Huagu Team possessed an internal forum, primarily used for daily check-ins, forming squads, posting quests, trading items, sharing combat experience, and exchanging intelligence.
After Huo Yin’s accident, he had not logged into the forum for a long time, communicating only with a few trusted confidants, the remaining members were still completely in the dark about what had transpired.
Now, six months later, Huo Yin stepped out of hiding and laid out the situation between himself and Ji Ming in full. He recounted the events calmly, without injecting much emotion, yet the veteran members who knew of Ji Ming’s past were instantly filled with righteous indignation.
Ji Ming was a Plant Master whom Huo Yin and the others had poured everything into, nurturing him for ten full years. They had sacrificed immeasurably just to save their motherland.
The reason Huagu Team was renowned as a legendary powerhouse was precisely because its members devoted virtually all their energy to combat, braving extreme danger to complete grueling high-tier quests.
In the end, they successfully raised a Tier 9 Plant Master, one who ranked among the top three on Creation Star.
Just as everyone believed Ji Ming was about to return to the Blue Star to serve his country, he chose to betray his homeland and compatriots, defecting to the Kingdom of Dali and even resorting to cold-blooded murder to silence witnesses.
Had he belonged to any other class, people might not have cared as deeply, but a Plant Master directly impacted the survival of the Flower Nation. As a son of the Flower Nation, Ji Ming had shown such vile ingratitude. Worse still, in the Flower Nation's current dire state, it likely could not survive another ten-year wait.
💬 Is Ji Ming even human anymore???
💬 Why did he do this? What kind of perks did the Kingdom of Dali give him?
💬 Bastard! Just pray I don't run into him, or I'll kill him myself!
💬 Even if he wanted to pursue his career abroad, he could have helped his own country pull through the crisis first! Ten years, no, maybe just five years, and the Flower Nation might have been saved!
💬 Fuck that asshole!
The forum overflowed with furious curses. Huo Yin watched silently without typing a word, his gaze casually falling upon one specific comment. Something sparked in his mind, as though he had caught hold of a vital clue.
"...Just five years, and the Flower Nation might have been saved." He muttered under his breath.
Ji Ming’s betrayal was difficult to comprehend on the surface, but if his goal from the very beginning was the total downfall of the Flower Nation, then his subsequent hunting of Huagu Team's members made perfect sense.
Huagu Team gathered many of the Flower Nation’s top elites, individuals who would inevitably form the backbone of the nation upon their return. Furthermore, Huagu Team had consistently dedicated itself to fostering homegrown newcomers, possessing a level of strength unmatched by any other small team.
If his analysis was correct, the Flower Nation’s current predicament was likely far more precarious than he had initially presumed. The Kingdom of Dali, along with several other major global powers, probably harbored ambitions to annex the Flower Nation entirely.
That was why Ji Ming and his cohorts were openly suppressing members of Huagu Team and other Evolvers from the Flower Nation.
Though the Flower Nation suffered heavily from radiation, its territory was vast and rich in resources. The moment the radiation problem was solved, it would become one of the most beautiful and prosperous lands on Earth.
Huo Yin’s mind raced as he pieced together the global state of affairs step by step.
What he was destined to face was no longer just Ji Ming alone, but a targeted siege by the Kingdom of Dali and other major powers.
Huo Yin’s eyes turned dark, resembling a bottomless abyss. He cared little about how formidable the enemy was or how perilous the future might be, what he truly feared was failing to achieve his goal even after sacrificing everything.
Time was running out, did he and his companions possess the strength to salvage a Flower Nation dangling by a thread?
After ten years of fighting through life-and-death battles, just as he thought their mission was nearing completion, everything had snapped back to square one, leaving a decade of effort completely squandered. Even a man as resolute as Huo Yin could not help feeling a wave of disorientation and angst.
Just as negative emotions threatened to overwhelm him, a familiar aura drew near. A food container was held out in front of him, filled with seared meat slices, sautéed mushrooms, steamed bird eggs, yellow millet rice, and a vibrant red cherry fruit, a rich, fragrant meal that smelled delicious.
Huo Yin turned his head to see Yuan Chu laying out her own food container, its contents identical to his.
"Not hungry?" Yuan Chu asked.
"Hungry." Despite his answer, Huo Yin made no move to pick up his utensils, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
Yuan Chu speared a slice of meat with her fork, met Huo Yin’s gaze, hesitated briefly, and brought it to his lips.
"My meat slice is the same as yours." So there's no need to eye mine.
Huo Yin opened his mouth and ate it. The savory, tender texture smoothed the tension from his brow.
"Is it good?"
"Mm."
Yuan Chu speared a slice of meat from Huo Yin’s container, put it into her mouth, and chewed slowly.
Huo Yin leaned his chin on his hand in a relaxed posture, looking at her like a waiting nestling.
Seeing this, Yuan Chu speared a mushroom from her own box to feed him, then speared a mushroom from his box to feed herself. You eat mine, I eat yours, an equal distribution with no fighting or hoarding.
A smile crept into Huo Yin’s eyes, and his suppressed gloom gradually melted away.
"Chu'er."
"You have a tiny crumb of meat by your mouth."
"Hmm?" Just as Yuan Chu was about to stick out her tongue to lick it off, Huo Yin leaned forward suddenly and pressed a soft kiss onto her lips.
Yuan Chu: ...She hadn't predicted this little action.
Yuan Chu stared at him with her clear eyes for a moment, then leaned in as well and returned the kiss.
Huo Yin pulled her into a tight embrace, leaning most of his body weight against her, the tenderness in his chest threatening to spill over.
His Chu'er was like warm sunlight, constantly illuminating his heart.
At that moment, Yuan Chu nudged his back, gesturing for him to look at the forum, a new message notification had popped up.
With one arm still wrapped around Yuan Chu, Huo Yin checked his handheld console with his free hand, his eyes lighting up slightly.
💬 Captain, I just got word that a pack of plant-type mutated beasts was spotted in Zone 3. Supposedly, there's even a Tier 12 elite monster among them. (Milu)
Aside from a few mutated variants, plant-type mutated beasts generally possessed lower combat power than animal-types. Even a Tier 12 plant beast might not be impossible to take down with proper team coordination.
Though Huagu Team currently lacked a Plant Master, that wouldn't stop them from harvesting high-quality Plant Source Cores.
💬 Is the intel reliable? Huo Yin asked.
💬 It should be. I've already dispatched people to investigate, and we should get confirmation soon. (Milu)
💬 Alright, I'll start rallying our forces. (Huo Yin)
💬 Ah, Boss, don't forget to bring your woman and your god-tier supports! (Milu)
Huo Yin ignored the banter and asked: 💬 Who else knows about this?
💬 Not many people, I think. My cousin tipped me off, he's a lone wolf who doesn't like dealing with others, so I reckon we're the only ones who know for now. (Milu)
💬 Keep this under wraps for now. We'll talk after it's confirmed. (Huo Yin)
💬 Understood. (Milu)
Huo Yin leaned back comfortably against Yuan Chu’s shoulder, a contemplative look settling over his face.
Zone 3?
Zone 3 fell within the territory of Pandora City, a place packed with mutated beasts where the danger rivaled that of Strange Stone Canyon during mating season.
Yet where there was peril, there was opportunity.
Perhaps this could be turned into a well-laid trap...
A few days later, Milu sent word confirming that the intel was genuine.
Huo Yin replied: 💬 Post the quest on the forum in five days to gather a team.
Milu hesitated: 💬 Post it publicly?
Was the Boss not worried about Ji Ming's informants inside Huagu Team?
💬 Just post it, I have my plans. However, do not reveal the exact coordinates.
Huo Yin specifically wanted Ji Ming to know. If Ji Ming truly had colluded with external factions to assassinate Huagu Team members, he would never pass up an opportunity like this. Besides, a hoard of Plant Source Cores was an irresistible lure in its own right.
"Everyone, I plan to set off for Zone 3 immediately." Huo Yin didn't intend to wait for Milu to assemble a squad; he decided to head to Zone 3 ahead of time to familiarize himself with the terrain and wait for the prey to walk into the trap.
"Zone 3???" Feng Chenxiu said in shock.
"You mean that Zone 3 in Pandora City?"
"Correct." Huo Yin looked at everyone calmly.
"You can decide for yourselves whether you want to come."
"Go! Of course I'm going! I've wanted to see that sentient, intelligent city of mutated beasts for ages!" Feng Chenxiu’s eyes gleamed with fascination.
"No objection." Su Mo harbored a mysterious confidence in Yuan Chu, following the ultimate powerhouse could never go wrong.
Tali had little concept of Pandora City and offered no opinion.
Only Jiang Pengfei showed some hesitation. He had just joined a new team a few days ago, was he really going to throw his life away again so soon?
"Pengpeng, don't be a coward if you're a real man." Feng Chenxiu threw an arm around his shoulder, speaking with deep gravity.
"Fortune favors the bold! Look at you, you've been following our Boss for less than two months and you've already leveled up twice! Take a trip to Pandora City, and who knows, you might just ascend to godhood right then and there."
Jiang Pengfei: Heh. Me, a Mechanic, how am I supposed to ascend to godhood?
Huo Yin glanced at Sabu, who was sitting alone off to the side, and said, "You're coming with us."
Sabu nodded in silence.
Huo Yin had struck a deal with this stealth specialist: as long as Huo Yin helped him avenge his grudge, Sabu would pledge his loyalty. Huo Yin naturally couldn't trust him completely, so he had Jiang Pengfei craft an explosive collar for Sabu to wear. If Sabu strayed beyond a safe perimeter without permission, his head would be blown to pieces.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Pengfei was successfully persuaded by Feng Chenxiu, and the entire team packed up to depart. Jiang Pengfei modified the hover-car to double its speed, allowing the group to travel at maximum velocity and reach Zone 3 in just three days.
The closer they drew to Zone 3, the denser the mutated beasts became, and the fewer Evolvers were seen.
Daytime was relatively safe, as long as one didn't actively provoke them, the beasts generally wouldn't attack. The only thing to watch out for was that virtually anything in this area could be a living creature.
Proceeding cautiously into Zone 3, the group found an open patch of land near a water source to rest.
The surrounding vegetation was lush, the air crisp and refreshing, overflowing with vibrant life. On the surface, it looked like a secluded paradise.
Huo Yin checked their coordinates, the pack of plant-type mutated beasts was gathered in a set of ruins three kilometers to the northeast.
Taking advantage of the early hour, he intended to head over to scout the area.
"Sabu." Unsurprisingly, Huo Yin called upon Sabu, whose abilities were best suited for intelligence gathering.
Yuan Chu stood up as well, boarding the small hover-car provided by Jiang Pengfei alongside Huo Yin and Sabu.
Huo Yin glanced at her without a word, offered a few quick instructions to the rest of the team, and drove toward the ruins with Yuan Chu and Sabu.
The ruins were situated halfway up a mountain, a stone city reduced to crumbling walls and broken pillars, built along the steep mountain slopes and draped in thick vines. A majestic waterfall cascaded down the mountain like a silver river, creating a magnificent sight.
Near the waterfall, a scattered array of strangely shaped plants stood rooted to the ground. Some were blood-red, some were covered in sharp thorns, and others possessed bloated, swollen bodies, their visual style completely out of place with the natural environment.
A single glance was enough to tell that these were the plant-type mutated beasts Milu had mentioned. A rough estimate put their numbers at around sixty or seventy.
It was Huo Yin’s first time encountering such a massive pack of plant beasts.
However, what concerned him more was: Where was that Tier 12 elite monster hiding?
-----
Huo Yin: It's time to let the villains know what a man with built-in cheat codes can do.
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