For Our Use

As soon as they stepped into the rift, the light dimmed significantly. A gust of hot, gritty wind hit them in the face, carrying an indescribable stench that drilled straight into their noses.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but fine golden sand. The outline of a distant valley was blurred, composed entirely of bare rocks worn smooth by the wind and sand. Their color blended so seamlessly with the yellow desert that, without looking closely, it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.

"So this is what it looks like inside this rift," Ye Chuan said, looking up.

The sky above was a murky gray, as if covered by a layer of dirty glass. There was no sun and no clouds, yet it felt inexplicably stifling and hot.

"Be careful. This quicksand might just look soft, but it's full of hidden traps. Step in the wrong spot and you'll sink right up to your knees!"

Wu Gao led the way, lightly tapping the ground with his toe to ensure it was solid before taking a step. His phone displayed a digital map, likely a rough sketch made by other Super Warriors.

"Let's head east. There's a small valley over there with plenty of low-level monsters and no major traps."

Wu Tian followed close behind. Seeing the pitch-black silhouette of the valley in the distance, she couldn't help but mutter nervously,

"Brother, this place looks so creepy..."

"Don't be afraid, we're right here." Wu Gao patted his sister's head, then turned to caution Ye Chuan and Ke Ning.

"You two stick close to me and don't fall behind. If we get separated in this quicksand, it won't be easy to find you."

Ye Chuan chuckled and turned to glance at Ke Ning. She was staring down at the tablet in her hands, the blue light reflecting endlessly off her glasses, and nearly stepped right into a loose patch of quicksand.

"Focus on walking. You can collect data later," Ye Chuan said, lifting Ke Ning up with one hand.

"Oh," Ke Ning replied casually.

After Ye Chuan set her back down like a ragdoll, she pushed up her glasses and finally spared some attention for where she was stepping.

"Where to next?"

"I want to check out that valley too. Let's just follow them," Ke Ning said.

"Hmm? Alright." He was only out here today to keep Ke Ning company anyway, so he was fine with whatever she wanted to do.

After they had walked for about ten minutes, the yellow sand ahead suddenly rippled and bulged. An instant later, a dark yellow shadow violently burst out from beneath the sand!

It was a giant python!

The snake was thicker than Wu Gao's waist. Its entire body was covered in dark yellow scales marked with dark brown patterns, resembling sun-baked, cracked tree bark. Just looking at it, one could tell how painfully rough it would be to the touch.

Its blood-red eyes locked onto the group. Its forked tongue flicked in and out, accompanied by a hissing sound that made their scalps tingle and a foul stench of rotting meat mixed with desert sand.

"It's a Sandrock Python! Why is this thing in the low-level zone?"

Wu Gao was startled and quickly shielded Wu Tian behind him. He clenched his fists tightly, and a faint red light began to glow along his arms.

"Enhancement: Fist!"

Wu Tian panicked as well. She traced a quick circle in the air with her small hands, casting a faint white barrier of light over the two of them.

"Brother, I'm buffing your defense!"

"Brother, let's attack it together! This thing is a high-level monster; I can't take it down alone," Wu Gao called out to Ye Chuan.

"Whatever works."

Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow. Before Wu Gao could even throw his punch, Ye Chuan casually raised a hand. A pale golden beam of light shot forth, instantly piercing straight through the giant python's thick scales.

The giant python didn't even have a chance to struggle. Its massive body suddenly went rigid before crashing heavily into the yellow sand with a loud thud, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. It twitched a few times and then stopped moving completely.

Huh?

It was over?

Seriously?

Beside him, the Wu siblings were utterly dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped so wide you could have stuffed an egg in their mouths.

"I-It's dead just like that?" Wu Gao gulped hard, looking at Ye Chuan as if he were the real monster.

"Brother, just how high... is your level?"

"Didn't I tell you? At least as high as a building," Ye Chuan replied casually. He then turned to Ke Ning.

"Do you need to collect data on this monster?"

"Yeah, might as well." Ke Ning pushed up her glasses, crouched down, and poked the python's scales with her finger.

"The silicon content in the scales of this type of serpentine monster is extremely high. It's a pretty good crafting material."

"Pretty good? Seems like garbage to me." Ye Chuan felt that using materials from such a low-level monster for forging would be a complete waste of time.

"Materials don't have inherent worth," Ke Ning argued. "With the right combination, we could even capture gods and bend them to our use."

"Oh?" Ye Chuan didn't really grasp what Ke Ning meant by that.

Listening from the sidelines, Wu Gao was the quickest to catch on. He slapped his thigh, grabbed Wu Tian, and immediately bowed deeply to Ye Chuan. His tone couldn't have been more respectful:

"Boss! We were blind and failed to recognize greatness! Don't you worry, just leave all the grunt work to us from now on!"

Just a moment ago, he had thought Ye Chuan was unreliable. But now, Ye Chuan had one-shot a Sandrock Python! His level wasn't just as high as a building; it was off the charts!

This guy had to be some sort of hidden powerhouse.

If they could cling to a heavyweight like him, they might just make an absolute fortune on this trip!

Wu Tian caught on as well. Her small face flushed bright red as she nodded enthusiastically alongside her brother.

"Boss, we'll help you harvest the loot! If you and this big sister need anything at all, just give the word!"

Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow.

Were these siblings really this quick to adapt?

A minute ago it was brother, and now it was boss?

Ke Ning, still crouching and examining the snake, casually chimed in.

"Help me extract its beast core."

"You got it, sis!" Wu Gao agreed without hesitation. He pulled a short knife from his backpack, crouched beside the python's corpse, and carefully pried open its skull.

The blade scraped against the scales with a sharp rasp. He kept his movements precise and gentle, terrified of accidentally damaging the core.

Wu Tian assisted by his side, using a small brush to sweep away the yellow sand that had splattered onto the core. Then, she pulled out a small wax-paper bag and carefully slipped the core inside.

"All done, sis." Wu Gao held up the bag to show Ke Ning. The core inside was an earthy yellow, about the size of a quail egg, and emitted a faint glow.

"Mm." A mechanical cube beside Ke Ning scanned the item, after which she said,

"Alright, you two can keep it."

Wu Gao blanked for a second before realizing she was giving the loot to them. A look of pure joy spread across his face. "T-Then when we sell it, we'll split the profits with you!"

"No need," Ye Chuan said dismissively.

As someone who easily raked in over a hundred million a day, Ye Chuan had absolutely zero interest in such pocket change.

"O-Okay! Thank you so much!"

Ye Chuan waved his hand dismissively. His gaze shifted toward a distant sand dune, where several grayish-brown shadows were wriggling about.

They were monsters known as Sandridge Rats. Ten times the size of an ordinary rat, they were covered in coarse, bristly fur and had long, razor-sharp incisors. Right now, they were practically drooling as they stared at the giant python's corpse.

He casually lifted a finger, sending several streaks of pale golden light shooting out.

Thwack, thwack, thwack! In an instant, the Sandridge Rats were pinned dead to the yellow sand, completely lifeless.

"There. Go harvest the materials from those ones up ahead," Ye Chuan said casually. "Since you've offered to do the grunt work, I won't treat you unfairly."

Seeing Ye Chuan's effortless kills, Wu Gao's face lit up with wild ecstasy. He immediately grabbed his sister and hurried over to harvest the materials.

A short while later, the two returned, their bags stuffed to the brim with monster parts. "Boss!"

"Mm," Ye Chuan replied. "Keep up. You still have plenty of work to do."

"You got it!"