In a matter of moments, the ambushers were all taken care of, their bodies littering the ground. The four protagonists frowned, clearly realizing that the earlier poacher had led them into an ambush. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many enemies waiting for them.
Now that all the attackers were dead, there was no one left to guide them. However, there was some good news. The road they were on had obvious tire tracks, and following those should lead them to their destination.
After exchanging glances, the group nodded in agreement and began walking along the trail. As they moved forward, Hannah called back to Qin Ming, who was inspecting an old rifle.
Hearing her, Qin Ming quickly dropped the outdated rifle, which couldn't be taken out of the instance anyway, and hurried to catch up.
Following the tire tracks, they encountered several groups of enemies along the way, including a convoy transporting dinosaur carcasses. After swiftly dealing with the poachers, Qin Ming found himself growing increasingly frustrated.
With the four protagonists fighting alongside him, the drop rates for rewards were severely reduced. Despite defeating over twenty poachers, Qin Ming had only obtained a single white key. If he had been weaker, sticking with the protagonist group would've been a blessing, a chance to survive and collect scraps. But these minor enemies? Qin Ming could handle them himself!
Following the protagonists was turning into a losing proposition. He couldn't say for sure he'd missed out on a silver item, but he had definitely lost opportunities to gain at least a few blue-tier items.
Suddenly stopping in his tracks, Qin Ming made up his mind and spoke up.
"I think we should split up."
The four protagonists immediately stopped and turned to look at him with frowns. Jack, who had always been antagonistic toward Qin Ming, spoke coldly.
"The last time we split up, Hannah almost died. And now you want to split up again?"
This time, however, Qin Ming didn't argue. Instead, he quickly explained his reasoning.
"I'm not saying we all split up. You four stay together, and I'll go solo."
He patted the revolver holstered at his waist and raised an eyebrow.
"There are a lot of poachers out here. Even if we take out their leader, the others will still keep hunting dinosaurs. My suggestion is for you four to deal with the leader while I take care of the poachers."
Staying with the protagonist group would severely cut into his loot. On the other hand, going solo meant he couldn't handle the second-stage boss by himself. Weighing his options, Qin Ming decided to give up the boss rewards and go his own way.
After all, with his unique ability to enhance treasure chests, as long as he found enough of them, he'd eventually get great items.
The protagonists exchanged glances once more. After a brief moment of hesitation, it was Hannah—who had the best relationship with Qin Ming—who spoke up.
"That might actually be a good idea. Your gun is really effective against the poachers. But Qin Ming, won't it be dangerous if you go alone? Maybe one of us should go with you..."
"No need," Qin Ming quickly cut her off. "The enemy isn't simple. You four have a better chance if you stay together. Don't worry about me—I can take care of myself."
He rejected Hannah's offer to send someone with him, knowing that an extra companion would only reduce his chances of getting better loot. With the protagonists convinced, Qin Ming parted ways with the group.
Watching them follow the tire tracks, Qin Ming pulled out his revolver and fired a shot into the sky.
With a loud bang, the nearby forest rustled, and three figures emerged, running toward Qin Ming.
Silver-grade item skill: Authority of the Boss!
Looking at the three lackeys who had appeared, Qin Ming frowned. His luck hadn't come through this time—none of the elite minions from the first stage, like the knife-thrower or the fat bruiser, had shown up. Instead, he'd summoned three ordinary thugs.
Name: Street Thug (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Stage 1)
Skill: Power Kick (E-grade skill, deals 1.2x strength damage)
Description: Hired muscle recruited by Vice-Terra, skilled in street fighting, but nothing more.
Their stats were abysmal, and their skills were nearly useless. These lackeys might as well have had "I'm a worthless minion" written on their faces.
Even if Qin Ming hadn't had his beginner attribute boost, these guys wouldn't have stood a chance against him one-on-one. It was no wonder that the first stage of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs had been chosen as the beginner instance.
Still, Qin Ming wasn't too disappointed. He hadn't summoned these thugs to fight for him—they were here to serve as meat shields.
With these three lackeys around, they'd help take some of the incoming fire, making Qin Ming's solo venture much safer.
He picked up the rifles scattered on the ground and handed them to the lackeys, arming them whether they knew how to use the guns or not. With his makeshift squad in tow, Qin Ming, revolver in hand, headed down a side path that split off from the main road.
This path was the same one they had seen the dinosaur transport truck take earlier. Qin Ming figured that something valuable must be at the end of this road—if this were a game, it would definitely be a side quest.
As they followed the makeshift dirt road and the tire tracks, they soon encountered a small group of poachers sitting around a campfire, eating.
Unfortunately for them, they wouldn't be finishing that meal.
With a loud bang, Qin Ming fired, and the head of a poacher who had just reached for food exploded in a spray of blood.
Startled, the remaining poachers scrambled for their rifles. But just as they stood, the bushes rustled, and three leather-clad thugs charged out, wildly firing their rifles in all directions. While their shots didn't hit anything, the chaos sent the poachers into a panic as they searched for cover.
Before they could react, Qin Ming peeked out from behind a tree, carefully aimed, and fired three shots, killing another poacher. Then, he ducked back behind the tree to reload.
The remaining poachers, now engaged in close combat with the three thugs, were fending off gun butts and fists. As the fight continued, Qin Ming took the opportunity to fire more shots from a distance.
Within moments, the remaining two poachers were dead, one of them dropping a white key as they fell. Satisfied with the improved drop rate, Qin Ming pocketed the key and signaled his thugs to reload. Together, they headed deeper into the forest.