Chapter 407: Efficient Hunting

Chapter 407: Efficient Hunting

The Quiet Wasteland was located in the southern hemisphere of Black Ring Star.

Ji Xinghuo boarded a transport plane and flew for several hours, crossing the equator and passing under the spectacular planetary ring. After another two hours of flying across the ocean, they arrived at a continent in the southern hemisphere.

Looking out the porthole, all he could see were countless impact craters scarring the land.

Once upon a time, this continent had been the most prosperous place on Black Ring Star.

But during the great war over a thousand and five hundred years ago, when the sole satellite shattered and fell, most of the debris had crashed into this continent, completely altering its landscape.

What was once a continent spanning nearly three hundred million square kilometers was now mostly submerged, forming countless islands of various sizes.

The Quiet Wasteland was located on the largest remaining landmass, spanning over twenty million square kilometers. It got its name because compared to other places, it was like a dead, silent land.

After being bombarded by meteorites, the entire continent had also suffered a nuclear strike.

Scattered across the wasteland were the ruins of dozens of cities.

Similar ruins could be found all over Black Ring Star, still contaminated with nuclear pollution, which had also caused countless monsters to mutate and made the area extremely dangerous for ordinary people.

Yet, even in such perilous conditions, there was still abundant monster activity, a sign of thriving life.

The Quiet Wasteland, however, was shrouded in silence.

At least, that was the case on the surface, but in reality, it was one of the most dangerous places on Black Ring Star.

For this desolate land was occupied by the "Land Devouring Worms".

They were a unique species to Black Ring Star, a mutation of a species called "Boring Worms" from the Star Realm under nuclear radiation, scientifically named "Black Ring Land Devouring Worms". They were even more terrifying than their ancestors and extremely difficult to hunt.

However, no matter how challenging the hunt, it would never stop the seekers. The exotic value of the Land Devouring Worms was incredibly high, attracting adventurers to the Quiet Wasteland year after year.

There were also several outposts on the edges of the Quiet Wasteland.

The transport plane landed at an outpost in the northern part of the wasteland.

Ji Xinghuo disembarked.

This time, he had not brought Zhi Jiaoyunlu, partly because it would be cumbersome and unnecessary, and partly because the situation in the Quiet Wasteland was not suitable for mounts. So, he had left it at a battle pet service center in the transit station.

This outpost wasn't very large, similar in size to a small town, with only two intersecting streets as the main thoroughfare and a couple of hundred buildings lining them.

However, the foot traffic was considerable.

With a sweep of his electromagnetic induction, Ji Xinghuo immediately understood the layout of the entire outpost. He tapped the ground, feeling the hardness beneath his feet; the entire outpost had been cast in steel, with an average thickness of over five meters, evidently a precaution against the Land Devouring Worms.

"Everyone already knows about the free information. Who knows how many hands it's passed through by now..." he muttered as he observed the bustling crowd.

There were two to three thousand people in this small outpost.

Almost every hunting team was led by a legendary powerhouse, and each team exuded formidable strength. There were also numerous King-level experts; with a casual sweep of his electromagnetic induction, Ji Xinghuo detected seven or eight of them, and none of them seemed like pushovers.

It went without saying that everyone was here for the seismic-level Black Ring Land Devouring Worm.

Ji Xinghuo strolled casually through the outpost.

On the surface, he seemed to be wandering aimlessly, but his electromagnetic induction covered the entire outpost, focusing on densely populated areas like inns and bars. With a slight concentration, he received the sound wave signals created by people's voices and translated them into words.

Soon, Ji Xinghuo picked up on the key information.

"There are more and more people."

"Someone must be deliberately spreading the news, trying to muddy the waters. Damn, but who is it?"

"Boss, there's no point in talking about that now. We must find that Land Devouring Worm before anyone else!"

"That's easier said than done..."

"Our top priority right now is to recruit new teammates and strengthen our forces."

This was a hunting team that had just returned from the wasteland. They were gathered in a private room of a restaurant, quietly discussing their plans while restocking their ammunition, food, and water, and repairing their equipment.

From their conversation, Ji Xinghuo learned that they had known about the Land Devouring Worm over twenty days ago and had entered the wasteland in search of it, but to no avail. They had also lost two teammates in the process.

There were three other hunting teams in similar situations.

Ji Xinghuo listened in on them simultaneously, and after a moment, he pieced together the fragmented information.

Apparently, the first people to discover the seismic-level Land Devouring Worm were a squad of three legendary powerhouses. Thirty-five days ago, they had encountered the worm in the southern part of the Quiet Wasteland, and only one of them had made it out alive.

That sole survivor was a cultivator. After recovering at an outpost in the southern wasteland, he had started assembling a new team to hunt the worm.

However, he had not been discreet enough, and word had gotten out.

The second batch of people to learn about it had also secretly joined the hunt. Over the next dozen or so days, three more teams had encountered the target, but they had all suffered heavy casualties, with only a few survivors escaping.

The last time someone encountered it was 20 days ago, in the western region of the Quiet Wasteland, more than 2,600 kilometers away from where it was first spotted.

Ji Xinghuo opened the satellite map on his personal terminal and marked the location.

From the worm's first known location to the last of the five known appearances, all the sites were smoothly marked on the map according to the time of occurrence.

It was evident that the seismic-level Land Devouring Worm was moving westward.

Although there were two back-and-forth movements during this period, the overall direction indicated that it was getting closer to the western region of the Quiet Wasteland.

"Westward?"

Ji Xinghuo searched for more information.

The western region of the Quiet Wasteland didn't seem to have anything special about it; it was just like any other part of the wasteland, filled with nuclear radiation and some ruined cities.

"Maybe it's not moving west, but trying to mislead us," Ji Xinghuo mused. The intelligence of a seismic-level monster was exceptionally high, and one couldn't treat them like ordinary monsters. They had to be regarded as powerful enemies.

Moreover, it had been 20 days since the last time the worm was spotted, and this information might have lost its validity by now.

"Let's search for it anyway," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself, shaking his head slightly.

Finding a Land Devouring Worm in a wasteland spanning over 20 million square kilometers was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Even with his incredibly powerful perception, the combination of electromagnetic induction and the Dark Insight of the Ultimate Dark Orb, which gave him a god-like perspective, increasing his search efficiency by thousands of times compared to others, finding the target still depended on luck.

Fortunately, there were plenty of Land Devouring Worms in the Quiet Wasteland, although it was uncertain how much spiritual source they could provide.

At that moment, Ji Xinghuo noticed a shop ahead.

It specialized in selling flying motorcycles, which were different from those on Earth. These motorcycles could fly at low altitudes, making them the best means of transportation in the Quiet Wasteland. By staying airborne, one could avoid many dangers.

Many hunters entered the shop and emerged riding flying motorcycles.

"I'll buy one for cover, and it will be more convenient," Ji Xinghuo thought.

Soon, he was riding a sleek black flying motorcycle, with two additional side boxes installed at the back, and he had also purchased some supplies, which he loaded into the boxes. Then, he flew out of the outpost alone.

There were many solo travelers like him, and he didn't attract any attention.

After leaving the outpost, Ji Xinghuo flew in a southwest direction.

The deep rumble of the engine filled the air as the flying motorcycle maintained an altitude of about 20 meters above the ground, racing along the path set by the navigation system.

Ji Xinghuo engaged the autopilot and looked down at the ground below.

When he had first entered the wasteland, the land had been desolate, with only a few shrubs and grasses. But as he ventured deeper, the vegetation gradually increased, and sparse forests appeared. The terrain became more varied, with mountains and rivers breaking the monotony of the flat wasteland.

Ji Xinghuo's gaze pierced through the ground, rendering the earth transparent in his vision, although a black shadow obscured his view somewhat. Still, it was clear enough for him to see what was happening underground.

At its deepest, he could even see as far as a kilometer beneath the surface!

And within a larger range, with himself as the center and a radius of 15 kilometers, his electromagnetic induction covered everything, and all movements within this area were mirrored in his mind.

"Land Devouring Worm?"

Ji Xinghuo immediately sensed something.

He controlled the flying motorcycle to change direction and soon approached the target.

Lower-tier Land Devouring Worms tended to live in groups, but as they evolved and their strength increased, they would leave the group and even devour their own kind.

Even before he got close, Ji Xinghuo's gaze penetrated the ground, and at a depth of about 200 meters, he spotted three Land Devouring Worms lurking.

They had a worm-like shape, with only a torso and no limbs, but they were infinitely larger than any earthworm. The largest among them was over seven meters long and had a diameter of more than a meter. The other two smaller ones were also over five meters in length.

"One is a Supercluster level, and the other two are Elite," Ji Xinghuo observed, using his x-ray vision to assess their situation and determining their strength based on their energy reactions.

Land Devouring Worms grew exceptionally fast, and their average strength was much higher than that of ordinary monsters.

Suddenly, the largest Land Devouring Worm moved.

"Its sense of touch is so acute!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise.

Earlier, he had read about Land Devouring Worms, and one of the most notable things about them was their powerful sense of touch.

All Land Devouring Worms possessed "Subtle Touch Sense." When they lurked underground, they relied on this extraordinary sense of touch to detect prey passing above on the surface, after which they would silently move upwards to launch an ambush.

Ji Xinghuo was more than 500 meters away, and he was flying in the air. Still, the vibrations caused by the motorcycle's engine as it traveled over the ground were enough to be detected by the worms.

Ji Xinghuo pretended to be unaware and continued flying forward.

The three Land Devouring Worms moved quickly underground, possessing the "Burrowing" ability, and the thick soil was like seawater, allowing them to navigate around rocks in their path without making a sound. They swiftly rose to the surface.

Just at that moment, Ji Xinghuo arrived on his flying motorcycle.

The leading Land Devouring Worm suddenly raised its head, its front end protruding from the ground before splitting open to form a terrifying mouth lined with sharp fangs. It spat a large glob of grayish-white goo at Ji Xinghuo in the sky.

This glob of goo was as big as a water tank, and it shot out with incredible speed, like a cannonball fired into the sky.

At the same time, gravity suddenly increased within a radius of several hundred meters.

Land Devouring Worms had the ability to alter gravity, and when they hunted, they often used this ability together, amplifying the effect.

The other two Land Devouring Worms joined in, spitting more of the grayish-white goo from different directions.

The flying motorcycle plummeted.

Ji Xinghuo, along with his ride, became like prey caught in a spider's web.

But in the next second, a loud bang echoed as Ji Xinghuo and his motorcycle suddenly accelerated, shooting out of the Land Devouring Worms' gravity field. The three globs of goo burst behind him, failing to leave even a trace on his body.

A thunderous boom shook the sky, and lightning crackled.

Three beams of spiritual energy in the form of lightning struck down, each hitting one of the Land Devouring Worms. The two weaker ones were instantly charred beyond recognition.

The strongest worm roared and tried to retreat underground, but Ji Xinghuo reached out and grabbed it, causing the entire patch of earth to be flipped over, bringing the massive worm with it into the air.

Ever since he had arrived at the Quiet Wasteland, Ji Xinghuo noticed that the soil here had an abnormally high metal content.

By manipulating metal, he could control objects remotely.

The Land Devouring Worm was lifted into the air and before it could fall back to the ground, Ji Xinghuo shot it several times with his positron pistol, causing grayish blood to splatter.

By the time it crashed to the ground, it was dead.

[Spiritual Source Energy +75]



"That much?"

Ji Xinghuo was overjoyed. This was just a Supercluster-level monster, yet it provided 75 points of spiritual source energy.

The other two Elite-level worms also yielded over 30 points each.

This was even more than what the Dark Devourers provided, averaging at least 15 points higher!

"This trip was worth it."

Ji Xinghuo landed his flying motorcycle and approached the seven-meter-long Land Devouring Worm, feeling a sense of awe at its size.

The Land Devouring Worm's skin was brown and covered in a rocky hide, emitting a soil-like odor that wasn't unpleasant, similar to the scent of common dirt. This scent helped camouflage them, making them even harder to detect, but it was of no use against Ji Xinghuo.

He placed his hand on the worm, and an information interface appeared before his eyes.

[Monster: Black Ring Land Devouring Worm]



[Level: Supercluster]



[Mutations: Rocky Hide, Wound Transfer, Rapid Recovery, Goo Spit, Subtle Touch Sense, Burrowing, Gravity Alteration]



All six mutations were of excellent quality.

Ji Xinghuo then examined the other two dead Land Devouring Worms and found that they had similar mutations, just fewer in number.

He was then faced with a dilemma.

The bodies of the Land Devouring Worms were too massive, and extracting the mutations would be troublesome.

"Can't let it go to waste," Ji Xinghuo finally decided, and began the extraction process. It went against common sense to kill the prey and then leave the valuable mutations behind.

He swung his Electric War Blade, slicing open the worm's body and carefully extracting the mutations, placing them into the side boxes of his flying motorcycle.

Then, he took off again and continued on his way.

Not long after, Ji Xinghuo spotted another pair of Land Devouring Worms.

He deliberately made noise to attract them out of their underground lair and easily dispatched them, harvesting their spiritual source energy and collecting their mutations.

The electromagnetic induction's search efficiency was incredibly high, and no matter how deep the Land Devouring Worms hid, they couldn't escape Ji Xinghuo's eyes. He didn't let a single one slip by, which greatly slowed down his progress.

However, Ji Xinghuo didn't mind at all.

Compared to the elusive seismic-level Land Devouring Worm, he preferred harvesting spiritual source energy, which felt more tangible.

Finding the seismic-level worm would be a bonus, but he wasn't too concerned if he couldn't.

With this mindset, Ji Xinghuo strolled and stopped frequently, even taking detours at times. By the end of the day, he had only traveled less than 300 kilometers.

Nonetheless, his harvest was abundant.

On his first day in the Quiet Wasteland, he had accumulated over 8,000 points of spiritual source energy!

"What a great place!"

"If I didn't have other matters to attend to, I could wipe out every Land Devouring Worm in this Quiet Wasteland..." That evening, as Ji Xinghuo gazed up at the stars, so different from those on Earth, he couldn't help but sigh.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end