Across the Gobi Desert, two-wheeled flatbed carts stretched out in a long line.

Flanking them on both sides were three hundred men from the Gated Community.

They were all strong young men, making up nearly half the able-bodied male population of the Gated Community.

Wearing an assortment of hats, the men pushed the carts and set off on their journey.

Qin Ziwen called Qin Ziwu and Cao Biansheng over and asked, "On this trip to the Oasis, is either of you planning to try and become Extraordinary?"

The two exchanged a glance before looking away.

"Brother, I want to keep trying on my own for a while longer," Qin Ziwu said honestly. "I wouldn’t be satisfied if I tried to break through now."

Cao Biansheng scratched his head. After a moment’s thought, he said, "President, I want to let things settle a bit more."

"Fine." Qin Ziwen nodded, a little exasperated. He had a Breakthrough Card, but no one wanted to make a quick breakthrough.

He thought for a moment, then looked back at the Beaked Eagle in one of the carts.

The creature was too lazy to fly and was just lying there.

’It’ll have to be you, then,’ Qin Ziwen decided.

’A Card sitting in storage won’t accrue any interest. It’s far more practical to convert it into combat power right away.’

The Beaked Eagle was different from a person. Humans could go to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery and the Martial Arts Arena to learn new skills and improve their abilities, but the Beaked Eagle had already reached its peak.

Even with more time, its combat effectiveness had hit its current ceiling and would be difficult to raise any further.

During a break, Qin Ziwen took out the Card and slapped it onto the Beaked Eagle’s back.

[Please select an Extraordinary path for Recruiter: Ordinary Beaked Eagle]

[First Gear: Carnivore (Consume over 550 pounds of fresh meat within the next five days)]

[Second Gear: Crown of the Sky (Single-handedly destroy a flock of over one hundred Winged Dragons within seven days. Each Winged Dragon’s wingspan must not be less than three feet.)]

[Third Gear: Skywing (Single-handedly hunt and kill a healthy prey animal weighing over one hundred times your own body weight.)]

Qin Ziwen scanned the three options. They were completely different from the ones Du Yu had been given.

’It seems the Breakthrough Card generates different missions depending on the individual.’

’Third Gear looks easier than Du Yu’s—the requirement dropped from one thousand times to one hundred—but humans can craft tools and set traps. That’s their advantage over animals.’

Then there were the First and Second Gear options.

Currently, the Beaked Eagle’s daily food intake was about 10% of its body weight.

That was roughly twenty-odd pounds. Over five days, its normal consumption would be over a hundred pounds, no problem.

Five hundred and fifty pounds was nearly twice the Beaked Eagle’s own body weight.

That was basically binge-eating. Of course, in the short term, it wasn’t impossible for it to eat three times its normal amount if it gorged itself.

’As for the Second Gear mission... destroying a flock of over a hundred Winged Dragons... that’s probably a bit too difficult.’

’First, they probably wouldn’t even run into a suitable flock of Winged Dragons. Second, even if they did, single-handedly destroying a flock of over a hundred would be incredibly difficult.’

’At least, without some special circumstances, completing the Second or Third Gear missions would be very hard.’

’Of course, the First Gear mission wasn’t simple either.’

After a moment of deliberation, Qin Ziwen decided to wait.

He still had a day to make his decision. He would see what the situation at the Oasis was like first. They should reach it by daytime tomorrow at the latest.

...

A hot wind kicked up grit, and the cart wheels crunched over scorched, yellowed grass.

Wang Sheng wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced back at Cao Biansheng, who was further behind in the column. After a quick word with the companion beside him, he dropped back to the rear of the group.

"Hey," Wang Sheng said, coming up alongside Cao Biansheng. "Shouldn’t we rest for a bit? It’s too hot during the day. How about we rest now and set off again after the sun starts to set and the temperature drops?"

"Go tell my boss, what’s the point of telling me?" Cao Biansheng said with a yawn.

Wang Sheng replied, "I’m asking you. I don’t know the President of your Qin Alliance very well. Could you go talk to him for me?"

"President, Wang Sheng needs to talk to you!" Cao Biansheng yelled over his shoulder. He then turned back to Wang Sheng and said, "There, I told him for you. You can go over now."

Wang Sheng’s expression darkened.

Nevertheless, he found Qin Ziwen and shared his idea.

Qin Ziwen glanced around. Everyone’s faces were drenched in sweat.

He nodded immediately. "Alright, I was thinking the same thing. I see a shady spot up ahead. Let’s head over there."

"I’ll go tell the people from the Alliance Association," Wang Sheng said, pleased. ’It seems the President of the Qin Alliance is more approachable than I imagined.’

He went and found He Biao, the leader of the Alliance Association, who readily agreed.

"We’re going to rest up ahead!" someone in the column shouted.

The crowd cheered. "Alright!"

"Sounds good!"

The convoy reached the shady spot.

It turned out to be a few large, weathered rock formations standing on the plain. The rocks were easily sixty to a hundred feet high, casting large shadows on the ground below.

Everyone first parked the carts, then began clearing the area where they would rest.

"Snake here! Be careful!" someone yelled.

At the base of the rock face, a cobra shot out from a crevice, its hood flaring instantly.

It swayed its head, flicking its tongue.

WHACK!

A long staff came smashing down, knocking it unconscious.

Jin Hao struck it a few more times with the staff. Once he confirmed the cobra’s head was a bloody pulp, he used the staff to flick it away.

Someone nearby went to pick up the carcass. "Hey, don’t let it go to waste. Heat it up and it’s edible. Jin Hao, you don’t want this snake?"

"I don’t want it. You can have it," Jin Hao said, shaking his head. He knew the snake was edible, but if it wasn’t prepared correctly, it could easily cause diarrhea or a parasitic infection. It was better to avoid the trouble.

The group rested beneath the rocks until evening. Once the sun had set and a hint of coolness settled over the Gobi Desert, the convoy set out once more.

As they traveled, the scenery ahead gradually began to change.

The flat Gobi plain gave way to rolling hills.

The vegetation in the surrounding area grew denser.

Occasionally, they could even spot small animals scurrying through distant bushes.

"There’s killing intent," Du Yu said suddenly. "There’s an ambush up ahead."

Acting on Du Yu’s warning, Qin Ziwen decisively halted the column and sent word for the groups at the front to stop as well.

After the convoy halted, figures with green-glowing eyes emerged on the sand dunes to their front and on both sides.

In the moonlight, they could be identified as creatures resembling Gobi wolves.

They weren’t large, only about the size of a wolfhound, but there were hundreds of them packed tightly together. They leaped from behind the dunes in a continuous stream, spreading out to the sides. Like shadows seeping from a sea of sand, they swiftly surrounded the convoy.

Wang Yun found it incredible. "Can a wolf pack really get this big?"

He had never heard of a wolf pack of this size.

"Form up! Quickly!"

Du Yu shouted.

Within the column, carts were moved to form a perimeter. Under his and Yang Cunshen’s direction, the flatbeds were linked end-to-end, forming a circle. However, they intentionally left narrow channels between the carts, just wide enough for a wolf to pass through.

Those with long weapons took up positions around the perimeter, forming several spear phalanxes.

...

...