"Do you know what the survival rate is for an average Hunter who stays in Yumen for twelve months?" Nagano Souta asked.

"How much?"

"Less than sixty percent." Nagano Souta sighed again, "In other words, if a Hunter doesn't earn enough money in Yumen to secure a comfortable life for the second half of their existence, then after a year, more than a third of Hunters will become corpses... or wander as eerie apparitions in the no-man's land, or as bizarre creatures."

"Most Free Hunters don't have it easy." Nagano Souta said, "The cost of being unrestrained is quite heavy... not to mention top cities like Chunming City and Shen City, even in Chang'an, the price of non-core district commercial housing has reached nearly thirty thousand per square meter, while these Hunters risk their lives traveling back and forth in the no-man's land, the average reward is only enough to buy three to five square meters... You and Candle Dragon are considered the top Hunters in the whole of Xiazhou Continent, it's hard for you to imagine how tough life is for the Hunters at the bottom."

"Doesn't the Federation Government provide welfare subsidies to infectees? Even if those Hunters leave the official institutions and choose to become Free Hunters, this subsidy won't be canceled." Sun Hang asked.

"That subsidy can only ensure they get a full meal in places like Yumen." Nagano Souta said, "Returning to inland cities can naturally give them a decent 'life', but as an infectee, do you think it's likely for them to return to a normal life?"

Sun Hang: "..."

"You have a government-issued mansion in Celestial City, right? Various life materials and logistics departments will regularly deliver to your doorstep, all kinds of equipment, vehicles, and even some personal hobby expenses can all be reimbursed. Every morning you can drink fresh buffalo milk, the fridge is stocked with grade beef from a high-end farm, and if you can't cook, you can apply to the management department for a butler and a maid... But Free Hunters, if they rely solely on this subsidy, they can only squeeze into a house of a dozen square meters, budget their days carefully, even consider many times before drinking a beverage, and because of their infectee status, finding a normal job is much more difficult for them than for ordinary people... You call that living, whereas they can only call it surviving."

Nagano Souta spread his hands and continued, "Some choose survival, but others choose adventure... They gamble with their lives and abilities. As for me, I am merely someone who provides the gambling table."

"Have the Hunters you've sent out returned?"

"Not yet."

"Have they contacted Yumen?"

"Signal interference has always been severe in the no-man's land of the Hexi Corridor, even Yumen often loses contact with Dragon City, let alone deeper places."

"So, these people have gone missing?"

"For now, that's the case," Nagano Souta said indifferently. "They are just the first two batches of Hunters I've selected. As long as I'm willing to publish these 'suspected locations,' more people will set out from here—"

Before Nagano Souta could finish, the old-fashioned telephone on the corner of the table suddenly rang.

He reached out to answer the phone, but Sun Hang was a step ahead and pressed the 'speakerphone' button.

"Boss, the Hunters we sent out earlier, one team has returned to Yumen!" A young man's voice came through the phone.

"Where are they now?" Nagano Souta glanced at Sun Hang and asked in a deep voice.

"The convoy has just entered the abandoned city area... but there's something not quite right..."

"Not quite right?"

"We tried to call them via radio but got no response," the young man said. "The windows are sealed tight, so we can't see what's inside the vehicles."

"Where are they now?"

"Just passed the intersection at Fifteenth Street, not moving fast, about twenty miles per hour. The vehicles have extensive battle scars, and the lead car has three blown-out tires... To be honest, boss, with the state of their vehicles, it's a miracle they managed to drive back from the no-man's land."

"Gather a squad of Hunters to welcome them," Nagano Souta said, "and be careful."

"Okay."

Hanging up the phone, Nagano Souta looked at Sun Hang and the others, smiled, and said, "If you want to join the action, be my guest."

"I've always felt you were trying to use me," Sun Hang said.

"You can entirely choose to stay out of it... no matter what happens," Nagano Souta shrugged. "Those Free Hunters might not be as strong as you, but they're more than capable of handling minor situations."

...

...

Yumen, on the ground, deserted city.

A dozen Free Hunters and about the same number of mercenaries swiftly moved through the ruins, their excitement was evident. From their discussions, Sun Hang learned that several months ago, Nagano Souta had already released information about the treasure map, but only those he selected knew the "accurate locations."

Nagano Souta did not choose to hide the fact that there were multiple suspected locations on the treasure map. Therefore, even those Hunters not selected in the first two batches remained hopeful—perhaps those selected first went to the wrong locations.

In something purely based on luck, the order is not that important.

Sun Hang and the other two kept a distance of about a hundred meters behind this group.

"I have a bad feeling," said Candle Dragon.

"You mean... the convoy that returned?"

Candle Dragon nodded, "It's hard to say whether what returned is still human."

Shortly after the crowd proceeding, the "battered" convoy came into view.

Leading was a Toyota SUV that had been modified almost beyond recognition. Heavy steel plates were welded onto the hood, rooftop, and side doors, with a thick wire mesh covering the windows, and a scoop for clearing the way through rubble was fixed at the front—except now, the scoop had been cut open from the middle, along with the reinforced steel-plated front. Through the unsettling gap, the overhauled engine was faintly visible.

The engine was smeared with a black viscous substance, unclear if it was leaking oil or congealed bloodstains.

Deep claw marks and traces of acid corrosion adorned the steel plates on the side doors, while the mounted machine gun on the roof had its barrel twisted into a metallic mess, and its grip still had two stiffened human fingers hanging from it.

"Stop!" A heavily armed mercenary stepped forward, raising his left hand, "Stop! We're from 'Spring Wind'!"

The convoy didn't slow down, continuing at a leisurely pace.

The crowd became somewhat nervous, the mercenary lowered his hand, picked up the assault rifle hanging on his chest, and aimed at the driver's seat.

It seemed that the inside of the car windows was coated with something that made them look completely black, obscuring the view inside.

"Stop! I'm repeating! Stop immediately!" The mercenary shouted loudly, "Or I'll have to fire!"

The screeching noise of calipers and brake pads echoed as the convoy slowly came to a halt less than five meters from him.

The mercenary sighed in relief, slightly lowering the gun barrel and approached.

[P.S. I've been suffering from acute gastroenteritis the past two days, vomiting and diarrhea, feeling unwell, these chapters might be a bit lacking, please bear with me.]