There’s a saying in wuxia novels: "Never enter a forest you stumble upon." It’s sound advice.

A forest has more than just tall trees; it also has dense shrubs and overgrown weeds, making it ripe for ambushes. But while the enemies in novels are human, in the apocalypse, they are far more terrifying.

Forests, after all, are the domain of mutant plants.

Of course, not all mutant plants are aggressive. Some might just be poisonous or have a strange smell, and as long as you don’t touch them, you’ll be fine. Telling them apart requires experience. Dealing with the aggressive ones requires strength.

In everyone’s eyes, Paige Summers had neither, so she was placed in the middle of the formation.

She could only sigh inwardly at this and focused all her senses on following in the footsteps of those ahead. She observed which plants they avoided, which they ignored, and which ones required a preemptive attack.

The group was moving smoothly when Isaiah Langley, at the front, suddenly grabbed Grant Yardley’s arm. Grant had been about to chop a branch with his saber, but Isaiah quickly signaled for everyone behind to stop.

Mere seconds later, eight black figures shot down from the trees on both sides, swooping toward them!

Paige Summers’s vision blurred, and a scream immediately followed. Marcus Monroe, the quickest to react, had already taken one down, while the others quickly scattered to intercept their attackers.

Only then did she get a clear look. The attackers, though human-like in shape, were monkeys!

They were larger than normal monkeys, nearly reaching the men’s chests. What surprised her most were their claws—long nails that glinted with a dark light. They were not only incredibly sharp but also curved at the tips, perfect natural weapons!

After a moment’s shock, she immediately raised her Crossbow and pulled the trigger, aiming at the monkey that was clawing at Isaiah Langley.

Among the five men, everyone but Marcus Monroe was a Fourth-rank superpower user.

Martin Warren’s Electric Ability was powerful. Unleashing it with both hands, he stopped two monkeys in their tracks with a crackling current before they could even get close. Grant Yardley opted for close combat. His superpower was a Primitive Ability, specifically an Enhancement that made his body invulnerable. Combined with his natural strength, dealing with one monkey with his large saber posed little challenge. Howard Everett, a Spiritual Ability User, had a more peculiar way of fighting. While everyone else was in an action movie, he was locked in a "loving" gaze with a monkey, causing it to lower its claws and bow its head. But the most remarkable of all was Marcus Monroe. Paige Summers guessed he had to be at least Fifth Rank, but she couldn’t identify his superpower at all. With just a wave of his arms, flashes of white light forced two monkeys to retreat again and again.

Not counting Paige Summers, the weakest among them was Isaiah Langley.

It wasn’t a matter of rank. He was an Original Superpower User, but his ability was an enhancement to his hearing, better suited for scouting. Although he was agile and skilled, and the saber in his hand whistled as he swung it, he wasn’t strong enough. He couldn’t block the Monkey Claws with brute force, putting him in a precarious situation.

However, that situation quickly changed!

A Crossbow Arrow, whistling through the air, shot straight for the monkey’s head. The creature was alert enough to abandon its attack on Isaiah Langley and awkwardly dodge the strike.

As it retreated, Isaiah Langley seized the opportunity, lunged forward, and slashed at its throat.

The monkey shrieked in anger, blocking the blow with its claw. The impact created a metallic scraping sound.

Meanwhile, Paige Summers had circled behind it in the blink of an eye. Another Crossbow Arrow shot out! A dull thud of flesh being pierced echoed, and only half the arrow’s tail was left sticking out of the monkey’s nape.

Just a few seconds later, Isaiah Langley noticed the monkey’s attack on him had stopped.

It slumped to the ground, its limbs twitching. It wasn’t dead yet, but it could only let out weak, mournful cries...

As he stepped forward to deliver the finishing blow, he couldn’t help but look ahead, only to find that Paige Summers had already sped off toward Martin Warren. A small smile touched his lips, and he ran toward Grant Yardley.

Feeling a warm current flow into her chest, Paige Summers felt even more invigorated.

’Even if I can’t be a main attacker right now, it’s good to be an effective support. At least, even when I’m with high-level Superpower Users, I’m not so useless that I’ll drag everyone down!’

Soon, a series of thuds sounded as the monkeys were taken down one by one.

Of the eight monkeys, three had been shot by Paige Summers’s crossbow arrows, losing their ability to resist and dying as a result. Everyone was more than a little surprised.

Splitting open a monkey’s head, Martin Warren used his knife to pry out the Crystal Core inside and put it in his pouch. He walked over cheerfully and clapped her on the shoulder. "Not bad! You really live up to your title as a Speed Superpower User. You’re fast, and your aim is great! Oh, right, are your arrows poisoned?"

Paige Summers smiled and nodded, taking a moment to look at the others.

She then realized that not all Mutant Animals had Crystal Cores. For instance, only Martin Warren, Howard Everett, and Marcus Monroe had each found one. Although she could tell from their size that they were likely Third Rank, the drop rate was abysmally low!

The harvested Crystal Cores were all given to Howard Everett to be distributed after the hunt. This battle was just a minor incident, so at Marcus Monroe’s command, everyone prepared to set off again.

Paige Summers put away her recovered crossbow arrows and glanced at the monkey corpses scattered around. Her gaze fell on their claws, and her fingers started to itch. "Young Master Monroe, can you wait for a moment?"

Marcus Monroe paused. He was curious but gave a slight nod.

Paige Summers borrowed Grant Yardley’s large saber and quickly made a round, collecting the claws she couldn’t take her mind off of.

"What do you want this stuff for?" Grant Yardley asked, perplexed, as he took back his saber.

Seeing the confused looks on everyone’s faces, she said reservedly, "I want to take them back and study them."

A glint appeared in Marcus Monroe’s eyes; he immediately guessed the direction of her so-called "research." ’What else could it be but weapons? I’ve known for a while she could probably make more than just crossbows, but I always assumed she was just following pre-existing designs. Now I see she isn’t limiting herself to that scope at all.’

This realization pleased him.

As they continued on their way, Paige Summers was still positioned in the middle, but she vaguely sensed a subtle shift in her relationship with the others. Having fought alongside them, she felt a sense of belonging. ’I guess "brothers in arms" really is different, huh?’ she thought, chuckling to herself as she recalled the origin of that phrase.

The rest of the hunt went relatively smoothly.

The deeper they went, the more frequently they were attacked, but fortunately, Grant Yardley and Isaiah Langley, who cleared the path, could usually handle it, with Martin Warren helping out at most.

Although Paige Summers had no opportunity to use her skills, her mind was constantly racing. ’There’s so much to learn!’

One particularly notable encounter was with a Carnivorous Flower that lured its prey by emitting a strange fragrance that sent those who smelled it into a trance. However, the experienced Howard Everett had everyone apply a potion under their noses beforehand, so no one was harmed. In fact, under his direction, Grant Yardley chopped off the giant flower bud with a few slashes of his saber and collected a bottle of liquid from its stem. Apparently, this substance was the source of the Carnivorous Flower’s ability and would fetch a good price on the market.

The other small, weaker Mutant Animals they encountered not only provided First-order or Second-order Crystal Cores but also provided them with lunch and dinner.

That night, they made camp in the forest.

The campfire crackled as Paige Summers ate roasted meat and listened to the men talk.

"There are a lot fewer Mutant Animals here."

"Yeah, besides those monkeys, we haven’t seen anything above Third Rank. Something’s definitely wrong!"

"Haven’t you heard the saying? When the tiger’s away, the monkeys will play!"

"Oh, come on, stop joking. I checked. Most of them seem to have headed toward the valley."

"Could there be some kind of anomaly there?"

"Very likely!"

This conclusion excited everyone, Paige Summers included. Animals were the most sensitive; whatever could attract so many Mutant Beasts was probably a good thing.

Marcus Monroe wiped his hands clean and looked at them. "Don’t get too excited. Once we get to the valley, we’ll act according to the situation. Don’t get greedy and lose your lives over it."

"Yes, sir." The others sobered up. Everyone wanted a piece of the action when a good opportunity arose, but if it meant risking their lives, it wasn’t worth the price.

Paige Summers blinked. ’This man is incredibly calm, completely unaffected by the mood.’

’He’s been like this the whole trip, always the most composed one.’

’Her boss once told her that the City Lord passed his title to Shawn Monroe because he was stronger than Marcus Monroe—a Sixth Rank Wind Ability user, unmatched among the younger generation in the entire Dead City. But from what she’d seen today, Marcus wasn’t necessarily weaker. His strength was clearly far beyond that of Fourth-rank users like Martin Warren. And according to her boss, he was an Original Ability User, so what was that white light? It seemed even more destructive than Wind Blades or anything like that!’

’Most importantly, his personality seems far more suited for a leader than Shawn Monroe’s, right?!’

’I just don’t get it.’

She was lost in thought until everyone except Isaiah Langley, who was on watch, began to prepare for bed. Snapping out of it, she went into her tent.

She slept reasonably well for the first half of the night, but was startled awake by bird calls in the latter half. She decided to start meditating. This method could also increase the energy inside her body. While not as fast as using Crystal Cores, every little bit counted, so she never slacked off.

Furthermore, after reaching the Third Rank, she had begun to understand the purpose of the energy that coalesced in her chest from goodwill.

The Jade Pendant Mark was like a container. Once it filled with energy, it would empty itself out, with her own body as the only exit. This energy was different from the superpower energy already in her body; it wasn’t meant to be used externally. Its main purpose was transformation. It was like a tempering process, making her physical body tougher and more resilient. And unlike Grant Yardley’s surface-level invulnerability, her healing abilities had also improved.

She had first noticed it during Artifact Making.

A scrape or cut on her hand that would have taken a week to fully heal in her past life now only took a day.

This was one of the reasons she was so happy whenever she received goodwill.

’I’ve got to keep working hard tomorrow!’

’Both in gaining experience and in collecting goodwill.’