life. Tender green leaves cloaked the branches, casting deep shadows beneath the canopy. Fortunately, Xiao Feng's enhanced eyes gave him clarity in the gloom. His pupils dilated wider than normal, and with feline agility, he vanished into the darkened heart of the forest.