Chapter 90: A Thief on Their Trail

“Hey, look over here—big news, huge news!”

In the vast Sandra Wildlife Reserve, at the rhino viewing grounds, tourists were admiring two male rhinos battering each other through thick, blastproof glass for the right to mate. That shout struck like thunder out of a clear sky, shattering their absorbed delight and leaving many of them irritated.

Everyone turned in unison. It was a thin young man, waving his phone with unrestrained excitement.

“Damn it, you ruined my fun. You looking to die?” a hot-tempered brute roared menacingly, startling the young man badly.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m just... too excited,” the young man stammered.

“What the hell is there to be excited about? Idiot!” the brute barked, though in front of so many men and women alike he was not about to make a move. He did not want to be accused of bullying the weak.

Seeing this, the young man relaxed somewhat. He knew there was no danger.

“Quick, check the latest news on your phones! The Soaring Adventure Corps from Blaze City has killed the Loch Ness Monster!”

“What? They killed the Loch Ness Monster?” Everyone was stunned and quickly pulled out their phones. Sure enough, there it was, along with photos of the monster’s corpse taken by adventurers on the scene.

“Look at that enormous skeleton, those blade-like bones. What kind of creature was that thing, to be so terrifying?” someone exclaimed in amazement.

“What’s so impressive about it? Didn’t it still fall at the hands of our human race? Humanity—especially the native human clans—is the true master of the Gaelin Continent!”

“Exactly! And the Soaring Adventure Corps are all native humans. Weren’t the outsiders supposed to be so great? So why couldn’t they even bring down a single monster? Hah! In my opinion, they’re nothing but a bunch of trash!”

“A B-rank adventure corps completed an A++-rank mission. This time the Soaring Corps is going to soar straight to fame.”

The crowd buzzed with discussion, marveling, envying, their eyes bright with excitement. If the two great armies were the heroes who held back foreign invasion and guarded the Gaelin Continent, then adventurers were the vanguard that dealt with the continent’s dangers and hardships from within—the true champions of the common people’s interests.

For that reason, it was only natural that people respected and adored adventurers. It was an old inheritance, handed down from age to age.

The players were outsiders too, but they were officially recognized outsiders, regarded by the people of the Gaelin Continent as cheap labor. Most players were busy grinding quests and leveling up; who would have the leisure to come sightseeing? Across the hundred-meter-long safety zone, only Lixin was an outsider.

Fortunately, he stood in a corner of the crowd and had drawn no attention.

“Heh, don’t be nervous. They’re not talking about you,” the middle-aged man Wang Gang, seated beside him, murmured in comfort.

Lixin looked up and smiled.

He was not nervous at all. He was thinking about how to obtain the black lion’s mane.

Wang Gang thought nothing more of it and continued holding his daughter while watching the rhinos fight.

The Sandra Nature Reserve was immense. The full itinerary had twelve stops: eight on the first day, an overnight stay, and then the final four stops on the second day before the return trip, bringing everyone back to the reserve entrance that afternoon.

When night fell, the group stayed at the hotel built especially within the reserve: the Sandra Hotel.

It rose ten stories high and looked quite imposing, with an electrified defensive wall around it, as well as a parking lot and a swimming pool inside. It was rather upscale.

The NPC tourists ate with great relish, while Lixin found the food bland beyond measure and finished it without tasting a thing. He had barely forced down a little when another group entered the restaurant.

They were a different party of tourists.

Four of them were worth noting: they had no name tags above their heads, which meant they were players.

They exchanged a glance, and Lixin left. Behind him, the four men looked at one another, their eyes filling with sly, vicious amusement.

“Heh, another fat sheep,” one of them sneered.

“Layche, keep your mouth shut,” another said sharply. Layche grumbled and closed his mouth.

The four pretended to eat, then soon left as well.

By then, Lixin was already out on his own, intending to use the night road to reach Black Lion Ridge first and complete his task. There would be too many tourists tomorrow; he wanted to avoid any accident.

The moment he departed, the four men followed.

Seven kilometers southeast of the Sandra Hotel lay Black Lion Ridge. It was already nine at night, still early, and this area was infested with beasts, venomous snakes, and all manner of monsters, so Lixin did not move especially fast.

Even so, the four behind him could hardly catch up. They could only rely on moonlight and his route, faintly making out that elusive, intermittent figure.

They ran four kilometers in one breath before all of them were panting hard, soaked in sweat.

“Damn, this bastard really can run. Doesn’t even stop to rest. Curse him to work himself to death!” Layche cursed in broken bursts.

David shot him a contemptuous glance. “Layche, you’re pathetic.”

“David, say that again if you’ve got the guts.”

“Pathetic.”

Just as the two looked ready to come to blows, their leader Simons snorted. Only then did they stop, still seething.

“There’s no war now. The competition between players is all about questing and snatching loot. We’re four against one player from the Empire of Huaxia. If we lose, we’ll become a laughingstock. Keep your eyes open. Make sure we grab the goods before killing him. Do it fast!”

“Boss, is it really that serious? Four against one—what’s there to worry about?” Layche said indifferently.

Simons gave a cold smile. “Just on speed and endurance alone, we’re no match for him.”

“I...” Layche shrank his neck awkwardly. It was the truth.

“Boss, did you notice something?” The fourth man, Mozak, suddenly spoke, his tone a little shaken.

“What is it?” the other three asked together.

Mozak frowned in confusion. “Following this road, shouldn’t it lead to Black Lion Ridge?”

At that, the three quickly pulled out the reserve map to check.

It really did.

And beyond the black lions ahead, there was also a vast territory of giant termites and venomous snakes.

Damn it. Could it be that before they managed to rob him, they would be killed first by the snakes?

“Boss... should we... keep following?”

“Keep going. We’ve come this far, and I’m not leaving empty-handed.” Simons’ gaze turned ruthless. “He dared to enter the lion’s den alone, so he must have some reliance of his own. I think it may be some powerful weapon.”

The faint hesitation in the others’ hearts vanished once more, and they surged onward with renewed effort, all for the treasure.

The route Lixin chose was brilliantly planned, neatly avoiding one danger after another. Along the way, he had studied the map the whole time and made every possible preparation.

Black Lion Ridge was drawing near. Already, the night air carried the black lions’ fierce and resonant roars, startling the beasts of the wild into retreat, none daring to meet them.

Bellburn Basin, Bero Village.

Inside the ruined ancestral hall at the center of the village, the nine members of the Scarlet Thorn Women’s Squad listened carefully as Robbie and the villagers gave the most detailed explanation of the area.

Of course, the most important thing was to learn about Naples.