Chapter 16｜New Blood and Hounds

After the rain, the mountain forest was filled with a tangled mix of scents.

The first thing Li Xing smelled wasn't game—

it was blood.

“Up ahead.”

Zhao Yun had already raised his rifle, the Desert Eagle held low.

Li Yu took up position behind, his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle steadily covering the forest path.

The three advanced in a fan formation.

The pursued siblings

Behind the bushes were two figures.

A boy of seventeen or eighteen stood guard in front, his shoulder grazed;

a younger girl, pale-faced, her ankle clearly twisted.

They weren't the hunters.

They were the hunted.

The boy looked up, his eyes holding no plea for mercy, only alertness.

“Don't approach.”

The next second, the low growl of hunting dogs echoed from the distance.

Not just one.

Clear the Area

Li Xing hesitated not a moment.

“Zhao Yun, left flank.”

“Li Yu, cover rear.”

Gunfire erupted through the woods.

Three minutes later, silence fell over the forest.

Two fallen bodies lay on the ground—trained tracking dogs.

The boy froze.

Only then did he realize—

Those pursuing them dared not show themselves.

Simple Choice

“Leaving?” Li Xing asked only that.

The youth paused for two seconds before nodding.

“My name is Zhou Yan.”

“This is my sister, Zhou Xiaoyu.”

Their parents had died during a “smuggling operation.”

All that remained were debts.

Li Xing understood.

The old tricks of the black market.

Joining the Team

No ceremony.

Only one sentence:

“If you can follow the rules, you stay.”

The system interface lit up:

“Detecting new contract subject...”

“Potential: Unawakened.”

Not combat strength.

But this was the future.

Hunting Dogs

The next day, Li Xing went outside the town.

He didn't buy a gun.

Instead, he bought two hunting dogs.

One male, one female—old breeds, steady eyes.

The seller murmured, “These dogs bond with their master.”

Li Xing nodded.

He didn't want ferocity.

He wanted obedience, tracking, and retreat.

New Way of Hunting

First time taking the hounds into the mountains.

Efficiency doubled.

Hounds lock onto scent

Li Yuzhong locks down long-range

Li Xing finishes with the hunting rifle

Zhao Yun cleared the area up close.

System notifications popped up consecutively:

“Hunting efficiency increased.”

“Resource acquisition speed increased.”

“Team size: expanded.”

Nighttime

By the campfire.

Zhou Xiaoyu asked softly, “Aren't you... afraid?”

Zhao Yun smiled. “Afraid.”

“But I'm more afraid of being trampled to death.”

Li Xing stared at the flickering flames.

He understood clearly—

More people meant a bigger target.

Yet in this moment, he made his choice.

No longer just surviving.

But—

Surviving together.

Chapter End Hook

Deep into the night.

The hounds suddenly lifted their heads, growling low.

Not toward the woods.

But toward—

The direction where people had passed.