Because the hired worker couldn’t hold it any longer, Ren Zhong not only failed to enjoy the manual transportation service, but instead had to act as the driver himself, riding his bike to haul the tools to the Miracle Clinic.
Halfway there, Wen Lei recounted the events from the beginning.
Ren Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it was a false alarm.
No one was dead, they were all alive and well.
The injured person was only Wen Lei, hurt under the claws of a Second Level Ruined Beast known as the Enhanced Screaming Wolf.
If things ended there, it wouldn’t be surprising.
A professional rear guard getting injured in battle is reasonable and expected.
The problem lies in why Zheng Tian’s team insisted on challenging a Second Level Ruined Beast, which they usually avoided, despite clearly insufficient ammunition supplies, and ended up losing.
By the end, the team’s supplies were depleted, out of ammo and resources.
The Enhanced Screaming Wolf was still full of life, forcing everyone to fight while retreating.
Wen Lei, responsible for the rearguard, struggled to cover the retreat with his life.
If Zheng Tian hadn’t risked driving past him, and Bai Feng hadn’t timely thrown an iron chain for Wen Lei to grab and be dragged away on the ground, Wen Lei would have fallen right there.
The root of the problem arose in the morning.
When the team was all set to depart in the parking lot, Bei Lihui rode over on a jetski.
He called Zheng Tian over and began berating her.
In short, he was viciously scolding the Zheng Tian team for being utterly useless, contributing so little in commissions over five continuous days that even a lazy dog wouldn’t bother to pick it up. Was this intentional, treating them like fools, or were they really that incompetent?
Before leaving, Bei Lihui gave a final ultimatum: according to the average daily rate of extracting 3 to 4 points, Zheng Tian’s team must make up the week’s deficit in the last two days.
That is to say, the team must submit at least 20 extraction points in two days.
If they fail, it would mean the team no longer has any value.
Lin Wang would withdraw the authorization, no longer allowing Zheng Tian’s team to operate under him, forcing them to find their own way.
Out of options, Zheng Tian proposed to directly transfer money to cover the deficit, only to be met with a "righteous" refusal from Bei Lihui.
He loudly declared that the captain had set the rules, and they must not be broken. Outside the percentage of extraction defined within the rules, they would never accept even a penny more from a sponsored team.
Surrounding onlookers nodded approvingly, praising Captain Lin’s renowned integrity.
Even though Zheng Tian knew Bei Lihui was putting on an act, she had no choice but to make a military pledge, forced onto Liang Mountain.
Thus, starting in the morning, everyone fought desperately.
In the morning, Zheng Tian racked her brains to cover all the classic hunting areas she was familiar with, but the yield was still pitiful.
By past three in the afternoon, with no better options, they decided to venture into less familiar territories, establishing new routes.
The risk increased, there were several close calls, yet fortunately the gains slightly improved, though still far from covering the required extraction份额.
After some discussion, they decided to push on through the night, planning to return by eight o’clock, so long as they didn’t miss the eight-thirty appointment between Wen Lei and Mr. Ren.
At 7:53 PM, the team spotted an Advanced First Level Ruined Beast, a Night Wolf that only appears at night — the Second Level Ruined Beast, Enhanced Screaming Wolf.
Theoretically, there was a chance of winning the battle, so everyone decided to charge.
However, Zheng Tian, having lost her usual calm, made a mistake in ammo calculation beforehand, and even after depleting her bullets, and Ou Youning emptying his wallet, they couldn’t defeat the opponent.
The whole team had to accept defeat and retreat, full of hatred.
"Brother Sun, I’m really sorry to bother you so late. My friend’s injuries are quite severe."
"Just pay, that’s all. As agreed, half-price, no more whining."
"Alright. Thank you."
"Don’t thank me, I’m afraid you’ll thank me and then not pay!"
Bandaged Wen Lei sat on the back seat of Ren Zhong’s motorcycle, murmuring, "I’m sorry Mr. Ren, for troubling you to advance the medical fees. I’ll go back and discuss with the captain, or I’ll transfer the money to you right now."
Ren Zhong didn’t look back, "No need, it’s a minor thing, this bit of money is nothing to me."
"No nonsense. I have the final say."
Indeed, he couldn’t accept this money.
The team ended up today largely because of him.
He focused solely on suppressing them to his heart’s content, yet his unfamiliarity with the survival environment of the wild towners led Zheng Tian and others into trouble.
Ren Zhong felt a bit regretful that on the way to Rat Cliff Mountain yesterday, he should have held back somewhat.
But in his heart, he resented the professional team even more.
Compared to ordinary wild people, the professional team is like an unattainable mountain.
Ren Zhong thought that by not approaching the mountain, the mountain wouldn’t collide with him.
But it turned out this mountain was unreasonable, it even grew legs, enjoying exerting pressure on people, and remained sturdy as ever.