As Li Xuan exited the town, he saw that many people had already gathered outside, waiting for others to return while checking their supplies and talking excitedly about what they had found, creating a rare lively atmosphere.
"Looks like most made it back…" someone said, while another replied, "Yeah, today was lucky."
Li Xuan paused for a moment as he looked at his electric bike, realizing that with more people in his group now, it wouldn't be enough for long-term movement, especially if he planned to expand his team.
After making sure no one was paying attention, he quietly moved back into the town's outskirts and stored the bike into his space before taking out a seven-seater off-road SUV, its presence sturdy and reliable compared to the fragile silence of electric vehicles.
"This should be enough for now," he murmured as he loaded some visible supplies into it to make the vehicle look natural before driving back out toward the gathering point.
By the time he returned, most people had already come out, and after waiting for around ten minutes, the remaining groups also arrived, making it clear that this trip had gone unusually well.
"No deaths… that's rare," someone commented, sounding almost surprised.
"Maybe things are finally getting better," another said with a hopeful tone.
Li Xuan didn't share that optimism, but he said nothing as he quietly observed the crowd.
As they began their return journey, the convoy moved steadily toward the village, but about ten kilometers away, something caught everyone's attention.
Three modified off-road vehicles were speeding toward the village from a distance, kicking up dust as they moved aggressively along the road.
"Who's that?" someone asked, narrowing their eyes.
Li Xuan focused his gaze and soon noticed a white tiger symbol painted on the vehicles.
"Tiger Gang…" he thought immediately.
Seeing this, both convoys instinctively sped up, not wanting to be left behind or appear slow in front of such a dominant force.
After entering the village, the groups quickly dispersed as people returned to their own spaces, some already boasting loudly about their gains while others began organizing their supplies.
"Look what I got!" one man shouted proudly, holding up a bag of canned food.
"Not bad, huh?" another replied, clearly pleased with himself.
Li Xuan ignored the noise and drove straight toward the house he was staying in, maintaining his usual calm demeanor.
After entering, he saw that the three girls were still inside the tent, fast asleep, their clothes and faces still dirtied from their disguise as instructed.
"They followed instructions…" he noted silently.
Without waking them, he lay down and began organizing his space, carefully sorting everything he had collected into categories such as food, water, clothes, vehicles, tools, and daily necessities.
Time passed quietly as he worked with precision, ensuring that everything was stored efficiently and could be accessed quickly when needed.
After more than two hours, he finally finished organizing and stepped out of the tent.
The three girls were still sleeping, completely exhausted from the day.
"Wake up," he said calmly, nudging them lightly.
They stirred and quickly sat up when they saw him.
"Boss… you're back," one of them said, her voice still sleepy.
He nodded slightly and said, "Prepare dinner."
They immediately became alert.
"You can use more ingredients today," he added. "I got a good haul."
Hearing this, their faces lit up with excitement.
"Really?" one of them asked, unable to hide her happiness.
"Yes," Li Xuan replied simply.
As they began preparing, Sang Zhi approached him and spoke in a lower voice.
"We tried to get close to that woman and the girl," she said, sounding slightly hesitant.
"But… she's very cautious. She didn't agree to join."
Li Xuan remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
"That's fine," he said calmly.
"They're still here. There will be other chances."
Sang Zhi nodded, relieved that he wasn't angry.
Li Xuan then added, "Focus on dinner for now."
He didn't speak much after that, maintaining a certain distance from them as always.
In fact, he had never even told them his name, only asking them to call him "Boss," which they followed without question.
"I'll be back in an hour," he said before leaving.
"There's canned meat in the tent. Use it for dinner."
"Make something decent."
"Yes, Boss," they replied together.
After giving a few more instructions, he left the house and walked toward the central area of the village.
Compared to yesterday, the atmosphere was much livelier, with more people trading and exchanging goods openly.
"Fresh supplies, cheap trade!" someone called out.
"Medicine for food!" another shouted.
Li Xuan moved through the area calmly, observing each stall carefully.
He wasn't looking for ordinary items.
He was searching for something special.
However, after checking several stalls, he didn't find anything like a spirit fruit.
"Nothing today…" he muttered softly.
Just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention.
A long bone, around thirty centimeters, was placed casually among other items.
He picked it up and used his ability.
"A level two mutated beast bone…" he realized.
The faint aura surrounding it confirmed its quality.
"This could be useful," he thought, considering its potential as a weapon or crafting material.
"How much?" he asked casually.
The seller named a price, and Li Xuan paid without bargaining.
"Easy trade," the seller said with a grin.
Li Xuan didn't respond and simply moved on.
He also bought gas canisters, metal pipes, and sheets, thinking about future uses such as building or defense.
At another stall, he found seeds of various kinds.
"Vegetables, fruits, even flowers…" the seller explained.
Li Xuan paused briefly before buying them.
"My space should preserve them," he thought.
As he continued walking, he used his ability occasionally to scan people.
He only found one more unawakened old man.
Nothing particularly interesting.
"For now, three is enough," he thought.
His current team consisted of the three girls, and he had already decided something in his mind.
"A core team of women is easier to manage," he thought calmly.
"As long as there's food, they'll follow."
It wasn't kindness or cruelty.
Just practicality in his eyes.
After confirming there was nothing else worth buying, he turned back toward his place.
Dinner preparations had already begun when he returned.
The smell of food filled the air.
"Smells good," one of the girls said, smiling.
Li Xuan sat down quietly, preparing to eat.
Meanwhile, in a large and well-maintained house near the center of the village, a completely different atmosphere was unfolding.
Four people sat inside, their expressions serious.
They were members of the Tiger Gang.
At the center stood Mo Tianyu, their leader, his expression filled with anger.
"What were you thinking?" he shouted.
His voice echoed through the room.
Three men stood in front of him with lowered heads.
He Lingtian, Jin Haoran, and Lu Xie.
"We thought…" one of them began hesitantly.
"Thought?" Mo Tianyu cut him off sharply.
"You call that thinking?"
His eyes were cold as he continued, "Why would you provoke that snake?"
The three remained silent.
Even recalling it made their expressions pale.
"That thing isn't level two," Mo Tianyu said firmly.
"It's at least level three."
His voice grew heavier.
"Even injured, it's enough to wipe out dozens of level two sequencers."
The room fell into silence.
Finally, He Lingtian spoke quietly, "It was injured… its left eye was gone… its body was torn."
"We thought we had a chance," Jin Haoran added.
Mo Tianyu let out a cold laugh.
"So you attacked it?"
They nodded.
"We used grenades… firearms…" Lu Xie said, his voice trembling slightly.
"But it didn't die."
"Of course it didn't," Mo Tianyu replied sharply.
"Out of twenty people, how many came back?"
"…Thirteen," one of them answered.
"And two vehicles destroyed," another added.
Mo Tianyu closed his eyes briefly before exhaling.
"You're lucky to be alive."
The three lowered their heads even further.
They had gone west, nearly a hundred kilometers into the forest, originally just to scout a path for bypassing it.
Last time, they had seen the massive snake coiled around a tree, its black scales gleaming with a terrifying aura, and they had wisely retreated.
But this time was different.
Seeing it heavily injured, they got greedy.
"We thought killing it would give us credit…" He Lingtian said bitterly.
"And now?" Mo Tianyu asked coldly.
No one answered.
"You paid the price," he said.
Silence filled the room as the weight of their mistake settled heavily on them.
Back at Li Xuan's place, the atmosphere was calm as dinner was ready.
He ate quietly, unaware that a far greater danger had already been stirred in the forest.
And soon…
That danger might not stay where it was.