Chapter 35: The Pickup Vehicle

This was the highway leading to the Danger Zone.

A vehicle was parked on the side of the road, engine off and lights extinguished, waiting quietly.

Inside the car sat two people: one was the driver, and the other was a cultivator who had awakened their Spirit Medium; his name was Zheng Fei, and he was responsible for picking up those who had participated in this operation.

"Brother Zheng, why don't we head back? It's already so late; it's unlikely anyone else will return. If we keep waiting here, we might even run into danger ourselves," the driver whispered. With only his car left sitting here all alone, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

Zheng Fei shook his head and said, "No. The order Yang Yi Long gave me was to wait until six o'clock. Furthermore, as of now, over ten cultivators have already gone missing in the Danger Zone. This is already a major headache; if any cultivators managed to escape alive during this time and we abandoned the pickup, once the news got out, who would ever dare to deal with the Yang family again?"

"In this world, the stronger a cultivator is, the more important their personal credibility and influence become. Because a cultivator is a symbol in themselves; once their credibility is shattered, they will be ostracized by the entire cultivation circle, and they will face endless difficulties in doing anything in the future."

"Why is that? There are plenty of people in society today who don't keep their word, and I don't see them being ostracized," the driver said, very confused.

Zheng Fei looked out the window and smiled. "That's because the law can manage scoundrels, but it cannot constrain powerful cultivators. Therefore, cultivators must constrain themselves. Only then will others trust you, respect you, admire you, and even be willing to respond to your call. Let me ask you, would you rather follow someone who keeps their word, or someone who goes back on it?"

"I think I understand. The higher one's status, the more they care about credibility and promises. That's why the words spoken by the Emperor, who has the highest status, are imperial edicts," the driver said, suddenly enlightened.

Zheng Fei said, "That's roughly the meaning. That's why the Emperor, even more so, cannot go back on his word. Once a precedent is set, imperial edicts will become waste paper in the future and will no longer have any effect. Yang Yi Long previously stated that the operation would end at six o'clock, so we must be responsible for picking up the retreating cultivators during this period. If we don't do this, then in the future, whatever Yang Yi Long says will be nothing but hot air—no one will believe it, and no one will listen."

"I didn't expect there to be such nuances involved," the driver said, not having realized this small action held such profound significance.

Zheng Fei then sighed. "But I also know in my heart that since no one has retreated from the Danger Zone yet, it's likely very difficult for them to return. Most of them have probably already died inside... Wait, hold on, there seems to be a figure running quickly toward us over there."

"I'm going to get out and take a look. You be ready to start the car and evacuate at any moment."

After he finished speaking, he immediately opened the car door and stepped out, then quickly vaulted up to stand on a high point to look out.

"Who is it?"

Zheng Fei shouted in a low voice, calling out to ask.

He feared some unclean humanoid creature might be creeping close in the darkness.

"It's me, Li Yi," the figure responded.

"Li Yi?"

Zheng Fei immediately searched his memory and recalled him instantly. "So it's the cultivator who was by Li Tao's side. I'm Zheng Fei, the person responsible for picking you all up. What happened? Where are Li Tao and Zhang Gao, who were traveling with you... That's not right. Stop! What is that thing on your body?"

"Li Tao and Zhang Gao are dead; they were killed by a group of monsters at the outpost. I took advantage of the chaos to run out. Don't be nervous; what I'm carrying on my back is a strange tiger. I killed it, and I figured this prey might be worth some money, so I brought it back."

Li Yi was panting slightly at this moment. Having run all the way with that *biao* on his back, he had finally escaped the Danger Zone and successfully reached the vicinity of the cordon.

"You killed a tiger? I see. It's fine, come over here," Zheng Fei said, relieved, and signaled for Li Yi to approach.

"What happened? Why so vigilant?" Li Yi approached with the corpse of the fierce *biao* on his back. He was reeking of blood, and his whole person radiated a fierce, rugged aura.

Zheng Fei looked Li Yi over, and when he saw the fierce beast on his back, he was instantly shocked. "Good heavens! What you killed isn't just a tiger; it's a fierce beast *biao*. Yang Yi Long already sent out information earlier saying there was an abandoned zoo in the Danger Zone where a transcendent creature had raised many fierce beasts, including *biao*, mountain demons, and man-bears. Later, he hunted that transcendent creature, but he lacked the energy to deal with the remaining fierce beasts, causing them to go berserk and run rampant in the Danger Zone. That's why we are on high alert."

"It seems the *biao* Yang Yi Long mentioned must be the one you killed."

As he spoke, Zheng Fei leaned in, examining the *biao*'s corpse repeatedly.

When he saw the clear, sunken punch and palm prints on the *biao*'s body, his pupils suddenly constricted.

This fierce beast had actually been beaten to death by someone with their bare hands and feet.

"Did you really beat this to death? Incredible! Yang Yi Long warned us that these fierce beasts have extraordinary strength; even those in the Spirit Medium Realm would become prey if they encountered them. To kill these fierce beasts, one would need to use powerful thermal weapons, and even then, multiple cultivators would have to join forces."

Zheng Fei found it hard to believe. An assistant who had been by Li Tao's side had not only escaped the Danger Zone alive but had also beaten a fierce beast *biao* to death with his bare hands. How could this sound so bizarre?

One had to know that quite a few Spirit Medium Realm cultivators hadn't returned this time.

"At the moment of life and death, my body was stimulated and evolved. I grasped some techniques for punches and kicks and managed to kill it in return." Li Yi set down the *biao*'s corpse and wiped his sweat, saying, "I was wondering why this thing was so fierce; it turns out it wasn't a tiger, but a *biao*. I was almost eaten by this thing."

"I see. Have you awakened your Spirit Medium?" Zheng Fei only then noticed that Li Yi's eyes were glowing with a faint light; his Spirit Medium had already been awakened. He was a Spirit Medium Realm cultivator just like him.

Yet, he remained doubtful.

For a cultivator who had just awakened their Spirit Medium, even with an outburst in a desperate situation, the difficulty of killing a fierce beast with bare hands was not just a little bit high.

However, Zheng Fei didn't ask further. He simply said, "Do you need help? I have a vehicle here for pickup. I can take you and the *biao*'s corpse back to the Stability Zone together. Don't worry, since you hunted this thing, we won't swallow it up. We might even buy it at a high price later."

"Good, take me back now. I don't want to stay here for even a second; there are too many dangers. On the way back, I even saw Yin soldiers and fierce ghosts; I was almost targeted by them," Li Yi said immediately.

Zheng Fei's eyelids twitched. "Yin soldiers and fierce ghosts? Your trip was too dangerous! But fortunately, you only encountered ghosts. They dare not leave that ghost domain because the Earth's energy field is polluted. Whether it's fierce ghosts or Yin soldiers, once they leave the ghost domain, they will be polluted by the Earth, and they won't even know how they died."

Li Yi nodded, deeply agreeing.

Zheng Fei reached out to help lift the *biao*'s corpse from the ground and put it into the car, then continued, "However, things aren't absolute. If a fierce ghost possesses a human body and has a living person's body, it can temporarily avoid the pollution. Besides that, some powerful ghosts, if they carry their own energy fields, can also move in the polluted world, but those are extremely rare cases and have no reference value."

"Alright, is this it? Nothing else?"

Hearing Zheng Fei say this, Li Yi felt regretful. If he had known, he would have bought more things at the Ghost Street; he wasn't afraid of debt-collecting ghosts coming to his door anyway.

But now was not the time to think about that. He immediately said, "Just this *biao*'s corpse, nothing else. Let's leave immediately. We are very close to the Danger Zone; it's best not to stay long."

"Alright, I understand. Get in the car, we're leaving now." After picking up Li Yi, Zheng Fei didn't linger and ordered the driver to start the car immediately.

The driver had long been prepared; he had been dying to leave this haunted place. The vehicle started, the driver slammed on the gas, and the car carried them away quickly.

On the way out, suddenly, another car drove toward them, heading toward the Danger Zone.

"Is someone still going to the Danger Zone at this time?" Li Yi, resting in the car, became curious when he saw other vehicles.

Zheng Fei explained, "That's also a pickup vehicle arranged by Yang Yi Long. Once my car leaves, there will be another car waiting at the previous location. After all, it's the Danger Zone; we can't arrange too many people for pickup at once for fear of accidents. And you might not know, but besides you, eleven other cultivators have lost contact. Plus the information you brought about Li Tao and Zhang Gao's deaths, seven cultivators have currently been confirmed dead."

"So many people met with accidents?" Li Yi was very surprised. "I thought only Brother Tao and the others were unlucky enough to encounter danger. I didn't expect the others to be the same."

"Isn't that so? Yang Yi Long is currently having a headache over this matter. And it's not just you all; Yang Yi Long's companion, that girl named Qin Qing, was also severely injured. Several of her vertebrae were shattered, and she is currently being treated by major pharmaceutical companies," Zheng Fei shook his head and revealed another piece of news.

"Qin Qing? Are you talking about the woman with the vertical green pupils?" Li Yi asked.

He had a deep impression of that woman by Yang Yi Long's side; Brother Tao had even lectured about the knowledge of vertical pupils because of her.

"Who else could it be? I heard she was injured while covering for Yang Yi Long and almost lost her life," Zheng Fei sighed. "Fortunately, I'm just a bodyguard responsible for picking you all up. If I had entered the Danger Zone on this trip, I probably wouldn't have come back either."

"Don't blame us. Originally, Yang Yi Long meant well for you all, wanting to let you follow him to the Danger Zone for a trip to earn some extra money before letting you go. Who would have thought it would turn out like this?"

After hearing all this, Li Yi couldn't help but click his tongue.

Even that Yang Yi Long had almost flipped his car in the Danger Zone; this trip was truly dangerous.

Thinking about it now, he was truly lucky to have survived.

"By the way, what kind of transcendent creature did they hunt? It's so powerful," Li Yi asked curiously.

Zheng Fei said, "It's not clear yet, but the corpse has been brought back. We need to check the data and examine it to be sure. But hunting it was in vain; the losses this time were so great, and so many people died. I don't know how much money will have to be paid out. Plus, Qin Qing's treatment will cost a huge amount. I don't know if the corpse of that transcendent creature will be enough to cover the losses this time."

"We people risked our lives for this mission; it's only right for Yang Yi Long to bleed a little and pay some money," Li Yi said.

Zheng Fei looked at Li Yi, covered in blood, and couldn't help but nod. "That's true. Money can be earned again, but if you lose your life, you lose everything. But don't be in a hurry. After you go back, take a shower, get some good rest, and have a meal. In a few days, the supervisor will talk to you about the compensation. You won't be treated unfairly. However, since you were only injured, the compensation won't be very high."

"I know, so I'm counting on this thing to make money. I've always heard that the fierce beasts in the Danger Zone are very valuable," Li Yi said, pointing to the corpse of the fierce beast *biao* in the carriage.

"Rest assured, I said before that Yang Yi Long will definitely buy this *biao*'s corpse at a high price. You can trust my word on this."

Zheng Fei said with a smile. He was very polite to Li Yi, not only because they were both Spirit Medium Realm cultivators, but also out of admiration for Li Yi's strength.

Besides, at this critical juncture, Li Yi hunting a *biao* was actually a good thing.

Only by paying a high price to buy the bones can one restore the credibility that Yang Yi Long lost this time.

Zheng Fei understood this principle, and Yang Yi Long certainly understood it too. ===== CHAPTER 36 =====