Chapter 35: The Pickup Vehicle

This is the highway leading to the danger zone.

A vehicle was parked by the roadside, engine off and lights extinguished, waiting silently.

Inside the car sat two people: one was the driver, the other a cultivator who had opened his spiritual medium, named Zheng Fei, tasked with picking up those involved in this operation.

“Big Brother Zheng, let’s go back—it’s already this late, no one’s coming back now. If we stay here any longer, we might run into danger ourselves,” the driver whispered, feeling uneasy as he was the only vehicle stranded here alone.

Zheng Fei shook his head. “No. Yang Yi Long ordered me to wait until six. So far, over ten cultivators have gone missing in the danger zone. This is already a major mess—if any of them managed to escape alive and we abandoned our pick-up duty, word would spread, and no one would ever dare deal with the Yang family again.”

“In today’s world, the stronger the cultivator, the more vital their personal credibility and influence become, because a cultivator is a symbol. Once their credibility shatters, the entire cultivation circle will shun them—everything they try to do afterward will become impossibly hard.”

“Why? There are plenty of people in society who don’t keep their word, yet they aren’t shunned.” The driver was confused.

Zheng Fei smiled out the window. “Because the law can control rogues, but it can’t restrain powerful cultivators. So cultivators must self-restrain—only then will others trust, respect, even revere you, and be willing to follow your call. Tell me, would you rather follow a man whose word is law, or one who breaks promises?”

“I think I get it—the higher your status, the more you value credibility and promises. That’s why the emperor’s words are imperial edicts.” The driver suddenly understood.

Zheng Fei said, “Exactly. That’s why the emperor can’t break his word—if he starts, imperial edicts become worthless paper, useless forever. Yang Yi Long said the operation ends at six. We must be here to pick up anyone retreating during that time. If we don’t, Yang Yi Long’s words become garbage—no one will believe or listen to him again.”

“I never realized there was so much to this little act,” the driver said, surprised by the depth behind such a simple gesture.

Zheng Fei sighed. “But I know deep down—no one’s come back from the danger zone yet. They’re unlikely to return. Most are probably dead inside… Wait, hold on—there’s a figure sprinting toward us!”

“I’ll get out and check. You stay ready to start the car and flee.”

He immediately opened the door and stepped out, then swiftly flipped onto a high point to look out.

“Who is it?”

Zheng Fei barked a warning.

He feared some unclean humanoid creature might be creeping up in the dark.

“It’s me, Li Yi,” the figure replied.

“Li Yi?”

Zheng Fei’s mind instantly recalled—he remembered: “Ah, you’re the cultivator who follows Li Tao. I’m Zheng Fei, here to pick you up. What happened? Where are Li Tao and Zhang Gao… Wait, something’s wrong. What’s that on your back?”

“Li Tao and Zhang Gao are dead. Killed by a horde of monsters at the outpost. I escaped in the chaos. Don’t panic—I’m carrying a strange tiger I killed. I thought it might be worth something, so I brought it back.”

Li Yi panted slightly—he had sprinted all the way with the Biao on his back, finally escaping the danger zone and reaching the perimeter.

“Killed a tiger? I see. No problem. Come over.” Zheng Fei exhaled in relief and gestured for Li Yi to approach.

“What’s going on? Why so alert?” Li Yi approached, his body reeking of blood, radiating a fierce aura as he carried the Biao’s corpse.

Zheng Fei studied Li Yi, then stared at the monstrous beast on his back—his eyes widened in shock. “Damn. You didn’t kill a tiger—you killed a Biao. Yang Yi Long already warned us: there’s an abandoned zoo in the danger zone where a transcendent creature kept many ferocious beasts—including the Biao, the Shanxiao, and the Human Bear. He killed the transcendent creature but couldn’t handle the remaining beasts, so they went wild and scattered through the danger zone. That’s why we’re on high alert.”

“So the Biao Yang Yi Long mentioned must be this one you killed.”

Zheng Fei stepped closer, examining the Biao’s corpse closely.

When he saw the clear, sunken fist and palm prints on its body, his pupils sharply contracted.

This ferocious beast had been beaten to death by bare fists and feet.

“You did this? Unbelievable. Yang Yi Long warned us—these ferocious beasts are incredibly powerful. Even a Spiritual Medium cultivator would become prey. To kill them, you need heavy weaponry and multiple cultivators working together.”

Zheng Fei couldn’t believe it—a mere assistant trailing Li Tao not only escaped the danger zone alive, but had killed a Biao with his bare hands. How was this possible?

Many Spiritual Medium cultivators hadn’t returned at all.

“In a life-or-death moment, my body was stimulated and evolved—I stumbled onto some fist-and-foot techniques and turned the tables,” Li Yi dropped the Biao’s corpse, wiped sweat from his brow, and said, “I thought this thing was just a tiger—it’s a Biao? I nearly got eaten.”

“I see. Have you opened your Spiritual Medium?” Zheng Fei now noticed—Li Yi’s eyes glowed faintly. He had indeed opened his Spiritual Medium, same as Zheng Fei.

But Zheng Fei was still puzzled.

A cultivator who had just opened his Spiritual Medium—even with a desperate surge—how could he possibly kill a ferocious beast barehanded? The difficulty was staggering.

Still, Zheng Fei didn’t press further. He simply said, “Need help? I’ve got a car. I can take you and the Biao’s corpse back to the safe zone. Don’t worry—we won’t take it. We might even pay you a high price.”

“Good. Take me back now. I don’t want to stay here a second longer. Too many dangers—I saw Yin Soldiers and ghosts on my way back. Almost got targeted.” Li Yi said at once.

Zheng Fei’s eyelid twitched. “Yin Soldiers? Ghosts? Your trip was terrifying. But at least you only encountered ghostly entities—they dare not leave the ghost domain. Earth’s energy field is polluted. Ghosts and Yin Soldiers, if they leave the domain, get corrupted by the pollution—they die without even knowing how.”

Li Yi nodded, deeply agreeing.

Zheng Fei then helped lift the Biao’s corpse onto the vehicle and continued: “But it’s not absolute—if a ghost possesses a living body, it can temporarily avoid the pollution. Or if a powerful ghost carries its own energy field, it can move in this polluted world—but those are extremely rare cases, not worth copying.”

“Alright. That’s it? Nothing else?”

Hearing this, Li Yi regretted it—he should’ve bought more stuff in Ghost Street. After all, he wasn’t afraid of debt ghosts coming to collect.

But now wasn’t the time to think of that. He said quickly: “Only the Biao’s corpse. Nothing else. Let’s go. We’re too close to the danger zone—we shouldn’t linger.”

“Got it. Get in. We’re leaving.” Zheng Fei, having picked up Li Yi, didn’t delay—he told the driver to start the car immediately.

The driver had been ready—he’d wanted to flee this hellish place since the start. The engine roared, the accelerator pressed deep, and the vehicle sped away swiftly.

On their retreat, another vehicle suddenly approached head-on, heading toward the danger zone.

“Someone’s going into the danger zone now?” Li Yi, resting in the car, grew curious upon seeing another vehicle.

Zheng Fei explained: “That’s another pick-up vehicle arranged by Yang Yi Long. When my car leaves, another one takes its place at the same spot. You can’t send too many pick-ups at once—it’s too risky. And you didn’t know, right? Besides you, eleven other cultivators have lost contact. Add Li Tao and Zhang Gao’s deaths, we now confirm seven cultivators dead.”

“So many casualties?” Li Yi was stunned. “I thought only me and Brother Tao were unlucky. I didn’t realize others were hit too.”

“Exactly. Yang Yi Long is tearing his hair out over this. And not just you—his companion, that girl named Qin Qing, was severely injured. Several vertebrae shattered. She’s now being treated by major pharmaceutical companies.” Zheng Fei shook his head, adding another piece of news.

“Qin Qing? You mean the woman with the vertical green pupils?” Li Yi asked.

He remembered her clearly—Brother Tao had once explained vertical pupils to him.

“Exactly her. Rumor says she was trying to cover Yang Yi Long’s escape. Barely survived.” Zheng Fei sighed. “Thank goodness I’m just a bodyguard, picking you guys up—if I’d gone into the danger zone, I’d be dead too.”

“Don’t blame us. Yang Yi Long meant well—he wanted to let you guys tag along to the danger zone for extra cash before letting you go. Who knew it’d turn out like this?”

Li Yi was stunned after hearing all this.

Even Yang Yi Long nearly got killed in the danger zone. This trip was terrifying.

Now he realized—he was incredibly lucky to have survived.

“By the way, what transcendent creature were they hunting? So powerful?” Li Yi asked curiously.

Zheng Fei said, “We don’t know yet. The corpse’s been taken back. We need to check records and examine it to confirm. But even if they kill it, it’s useless—this mission lost so many lives. How much compensation will they have to pay? And Qin Qing’s treatment costs are astronomical. I doubt the transcendent creature’s corpse can cover the losses.”

“We risked our lives for this mission. Yang Yi Long should pay up.” Li Yi said.

Zheng Fei looked at Li Yi’s blood-caked form and nodded. “True. Money can be earned again, but life lost is gone forever. But don’t rush. Go home, take a bath, rest, eat. The supervisor will talk to you about compensation in a few days. You won’t be shortchanged. But since you only got injured, your payout won’t be high.”

“I know. That’s why I’m counting on this thing to make money. I’ve heard ferocious beasts in the danger zone are worth a fortune.” Li Yi pointed to the Biao’s corpse in the back.

“Don’t worry. I already said it—Yang Yi Long will pay top price for this Biao. Believe me.”

Zheng Fei smiled. He treated Li Yi with respect—not just because they were both Spiritual Medium cultivators, but because he admired Li Yi’s strength.

Moreover, at this moment, Li Yi killing a Biao was a good thing.

Only by paying a king’s ransom for a bone could Yang Yi Long restore his damaged credibility.

Zheng Fei understood this principle—and Yang Yi Long knew it too.