Qu Jianlei didn’t fire, both snow rabbits were taken down by Flower Scorpion. It was rare that Cindy actually hit one of the rabbit’s ears. The second day was even worse, especially for Baldy. Xue’Er found traces of a lynx, but unfortunately, when they pursued it, the lynx was being surrounded by a team. Seeing them approach, the team of seven or eight became immediately vigilant. Fortunately, the old trickster was quite recognizable, he stepped forward to greet them, and the other side suggested they leave quickly to avoid misunderstandings. They wandered in the hills for seven or eight days, with fairly average gains, not even necessarily breaking even with expenses. But both the old trickster and Cindy were content, feeling that not going out hunting would mean consuming resources without replenishing them. Qu Jianlei, however, was not satisfied, as he needed a lot of supplies, so he suggested moving to Black Wind Swamp. The danger level there had increased significantly, with formidable creatures like the Ice Arrow Wolf, Three-Eyed Blue Fox, and Heart Moon Bear. Yet even in Black Wind Swamp, the number of hunting teams didn’t decrease; instead, there were more people and more firepower. Several times, Qu Jianlei’s team almost had conflicts with others. Everyone wants good prey; they could concede occasionally, but doing so repeatedly was inappropriate. The key was that the old trickster was also inciting: we’re so capable, we must make our own reputation, right? In Zhou Six’s winter hunt, simply enduring doesn’t win anyone’s appreciation! When your bad reputation has spread far and wide, others will think twice before provoking you. This logic was correct! Qu Jianlei and the others acted upon it, firmly claiming suitable prey without hesitation. Their team was indeed small, but their equipment was certainly not shabby, causing even medium-sized teams to think twice. As long as the opposite side hesitated, it was Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion’s time to showcase their skills. Especially when the two of them, under the watchful eyes of three teams, used two laser guns to kill more than a dozen Three-Eyed Blue Foxes within a minute. After this victory was reported, many teams realized another small but absolutely elite team had emerged. Half a month later, Qu Jianlei’s team withdrew from the hunting grounds—there were still some living supplies, but the key was the light truck was full! However, the truck being full didn’t mean their haul was exceptional; at least Qu Jianlei thought it was merely satisfactory. The main prey on the truck were Ice Arrow Wolves and Three-Eyed Blue Foxes, but these only fetched money for their pelts. The meat of Ice Arrow Wolves is extremely unpalatable, though some useful substances can be extracted, while Three-Eyed Blue Fox meat can only feed mutant beasts. There were also three hibernating tailless crocodiles, found by Xue’Er. But only a small part of their meat is edible, though the hide is somewhat valuable, crucially usable for making protective leather armor. Other things needn’t be mentioned, the most valuable were actually two Heart Moon Bears, large and small, probably a mother and cub. Heart Moon Bears are C-level mutant beasts, with edible meat, expensive fur, and fats usable for food or industrial material. Even their gallbladders, livers, eyeballs, and tails have significant uses. So there’s a saying that a Heart Moon Bear’s whole body is treasure. After this month and a half outing, aside from bringing back some meat, other gains wouldn’t exceed eight hundred silver coins. Subtract nearly six hundred in costs, and the net income aside from the meat was only two hundred silver coins. That’s not even as much as Qu Jianlei can earn repairing a mechanical arm; if shared equally, it’s just fifty silver coins per person. In fact, given so much income in a month and a half, the other three were satisfied, even Flower Scorpion was no exception. As for Xue’Er... it had delicious meals every day, growing twenty centimeters and its fur was sleek and shiny. Fresh chapters posted on Novᴇl_Fire(.)net Despite everything, the harvested items needed to be handled upon returning, many were useless but couldn’t be processed in the wild. When they returned to the outskirts, merely processing their prey took three days. What’s useful to keep for themselves, they certainly tidied up to retain, sell what could be sold, Some goods had reduced purchase prices due to high supply, so they held off selling for now—the yard was big enough, and the weather cold enough. Three days later, they still hadn’t departed; after a month and a half of outdoor life, they were mentally and physically fatigued. This was the typical pace for most hunting teams; as long as there were gains from a trip, a ten day to half-month rest was necessary. Even a month’s rest was normal, as long as gains covered expenses, allowing them to last a while. Of course, some were solely here to make money during the hunting season. Their goals were clearer, refusing to quit unless they caught enough prey. Yet even so, after a long hunt, they too needed a ten to eighteen day break. Geng Shougong had been watching Qu Jianlei’s little courtyard, not quite understanding why they went hunting after hearing about it. The maintenance master profession is so stable, so why go hunting... does it even cover fuel costs? "But it’s good they’re back, I need to ask them if they’re going out again." Chapter 86 Red Plain (Second Update Celebrating Bro Stick 4/10) Qu Jianlei and the three others, after a month and a half outside, were also mentally and physically exhausted, even though he could recover through cultivation. Sleeping in the icy wilderness was a challenge, with night watches necessary due to the truly intense competition in the hunting grounds. The crucial issue was their small team also harbored potential internal conflicts. Between Qu Jianlei and Flower Scorpion, a reasonable level of trust was maintained.