Chapter 54: Chapter 53 Safety Zone

The giant-bellied tiger shrimp was battered and bruised, its carapace pocked and dented, nearly shattered to pieces.

It wasn’t for lack of trying to retaliate with skills, but those skills were mere irritations upon its opponent, who would flash a blue light and heal back to normal in an instant.

Fortunately, the opponent didn’t go for the kill. Finally, it leisurely relaxed its crocodilian grip and the giant-bellied tiger shrimp turned and left without a backward glance.

After the battle, the triumphant Taotie surfaced from the water, adorably seeking approval from its owner like a little dog begging for praise.

“You did well.”

The Taotie barked joyfully, declaring its determination to protect its owner.

Chen Xing realized he had somewhat underestimated the physical strength of the Taotie. Although it lacked any attack skills, its current physical prowess seemed more than enough to crush opponents of the same energy level.

Its body had developed ahead of schedule; a body of this size should not be attainable at its current energy level.

Normally, a Salty Bay Crocodile of a higher energy level would be required to achieve such growth; however, due to excessive nourishment, the Taotie had developed prematurely, surpassing the normal bounds for its stage in energy level.

Perhaps this was the advantage of real combat, allowing one to discover the full extent of their beast taming abilities more clearly and directly.

They crossed the floating bridge, arriving beneath the gate of the city.

Upon entering, one could clearly see stubborn weeds sprouting through the cracks in the wall, and near the wall bordering the water surface, there was slippery moss and dank water full of dense aquatic plants leaning on the corner.

Hanging on the water-adjacent areas of the city wall were some aquatic snails, and occasionally the movement of fish could be spotted.

Where the city gate stood, there should have been two large doors, but they were now removed, stepped through the entrance via the floating bridge.

The material of this floating bridge was a mystery; even Beast Tamers stepping heavily on a three-meter-wide bridge wouldn’t cause it to wobble.

The buildings within the city were densely packed, with connecting roofs and overlapping eaves.

Some buildings were slightly taller, others slightly shorter; the shorter ones were half-submerged in water, and the taller ones had scaffolds of varying heights in front of them, resembling unfinished construction sites. Other areas had concrete platforms sporadically scattered within the city.

One could feel that many parts of the city’s interior had been artificially modified.

Not far away, on one platform, a middle-aged man with a fish basket, holding a fishing rod, suddenly had his pole bend into a tight arc, the fishing line making a zipping sound. Beside the angler, a Beast Tamer shaped like a spotted large cat was curled up fast asleep.

Chen Xing glanced at it, a level 45 Jungle Predator.

Even the green conch would probably receive a couple of slaps if it showed up.

Tian Xuechuan expressed his astonishment, “Holy shit, there’s even an angler here! Do anglers spawn randomly across the whole world?”

“The entry ticket for the Ze City Secret Realm isn’t expensive, thirty thousand a piece. Some wealthy anglers frequently come here to fish,” the bald uncle said as if it were quite ordinary.

Wu Ju’s expression was subtle, “My dad also likes live-bait fishing. Sometimes he buys a ticket to fish in the secret realm. My mom has argued with him many times to no avail; he just loves the thrill of not knowing what kind of monster he’ll pull up next.”

“Alright, now we’re officially inside the secret realm. From here on, unless there’s a risk of fatal danger, Zhao Liang and I won’t intervene. Coming to the secret realm is about learning; anything else is just wasting time and energy,” Kuang Shiyi spoke.

“Treat this place as the wilderness. The territory of the Ze City secret realm alone spans eighty square kilometers, and it’s inhabited by monsters numbering in the tens of thousands. Some are in the water, others in the roadside houses. Your mission for the next three days and two nights is to survive in the secret realm; today is the first day.”

At this point, Kuang Shiyi paused, then continued speaking to Chen Xing and the others.

“Your strength varies, so if the seven of you stick together, the difference in training received would be quite large. Therefore, you will split into two teams. The four official members will be in my group, and the three reserves will be with Old Zhao.”

The bald uncle smiled at Chen Xing and his group, gesturing a ‘yeah’ sign with his hand.

Kuang Shiyi introduced them to Zhao Liang, “Old Zhao used to be in the scout company of the military. He has a wealth of experience in wilderness survival. Learn well from him in these three days and try to glean as much of his know-how as possible.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xing pondered thoughtfully. If Old Zhao used to be in a military scout company, then Teacher Kuang must be retired from the scout company as well, right?

Their Beast Tamers were all identical; they must be the standard-issue Beast Tamers from the military.

No wonder the skill set of the Blaze Hunter Bee seems designed for scouting and tracking, with a focus on high mobility.

After Kuang Shiyi and his party left, the bald man introduced himself with a smile, “Hello, my last name is Zhao, you can call me Brother Zhao, just don’t call me Old Zhao, so as not to make me seem old.”

The three called out ‘Brother Zhao’ in unison.

“Haha, this is all of your first time in the Secret Realm, isn’t it?”

“First time,” Zhou Hao said while looking around.

Although his family was well off, it was his first time coming to a Secret Realm.

In the past, his family didn’t allow him to come to such dangerous places.

“Let’s go, let’s find a place to sit down.”

Zhao Liang led the three to a nearby stone stairway to sit.

“I’m going to tell you, unless it’s the pioneering of a Secret Realm, in realms like these that have been well developed, the most dangerous thing is actually not the beasts—it’s people.”

“Think about it, how can a group of wild monsters, which act solely on instinct and have fixed hunting habits, compare with Beast Tamers who have professional skill training, cunning minds, know how to set traps, and will stop at nothing?”

“If a monster can’t beat you, it’ll run away. If a Beast Tamer can’t beat you, they may pretend to surrender, or if they run away and you chase, they might set an ambush along the way and attack you unexpectedly.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xing and his companions couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course, these experiences are only applicable to the Secret Realm. They don’t apply to realms being pioneered, and they’re not appropriate for the Exotic Region, either.”

“Brother Zhao, by the sound of it, have you been to the Exotic Region?” Wang Bing asked eagerly.

“Of course, I’ve been there. In the past, your teacher, Mr. Kuang, and I even carried out missions in the Exotic Region. I can’t say what the missions were because it’s confidential, but I can tell you the monsters in the Exotic Region are really different from those in the Secret Realm. The monsters there are inherently no different from those we have here; they are of the same species.

But the Exotic Region has more abundant resources, the competition between different Species is extremely fierce, and the weather is drastically variable! There’s also a high density of monsters, leading to frequent fighting among them. Together with the rich resources, it’s very likely to produce ‘real monsters.’ Although they are not professionally trained, the battlefield is the best teacher, and the frequent battles make the monsters that grow up in the Exotic Region absolute freaks.”

“In recent years, I’ve heard that the higher-ups are planning to intensify practical training and even expand the army…” Zhao Liang said, his voice turning hushed. Practical combat also meant a higher death rate, leading to more people laying their bones in foreign lands.

“Pioneering a Secret Realm is similar to the Exotic Region; in many ways, the environment inside a realm being pioneered is similar to that of the Exotic Region, including the density of the monsters within. Therefore, pioneering in the Secret Realm is perilously dangerous. If you ever go pioneering one day, don’t overestimate yourselves, just follow the main force and push forward slowly.”

After finishing his explanation, Zhao Liang took a map out of the backpack behind him.

“Now, take out your maps, and I’ll teach you how to read them. Do you see the green dots marked on the map?”

Chen Xing and his companions took out their maps, which indeed had five green circles on them.

Zhao Liang, pointing at the marks on the map, said, “These five green circles are the ‘safe zones’ within the city, built by officials. The environment inside might be simple, but you can rest there at night. If you are injured, you can also go to the safe zone for help, and there will be special staff to escort you out of the Secret Realm for Healing. These safe zones only exist in tamed realms like Ze City Secret Realm; most realms don’t have them.”

“But if it gets too late and you can’t make it to a safe zone, you’ll have to sleep in the wilderness, and then the choice of your resting place becomes crucial.”

“Do you see the red areas marked on the map?”

Chen Xing noticed there were indeed red areas on the map, like sores breaking out on it, bright red and eye-catching.

“I see them,” said Chen Xing. Zhou Hao and Wang Bing nodded too.

“The red areas represent danger zones, also known as high mortality areas. These are areas where, historically, the death rate has been highest in the Secret Realm, indicating the monsters there are more dangerous than elsewhere. So, when you settle down for the night, try to stay away from these danger zones as much as possible.”

“If it gets too late and you can’t get away from a dangerous area, you need to learn how to choose a resting spot. The choice of a resting spot focuses on three key points: having multiple exits, shelter from the wind and shade, and a safety assessment.”

“Having multiple exits is most important; don’t choose a place to rest that only has one exit. Otherwise, if the only way out is blocked, you’ll be trapped like a turtle in a jar. Shelter from wind and shade is also important and affects your sleep quality at night. A safety assessment involves scouting the nearby environment before resting, checking if it’s an area where monsters frequently roam or if it might be near their den.”

“Of course, the main point is to adjust based on the situation; it’s not always possible to find a spot that’s completely to your liking. Tonight, we’re not going to a safe zone; I’ll take you to camp in the wilderness.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep