The morning breeze gently brushed by, refreshing the spirit.

A narrow path extended from the secondary highway into the mountains, bypassing a nearby checkpoint. The path, long untrodden, was overgrown with weeds, barely recognizable as a road.

"Young master, are you sure this is safe?"

Lan Xi's anxious voice came from the path. He tried to remain calm but couldn't manage it.

Zhou Zheng carried a Type 03 on his back, with five spare magazines at his waist. A specially crafted alloy Nepalese kukri was strapped to the outside of his thigh, and a small, white dagger was on the other leg. His sturdy military boots stomped heavily on the weeds, leaving a clear footprint.

"I said it's fine, so it's fine."

Pulling out the kukri, Zhou Zheng felt an indescribable familiarity. His hands moved skillfully, twirling the kukri with ease, creating a display of blade flowers. In the sunlight, the alloy kukri reflected dazzling light.

Despite Zhou Zheng's repeated assurances, Zhou An and Lan Xi remained uneasy.

They knew that Zhou Zheng wasn't heading to the safety of the checkpoint but was instead bypassing it to seek out mutant beasts.

People usually avoided mutant beasts, but Zhou Zheng actively sought them out. This idea initially scared Zhou An and Lan Xi, who refused to agree, but under Zhou Zheng's threat, they had no choice but to comply, as Zhou Zheng was the master, and they were merely his guards.

Seeing their unease, Zhou Zheng smiled lightly and said, "Don't you trust my marksmanship?"

It had to be said that Zhou Zheng's shooting skills had improved rapidly.

Half a month ago, his skills were just average, but now they were outstanding.

Zhou An shrugged helplessly, "Alright, you're the young master, you have the final say. But you must stay within our control range, or we'll have to take measures to bring you back to Siege City. The leader instructed that your safety is the top priority."

"Got it!"

The three of them followed the path, quickly leaving the highway behind. After crossing a small mountain ridge, the path was covered by weeds and shrubs, making it impassable.

"Young master, we can't go any further."

It was Lan Xi speaking, holding a machete in his hand and watching the surroundings vigilantly.

This distance was still within his control range. The closer to Siege City, the weaker the mutant beasts, but further away, high-level mutant beasts could appear at any time. A year ago, this area also had high-level mutant beasts, and no one dared to venture here alone.

Zhou Zheng looked around and nodded, "Alright, we'll stop here."

Sheathing the kukri back into its scabbard on his thigh, Zhou Zheng held his gun, checked it, and said, "Lan Xi, do you think if we make some noise here, it might attract some curious mutant beasts to come and investigate?"

Lan Xi was startled, frantically waving his hands, "Young master, don't! Any mutant beast that approaches after hearing noise is definitely not friendly."

Ordinary mutant beasts would flee at the sound of gunfire. However, some ferocious mutant beasts would be attracted by the noise. It's conceivable that any mutant beast that arrives would be at least a second-tier mutant beast, possibly even higher.

Before Lan Xi finished speaking, Zhou Zheng's gunshot rang out.

A gust of wind brushed past Lan Xi's face, draining the color from it as the bullet flew just above his head.

With a "thud," a small spray of blood erupted, followed by the sound of a bullet embedding into a tree.

A gray venomous snake, about two fingers thick, fell from the tree trunk, still writhing in the dirt, its blood staining the fallen leaves on the ground. Its head had been blown apart by Zhou Zheng's shot.

The gray snake's body allowed it to blend perfectly, clinging tightly to the tree trunk, making it nearly impossible to spot without careful observation.

The Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent was one of the most common small mutant beasts outside Siege City. Through mutation, they gained increased speed and more potent venom. A single bite could kill a person within seconds. They usually lurked in the forest, camouflaging with the tree trunks, making them nearly undetectable.

Zhou An's expression changed as he walked over and picked up the still-twitching Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent.

"Keep the body; its meat is delicious. If we catch a few more, we can make a pot of snake soup tonight."

Indeed, while the Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent was extremely venomous, its meat was exceptionally tasty, making it a rare delicacy. Due to its venom, few dared to provoke it, and not many in Siege City had the chance to eat it.

Apart from the venom sac and fangs in its head, the rest of the Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent was non-toxic and safe to eat.

"Young master, how did you spot it?"

Zhou An packed the dead Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent into a cloth bag, then curiously looked at Zhou Zheng. Even he hadn't noticed the snake, so how did Zhou Zheng?

"I saw some movement on the tree trunk and remembered the dangers you mentioned before, so I shot first."

In truth, Zhou Zheng discovered something extraordinary: in his Character Vision, hidden creatures like the Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent had a health bar above their heads, bright red and conspicuous, making it hard for Zhou Zheng not to notice them.

This was indeed a game-changer. With such a health bar, what mutant beast or toxic corpse could ambush him?

Imagine a ferocious mutant beast hiding in the bushes, ready to ambush. But with a glaring red health bar, standing out against the surroundings, how could it escape Zhou Zheng's notice and successfully ambush him?

At this moment, Zhou Zheng smiled. He certainly wouldn't explain this to Zhou An and Lan Xi, as it was his secret survival tool.

Lan Xi, recovering from the earlier fright, rolled his eyes at Zhou Zheng, amazed at his marksmanship. The Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent's head was only finger-sized, yet Zhou Zheng hit it with a single shot without much preparation, showcasing an extremely high level of shooting skill.

Zhou Zheng surveyed the surroundings and shook his head.

He had seen a few health bars earlier, but the gunshot had scared them away.

In the distance, some health bars could still be seen moving away through the forest.

"Let's head over there."

Zhou Zheng pointed deeper into the forest, and without waiting for Zhou An and Lan Xi's agreement, he pushed aside the leaves and walked in.

After Zhou Zheng's earlier scare, Lan Xi dared not object. He exchanged a glance with Zhou An, heightened his vigilance, and followed Zhou Zheng.

...

On a tree trunk, a well-hidden Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent was unaware that its health bar had betrayed it.

From over thirty meters away, Zhou Zheng aimed his gun, squinting slightly.

With a "bang," the Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent fell from the tree trunk.

Zhou An, holding a cloth bag and alloy blade, leaped over in a few strides, quickly reaching the fallen Gray-Shadow Venom Serpent. With a flick of the alloy blade, he tossed it into the bag. Turning back, Zhou An called out, "Young master, we've got half a bag now."

His expression showed that he had grown accustomed to Zhou Zheng's seemingly supernatural abilities.

Initially, it was hard to accept, but after a morning of hunting, they had no choice but to acknowledge it, attributing Zhou Zheng's sharpshooter-like marksmanship to his innate talent, the gift of a top-tier marksman.

Zhou Zheng silently checked his Character Attributes, noting that he was close to leveling up, needing just a bit more experience.

Though small, the Gray-Shadow Venom Serpents provided experience comparable to low-level toxic corpses, making them quite valuable.

Another surprise for Zhou Zheng was the effect of the "Accuracy" passive skill. Under its influence, his marksmanship had reached near-perfect accuracy, allowing him to handle the Type 03 with ease.

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Zhou Zheng stretched his arms and said, "Let's call it a day."

They had ventured deep into the forest, and going further might lead to encounters with second or third-tier mutant beasts.

Zhou Zheng's current attributes were at the First-Stage Martial Artist level, but he wasn't overconfident. He didn't believe that his digitized state made him invincible. Only by ensuring his safety could he consider other matters.

Lan Xi and Zhou An had no objections. To them, Zhou Zheng was merely hunting, and with half a bag of catch, they had more than enough for a pot of snake soup, even two or three pots, a bountiful harvest. They were unaware that this so-called hunting was merely a byproduct of Zhou Zheng's power leveling.

...