"Hong Ge thinks he’s a problem?"
Liu Yusu hadn’t noticed any ranger, but upon hearing the Superconductor Mage mention it, she immediately became alert. Synchronizing her senses with a red-eyed mountain eagle in the sky, she switched her view to an overhead perspective and easily spotted Ji Xinghuo moving through the forest.
"It’s just a guess, the probability is low," Pei Hong stroked his chin, "After all, the etheric fluctuations of the Star Tears are very strong..."
"We’ll know if we catch up to him," Liu Yusu leapt onto her Silver Winged Pegasus.
Pei Hong was helpless; he had just casually mentioned it without any solid evidence.
Given Liu Yusu’s domineering style, conflict was almost inevitable. Although the other party was just a lone ranger with seemingly average strength, any mutant bold enough to travel alone in the Star Realm had to have some tricks up their sleeve, and it might just be an unexpected turnover.
"I’m the leader, what I say goes in the Seventh Group," Liu Yusu, high on her Pegasus, declared, "If you don’t come along, you’ll have no share if I get the Star Tears."
Pei Hong could only jump onto another Silver Winged Pegasus.
"You stay here and wait, no need to follow,"
Liu Yusu commanded the other group members. A mere ranger was nothing to handle, with both herself and Pei Hong more than enough, there was no need to make a big fuss.
After sprinting a few steps on the ground, the Silver Winged Pegasus flapped its broad white wings and soared into the sky.
More than a dozen Iron-Backed Giant Bears, Shadow Wolves, and Thousand-Peak Retrievers that were drinking water, upon receiving their master’s order, turned and charged into the forest.
Ji Xinghuo had intended to continue his search for a couple more hours before leaving unnoticed.
But he hadn’t gone far when he sensed something amiss, looked up to the sky, and noticed several circling falcons watching him.
"Are they tracking me?"
Ji Xinghuo quickly averted his gaze, pretending not to notice, but his heart skipped a beat, puzzled at what gave him away.
He continued forward for a few dozen meters, moving under some tree shade.
Taking advantage of the falcons’ blind spot, Ji Xinghuo quickly pulled out the cloth-wrapped Star Tears from his backpack, patted the pocket by his waist, and the head of the little green snake peeked out.
"Eat it quickly, hide it in your stomach."
The little green snake recognized what was placed in front of it and touched it with its mouth, making the Star Tears disappear instantly.
Ji Xinghuo had already prepared for possible troubles after finishing his roasted fish. For precautions, he had packed most of the Alien Species, including the Basalt Body, as well as those French pounds, Cold Ice Dual Blades, and other shady items, in a separate bag.
The little green snake opened its mouth and swallowed the bag too.
Ji Xinghuo was overjoyed. Now, only a dozen or so Alien Species remained in his backpack, nothing suspicious.
"Go, remember to hide well, and don’t let anyone find you,"
Ji Xinghuo placed the little green snake on the ground, and it quickly slithered into the bushes and disappeared.
He continued walking slowly forward.
In less than ten seconds of finishing all this, a flap of wings came from above, and Ji Xinghuo looked up to see two Silver Winged Pegasi passing through the gaps of trees, hovering dozens of meters ahead in mid-air; it was two Super Mutants from the Myriad Beast Garden Hunting Group.
Liu Yusu called out lightly.
Ji Xinghuo had already stopped, gripping the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow in his hand, and asked in a deep voice, "What’s the meaning of blocking my way?"
Liu Yusu had no intention of responding, at that moment, more than a dozen war pets had already arrived, surrounding Ji Xinghuo in the middle.
She looked towards Pei Hong, "Hong Ge?"
Pei Hong scrutinized Ji Xinghuo, but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, scratching his head, he said, "I must have been mistaken."
He felt strange inside. This ranger’s etheric fluctuations were quite normal. Had he really seen incorrectly?
Besides, it was only a few hundred meters from the lake to here. Even if this ranger had issues, there wouldn’t have been enough time to dispose of anything; the Star Tears couldn’t be hidden that quickly.
She had always been earnest, never letting go of any suspect details. With a cold voice, she demanded, "Take off the mask on your face, and hand over your backpack for inspection."
Pei Hong quickly spoke up, shaking his head at her.
Doing so would completely offend the ranger in front of them, which was totally unnecessary.
However, Liu Yusu just glanced at Pei Hong, without saying another word. Her intention couldn’t be clearer; it was just a ranger, so what if they offended him, what could happen?
Ji Xinghuo’s face darkened. Although he had anticipated that the Myriad Beast Garden’s people were up to no good, he didn’t expect them to actually conduct a search.
This was a great insult to anyone.
His right pupil’s ring of light flickered slightly.
Myriad Phenomena briefly activated, and Ji Xinghuo saw several seconds into the future, every possible outcome.
However, in each one, his death was certain.
The strength of these two Super Mutants far exceeded that of Ji Zongbang, the Master, and the Superconductor Mage; they were top Professional Templates, much stronger than Shadow Blade. Moreover, as outstanding figures among Super Mutants at their peak performance, and he was but a Primary Level Mutant, the distance between them was too close, leaving no chance for victory.
At best, he could only trade his life for one of theirs.
Ji Xinghuo deactivated Myriad Phenomena after just one second.
Although there was no chance of winning, by foreseeing the future, he had learned some of their moves and combat styles.
"The Myriad Beast Garden sure has a lot of nerve," Ji Xinghuo taunted.
"You’re not convinced?"